Chapter 91

An ominous back alley.

Its gloom and stench felt out of place even in this strange, raucous night market teeming with things that weren't human.

And beneath the gas lamps, bizarre beings stared at me where I stood at the entrance.

Hollow eyes. Uniforms.

-Oh dear. Hardly somewhere one would care to venture in dress shoes.

But I had to go.

And I couldn't let my fellow recruits notice that the sight had briefly frozen me in place...!

SPLAT.

I stepped into the back alley.

My fellow recruits followed right behind me.

SPLAT, SPLAT.

As I walked between the narrow walls, into the black shadows beneath the dim gas lamps, closely packed side doors passed on either side of me.

"..."

It was grotesque.

It felt as though I'd stepped into a badly composited image, one where the side doors had been made to repeat endlessly.

And from both sides, eyes stared fixedly at us as we walked between those doors.

'Ha.'

Figures in worn-out uniforms stained with filth. Abnormally emaciated black bodies stood motionless against the walls.

Only their heads turned to follow us.

-A star inevitably attracts attention! But even stars need their rest. As ever, I, Braun, can ease that burden for a moment...

I wanted to scream and beg him to do just that, but...

'No. I'm okay.'

I couldn't use "turning off the spotlight" now.

'Could I ask you later, when I really need it?'

-Of course!

Right. I-I had to endure it.

'Stick to the plan.'

I swallowed and kept walking.

Just as goosebumps rose along the back of my neck and my legs stiffened so badly that walking became even harder—

"... Huh?"

My colleague's exclamation made me look up sharply.

The same endless rows of bizarre side doors. The same uniformed monstrosities. And...

Just one.

One door stood slightly ajar.

"..."

The door jutted out a little.

Pitch-black darkness showed through the gap.

'Oh, seriously.'

This was straight out of a horror movie. Even my eyelids were trembling.

But I had to say this.

"There's an open door over there. Looks like a sign we're welcome. Let's go in."

"Yes!"

"Oh... I see!"

"..."

'You shouldn't be persuaded by bullshit like that...!'

Still, I had to do what I had to do.

I took a deep breath and approached the lone open door. The closer I came, the more terror urged me to flee, but I endured it.

Instead, I bent down to the narrow black gap and peered inside...

I met a bloodshot eye.

"...!!"

I-I'd expected this. Absolutely, absolutely no panicking and doing anything stupid...

I barely managed to push what I'd been holding through the gap.

A pack of cigarettes.

"..."

My hand shook uncontrollably.

Something terribly cold seemed to brush my fingertips, and then...

CREEEEAK.

The side door swung wide open.

'... Whew.'

Entry into shops in this alley is generally prohibited. However, temporary exploration has occasionally been made possible through the use of addictive recreational substances, such as alcohol and tobacco.

I'd done it...!

I withdrew my now-empty hand—the cigarettes had vanished—and gritted my teeth.

Wow, I seriously felt like I was going to cry...

"A pack of cigarettes! An investment of five thousand won opened the door to a business partner! You really don't wait for opportunities—you make them, Supervisor!"

"Exactly...!"

"..."

Maybe I'd be better off if someone thoroughly persuaded me too, so I could stroll around as carefree as they were...

But for now, all I could do was lament that I was the one who'd persuaded them, and move on.

'Urgh.'

The bloodshot eye had disappeared. A faint smell of cigarette smoke had begun drifting from somewhere instead, but that was still an improvement.

'Much better.'

I sighed with relief and took a step inside.

"..."

It was very dark, but I could vaguely make out shapes. Boxes and bundles covered in black cloth were stacked into a maze.

The place smelled like a musty warehouse.

"Ah, it'd be perfect if this were a warehouse store or a clearance outlet! Low margins, high volume—there'd be plenty of items worth picking up..."

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

I made my way between the boxes and finally found what I'd been looking for.

"...! Mr. Roe Deer, over there..."

"Yes."

There was another door farther inside.

It resembled the one we'd pushed our way through, but this side door was cleaner and less worn.

'... I suppose I'll have to open this one too?'

Let's just be grateful I'm not bringing up the rear.

I stepped forward and gripped the handle.

And when I pulled hard...

Brilliant, sparkling light stabbed into my eyes.

"...!!"

My vision, briefly blurred by the flood of light, slowly recovered over several seconds, taking in the entire room.

A dazzling spectacle filled my eyes.

Elegant chandelier crystals, brass, and richly colored wood formed the interior's framework. Gold frames and thick, lustrous green velvet curtains adorned the walls.

But something else overwhelmed even that.

Ivory-colored torso forms lined three walls, each displaying an unfinished suit or dress.

And among them, disembodied hands in white cotton gloves were measuring garments and finishing the cutting!

My colleagues' jaws dropped.

"Wh-where are we...?"

How had we suddenly ended up here from that sinister back alley?

Simply put...

'It really was the back alley.'

Alleys identified in Death Row to date:

38. Boutique Back Alley

We'd entered these dazzling luxury shops through their filthy back alley.

Naturally, we weren't legitimate customers.

We were merely snatch thieves who'd bribed our way in with a pack of cigarettes, sneaking through a slum-like place full of menial laborers and fired workers turned homeless.

But this was hardly my first time exploiting an irregularity in a ghost story.

'If it doesn't work, run.'

If our trespassing was discovered, we could meet a truly gruesome fate. But if that happened, I could ask Braun to erase our presence and flee.

'We've secured the back door as an escape route.'

Wasn't that why I'd held off on asking Braun for help all this time?

I stepped forward.

"Oooh...!"

Please don't sound so impressed, everyone...

In contrast to my troubled state of mind, the gloves working on the torso forms reacted in perfect unison.

FWEEET!

With a light whistle, bodies abruptly materialized in midair beneath the gloves.

Mannequin bodies dressed in luxurious navy uniforms.

They resembled the ones I'd seen in the back alley, but were much cleaner, neater, and more elaborately detailed.

Then heads appeared too.

Mannequin faces with painted-on features.

'Ugh.'

Don't stare.

I hurriedly lowered my gaze.

It was grotesque, but bearable.

At any rate, a mannequin employee bowed deeply and courteously, then beckoned me as though offering to guide me.

For the record, follow that thing and you disappear.

Deputy Choi disappeared after following a mannequin clerk's guidance. In the final transmission, stated, "I think we're heading to the Boutique Street membership registration area."

Addendum: A laborer wearing the missing employee's broken glasses was subsequently sighted in the Boutique Back Alley. Presumed to be the employee in question. (See Exploration Record #145.)

It probably... implied that the employee's true identity had been discovered during "membership registration," and they'd been sentenced to labor to repay the crime of trespassing.

Or perhaps they'd been unable to pay the registration fee itself.

"..."

Either way, I tried hard not to imagine what sort of people all those monstrosities in shabby uniforms in the back alley had once been.

'That doesn't matter right now.'

Only one thing mattered.

Membership registration was the problem, so I had to avoid it.

'First, I'll test the waters by offering to pay a higher, nonmember price.'

If only members were allowed to buy anything, I'd run. What I'd come here for wasn't worth more than my life.

But just as I raised my hand in a friendly gesture...

...!

The mannequin employees flinched, as though that very symbol had appeared over their printed faces.

Then they bowed to me again.

"..."

And I knew exactly one thing that might explain why...

I turned my arm to check.

Below the shirt cuff that had naturally slipped down when I raised my hand was the now-familiar Latin word.

: Socius :

"... Did this verify my membership?"

The mannequin bowed deeply.

"..."

Now this was getting frightening.

'This is already the second time.'

The second time the "Theme Park Membership" tattoo left by the mascot had granted me privileges in a ghost story.

-Socius.

-It was used to mean companion, member, or kin. Such versatility Latin has!

Just as Braun had said, the word was proving useful all over the place, in precisely the senses it encompassed.

Even the Fox Counseling Office had recognized it...

'... Why did it leave something like this on me?'

Before, I might simply have thought it was one hell of a windfall and moved on. But things were different now.

I'd already suffered horribly from contamination once.

'The more powerful this thing is, the stronger its influence on me could be.'

What was I supposed to make of having an unpredictable, powerful mark on my body—one that hadn't even come through a proven summoning method like the Good Friend?

But my membership had already been verified. If I was in danger anyway, I might as well get everything I could out of it.

"Please show me your merchandise."

The mannequins bobbed their heads again, approached the torso forms they'd been working on, and drew back the curtains behind them.

A glass display case appeared as if by magic.

Inside was a sleek suit. Its cut resembled the one I was wearing, but its color was somehow richer, with a peculiar sheen...

The mannequins turned toward me, hands politely clasped, as though asking whether I liked it.

'... Here goes.'

I raised a hand.

"One moment. I'm mainly looking for small accessories to give as gifts."

There was something I had to keep in mind.

I couldn't get greedy and try to take anything beyond my means here.

The price would surely be more than any individual human could bear in their right mind.

Whether in barter or currency.

So let's narrow it down.

"I'd prefer something casual that's comfortable to wear every day."

The curtain immediately lowered, then rose again.

Briefly hidden and revealed once more, the contents of the glass case had changed as if by magic.

Not torso forms this time, but three or four upper-body mannequins.

Accessories gleamed on their necks, arms, and fingers.

"..."

Among them, I found what looked like the lightest, most inconspicuous item.

A slender silver ring.

It bore delicate, elegant detailing, but looked as though it required the least raw material.

In other words, it looked the cheapest.

"How much is this?"

The mannequins raised their hands all at once and pointed in unison.

At my companions behind me.

"..."

Right.

As documented in <Records of Dark Exploration>, the basic medium of barter at this boutique was...

Humans.

Deputy ■■■ successfully impersonated an existing boutique member using mental-disruption equipment.

Item purchased: Ring

Cost: Three civilians (one aged 35, two aged 21)

※This Exploration Record has been transferred in preparation for a government audit. Access to the full text is restricted to personnel with Level C security clearance.

"... Mr. Roe Deer?"

"..."

"U-um, what exactly is going on...?"

"Ah, I see. Please wrap it up."

Once again, the mannequins moved in perfect coordination, carefully removing my chosen ring from the glass case.

Then they produced a silk cord bearing an elegant tag from somewhere, tied it to the ring, and brought it to me as though asking me to inspect it.

On the tag... minuscule letters were written in a flowing hand.

Rather than try to read them myself and take the express shortcut to Death Row contamination, I asked the Good Friend.

'Braun, could you read it for me?'

-Certainly! 'Specialists in bespoke attire. A luster that never fades. The noble craftsmanship of an artisan who is always there.'

-That sounds like something only the nouveau riche or overnight celebrities would fall for. Whoops! That stays strictly between us, my friend!

'... Right.'

Just as I'd thought.

"Never fades," "always there"... huh.

I'd expected keywords along those lines.

Abilities related to persistence or constancy.

In fact, the "Item purchased: Ring" entry in the boutique Exploration Record I'd recalled earlier had originated in a separate wiki article.

An incident involving mass mental contamination.

The sole company employee to survive it was the person who'd sold three civilians to buy a ring from this boutique and put it on.

'... Of course it came straight to mind.'

It was an incident connected to merchandise I owned.

The one and only catastrophe caused by the Silver Heart Badge.

That train accident.

Employee ■■■

The sole Daydream Inc. employee to survive the "Tamna-Bound High-Speed Train Incident."

Claims to have lost the equipment believed to have played a decisive role in their survival—a "ring"—immediately after the incident.

It was the longest article among the human-error accidents listed under the Disaster Management Bureau, a wiki entry that had also been written up as a short story.

A ring that had played a decisive role in surviving a catastrophe that massive without contamination.

Essentially, this boutique entry had been created afterward to lend plausibility and interest to the lore behind that ring.

In other words, the wiki had indirectly verified the accessories and clothing sold here.

When worn, they provided resistance against situations that shattered the mind's "constancy," such as delirium and brainwashing.

To sum it up...

'They can serve as powerful mental-defense equipment...'

... An item I absolutely needed, having nearly met disaster through contamination once already.

"..."

I raised my head.

"Very nice. I'll pay for this ring."