Please to Kitsune-sama!

Chapter 155 : Kitsune-sama Challenges the Saitama Dungeon No. 4 (3)

『It is now 4:44 and 44 seconds.』

“Wh-what in the heavens!?”

“The broadcasting room!”

Inari and Shion dashed to the broadcasting room and flung open the door—but no one was inside. The broadcasting equipment was dark, no lights on, the soundproofed room completely unlit. Yet outside, the announcement continued.

The voice sounded like a man’s… or perhaps a woman’s. It was as if some kind of voice changer distorted it into something uncanny.

『You can never go home. How pitiful. So very pitiful.』

“The entrance…”

“Mhm!”

They rushed back to the front entrance they had come through earlier, only to find the doors locked tight. The rattling of the handle rang out mercilessly, proof they were trapped.

And still, the broadcast went on.

『Because you are pitiful… you will all die. Form a line and wait your turn. Soon… it will be your turn. Farewell. Farewell.』

Ding-dong, ding-dong♪ 

The chime rang again—similar to before, but subtly different—before the announcement cut off.

It was dreadfully ominous. Yet, more than that, it was a clear warning: something is coming. Whether that something was the boss or not, however, was impossible to determine from the broadcast alone.

“What now? Shall I slash this door open?”

“Not a good idea. In gimmicks like this, doing something against the intended conditions just makes things harder.”

“Hmm. Then we must defeat whatever comes to kill us…”

“Yeah. I think the boss this time is probably from a ‘school ghost story’ urban legend.”

“School ghost stories? Are schools these days always built upon such accursed grounds?”

“They’re just urban legends. The truth isn’t the point.”

“Ah, I see…”

Hanako of the bathroom stalls, statues that move, preserved specimens that walk, pianos that play when no one is there—schools had countless such tales.

And if this dungeon was themed on urban legends, then the boss had to be tied to one.

Inari knew nothing of them, but fortunately Shion had once been fond of such stories and remembered a good deal.

“Four forty-four and forty-four seconds… it’s probably one of those legends where you get dragged into another world.”

“But are we not already in another world…?”

“You’re not supposed to say that.”

Shion pressed a finger to her lips with a “shh.” Inari, though unconvinced, gave a reluctant nod.

In these “school ghost story” urban legends, many involved students or teachers who had gone missing.

A thirteenth step appearing on a twelve-step staircase, leading to another place. A bathroom door that opened into the unknown.

But the most common… was the mirror.

Depending on the region, variations abounded, but one famous tale was that of the Fourth-Dimension Hag. At 4:44:44, she would appear within a mirror and drag people away.

“The mirror… ah, earlier thou didst say something seemed strange?”

“Yeah. But if that’s the case, it’ll be tough… Even if we go in to fight, that means stepping into her domain.”

As her name implied, the legend was akin to being spirited away into another dimension. Countless urban legends dealt with the fourth dimension. If their foe truly wielded such a power, it would be formidable indeed. They would need strength enough to defeat her even on her own ground.

Shion was running through her options when Inari let out a thoughtful “Hmm.”

“The mirror, eh. Then she lurks within, dragging us into her realm. That is the nature of her power, is it not?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it is simple.”

“Simple… how?”

“A foe that hides thus—must merely be exorcised and dragged out.”

Inari raised Kogetsu and stepped toward the mirror.

“If thou usest such sorcery, then I shall purge and tear thee forth.”

As she neared, the mirror responded. From its depths, something black and shapeless began to emerge. The mirror’s “other side” yawned like space itself, a hand reaching out, sliding wetly through the glass.

Inari ran her fingers along Kogetsu’s blade. With her touch, a green brilliance cloaked it, the sword gleaming coldly. The black hand halted a moment, recoiling from the light.

“Begone, corrupting evil… Secret Sword—Ōdenta!”

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”

Riiiin.

Like the clear tone of a bell, a wave of green radiated outward from Inari. The black thing dissolved under the radiance, vanishing. With a sharp crash, the mirror shattered into fragments.

And not just there—the same sound came from the direction of the stairwell. Another mirror had been destroyed as well. Shion remembered—there was an urban legend about the “landing mirror,” wasn’t there?

“…Hm? What, is it already defeated? Then it was… a cursed object? Or perhaps the curse itself?”

Inari muttered as she picked up the drop—a small hand mirror.

And then, the system message appeared.

【Boss】Fourth-Dimension Hag Subjugated!

Dungeon Clear!

You have obtained a Reward Box!

Resetting dungeon. All survivors will be expelled.