Episode 172 – Escape (1)

Escape (1)

In a snow-covered mountain lodge in [Planarium].

Elise was staying there.

No, she was trapped there.

“Haah…….”

A sigh naturally escaped her lips.

The circumstances that led to her being trapped here were still unclear to Elise herself.

She just opened the door to her dorm room, a cold wind blew, and when she opened her eyes, she was right here.

What kind of trap had she fallen into?

Click- Click-

She turned the radio on and off.

Click- Click-

She turned it on and off as she wandered around the inside of the lodge, then opened the door.

Whooooosh───

A blizzard rushed in.

“…….”

Looking at the snowflakes rapidly piling up on the floor, Elise counted the seconds.

“One, two, three, four, five.”

She closed the door. She measured the height of the snow that had quickly piled up.

15 cm.

The same. Even though this was her 30th check.

15 cm in 5 seconds.

A very regular and consistent blizzard.

“The space loop is certain.”

She circled around the outside of the lodge five times. It was to find an exit, but escape was impossible.

No matter how far she walked, there was no end to it, only this ‘lodge’.

Just like the Earth is round, she always ended up back here.

──Knock knock.

Then, a sudden knock. A strangely resonating echo.

“!”

Elise flinched, but then approached the door.

“Who is it?”

─Who else. Hey. Open up.

A voice that was too familiar and casual.

Who was it…….

She rummaged through her mind.

Ah.

Shion.

It was Shion.

Elise smiled.

─Are you going to open the door?

“Got it.”

She quickly opened the door.

“……Ah, it’s cold.”

It was indeed Shion.

She pouted her lips for no reason.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?

“I’m here, aren’t I? Move. Let me in.”

As he entered the lodge, he shook off the snow. He quickly looked around and sat down on a chair.

“Did you come here like that?”

“What.”

“You don’t even have a backpack…….”

He didn’t even have a backpack, let alone a coat.

Shion asked nonchalantly.

“So, should I equip a full plate armor or something?”

“Well, not that.”

“Why were you stuck here?”

“Why? This place is a space loop…….”

Elise’s words stopped.

She quietly looked up at Shion.

“……I want to ask first. How did you get here?”

It’s not that this place is an inescapable lodge. But is it possible to enter─to come in?

It’s a very suspicious choice.

“I have a resistant, so magic or magical interference doesn’t affect me.”

Shion explained simply. Elise frowned slightly, but she didn’t make a big deal out of it.

He was a guy who was not very susceptible to magic. She knew that very well.

“……Anyway. This place is trapped in a space loop.”

Elise placed a teacup in front of him. It was something that had been in the lodge from the beginning.

Shion spoke.

“Ah. I thought so. It’s probably because of a spirit.”

Chirr- As Elise poured the tea, she responded.

“A spirit?”

“Yeah. Spirits can’t escape from Planarium.”

“So you’re saying it trapped me here too?”

“Something like that.”

Shion pointed at himself. Elise sat across from him.

“So what about us? How do we escape?”

“Not yet. That’s something we’ll have to find out.”

Shion looked around the inside of the lodge and slurped- his tea. Elise also took a sip from her teacup.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, he called her.

“Hmm?”

“Did you notice anything strange here?”

“Strange?”

“Yeah. Like meeting someone here. Or seeing someone.”

The questions were strange. In fact, they had been strange from the start.

From the moment he entered the lodge…

“Phew.”

Elise let out a small sigh. She put down her teacup and rested her chin on her hand.

“You.”

“What.”

Shion blinked his eyes innocently.

At the sight of him, a relaxed smile spread across her lips.

“You’re not Shion, are you?”

“……”

His expression hardened for a moment. Elise tried to immediately draw up her magic, but…

Clank-

He put down his teacup.

In an instant, all of Elise’s movements stopped. Not just hers.

The blizzard raging outside the lodge window, the radio that had been clicking, everything seemed to have stopped in time……

* * *

“It’s going to be tough.”

I shrugged my shoulders. Akane across from me responded.

“It won’t be easy.”

“…But why is the spirit angry?”

I was annoyed. I had already passed first.

Akane put a cigarette in her mouth.

“You killed the spirit’s body, didn’t you?”

“But that guy started the fight.”

Fwoosh- The filter lit up. Akane took a cool puff and chuckled.

“A spirit’s body doesn’t die when you kill it. Even if you kill the ‘body’, it just flows back as a spirit. The bastard himself is trying to take revenge on you.”

“Using Elise as a hostage?”

“Yes. He’s trying to lure you in by taking Elise hostage.”

That was unbelievable.

If he was going to take a hostage, he should have taken Soliette. Why Elise, of all people?

“There’s not much time to complain. The closer a spirit gets to a human, the more it forgets that it’s a spirit.”

A spirit that takes on a human form and tries to steal a human body eventually forgets that it’s a spirit.

I glanced at the cigarette Akane was smoking.

“Why do you keep smoking that? It’s not good for your health.”

“I’m a doll anyway.”

“Even if it’s your main body?”

“……”

At that, Akane stiffened. She chewed her lips as she looked at me.

“If you lie, you’ll lose a hand.”

I avoided her gaze. I looked at the painting hanging on the wall.

“…A lodge in the snow. It’s kind of creepy.”

“Is it a doll or the main body?”

Akane only asked that.

I smiled slightly.

“Of course, it’s a doll. So far, your intuition is correct.”

“……”

She immediately lit another cigarette.

“Anyway. It’s certain that only Elise is trapped, right?”

“Yes. We have to find her before she’s completely mesmerized.”

“Well… I don’t think a unique one like Elise will be mesmerized.”

I got up.

“Let’s stop resting and go. To find her.”

* * *

…A lodge where time had stopped, the blizzard frozen like a scene from a canvas.

Shion waved his hand as he looked out the window.

“You’re not Shion, are you?”

Elise’s words from just a moment ago rewound in time.

Back to the moment when their conversation first started, sitting across from each other.

“…This place is trapped in a space loop.”

Elise explained the space again, and Shion responded with a small laugh.

“Ah, I thought so. It’s probably because of a spirit.”

Chrrr- She poured tea as she replied.

“A spirit?”

“Yeah. A spirit can’t escape from Planarium.”

“So you’re saying it trapped me here too?”

“Something like that.”

Shion nodded.

“So what about us? How do we escape?”

“Not yet. That’s something we’ll have to find out.”

Shion stood up, holding his teacup. He looked around the lodge carefully.

The refrigerator. The coffee pot. The tea on the shelf. The radio. The transceiver. The painting. The painting of the snow-covered lodge. And five doors.

“…What are you looking at? Like you’re searching for something.”

Elise asked. Shion replied as he sipped his tea.

“Just curious about this place.”

Shion opened the door to the lodge. Then Elise also narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“I’ve searched the inside of the lodge. There was nothing special.”

“Is that so? …Hey, but.”

Shion turned back to Elise.

“Was there really no one here but you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Was there anyone else with you? Or.”

Shion pointed to the transceiver. Elise looked at it too.

“I’m curious if you tried to call someone with that.”

“What…”

In an instant, Elise calmly sat down. She looked back at Shion with serene eyes.

Shion opened another door to the lodge.

Creak-

Shion, who seemed to be searching, quickly scanned the interior. Watching him, Elise gathered magic in her palms.

Just as she was about to release it—

“…Huh.”

Snap! He sighed and snapped his fingers.

Time stopped again.

In that state, he looked back at Elise. She was frozen in the act of releasing her magic.

“This is really hard.”

He put a finger to his temple as if he had a headache.

“…This crazy woman.”

He muttered and sighed.

* * *

“Is it over already?”

Akane asked. I answered, panting.

“This surprisingly drains a lot of energy. I’m already lacking in stamina, so I’m getting impatient.”

“Then take a break. We’re not out of time yet.”

I slumped to the floor. Akane spread out a newspaper.

“…But, you know. You caused a ruckus in Trick City?”

“Why Trick City all of a sudden?”

“Look at this. The fencing mask.”

Akane showed me the front page of the newspaper. There was an article in the headline.

[Orphanage Director Berrieda Ren Casano Dead.]

[The Fencing Mask that Extinguished the Lantern of C-Section… Trick City, Engulfed in Waves of Mourning and Rage…]

‘The Berrieda Ren Casano murder case’.

It was the murder I had dealt with when I went out.

“Hmm…”

The repercussions of killing that hypocrite in disguise seem to be quite significant in Trick City right now.

I guess I wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“Is this you?”

“This fencing mask?”

“The precise villain name is ‘Avenger’.”

“…Villain?”

I frowned. The label of villain was a bit irritating.

“Yeah.”

Akane raised her eyebrows.

“This ‘Avenger’ villain killed the ‘Lantern of C-Section’, who sponsors and operates the Orphanage, didn’t he?”

The Lantern of C-Section.

Such an ill-fitting name.

“…Have you ever thought that it’s not a lantern but jizz?”

“Huh- Huhem.”

Akane burst into laughter for a moment but pretended not to. She regained her composure with a belated fake cough.

I was dumbfounded.

“If it’s funny, laugh.”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, if you laughed without showing it, I wouldn’t know. Anyone can see you burst out laughing.”

“…Hmph. It’s just low class.”

“It means John’s fluid, what’s low class about it?”

I smirked.

“Oh, you like this kind of joke?”

“Shut up.”

“…”

I smirked.

“Oh, you like this kind of joke?”

“Shut up.”

Akane quickly changed the subject.

“Besides, the situation in Trick City is going in a strange direction.”

“Strange?”

“Yeah. There’s a very strong public opinion to establish something for the heroes.”

Heroes.

I blinked at that word.

“Heroes?”

“Yeah. Do you know? In my time, such comics were quite popular. Jetman, Ionicman…”

“I know. You’re only 10 years older than me.”

“…Who are you teasing?”

I lay on the floor for a moment, thinking.

“That’s interesting.”

The enactment of Trick City’s hero-related law.

Before my regression, it was something that would happen at least 3 years later.

It’s been moved up.

Of course, it’s a much better situation.

Heroes like Mila will receive more support, more talents will be trained faster, and they will face the underworld.

“So, is this fencing mask you or not?”

Akane asked. I looked back at her.

“It’s me.”

There’s no need to lie to her.

“Berrieda, that bastard, is a hypocritical son of a bitch. He’s selling Trick City’s information to the underworld.”

I have no regrets.

Rather, I will continue to kill such bastards in the future.

In this sense, ‘Avenger’ is right.

I asked Akane.

“What do you think? Do you mind?”

“Of course not.”

She chuckled and took a puff of her cigarette.

“The world needs villains. Villains who will burn jizz without regard for means and methods, puff. Hmm.”

“…”

I silently looked at her.

Laughing at your own joke isn’t exactly cool. Therefore, the person who throws the joke must always maintain composure.

When the person who cracks the joke laughs, it becomes too obvious that they were trying to be funny. Then, even a funny joke loses its charm.

“…Your sense of humor is a bit low class.”

At my words, Akane slightly furrowed her brows.

“You started it first. You jizz shit.”

“I was joking. You just wanted to do it.”

“…”

Akane seemed to feel guilty and scratched her arm for no reason.

I got up.

“…Shall we go back now?”

For reference, we are in a dormitory.

Planarium Dormitory.

In the corridor of the place, where most seniors have escaped and left empty, a painting is hanging.

It’s a landscape painting depicting a [Snow-Covered Mountain Lodge].

“Please send me now.”

I put my hand on the painting.

Inside it, Elise is trapped.

Not the Elise pretending to be Elise, but the ‘real Elise’ is hidden somewhere.

“Ungrateful bastard.”

Akane seemed to be upset about her humor being pointed out, but she soon activated her magic.

I was ‘transferred’ into the painting.

* * *

Snow-covered mountain lodge.

“…”

Shion silently looked at Elise.

Elise was still standing in the same place.

“Huh.”

As he sighed lightly and waved his hand, the time inside the mountain lodge where Elise was rewound.

At the same time, her paused state was released.

“…This place is trapped in a space loop.”

Then Elise explains about this space again, and Shion appropriately responds while looking around.

To find the ‘real’ one.

However, not long after.

“You. You’re not Shion.”

Elise doubts Shion like that.

At that moment, Shion flicks his finger. It’s a signal to Akane who is waiting outside the painting.

When he does this, Akane stops and rewinds the time inside the painting.

It’s only for a moment.

This Elise is really quick-witted, and she soon doubts Shion again.

“You. You’re not Shion.”

Flick-!

Shion flicks his finger, and Akane rewinds the time again.

“You. You’re not Shion.”

Flick-!

Shion flicks his finger, and Akane rewinds the time again….

“You. You’re not Shion.”

After about thirty repetitions, it becomes annoying.

When rewound while trapped in the painting, it hurts the head and drains too much energy.

“You. You’re not Shion?”

Elise twisted her lips as she looked at Shion.

“Haah…….”

Shion let out a deep sigh. He gritted his teeth.

Just now, his anger reached its limit.

“You… always ask ‘Are you Shion?’ Don’t you have any other lines?”

Shion took a step towards her. She took a step back.

“Don’t come!”

She stretched out her telekinesis while shouting, but Shion’s body didn’t flinch. Like a lump of steel.

“Why…….”

“Do you understand?”

“Ugh!”

Shion rushed at her. He grabbed her thin neck with his large hands.

“Kuh…!”

“Speak.”

While choking her struggling neck, he growls in a rough voice.

“Speak up!”

“What… let go!”

She had a completely clueless face. Rather, she seemed unjustly treated and glared at Shion fiercely.

He found that face disgusting.

The very fact that she believes she is the ‘real’ one…

“Tell me where you hid Elise, you crazy bitch──!”