My only Life (The Ones Within x Fem!Reader)

Sacrifice

13th District, Japanese-style area: Kakuriyo*

We've finally reached the next Stage, it was the first time I've seen a festival up close and not from a screen. Paca even wore a yukata for the atmosphere I believe.

"The 5th Stage is 'Ogre Elimination'. In this village tonight, they're holding a ceremony for the repose of souls called the Kakuriyo Festival." He stopped in his tracks, giving us a chance to look around the stalls, "But every time, ogres take advantage of all the activity to kidnap maidens..."

'oh...they even have fish-! Eye scooping?' Somehow that Stage didn't surprised me, I've seen something similar in another Rp-game where you had to rescue a bunch of girls from the bad guys, so...yeah. Festivals are so colorful~

"The requirements to clear the game this time are to prevent any kidnapping and to rescue the girls who've been kidnapped up till now. Tonight's festival is the one event where failure won't be tolerated."

When was it acceptable in the other 4 Stages?

"Everyone please be careful."

"'Rescue'?" Iride asked him, "That's not an 'Elimination'..."

"Of course. If you find the ogres stronghold and eradicate them from this land, that is the true ending. However, this time's ogres are cheat-level strong...even I'm not so much an ogre as to burden you with the task of completely annihilating them."

'How great, we've got some cheaters now...maybe our Oni here can ruff them up, just like back then.' I thought to myself, the stall owner for those fox-mask's handed me one over, it was white with some red lines decorated. It had four eyes...wow, I've got a mask with death on it*.

Himiko sighed, her breath was visible for a moment. "This place...the atmosphere's a little different from everywhere else we've been up till now." It sure was, it felt a little mysterious and heavy around the lit up streets, like something bad was lurking inside it, ready to destroy everything in a moment.

"H-...Himiko-Chan, are you scared?" Karin asked the little girl.

"Ah...no, I'm fine." She turned her head around to face them.

"'Cause if you'd like, I'll hold your hand. Okay? Let's hold hands and it'll all be fine." She looked really terrified from this place, was it that bad? Sure the stalls banners didn't have that alluring things to read and yes, the food didn't sound quite appetizing...but hey, when should we judge a book by it's cover!!

"No fair!" Yuzu screamed, "Lucky!! I wanna join in, too!!"

"Me too!! Me too!!" Akatsuki pointed at himself, he really wanted to hold hands with the others, didn't he?

And somehow...they made a half circle, consisting out of those four and Aikawa. It looked so funny...

"Oi! Don't stretch out there. You're blocking the path." Anya lectured them, he was so done with this that he didn't had the energy to yell at them wholeheartedly, it made the situation even more funnier than it already was.

What began as harmless giggles transformed into a big fit of laughter.

"Ahahahaaa! N-no...he is, he is right! Pft- pl-please stop it....ahahahahaa!!" Tears of laughter were already visible and my tummy was hurting so much, but it didn't stop me from laughing out loud. But the silence did...I coughed into my hand, averting their staring completely. I'm pretty sure I sounded like a hyena...