How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends
Chapter 25
I closed my eyes and recalled the scene I'd seen just before dying.
The entrance to a slide.
If I hadn't read the notebook, I probably would've wondered what a slide was doing in a place like that.
But I remembered what No. 100 had written.
Facilities designed for young children were required to have emergency exits.
And if I remembered correctly, slides were often used as emergency evacuation routes.
I'd occasionally walked past daycare centers and wondered why some of them had slides attached to the sides of their buildings.
Looking back, those slides had probably been emergency exits for children.
By using something children enjoyed, perhaps the staff could help them evacuate more easily during an emergency.
That seemed reasonable.
I met the mascot's blank stare and opened my mouth.
"Do you know anything about the offstage area?"
"?"
"No. Never mind."
Come to think of it, offstage was just a term I'd invented moments ago.
I looked at the mascot as it tilted its head.
"Anyway, as I said, we're going straight toward the area where the monster is."
"!"
The mascot nodded.
When I thought about it, the mascot rarely questioned anything I did.
Since it couldn't speak and didn't constantly ask questions, it really was an excellent companion.
"..."
I lightly patted its back.
The mascot turned toward me curiously.
I met its gaze and spoke.
"Nothing. I'm just saying I'm always grateful to you."
"!"
After all, I owed it my life twice over.
Honestly, considering everything it had done for me, I probably owed it my life closer to ten times.
"I still don't know what that wish you mentioned earlier is, but I promise I'll grant it."
"!"
"...It's not a wish that's going to get me killed, right?"
"!!"
The mascot placed both hands against its chest, looking deeply offended that I'd even suggest such a thing.
"All right, all right. Anyway, if there's anything you need, tell me."
The mascot nodded repeatedly.
I started walking.
It looked around anxiously.
Although it couldn't speak, I had a pretty good idea of what it was worried about.
The truth was, I'd considered several possibilities.
I could use the straightforward method and run like everyone else, escaping before the two monsters managed to meet.
Or I could enter the offstage orphanage, avoid the creatures that severed people's heads and inserted their own, and search for the exit there.
Another option would be to defeat the monster that consisted of little more than a head.
But I hadn't needed long to make my decision.
"Even if it takes longer, I'm choosing the route I'm most certain about."
No matter how much I improved, I was still an ordinary office worker whose life had consisted of commuting, working, and sleeping.
There was a limit to how fast I could run.
If we were even slightly late, the monsters would be waiting near the exit just as they had been during the previous regression.
We'd end up with exactly the same result.
Repeating a failed strategy was one of the worst decisions I could make.
The alternative was fighting.
But in terms of raw strength, nobody could realistically fight monsters like those.
The mascot was incredibly strong, but even it was ultimately only comparable to a person with extraordinary physical strength.
If human strength alone were enough to clear this floor, there wouldn't have been so many casualties.
"We're going to stay as far to the left as possible. Follow me."
"!"
The mascot and I placed our hands against the wall and started moving.
"This way is blocked, so we'll head a little farther inside."
"!"
We moved much more slowly than before, carefully following the wall.
There was no helping it.
During the previous regression, the monsters had already destroyed most of the walls, which had made finding the route relatively easy.
This time, the building was still mostly intact.
Someone's here!
Could it be a friend?
I hope it's a friend! I don't have many friends!
But I'm your friend too!
Oh, that's right!
The innocent voices were gradually becoming audible.
Where's my friend?
They're probably coming!
Let's go find them!
The cheerful chatter was accompanied by the sound of something slimy wriggling across the floor.
The two monsters hadn't met yet.
That meant we still had time.
I frantically searched along the left wall.
After we'd moved for a while...
"...The smell!"
A revolting odor began reaching my nose.
I hurried toward its source.
And sure enough...
"...Found it."
The opening I'd entered during the previous regression appeared before me.
The smell was even worse than before.
Was it because the monster had left only recently?
I bent down and entered the opening.
The mascot followed closely behind.
Once again, the small passage came into view.
I reached out and tapped the air.
Just like last time, my hand struck something invisible.
An unseen barrier was blocking the way.
"We're going to get out through here..."
"!!!!!!!!"
Before I could finish speaking, the mascot frantically spread both hands and shook its head.
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
It waved so violently that its hands almost became a blur.
Then it grabbed both my arms as though desperately trying to stop me.
"!!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?"
"I can't understand a word you're trying to say when you flap around like that. Just calm down for a moment."
I held out both hands and tried to settle the mascot.
Then I looked at the barrier again.
There was probably a reason it was reacting so desperately.
And I thought I knew what that reason was.
The mascot knows about the offstage area.
It probably knew even more about it than I did.
That would explain why it was practically having a fit at the thought of me going there.
Only after I stopped it did the mascot finally release my arms and begin pointing frantically.
It pointed downward.
Then upward.
Then it mixed in all kinds of gestures with its hands and feet.
"Anyway, you're saying it's dangerous, right?"
"!"
I understood what it was trying to tell me.
But...
"We have to go."
This wasn't a question of whether it was dangerous.
We were already here.
Even if I changed my mind now and headed toward the ordinary exit, we'd only encounter the monsters after they'd finished combining.
We didn't have another option.
"...You'll come with me, right?"
I didn't threaten to leave it behind.
That would've been no different from blackmail.
And I didn't want to do that to the mascot.
"..."
The mascot silently stared at me.
Then...
"...!"
It lowered its head in defeat.
A declaration of surrender.
"Thank you."
I let out a sigh of relief and turned back toward the invisible wall.
Now that we'd made our decision, there was no reason to move slowly.
Found you!
