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

Interlude 1-10: Bocchi is a Senpai and an Unusual Old Man

Bocchi, which is the phonetic version of the word "Lonely" in Japanese, is the nickname of this girl.

Her real name is Gotoh Hitori, she is 156 cm tall, weighs 50 kg, and is an online guitarist with the account name "Guitar Hero." The exact number of her fans in the original work that Takakai remembers is unclear, but he researched and found that her followers in this world have exceeded 600,000, which is quite an impressive number for someone who doesn't show their face and only makes music online.

However, Gotoh Hitori in the story is a girl with a severe social communication disorder, or rather, an super introvert, who has never been able to make friends since childhood. She even has a lot of difficulty talking to others. She spends every day immersed in her own world, to the point where Takakai wonders if she might have some sort of congenital disease.

Anyway, this is a cross SoL world, right?

Earlier, Takakai had asked about Shinomiya Kaguya. She wasn't the vice president of the student council, but just a regular student at school. She still participated in the archery club, even competing every year, unlike in the original story, where she dropped out because the competition and Christmas coincided. This means that in this world, the Shirogane family doesn't exist, and therefore, there is no male protagonist like in Kaguya's original story. This also explains why Kaguya, despite being a second-year student, still maintains the "Ice Kaguya" persona.

That said, no Shirogane Kei... it's a bit of a pity, right?

Anyway, after seeing the example of Shinomiya Kaguya, Takakai understood that he shouldn't judge anime characters based on his impressions from the original works. They could be alternate versions in parallel worlds, so careful communication is necessary.

"Hello there."

After a brief moment of thought, Takakai took a step forward and carefully greeted the girl in front of him.

In a barely noticeable way, the girl standing on the opposite side of the road slightly trembled her fingers.

She didn't respond immediately.

Her blue eyes narrowed slightly, as if startled by Takakai's voice, then quickly moved her gaze, stopping abruptly on Takakai before swiftly shifting again, looking down at the ground.

She took a step back, then another.

The girl increased the distance between them, making the already distant gap even larger.

"H-hello...."

The girl didn't look into Takakai's eyes, instead bowing slightly and greeting him in a soft, almost inaudible voice.

It seems she is still a girl with a social communication disorder.

It's just that Takakai couldn't read minds, so he had no idea if this girl was perhaps caught in some kind of mental play at that moment.

"Are you a player too? We saw the information on TV and came here. You went to that market, right?"

Takakai stood still, not rushing to get closer, only asking again.

He didn't sense any malice from the girl opposite him.

The power of the blessing didn't seem easy to deceive, so after some consideration, Takakai decided to maintain an open attitude.

"U-um... I am..."

Her voice got even softer.

Though the two were still conversing, Takakai felt like the whole body of the small pink-haired girl was being pulled by some strong force, as if she was about to fly away from in front of him, only able to stay grounded by her own feet.

"Probably an Obsession."

At that moment, Shijo Maki stood on tiptoe and whispered into Takakai's ear.

She was pointing at the guitar on the pink-haired girl's back.

Takakai then noticed that the guitar on the pink-haired girl's back seemed unusual.

The guitar clearly had some red stains, looked a bit old, and appeared damaged, with visible scratches that seemed to have been made with a knife. However, because the distance was too great, Takakai couldn't make out the details clearly.

As soon as he realized this, a creepy feeling emerged, as though something was watching him, creating an uncomfortable sensation.

Takakai realized that it was indeed an Obsession, and... it didn't seem like a normal one.

Does she have Obsession?, Could she be a veteran player?

"Are you a veteran player? A senior? I'd like to ask, are there any important things to watch out for in the player market? After all, my girlfriend and I are both newcomers, and to be honest, there are still many things we don't understand."

Although he always felt that the title "Bocchi-senpai, the veteran" sounded a bit off, Takakai immediately lowered his stance and politely asked back.

"..."

This time, she didn't respond immediately.

Takakai saw the pink-haired girl take another step back.

Then, her lips twitched slightly.

No sound.

She then took a deep breath, opening her lips a little more.

Still no sound.

Finally, she lowered her head, took several deep breaths, and reluctantly lifted her head. Although her eyes were still looking down at the ground, this time, he could finally hear some sound.

"Player... guidebook... can be purchased directly..."

"That... don't attack others in the market, also don't kill people randomly. Players who kill recklessly are not welcomed in the market..."

"Something like that... roughly..."

Each time she finished a sentence, the girl clearly took another step back.

By the third sentence, Takakai realized that she had retreated to the end of the road, turned around, and disappeared immediately.

It seemed that she was still the same as in the original work, a person with a strange personality. But could someone with such a personality become a veteran, a long-time player? Could it be that she was lucky enough to be guided by a veteran player and survived until now?

Takakai thought for a moment, then decided to continue moving forward.

At that moment, the girl beside him gently stepped on his foot.

"You, what's this about 'my girlfriend'? How can you easily decide our relationship in front of others like that?"

Turning around, Takakai saw that Shijo Maki's face had turned slightly red, and her clearly visible fang was showing.

"So, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend yet?!"

Takakai expressed an astonished look.

"Of course not, I... I didn't accept your confession... umm, actually... there's still a little bit missing..."

Shijo Maki puffed her cheeks out, seemingly trying to act proud, but as she said this, her face turned even redder, and the proud tone she had initially was no longer maintained.

The deep kiss that almost crossed the line three days ago was still fresh in Shijo Maki's mind.

Especially when thinking that she didn't exactly dislike it, and even subconsciously thought, "If it's Kai-kun, it'll be fine," Shijo Maki couldn't maintain her usual pride, and her usual confident demeanor started to waver.

"Just... just focus on what's in front of us for now, our relationship... now's not the time to discuss this..."

In the end, the girl reluctantly avoided the topic and hurriedly walked ahead.

Takakai didn't say anything else, simply continued following Shijo Maki's steps, casually taking her hand in his.

This time, Shijo Maki didn't resist, like a well-behaved cat, allowing Takakai to hold her hand and walk on together.

This feeling... seemed quite nice.

Takakai couldn't help but steal a glance at the slightly red face of the girl beside him and silently sighed in his heart.

If they didn't meet each other in this deadly game, if they didn't have to worry about monthly challenges of horror story rules…

If they hadn't met in this deadly game, if they didn't have to worry about the monthly challenges of the Horror Story Rules… maybe… no, if that were the case, Takakai probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet a girl like this, and their relationship would almost certainly never have developed this way.

It's really contradictory…

He couldn't help but wonder how far they would go in the end.

With heavy thoughts weighing on his mind, the two quickly arrived at the entrance of the underground market. They stepped inside, walked down a set of stairs, and entered the dark space, continuing further into the depths of the shadows.

The lights suddenly flickered on after they had walked a bit, casting an eerie pale blue glow that hovered around the area.

The oppressive atmosphere was slowly expanding.

Takakai saw the stalls, most of which seemed makeshift, giving the impression that they had been put up in a hurry. There were a few figures moving about, no more than thirty or forty people, each with their own distinct appearance.

Some wore office suits, some women had heavy makeup, there were older individuals with gray hair, and some were young, almost looking like high school students. People of all shapes and sizes moved through the dark underground market, lit only by the eerie blue specks of light, each one bearing a thoughtful expression.

"Are you new here?"

At that moment, Takakai heard a voice from behind.

He turned around to see a thin, withered old man, looking almost like a corpse, standing behind him and Shijo Maki, grinning with yellowed, blackened teeth.

Neither Takakai nor Shijo Maki had noticed his presence before he spoke.

"For newcomers, the player's handbook is free. And if you want to sell a ticket to the Dusk after completing a quest, I can introduce you to some interesting things, hehe."

The old man gently rubbed his hands together and let out a raspy laugh directed at Takakai and Shijo Maki.

For some reason, hearing the old man's laugh, Takakai's first reaction was to recall a scene from Resident Evil 4, as if this old man were the mysterious merchant who appeared in front of him, saying "Oh, what are you buying?" "You're an artist, kid."

Next, Takakai heard Shijo Maki beside him frown and whisper:

"Ticket?"

She felt that something was off about the item the old man mentioned.

"Yes, that's right. Every player who completes a quest gets a ticket from the quest they finished. The Dusk ticket for newcomers is quite rare. Who wouldn't want to try an easy quest, complete it, and survive for a month, right? See, I'm very sincere. I'm sharing this important news directly with you."

The old man laughed even more joyfully, smugly speaking to both of them.

Takakai and Shijo Maki exchanged a confused glance.

A ticket? What is that? Why don't they have one?