“Argh! No, that’s not it!”
Even amidst the agonizing scream, the bear continued to speak.
If he didn’t finish his sentence before the punishment was carried out, the suffering would only continue.
Despite writhing in pain, he struggled to keep talking.
“I-I’ve never seen you talk with kids your age other than S-Siyeon!”
“Oh, that?”
Hearing the reasonable question that somehow managed to reach the end, I let him go of my neck and body, which I had been holding with indifference.
I thought I might finally see a doll’s insides me spilling out for the first time in a while.
But no, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Why don’t I talk with kids my age?
Isn’t that obvious?
“You need to have a conversation to actually talk.”
Kids, especially first graders who haven’t been tainted by the filth of the world yet.
Even when they talk, the boys mostly chat about what smartphone game they’re playing, asking to play together, and so on.
The girls, on the other hand, start conversations with questions like “What’s the latest popular cartoon you’re watching?”
At least, if I were enjoying the anime that elementary school girls adore—like magical girl shows—then I might have some fun talking with them, but…
‘That’s just not me.’
I muttered to myself while kicking a small pebble as hard as I could.
Tap, tap. The pebble rolled a little before quickly losing its momentum.
Favorite game genre?
It’s a grind-heavy, level-based RPG with an age restriction, so I can’t even play it right now.
Favorite anime?
A classic fantasy series that kids wouldn’t understand.
Hobbies?
Studying monster torture techniques.
So, how can I expect any meaningful conversation?
I’d have a better chance of making sense if I grabbed a school teacher and spent 30 minutes debating the reality of magical girls.
“How about picking up a hobby similar to kids your age? Like playing jacks, or soccer…”
“Wow, absolutely not.”
The bear, as if he had just thought of a brilliant idea, boldly suggested it, only to be immediately dismissed with a look of utter disdain.
His lively hands dropped to the ground as his enthusiastic proposal was trampled in less than a second.
That dumbfounded expression was quite satisfying to see.
The bear followed up with another question.
“…How did you end up being this kind of elementary schooler?”
“Parental absence. Exposure to countless malicious communities. Thanks to the never-ending stream of disturbing news.”
“…Normally, you’d say ‘because of’ in that context, wouldn’t you?”
I ignored the bear, who was trying to nitpick my phrasing after I gave him an honest answer, and got home before Siyeon did.
Even though there wasn’t much to do, I habitually turned on the computer.
Despite the convenience of a smartphone, the keyboard and mouse felt more comfortable. Guess I’m an old soul in that regard.
“Wait, are online communities really that toxic?”
“Huh?”
As I sat in the chair, watching a video of a nickel ball being dropped into water, the bear asked me again, still curious.
Come to think of it, this guy… he’s only ever seen others use smartphones but never used one himself, has he?
I opened the Magical Girl Gallery tab from among the many websites open on my smartphone and handed it to him.
“Take a look.”
“Ah, thank you…”
He politely bowed his upper body as he took the smartphone, which lit up as the screen came on.
The bear-headed guy then headed to the plush basket where a mascot should be, lay down like a person, and started tapping the screen. It seems like his plush hands can still somehow touch the screen.
Is it made of some special material? Regular gloves don’t work on touchscreens, but his do.
“Oh, right. You might want to avoid checking the latest posts in the All Posts section.”
A bit of advice to prevent a potential virtual nuclear explosion. He tilted his head, confused by the warning.
“Huh? Why is that…?”
“Just take my word for it, idiot.”
I was too lazy to explain while he watched videos, so I brushed it off with that. He stared at the phone for a while, and then, after stumbling upon a hot topic in the gallery, he spoke over the sound of the video.
“Wow, you’re quite famous in the gallery?”
“Someone must’ve taken a picture of my face during a meetup without my mask. Still causing a fuss, huh?”
I leaned against the backrest of the chair, resting my arm on it, and glanced in his direction. He was completely absorbed in the smartphone, not even thinking about looking at me.
“Should I read out the title?”
“No.”
“Uh, I’m reading the comments, and what does ‘delpak’ mean?”
“It’s an abbreviation. You’ll get hurt if you know.”
A phrase implying, “I don’t want to explain it.” He instantly picked up on the hidden meaning behind my words and stopped asking questions, returning his focus to the smartphone. ‘Delpak’ in the Magical Girl Gallery? I couldn’t bring myself to utter such a dirty word from my lips.
“…Mari.”
By the time the algorithm had shifted from a Nickel-Go video to comparing sushi from supermarkets, the bear’s voice, now weary, called out to me again. It didn’t seem like it was because of some monster, so I slouched back, resting my arms on the chair, and looked over at him.
“What?”
“…Humans, when wearing the mask of anonymity, become dirty and ugly.”
With sunken eyes, he endlessly scrolled down the brightly lit screen.
It looked like he had gotten a small taste of the malice humans are capable of. I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of the bond forming between us, now with a shred of mutual understanding. I flashed a grin and spoke.
“Right?”
As I searched for something to do on the computer, my thoughts wandered back to the past, remembering games that could be downloaded and played. Games you could download from some blog or another. They might be old, but it’s better than just watching videos to pass the time.
Old games, retro games…
As I pondered what they were, a sudden thought flashed through my mind.
“Oh, that one just came to me.”
The goal of the game is to throw everything away, fully take out loans, and dunk angry customers into the water with a claw. It’s a game where you derail guests on amusement rides over the rails and blow them up.
I thought of that game, which allowed you to unleash the brutality of pure childhood innocence, and immediately started searching for it.
“Amusement Park… Operation 2.” I found piles of information from over a decade ago, and it made my mouth water.
Come to think of it, ever since being exposed to various online games, I hadn’t bothered to seek out these classic games.
By middle school, I would be pouring my time into online games, so for now, I decided to quench my thirst for games with something like this.
Compared to old computers, the download and installation speeds were much faster.
I was greeted by the familiar background music I hadn’t heard in years, and even the clumsy, distorted sounds of the audience’s joyful screams felt nostalgic. “This is it.”
“Craaack!”
“What was that?”
I wondered if there had always been such a realistic sound effect, bringing my ear closer to the speaker. As I listened more closely, I realized the source of the sound wasn’t the speakers.
Following the sound with my gaze, I spotted a bear-like figure writhing in agony, clutching its head as if its mind had been corrupted. “I thought it was coming from the computer.”
I wondered why it was acting like that, but then I reached the conclusion that there must be something on the screen that could make someone scream. A sense of dread crept in, and I clicked my tongue, shaking my head.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
The irresistible urge to do what one is told not to do is the hallmark of sentient beings, isn’t it?
“You foolish creature, it’s because you take advice as if it’s worthless…,”
the wise one continued, as if realizing the truths of the world.
Despite my repeated warnings not to covet the latest posts,
curiosity kills not only the cat but also the bear.
You probably never imagined that a single touch would come with such a high cost.
“I-I-I-I…”
The bear, unable to continue speaking, was in agony.
It seemed to be quite the shock.
Ignoring it, I moved the mouse and selected a target, bringing forth a groan of distress.
“Damn, damn, damn bastards…”
Finally, the words erupted from its mouth.
“Wow, can the mascot really say that?”
“No, no! How can I stand this!? Wow, this is just, wow.”
Pointing at the phone with its trembling, fluffy arms, the bear kept glancing back and forth, unable to find words.
“Ah, that is what ‘evil’ is in humans. Remember it well.”
I explained to that creature in a cartoonish tone,
not caring as I strapped the game audience onto a roller coaster,
suddenly launching them at maximum speed into a massive explosion.
A malfunction message popped up in red at the bottom,
followed by eight consecutive messages of guest fatalities, letting us fully enjoy the madness of old times.
“It’s out!”
Before long, the sound of the door announced that Siyeon had returned.
With a click, the door closed behind her.
The sea snake mascot hanging from Siyeon’s bag soared leisurely into the air, coiling up comfortably in a fluffy basket.
“Did you come? What about food?”
I got up from my chair, went to the entrance, and pressed my hand on my empty stomach, wondering if Siyeon was hungry by now.
“I ate with my friends—”
Her response indicated she had already eaten.
I thought she was just a little late, but it seemed she had already eaten.
“Then I’ll just eat alone…”
I ordered one serving.
How long has it been since I ordered something I really wanted?
My smartphone, placed near the collapsed bear, bore the brunt of the mental trauma.
I opened the delivery app and quickly ordered grilled pork belly, something I could hardly cook in this state, and tossed my smartphone onto the fluffy bed.
“OO…”
“Mari, what’s up with the mascot?”
Siyeon asked innocently, pointing at the bear that was emitting agonized groans.
“There was an incident, uh. I didn’t do anything?”
I couldn’t explain the situation to Siyeon, so I brushed it off vaguely.
Do you know about the Kunekune, a Japanese urban legend?
It’s said to be a kind of ghost seen in a quiet countryside…
Something white that just wriggles, and while it looks fine from a distance, once you see it up close and understand, you go insane.
In that respect, it seemed to resonate a lot with the current situation of the bear.
“Tra…ffic, trash…dead.”
Let me know if you need anything else!
“What the hell are you saying?”
I heard a low, repetitive muttering coming from that thing, as if it were chanting a curse. I leaned closer to the bear and listened. What was it muttering about…?
“Humans, disgusting trash, must kill and eliminate…”
It wasn’t just muttering curses; it was genuinely reciting a curse. It had finally gone mad. This wasn’t just a ghost story; it was a reality, wasn’t it?
The Japanese urban legend Kunekune isn’t found in quiet rural fields, but rather living in the latest posts of the gallery.
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Thanks for the chapter
thanks for the chapter
poor bear got exposed to the internet
exposing your cute mascot to the horrors of the internet… tsk tsk. at least she didnt show it an imageboard, lol.
Wow, a reference to Rollercoaster Tycoon 2. I wasn’t expecting that.