How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends
Chapter 27
"Ughhh...!"
I groaned and collapsed onto the bed.
The mascot dropped straight onto the floor as well.
"I feel like I'm dying..."
No wonder I was this exhausted.
When I thought about it, hadn't I effectively cleared three different floors?
Of course I'd be exhausted.
Feeling all the strength drain out of my body, I looked at the digital clock.
[60:00:00]
"...?"
Twelve more hours had been added.
Was it telling me to rest longer?
Honestly, it felt like I'd been wandering around for an entire day without sleeping anyway, so this was actually good news.
"Ugh..."
There wasn't a single part of my body that didn't hurt.
I twisted around on the bed, but I didn't fall asleep.
There was something more important than sleep right now.
I sat up and checked the things I'd just obtained.
First, the ornaments.
Four of them.
The phone had cost two ornaments.
Considering how many times that phone had saved my life, four ornaments should be enough to buy something truly valuable.
I'd deal with those when the shop opened.
And then...
"This is..."
The other item that had fallen onto the elevator floor.
It was a keychain.
A rather grotesque-looking one at that.
It looked like a human head had been carved into it.
And more importantly...
"Doesn't this look like that monster from the sixth floor?"
"!"
It resembled the sixth-floor monster in a strange way.
More precisely, it looked like the thing that had cut off my head, shoved its own head onto my body, and acted like it owned me.
What possible use could something like this have?
I stared at the keychain.
The mascot, which had been lying on the floor, crawled over on all fours and stared at it with me.
"Do you know how to use it?"
"..."
The mascot narrowed its eyes and studied the keychain.
Then...
"?"
It shook its head.
"No idea?"
"?"
"Seriously?"
I clicked my tongue.
What was I supposed to do if even the mascot didn't know?
I'd have to ask the phone the next time it called.
For now, I set the keychain aside.
"..."
I sat on the bed and looked around.
"Should we check the new room first?"
The resting area had expanded again.
Last time, the map room had appeared.
What kind of room had been added this time?
I slowly walked around and checked each room.
Bathroom.
The still-closed shop.
The map room.
And finally...
"...What is this supposed to be?"
There was one room I didn't recognize.
No.
Its purpose was actually fairly obvious.
Children's toys were scattered across the floor.
A neatly decorated little bed sat in the corner.
And to complete the picture, there was a doll sitting in a child's chair.
"A children's room?"
Why was there a children's room here?
Unable to hide my confusion, I looked around.
The toys were one thing.
But...
"..."
My eyes moved to the doll.
It sat neatly on the tiny chair.
It was a cute, deformed-style giraffe plush.
Setting aside the question of why it was a giraffe...
"Hmm..."
It felt like something bad might happen if I touched it carelessly.
I was still debating whether to reach out when...
"!!"
The mascot tapped my back.
"Hm?"
"!!!!!"
It pointed excitedly at the giraffe doll, clearly telling me to touch it.
How was I supposed to know whether it was dangerous?
"All right, all right. Give me a second."
The moment I hesitated, the mascot grabbed my hand and started guiding it toward the doll.
If it was insisting this strongly, then it was probably safe.
I slowly reached out.
"..."
And patted the giraffe doll.
Is this what you wanted?
I gently stroked its head again.
The mascot watched with obvious satisfaction.
Well, if it was happy, I supposed that was fine.
I continued stroking the giraffe.
Then...
"...?"
How should I describe it?
I felt...
"My mind feels calmer?"
The countless thoughts that had been swirling through my head faded away.
It felt as though some of my exhaustion was disappearing.
Or perhaps I was simply able to look at my worries from one step farther away.
Either way, my stress was easing.
I fiddled with the doll and thought.
I had a pretty good idea what this room did.
Maybe...
"It's some kind of relaxation room?"
"!"
That made sense.
Climbing through a miserable place like this would naturally put someone under enormous stress.
Some people had probably accumulated so much stress that they eventually snapped.
I was no exception.
My head was constantly hurting from all the things I had to think about.
But holding the giraffe made me feel noticeably calmer.
So this place even cared about mental health.
How considerate.
I sighed inwardly and looked around the room while still holding the doll.
Was this really all there was?
There had to be something else.
I searched more carefully.
"There it is."
A note had been placed where the doll had originally been sitting.
Let's see.
[Thank you for purchasing a Beloved Doll product.]
[The Beloved Giraffe Doll is an essential item for modern people suffering from extreme stress.]
[If you carefully follow the precautions below, we guarantee that you will be able to spend a more comfortable and enjoyable day with your doll.]
"..."
I knew it.
Nothing good in this place ever came without some kind of warning.
I immediately put the doll down and continued reading.
[1. If you remain in contact with the doll for more than 24 consecutive hours without rest, your dependency will increase. Please cherish the doll, but do not rely on it excessively. The doll exists only to assist you. It is important that you overcome stress through your own strength.]
[2. Do not leave the doll in overly dangerous places. If the doll is damaged, it will no longer function.]
[3. Cherish your doll. Just as people say onions grow better when spoken to kindly, dolls also grow well when treated with kind words.]
[4. A well-grown doll may be of great help to you in the future.]
[5. We hope you continue using products from our doll series. Special benefits will be provided if you collect other dolls as well.]
"...Huh?"
That was it?
I'd been bracing myself for something much worse, but the warnings weren't particularly dangerous.
If I had to choose one concerning part, it would be rule number one.
But...
"It's not like I'm going to carry this thing around all day."
Unless I slept while hugging the giraffe, there was no chance I'd stay in contact with it for twenty-four hours straight.
And even then, couldn't I just ask the mascot to take it away while I slept?
I wasn't sure what the "doll series" in rule five referred to.
But I didn't own any other dolls, so it probably had nothing to do with me.
For now, let's look around somewhere else.
First, the map room.
I headed toward the familiar room.
Sure enough, the map had been updated again.
And so had the messages left by the others.
[11. Reached the 12th floor. If you run into something difficult, check the notebook. I'm always cheering for everyone coming after me. You're all doing well.]
[24. Greetings. I am formerly with the Management Bureau. I am truly relieved that everyone still seems to be holding onto hope. I am currently preparing to clear the ninth floor. I am leaving behind a map of the seventh floor. I sincerely hope it proves useful.]
[24. Speaking of being useful reminds me of a case I handled ten years ago. It involved tomatoes that ate people. They were particularly vicious. With the help of someone working at a supermarket...]
[31. So there was a place like this too... It feels strangely surreal to see people I only knew through the notebook actually leaving messages here.]
[31. I somehow managed to crawl my way up here too. I'm still alive. I'm about to challenge the eighth floor.]
[77. I just entered the ninth floor. Everyone, do your best...]
[77. But there's something I've been thinking about.]
[77. Don't you get the strange feeling that you shouldn't talk about your ability?]
"..."
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
No.
It was more than true.
When the voice on the phone mentioned my ability, I'd felt strangely unsettled.
And for some reason, I'd never wanted to explain my regression ability to the mascot either.
[77. So don't bother talking about it. If my intuition is right, then I'm probably correct.]
[77. For reference, the eighth floor is ■■■. Everyone should ■■■ and make sure you ■■■.]
As expected, information about the next floor was censored.
"...Good."
Still, I'd learned something.
No. 77 hadn't revealed the exact nature of their ability.
But I could understand the feeling behind what they were saying.
In that case, there was no reason for me to ignore the warning.
Fine.
I wouldn't write about mine either.
I should probably leave behind something useful, though.
"..."
What could I write?
Something that might help the people following me...
After thinking briefly, I began writing.
[150. If you can buy the phone from the shop, buy it.]
[150. The one I'm using is an old flip phone, and it has been extremely useful.]
[150. Also, from now on, I think we should share information about the items we're using.]
Information about items seemed safe enough to share.
[150. I use the phone. It calls once when I'm in serious danger.]
Should I mention the mascot too?
I was considering it when...
"...?"
New writing began appearing beneath the shared message board.
[152. Oh... this is a good idea. Mine is corrosive body lotion. If you apply it to iron, the iron melts. But it's completely safe on skin. Great for moisturizing too.]
[152. And of course No. 150 was here too. What the hell kind of person are you?]
[155. Sounds like a good idea. I'll leave mine too.]
[155. I have a screwdriver. This screwdriver can unscrew any screw. I guess it's basically a universal screwdriver?]
[155. Also, I want to use this opportunity to thank No. 150. If it weren't for No. 150, I definitely would've...]
"..."
New messages appearing out of nowhere was strange enough, but...
"This feels kind of nice."
It was a good feeling to know people thought well of me.
I couldn't stop smiling as I looked at the message board.
Then I turned away.
The shop still hadn't opened.
In that case, the map...
"..."
I looked toward the seventh-floor map.
Last time I'd visited Floor 0.5, a map of the fifth floor had appeared.
So what would the next map show?
I narrowed my eyes and examined the seventh-floor map.
"Damn it."
The map had a name written across it.
[Jeina Tree University Hospital]
Right.
So the seventh floor was a hospital.
I looked toward the mascot.
It was already standing there, holding the Mannequin's Hand and staring at me.
"!!"
I knew exactly what it was trying to say.
It wanted to use the Mannequin's Hand to make the next floor easier.
But...
"Don't even think about making some weird wish."
"..."
No matter what happened, I had no intention of gaining a better item by sacrificing someone else.
I returned to the bed and closed my eyes.
The mascot shuffled closer and seemed to be doing something beside me.
I deliberately kept my eyes shut.
It was probably trying to convince me to use the Mannequin's Hand.
I ignored the timid little taps against my side and eventually fell asleep.
"...Ugh."
A faint light made me open my eyes.
The mascot was already awake and standing near the door.
"...You didn't do anything weird, did you?"
"...!"
It nodded.
I looked toward the shop.
Good.
Then let's go.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and headed inside.
Sure enough, three glass cases were waiting there.
Let's see.
The first item was a spray deodorizer.
The second was a mini electric fan.
The third was a headset.
I closed my eyes while looking at the three items.
It was time for some enjoyable shopping.
