Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Interlude 1-09: On the Way to the Meeting Place of the Players

The gloomy rain gradually dissipated.

The sun rose, and the moonlight spread across the earth, signaling the start of a new day.

The citizens in the city continued their repetitive, unchanging daily routines.

For them, horror stories did not exist. There was no such thing as a sacrificial game, no bizarre creatures. Everything they saw and heard every day was the entire world in their eyes. Perhaps, until the day they left this world, their lives would not change much. Maybe one day, this cycle would suddenly end. But for most people, this regular loop would continue, like the parts of a machine operating the world.

However, for those who had left that normalcy behind, those days were no more.

Because their lives were not counted in years, but in months. horror story rules were woven from the deadly game that took place once a month. Surviving each time was not easy for most players.

Although Takakai had not yet directly interacted with the player community, he felt his assumptions about the situation were not far from the truth.

Currently, it had been the fourth day since leaving the dungeon at the Shirakawa apartment complex. Counting from the time he gathered information about the television station from Maki and Kaguya, today was the third day, the day of the player market.

Takakai stood at the entrance of an old district, located on the outskirts of the city. This area had been abandoned, with no water, electricity, or gas. Apart from a few homeless people, hardly anyone came by.

After waiting for a while, he saw Maki coming out from around the corner, dressed casually in her usual comfortable clothes.

"Good morning, Maki."

Takakai greeted the girl calmly.

"...I'm really impressed. You can still greet me like nothing happened."

Maki squinted, staring at Takakai for a long moment, then snorted lightly and walked beside him, the two of them walking side by side.

Three days ago, after that awkward situation, Takakai had called Maki to sincerely apologize. After a moment of hesitation, she did not completely distance herself from him, but firmly declared that he should never touch her carelessly again.

At the time, Takakai wanted to ask what exactly "touching" meant, but since she was still angry then, he chose to stay silent.

Later, Maki's anger quickly subsided. Perhaps, in some way, she also felt a little guilty. After all, in that deepening kiss that became more intense, she had to admit that she had been a bit swept away.

'Could it be that I am really an easy-going girl?'

That question had lingered in Maki's mind for an entire day. But afterward, she started to think it through. After all, she had already been caught up in the Sacrifice Game, and had formed an inseparable bond with Takakai. Since that was the case, instead of dwelling on small matters, it was better to look ahead and think about how to complete the upcoming mission.

Even though she seemed to have sorted it out, when meeting Takakai again, she still couldn't help but display her usual proud demeanor.

"Speaking of which, that earpiece—does that mean Shinomiya-san is listening in on everything here, right?"

Takakai looked at the small earpiece Maki was wearing and asked.

"Yes. The family rules of oba-sama are very strict, so she cannot go out as freely as I do. She can only use this method to participate as much as possible."

Maki nodded lightly. When speaking seriously, she no longer displayed her usual proud attitude.

"In the past few days, has any player tried to investigate you?"

Takakai thought for a moment before asking.

"No, except for the first day, no one has tried to approach me. At least, no one has made it obvious. Perhaps the other party wants to observe from the outside. Right now, we are in the light, and we can't be sure if those in the shadows are friends or enemies. I hope we don't encounter someone like Old Guo."

Maki shook her head slightly, glancing at Takakai beside her before looking away. A moment later, she glanced again, but before Takakai could notice, she quickly turned away.

After repeating this three times, she couldn't hold back anymore and spoke softly:

"Has anything happened to you these past few days?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Maki frowned, feeling that her question had been too ordinary.

"It's been fine these past few days. Apart from the strange things that appear every evening, there's nothing else problematic for now. By the way, I heard the underground market is quite cold. Are you okay?"

Takakai said, his gaze briefly drifting down to Maki's long, slender legs visible beneath her skirt.

For a long time, Takakai had found it rather odd to wear a short skirt in cold weather. He wasn't sure whether this was just a stereotype from anime or a genuine preference for many people.

"As for that, I'm fine. It's not like I can't think of small things like this. Even though it looks thin, these are thermal stockings."

As she spoke, Maki slightly lifted her skirt, allowing Takakai to see the white stockings she was wearing.

The sunlight was still good, casting warm light on the two figures, one tall and one short, as they crossed the boundary from the bustling urban area into the old, trash-filled street with peeling walls and overgrown weeds.

Just a few streets apart, this place seemed like a completely different world, and both Takakai and Maki felt a chill as they stepped into it.

"Speaking of which, why was this place abandoned?"

Takakai turned to ask the girl beside him.

"Ah, that's quite complicated. This area was built many years ago with the initial intention of developing an economic zone. But during the construction, there were problems, and many of the infrastructures were not completed. Later, when the person in charge changed, the handover also had issues. Plus, this area couldn't attract many residents, and with Japan's economy continuing to decline, it eventually became almost abandoned. Hardly anyone wanted to come here. Well, except for the homeless and criminals. If it were before, I probably wouldn't have come to a place like this."

Maki explained as she walked ahead.

Before coming here, the two had studied the map thoroughly, so there was no worry about going the wrong way and they headed directly toward their goal.

The sunlight filtered through the abandoned buildings, shining through broken windows, casting scattered patches of light on the dark street.

Takakai turned his head to look at Maki, who was walking slowly beside him. After thinking for a while, he took a step forward, reaching out to hold her small hand and walked on with her hand in his.

"W-what are you doing? Didn't I say no touching?"

The girl, caught off guard, blushed and quickly looked up at him, asking urgently.

"Just holding hands and walking."

Takakai only smiled lightly in response, using a bright, cheerful smile to hide his true intentions.

"You're really... when it comes to bullying girls, you're full of tricks."

Knowing that he wouldn't let go easily, Maki murmured under her breath, resigned to letting him hold her hand. The two continued walking together.

The unease in her heart seemed to ease a bit.

It was only then that Maki realized she still felt some fear and growing anxiety about the unknown underground area ahead.

Could it be that he realized this, so he intentionally held my hand?

Thinking this, Maki stole a glance at Takakai, but only saw his usual calm expression.

It was hard to understand. Sometimes he seemed like he was pretending to be clueless, and other times like he was genuinely naïve.

The only thing she could be sure of was that he was extremely "playboyish," the type of person to be very careful with, as he could be dangerously unpredictable.

As she thought about this, Maki suddenly noticed a figure appearing ahead.

It was a girl.

A girl with long pink hair, carrying a guitar on her back, dressed in sportswear. She had a beautiful face, but for some reason, there was a dark aura about her.

In this vast, quiet abandoned district, the girl appeared from around the corner, looking utterly out of place. From the direction she was heading, it seemed like she, just like Takakai and Maki, was headed toward the underground shopping center mentioned on the TV.

Maki immediately pulled her hand back, her eyes filled with suspicion as she stared at the girl.

Takakai, after a few seconds of contemplation, immediately recognized the girl in front of them.

Wait a minute, isn't that Gotoh "Bocchi" Hitori?