The Perilous Perk of the Phantasmagoria Maze

“It seems our only option is to press onward,” I remarked.

“Yes… let’s just get out of this place first,” Eileen agreed.

Despite our words, the surroundings were a dizzying expanse of mirrors, making it impossible to discern the correct path.

One wrong step, and we’d be drawn back to the starting point, all our efforts for naught.

“Don’t fret, my Lady,” Little Eileen declared, “I have a plan.”

With that, she began to cast her magic.

Soon, a series of gentle breezes stirred around us.

‘I could feel it—these currents of air possessed a distinct direction.’

Concurrently, Little Eileen offered an explanation: “While these mirrors permit objects to pass through, airflow cannot penetrate their surfaces… I believe these mirrors don’t actually connect different areas, but rather teleport objects to specific locations.”

When it came to magic, I was utterly clueless.

However, with the wind’s guidance, at least we wouldn’t lose our way now.

Escaping this labyrinth was merely a matter of time. “Then let’s not waste another moment. Forward!” I urged.

“Mm!” Eileen affirmed.

“Heave-ho!”

Without any warning, I scooped Little Eileen up with one arm, cradling her against me as if she were a doll.

‘Hmm, the part of my arm she’s sitting on is so incredibly soft, it’s already perfectly molded to its shape.’

“Eh? E-eh?!”

After a moment of stunned silence, Eileen’s face flushed crimson. Her slightly widened eyes were a mix of confusion and surprise.

“…My Lady, what are you doing!?”

“Eileen, your legs are too short right now; you can’t possibly run fast, can you? This way is much quicker.”

“Y-you’re right, I suppose… but am I… not heavy?”

“Not at all! In fact, you’re incredibly light!”

‘Indeed… just like a doll, she was feather-light. The usual Eileen, to be honest, was a bit heavy… but now, without any excess, her weight had naturally decreased.’

“Mmm… even so…”

Eileen still seemed to hesitate.

“No use talking more, we’re off!” I declared.

I gave her no choice, simply taking off at a sprint.

“Whoa!?”

Because of my speed, Eileen had no option but to cling tightly to my arm.

‘Hehe… Eileen is so tiny, so soft, and she smells so good… Ah… no, no, I almost drooled. Good thing Eileen didn’t see that… But then again… she probably wouldn’t notice if I took a few wrong turns, would she? Let me just enjoy this a little longer!’

****

(Katerina’s Perspective)

Guided by the wind, our journey proceeded smoothly.

‘…As for any other dead ends we encountered, those were entirely my doing.’

‘In truth, there was a subtle difference in the airflow between a true exit and a false one. For me, discerning the real exit was effortless. Fortunately, Eileen’s perception of the wind wasn’t quite so refined; she could only generally sense its direction. Thus, even when I deliberately took a wrong turn, she harbored no suspicions.’

In any case… we eventually reached the exit without incident.

“Bang!”

The moment we arrived at the doorway, several confetti cannons fired, showering us in celebration. Streamers floated gracefully down, accompanied by distinct smiley-face paper cutouts.

Just as I reached out to catch one of the paper cutouts, Grinning Darby popped out of nowhere.

“Bing-dong! Congratulations, you two, on clearing the stage and successfully collecting your first Happy Sticker~ Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat~” As he clapped his hands, his masked face turned towards me.

“As the first to clear this area today, I shall bestow upon you a special perk~”

“Snap!”

He snapped his fingers again, just as before… but seemingly nothing happened.

‘What did you do?’ Not only I, but even Eileen, eyed him suspiciously.

“Hehehe~ It’s quite simple~ After exiting this ‘Phantasmagoria Maze,’ your forms would normally revert to normal~ However, I have permanently fixed your current forms. You will only revert to normal after leaving the entire ‘Paradise’~”

“What kind of perk is that!?”

Eileen, uncharacteristically, erupted in anger.

Yet, her furious outburst resembled a tiny Pomeranian yapping—utterly harmless… No, wait, it *did* have some destructive power; my heart was melting from the cuteness.

“Hehehe~”

Grinning Darby said nothing, but I could feel his eyes, hidden beneath the mask, fixed on me.

‘Could he have seen through my desire for Eileen to remain in her childlike form? Was this so-called perk actually a reward for *me*? To have my innermost thoughts seen through… it was a little chilling. But… well played! This way, I could enjoy Little Eileen’s company for much longer!’

“Hehehe! Then I shall not disturb you two further~ Many more facilities await your enjoyment ahead~ We shall meet again at the end of the next stage~”

Grinning Darby vanished once more… ever so elusive.

“Hey! Change me back first!”

Little Eileen puffed out her cheeks, extending her arms and jumping in protest.

‘Is this child an angel from somewhere? She’s too adorable! I just want to hug her close.’

“My Lady! Let go of me already!”

“…Huh?”

‘Had I already reached out and grabbed her? When did that happen?’ Regardless, now that it had, I had no intention of letting go.

Leaning close to Eileen’s ear, I whispered playfully: “Eileen, do you truly dislike this?”

“N-no… it’s not that I dislike it, exactly… it’s just…”

Eileen turned her head away, but her thoroughly reddened ears betrayed her true feelings.

“I’m a little… embarrassed…”

Seeing her so cute and pitiful, my heart began to throb with a playful ache.

I leaned in closer to Eileen and gently nipped her delicate little ear with my teeth.

“Kya!”

Eileen’s shoulders jumped, and she let out a small shriek.

‘Such a cute sound she made… softer and more endearing than before. If you keep resisting, I can’t guarantee what might happen next, you know?’

Eileen finally ceased her resistance.

“Hehe~ Then let’s continue onward.”

Leaving the maze, just as Grinning Darby had said, Eileen’s form remained unchanged. She was still tiny, cradled in my arms, utterly unable to resist.

‘…I couldn’t shake a strange sense of impropriety.’

However… while we had “exited,” it wasn’t quite a complete escape.

The exit connected to a cylindrical glass corridor that stretched endlessly, its destination unknown… likely the next stage Grinning Darby had ordained.

Although we could see other surrounding buildings through the glass, all destructive actions were prohibited.

This meant we couldn’t break the glass to reach other structures, forcing us to proceed according to Grinning Darby’s designated order.

‘Well… there probably wouldn’t be any danger anyway, so it didn’t really matter which building we went to. It was just the feeling of being forced by him that left a slight unpleasantness.’

With that thought, I continued forward, carrying Eileen through the corridor.

However…

Arriving at the next structure, a massive door, surrounded by ghostly figures, loomed before us.

The plaque, centrally placed above, read: [The Screaming House].

‘While this was most likely a trick to scare children, I seemed to recall Eileen wasn’t particularly fond of frightening things, was she?’

Sure enough, the pressure on my shoulder subtly increased, and her small body began to tremble.

Without even looking, I knew Eileen had started to feel afraid.