Chapter 10
“Sis, are you really just going to sit there and keep listening to that nonsense?”
I’d rather just listen…
Covering her face with both hands, she sobbed. Moran scolded Holloway tenderly yet firmly.
“Holloway. You’re still just a child, so you might not understand. But no matter how terribly someone has wronged you, you can’t just take a person’s life lightly.”
As if those words would do any good with an irredeemable final boss.
I was sunk in momentary despair when the screen started flashing—time’s up, choose now.
Blinking back tears, I settled on option 1, the least bad choice.
Pick 2, and Holloway would probably chuck me into a monster pit and run.
3, and he’d bash me senseless with a club deadlier than any goblin’s for daring to insult him…
…Living in this world is no damn picnic.
Sobbing, I grudgingly jabbed at 1.
My shoulders squared up on their own, my hand flying to thump my chest.
“I’m that kind of person!”
The reply came late, but those two had to know exactly what question it was answering.
An awkward silence blanketed the room.
Then Moran heaved an obvious sigh.
She scolded me like she’d just spotted a bigger brat than Holloway.
“…Miss Evelyn, this isn’t a game.”
“Moran, I don’t have the headspace to sit here and take your sermon.”
Shoving my embarrassment aside, I got to my feet.
“I’ll go alone if I have to.”
Moran gazed at me with troubled eyes, her voice laced with regret.
“Miss Evelyn, you’ve… changed…”
“When you’re backed into a corner like this, what choice do you have?”
I flung the door open before Holloway could tail me.
Sure enough, he followed like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Moran grabbed him, blocking his way.
“Let go!”
Hugging him even tighter as he squirmed, she shot me a reproachful look and cried out.
“You’re just going to leave the two of us behind?”
Yes!
I whooped it gleefully in my head but kept a straight face.
Moran pivoted to reasoning with me.
“Miss Evelyn, pointless stubbornness won’t get you anywhere. I won’t tell a soul, so please, just stop this.”
Wouldn’t bother me if she blabbed to others.
No way in hell was I passing up a shot to ditch Holloway, whatever Moran said.
“Better you than some loose cannon like me. Please look after Holloway, Moran.”
I shot him one fond glance and shut the door behind me.
Gotta at least pretend to care a little, or he’ll think I ditched him for real.
The empty hallway stretched silent.
Finally, some time to myself.
I bolted down the corridor without a second’s pause.
First things first: scout an escape route and snag that revolver!
❖ ❖ ❖
Holloway tried to chase after Evelyn, but Moran held him fast.
She gripped his shoulder and spun him toward her.
He trembled ever so faintly, playing it cool, but the fear was plain in the current mess.
Even so, Moran laid into him with crisp resolve.
“Holloway, she’s already ditched us—chasing her might not be smart. I’d never leave you behind.”
Her firm stance rang reliable, but Holloway felt zilch.
Her words especially rubbed him wrong, in that nagging way.
It sounded like she was flat-out calling Evelyn someone who’d abandoned him.
But her sweet smile and gentle touch smoothed over even that weird edge.
“……”
Anyone else might miss it, but not Holloway—not after living lifetimes beyond any human’s span.
His face betrayed nothing as he eyed Moran.
Eerie enough to raise eyebrows, but she sensed no red flags and clung to him just the same.
‘Annoying.’
Evelyn was gone anyway; offing her now wouldn’t hurt.
‘First things first.’
Out of sight, Holloway snapped his fingers.
Black smoke coiled at his fingertips. Outside the quiet room, a massive crash erupted—like something huge slamming down.
Then he traced a small circle with his index finger.
Job done; the smoke melted away from his fingertips.
He was reaching out a hand laced with murder toward Moran when—
The door flew open!
“Gah—huff…!”
Pale as death, Evelyn burst back into the room.
Moran’s cheek twitched faintly.
Holloway dropped his raised hand.
He shook off her grip and dashed to Evelyn, throwing his arms around her.
“Sis!”
Sooner than he’d figured, but he greeted her with open glee.
Panting, Evelyn hugged back on reflex as Holloway latched on.
Pretending not to see Moran’s tangled expression, she wailed inside.
Rushed one way—tagger popped up.
Tried the opposite—floor caved in outta nowhere.
Tried slipping into other rooms—all locked tight, leaving her no choice but to double back here.
‘Why the hell are all the cabin doors locked?!’
Evelyn screamed internally.
Part of the game?
Clueless that it was all Holloway’s scheme, she was bawling tears in her mind.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Miss Evelyn, weren’t you gone?”
Embarrassing as hell, but no bandwidth to answer.
I pressed my index finger to my lips.
“Shh. Monster outside.”
“Yes?”
As Moran echoed—
Boom!
A wall shattered nearby, the tagger’s voice flickering through.
—Not here!
—No, no!
That bone-chilling pitch sounded almost like a kid’s.
Chilled to the core, Moran and I locked eyes in silence.
Her voice quavered as she called my name.
Even in the game, Moran was always the scaredy-cat compared to me.
“Miss Evelyn…”
I scanned the cabin, letting her cling without shoving her off.
I’d checked outside—every nearby room was locked.
Crack the door and bolt? We’d be nabbed in seconds.
Hiding spot it was, then—somewhere in here.
Bathroom? No dice. Under the bed? Too obvious.
Wardrobe was there, but odds of getting spotted were as bad as under the bed!
Wherever we hid, it’d be game over in a flash.
Can’t run? Fine—reverse it. Hole up in the wardrobe, wait for the door to crack, then slip out in the gap.
Tricky, but best shot right now. I yanked the wardrobe open.
Clothes galore inside.
Thank god—enough to cover us.
Shoved Holloway in first, but he clung to my waist, shaking his head.
“Wanna stay next to Sis.”
“Fine, then Moran—you first, quick.”
“Y-Yes, yes!”
When lives hung in the balance, Moran turned razor-sharp—but otherwise, she was her usual soft, angelic self.
Listened like a dream, too.
Scaredy-cat? Sure, but tough as nails—would sacrifice herself for others without blinking.
Never ditched a soul, even after the game’s nuisance protag Evelyn nearly got her killed time and again.
Truth be told, she was the steadiest one here by a mile.
Moran wedged into one corner, then Holloway, me squeezing in last at the center.
Slammed the door shut—and right then, the wall next door crumbled, the shockwave rattling us.
Monster was close; terrified, Moran latched onto my sleeve like her life depended on it.
“E-Evelyn… If things go south, you’ll… leave me behind, right?”
“Yes.”
That’s who I am.
She went dead silent at my dead-on reply.
Holloway piped up instead.
“Sis, me too?”
“No.”
Leave you? I’d never survive the fallout…
We had to part ways naturally, in the flow of things.
“Why?”
Something gleeful laced his voice.
“Because you’re the one it’s my duty to protect.”
“You’ll protect me? Not her—just me?”
“Yeah.”
Moran, who’d been listening quietly, ventured carefully.
“…Miss Evelyn, still sore about what happened earlier?”
“Yes.”
I’m fucking pissed, yeah.
I grumbled it out—
♥♡ ♡♥ ♥♡
Hearts suddenly bubbled up.
…The hell?
Hologram hearts bloomed right over Holloway’s head, floating up: hug, hug.
Holloway’s Favorability: 2% Achieved! Congratulations!
Favorability: 2%
2% achieved…
His favorability went up—again?
My eyes bugged out at the curveball.
Prohibited Room #22 Unlocked: Cabin 205 “This Room Is Extremely Safe!”
A whole room for a measly 2%?
I knew raising his favorability was a nightmare.
That’s why I’d planned to bail on it early…
But a room unlocked.
This wasn’t in The Child’s Secret at all.
Gameplay was pass locked cabins, poke around open ones…
A room?
Meaning… unopened cabins might hide the escape gate?
My body hair stood on end at the thought.
This hotel was massive—had a basement, obviously. Step foot in during gameplay? Instant [GAME OVER], right back to start.
Stack specs all you want—early game or late, didn’t matter. Dead every time.
No death animation. Just a black-red screen.
Do not enter.
‘What if… the basement needed Holloway’s favorability to access?’
Couldn’t raise it, so instant death on descent?
Given this sadistic difficulty… escape gate’s gotta be down there.
“Sis?”
I met Holloway’s eyes.
Which meant…
To escape, I’d have to full-throttle seduce this beaming, clueless final boss?!
