episode_0189

The contents of a random box purchased at a convenience store near my house were a handgun.

Is this right?

‘To be exact, it was given to me for free by the convenience store owner… but it’s a real gun, right?’

A wooden box I got along with a cutter knife from [Happy Convenience Store].

A pistol contained within it.

This apartment is so dangerous at night that the daily security guard is even given a handgun.

Eunha picked up a pitch-black pistol and examined it with a puzzled expression.

It is not a magazine-type automatic pistol as is commonly thought of, but an integrated barrel-chamber pistol in which bullets must be loaded one by one.

So maybe… it was called a ‘derringer’.

It seems that it was used as a portable device by children and women in the past, but I don’t know the details.

I look deeply into the only muzzle of the pistol and get lost in thought.

[In case of emergency, use it to find happiness faster.]

A note from the convenience store owner was placed in the corner of the box.

And 3 bullets included in the set.

As I picked up a fairly thick bullet, the corners of my mouth naturally hardened.

‘I wasn’t interested in carrying a gun to the [Crack Ground] because I heard it would be contaminated with ‘mana’ and I couldn’t use it… but I never thought I would have a real gun.’

Still, it’s better than nothing, so let’s use it gratefully.

Eunha took a close look at the pistol, which was more of a self-defense item than a weapon.

I looked at it under the light and checked the empty chamber…

I aim my gun at the full-length mirror in the security room.

The sight of oneself holding a gun is very unfamiliar.

‘… … I heard it’s hard to hit even a pistol, so I guess I’ll just have to hit this one and shoot it.’

In the first place, monsters are not the kind of people who would get hurt by a metal launcher like this.

It must have been prepared for an emergency escape from the Mana Galaxy.

Of course, since it was a gift from a monster himself, it may have some special function… but you wouldn’t know that without shooting it.

Sigh…

Eunha moved the gun aimed at the mirror and held it under her own chin.

The coolness of the metal against her skin makes her eyes deepen.

“… … Do you think you can finish it with one shot?”

“It’s quite an interesting item.”

When I was playing with a pistol that strangely fit my hand as a toy,

An elderly security guard who was carefully taking care of the clay doll in the desk drawer noticed the ‘derringer pistol’ in Eunha’s hand and came closer.

There was interest in the old man’s eyes, as if he was seeing a gun for the first time.

“I got it from a convenience store… Can I just shoot it once, senior?”

“You will be angry.”

“… It’s a joke.”

“It’s a joke.”

A benevolent answer comes back to a crazy question.

Although he seems kind, he surprisingly doesn’t give in.

Eunha calmly lowered her gun and prepared to patrol the apartment complex.

… … .

The story took a different turn due to something so unexpected,

Anyway, I’m currently on night guard.

Eunha looked at the security clock that showed 9 PM and got ready.

After patrolling the apartment walls, it’s time to look around the inside of the building.

What you need to do is place the ‘clay doll’ given to you by the security guard in the hallway of each floor.

Even though there were still a few hours until midnight, it was pitch dark outside the security office.

The light coming from the apartment window only drives out the shadows that gather around.

“Do not take the elevator, only take the stairs. You are not allowed to look up at the night sky through the hallway window, and you must always leave your flashlight on when walking around.”

One flashlight.

A shopping bag containing ‘10 clay dolls’.

And, a derringer pistol.

Take only the minimum amount of items with you and listen carefully to the elders’ precautions.

“Where can I leave the clay doll?”

“… … If you look around the hallway of your apartment, you will see where you should put it.”

Three bullets were taken out of the wooden box.

One is awkwardly loaded into a pistol, and the other two are put into a shopping bag containing ‘clay dolls’ just in case.

‘… … ‘Where do I put the gun?’

A suitable place to store it so that it can be taken out immediately in an emergency.

Eunha looked down at her large breasts, shook her head, and put the pistol in her waistband.

As long as you don’t run hard, you won’t fall.

Eunha caressed her pelvis with a complicated face.

“And when the hallway patrol is over… do not return to the security room, but go straight home and sleep.”

“Elderly?”

“The carrier will be left in the security room, so come to the security room tomorrow morning with a glow-in-the-dark vest and flashlight.”

The elderly man said after checking again the condition of the ‘clay doll’ in the shopping bag.

Anyway, once the patrol inside the apartment is over, they only patrol the same route every few hours.

It looks like the ‘daily security guard’ will be fired with just one patrol today.

I can teach you the rest of the security duties during the day.

“It’s okay to stay overnight for at least a day…”

“Before midnight. Finish your patrol and return home.”

“Yes.”

Before midnight.

Come to think of it, even during the last night guard, the old man sent her home before midnight.

What is there at midnight?

“Then, shall we get started?”

“… … The more I know about strange people, the less I understand.”

“Not knowing is happiness.”

Eunha quietly adjusted her waist and left the security room with the elderly man.

… … .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do not take the elevator.

Do not look up at the night sky through the hallway window.

Always keep a flashlight on.

“You can go through the rest at your discretion.”

“I’ll do my best.”

The thought of walking around the dark hallway alone makes my eyes turn dark.

An elderly security guard brought Eunha, whose fingertips were getting stiffer by the minute, to the 6th floor of the apartment.

He looked at Eunha, who was wearing two guard hats, with a kind smile and nodded.

“There is one clay doll per floor. Please return home safely.”

“What if something happens to me and I can’t leave the clay doll in the hallway?”

“This old man will take care of it, so please just focus on patrolling. There’s a lot to talk about today, lady.”

“The elder, try it yourself. I don’t have much to say.”

“I do it every day.”

“Aha.”

Just like that, the elderly man, who gave me a few good words, lightly waves his hand and goes down to the 5th floor.

Flash. Flash.

The light that detects the elderly person’s movement turns on.

The stairs became brighter for an instant.

However, the lights go out with the elderly man going downstairs.

Eunha, who was left alone in the hallway on the 6th floor, grabbed a shopping bag containing a ‘clay doll’.

“… … Elderly?”

I’m calling it as a test.

There is no answer back.

Really, I was left alone in my apartment in the middle of the night.

Flash. Flash.

Eunha walked up and down the stairs and turned on the light.

The light that detects movement blinks uneasily as if it will break down at any moment.

Okay. It’s no big deal.

Just walk around the hallways, place the ‘clay doll’ in an appropriate place, and go upstairs. That’s it.

“Phew…… Good. Let’s do it. It will work out somehow.”

The worries were long.

The thought was short.

Eunha, who was scanning the dark hallway with a flashlight and taking deep breaths repeatedly, made her way down the 6th floor hallway, which felt long today.

… … .

Tap… tap…

The sound of footsteps consumed by fear.

I walk down a dark hallway, relying on a single flashlight.

Even though it was August, the cool air was filled with white breath, and the flashlight was frustratingly dependent on her vision, causing a feeling of frustration.

“Okay. You’re the building owner. Do you think the residents will attack you?”

A whisper as if someone wanted to hear it.

Even so, I lower my voice to see if there are any residents sleeping.

Tap… tap…

walk down the hallway

The anxiety that grips my heart stretches the hallway so long that it feels like there is no end in sight no matter how many times I walk.

Room 601. Room 602. Room 603…

Wouldn’t the front door that was tightly shut open?

I advance by illuminating each front door with a flashlight.

“… … .”

A row of front doors.

An external scope hanging in the center of a tightly closed iron door.

Made so that you can look outside from inside the house.

eyelet.

“… Our apartment didn’t have an outside mirror.”

『… … .』

『… … .』

『… … .』

I can feel your gaze.

Over there, at the tightly closed front door,

It’s as if someone is sticking to the front door and looking at you through an outside scope.

An unpleasant feeling.

… … It rattled.

As I passed ‘Room 604’, the front door rattled.

As if someone was leaning on it.

Eunha attacked the external scope of ‘604’ with a flashlight.

‘As expected, hunters are very popular. ‘I’ll be asked to shake hands later.’

After scolding ‘No. 604’, Eunha takes a step forward.

The light of a flashlight sweeps through the hallway.

A floor without any trash.

dark windows.

Long hallway.

It’s better than I thought.

Is it because of the ‘clay dolls’ in the shopping bag?

Eunha, who was thinking positively, smiled her usual languid smile.

“Huh?…… What is this.”

like that,

By the time we reached the end of the 6th floor hallway.

Eunha noticed something scattered on the floor and frowned.

A shattered clay doll.

The small body was broken into small pieces, as if it had been cut to pieces by something sharp.

The inside of the broken clay doll was red and gave off a strange rotten smell.

It would not be strange to call it the smell of a rotting corpse.

(Where can I leave the clay doll?)

(……If you look around the hallway of your apartment, you will see where it should be placed.)

“Tsk… I told you to take care of the trash yourself. Who left clay shavings in the hallway of my apartment? Didn’t you hear what the building owner said?”

After pushing away the fragments of the shattered ‘clay doll’ with her feet, Eunha took out a new ‘clay doll’ from the shopping bag and placed it in the same spot.

『… … .』

A doll with the sincerity of an old man wearing medieval armor and holding a spear and shield.

It is erected in the hallway, with its solemn face carved in detail.

‘Is it used as an amulet to ward off evil?… Okay. ‘I got 10 dolls from the elderly, so I have to take the rest home.’

Phew…

Eunha let out a cold sigh and straightened up her bent body.

The doll was placed in the 6th floor hallway without any incident.

There are 9 more ‘clay dolls’ I have.

It’s really no big deal. I should quickly finish up to the 10th floor like this and go home.

With a little courage, she hummed a familiar children’s song.

… … It rattled.

like that,

Eunha, who was in a good mood, was walking back down the hallway with light steps.

The front door of ‘Room 606’ opened.

… … .

Squeak… rattle.

The sound of the front door opening.

Eunha’s legs stiffened at the noise coming from behind her.

There are 9 ‘clay dolls’ remaining in the shopping bag.

Clap.

The sound of wet footsteps is heard from behind Eunha.

“… Let’s resolve it through dialogue.”

Clap. Clap.

It’s coming.

Without saying anything.

Eunha was aware of the pistol at her waist and forced herself to walk by tapping her stiff thighs.

Clap. Clap.

The sound of blood-soaked footsteps.

Getting closer.

The weight of deep resentment prevents Eunha from breathing.

『… … .』

A bloody hand touched my shoulder.

The woman’s hand extending from behind slowly caresses Eunha’s collarbone.

Eunha tried not to turn her head and moved her legs as hard as she could toward the stairs.

Room 604, Room 603, Room 602…

Go back down the apartment hallway.

For some reason, the sign of popularity that was felt at the front door until now has receded far away.

Is it because of ‘something’ that followed behind my back?

Trap… plod…

Clap. Clap.

I walked down the hallway with ‘something’.

I can’t move because my head was bitten by a carnivore…

My hand holding the flashlight is so tense that it feels like my neck is going to be ripped off at any moment.

Purungㅡ.

Suddenly, the hand that was caressing her collarbone came between her armpits and gently lifted her breasts.

Is it because the shopping bag looks heavy that I am carrying other luggage?

I feel better now that my body is lighter.

“I’m working, so don’t disturb me. It’s my first time so I’m out of my mind.”

『… … .』

Eunha made a smiling face, ignoring the wet, blood-soaked hands.

… … .

One step like that. Two steps.

Before I knew it, I had passed ‘Room 601’ and somehow found myself back in front of the stairs.

『Don’t wander around needlessly. Because it’s mine.』

Then, ‘something’ attached to the back quietly falls, widening the distance.

Clap… Clap…

The sound of footsteps gets smaller.

The sound of the heart that feels like it’s about to explode gradually becomes quieter.

dump…

Eunha barely managed to free herself and sat down on the landing.

The staircase light detected movement and illuminated the surrounding area, and Eunha, who was sitting on the stairs, waved the flashlight over her head to keep the light from going out.

“Whew… it’s not easy.”

Apartment patrol in the middle of the night.

Eunha quietly lowered her head.

There is a palm-shaped blood stain all over the box tee.

As if the territory had been marked, the rushing smell of blood bothers Eunha’s sense of smell.

‘Did he protect me from other monsters, or did he just come visit me…’

I patted my throbbing temple and shook my head.

A shopping bag suddenly appears.

There are handprints there too.

Eunha checked her shopping bag with a haggard look.

“… … One is broken.”

A ‘clay doll’ shattered into pieces.

The remaining dolls, 8 to go.

Eunha adjusted the pistol on her waist as she felt fatigue coming on her.

Will I be able to return home safely?

… … .

… … .

“friend. That, friend?』

“Ugh. no. It’s not what you think.”

After a while, some time passed,

Apartment on the 8th floor.

“friends?”

Eunha endured the innocent gaze of the [doll girl] who was clinging to her thigh,

I desperately tried to protect my shopping bag from the delicate hands reaching out with all their might.

It’s really hard.