Even if Platinum shone light on him, she couldn't see his face. A metal lid covered his head, firmly secured, leaving no part of it exposed.
At this point, Platinum was genuinely terrified. In a place like this, wearing an outfit like this, sitting in such a posture, with that thing on her head... anyone would be scared out of their wits.
"Aaaaaah, sorry to disturb you, I'm just leaving, please carry on..." Platinum quickly wiped the cold sweat from her brow, backing away slowly as if facing a ferocious monster.
Even though Uma Musume possess superhuman strength, and in a real fight, who knows who would win... but still... with an getup like that, even Narita Brian would get the creeps.
It was a kind of psychological warfare.
While slowly backing away, Platinum seemed to step on something cylindrical, her foot slipping instantly, sending her tumbling onto her rear.
Wait, she didn't hit the floor. Platinum felt the texture of fabric, and an uneven surface beneath her...
She froze instantly, trembling as she shifted her phone's flashlight downward.
"Aaaaaah——————"A scream beyond imagination escaped Platinum's lips.
She had stepped on a severed arm and was now sitting on another person also dressed in dark green sportswear, with a pot lid on their head!
"Help! Help! Somebody hel-l-l-l-l-l-l-p———"
Terrified to the point of tears, Platinum unleashed strength she never knew she had. Grabbing the arm, she yanked it outward, hurling the entire figure against the wall. A series of crisp cracking sounds echoed as the figure shattered to pieces, the pot lid on its head clattering to the ground.
Only then did Platinum see that what she had thrown was a mannequin.
"Huff, huff, huff... What idiot left a mannequin in a place like this!"
A mix of lingering fear, shame at being scared by a mere doll, and a desperate need to bolster her own courage made Platinum curse aloud.
"Damn you and your dreams!"
After swearing, Platinum crouched down, trembling, and shone her flashlight around. The light revealed even more, making her face turn even paler.
Mannequins everywhere!
Men, women, children—all dressed in dark green sportswear, pot lids on their heads. Some were placed on the floor, others hung on the walls, some even dangled from the chandeliers. A few held antennas in their hands. Each was posed differently, eerily lifelike.
...Of course they seemed lifelike! With their heads covered by pot lids and in such dim light, anything would look real!
Rubbing her already weak legs, Platinum struggled to her feet. Even though the mannequins were still scary, they were at least more rational than real people... somewhat acceptable.
As for what these mannequins were originally used for, Platinum didn't dare to think, nor did she want to. It had nothing to do with her anyway.
Maybe I should just sneak back... Platinum felt drenched in cold sweat, her feet itching to make a run for it.
This place just isn't right. It might as well be a horror movie set. If she stayed any longer, she'd likely become the first victim!
As if sensing her fear, even through the thick floors, she heard the cawing of crows from the rooftop, their ugly cries layered and pressing, seeming to urge her to hurry up.
...Although this prophecy had arrived mysteriously, judging by how it led me to Agnes Tachyon, it probably doesn't mean me any harm... Platinum pondered.
Most importantly, she didn't want to miss even a sliver of hope for curing the Soul Dissolution Syndrome.
So, trembling again, Platinum raised her phone's flashlight, edged past the burly mannequin by the handrail, and began climbing the stairs.
The sound of Platinum's footsteps and the glow of her phone gradually faded into the darkness, and the front hall sank back into silence. The usual quiet returned.
Wait... there was still a faint, rustling sound.
Not the sound of mice. The burly figure seated at the stairway entrance shifted slightly, rotating its pot lid.
Then it returned to complete stillness. This time, the front hall was truly silent.
But none of that mattered to Platinum anymore. Following the cawing of the crows above, she felt her way along the wall as she ascended.
The stairwell walls, like the front hall, were plastered with layers of newspaper, though thankfully not splattered with paint. Some of the densely packed fine print on the newspapers was still legible.
[The Qigong Craze: Body, Science, and Utopia]
[Do Aliens Truly Exist?]
[Henan Farmer Witnesses UFO in Flight, Disappears After Two Hours]
[Xiamen Prodigy Claims to Have Received Signals from Aliens, Is Earth Doomed?]
Accompanied by her increasingly heavy breathing, Platinum finally reached the rooftop. She hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed the door leading to the terrace.
Unexpectedly, the door didn't seem to be locked. It wasn't dilapidated either, swinging open smoothly and silently at her touch.
Platinum took in the full view of the terrace.
Countless crows perched on the terrace railing, stood on the floor, lined the drainage pipes, and even covered the shoulders and head of a figure standing there. The sky had grown even gloomier, the sun almost entirely below the horizon, like the embers of a spent bonfire.
The mass of crows resembled nightfall descending from the sky.
The moment the door opened, all the crows' eyes turned toward Platinum, countless avian pupils fixed on her. It was a deeply unsettling sight.
But then, as if obeying some command, all the crows took flight at once, their wings beating noisily as they soared into the sky.
"Wait..." Platinum shielded her face, peeking through the gaps between her fingers and the flapping wings, and saw the figure—the one standing among the crows, on the terrace.
A tall, pale figure, dressed in a ghostly, flowing dress, bare-legged. The figure stood with its head held high on the terrace, golden locks and azure blue undertones flowing in the wind like ocean waves.
The owner of the figure turned, her Earth-blue eyes gazing at Platinum with a calm, gentle intensity.
"EVEU... finally... I've been able to wait for you..." Platinum heard these words. The ghostly figure seemed to dance gracefully in the air.
For a single moment, Platinum's heart raced.
Not with romantic love, but from the soul, from intuition.
Yes, this person before her was the second anchor point she was meant to find...
"Yes. I've... been waiting for you for a long time too." Saying this, Platinum stepped onto the terrace.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.