How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends
Chapter 17
The rich aroma of coffee.
Under normal circumstances, it would've been part of an office worker's morning ritual.
Or perhaps something an exhausted employee desperately relied on to start another day.
But right now, things were different.
"Let's get out of here."
"?"
The mascot looked at me in confusion, flapping its arms.
I met its gaze.
"The notebook said we should leave as soon as we smell coffee."
"!"
The mascot immediately understood. It raised its shield and quickly looked around.
I did the same.
There were two doors.
One on the left.
One on the right.
Both were the same size.
"..."
The aroma of coffee grew stronger.
"Which way should we go?"
"?"
The mascot pointed at itself and tilted its head.
Me?
At times like this, asking a supernatural being for advice wasn't such a bad idea.
Even if that supernatural being happened to be a mascot carrying a shield made from a pillow.
The mascot placed a hand against its chin and thought for a moment.
Then it pointed at the door on the left.
"This one?"
"!"
"You're sure I can trust you?"
"?"
The mascot stared at me incredulously.
I met its gaze for a moment before nodding.
"Just kidding. I trust you."
It had saved my life several times.
How could I not trust it?
I wasn't that disloyal.
I looked at the left door, took a deep breath, and opened it.
What appeared beyond the door was...
"...?"
A storage room.
A strong coffee smell came from the white sacks inside.
However, there was something different.
"..."
I closed my eyes and sniffed.
The mascot imitated me, closing its eyes and moving its nose as well.
This wasn't quite the same coffee smell described in the notebook.
The smell we'd just fled from was the pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
This one smelled more like old coffee stains that had accumulated over many years.
"It's not exactly a pleasant smell."
"!"
Come to think of it, the mascot never ate anything.
"Have you ever tried coffee?"
The mascot pointed at its temple and rotated one finger.
"Are you asking if I'm crazy?"
"!!"
It shook its head.
"Then what are you trying to say?"
"!!!!!"
"You've never tried it?"
"..."
The mascot shook its head as though it had given up trying to explain.
Forget it.
I looked away.
Numerous sacks with the stale smell of coffee were arranged between the shelves.
Each sack had a small note attached.
I slowly examined one of them.
[Production No. 46. Combines a refreshing flavor with a rich, heavy taste.]
"...A refreshing and heavy flavor?"
I muttered the words.
Then I suddenly remembered something.
"Right."
There was something I needed to confirm.
"If you smell freshly brewed coffee, please get me out of here."
"!"
The mascot nodded.
I opened the notebook again.
Sure enough, it had updated.
I began reading the entries that seemed relevant.
[9. There's way too much coffee smell.]
[9. The smell is horrible. I'm going to die.]
[11. It's a storage room. But why is there so little inside? It's practically empty.]
[11. Anyway, the coffee smell keeps getting stronger, so I'd better leave first. I'll keep writing.]
[24. This place is rather desolate. It appears to be a storage room, but there seems to be only one type of coffee.]
[24. There is nothing particularly unusual about the coffee itself, so there is no real need to examine it.]
[24. Even if you enjoy coffee, I doubt there is anything here worth your attention.]
[24. The storage room is considerably longer than you might expect. However, if you continue walking, you will eventually reach the end.]
[24. Unfortunately, an employee seems to appear almost without fail whenever someone enters the storage room. Please take care to avoid encountering one.]
[24. Always remember the rules you read earlier.]
[24. As for the door ahead, I have decided to choose the brown dust that fell onto my breakfast table this morning. Those particles are actually fragments of words wearing away inside my brain. Every time the ventilation fan turns, someone transmits frequencies directly into my spine, making my teeth ache. How much longer will you pretend not to notice that my finger joints disappear whenever I put a letter into the mailbox?]
[24. I will proceed now.]
[53. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I don't think I'm the only one seeing this. It looks like the sentences are being deliberately distorted, just like on the first floor.]
[53. I'll try to make this as understandable as possible.]
[53. Whenever I hear a washing machine's spin cycle, gray thoughts crumble and spill out inside my head. I cannot understand why nobody enters my brain with a broom. After all, the corner of Tuesday always makes a hard, knocking sound. The reason the second hand on my wristwatch runs backward whenever I block the sink drain is that they've hacked my pulse.]
[53. That's the one I'm planning to open.]
[53. I really hate having to make decisions by randomly flipping a coin, but what else can I do?]
[53. See you alive.]
[77. There's a lot of coffee here. But the longer I smell it, the worse my headache gets. I'd better leave first. I have a feeling this direction is more likely to be right.]
[77. I've decided to take the brown silence that keeps leaking from beneath the wallpaper and soaking my ankles. Strangers have definitely planted secret listening devices in the heels of my shoes. The reason the sunlight at four in the afternoon always feels sticky is that they're winding the clockwork backward.]
[77. After thinking about it carefully, I feel like I'm better off not thinking at all.]
[99. Did you see the production numbers on the coffee? I think you're all thinking the same thing I am.]
[99. If we use that as a basis, finding the correct answer should be easy.]
[99. It looks like the people before us reached similar conclusions.]
[99. Also, that creaking sound belongs to the employees here. Avoid them however you can.]
[99. I'll take the gray coin that is eating away at my brain. I need to exchange it for change quickly and use crisp banknotes instead.]
After a short gap...
[99. They've found me.]
A hurried entry followed.
Then another gap.
[99. The wonderful aroma of coffee. Just as the employees said, they really do recommend excellent coffee. I'm always grateful to them.]
[99. I was wondering how I could express my gratitude for this magnificent coffee, and the employees kindly told me.]
[99. All I have to do is donate coffee. That would certainly be the right thing to do.]
I was beginning to understand what this coffee might represent.
I looked around the storage room.
There weren't an enormous number of coffee sacks, but there weren't exactly few of them either.
First, let's organize the things I needed to watch out for.
I reviewed the information I'd read.
First, don't make noise.
Second, avoid the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. That meant an employee was nearby.
Third, don't drink the coffee.
Those three rules seemed certain.
If I had to add one more...
"..."
I looked around the café.
There was nobody here.
Then why did the café's rules speak as though other people were present?
In this ruined café inside an insane building, who would willingly come here to drink coffee?
The manual spoke as though there were other beings here besides us.
"...Hey."
"?"
"There's nothing else here, right?"
"??"
The mascot tilted its head.
I tried again.
"You know what I mean. For example, are there any other customers besides us?"
"?"
The mascot once again placed a finger against its temple and twirled it.
"You're not asking if I'm crazy, are you?"
"!"
"You are?"
The mascot nodded.
I looked away and briefly closed my eyes.
No.
Let's just keep walking.
According to No. 24, an employee would appear after we'd been inside for a certain amount of time.
I had no intention of wasting time here and bringing disaster upon us.
