MFCLE 13

Chapter 13

And the Performance Began (1)

A finger that had been sucked straight in without the slightest resistance.

The sensation inside the space, combined with a faint warmth and an unidentified squishiness, formed an even more grotesque internal structure.

And there was a sensation as if it were alive and moving. Every time the feeling of inhalation and exhalation brushed between my finger joints—

Argh!

Please!

This feels disgusting!

It was such a strange space that I wanted to pull my hand out immediately.

Fortunately, not far inside, I felt the edge of something hard. I grabbed it in one swift motion and yanked it out.

Ptui!

Even the sound effect when I pulled it out was the worst.

The object I had retrieved from inside the ID card revealed the glasses I had been searching for, along with the last teddy bear hanging from the glasses frame.

Splat!

Ah.

Ah. The last teddy bear had also met the ending I had expected.

But unlike its useful function, the true nature of the ID card that had been hidden until now was something I really didn’t want to use.

It was definitely an item I had never heard of in my entire life.

If that was the case—

If what the General Store Man had said was really true, then an unexpected possibility occurred to me.

The broadcasting system had created this item.

‘…No, seriously.’

First of all, it was strange that a newly born urban legend that was supposedly only F-rank possessed this many anomalies.

If there had been a setting back then where an urban legend could be turned into an item, this thing would have had a high chance of being placed on the list of candidates for a rank reassessment.

It wasn’t particularly common in , but there had been a few urban legends that received rank reassessments after people realized—

‘…We made this way too strong compared to what we originally intended.’

From the perspective of a veteran who had encountered countless urban legends by now—

‘This guy would probably get at least…’

C-rank.

Or perhaps even higher.

It had the potential to receive a rank like that.

And if this thing really was a C-rank or higher urban legend…

Don’t get cocky.

Don’t get cocky even more than before.

Just as I had been doing until now, the best choice was to diligently carry out whatever the broadcasting system told me to do while observing the situation.

‘…I should get going now.’

Now that I had finished checking the item, there was no point in wasting any more time. All that would happen was that my anxiety would continue to grow.

Tap tap tap tap tap!

The moment I tried to take a step, the trio of teddy bears followed after me.

[Small Friends], another set of urban legends given to me by the little urban legend child from [I Hate the Dark!].

I roughly knew how to use them. If I brought them along, they would undoubtedly be a great help.

But—

“Will you stay here today?”

!!!

Was this what it felt like to freeze while standing?

Seeing the three teddy bears freeze simultaneously after hearing my words, I couldn’t help but smile.

But I was disappointed too.

If they were items given by an A-rank urban legend, they were bound to be a tremendous help.

However, just as the broadcasting system had said, these little friends were gifts from that A-rank urban legend.

What if they were damaged or lost while I was using them?

What kind of misunderstanding would I end up facing…?

And the moment I heard that the little urban legend child had parents—

Two urban legends flashed through my mind.

High-ranking urban legends that I absolutely must not get involved with.

One of them was even an utterly absurd urban legend said to be comparable to an S-rank.

One of the urban legends I should never associate with, let alone provoke.

Only then did I realize.

I was incredibly fortunate that I hadn’t extinguished the final candle back then.

I almost wanted to bow down and thank my past self.

‘Good job, past me.’

So, for the time being, the safety of these teddy bears was my top priority.

It was ridiculous that I had reached the point where I had to worry about the safety of stuffed toys, but I considered this behavior a means of saving my own life and straightened my knees.

“…Phew.”

A short, deep breath.

I started walking again.

The White Librarian, who was already holding the doorknob, quietly opened the door.

Once again, the other side of the open door was filled with an empty darkness that welcomed me.

I wondered what kind of urban legend would be waiting for me this time.

And whether I would even be able to return alive from there today.

With those worries running through my mind, my footsteps slowly carried me toward the darkness.

As I passed through the white door, I brought each of the items I had been carrying in my arms toward the ID card.

In an instant, the items were sucked inside the ID card.

‘It works?’

Our first meeting hadn’t exactly been pleasant, but there was no denying that this thing’s performance was excellent.

Step.

Not long after passing through this white door—

‘I’ve arrived.’

The sight before my eyes was quite different from all the places I had seen until now.

A spacious and magnificently decorated main hall.

A dignified-looking space with a ceiling several times higher than a school gymnasium, completely covered by chandeliers that looked expensive at a glance.

It was the sort of meeting place for the upper class that I would never have any reason to visit in my lifetime, something I would only ever see in dramas or movies.

A high-class banquet hall.

On the long white tables stretching endlessly, a faint scent of wine brushed against my nose, while expensive cuts of meat were arranged appetizingly on plates.

An array of food that looked like a work of art.

But I wasn’t alone here.

There were countless people dressed in suits and dresses, enjoying the banquet.

Of course, they weren’t people.

The ones enjoying the food in the banquet hall were…

clothes.

Clothes that possessed nothing but volume were moving around the banquet hall with an air of elegance.

There were no faces.

It was as if invisible people had put on clothes and come to attend the banquet.

Countless clothes around me were holding wine glasses and chatting.

“■■■■ ■■ ■■■■.”

“■■■! ■■■■.”

An endless stream of incomprehensible language.

‘They’re not talking about me, are they?’

More importantly, these invisible bastards didn’t even have mouths, yet they were somehow carrying on conversations.

But the moment I saw the high-class banquet hall and the countless clothes with no bodies inside them—

I knew there could only be one urban legend.

…Well, it didn’t seem like this one had any intention of hiding its identity from the beginning.

[Urban Legend Log]

[And the Performance Began.]

: Identification Code Cd-E-31

Rank E.

The only drug permitted by the world: music.

If that’s the case, then aren’t we all drug addicts?

So accept it.

‘Twist your body and join the performance.’

Because that alone will bring beautiful melodies to your ears.

It is said that mysterious invitations were delivered to many people.

(The performance is determined according to the number of invited guests.)

Physical suppression possible.

No mental damage. (According to records at the time.)

Additional Note.

Deploy the minimum number of people to this urban legend.]

Fortunately, this time it wasn’t an A-rank.

It was even E-rank, just one level above the lowest rank among urban legends, F-rank.

The moment I realized I had entered [And the Performance Began]—

I’m alive.

Apparently, the world wasn’t always determined to kill me.

For the first time since entering an urban legend, I let out a sigh of relief.

I immediately checked for signs of anyone else nearby.

Inside the banquet hall, all I could see were those invisible people, completely ignoring me and busy talking among themselves.

Other than myself, I couldn’t sense anyone else.

‘There’s no one. That’s enough!’

The moment I realized that I was the only person who had entered this urban legend—

I thought this urban legend would be over incredibly easily.

Because the key to clearing this urban legend lay in the number of people.

It was one of the things already explained in the Urban Legend Log.

[It is said that mysterious invitations were delivered to many people.

(The performance is determined according to the number of invited guests.)]

The fewer people there were, the higher the survival rate!

The more people there were, the lower the survival rate.

This was an urban legend that became easier to clear the fewer people there were.

And for someone who already had every strategy for this urban legend memorized—

It would be strange not to clear it.

[And the Performance Began.]

This urban legend even had a basic guidebook.

[<How to Enjoy the Performance 1,000,000%>

1. Those who have received an invitation and arrived at the performance hall, please follow the staff’s instructions. (The members of the orchestra are waiting for you with bated breath.)
2. Do not step onto the stage without the conductor’s permission. (Do not ask why.)
3. Please applaud the melodies (screams) produced during the performance! Cheer loudly! It will improve the quality of the performance.
4. If you need anything during the performance, please politely ask the nearby staff. (Kindness is not an option but a necessity.)
5. Low-class guests who do not wish to watch the performance, please leave the performance hall immediately.]

These weren’t exactly the sort of etiquette rules one would find at an ordinary performance hall.

Reading through them, every single rule seemed to have a screw loose somewhere.

It was obvious that this would be such a terrible performance that just reading the guidebook alone would make anyone want to turn around and leave.

If that was the case—

There weren’t many choices left for me.

Should I watch the performance?

Or should I leave the performance hall?

Broadly speaking, those were the two choices.

There were also some minor methods of escape, but the remaining methods were all considerably troublesome.

So—

Pass.

Naturally, the correct answer here was to leave the performance hall.

This wasn’t some ridiculous escape method where I had to sacrifice a body part.

All I had to do was find the emergency exit called the back door.

It was an incredibly simple method of escape.

But the real problem was—

The task I had been given.

‘Capture the urban legend.’

That was the weighty task entrusted to me.

If I had been someone who had been dragged inside here by accident, then things would be different.

But escaping could not be my objective.

I had to remain here.

Subdue the urban legend and capture it.

That was the original purpose for which I had been sent here.

And to accomplish that, I had no choice but to narrow my options down to the second method—

Watching the performance.

“…I guess I should observe the situation first.”

I still had plenty of time.

If things went wrong, I could escape then. It wouldn’t be too late.

…Although my head was already spinning at the thought of how I was going to explain this to the broadcasting system.

But that was that, and this was this.

I could think of an excuse when the time came.

Besides, if I really was the only invited guest, then I could just find that conductor—

—We have an announcement from the broadcasting system.

A clear tone brushed against my ears.

Unlike that certain library, the sound came through proper audio speakers, followed by a gentle announcement.

My first thought upon hearing that voice was—

…Why?

Why was the broadcasting system making an announcement now?

But by then, it was already too late to notice what was happening.

—Today’s performance will be an orchestra.

—The musicians concerned will soon be preparing for rehearsal. Please hurry to Room A-2.

—Once again, we would like to announce…

I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?

If today’s performance was going to be an orchestra…

Hmm.

Okay.

That settled it.

…

I’m screwed.

I deeply regretted leaving those three teddy bears behind.