(6/23)

Many people in the world have likely played an escape game that posed no danger to their lives.

True to its name, an escape game was designed so that its end goal was for players to find a way out of a designated space. Yet, for some reason, the exit would always be locked; the key to the exit would be stored somewhere, like in a safe; and the combination to that safe would be hidden underneath a bed, behind a shelf, or in a corner close to the ceiling, forcing players to search every nook and cranny for clues and items. In addition to investigating the space, players would sometimes have to solve puzzles or riddles.

In these death games, however, there were never any complicated problems to solve, at least in Yuki’s experience. After all, it was part of a show, a program meant for entertainment, and grueling puzzles were not a source of good drama. In most cases, the key would be left out in plain sight and unlock the exit without issue. However, players would typically run into the real problem around the key. For that reason, the girls couldn’t afford to let their guards down, but at the very least, finding what they needed would be a walk in the park.

But the maids still had to conduct a search—and it was important not to forget they were inside a mansion of death.

“For now, I’ll cover the most important points to keep in mind,” Yuki said to the other five girls after they had all left the dining room and entered the hallway.

It was decided that the six of them would move around as a group.

Since Yuki was the only person in the group with significant experience, the others technically had the option of sending her out of the dining room alone to finish the necessary exploration, locate any traps, and secure a guaranteed safe route to the exit before returning to escort everyone out. That would ensure the greatest safety, but the group opted not to go with it. Nobody had proposed they all go together; rather, it was simply an unspoken agreement. That was probably because everyone feared being left behind. If Yuki went on ahead and found the exit, there would be no guarantee she would return for the others. To eliminate the possibility of her escaping on her own, the obvious solution was to act as a group. Since they were inside a trap-riddled mansion, it would seem safer to remain in one location, but at the same time, the idea of sticking close to a death-game veteran also offered a sense of security. Between the two options, everyone elected to throw their support behind Yuki.

“First and foremost, the key to survival is cowardice,” Yuki told them. “Don’t approach anything that seems even slightly fishy. Speak up as soon as you notice something off. There are people in this world who choose to call an ambulance when a taxi would suffice, and that’s exactly the kind of playstyle you should adopt. Ideally, you should be so cautious that you hesitate to take even a single step.”

“Is that really a good idea?” It was the princely maid, Beniya, who posed the question. “Aren’t we being monitored? If we appear too reluctant to act, I fear the organizers will intervene…”

“That won’t happen, at least to the best of my knowledge. I’ve been in games where everyone was so guarded that nothing happened for over a week, and games that we cleared without incident or injury because everyone cooperated, but the organizers never stepped in once. Players have full agency in deciding how they progress the game… At least, I think so.”

There was no official information on that topic, so Yuki softened her tone.

“In games like these, pessimism is your friend. You should constantly imagine the worst outcome of any situation. Be suspicious of anything and everything. Just having that mindset will significantly affect your chances of survival. Other than that… Right, since I’ll be the one securing the route forward, don’t stray too far from me.”

“Will you really be able to figure out a safe escape route?” This time, the question came from the maid with blond pigtails, Kinko.

“It comes with experience. And I’ve learned from many painful experiences.”

“…Painful experiences…” A troubled expression formed on Kinko’s face, but she asked a follow-up question. “Does that mean getting caught in a trap won’t necessarily kill you?”

Maybe Kinko wanted to take the opportunity to ask everything on her mind, or maybe she was following Yuki’s advice and being suspicious of anything and everything. Either way, the answer was the same.

“That’s right. The audience won’t get much enjoyment from watching a player die in one fell swoop. Unless you’re extremely unlucky with how you get caught in a trap, or you’re up against a large-scale obstacle, odds are you won’t die instantly.”

“What do you mean by ‘large-scale obstacle’?”

“There are some traps you can’t avoid, which are especially common in these escape games. They’re what serve as the highlight of the show, and they cost the organizers a pretty penny to design. With six players, we’ll likely run into one or two.”

“…I’ll mentally prepare for them.” Seemingly envisioning a negative future, Kinko closed her mouth and said nothing further.

Yuki felt a tug on her right arm. She had raised her guard after stepping into the hallway, so she nimbly turned around. Thankfully, she hadn’t set off a trap. The source of the tug was none other than Aoi, the very personification of negative thinking, who had grabbed Yuki’s sleeve.

“Ah…” The girl made eye contact with her. “I…I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize… What’s wrong?”

Aoi angled her head upward, to the point where it would fall off if she raised it any farther. “You said we shouldn’t leave your side, so…”

“Ah…,” Yuki mumbled.

It was true that clinging to Yuki’s body was the best way to stay close. However, she had made no such suggestion, nor had the idea even crossed her mind. That was because when people reached a certain age, there was a tacit understanding that it was inappropriate to touch other people more than necessary. Stop acting cute, Yuki thought, breaking into a smile.

Next she felt a pull on her left arm, and she turned to see Kinko clinging to her. Unlike Aoi, who had only lightly grabbed her sleeve, Kinko was tightly grasping her arm.

“This is okay, right?” Kinko asked with a sheepish grin.

Yuki thought that her earlier act of swiping a half-eaten muffin would have resulted in the same kind of expression, but evidently, this girl had different standards.

Then she felt an overpowering sensation on her back. Someone had wrapped their arms around her stomach. There was no need to turn around to know it was Momono embracing her from behind. The next moment, new hands appeared on her right shoulder and right hip, and by process of elimination, Yuki deduced they were Beniya’s.

“You’re a popular one, Yuki.” The voice belonged to Kokuto, who had walked out in front. A devious smirk colored her face.

(7/23)

The maids proceeded down the hallway in a cluster. Everyone was huddled together except for Kokuto, who seemed somewhat more relaxed on account of this being her second game. Although none of them voiced their feelings aloud, they were all probably nervous. They were clinging to Yuki for the same reason that Beniya had Momono’s back—physical contact with another person generated a sense of security. That was a law of human nature that held true even on a freezing snowy mountain.

But for some reason, Yuki felt a hint of restlessness, even though the others likely found comfort in their current formation. She was, quite literally, sandwiched among a group of beautiful girls. Even Aoi had progressed from gently holding Yuki’s sleeve to tightly hugging her body like the others. And yet it was important to note that what came over Yuki was not joy or bliss but nervousness. Why did people tense up when in physical contact with pretty girls? Pretty girls, for goodness’ sake. Was it because their level of happiness exceeded maximum capacity? These thoughts ran through Yuki’s head as she ventured onward.

The group first headed for the door at the end of the hallway directly opposite the dining room, as they figured it would be important. However, it was locked. The girls concluded that they would unlock the way forward by searching for a key, so they turned their attention to the other doors lining the hallway.

To reiterate, this was less a game of escape than one of death. The problem would not be locating a key—it would be the risk of a player springing a trap and getting injured. For that reason, the key would not be concealed in a hard-to-find location. The majority of the time, it would be somewhere immediately visible, such as on a table or a shelf. However—

“It’s not here,” someone said.

The group was currently searching the bedroom where Yuki had woken up.

Normally, the locations where players started a death game—in this case, the bedrooms—were safe areas. That was because a game would be rendered pointless if players inadvertently got caught in traps while asleep. Since these rooms were safe, they never contained any items necessary to progress the game. Yuki knew full well it was pointless to search the room, but they had already gone through everywhere else, including the five bedrooms where the other girls had woken up. This was the final place a key could be hidden.

Yet the only thing they acquired was the knowledge that it was nowhere to be found.

“What should we make of this?” Kinko asked while tightly clutching Yuki’s left arm. “Did we overlook somewhere obvious, or do we need to search more thoroughly? Maybe looking for a key was the wrong idea to begin with.”

“No, I am fairly certain we do need a key…,” Beniya responded. “After all, we found nothing else indicating a possible way forward.”

“Then should we take another quick look around…?” Momono timidly suggested. “Searching more thoroughly sounds too scary.”

Momono’s point was valid. Looking under beds or behind dressers would accordingly increase the risk of running into a trap. Before resorting to that, it would be prudent to go over the path they had come from—which they knew was safe—and check to make sure they hadn’t simply overlooked a key. Just as Yuki was about to voice her agreement—

“What are you all saying?” The objection belonged to the lone outlaw who hadn’t joined Yuki’s flock—Kokuto. “There’s still one room we haven’t searched.”

“Huh?”

“The dining room. It’s not like that was a safe area, right?”