Outside the haunted house, in front of a bench.
The commander and Bada sat on the bench, both making an expression of difficulty.
This was because, even though Maru, who was sitting on the commander’s lap, was chewing on a hot dog in real-time, she didn’t respond when called.
Mumble, mumble.
“Maru, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Still no answer.
The commander was perplexed.
Right after clearing the haunted house with Bada, Maru, who had been sitting outside, suddenly jumped into the commander’s lap and began to cry.
In the face of this sudden situation, the commander stammered, but hugged Maru tightly and patted her back, causing Maru to stop crying soon after.
Then, with her cheeks puffed up, Maru sat down.
The commander didn’t know why Maru was upset, but he thought if he bought her something to eat, it might lift her mood. So, he bought her a hot dog. Yet, Maru remained grumpy.
Bada, who had been watching Maru with a worried expression, wagged her tail, but still, there was no sign of Maru’s mood improving.
…Still, Maru couldn’t resist the hot dog and kept alternating between taking a bite and puffing up her cheeks.
“Where did Maru go? Why is she sitting outside and eating a hot dog with that expression?”
“Huh, Nunu?”
Nunu, who had a completely flustered expression, came running out of the haunted house and, upon seeing Maru sitting on the commander’s lap, let out a sigh of relief.
Did Maru run out first because she was scared?
No way.
The commander shook his head, but then remembered Maru’s earlier behavior and nodded.
Before they entered, Maru had been boasting confidently, saying she wouldn’t get scared.
The commander knew this was just a bluff—something kids often do to reassure themselves.
Like when they take medicine and tell themselves, “This is yummy sugar,” or when they shout, “I can do this!” before a tough exam.
The memory of Maru’s shaking legs, hidden under that confident face before they entered, confirmed the commander’s thoughts.
Even though he didn’t want to say it out loud because it would definitely upset Maru, he couldn’t deny that he was right.
“…It seems like she’s already upset though.”
“Hmph.”
“Huh?”
Nunu tilted her head, and Maru, noticing her approaching, snorted and turned her head away.
Though she turned her head, since she was on the commander’s lap, she only ended up turning into the commander’s arms.
What in the world?
But Nunu and everyone else were startled by Maru’s behavior.
Usually, Maru would act like a gentle lamb in front of Nunu, sticking to her like a baby bird following its mother.
In fact, wasn’t Nunu the one Maru had chosen to accompany her into the haunted house?
Except when they were moving on the commander’s shoulder, Maru always held Nunu’s hand. So why was she acting like this now?
“Maru?”
“What’s going on? If you’re that upset, something must have happened… Did Nunu do something?”
“…”
Maru, listening quietly to the commander’s words, slightly nodded.
The commander looked at Nunu with a “So?” expression.
“…?”
Nunu tilted her head, looking clueless, scratching her head.
She had no idea why Maru was upset like this.
When they entered the haunted house, Nunu had been excited, thinking about hugging Maru and comforting him since she was scared. But now, she was completely confused.
Hmm.
Nunu tried to retrace her steps.
When they entered the haunted house, Maru, who had been listening calmly, suddenly ran into the haunted house and disappeared.
Worried something might have happened, Nunu followed Maru inside. But for some reason, when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a long corridor.
No matter which way she looked, all she could see was the endless corridor. It was a strange room.
For a moment, she thought it might be some sort of portal technique, but quickly dismissed the idea.
It would be a waste of money to use such an energy-intensive technique in an amusement park, especially in a frequently used facility.
“Come to think of it…”
Nunu remembered the warning sign at the entrance of the haunted house, saying they had applied a new space distortion technique for realism.
She felt a rough, gritty texture when she touched the wall after walking a little.
It didn’t feel like smooth concrete, but more like wood or brick.
The walls in the dark room at the entrance of the haunted house, the one with just a doll sitting there, were definitely made of wood.
Nunu nodded.
It seemed the purpose of the space distortion technique was to obscure the entrance and amplify the unease when visitors came in.
…She thought it was oddly sincere to apply such an expensive technique to something like this.
Nunu couldn’t help but admire it slightly as she walked inside, looking for Maru, who had gone in first.
She quickened her pace, worried that Maru might be trembling alone in the dark.
It shouldn’t be too hard to find her since Nunu had just followed her in.
But Nunu’s expectations were completely off.
I kept running, ignoring the ghosts that popped out without warning, but until I reached the end of the hallway—right in front of the next room—I didn’t see a single person.
At the dark end of the hallway, a blinking [1/2] sign indicated that one person had yet to arrive.
I didn’t expect this. How could I not see Maru in a straight hallway?
Nunu let out a small sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead.
It seems that spatial distortion applies to the people who enter here as well.
Even if they’re right next to you, you might not be able to see them.
“Then why did they pair us up in teams of two?”
I hope Maru is okay. It would be great if she managed to get out quickly, but what if she was too scared to move and just sat there trembling?
X…
Without hesitation, Nunu turned around and started running back toward the entrance.
…After running back and forth down the hallway three times, Nunu still couldn’t find Maru and ended up returning to the entrance.
That’s when she saw Maru sitting on the commander’s lap.
“Hmph.”
Even after thinking back carefully, Nunu couldn’t figure out why Maru was sulking.
There wasn’t a single clue.
“…Wait a second.”
A thought flashed through Nunu’s mind.
Could it be that Maru thinks I abandoned her, and that’s why she’s pouting like this?
Of course, I don’t know exactly what happened to her inside…
But judging by her reaction now, she must have been trembling in fear, and I wasn’t there.
She must’ve had a hard time.
“You must have been really scared.”
Nunu nodded and slowly approached Maru, who was nestled in the commander’s arms, gently stroking her head.
Maru, who had been completely stiff in the commander’s embrace, flinched and trembled the moment she felt a hand touch her.
But after turning her head slightly and confirming that it was Nunu…
“…Don’t touch me, unni.”
‘Mm. Unni is sorry.’
“Hmph.”
She acted like she was completely upset, as if telling me not to touch her.
But despite saying that, her head kept tilting upward.
To an outsider, it might even look like she was being pulled up by an invisible force.
If I slowed down even a little while stroking her, she would immediately turn her head and puff out her cheeks in protest.
But if I gently petted her, she would bury her face in the commander’s chest, a slight smile forming at the corners of her mouth as she enjoyed the touch.
‘Pfft.’
Nunu chuckled softly.
No matter what, she’s still such a cute little sister.
“I want to pet her too!”
Bada, who had been watching from the side, joined in on the petting, and the four of them spent a while like that.
“Hehe.”
Was that Maru’s laughter?
Or Bada’s?
Or maybe it was Nunu’s?
A faint chuckle echoed in the air.
Why did I act like that?
I was the one who ran off in the middle of listening to the staff.
I was the one who confidently said I wasn’t scared, only to nearly burst into tears.
So why am I taking it out on Nunu, who had nothing to do with it?
Of course, it wasn’t right that Nunu wasn’t by my side in that scary moment.
…Just a tiny bit, maybe the size of an ant’s booger? No, a speck of dust? No… maybe an atom? Yeah, something like that.
Honestly, if Nunu had just said, “I’m sorry,” I would have forgiven her right away…
But since I was in the commander’s arms, I missed the right timing to let go of my sulking.
In the end, I had no choice but to keep pouting while getting petted in the commander’s arms.
Not that it was bad or anything… I actually liked it… but it was just too embarrassing.
I got upset over something that was my fault.
I’m not even a little kid—what am I doing?
So pathetic.
Sigh…
“Oh my.”
Hearing my sighing grumbles, Nunu started stroking me even more enthusiastically.
This is so unfair.
It feels so nice, but that only makes me feel even sadder.
Ugh…