I Became A Ghost In A Horror Game

I met him when I went out on patrol to check if anything was happening around the kids on the weekend.

As soon as our eyes met in front of the crosswalk, he waved and approached me cheerfully.

A green-haired boy.

A plant-growing game.

We briefly introduced ourselves.

Then Jack exclaimed.

"Oh...! Hi Alice! I didn't expect to meet you here!"

"Same here. I have so much to talk about."

I walked towards a quiet café to talk with Jack.

It didn't seem important, so I ignored it, but I was a little worried about his social skills when I saw him talking to himself without needing a response.

I sat down and ordered a drink.

I let Jack mumble on as he pleased while waiting for the drinks.

Only after the drinks were served did I take the monster of silence out of the mirror.

This means that our stories cannot be heard even if there is a wiretapping device.

"Ooh! Coffee! It's bitter and tastes bad!"

Jack said this after drinking a cup of coffee.

Then he looked at my fresh fruit juice, but I secretly hid it.

No one can take sweets away from me.

Jack looked disappointed.

You shouldn't have ordered coffee in the first place...

"Let's start the story, Jack. Have you ever been in a game?"

Even though it's still unclear whether I'm in a game or reality, I already judge that I'm in reality.

The world I knew was not one overflowing with monsters, but it is understandable if they were not noticed due to the existence of the Institution.

Above all, the fact that there was a grave of the senior who shouldn't have existed in the game makes this place close to reality.

Jack nodded.

As expected, he had also been in his own game.

"It seems Alice was curious about that! Of course, I also entered the game and came out looking like this! Hehe. It's nice to meet someone I can communicate with!"

I was also surprised that we could communicate.

The devils in tales are said to be picky, even when compared to Rulers, but they may be more normal than I thought.

Well, if I expected the tale devils weren't normal, wouldn't that be like spitting in my own face?

"That's right. It's good to talk to you. I'm glad you're not some weird devil."

"...Weird devil?"

"?"

Jack looked at me intently for a moment and then widened his eyes as if he realized something.

And then he declared.

"Hmm! I guess I should run away!"

"???"

Jack suddenly got up and really tried to run away.

I quickly grabbed him.

Jack started to resist.

No, why is this guy so strong?

Jack's struggles tore the table like paper.

Even though I'm not exactly weak, I could feel his resistance growing stronger, and I couldn't hold on for long.

The floor might get destroyed too.

"Wait! Why are you trying to run away!"

"I've been thinking! You're a female devil!"

"...That's... true, so?"

I was puzzled by Jack's words.

Are there any sexist notions even among devils?

"The two female tale devils I've met were both crazy! And even the ones that came out of normal games were crazy, so there's no way a girl from a horror game would be normal!"

I don't know about the former, but for some reason I couldn't refute the latter.

Since it's a devil that came out of a horror game, it looks extremely dangerous...

But regardless of that, I felt unfair.

So, I attempted to make a correction to clear up Jack's misunderstanding.

"I'm not actually a girl, so calm down!"

"Look! I knew it would be like this! Is what's on your chest just padding?!"

No, damn it.

"Y-you little brat!"

I chose a method that worked as a way to calm down a struggling Jack.

I hugged him tightly.

When I buried him in my chest, he relaxed and let his body go limp.

"Oh... Cozy..."

"Haa..."

This little guy is so strong, that's why this is happening.

I sighed and conveyed my intentions to the now calm Jack.

"Haa... I need your help Jack. I need information and cooperation. I won't force that on you, but please, can we talk about it a little more?"

I asked as earnestly as I could. Then he lifted his head from my chest and raised his thumb.

"You're really gentle! You might be different from the other devils. Let's hear what you have to say~"

He's a guy whose emotions and mood change quickly.

I'm already tired.

"Ahem. Let's start again. Jack, do you know anything about the Rulers?"

If the priest mentioned tale devils, the Machine God must have encountered one of them at least once. Could that have been Jack?

"Hmm! I don't know! Never met them! Who are these Rulers?"

No, damn it!

What does this guy even know?

"Urgh... You can think of them as being incredibly strong, enough to trigger a scenario that will destroy the world."

"I see!"

"..."

Let's face it... This guy is a devil from a tale, even if he looks sloppy.

I've just checked his strength, he's not a small fry like the awl demon.

His physical strength alone is beyond the reach of an ordinary monster.

"Okay Jack. I want to stop those guys from attacking my loved ones. For that to happen, cooperation from other forces is needed. Do you know of any other tale devils that would cooperate with me? It would be nice if you could help too."

"Hmm...! Using my head isn't my specialty! As for forces..."

Jack crossed his arms and began to think deeply.

I don't really have faith, but thinking about it means that at least he knows a candidate.

"Ah. How about meeting Ariel?"

"If it's Ariel... The Little Mermaid..."

"That's right! She's also part of the group! Just so you know, she's not exactly normal either, so don't get your hopes up too much!"

"..."

In my eyes, you are abnormal.

I was going to ask Jack what I should do to meet Ariel.

But he suggested before I could say anything.

"Okay then! Let's go together to see Ariel. My group. That is, the Fairy-tale Tea Party made up of tale devils!"

"...!"

...

Bubbling... Sea foam rises up around us.

The surrounding space is bent, scattered, and disorganized like light refracted in the sea.

"Oh, was that the trigger word? Well, whatever."

"What the hell!"

My vision went dark, and after a floating sensation as if swept by waves, I slowly opened my eyes.

"..."

"Jack! What if you bring Alice without consulting me?"

"What do you think? We can increase the number of colleagues. There are seven seats, but there are always just two of us."

"Talking back?"

"Ahh!"

I heard Jack and the girl fighting.

I got up from my seat and walked towards the sound.

As I got closer to them, I heard soft music.

Jack and the red-haired girl, who were arguing at the tea party table with seven chairs, looked in my direction.

"Hey. I'm pretty confused about being dragged here suddenly. Some hospitality would be nice."

"...You're right! Welcome, Alice. To our Fairy-tale Tea Party."

Judging by her appearance, this girl is probably Ariel.

The protagonist of The Little Mermaid.

I asked her to confirm.

"Rhythm game?"

She smiles at my words.

Her face is mesmerizing, even more devilish than Jack's.

Ariel was wearing an idol costume, so it made sense that she popped out of a rhythm game.

"That's right. I'm Ariel. I'm a human who became a tale devil due to Mephisto Pheles."

Thank god.

She speaks much more reasonably than Jack.

Jack said that this woman wasn't normal either, but I decided not to believe him because I didn't think Jack himself was normal.

"Now I finally have someone I can talk to."

"That's right, let's skip the pleasantries. Shall we tell each other what we want from now on?"

Fast and straightforward.

It's okay to make friends, but I can put that off until later.

What we want... She must want something from me too.

I decided to listen to Ariel's request first.

"What do you want?"

"We want you to join our Fairy-tale Tea Party. The goals of the tea party are to find and recruit other tale devils, to protect each other from organizations or other groups, and to find the one who created us, Mephisto Pheles."

I looked at her with suspicious eyes.

"Just the two of you?"

"...There are three people including you. Devils are very independent, so they don't respond to invitations. Three out of seven is still a majority, right?"

"Hahaha! Ariel, are you bad at math?"

"Shut up, Jack."

These guys are so sloppy... I'm worried if it's okay to borrow their strength.

"Okay so... Mephisto Pheles is..."

"M.P. Haven't you seen or heard of it? It's sometimes the name (initials) of the game developer in the games. You must have heard his voice when you turned into a devil."

"..."

M.P. is both the name of a developer and the initials of the devil Mephisto Pheles.

And the last person to talk to me was the senior.

...The senior is Mephisto Pheles.

I knew he was an unusual person.

But I never thought he was such a famous devil.

Honestly, it doesn't feel real.

Senior. No, why on earth did that devil make me like this?

Perhaps that's something the devils of other tales are also curious about.

"It looks like something is bothering you. We need more people to find Mephisto Pheles, the devil who created us. Because he must have tremendous power. So, we need you to join our side. We won't force you to do anything. But come if we call you. And if possible, gather other tale devils too."

It wasn't a bad offer for me.

There will be no loss if the tale devils join forces, and in the end, I also want to find senior.

Now it's my turn.

I told Ariel my request.

"...Okay. All I ask is that you lend me your strength to deal with a Ruler."

"Eh... That's a bit much."

...

"Uh?"

I got an unexpected reaction and made a dumb sound.

It felt like all my faith was completely shattered in an instant.

Aren't you guys strong? If this were a comic or a novel, readers would have thrown stones!

"Huh? It's natural. We don't know everything about the Rulers, but we know that they are very strong, right? Asking us to help with that is a bit much! And honestly, it doesn't make sense at all!"

"Ariel, that's a bit stingy. Just help her out."

"I told you to shut up, Jack."

"..."

Seeing my disheartened look, Ariel scratched her cheek.

Sighing as if she had no other choice, she spoke to me.

"Really, it would be troublesome for us if we got on their bad side. While there are some who can confront them directly... Let's at least hear about it. Depending on the matchup, we might be able to help. What kind of being is it?"

"He... Is a mechanical giant who thinks he is a god..."

"Nope. That's too much for us."

Ariel immediately waved her hand and refused.

Now once again Ariel has betrayed my heart.

Aren't these guys really strong?

"Why!"

"I told you. There is such a thing as compatibility. His abilities are annoying and we don't want to engage physically. Yeah, honestly, if we went all out, we wouldn't lose, but..."

"Then."

"I'm sorry, but if we go all out and use all our strength, we'll be in trouble the next time we're attacked by an organization or other group. That doesn't align with the purpose of the tea party."

"...You said compatibility. Then, is there anyone else who can defeat the Machine God?"

"..."

Ariel seemed to ponder a few candidates.

She muttered things about one being trapped, another being uncommunicative, and another being completely unknown.

Then she said to me that one person came to mind.

"Pinocchio. Find Pinocchio. He's a businessman, so he won't help without a price, though."

Pinocchio. This is a name I heard once when I caught a petty thief.

I just passed it over at the time, but he was probably related to the Workshop.

I asked Ariel.

"Where is he?"

"Hmm..."

She thought for a moment.

"He's looking for rare materials... No, parts. Shouldn't he be somewhere with mechanical devices?"

"Alright, got it."

She doesn't seem to know much.

Still, I got some useful information.

First, let's find Pinocchio. That was my first goal.

"Since you've joined the tea party, we'll give you any help we can. But don't expect too much or be too complacent. We really can't offer much help but. Hmm... I guess to the extent of protecting the kids for a little while you're busy?"

...!

"How do you know?"

When I asked that, Ariel smiled slyly and said.

For some reason, it felt like a Carol-like atmosphere.

"Have you ever broken a crystal ball or something before?"

"Uh... Yeah."

A crystal ball that Ha-rim bought at an occult shop. It seems like it had a strange ability. Was it something Ariel created?

"I made that. I could see you through it. But don't get me wrong, I didn't give it to the shop owner. I sold it for snack money. It's like a music album where you can hear my singing if you listen closely. Wanna buy one?"

Ariel pointed at the crystal ball. I politely declined it.

"I decline."

Ariel was sad.

"Aww... Jack. There's no snack today."

"No way!"

"..."

POV Switch - 3rd Person

After finishing the conversation, Alice returned.

Because James gets into trouble if she doesn't contact him for a long time.

Ariel thought as she watched Alice leave.

'...Hmm. It's pretty, very pretty. But there's no way he'd favor her just for her looks...'

Mephisto Pheles. What on earth is so special about that girl?

Ariel is a little jealous.

Maybe she might play a bad prank on her?