If You Would Have Me, I Would Call You My Adoptive Mother

Duncan lingered by the entrance for a long time before finally taking his ticket over to the ticket gate.

After Himeko's meticulous maintenance, the ticket gate was utterly incapable of checking tickets. The ticket in Duncan's hand had become nothing more than decoration.

He did not throw the ticket away. Instead, he tucked it into his pocket and entered the amusement park through the path Himeko had opened.

At the same time, at the amusement park's other entrances, the other contestants who had arrived also learned about the scarlet beast lurking inside after speaking with their commentators.

Those who had already offended a contestant while still on their way were especially ready to kill their commentators.

"I have a question. Why did you attack her?"

One contestant asked, and his commentator froze for a moment before slowly replying, "I saw so many other people doing it, so I took a shot too."

"So you were just jumping on the bandwagon!"

"Neon did it first. When the time comes, we just need to explain properly and shift the blame onto Inukai..."

"Are you kidding me?! Just two minutes ago, you said we'd get rewards for killing other contestants. Even if we hadn't attacked her, does that mean she wouldn't attack us for the rewards?!"

But no matter how much they said, things had already reached this point. They had to grit their teeth and enter the amusement park.

Once they had enough exploration progress, they would scramble straight out of the park.

More and more contestants entered the amusement park with tickets they had picked up along the way. Some even encountered one another inside, sparking fierce clashes.

America's Duncan hid in the shadows. When a contestant who looked easy to bully passed by, he immediately leaped out and strangled them with his riding crop, claiming his first kill.

Himeko had no idea contestants had already begun dying outside the wax museum. She was still examining the wax figure before her, which could be called a perfect, one-to-one replica of herself.

"How familiar. This is practically me."

[Girl, don't you have a mirror at home?]

[You're really doing her dirty. She lives in a tent under a bridge in Los Angeles. I even gave her that tent. That day, she looked so pleased and said she'd made some money. She even treated me to coffee.]

[Under a bridge? Dressed that extravagantly, she's clearly no ordinary person, and you're telling me she lives under a bridge?]

[Probably just ran into some trouble and had to make do for a night. Didn't she say she'd made money?]

[Yeah, I drank the coffee she brewed. I forgot what happened afterward, but I woke up in the hospital. The bill showed quite a lot had been spent. Come to think of it, it seemed about the same as what she'd earned.]

[I don't believe it. Who still spends that much money to save someone these days?]

Himeko looked her lifelike double up and down.

A long white dress adorned with golden flowers. A black-and-gold coat draped over her shoulders, with a train ticket pinned to it. Her long red hair flowed down her back as well, and she even carried the same long suitcase.

This was not merely her, but her without an SP form-the kind of pull from a gacha banner that would make her heart skip half a beat before she slammed the table.

Judging by her extensive experience, when a wax museum contained a wax figure of her despite her being no celebrity in this world, the thing's true identity warranted some serious thought.

Especially when there really were murderous monsters hiding in the amusement park.

Himeko reached out a finger and poked the wax figure's cheek.

It was hard, nothing like the texture a living creature's flesh should have.

Himeko paid it little mind and took another couple of steps forward.

Then she abruptly turned, her golden eyes fixing on the wax figure, which had already raised a leg to sneak away.

"Looks like the wax figures in this world are smart enough to walk on their own," Himeko teased, the Monomolecular Saw in her hand already spinning.

"Oh dear, you caught me."

The wax Himeko turned back with a touch of embarrassment, looking rather awkward. "How did you figure out something was wrong with me?"

Himeko felt that spotting something wrong with her was entirely natural.

Such a huge, life-size wax figure was standing right in front of her, and it did not even look the way she currently did. If there was nothing fishy about it, Himeko would smash her coffee machine when she got back.

Himeko even suspected that the wax figure before her, or the entire wax museum, could read minds.

"If someone completely unknown saw herself in a place this strange, wouldn't it be weirder if she wasn't suspicious at all?"

"That's true."

The wax Himeko thought it over and found that reasonable too. But seeing how eager the Himeko opposite her looked to saw her into several pieces, she decided to make one last struggle and find herself a way to survive.

"Do you think I still have a chance?"

Seeing that the other party seemed to harbor no ill intent, Himeko simply stopped the Monomolecular Saw in her hand.

Compared with fighting one another with real weapons, she still preferred talking things through.

As for violence, that was a last resort.

"Of course, provided you can be more honest. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety," Himeko said with a smile.

"Don't worry, girl. I'm not someone who throws kindness back in your face. Just say the word, and I'll become your personal mount and carry you around."

As she spoke, the wax Himeko actually began getting down on the floor, taking the posture of a four-legged animal.

She even pulled a saddle out of who knew where and strapped it onto her back.

"...That won't be necessary."

Himeko immediately stepped forward and pulled her up.

This thing was wearing her face right now. If it did something so humiliating, she would be embarrassed too.

If someone with an agenda edited a clip of it and rumors turned it into "The Astral Express Navigator's Embarrassing Past," that would be no fun at all.

"Wonderful! Girl, you're the nicest person I've ever met! I have wandered for half my life, regretting only that I never found a worthy lord. If you would have me, I would call you my adoptive mother!"

Before Himeko could refuse, the wax Himeko dropped to her knees with a thud and clung to Himeko's thigh. Mournful background music actually began playing around them.

"Mom-you're so loving, you remind me of my birth mother!"

"You have a mother?" Himeko was rather skeptical. Wasn't it just a wax figure?

"A mother who looks mature and refined but attacks people the moment she opens her mouth? How rude."

The wax Himeko froze, unable to understand how such a warm Himeko could say such cold words.

Unable to take any more, Himeko hauled the wax figure off the floor as it clung to her thigh and kept pining for its mother.

"Turn off the music first. A noisy environment isn't suitable for a proper conversation."

"Music? I didn't turn it on. I thought you did."

The wax Himeko tilted her head and flatly denied it. Two light coughs came from a nearby corner.

"Well, um... I turned it on."

A figure slowly emerged. The newcomer looked to be in his early twenties, his muscles confined by a tight tank top, with a large machete tucked at his waist. Everything about him gave off a fierce air.

Seeing Himeko turn her attention toward him, he immediately put his hand on his weapon's hilt and backed away frantically, his mouth working just as hard as he spoke at breakneck speed.

"Wait! I don't mean any harm either! I'm Taco, Samba Country's contestant! My country wasn't among the ones that attacked you earlier! They all say you're a monster who kills without blinking, and that even your red hair was dyed with your enemies' blood!"

Fortunately, Himeko was quite capable of processing information. Even with that entire string of words crammed into less than five seconds, she could easily pick out the key points.

"If you dyed your hair with blood, wouldn't it start to stink pretty quickly? But blood might work in certain specialty coffees? If there's a market or supermarket later, I could go see whether they have any."