How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends
Chapter 16
"Are you ready?"
"!"
The mascot raised a bundle wrapped in cloth.
The moment we learned that the next floor was a café, the first thing we did was prepare something to drink.
"There must be a reason they warned us not to drink anything."
"!"
The mascot nodded vigorously.
"We should bring everything we might need."
After discovering that the fifth floor was a café, I'd tried to gather as much information as possible.
This was the first time I'd received information about the next floor in advance. I needed to make good use of it.
Besides, I really didn't want to die this time.
"I'd like to clear at least one floor without dying."
"?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
I quickly changed the subject when the mascot looked at me curiously.
Water, check.
Food and other necessities, check.
"What about the rope?"
"!"
The mascot held up the rope.
Well, calling it a rope was a bit of an exaggeration. It was more like a long cord we'd made by twisting bedsheets together.
We wouldn't have a blanket to cover ourselves with when we returned, but who cared about that right now?
"You brought the shield too, right?"
"!"
The mascot raised a shield made by attaching bathroom tiles to both sides of a pillow.
"...Maybe we should've prepared these sooner."
Wouldn't the third and fourth floors have been easier if we'd had equipment like this?
"..."
I thought about it carefully.
"No, probably not."
I quickly realized that wouldn't have helped much.
Those floors hadn't been challenges that could be solved through physical strength.
Of course, there was a good chance the café wouldn't require physical strength either.
Still...
"Better safe than sorry."
"?"
"Just talking to myself."
I answered calmly and looked at the clock.
Thirty minutes.
There were thirty minutes left until we had to leave this room.
I'd spent some time resting, but most of it had gone into preparing our equipment.
The shield, the rope, and...
"..."
A piece of wood in my hand.
I examined the sharpened stake I'd made by cutting off part of the bed frame.
Calling it a stake was generous. It was so crude that it barely qualified as a weapon.
Then again, I hadn't made it primarily to use as a weapon.
I remembered the time I'd temporarily lost my mind on the third floor.
That experience had taught me something.
I couldn't afford to go insane.
Once I lost my mind, I wouldn't be able to do anything.
It was better to take action before that happened.
And the one thing I could do before losing my mind was...
"..."
I brought the sharpened tip of the stake against my neck.
A drop of blood trickled down.
This should be enough to kill me.
Ultimately, I'd concluded that I needed a way to die before something irreversible happened.
Last time, I'd been lucky. Breaking my legs had snapped me out of my madness, allowing me to kill myself before it was too late.
But I couldn't guarantee the same thing would happen again.
Besides, smashing my head against a rock until I died hadn't been easy.
It had hurt so much that I thought I was going to die.
Well, technically, that had been the point.
In other words, this stake was for suicide.
If something happened and I had absolutely no choice but to die, I would use it.
Of course, it could also serve as a weapon for self-defense.
"Phew..."
I took a drink of soda and stared at the map in front of me.
I'd studied it so many times that I could practically draw it with my eyes closed.
Still...
"...Why won't they show me the sixth floor?"
I couldn't help feeling disappointed.
I'd practically been kidnapped and dragged into this place. The least they could do was provide a map.
I sighed.
Then a soft hand settled on my shoulder.
I slowly turned my head.
The mascot was massaging my shoulders.
"!!!"
It immediately gave me a thumbs-up.
"Are you trying to cheer me up?"
"!"
Another thumbs-up.
"..."
I watched it for a moment.
If it hadn't been for the mascot, I probably would have developed serious psychological problems long ago.
Having someone who could understand me was truly a blessing.
Come to think of it, there was something I'd been wondering about.
"If I manage to get out..."
"?"
"What will you do after I leave?"
"..."
The mascot stared at me for a moment.
Then it slowly pointed toward the ceiling.
"...The ceiling?"
"!!"
It shook its head.
Then, as though letting out a long sigh, it shook its head again and began gesturing.
"Oh. You'll tell me later?"
"!"
The mascot nodded.
I looked at it.
What exactly does this mascot want?
Before I could think about it any further...
Ding!
The elevator doors opened.
Had thirty minutes already passed?
I slowly turned toward the elevator.
"..."
Things were a little different this time.
I'd already cleared four floors of this damned building. By now, I was somewhat mentally prepared for what might happen.
More importantly, we'd brought proper equipment.
I walked toward the elevator.
The mascot followed me inside.
Creeeak.
The doors closed.
With the sound of old machinery, the elevator began ascending.
A short while later...
Ding!
The doors opened.
"Formation, just like we agreed."
"!"
The moment I finished speaking, the mascot stepped forward and raised its shield.
A fluffy mascot carrying a shield made from a pillow and bathroom tiles.
It was a ridiculous combination.
But to me, it was incredibly reassuring.
"Advance!"
The mascot moved forward with its shield raised.
I followed closely behind and examined our surroundings.
Naturally, I hadn't forgotten to collect the notebook.
"..."
It was an old café.
Wooden floors.
Wooden shelves and tables.
It felt as though a café from twenty years ago had been abandoned and left to deteriorate.
I surveyed the ruined café and opened the notebook.
That was always the first thing to do.
[9. What's with this coffee smell? Don't drink anything.]
[9. I'm going to die here.]
[11. Looks like drinking anything is a bad idea. This is the first place that's felt somewhat relaxing.]
[11. But apparently, only this place is relaxing. Things feel strange once you leave.]
[11. Still, I think we have to leave this place eventually.]
[11. I'll say it again. Be careful of liquids.]
[17. There's a guide here?]
[17. Did No. 11 and No. 9 not see it? Or did someone put it here afterward?]
[17. Anyway, I left the guide on the side table where everyone can see it.]
[17. I'm going to head out.]
[24. Greetings. I am a human affiliated with the Management Bureau.]
[24. How strange. Everyone stopped writing after mentioning that they were leaving the café.]
[24. Perhaps the records change once we leave this area, just as the notebook updates to the next floor when we enter an elevator.]
[24. Therefore, as a precaution, I will record everything I can while I remain here.]
[24. As No. 17 mentioned, there is indeed a guide.]
[24. Its contents are as follows.]
[24. The blue sound has been crawling out from behind the refrigerator since yesterday morning. Buttons keep spilling out while murmuring, and I cannot understand why nobody is using the vacuum cleaner. After all, 11:42 always smells sour.]
[24. The gentleman I met on the subway yesterday was undoubtedly the cousin of my missing left sock. His eyes looked exactly like tangled electrical wires. I need to change my password. Cats keep planting broadcasting antennas in my toenails before running away. That's also why my fingertips itch whenever I turn off the radio.]
[24. Why does the news conceal the fact that Earth's rotational axis has shifted three centimeters to the left? Every time a streetlight flickers, the receipts inside my head print themselves again. I want a refund. I never purchased these noises of thought.]
[24. That is all. I can smell coffee now. Since there was no smell when I first arrived, I believe it is time to leave.]
[24. I will continue recording after I leave.]
No. 24's entries ended there.
"..."
This is a completely new kind of problem.
Cold sweat ran down my back as I hurriedly read the next entries.
[38. The contents No. 24 wrote are completely different from what I'm reading. What's going on?]
[38. I'll try writing it down too.]
[38. When eight o'clock arrives this evening, all the lizards in the world will turn into plastic. The dried tangerine peel in my pocket keeps getting hotter, so someone must be forcibly changing my frequency.]
[38. It writes just fine?]
[38. And yeah, I think we should leave the room when we smell coffee. I'll keep writing after I get out.]
[46. The coffee here is absolutely delicious!]
[46. I especially recommend the Americano. That wonderfully bitter flavor really wakes you up.]
[46. I think I'll stay here for a while. Why don't you all relax and enjoy a cup of coffee too? I'm sure you've all exhausted yourselves physically and mentally.]
[51. I realized something after reading No. 46's entry. Never drink the coffee. If you smell coffee, run.]
"..."
There were more entries afterward, but I hurriedly closed the notebook for now.
"Can you see anything like a manual nearby?"
"?"
The mascot tilted its head.
I looked at it and continued.
"Help me look for one."
"!"
The mascot nodded.
It skillfully fastened the shield to its right arm and began searching the room.
I moved in the opposite direction and searched the café as well.
There wasn't any coffee smell yet.
And finding a manual inside a small café wasn't particularly difficult.
Rustle.
I found an old manual inside a drawer.
Why would someone put a manual that was meant to be read inside a drawer?
Was there some malicious person here I didn't know about?
Or...
"..."
Let's just read it.
I carefully examined the manual.
[Welcome to the Café of Happiness!]
[This establishment exists to offer a little comfort to all of you who have worked so hard.]
[However, we ask that you strictly observe the following rules.]
[1. You are currently in the café's main hall. Since the hall is a shared space, you may speak loudly here. However, please refrain from raising your voice elsewhere whenever possible. Speaking quietly is permitted.]
[2. You must follow the employees' instructions without exception. Our employees always act in your best interests.]
[3. There are elevators in the surrounding buildings. Do not enter these elevators. They will take you to the next floor. If you ascend to the next floor, you will no longer be able to remain in the Café of Happiness.]
[4. If you encounter guests attempting to escape through an elevator, you must stop them. Offer them a cup of coffee to delay them, and our employees will take the appropriate action.]
[5. Our employees always carry coffee, so you can identify their presence by the smell of coffee.]
[6. If the coffee does not suit your taste, please call an employee.]
[7. You must drink the coffee. Only by drinking it can you become happy.]
"..."
I slowly lowered the paper.
This was a manual.
It was definitely a manual.
But...
"...These rules aren't meant to protect us."
Before I'd even finished muttering those words, the smell of coffee slowly began spreading through the room.
The aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans.
