Chapter 24: Ch 24: Good Friend ;)
I broke out in a cold sweat as I stared at the wristband.
[◎ (Cheerful) Fantasyland Membership ◎ ]
But the words that had changed from ’Admission Ticket’ to ’Membership’
didn’t revert, and the material that had become oddly luxurious and ornate
remained the same.
O-Okay...
It’s an unexpected situation, but what I have to do hasn’t changed.
Scan the wristband at the gate and leave.
’Membership or whatever, I just won’t come back.’
"Thank you."
I swallowed hard.
"Um... I’d like to go home now."
The blue mascot tilted its head slightly to the side.
I stepped toward the gate scanner to scan my wristband.
But the mascot blocked my way.
’Please.’
Why are you doing this?
I felt like crying.
"I’m not as much of a good kid as you think..."
G o o d k i d
C o r r e c t
The blue mascot’s claw gently, ever so softly, covered my wristband.
And a voice resonated.
To one who knows honor,
you are worthy.
...!!
"Urgh."
A cough burst from my mouth.
It was blood.
’W-What... just happened...’
Could it be... because the ticket changed to a membership?
The blue dragon mascot seemed flustered as I spat out blood, fidgeting
anxiously, and then pulled something out from its pocket and offered it to
me.
[Blue Soda Churros]
It seemed to be a snack sold inside the theme park.
"...Thank you."
Yeah. I’m definitely not eating that.
"But, I’d like to take it home and eat it."
P l a y
M o r e
The mascot was insistent.
To the point that it turned off the gate machine.
"...!!"
Click.
The lights went out at the north exit, and the shutter came down.
I stared blankly at the scene.
Going this far?
I couldn’t grasp what was happening at all.
But I didn’t make the foolish move of arguing.
’I might end up like the researcher.’
I definitely wanted to avoid that.
For now, for now... I’m not in immediate mortal danger here. Let’s find an
alternative.
I stepped back from the gate.
As I ran off, the blue mascot kept watching me...
* * *
"Driving me crazy."
I went into the water park’s locker room and collapsed onto a bench.
I’m scared to death.
"What is going on?"
To sum up, the mascot suddenly called me a ’good kid’, handed me a
membership, and closed the gate shutter.
In other words, I’m trapped here.
"..."
Trapped.
Wait, but what’s with this ’good kid’ thing anyway?
The researcher was a bad kid, and I’m a good kid...
Ah.
’...Is it because I saved my teammates a few times?’
Yeah. That’s the most plausible reason.
By chance, I did help people in dangerous situations a few times... So as a
reward, they’re letting me play in the theme park forever?
’This is driving me nuts...’
This is inside a B-Class creepypasta.
No matter how friendly and seemingly safe that mascot appears, it means I
don’t know when or where some dangerous and bizarre, crazy thing might
happen.
Besides.
’...There’s no exploration record of anyone staying more than 24 hours.’
Once it goes over 24 hours, it means everyone dies or disappears.
Even if I interpret it optimistically and think that since the admission ticket
is a one-day pass, and I’m a member now so I might be okay, the most
crucial thing here is that I have no information.
’Shit.’
I racked my brain, feeling like I wanted to bite my tongue.
Maybe due to the fatigue of the past few hours, my thinking was sluggish...
’What can I do?’
I can’t win against the mascot in a fight.
I can’t sneak in and turn on the gate machine.
’And I used up all my coins earlier.’
In a hurry, seeing Y-squad rookie Jang Heo-un fall, I threw whatever I could
grab, which was a blunder. I pressed my fingers against my eyelids.
I don’t have a button to communicate with the people outside, so I can’t
expect help from D-squad.
’The items I have are...’
The Smiley Sticker? It’s not something to use when the problem is that their
favorability is already too high.
It’s the same with the 2x Potion or 0.5x Cookie. They only have meaning if
there’s an effect to synergize with.
’Do I really have nothing?’
The more I worried, the deeper I seemed to sink.
As I was sinking into gloom, a light flickered above my head.
[Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box]
– New merch unlocked! (!)
"...!!"
It’s the black notepad—the merch box.
’Please!’
Without even taking a breath, I pressed it immediately.
Is this a lifeline? No, anything would do. I needed even the smallest hint,
anything...
Thud.
Merch dropped out.
"...!"
I picked up the item wrapped transparently in plastic.
It was small enough to fit in my palm and fluffy.
A plush doll.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc.
/ ■■■■■
Good Friend
It’s your cute animal doll. It will always be with you and protect you.
Always.
—Product description on the packaging
from the ’Cheerful Theme Park Gift Shop’
========================
Ah.
I recalled the phrase on the board game box.
– Be the first team to ride all three fantasy attractions with your teammates
and win spectacular prizes!
In the ’Cheerful Theme Park’, the team that rode all three attractions the
fastest could take one of various items from the gift shop as a prize.
’Come to think of it, the Supervisor Park mentioned earlier that they
received a prize.’
And of course, the theme park gift shop in the ghost story often had bizarre
items mixed in.
’There was even an exploration record that sorted the list of prizes people
had taken...’
And this was one of the most famous items among them.
Good Friend
In the original story, it was a plush doll small enough to fit into a child’s
arms, but as merch, it was reborn as a small keychain-sized doll that fit into
my hand.
’So the unlock requirement for this merch was to be a participant in the
’Cheerful Theme Park’.’
Unless you were someone who had visited the theme park, it was just a
plush doll with no function, but since I had used up all my admission
tickets, it seems I unlocked the requirement.
And the ability of this plush doll is...
========================
A strange item that invites someone from the Otherworld, allowing a
part of their spirit to dwell in the doll and become your friend.
It rarely appears in the gift shop of the <Cheerful Theme Park>.
For detailed invitation records, refer below.
========================
This is it.
"..."
Under normal circumstances, I would have thought it through carefully and
set up safety measures before attempting.
’Inviting someone from the Otherworld’—it’s the perfect description for the
start of a creepypasta.
But I don’t have the time or leisure for that now.
’Let’s try it.’
Because I desperately need the advice of someone who understands the
workings of creepypastas.
I took out my smartphone, equipped with the memorial grip, and opened the
’Good Friend’ tab in the <Dark Exploration Records> app.
The required items are as follows.
========================
· Materials for the Invitation
– Matches (or a lighter)
– 100mL of water
– One tablespoon of salt
– A coin (clean)
– An item related to a friend
========================
And a quiet place.
’This locker room is perfect.’
Outside is noisy with water sounds and music, so this is the best place.
I can somehow get a lighter, water, and salt inside this theme park—
whether by stealing or requesting from a shop.
The problem is the next two items.
A coin (clean)
An item related to a friend
I have no coins left. I used them all.
And the item related to a friend... Actually, it’s included to enhance the fun
of the creepypasta. If you put in a fairy tale book, a monster from that story
motif would come.
’What should I do to make it as safe as possible?’
No, I was reluctant to offer something from this theme park as an item
related to a friend.
Isn’t this place itself already a creepypasta?
"..."
In the end, after much deliberation, I settled on two items.
Hoping that this substitution would work.
And after a while.
"Huu."
I placed the torch and the salt I had obtained on the floor in the corner of the
locker room.
’So creepy.’
I got them all from a snack truck. I saw they were selling a menu item
called ’Roasted Marshmallows’, so I thought maybe, and they had both.
’...They gave them to me for free when they saw my membership.’
Rather than making me happy, it felt even more ominous.
I wiped my mouth and reopened my smartphone.
I had to start quickly.
========================
· Invitation Ritual
1- On a smooth floor, dip your finger in water and draw a hexagram
using the enclosed design.
2- Place the ’Good Friend’ in the exact center of the hexagram.
3- Place the coin on the belly of the ’Good Friend’. At this time, your
fingers should not have any remaining water.
4- Hold a tablespoon of salt in your mouth and burn the item related to
a friend using fire.
5- When the ’Good Friend’ starts to speak, swallow the salt and return
the greeting kindly!
If the coin has disappeared, the ritual was successful! You have met a
reliable friend. Always keep them close and cherish them!
※ If you cannot swallow the salt, tastes strange,
turns to ash, or if blood comes out,
run away.
========================
"Huu."
First, I drew a hexagram on the marble floor of the locker room, exactly
like the image. It was a bit complex but not too difficult.
’...It’s shining strangely.’
However, the completed hexagram was excessively smooth, its surface
gleaming without any smudges.
After thoroughly wiping the moisture off my fingers on the hem of my
clothes, I picked up the ’Good Friend’ keychain with trembling hands and
placed it in the exact center of the hexagram.
’Of all things, it’s a rabbit doll.’
I felt uneasy, but remembering that I bought it thinking it was cute at the
pop-up store made me feel a bit better.
And for the coin...
’This one.’
I placed the item I had—the Silver Serpent Coin—on top of it.
’This is technically a coin... right?’
I thought that rather than obtaining one from this ghost story, it might be
safer to use an item from the Alien Shop from the plane of ’reality’.
Considering its price, it seemed to be a fairly valuable item, so I was
convincing myself that it might even have a better effect.
Then, after putting the salt in my mouth, finally.
’An item related to a friend.’
This also had to be something that didn’t belong to this ghost story.
That is... myself.
"..."
I loosened my necktie.
’If it’s my own item, it certainly doesn’t belong here.’
A friend related to a necktie? I don’t know who it might be, but it’s better
than something like a kitchen knife.
I lit the torch.
And brought it to the end of the necktie.
Whoosh.
Like magic, the flame flared up fiercely, casting a shadow over the plush
doll on the hexagram.
The shadow wavered.
It wavered more.
And more.
Before I knew it, the surroundings had grown dark.
All I could see was the flame consuming my necktie, the hexagram
reflecting that light, and the plush doll at its center.
Flicker.
Flicker...
My hazy mind didn’t melt away.
Instead, the salt in my mouth melted with its salty taste, numbing my
tongue.
Amidst that.
Flicker.
Flicker...
The mouth of the ’Good Friend’ hugging the coin opened.
– BEHOLD!
– I AM THE OWNER OF A MILLION MASKS, THE LORD OF
CHAOS, THE PINNACLE OF MADNESS, THE DREAM OF
PLEASURE AND PLAY, THE INSTIGATOR OF WAR, THE
FATHER OF SCIENCE, THE LOW-LYING QUADRUPED BEAST—
...!!
It’s too... loud.
It feels like my head is being shaken violently.
I want to cover my ears, but I have no free hands. I’m holding the necktie
and the torch!
What is this?
– THE DESIRE OF THE CRAWLING ONES, THE LORD OF
STARS, THE ABYSS OF ILLUSION, THE MOUTH OF WISDOM,
THE ROAR OF IMPULSE, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON...
The plush doll in the center of the hexagram is convulsing.
In the middle, a silvery round object is burning away.
’The Silver Serpent Coin.’
Did I use the wrong coin?
– I AM...
My head hurts so much, so much...
– Friend.
– Are you in pain, friend?
I lifted my head.
– This won’t do...
A gentle and soft voice flowed through the ’Good Friend’.
– You must not be in pain...
"..."
The flickering subsided.
As the necktie burned away, the fire extinguished.
The coin that had been on top of the convulsing rabbit doll had disappeared
at some point.
So had the moisture used to draw the hexagram.
"..."
Silence.
I swallowed the salt, looking at the ’Good Friend’ lying motionless.
But no sound could be heard.
’Don’t tell me.’
"Did it fail...?"
– Mr. Roe Deer?
"...!!"
A cheerful and pleasant voice echoed.
But...
– Mr. Roe Deer?
It’s a familiar voice.
Before I knew it, I responded.
"Mr. Host?"
"Ah, so it is you, Mr. Roe Deer!"
Tuesday Quiz Show.
The voice of the TV-headed host who conducted the live broadcast in that
ghost story was coming from the doll.
– Nice to meet you, my friend!