"Agh! So frustrating!"
Shina yelled as she hopped off Sora’s back.
"Oh my, are you back to your senses?"
"My senses? I’ve been perfectly sane from the start!"
Despite her words, Shina was clinging tightly to Sora's waist.
"My body’s moving on its own! Ahhh!"
"Hmm."
It seemed she wasn't stuck in "little sister mode" all the time.
Still, losing control of her own body like that had to be challenging. It was clearly a risk factor.
"Sora, you look a bit younger than usual."
"Mmm...."
Sora lowered her head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Maybe they were at Mental Degradation Level 1. If I were to guess, Sora looked about high school age at the moment.
‘I don’t need an explanation to figure out what’s going on.’
Just as Son Nalim and I started the game in the same location, it looked like Sora and Shina were grouped together as well.
They probably worked hard together to escape the room, but it seemed they messed up repeatedly in the process.
"Mental Degradation Cleanser!"
Shina, gradually becoming everyone's little sister, suddenly shouted.
"Mental Degradation Cleanser! That’s all we need to get back to normal!"
"Oh, that spray."
Kaiser had used it during the tutorial.
I wasn’t exactly sure of its full effects, but it was clearly an item meant to recover from mental degradation. And if they’d shown it to us, that likely meant it was hidden somewhere on this map.
However,
"Isn’t staying that way actually more beneficial?"
"H-hey! Laura! Are you really saying that?"
Shina marched up and punched me lightly in the stomach with her tiny fists.
She looked like she was trying to show her anger, but no matter how you looked at it, she just came off as a child.
She really was a pitiful creature with no shred of seniority.
【Virtual VTuber Gallery】
[Stream] This game is something else, lmao.
(Highlights)
Shina: Laura, give me a piggyback! Piggyback!
Shina: Why won’t you carry me! I hate you, Laura!
Shina: No, my body’s moving on its own.
Shina: Hug me, Laura!
The Corruption of Our Dearest
[Comments]
[Stream] Sora as a Little Sister is Gold
(Highlights)
Sora: There’s something over here!
Sora: Laura!
Sora: Uh... no, I mean... ugh, anyway, Laura! There’s something here!
Laura: There is indeed something.
Laura: But you know what that means, right?
Sora: Ugh... you’re making me go check it out again?
Sora: Our dear Laura never does any hard work herself.
[Comments]
[Stream] Why is the answer 1321049?
【Rules in the Hospital: Do not run in the halls. If you have a stomachache, do not take antacids without a doctor’s prescription. If a doctor or nurse’s behavior angers you, do not throw objects. If you have high blood pressure, do not raise your tension. Circumcision is a personal choice. We are all one.】
One girl figured it out right away, but I don’t understand why it’s 1321049...
[Comments]
[General] This Game is Ridiculous
Turning people into little sisters like that, what about human dignity? How can this even be called a game?
It strips away people's will, letting AI manipulate avatars however it wants. Is that really a game? It’s certainly not game-like.
And Kaiser, the host? If he wanted to see everyone turning into little sisters, wouldn’t it have been better to have just male players? Plenty of male VTubers compete in the Fantasy League, you know.
As for the participants, it’s the same thing. If it’s an escape room game, shouldn’t they play it more seriously? Acting so recklessly, only to end up regressing mentally?
It’s absurd. Mashina, the supposed demon, should stay calm if she’s affected by mental degradation, not cling to others.
And Ayano Koji Sora, if she’s embarrassed to call someone “sister,” she should watch her words more carefully. She’s such a careless girl.
Pretending to be sisters with no blood relation, how cheap.
[Comments]
"Um...? Could this be the archive room?"
As I opened the door, a room filled with shelves of books and documents appeared.
I took a seat on a nearby chair.
After using my brain to solve so many puzzles, it was time to let someone else handle the mundane search work.
As I waited for Son Nalim and Sora to find clues, I felt a weight settle on my lap.
"Hehe...."
Mashina (the nation's little sister) had taken a seat on my lap.
"My, how dare you sit on the lap of a noble lady like myself? How disrespectful."
"Disrespectful? What’s that mean~?"
"It means lacking manners. Now, if you would, get off. I’m uncomfortable."
"No way! It’s unfair that only Laura gets to sit on a chair! Shina’s legs are tired too!"
"Hmm."
She started referring to herself in the third person. Was she trying to act cute?
Honestly, it was getting tiresome. I’m really not fond of children.
Maybe it’s because I’m the “villainess” character.
I like dogs, cats, and even snakes or spiders, but for some reason, children don’t charm me.
"Do as you wish. Sora, don’t mind us; just keep investigating the room."
"O-okay...."
Sora shot a glare at Shina perched on my lap before she went back to her search.
While I’m not fond of kids, I rather like Mashina as a person.
Maybe it’s because I’m the villainess. Her helplessness, each time she falls prey to my tricks, is oddly satisfying.
It’s the same this time.
Mashina isn’t clinging to me of her own free will; the AI is controlling her avatar.
I could already imagine her cringing in embarrassment once the broadcast ended and she went to bed. She’d probably toss and turn under her blanket, haunted by the memory.
The thought of it made me chuckle.
With Shina on my lap and Sora and Son Nalim continuing their investigation, I began to reflect on this game.
‘This is a strange game.’
We’ve solved countless puzzles and gimmicks to get this far, but the game didn’t feel like it was progressing.
Every time we passed through a door, the theme changed.
First, we were in a hospital, then an abandoned factory, and after going through several maps, we arrived here in the archive room.
There’s no consistency in the maps.
In fact, the inconsistency might be the game’s main feature, making it impossible to gauge when we’ll escape.
‘In a typical escape room, it would be clearer.’
Escape from the 10th floor, you arrive on the 9th; from the 9th, you reach the 8th, and so on. When you get to the 1st floor, you’d expect to escape.
Or, escape from the attic, end up in the study, then the hallway, then the stairs, then the living room, and finally reach the front door for escape.
Most escape rooms subtly hint at the goal, guiding the player toward it.
This game, however, shifts the map every time, making it impossible to know how close we are to the finish line.
‘Maybe that’s the point.’
A game where you’re not supposed to figure out the endpoint.
That thought struck me.
Now that I think about it, this isn’t just an escape room game.
It’s a “monster game” where we face creatures straight out of the XXP Foundation’s archives.
The goal might not be to escape but rather to overcome the creatures.
"Laura! I, uh, found something in the archive room."
While I pondered different possibilities, Sora returned with some documents in hand.
I took them from her and started reading.
【# Apocalyptic Creature Management Record 001
Entity Name: ■■■
Management Level: Yellow Sulfur (Level 3)
Friendliness: Friendly
"Hmm."
We’d finally gotten a clue about the creature, but it wasn’t groundbreaking information.
Still, I’d remember it.
After mentally noting it, I handed the documents back to Sora. I had a good memory, so holding onto them would only be a hassle.
"Any other clues?"
"Nothing else, it seems...."
"We don’t have a choice, then."
It looked like we’d have to keep gathering information about the monster as we progressed.
Son Nalim soon discovered a stairway leading down.
With nowhere else to go, I led Sora and Shina down the stairs.
"Hold my hand!"
Shina kept nagging, so I held her hand just to humor her.
I wondered how embarrassed she’d feel once she was back to her senses. The thought almost made me worry she’d die of shame.
We arrived in the basement.
It seemed like some kind of party room.
However, it had clearly been closed for a long time. The decorations were falling apart, the lights were broken, and shards of glass lay scattered across the floor.
"This place is quite spacious. Investigating it will take some time."
Of course, I had no intention of doing any investigating myself.
Just as I thought that, something occurred to me.
"Huh?"
The left hand that had been holding Shina’s was now surprisingly light.
Looking around, I realized that both Shina and Sora, as well as Nalim, were nowhere to be seen.
【The monster is watching you.】
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
【Overcome the Liar.】
Oh dear.