Gotou Hitori was observing the man ahead of her.
Her heart was pounding wildly.
Her small hands trembled uncontrollably.
Her limbs were ice-cold, her entire body shaking without pause.
Without a doubt, this girl's mental state was nearing its limit—on the verge of complete collapse.
But even so, she did not retreat.
She did not give up.
Clutching the obsession object that allowed her to go unnoticed—a simple cardboard box—she continued to stealthily follow Takakai.
Step.
By step.
The utterly ordinary cardboard box moved down the street.
She could hear the footsteps of people passing by.
The chatter of strangers talking amongst themselves.
So many people…
There… there are so many people around…
Even though she was completely curled up inside the box, the girl could still clearly tell that she was in the middle of a bustling downtown area.
This was a place that denizens of the dark, shut-in world like her should never tread—a domain where creatures like her, who could barely tolerate sunlight, who were practically fungal lifeforms that never left their homes, should never appear.
And yet, here she was.
Violating her own rules.
Abandoning her usual way of life.
This was already an act of extreme recklessness.
But she couldn't back down.
No matter what, she couldn't retreat now.
Biting her lip, Gotou Hitori felt as if she were moments away from marching to her execution, a strange sense of tragic resolve swelling in her chest.
He was the only one.
The only person who had seen Kita Ikuyo after that day.
He was so strong—strong enough to dismantle two of the core obsessions within the [School Horror Tales] dungeon, severely weakening that terrifying place.
Now, he had even agreed to participate in the upcoming joint player operation.
With his abilities…
Maybe… just maybe… he could save Kita-chan.
But…
Why would he take that risk?
The operation itself was already dangerous enough.
Saving a player with almost no chance of recovery—one who was tied to that troublesome, illusory core obsession—wasn't something Gotou Hitori could see Takakai having any reason to do.
After all, there were barely any survivors among players who had made direct contact with that thing.
Even Crimson moon-level players struggled to survive an encounter with it.
Which meant…
She had to find a way to convince him.
No matter what it took.
At the very least, she had to try. She had to act—not just hide and watch as everything unfolded.
Because if she didn't…
Nothing would ever change.
The cardboard box continued forward, moving with unwavering determination—like a soldier marching to war.
But all she was doing was following Takakai.
She hadn't actually worked up the courage to approach him.
Why?
Well, the crowded streets were one reason.
But more than that…
She was scared of him.
Too scared to speak to him.
By now, many players who had investigated Takakai had come to the conclusion that he was…
…a JK-con.
Specifically, a man with a deep obsession with Japanese high school girls.
Which meant Gotou Hitori herself was within his "hunting range."
This realization had left the girl horrifically nervous, completely unable to muster the courage to initiate a conversation.
But… if I don't talk to him… how am I supposed to save Kita-chan…?
The girl was torn.
So she just…
Followed.
And followed.
Trailing behind Takakai the entire time, never actually doing anything.
Ahead of her, Takakai was feeling incredibly awkward.
He really wanted to turn around and tell the girl behind him to stop stalking him so blatantly.
But he had a feeling that if he did…
She might just drop dead on the spot from sheer shock.
After all, this was Bocchi-chan we were talking about.
That cardboard box is probably an obsession object, which is why none of the passersby are paying any attention to it.
If that's the case, its effect is pretty interesting.
But… why can I see it?
Hmm… Maybe it's because I saw her hiding in a box back when I first entered [The Market], so I'm immune to the cognitive block it creates?
Or is this a side effect of clearing [Shirasawa Elementary], gaining some resistance to [Perception Blocking]-type attacks?
Actually, if I'm not actively focusing on it, I can barely sense any eerie presence from the box at all. It's probably just a Twilight-class obsession object—and on the weaker side even for that tier.
But Gotou Hitori's a Crimson moon-level player, right? Why would she keep such a low-tier item on her?
Unless… she just really likes the design and effect?
Well, whatever the reason, one thing's for sure—Gotou Hitori has no idea that her "stealthy" disguise was busted the moment she started following me.
As for why she was here and what she wanted from him…
That was painfully easy to guess.
Kita Ikuyo.
That red-haired girl who had appeared in the [Fujika Middle School] dungeon—only to vanish after the timeline reset.
After clearing the dungeon and returning to the real world, Takakai hadn't hidden his encounter with her.
He had publicly shared the information.
Even though he knew that, due to the reset, his meeting with Kita Ikuyo had technically never happened…
After everything he'd been through—especially after confirming the true nature of the black watch with KP—he saw no reason to keep it to himself.
Whether I face it or run, some things will find me anyway.
Might as well put the info out there. Maybe it'll help me gather allies.
And as for whether it'll bring trouble… hah, as if staying silent would change that.
With that mindset—or perhaps just a give-up-and-roll-with-it attitude—Takakai had briefly disclosed most of what had happened (excluding details about the watch or KP).
And that, he suspected, was why Gotou Hitori had resorted to this… abstract method of stalking him today.
Well, as much as I want to mess with her a little… I should probably find a quieter place to talk first.
With that thought, Takakai deliberately turned into a deserted alleyway.
"...Eh?"
The girl following him hesitated.
His sudden detour into a narrow alley put her on guard.
Did he… notice me?
Though her way of thinking might have been a bit different from the average person's—and though she might have looked a little slow at times—Gotou Hitori still had normal reasoning skills.
So the moment Takakai changed course, she realized she might have been exposed.
But…
Even if she had been caught…
For Kita-chan's sake… I have to keep going.
Wait.
I came here to ask Takakai-san for help, right?
So shouldn't I just… approach him directly?
Why am I stalking him?! That's so weird!
She finally realized how absurd her actions were.
But by then, of course, it was too late.
Trembling, the girl followed him into the alley—
—and, unsurprisingly, found Takakai waiting for her, his gaze fixed directly on her.
"Gotou-san, you're here about Kita, right?"
His voice was calm.
"I understand your concern. Once we're inside the dungeon, if there's a chance to save her, I'll do what I can. But a Crimson moon dungeon is dangerous—I can't make any guarantees."
As someone who had genuinely helped him during his early days as a player, Takakai was willing to give Gotou Hitori a small promise.
But, as he said…
The risks were far too high.
He had no way of knowing if he could actually pull it off, so he wouldn't make empty assurances.
"O-Oh! Oh! I-I see! Th-Thank you! Thank you, Takakai-san! Thank you so much!"
The [Ripe Mango] cardboard box froze for a brief moment—
—then immediately turned around and bolted out of the alley.
"Gotou-san, wait—"
But before Takakai could finish, she was already gone.
She's… really fast.
He had no idea how she was managing to move so quickly while still inside the box, but…
He could already see what was about to happen.
"Wait, that's a telep—"
THUD!
The telephone pole shifted slightly, a faint crack forming on its surface.
The completely unharmed cardboard box paused for a second, seemingly dazed—
—then sped up, rushing even faster toward the alley's exit.
CRASH!!
This time, it was the wall of one of the buildings lining the alley that got hit—leaving a perfectly rectangular hole in its wake.
Takakai stood in silence.
He was beginning to think that Gotou Hitori—this pink-haired girl nicknamed Bocchi-chan—might be even more of an abstract existence than he'd initially assumed.
"Is this another twist of fate?"
Thinking about Gotou Hitori's behavior—and Kita Ikuyo, who had nearly killed him—Takakai couldn't help but sigh internally.
From inside the hole in the wall, more crashing sounds and muffled yelps could be heard.
Probably Bocchi-chan panicking and bumping into more stuff.
Well, she's a Crimson moon-level player. Even if she smashes into something, it's not like it'll leave a mark.
Still…
This meant he had one more objective for the upcoming [Yoruyama High School] operation.
I wonder what state Kita Ikuyo will be in when we meet inside the dungeon.
Hopefully she'll still be able to communicate… and not immediately try to kill me.
With that thought, and seeing that Gotou Hitori had well and truly vanished, Takakai turned and left the alley.
As for the pink-haired girl—who, after crashing through several more walls, finally realized what she was doing and tried to turn back to find Takakai, only to discover he was already gone…
She stood in the alley for a long time.
But in the end, she couldn't muster the courage to chase after him again.
With a dejected expression, she slunk away.
After that, nothing particularly noteworthy happened for the rest of the day.
Takakai spent the afternoon reviewing the dungeon materials Maki had compiled, though he didn't dedicate too much time to it.
After the nightmare he'd experienced, he was now fully aware that the upcoming dungeon might throw completely unexpected twists at him.
So while the old records were useful as reference, he couldn't rely on them entirely.
I'm not sure how a fixed dungeon—one that shouldn't undergo major changes—can still surprise me, but…
Given my luck, it's better to assume the worst.
He made sure to warn Maki and the other players who would be joining the operation.
When night fell, Fujiwara Chika once again sneaked over to the hotel.
To escape her strict household, she had grown remarkably proficient with the [Luring Necklace] obsession object—her skill at hypnotizing her family improving with each use.
That evening, Chika engaged in a very serious and sincere discussion with Takakai about various philosophical and practical aspects of life.
They conducted in-depth research, analysis, and experimentation on modern entertainment—eventually reaching a conclusion that satisfied both of them.
Though, admittedly, Chika's stamina wasn't quite enough to sustain such rigorous academic activity, so Takakai ended up leading the latter half of the "study session."
The night passed quietly.
A new day soon arrived.
The time until the dungeon's opening drew closer.
And the fireworks festival—an event organized by ordinary people blissfully unaware of the supernatural—was about to begin.
Though still somewhat exhausted, Chika reluctantly hugged Takakai one last time before hurrying back to school.
As for Takakai himself…
He waited at the hotel until the afternoon—until Shuchi'in Academy's dismissal time—before finally leaving.
Dressed in fresh, clean clothes, he made his way to a nearby park.
There, Yotsuya Miko—still in her school uniform—was waiting for him.
"Senpai, let's go."
With a bright smile—one that hadn't graced her face in a long time—she was the first to step toward the festival stalls.
Takakai followed with a smile of his own, chatting idly with her as they walked.
There were no teasing remarks.
No awkward moments.
No playful provocations.
Compared to his other "dates," this one with Miko was almost boringly peaceful.
But to Takakai…
It was more than enough.