It's so quiet.
Gotou Hitori raised her head, looking at the forest path before her.
This was the outskirts of Tokyo, a remote area where people rarely ventured.
After walking forward a few steps, Hitori came across an abandoned shrine. Its torii gate had collapsed, and the shrine itself was nothing more than a ruined husk, appearing gloomy and even slightly eerie under the shade of the bamboo forest.
The pink-haired girl with disheveled hair stopped in front of the shrine, standing silently for a long while before finally lowering her head and letting out a soft sigh—one so quiet only she could hear it.
Only a handful of people knew that this place had once been the origin of a Twilight-tier dungeon.
It was Hitori's first mission as a new player. Whether by luck or misfortune, she had been assigned to a brand-new dungeon, one that no other players had experienced or investigated before. And worse, she had been thrown into it alongside one of the few friends she had managed to make.
That mission had been perilous from start to finish. Fortunately, there had been reliable veteran players leading the way, and they had managed to uncover the core grudge haunting the shrine. In the end, they chose to resolve its lingering regrets, freeing the anomaly that had been trapped there and allowing all the tormented souls bound to the place to find peace.
Hitori's first Blessing had come from here.
Alongside her friend, she had struggled desperately to survive until the very end, emerging victorious and returning to her ordinary life.
Even though, from then on, she would have to face the horrors of dungeons every month.
She had always believed that they could persevere—that they would overcome challenge after challenge until, one day, they finally found a way to escape the [Sacrifice Game], to leave this terrifying world behind.
And then... she was left completely alone.
In silence, the girl sat down on the remnants of the shrine's stone steps, taking the old, slightly bloodstained guitar off her back.
Closing her eyes, she gently plucked the strings.
A smooth, flowing melody rose into the empty forest clearing.
Once again, she heard the voices of the past. Once again, she saw the events that had long since faded from reality.
As the guitar's notes echoed around her, Hitori opened her eyes wide, watching as everything that had been lost played out vividly in her senses.
Drowning in illusions... didn't feel so bad.
Because the real world had always been so dull and painful.
Even the band that had once given her warmth, that had made her feel like she was finally changing—after she disappeared, they forgot about her entirely. If I die in a dungeon one day, will they forget me too? After all, I'm a player, but they aren't.
Ahh... that's why... I chose to leave that band.
After becoming a player, I should have made this decision long ago. Because an ordinary life... was already beyond my reach.
But what exactly am I still hoping for? What am I still waiting for, even now, when I remain as worthless as ever?
Opening her eyes, she looked down at the guitar in her hands.
She took a deep breath, suddenly wanting to stop playing—to deliberately hit a wrong note.
She knew that if she did, she would definitely be able to return—to go back to that place, to the moment when her past had completely collapsed. But in the end, she simply finished the song perfectly, without a single mistake.
Alright... it's about time to head ba—
"Not bad."
A man's voice abruptly cut through Hitori's inner world.
Her head jerked up, and she saw Takakai standing beside the collapsed torii gate, watching her.
S-S-S-S-SOMEONE'S HERE—!!!
The ultra-socially-anxious pink-haired girl immediately began trembling, her eyes darting around the stone pavement as if searching for a crack to crawl into.
"It's me, Takakai. Do you remember me, Gotou-san?"
Takakai didn't approach her, staying by the torii as he spoke.
It wasn't that he wanted to keep his distance, but... the eerie, chilling aura emanating from the guitar in Hitori's hands was impossible to ignore. Uneasy, Takakai had decided it was better to stay back.
What the hell is up with that guitar?
Even after recalling every grudge item he had encountered so far, Takakai couldn't think of a single one that radiated such terrifying energy.
The only comparison he could draw was to the core grudges themselves—the anomalies at the heart of dungeons. And even then, the only entity he could liken to Hitori's guitar was the Red Dress anomaly beneath the Great Crevice.
In other words... that grudge item was at least a top-tier Gloomy Night core item. Maybe even stronger, since it hadn't gone berserk yet—its true horror remained hidden.
Realizing this, Takakai's expression grew more cautious.
No matter how adorable the original Bocchi might have been as a socially awkward girl, the Hitori in this crossover world—the one who was a player—was fundamentally different. This version was just as cute, but her strength was nothing to scoff at. It was hard to imagine what kind of power that eerie guitar had given her.
"I'msosorryI'llleaveimmediatelypleasedon'tmindmeI'minyourwayI'msorry—"
Before Takakai could even think of how to continue the conversation, the pink-haired girl had already slung her guitar over her back and fled in a flurry of rapid-fire apologies, giving him no chance to properly talk.
"She's fast..."
Takakai barely had time to raise a hand in protest before she had already bolted dozens of meters away.
Left standing there, Takakai—who had been drawn to the guitar music while waiting for Kaguya and Chika to finish in the restroom—could only click his tongue in disappointment before turning back the way he came. As he walked, he casually snapped a photo of the ruined shrine.
Now that I think about it, when Bocchi ran off just now, I think I saw a small tag on that guitar...
The writing on it was... I can't remember clearly, but it looked like it said something-something Middle School? For my memory and observational skills to fail like this... Is this another effect of that grudge item? Can it make people overlook details about itself and its user?
Takakai couldn't figure out the exact nature of Hitori's grudge item, but he also couldn't just chase her down and ask about the specifics of what was clearly a life-or-death treasure. So, for now, he could only tuck his questions away and leave the matter be.
"Takakai-kun, where did you go just now?"
"We told you not to wander off! Ahh, Takakai, what kind of place did you find?"
Kaguya and Chika's voices called out from nearby. The two girls approached, quickly spotting the abandoned shrine in the distance. Kaguya seemed somewhat reluctant to enter such a place, but Chika immediately treated it as the perfect spot for an adventure, even dragging Takakai inside to take a few photos.
"By the way, why is there such a big shrine here when no one around seems to know about it? It looks like it's only been abandoned for a few years, right? Some of the things inside aren't even that damaged. And there's no sign left of which god was enshrined here..."
Chika's curiosity remained unquenched even as they returned to the hotel, still puzzling over the shrine's mysteries.
Unfortunately, everyone they asked along the way claimed to know nothing about it—even elderly locals who had lived here for decades had no memory of a shrine in the bamboo forest. Noticing this, Takakai and Kaguya exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other's thoughts.
That shrine was likely like Shirakawa Apartments and Red Nut Gray Cave—a place that had once been a dungeon, now forgotten, reduced to a nameless ruin.
But according to player consensus, dungeons were supposed to disappear from the real world. The fact that they could still see and enter the shrine meant it had returned to reality—that the anomaly within it had been resolved.
Did a player break the grudge and obtain a Blessing there, destroying the dungeon?
They must've been incredibly strong. An ordinary player couldn't have pulled that off.
"Takakai, let's investigate together! Follow me, the great detective Fujiwara Chika, as we uncover the truth of the past!"
Before Takakai could ponder further, Chika—who had somehow produced a red detective hat out of nowhere—grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the local library.
"H-Hey, wait for me...!"
Kaguya, who had been planning to create more opportunities to get closer to Takakai, could only call out in frustration as she was forced to chase after the two.
Kaguya-sama is very unhappy right now.
This morning's outing had been, in her opinion, a complete failure.
Chika had stuck to Takakai like glue the entire time, barely giving Kaguya any chances to be alone with him. Even when she did manage to start a conversation, Chika would inevitably butt in. And now, she was literally dragging him away.
Ugh, seriously, what is her deal?!
The little Kaguya in her mind screamed and stomped in circles.
Outwardly, she could only maintain a strained smile as she followed Takakai and Chika into the library, abruptly transitioning from tourist to investigator.
As the trio pored over the library's archives at Chika's enthusiastic urging, Maki—now finally somewhat recovered—yawned and sat up in Takakai's bed.
"Nngh... it still hurts..."
Tears welled in her eyes as she gritted her teeth, looking down at her abdomen before turning to the discarded, now-ruined "secret weapon" on the floor. A blush slowly spread across her cheeks.
So... that's how you use it...
And why did it hurt so much at first? Does it always hurt like that? Even though it started feeling good later... No, this morning wasn't as bad. The pain now is just leftover from last night, so... is it only the first time that hurts this much? Ugh, I really knew nothing about this stuff. The etiquette teacher at home just said it was something for my future husband to teach me... It's so complicated.
Speaking of which... Takakai-kun went out with Kaguya and Fujiwara, didn't he?
That jerk... he really just left me behind to go have fun. And with Fujiwara, no less! Are they doing something inappropriate right now?!
Maki's radar blared to life at full power.
Without hesitation, she activated the mental communication link that, for now, only she and Takakai could use.
[Shijou Maki: Takakai-kun, what are you doing right now?]
[Takakai: Oh, you're awake? Feeling better? We should be back soon.]
[Shijou Maki: "We" who?]
[Takakai: Kaguya and Chika. The three of us are at the library right now. So, how are you holding up? Can you walk?]
[Shijou Maki: I-I'm fine! Wait, all three of you are at the library?]
If all three of them were together, it probably wasn't a big deal. Kaguya didn't seem like she had any chemistry with Takakai yet, so Maki could relax a little.
But... why the library? Weren't they supposed to be visiting the bamboo forest?
[Takakai: Well, Chika got excited. We found what might be the remains of a destroyed dungeon, and she insisted on investigating. Turns out she actually dug up some stuff, though it's probably not useful anymore.]
[Shijou Maki: Dug up some stuff?]
[Takakai: Yeah. This old neighborhood used to have a family that ran a shrine called the [Yomi Shrine]. Every few years, they'd hold a ritual where they'd put a spiked oni mask on a "pure girl," piercing her eyes, then tie ropes to her limbs and tear her apart alive. After she died naturally, she'd become some kind of "nail" to seal the path to the underworld or something. Kinda reminds me of something...]
[Shijou Maki: What kind of creepy stuff are you researching?!]
[Takakai: Beats me.]
At the very least, based on Takakai's explanation, there didn't seem to be anything suspicious going on. Fujiwara wasn't making any moves—yet.
Still, Maki couldn't understand why they were researching such barbaric old customs. Just hearing about it was killing her appetite.
Grumbling internally, the girl slid out of bed, her bare feet lightly touching the floor.
"Ow..."
I probably shouldn't do... that... again for the next few days.
Takakai-kun is just too much... Is this what an S-rank physique does to a person? I can't even imagine how he'll change if he gets a Gloomy Night-tier enhancement...
Lost in thought, Maki picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, dressed herself, and left the room.
Meanwhile, the trio—having wasted a considerable amount of time in the library only to confirm that the ancient family's descendants had died out years ago—were already on their way back to the hotel.
"After all that research, we didn't even get any useful information..."
Kaguya sighed, feeling like she had wasted her time.
"Ehehe, that's how detective work is! Sometimes you crack big cases, sometimes you hit dead ends. But at least we confirmed that place was suspicious, right? We can always investigate more later!"
Chika, completely unfazed, just grinned cheerfully.
"Hard pass. Knowing it's suspicious doesn't help. It's just a ruin now..."
Naturally, Kaguya wasn't having any of it.
As for Takakai, walking at the back of the group, he found himself thinking back to Hitori sitting in the ruins, playing her guitar.
And he realized—if that place was truly forgotten, then there was only one reason Hitori would know about it.
Was she the player who resolved the grudge and destroyed that dungeon?