So quiet.
Hitori Gotou lifted her head to gaze at the forest path ahead.
This was Tokyo's outskirts—a remote area normally devoid of visitors.
After a few more steps, she came upon an abandoned shrine. Its torii gate had collapsed, and the shrine itself was reduced to crumbling ruins, appearing gloomy and faintly sinister beneath the bamboo canopy.
The pink-haired girl with disheveled locks stopped before the shrine. After a long silence, she finally lowered her head with a sigh audible only to herself.
Very few knew this had once been the origin point of a [Twilight]-class dungeon.
Hitori's first mission as a rookie had been this brand-new dungeon—unexplored by other players. Whether fortunate or not, she'd entered alongside one of the few friends she'd managed to make.
That mission had been perilous, but thanks to an experienced player's leadership, they'd successfully identified the core grudge and resolved it, liberating the haunting presence trapped at the shrine and freeing all lingering regrets.
This was where Hitori earned her first blessing.
Alongside her friend, she'd struggled desperately to survive until the end, returning victorious to everyday life.
Even though every month thereafter, they'd face dungeon horrors anew.
She'd always believed they could persevere, overcoming each challenge until finally escaping the [Sacrifice Game] entirely.
Then... she was left alone.
In silence, the girl sat on the shrine's remaining steps, removing the aged guitar from her back—its surface bearing faint bloodstains.
Closing her eyes, her fingers plucked the strings.
Melodic notes soon echoed through the empty clearing.
Through the music, she heard familiar voices, saw familiar scenes replaying before her.
As the guitar played on, Hitori opened her eyes wide, witnessing everything she'd lost manifest once more in her senses.
Drowning in delusions doesn't feel so bad.
After all, reality has always been this dull and painful.
That band that once warmed her heart, made her feel herself changing—after "her" disappearance, they forgot her completely. If I die in a dungeon, will they forget me too? I'm a player; they're not.
Ah... so that's why I left the band.
After becoming a player, I should have made this choice sooner. Ordinary life was already beyond my reach.
But what exactly is this useless me still hoping for? Still waiting for?
Opening her eyes to look at the guitar, Hitori inhaled deeply, tempted to stop playing, to deliberately hit wrong notes.
She knew doing so would send her back—back to where her past had shattered completely. Yet in the end, she finished the piece flawlessly, without a single mistake.
Alright... time to head ba—
"Not bad."
A man's voice abruptly shattered her inner world.
Hitori's head jerked up to see Takakai standing beside the collapsed torii, watching her.
S-s-s-someone's here!!!
The profoundly socially anxious girl immediately began trembling, her eyes darting about as if searching for cracks to hide in.
"It's me, Takakai. Do you remember me, Gotou-san?"
Takakai didn't approach, remaining by the torii. Not that he didn't want to—it was the eerie aura emanating from Hitori's guitar that gave him pause.
What is that thing?
Even comparing it to all the grudge items he'd encountered, none radiated such terrifying energy. The only comparable presence was the Red Dress entity beneath the Great Rift.
Meaning this grudge item was at least peak [Dusk Night]-class, possibly higher? And it hadn't even gone berserk yet.
Realizing this, Takakai regarded Hitori with newfound wariness.
Whatever the original Bocchi was like, this version—though equally cute—is clearly not to be underestimated.
Before Takakai could formulate his next words, the pink-haired girl was already bowing frantically.
"SorrysorrysorryI'msosorryforintruding—"
In a flash, guitar strapped to her back, she'd already fled dozens of meters away.
"Damn, she's fast..."
Takakai's outstretched hand hung in empty air as he watched her disappear. Shaking his head, he turned back toward the path, snapping a photo of the ruined shrine.
Come to think of it... that guitar had a small tag. Something... middle school? My memory's usually sharper than this. Is this the grudge item's effect—making itself and its holder harder to notice?
Unable to determine the guitar's exact properties (and certainly not about to chase down its owner for such sensitive information), Takakai shelved his questions for now.
"Takakai-kun, where did you go?"
"We told you not to wander off! Ahh, what did you find?"
Kaguya and Chika's voices sounded nearby. Spotting the ruined shrine, Kaguya hesitated to enter while Chika immediately treated it as an adventure spot, dragging Takakai inside for photos.
"Why would such a large shrine be completely unknown? It seems only abandoned for a few years. Many structures remain intact, yet there's no indication which deity was worshipped here."
Chika's curiosity persisted even back at the hotel. Strangely, none of the locals knew of the shrine's existence—not even elderly lifelong residents.
Exchanging glances, Takakai and Kaguya reached the same conclusion:
Like Shirakawa Apartments and Nutty Putty Cave, this was likely a dungeon—forgotten, reduced to nameless ruins.
Yet according to player consensus, dungeon locations should vanish from reality. That they could see and enter this shrine meant it had returned to the real world—its haunting presence already resolved.
Did a player solve the grudge and destroy this dungeon?
Must have been incredibly strong. Ordinary players couldn't manage that.
"Takakai-kun! Let's investigate together! Follow master detective Fujiwara Chika to uncover the truth!"
Before Takakai could ponder further, Chika—now sporting a red detective cap from who-knows-where—grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the local library.
"Hey, wait for me..."
Kaguya, who'd hoped to create some alone time with Takakai, could only fume as she chased after them.