Chapter 23: Fragments of the Past and the Scene of Three People
Takahashi Takakai carefully took each step, slowly approaching the two blurry figures.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating their silhouettes, clearly outlining their tall and short statures.
Takakai heard voices echoing from that direction. From the chaotic sounds, they gradually became clearer, making it possible to discern the conversation.
It was the voice of an old man and a young man, interwoven together.
The old man spoke:
"From today onward, the development and protection of Nutty Putty Cave will be entrusted to you, Peidi. You must take good care of this area."
The young man responded with enthusiasm:
"Of course, Mr. Austin. I will do it. I will develop this area into a famous tourist attraction in America, and until we obtain national certification, I will turn this place into a world-renowned destination. That is my promise."
Takakai looked outside the window through their silhouettes.
He saw the area under construction beyond the window.
An old, worn-out sign was being taken down, and a new one was being erected.
The entrance, once full of potholes, was now being carefully maintained, with plans to build a staircase.
Fences had been set up, and flowers had begun to bloom with budding petals.
Finally, a tall memorial plaque was being lifted by machinery, moved, and slowly placed down.
"You must do this well."
Among the two hazy figures, the elderly man finally reached out, gently patted the young man's shoulder, then leaned on his cane and slowly walked away, disappearing into the corridor.
"I will. I guarantee it."
The slightly shorter young man nodded seriously and then turned away, vanishing.
And Takakai, now standing before the window, lowered his head and looked at the memorial plaque. Thanks to his exceptional vision, he could clearly see the statue and the inscription below the plaque.
"Austin V. Brown"
"The first person to successfully explore Nutty Putty Cave, complete a full survey of the cave, and successfully develop and utilize it."
"Founder of the Nutty Putty Cave Tourism Development Company and its first director."
That was...
Once again, the scenery changed.
Takakai saw sheets of paper fluttering everywhere—tickets to Nutty Putty Cave, banknotes of different colors, and various documents, large and small.
He saw this place, from a completely natural cave, gradually being developed with equipment, an amusement park built outside the cave, and expansion projects inside, along with safety constructions. Step by step, this place underwent tremendous changes.
The number of tourists increased.
The dangerous area behind the slide was specially opened for high-paying adventure seekers, attracting a significant number of exploration enthusiasts.
A wave of cave tourism was rising in America.
And Peidi, the one who took over the cave from Austin, successfully seized the trend and transformed this place into a more perfect tourist destination than ever before.
Takakai raised his hand and caught a still-intact document, unlike the other torn fragments.
It was a letter.
A simple letter with a plain cover, without any decorative marks.
"To Wilbur,"
"Hey, it's been five years since we parted ways. After graduating from college, you wanted to work in safety management, while I joined the Nutty Putty Cave Tourism Development Company. We once promised each other that, no matter who succeeded first, we wouldn't forget one another. So now, I'm here to find you."
"I'm already the CEO of this company now. A thirty-two-year-old CEO, impressive, right? You can worship me all you want, muahahahahaha."
"Anyway, you get what I mean. I need your expertise. I need you to help me further improve the safety measures of this tourist site. For example, that crack on the gentle slope—ha, this is already the seventh time someone has gotten stuck in it. I really don't understand what these tourists are thinking. There's clearly a barricade, yet they insist on climbing over it. If it weren't for that crack being narrow enough—ha, they'd fall straight down a 300-meter-deep crevice to the bottom. I don't even dare to imagine that scene. And the cliff—it's way too high. Even professional explorers can easily run into trouble there. We need to install a temporary retractable ladder, and you're the only one who's best at handling this."
"That's right, I need you. Laugh if you want. I'm sure that bastard you, upon reading this, is definitely laughing your ass off right now."
"Don't think I can't picture your expression. You damn bastard, we've been fighting kids from the next street together since we were five. I can tell whether you're about to take a dump or just fart just by the way you lift your ass. Get your ass over here. The plane ticket is already attached to this letter."
"——Peidi."
Austin, the first to explore Nutty Putty Cave, along with Peidi, who took over the cave tourism development, and Wilbur, who assisted him in safety management.
The fragments of memories that this place conveyed to Takakai deeply preoccupied him.
He stepped forward, wanting to venture deeper into this place.
What exactly had happened to this cave?
A tourist destination famous across the country—why did it ultimately become a place filled with twisted, grotesque, and chaotic stories?
Where was the key?
Where did the origins of all the disasters hidden within this dark cave truly begin?
Too many questions swirled in his mind, with no answers in sight.
Even though he didn't understand why he could perceive these memories, Takakai had no intention of stopping. He decided to go even deeper, trying to gather more clues, trying to find the truth he sought from these shattered illusions.
But at that very moment, he suddenly realized that the building he was standing in was gradually darkening.
As if light could no longer exist, it quickly sank into complete darkness.
In the darkness, something was approaching.
Creak—creak—
It sounded like metal being dragged across the ground.
He began to realize that he needed to run immediately.
The once clean and orderly hallway started to decay.
Droplets of muddy water dripped from the ceiling.
Outside the window, the sunlit Nutty Putty Cave tourist area was no more. Instead, a cold, eerie cave had taken its place, with flickering lights that seemed ready to go out at any moment.
It had arrived.
Even with his Blessing, he still couldn't detect it—he couldn't sense any goodwill or malice, nor determine whether it was human or something monstrous.
But Takakai's instincts screamed at him, telling him that he had to run as fast as he could and that he absolutely could not let this darkness catch up to him.
Creak—creak—
The dragging sound was excruciatingly slow, yet it was rapidly closing in.
It had found him.
Even though he was inside a decayed cave that didn't belong to reality but rather to someone's memories, that thing had still discovered Takakai and was now rushing toward him at an alarming speed, intent on ending his life right here and now.
He had to escape.
The further he moved forward, the harder it became to keep going.
The walls on both sides were closing in.
The once-high ceiling was continuously being pressed downward.
At some point, this place had transformed into a dark, cramped cave.
Amidst the sounds of sobbing, he faintly heard someone shouting: "Hang in there!"
Then, Takakai opened his eyes.
He looked down at Fujiwara Chika, the girl lying in his arms, held tightly by him.
Hmm, he could feel her emotions—she was real, not some kind of imposter.
It was just… her face was a little red. She didn't seem to be in a deep sleep, or perhaps she had woken up long ago? Either way, although Chika was now obediently lying in his arms, her head resting on his slightly numb arm, just by looking at the faint tremors in her body and her increasingly flushed face, it wasn't hard to tell that Chika was already awake—she was just pretending to be asleep.
In the dream, she had taken the initiative to hold him while sleeping, yet now that they were awake, the situation had completely reversed?
Either way… it was a relief that Maki wasn't here to see this. Thank goodness.
As he was thinking that, Takakai suddenly heard the sound of a door unlocking beside him.
In the next moment, the heavy metal door was pushed open, and Shijo Maki, dressed in a black military uniform, appeared at the entrance with an expressionless face, her violet eyes staring directly at Takakai—who was currently lying on a single bed, holding Chika tightly in his arms.
"Oh... Hello there... what a coincidence, huh…"
Faced with this excessively dramatic scene, Takakai's mouth twitched. In the end, he raised the arm that wasn't pinned down by Chika and gave Maki a small wave.