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Chapter 2
I had never properly played Grand Theft Run!.
My only goal had been collecting outfits and styling my character. I had no interest in walkthroughs or unlocking the story.
All I had to do was clear the daily quests to earn coins and diamonds, so I repeatedly gave up halfway through Chapter 1, the lowest-level chapter.
For that reason, at least the scenery here was familiar to me. Though, of course, that was meaningless when it came to actually being a transmigrator.
I wanted to mentally prepare myself before starting, but that black-bean-headed bastard…
—WHAT?!
I pretended not to hear the furious mascot and looked straight ahead.
Whoa… I got coins.
Picking up money in someone else’s house? And if the game lived up to its name, I’d eventually have to commit actual theft, too.
I’m a law-abiding citizen…
I cautiously moved forward. Walking through this exotic corridor in the darkness sent a chill down my spine for some reason.
After making my way along at a slow pace, I finally approached a coin.
I lightly nudged the coin, which was floating around shin height, with my foot.
Huh…?
It didn’t collect.
What the hell? Do I have to pick these up one by one?
The coins were spinning in midair, but I couldn’t collect them with a simple touch? Why the hell were they going out of their way to make things realistic in such a pointless area?
—Oh~ You don’t like it when things defy the laws of physics?
Huh…?
Something felt ominous.
At the same time as an unpleasant chill crept over me, the coins dropped to the floor.
—We’ve incorporated the user’s feedback!
“……”
Do you know what the truly infuriating part was?
Even in this situation, I was relieved that the coins hadn’t made a clink when they hit the floor…
—KYAHAHA!
The mascot threw its head back and laughed as if it were thoroughly enjoying my misery.
Right… Who was I to complain about my lot in life?
Besides, what good would voicing my opinions do against people who threatened to kill me if I didn’t obey?
I slowly shuffled forward in a squat and picked up the coins.
They’re so flat that they’re hard to grip, too.
Still, it was convenient that the coins disappeared as though they were being absorbed into the system when I picked them up. I’d thought I’d have to carry them around, jingling all the way.
I was reaching for the tenth and final coin when—
Clop, clop, clop.
“……!”
Startled by the sudden footsteps, I reflexively looked at the mascot.
The mascot seemed to ponder something before letting out a deep sigh.
—You should be grateful it’s your first day, you idiot!
[RESUME / QUIT]
…Isn’t this what appears when you press pause while playing a game?
—That’s right. I’ve paused the game.
—Only I can do that, so don’t even think about getting any ideas!
As if I’d ever thought of doing that.
Whatever. Those footsteps from earlier… Don’t tell me it’s a guard?
Grand Theft Run! was a story-driven running action game with the absurd premise of a protagonist robbing aristocrats’ mansions.
To make the most of that concept, guards would appear at various points during gameplay.
—That’s right~!
—Now the system will present you with two possible hiding places. You have to choose the correct one and hide before the guard discovers you!
This is exactly like the game.
There weren’t any hints, either, so players had to memorize the answers by repeatedly failing.
That’s why walkthroughs were shared so actively in our group chat.
Wait, wasn’t the first correct answer the dresser…?
—Break time’s over!
Before I could finish thinking, the mascot arbitrarily selected [RESUME] and disappeared from my field of vision.
At the same time, the pause ended, and time began flowing again.
FLASH!
I turned toward the glowing lights.
Just like in the game, the possible hiding places were illuminated.
A dresser and a door.
Are you kidding me? Hiding behind furniture was just a gameplay convenience! How is a person supposed to fit into that tiny gap?
There was effectively only one choice.
I was so dumbfounded that I wanted to protest, but I wasn’t given the luxury of time.
Clop, clop, clop.
The footsteps were getting closer.
Perhaps because the mansion was so large, the sound echoed incredibly loudly.
In a panic, I hurried into a room, quietly closed the door, and pressed myself against the wall.
People usually hide behind doors, after all.
That was partly because I’d seen it in movies and dramas, but I simply didn’t have the courage left to move any farther…
My heart pounded so violently that it felt as though it were beating inside my ears.
Just when I began to wonder if something was wrong with my hearing, the footsteps drew closer and closer to the room.
I squeezed my eyes shut and clamped both hands over my mouth.
My nose was covered, too, making it hard to breathe, but that was better than getting caught.
Don’t come in. Please…!
How much time had passed while I imagined every possible horrifying scenario?
Fortunately, the guard seemed to be passing by the room where I was hiding, and the footsteps gradually faded.
“Phew…”
My legs gave out, and I slid straight down to the floor.
—What a scaredy-cat! What a coward!
[Quest 1–1 Complete (1/10)]
Seeing the system confirm my success made me feel a little more at ease.
—Hey. How many chapters are there? What are you going to do if you’re already acting like this?
How many are there?
—Uh… As for how many…
The mascot began counting on its fingers, then suddenly froze.
What’s wrong?
—I can’t tell you… I can’t.
Was it about to say, I’m not allowed to tell you?
Who wouldn’t let it? That someone it had been whispering to earlier?
Still, I’d seen it fold down five fingers.
While I took off my now-damp mask and rubbed my face with my sleeve, the mascot changed the subject.
—Anyway! Just like you did today, you have to come back to this corridor once a day for ten days and complete the quest! Just think of it as one guard per day~
Oh. So I have to go back and forth to this mansion for ten days?
[RESUME / QUIT]
What the hell? Why is this showing up again?
—You can’t leave the mansion grounds during the quest period.
What? Don’t tell me leaving counts as quitting midway through the quest? So you’re telling me to secretly squat in this house?
Can you hear that? That’s the sound of my prison sentence getting longer.
This is brutal…
Fine. I’d better focus on figuring out how to survive the remaining nine days.
Apparently, I could do the quest at any time, so doing it at night, like today, seemed best. I could hide somewhere during the day.
Now, where am I supposed to hide?
—Hmm~?
The mascot tilted its head with an infuriatingly innocent expression.
Weren’t you going to tell me where to hide, like earlier?
—You have to find that out yourself~!
“……”
I twisted my lips, ready to unleash all my resentment and complaints, but eventually gave up and left the room.
Where would be a suitable place to hide? A storeroom, perhaps?
I won’t ask you for anything else. Just tell me where the storeroom is.
—When teaching someone how to fish…
Fine, I get it.
—Listen to the whole thing first!
Why should I have to wait around just to hear you tell me you won’t help?
I walked around for a while, surveying my surroundings, until I spotted a staircase leading downward. I immediately descended to the basement level.
Looks like there’s a second basement level, too.
However, it would be best not to go any farther down, just in case. Though, if I couldn’t find anywhere else to hide, I’d have to consider it.
I opened the nearest door.
Creeeeak.
A storeroom.
—How the hell are you so lucky~?!
I know, right?
Why was I so lucky? I’d never been lucky in my life.
Because of that, I was more suspicious than happy. But the door had made a surprisingly loud noise when I opened and closed it, so looking for somewhere else seemed dangerous.
What was that sound earlier? This isn’t a haunted house…
After closing the door, I looked around inside, but it was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing.
System window.
When I summoned the system window, the room became just bright enough for me to make out the objects with some difficulty.
—You’ve got a bit of a brain after all, huh? I thought you were an idiot!
Quite a few objects were piled up inside. Large items covered with white cloths, along with smaller wooden furniture such as chairs.
It’d be nice if I could climb inside one of those large objects.
I casually lifted one of the white cloths and found something resembling a traditional wooden grain chest.
True to its purpose, it looked spacious enough to fit a whole person inside.
I’ll just have to hold out in here today.
I asked the mascot to check whether the cloth was covering the chest properly, then carefully closed the lid.
The inside of the chest was pitch-black and cramped, but bearable.
—Ooh~ You’re practically a professional thief now~
Is that supposed to be a compliment?
After that, the mascot kept chattering nonstop, saying that I’d succeed if I just did this for nine more days.
I’m exhausted…
Murmur, murmur.
I slowly opened my eyes at the sounds of people moving around outside. Apparently, I’d fallen asleep at some point.
Wait. People moving around?
I thought this storeroom was barely used! No wonder I’d thought I was lucky!
I forced myself to stay calm and focused on listening.
I heard someone grunting with effort, followed by the sound of objects scraping across the floor.
Most importantly, I heard someone giving instructions about moving things.
There was no room left for wishful thinking. They were moving the furniture in the storeroom.
They won’t move this one, will they? Please…!
But that hope was clearly misplaced.
“What the hell? Why is this so heavy? What’s inside it?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Should we open it and see?”
