The inside of the store smelled faintly of dust but was warm.

A cozy feeling unique to an old space.

True to its name, Sweet Stationery gave off a slightly comforting sweet aroma.

The tension and stiffness in my shoulders began to ease… No, I can't let that happen!

'Let's not let our guard down.'

I bit the inside of my cheek and moved forward again.

Every wall of the narrow space, wrapped like a maze, was lined with metal shelves, each filled with various snacks.

At the very front of the relatively large display in the center were the names of popular items.

Forgetfulness Cotton Candy

Soft Cookies

Taste of the Sun Chips-Chips

Of Course, It's Coke

Nostalgia Candy - Sold Out!

I quietly walked and quickly scanned the snacks with my eyes.

The "Good Kid Chocolate Bar" was nowhere to be seen, but I spotted a few familiar names and appearances.

Among them were items that were relatively safe and useful.

'Alright. Since I'm here, I might as well spend the change.'

They were decent as items and could also be converted into extra income.

Since my last parting with the Bronze Agent wasn't too unpleasant, I might be able to restore the sales route for 'ghost-story-derived snacks' through them.

Since I had already spent everything, including the gold bar, I needed a way to make money.

“– You're picking quite a lot, my friend! Be careful not to rot your teeth.”

I quickly picked out a few snacks.

Then, I turned to look at the lizard, who had been silently following me with minimal steps.

"...Team Leader, is there any snack you need or want to buy? I'd like to give it to you as a token of gratitude."

"Yes."

Surprisingly, Team Leader Lee Jaheon didn't refuse. He quickly looked around and grabbed a snack.

Upside-down Bubblegum

Blow it up like a balloon in your mouth, and your body will grow as big as a building!

Certified genuine product by Cheerful Research Lab.

(Beware of defective imitations sold at street stalls!)

"......Will this be okay for you?"

"Yes."

Does he perhaps want to become a giant lizard?

I suppressed my unnecessary imagination.

'Let's just pay for it.'

Holding the chosen snacks in both hands, I headed to the counter inside the store.

On the way, I scanned every corner of the store with my eyes, but the "Good Kid Chocolate Bar" was still nowhere to be seen…

'Hmm.'

In the end, I reached the counter first.

"Hello."

The figure sitting at the metal counter slowly nodded its head.

The being, presumably the owner of this store, was dressed in shabby casual clothes with a hat pressed down tightly.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary stationery store owner, but six arms drummed against the counter….

'Phew.'

I made sure not to try to see its face and politely placed the snacks I wanted to purchase on the counter.

Then, I quickly handed over the coins.

"Here you go."

I didn't want to be mistaken for attempting a 'barter.'

I recalled the Chronicles of Darkness Exploration that first recorded a successful purchase here.

Purchased item: 1 Carrot Easy Coke

Cost: A memory from the second day of a family trip in 1997.

Right.

This stationery store traded in memories as currency.

From happy memories that make you smile just by thinking about them to terrible traumas you'd rather forget.

The type of memory you lose depends on the snack you purchase.

'That's why the exploration boundaries ranged from heartwarming records to chilling ones.'

I didn't want to gamble on which side I'd land. Especially not in this ghost story universe, where the information in my head is crucial.

'Let's just find the Good Kid Chocolate Bar.'

I even considered asking the owner for its location. But since the packaging seems to feature something resembling me, I didn't want to make any unnecessary connections….

"Please tell me the display location of the chocolate bar."

Team Leader!

I almost grabbed my immediate supervisor by the collar.

However, the store owner casually pointed to one of the shelves while still leaning deeply into their chair….

'Phew.'

Apparently, the illustration on the packaging wasn't similar enough to me to be immediately recognized.

'I wish I resembled even half of the lizard's liver size….'

I should have bought a liver from the raw butcher shop. Mumbling such nonsense, I bent down to collect the snacks I'd paid for and the remaining coins from the counter….

Then, I saw it.

'Huh?'

There's something behind the counter.

A life-sized standee and decorative papers that seem to have been hastily put away.

A signboard and… a blue box containing chocolate bars.

Theme Park Collaboration: New Product Launch!

Good Kid Chocolate Bar (Cinnamon Churros Flavor)

Oh my god.

'I found it!'

I quickly examined the chocolate bar's packaging.

The hairstyle, mask, and suit on the packaging were much better represented than I'd imagined.

Did they clear it away because the promotion ended? It seemed oddly rushed, though….

"……."

Wait a second.

I looked at the chocolate bar's packaging again.

And then I realized.

That product didn't use me as an advertising model, nor did it decorate the packaging with a character that looked similar to me.

It was….

Please find this good child.

We are waiting for eyewitness accounts.

It was a missing child advertisement.

"……."

 I broke out in a cold sweat and stepped back.

If that's the case….

Riiiiing.

I turned my creaking head to look at the counter.

The store owner was holding the phone.

The phone's dialing tone was going somewhere….

Click.

The moment the connection was made.

It's here!

I turned around, grabbed Team Leader Lee Jaheon, and bolted out.

It's here! It's here! It's here!

There's no time to curse. I couldn't even catch my breath as I ran across the store, getting as far away from the counter as possible.

And then, I grabbed the door I came through and pulled….

Huh?

Why is it over there?

Click.

The door was locked.

"……."

I turned my head and looked back at the store owner standing at the counter.

"I'm ready to leave now. Please open the door."

After a brief silence.

It's fine.

The store owner's voice echoed in my ears….

From the phone it was holding, black streams had begun seeping out, dripping onto the floor.

Growing thicker.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The thin streams of water soon clumped together, twisting in the air and piling up like clay being molded.

I'm here to take you.

…In the shape of an animal in a mascot costume I'd seen somewhere before….

I desperately turned and pulled at the store door. But it wouldn't budge. Damn it….

"Let go of the door."

The moment I let go of the door, Lee Jaheon struck the handle with his left fist.

Crack, thud!

As if it were a lie, the handle fell to the floor.

The door, kicked open repeatedly, swung wide, revealing the alley outside.

Lee Jaheon and I didn't hesitate and immediately dashed outside.

My door!!

From behind came the sound of rushing water. Splash, splash, splash!

The furious voice of the store owner, mixed with the sound of water, followed us into the alley. A chill ran up my spine.

'Braun!'

– It seems like you need my help, my friend!

Yes!

'Let's turn off the lights! Include Team Leader Lee Jaheon too!'

– Including him? Very well. Consider this my gift to you!

Click!

A light snapping sound came from the plush doll, and once again, a heavy shadow fell over me.

That sensation of myself becoming blurred.

"!"

Team Leader Lee Jaheon's vertical pupils darted toward me.

"Roe Deer."

"I'll explain later. For now, let's run!"

Splash, splash, splash….

The sound of water crashing against the alley walls behind us grew louder.

 "Damn it, damn it!"

…What happens if I get caught?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure it out. The uncertainty of the outcome drove me even crazier.

 I clenched my teeth.

'Avoidance was the right answer.'

Coming here to figure something out in the first place was the problem!

This was a ghost story. Here, seeking the truth wasn't the right answer—it was often a shortcut to death.

'I should have just said I didn't know and moved on…!'

No, save this self-reproach for later!

Don't give up on your body!

Remaining steps: 3441

I had to endure for 400 more steps.

'No matter what the next alley is, I have to escape there…!'

Now, I could hear the voices of the alley residents caught in the rapids right behind me.

"Wow, this is fun~ What is this?"

"The mascot came parading on the water! So fun! So fun!"

"At Waterland, you can ride the flume! Eat chocolate, win, and go to Waterland! Let's find the good kid!"

"Wow, the good kid……."

 "……."

"Is it that one?"

Damn it.

"Who?"

"Where is it?"

"I don't see it…."

I broke through the ghostly crowd, sweating coldly, and made my way down the alley.

– Ah, yes. Even when all the lights that once shone on them disappear, a star is still a star. And enduring the pursuit of obsessive fans is an inevitable fate!

“– If they know the star's external features particularly well, wouldn't they focus even more obsessively on finding those?”

External features.

I recalled the illustration on the packaging.

'……The mask!'

I ripped off the mask I was wearing and shoved it into the tattoo.

Then I pulled out a mask and hat and pressed them onto my face.

My pace naturally slowed, and the waves got closer.

As I glanced at the ground, I saw the waves right behind me….

No, the speed difference is too great.

'If that's the case….'

I checked another direction.

Above my head!

"…Team Leader, the pole!"

"Yes."

I clung to the nearby utility pole and climbed up quickly. Never in my life had I climbed anything so desperately.

Whether my palms got scraped or not, somehow, somehow….

'…I made it!'

Water surged into the spot where I had been.

But I successfully climbed up to just below the wires of the utility pole.

"Ha…."

I tightened my grip, almost loosening it in relief.

'For now, it's fine.'

Just as I twisted my body to lean my legs against the alley wall and stabilize my position….

Thud.

From the pocket of my suit,

The lit-up screen of my smartphone slid out and fell.

Splash.

It sank into the water that had pooled on the ground.

As it hit the stone floor, cracks formed on the screen, and water seeped in, causing the app display to flicker.

Don't give up on your body!

Remaining steps: 3210

And then… the screen went off.

"……."

"Roe Deer."

All that remained of the shattered smartphone was its black screen.

The grotesquely moving black mass in the shape of a mascot filled the dark, narrow alley, peering through the store windows here and there.

My smartphone was swept away by the current.

Before I knew it, it had moved to a corner of the alley, and then… disappeared among the crowd following the mascot-shaped mass.

The torrent swept past the utility pole I was clinging to, heading down the alley….

Along with the escape route that was unknown to me.

"……."

I'm screwed….

"Roe Deer."

Frozen, I turned my head.

The lizard hanging from the section of the utility pole just below me with one hand reached out to me.

It shows me something.

Its perfectly intact smartphone screen.

Exit path from Death Alley →

Follow the arrow!

At this moment, Team Leader Lee Jaheon successfully completed his 10,000 steps.

I stared blankly at the smartphone app page of Team Leader Lee Jaheon, where the navigation had already been activated….

But then.

"Take it."

"…What?"

The lizard handed me its smartphone.

"Follow the app's navigation and escape."

"...!"

A lifeline has come down.

"The smartphone doesn't recognize a change in its owner. As long as you don't deviate from the navigation path, you can escape."

"……."

I reached out for Lee Jaheon's smartphone. And then….

I gritted my teeth and refused.

"I can't do that."

"? "

"Team Leader, that strange black liquid from earlier... it was definitely trying to find me. It's still searching this alley."

I barely escaped by removing my mask and hiding my presence.

But.

"If I follow the app's navigation, I won't be able to avoid the black liquid even if I face it... I must not deviate from the path."

While moving along the app's navigation, never take your eyes off the screen for more than 3 seconds or deviate from the path.

If you fail to follow this, you will be treated as missing.

This rule applies equally to the way back.

"So… the probability of me escaping here safely without going missing is extremely low."

In order for me to survive, the navigation had to be activated after I at least escaped to another alley.

'Hah…'

"I think finding another route would have a higher chance of escape."

Lee Jaheon stared at me with vertical pupils.

"I see."

"Yes. So, Team Leader, you were planning to escape with that…"

Then, he turned off his smartphone.

"…!!"

Has this lizard gone crazy?

"What are you doing?"

"I'm following the 2-person team manual."

"You're talking nonsense."

"Then why were you trying to pass the escape route to me earlier? You'd be left alone, not with a 2-person team!"

"I followed the manual's priority. If you want a more detailed explanation, ask after we escape."

Lee Jaheon said calmly.

"From now on, the priority of all conversations and questions will be survival and return from this darkness."

"……."

"Roe Deer, although it's not written in the manual, think of a new escape method you can infer."

God!.

"...Yes."

I answered with difficulty.

After a while.

We got off the utility pole.

Then, we began walking again on the street floor, swept by the rapids.

Without any directions, without any escape method.