Volume 3—Chapter 53: Strange
Seeing Onee-chan fall, I immediately reached out and helped her up, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet.
She groaned softly, one hand reaching up to her head.
“Tch… the hell just happened?” she muttered, her fingers pressing against her temple.
Huh? That’s weird. I was sure she didn’t hit her head when she fell.
“Onee-chan?” I asked, brows furrowed. “Are you alright?”
She looked at me for a second—too long of a second. Then her expression softened into a gentle smile.
“Uh… you… ah, right. Thank you, Irana,” she said.
Something about the way she responded sent a chill down my spine. Her tone felt... different. It feels something was just slightly off.
“You scared me, geez,” I grumbled. “Don’t go running off like that again.”
“Ahaha, sorry,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck with that same sheepish smile. Then, without waiting, she turned and slowly began walking up the stairs.
Wait—!
I almost forgot what I came here to do.
“Onee-chan!” I called out, loud enough to make her stop and glance back over her shoulder. “Let’s forget about this whole detective play and go home already.”
She tilted her head. “Detective play?”
“Yes,” I said, stepping up beside her. “That’s what this is. A game. We’re not real detectives, and there’s no way we’re going to solve the mystery behind the disappearing people over the last few months. It’s just... too much for us.”
And yeah, I’ll admit it—I was a little angry. A little scared. A little tired of getting dragged into things like this.
To my surprise, Onee-chan let out a small laugh.
“Haha… well, you’re right.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
“Wait, really?” I blinked. “You’re agre? Just like that? Weren’t you the one who insisted we come here in the first place?”
She turned away slightly, avoiding my gaze. Her shoulders slouched ever so slightly.
“Yeah… I was,” she said awkwardly. “But maybe I got carried away. Let’s just go down now, okay?”
I stared at her for a moment. Something wasn’t right.
But I nodded.
“…Okay.”
Well… that’s good, I guess. At least she’s willing to go back now.
I took a deep breath, letting the tension leave my shoulders. “Let’s meet up with the others.”
Onee-chan nodded, and we made our way back to the staircase. But the moment we reached the landing, I froze.
“Huh? Why is it so dark down there?” I asked, peering into the stairwell. The lights that were perfectly fine just moments ago were now flickering ominously, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls. The deeper steps vanished into complete darkness.
“I don’t know. Let’s just go,” Onee-chan replied nonchalantly, already descending the steps without a second thought. Her footsteps echoed in the silence.
I hesitated, gripping the stair railing tightly. I couldn’t shake the creeping feeling crawling up my spine. The air felt heavier somehow, like it was pressing down on me.
Should we go down? Every part of me screamed that this was a bad idea. But… this was the only way back.
Wait… something clicked in my mind. Viola! Where was she? She teleported me up here, right? But she couldn’t teleport people alone; she always had to be with the person she was transporting.
Where did she go?
“What are you waiting for, Irana?” Onee-chan’s voice snapped me back to reality. She had already descended a few steps, glancing back at me with a puzzled expression.
“Ah… sorry, Onee-chan,” I mumbled, shaking off the eerie feeling and hurrying to catch up.
We continued our descent, step by step, with only the flickering lights to guide us. The further down we went, the darker it became. The buzzing of electrical currents hummed around us, vibrating through the walls like whispers.
“This… feels like we’re in a horror movie,” I said with a weak laugh, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling.
“Hmmm,” Onee-chan responded, barely reacting.
Her voice felt oddly flat. I glanced over at her, but she was just walking calmly, eyes fixed forward as if nothing was wrong.
My grip on the railing tightened. I swallowed hard, fighting back the growing sense of unease.
Suddenly—
A scream.
Sharp and piercing, it echoed from somewhere deep at the end of the hallway. It was the kind of scream that sent chills crawling up your spine. I instinctively flinched, my heart skipping a beat.
“That… scared me…” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I strained my ears, trying to catch any other sound. There was a clatter, like something heavy toppling over, followed by muffled shouts.
Did someone get attacked by a monster?
“Yeah.”
Onee-chan answered so casually, almost like she was commenting on the weather. I turned to look at her, eyebrows furrowed. She didn’t even seem the slightest bit panicked. No darting eyes, no tense posture—just that same calm expression.
That was normal for her… but still, it felt off.
“Let’s go check it out,” she said suddenly, already taking a step forward.
“No!” I shouted, my voice echoing off the narrow walls. I grabbed her arm instinctively. She stopped and looked back at me with a hint of surprise.
“No?” she repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Why? Are you scared, Irana?” Her voice was calm, almost teasing.
I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “It’s not that I’m scared… but it’s better if we don’t get involved in something dangerous.” I tried to sound as reasonable as possible, hoping she wouldn’t dig deeper. If Onee-chan saw a dimensional crack or, worse, a monster, things would escalate way too fast. Elizabeth-sensei specifically warned me about this.
Onee-chan studied me for a moment, her gaze sharp. I held my breath. Please don’t be stubborn, Onee-chan… please just let it go.
And then, she shrugged. “Alright… safety first, I guess.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“That scream didn’t sound too friendly anyway,” she said, turning back toward the staircase. “Probably best we don’t get caught up in someone else’s mess.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realise I was holding. “Phew… that’s a relief.” I smiled awkwardly, scratching my cheek. “You really surprised me there for a second.”
Onee-chan chuckled lightly, a sound that seemed just a little too hollow. “I’m not always reckless, you know.”
Yeah… I know that.
“Let’s just keep moving,” she said, taking the first step down the staircase.
“Yeah…” I followed her, glancing back at the flickering lights one last time. The hallway was silent again, like the scream had never happened. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something or someone was still watching us from the shadows.
We continued to descend, step by step, the uneasy silence stretching between us.
But I couldn’t help but wonder…
Why did she give up so easily?
And why did I feel like the darkness was getting thicker the further we went down?
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