Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work-Chapter 183
Tiger-Hour Blade.
A blade said to have been forged in a ritual timed to the Tiger year, month, day, and hour—all under the Tiger sign—to repel ghosts in the past.
Especially the one now held in the hands of the Team Leader of Xuanwu Team 3 at the Bureau—this one wasn't even sharpened. It was crafted entirely as a ceremonial weapon.
But precisely because of that, it displayed unparalleled power in supernatural disasters.
"Hup."
Naturally, it couldn’t be used in just any supernatural disaster.
Nor could just anyone wield it.
—The conditions: A situation where something wicked and depraved, taking the form of a ghost or calamity, invades directly.
Only when these criteria were fulfilled to near perfection would its true power be revealed.
However, in most supernatural disasters, people usually stumbled into a haunted area or got dragged into it.
In contrast, a case where the enemy invaded was far rarer. And even then, it was uncommon for the threat to be judged as entirely depraved.
But—
"Perfect."
The team leader's hand trembled as if seized by a thrill.
Because the target had invaded a zone she herself managed as an employee.
And, because it had cast off the mask of the friendly theme park mascot!
The pieces fit together like a perfect puzzle, a rush of exhilaration rising in her chest.
"Ha!"
Thus, the pure, tiger-aligned energy that surged along a half-formed sword sign became lightning and struck down the depraved and wicked entity.
With overwhelming force.
Utterly!
Aaaaaaaah!
"ARGH!!"
The ground shook so violently the tremor reached all the way to the distant shelter. The deafening thunderclap rippled outwards in waves.
Dust and debris from ruined architecture billowed into the darkened air, obscuring vision for a moment—
"...!!"
The remains of the resort building, crumbling and ablaze.
Amidst them, for the briefest instant, the mangled corpse of the massive Magic Bunny parade float was visible, casting a shadow in the flickering flames.
And then—
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!
Even the last remnants of the resort collapsed, and whatever had been inside the red mascot was buried deep beneath the earth, entombed along with the building.
Completely.
"……."
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"……."
"I-Is it over?"
The Xuanwu Team 3 leader opened the shelter door and lightly jogged inside.
"Ack! Team Leader!"
"Quiet."
She sighed, brushed off her clothes, and, after giving the sword a focused look, gave a small nod.
"...No more depraved things here."
"Phew!"
The agents let out a collective sigh of relief.
Even the Hundred Dreams Corporation staff—who had already suspected the Bureau’s identity from their appearance and speech but hadn’t dared to make a move—let out a breath of relief.
"Was this what the mascot asked for?"
The team leader gave a subtle nod.
The employees murmured in quiet awe. So the mascot had planned all this!
Yeah. So while it had used the entire resort building as a trap to pin down the rampaging Magic Bunny, the plan was to have an appropriate agent attack—
……
Wait a minute.
"T-Then what about the mascot…?"
They got struck by the lightning too and buried inside the building.
Silence.
Everyone turned to look at the team leader, but she simply gave a small shake of her head.
"No word about that part."
"……!!"
Wait.
"I-I mean, if even one yellow mascot’s still around, couldn’t we talk to them? It looked like they could switch bodies…."
"They were all left behind at the resort!"
Besides, they’d all seen it from the shelter—the crazy Magic Bunny hunting down the very last yellow mascot, chasing it down in that wild parade!
"Then… the yellow mascots are all dead too?"
"…!"
Some of the staff began to panic at the agent's speculation.
Field Mouse grabbed the ex-ladybug staff member by the collar.
"You—you don’t know anything? Nothing?!"
"Contact with the mascot is currently cut off! Let’s wait together until the park reopens!"
"Aaaagh!"
"W-Wait! If the mascot’s gone… who’s gonna stamp our passes?? We need that stamp to get out! Who’s gonna certify we used the shelter?!"
"Calm down! Just head to the Blue Zone in the morning and catch one there!"
"Easy for you to say! I drew the yellow horse, so I have to drag the mascot’s body out too! I can’t leave this zone otherwise!"
The stronger the mascot got, the more freely one could move inside the zone, but that freedom still came with restrictions.
To clear the board game without getting strung up, you had to stick together!
…With a dead mascot?
Field Mouse—the only one from the Yellow Horse team who hadn't died—went pale.
Tap, tap.
"……?"
A polite knocking sound.
They turned their heads—Supervisor Lizard was tapping on the floor.
"Please come out now."
And at that moment—
Clunk.
The floor opened with an odd noise, and from within, someone leapt out!
"UWAAAGH!"
"AAAH!"
It was, it was…
"S-Security team!"
A figure in a bizarre mask, black smoke billowing from their body.
Dozens of strange horns, glowing yellow eyes like lanterns, and an eerie light at their waist.
Bizarre. Like a human form chained into a belt—the Security Team employee.
The true form that had been inside the yellow mascot suit.
"…!!"
Because they'd gotten used to seeing the cute mascot, they had momentarily forgotten the alarm bells this grotesque thing set off. All the Hundred Dreams Corporation employees felt a chill run down their spines.
But at the same time, they realized—
He’s alive!
"Aha! I guess he thought Magic Bunny wouldn’t be able to find him if he wasn’t in mascot form!"
"Ah…!"
Right. After the park closed, the yellow mascot had taken off the costume, just like the Magic Bunny.
While the yellow mascots inside the resort lured Magic Bunny around, the true body quietly hid beneath the shelter, perfectly safe. In other words…
Totally fine!
"Is… is the Yellow Zone safe now? Hic!"
The main body of the yellow mascot, having quietly turned to look at the weasel mask, gave a small nod.
"Ah…!!"
At that moment, the entire shelter filled with relief.
They were alive!
They had survived the Magic Bunny’s assault!
"Aaaaah!"
And watching it all quietly was the team leader from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
‘Hmm.’
Her eyes swiftly scanned the yellow apparition.
So, that must be the true form that had been hiding inside the cute yellow mascot costume.
‘Did Hundred Dreams really learn how to control supernatural disasters?’
They’d been obsessed with how the Bureau cooperated with goblins, trying to figure out how it was done, and now it seemed they may have developed their own method.
‘…That thing looks like it’s been sealed with something like a geas too.’
It didn’t look easy to deal with, but not all powerful things were evil.
She realized that this being had shown genuine goodwill toward the human employees and had tried to protect them.
‘Hmm. But… did it not account for what would’ve happened if it failed?’
What if Magic Bunny had realized the yellow mascot’s true body was hiding in the shelter?
It would have attacked the entire shelter—killing all the staff for sure.
‘Well… maybe they thought that if it came to that, dying all at once would be a cleaner ending.’
The team leader felt a strange unease, but brushed it aside for now.
At any rate, that overwhelming supernatural presence appeared to hold enough goodwill that it couldn’t be clearly judged a disaster.
"Ooh, then did Supervisor Lizard already know the situation from the mascot? Is that why you knocked?"
"I did not."
"Eh? Then how’d
/N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/
you know?"
"I heard something."
"Aha."
The mood had grown surprisingly relaxed.
And the team leader, despite noting that the mascot’s main body looked formidable, also noticed something else: its movements lacked strength, and the strange spiritual energy didn’t prickle her skin the way it did before.
Back when it was still the yellow mascot, its sheer presence had been enough to make her shudder.
…It must’ve been badly weakened—from the critical attack by Magic Bunny and the destruction of the resort, which had been its origin.
‘…Drained completely, huh.’
The team leader conveniently interpreted it as a costume change!
Anyway, in the midst of all this, the yellow mascot had begun to act again.
"Uh, Mascot…?"
The security team’s special entity quietly lifted something and held it near where its ear might have been under the mask.
It was…
‘A receiver…?’
A telephone receiver—old-fashioned, with the cord ripped out.
And for a while, it just stood there. Occasionally nodding or shaking its head.
Of course, there was no sound coming from the receiver with no line….
"……."
"……."
What was it listening to?
The staff felt a strange chill creeping in through the silence, but they kept riding the wave of relief.
"S-So if we just hang on here until morning, we can leave, right? I mean, we’ve used the facility, and the mascot is still here, so we can get our stamps…!"
"……."
"R-Right…?"
The mascot stared quietly at Field Mouse.
Then shook its head.
"…!"
"W-We can’t… leave?"
And then it happened.
The black smoke swirling around the mascot began to draw symbols in the air.
That wavering darkness began to take shape in the yellow lantern light.
Words.
You can leave
"A…!"
But first
Finish this
"Huh?"
Red zone
Occupation
"…?!"
