Chapter 26: String of fate
The girl began walking towards the mansion. Hajime’s eyes wandered to its towering sides, his expression still laced with curiosity, before shifting to the girl as she moved forward. The chain binding them clinked sharply, a cold reminder that neither could stray too far without the other. To avoid stirring up more trouble, Hajime followed the girl’s lead while the maids trailed behind at a measured pace.
As they reached the mansion’s entrance, both Hajime and the girl came to a halt. Uncertainty clouded the girl’s eyes, her body stiff with hesitation. Then, without warning, a cold chill swept through. "What’s this?... Why can’t I move?" He thought, panic creeping in.
Though the others had entered through the same doorway moments before, the entrance was now shut tight, and not a single sign of life stirred around them. The maids passed them without pause, and as they neared the entrance, the doors creaked open on their own. A thought flickered through Hajime’s mind. ’Are the doors automated?’ But the moment they fully opened, he was met with a vast, narrow corridor stretching deep into the mansion, fading into a shadowy distance.
"Shall we proceed?"
One of the maids asked, her gaze fixed on the girl. Without answering, the girl simply began walking, trailing behind the maid ahead. The other maid moved behind them, ensuring they wouldn’t pause again for any reason. Hajime fell silent, his eyes shifting restlessly as he scanned the corridor for anything out of place. The door creaked shut just a few steps after they had gone through, sealing them in with a quiet finality.
Hajime and the girl turned sharply, looking back. The girl trembled in fear, while Hajime clenched his teeth, trying to mask the dread rising inside him. Then, without warning, a small metal pin dropped onto the floor ahead, clinking and bouncing twice before coming to a still, eerie stop. They both turned their eyes forward once more. What they saw next was even more startling: the long corridor had vanished, replaced by an expansive dining room that had several doors standing tall and parallel to each other.
"... Huh?"
He whipped around, eyes wide. The room behind them was shifting, walls sliding, furniture folding, the space rearranging itself like a living puzzle. The design morphed before his eyes, yet the maids walked on, completely unfazed. Hajime’s heart began to race. The maids seemed unfazed by this... Hajime could feel the hammering in his chest, each beat louder than the last, as if trying to break free.
’What’s going on?... Is this some kind of haunted mansion?"
’I need to come down and focus.’ He told himself, trying to make sense of the shifting walls and eerie silence. Suddenly, "You will be staying in here." The maid ahead said. Hajime snapped his head towards her. Just in time to see her pointing at one of the tall, looming doors.