Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! Chapter 345: The Third [3]

My stomach churned at the sight of the dimples. For so reason, staring at them, I didn’t feel so good. But what about my mask? I suddenly pressed my hand to touch my face, only feeling relief when I realized that it was gone.

’I don’t know exactly how this is possible, but this is good.’

I slowly lowered my head to stare at Myles. He was staring at with a smile. One that, for so reason, caused a sense of heaviness in .

’What is wrong with him...?’

"S-quad Leader?"

A hesitant voice reached my ears, prompting to turn my head. It was there that I saw Mia, Joanna, and the rest of the group look at in hesitation.

"Is that really you...?"

"What?"

My frown deepened as I stared at them in confusion. But then, a certain thought crossed my mind.

’Is it possible that they realized that I wasn’t the real one?’

The last thing I could recall was seeing the ’fake’ version of in the mirror. Because I wasn’t able to tell them that it was fake, I quickly looked elsewhere. I didn’t expect them to figure out the fact that it wasn’t the real .

No...

I suddenly turned my attention towards Myles. His gaze was fixed on the book in my hand, and it all suddenly beca clear to .

’Right, he should have been able to figure it out.’

Despite how he was, Myles was extrely competent. I understood this more than anyone else.

If there was anyone who could’ve figured it out, it was probably him.

At the sa ti, I also understood the reason why he was looking at like that, and his gaze was fixed on the book in my hand.

This bastard...

"That’s... it looks like the Squad Leader. It should be him..."

"Yeah, but he’s not answering."

"I know..."

’No, but that’s besides the point.’

I suddenly looked around, trying to see where the others were. The mont the place crumbled, I found myself back in my regular body.

In that case—

"Squad Leader?!"

"Where are you going, Squad Leader?"

"...Follow ."

I didn’t answer. Instead, I climbed the stairs, my steps echoing softly as I re-entered the storage space before making my way back to the room I’d been in monts before. The long corridor stretched out ahead, its walls lined with paintings that seed to watch as my steps were swallowed by the soft carpet beneath.

My eyes followed the hallway’s length until they settled on the gaping hole in the wall at the far end.

It was dark, and it was hard to see as a result.

The fla had long died down, but from within the gap in the wall, a certain dim light appeared.

I rushed towards it, and—

"W-what’s going on?"

"...W... where am I?"

"What... is this place? I clearly rembered..."

I stopped, staring at the nurous people on the floor, their faces dazed, alongside their expressions. They were all sprawled across the floor, so still passed out, while others were slowly starting to recover.

I didn’t care about any of them before finally settling my gaze on a certain girl.

The mont I did, I felt an instant wave of relief wash over as my chest trembled for the briefest of monts.

’So she’s fine... That’s good. It’s really good.’

"Wait, Squad Leader! Why did you suddenly leave? What’s going on with—" Eventually, the others caught up, and while they were flustered at first from my behavior, the mont they appeared by the opening and witnessed everything, they stopped.

Their faces froze, Mia’s hands shooting up as she covered her mouth.

"T-that’s...!"

"I don’t... how is this...?!"

Myles was the last one to join, his gaze flickering for a short mont as he looked at everyone within the room.

For a short mont, I felt his gaze locked onto , his eyes narrowing with a certain sothing that made my heart skip a beat.

But then—

"It’s such a relief that everyone is here. I’m really glad."

He pressed his hand over his chest and looked genuinely happy. I felt like puking at the sight.

Still, I didn’t say anything and instead focused my gaze elsewhere.

Towards the silver-haired girl on the floor.

Her body twitched after a short mont, and I knew in that mont that she was about to wake up. I didn’t waste a single second and moved towards her.

Tak— Ta!

My steps echoed loudly within the room, several eyes turning in my direction.

"Who is t-that...?"

"Hey... do you know what’s going on?"

"Aren’t you..."

I ignored everyone and just approached Ariel as her eyes snapped open.

’I can’t let her wake up.’

Who knew what she’d do if that were to happen? Especially when there were so many people present in the room.

I didn’t hesitate.

WHAM!

I kicked her in the head as hard as I could, knocking her out unconscious as the surroundings fell completely silent, all gazes locked on . I didn’t care for their looks and took out my sunglasses, scanning the surroundings to make sure there was nothing else present.

The room chilled, and my skin started to prickle.

Thankfully, I didn’t feel any presence as none of the eyes that had been present before were present now.

I sighed in relief.

’It’s as I expected. The eyes probably belonged to all of the people that had been forced into that weird world within the mirror.’

The glasses had allowed to catch a glimpse of that world, but not fully show it to .

’...Alright, so long as everything is okay.’

Pulling the glasses away from my face, warmth finally returned. Not only that, the surroundings started to change as I felt sothing appear in my hand. When I looked down, I saw that it was several fragnts, and it was in that mont that it fully settled in my mind.

The scenario...

It had been cleared.

I felt a wave of relief wash over as I slipped the glasses back into their case. But almost imdiately, that relief was cut short. I could feel it... The weight of every gaze in the room. Their eyes shifted back and forth between and the girl lying on the floor, their faces a mix of confusion and shock.

Oh...

Despite my best efforts, my expression twitched.

Trrr! Trrr—!

The twitching was only made worse by the buzzing of my phone as I turned my attention towards it.

A certain stream caught my sight a mont later.

"....."

Trrr! Trrr—!

If before I could barely hold my expression, it fully crumbled at this mont as I thought back to my actions. Specifically, the mont when I kicked Ariel in the head.

—I... didn’t see it wrong, right?

—He really kicked her...

—This guy... He’s a total psychopath, isn’t he?

—He’s also been wearing sunglasses the entire ti.

—Wait, I think he’s sowhat familiar.

—Oh, right! He’s that lunatic with the sunglasses from a stream I watched a while back! Holy shit! He’s really a lunatic!

’Ah, shit.’

I was fucked, wasn’t I?

Yeah...

I really felt like puking.