Chapter 165: The Dressing Doll Falls into Darkness

　　The number of team members had increased by one.

Led by the bespectacled girl, the group cautiously approached a clothing store.

"This is the place," she whispered. "When I passed by earlier, I clearly saw a figure moving inside."

"Stay alert," Amamiya murmured before gently pushing open the door and stepping inside.

The store was dark and eerily silent.

Upon entering, Chika lowered her voice, calling out softly, "Umi-chan?"

"…"

There was no reply.

"Maybe they're gone," the bespectacled girl suggested hastily. "I swear I saw something."

Before Amamiya could respond, he caught a glimpse of a dark figure sneaking toward them from the corner of his eye. His pupils dilated, and in a flash, he pulled Chika into his arms.

"Watch out!"

The shadow's attack missed, and instead of persisting, it quickly shifted its target, lunging at the others, throwing the entire group into disarray.

"What... is that?"

"Player? No... it's a monster!" one of them exclaimed.

Amamiya wasted no time pulling out his phone, switching on the flashlight. Under the harsh beam, the true form of the creature was revealed.

"A mannequin?"

Illuminated in the light, the moving figure turned out to be a mannequin, typically used for displaying clothes. It was missing an arm and stood bare.

The plastic body glowed under the light, its pale surface unsettling and ominous in the darkness.

In the ensuing chaos, the spy maid had the worst luck. She stumbled straight into the mannequin's grasp and found herself trapped. Her expression remained composed, but her voice was tinged with urgency. 

"I can't move."

"Amamiya-kun!" she called out.

"I'm on it," he responded, and Chika, quick to act, pointed at the mannequin, invoking, "Outlaw Don, I summon you, dare you respond?"

Suddenly, the mannequin's head twisted, and a sharp voice answered:

"Don is here."

Without missing a beat, Amamiya dashed forward, grabbed the mannequin, and yanked Hayasaka free from its clutches.

"More are coming," the bespectacled girl warned.

Amamiya swung the light toward the approaching figure, revealing another headless mannequin staggering forward, its hand reaching out toward them.

His expression hardened. "Hanamori-san, freeze it."

Hayasaka gave a quick nod and mimicked Chika's earlier motion, pointing at the mannequin. "Outlaw Don!"

"Don is here!" the mannequin echoed once more.

This time, Chika took the lead, grabbing the mannequin's wrist. The combo skill triggered successfully.

'Copy and Paste' only allowed Chika to mimic one ability, and she had already acquired the skill of "Outlaw Don." The copied skill, "Capture Don," fit perfectly, while Hayasaka's temporary skill also happened to be "Outlaw Don," doubling the impact.

"Let's get out of here," Amamiya ordered, still holding onto the mannequin as they retreated from the store.

The group hurried out of the building.

"These mannequins seem to turn people into dummies," Hayasaka said with a frown, extending her right hand.

In the pale moonlight, her wrist, where the mannequin had grabbed her, had turned a sickly plastic hue.

Fortunately, the texture slowly began to fade, returning to normal over time.

　　"How awful."

Chika was visibly stunned at the sight.

Turning people into plastic dummies? That was far worse than the shark doll costume. Well, the torment of dying of thirst had been terrifying in its own right, too.

Amamiya glanced down at the mannequin before him, and a prompt flashed across her vision.

[Heartless Doll]

[Unbreakable Rule: Breathing]

[While interacting with the Doll Lady, hold your breath. Failing to do so will result in being turned into a doll.]

"Rules again…" Amamiya muttered under her breath. "There are rules for the train, rules for doll costumes, and now rules for mannequins. As long as we follow them, it seems like we'll be safe."

He then turned toward Hayasaka. "Hanamori-san, check the surveillance for the train's location."

"Got it."

Hayasaka quickly pulled out her tablet, scanning the surveillance footage. "It's on the east side of the fourth floor."

"Let's head there."

As Amamiya and the others started to move, the remaining two girls hurried to keep up.

Monsters like these were the stuff of horror games—encounters where fleeing was often the only option, especially when faced with creatures that could turn you into lifeless dummies. But the trio ahead of them? They weren't afraid. They wielded bizarre abilities to capture the monsters as if it were nothing. It was unbelievable.

A strong ally! Absolutely dependable! They needed to stick close to them.

The group reached the fourth floor, where they spotted a small train playing electronic jingles.

"You again?" The pumpkin-headed conductor growled halfway through his sentence. "Humans, if you're not boarding, then leave."

"We're not here to ride," Amamiya replied calmly. "But two of our friends thought they'd try their hand at driving without a license."

With that, he placed the mannequin he'd been carrying onto one of the train's seats. "Let's go."

Chika followed suit, seating two mannequins side by side. At a glance, they appeared like sisters, though one lacked a head and the other was missing an arm.

The mannequins made a feeble attempt to escape, but the train's rules bound them. Once seated, they couldn't leave.

"Is that it?" The bespectacled girl asked quietly as the train began to pull away.

"The train's rule is simple," Amamiya explained. "Once you board, you can't get off." 

"Let's make another sweep." 

Hayasaka checked her tablet again. "There's a bear costume in the back."

"Let's avoid that," Amamiya advised. Then, turning to the bespectacled girl, he said, "Help us monitor the surveillance."

Flustered by the responsibility, she nodded eagerly. "Leave it to me!"

Amamiya then turned to Chika and Hayasaka. "Give me your hands."

Both girls extended their hands without hesitation.

Amamiya took Hayasaka's hand in his left and Chika's in his right.

There was only one temporary ability, and since their skills had been used up, it was time for a recharge.

"Eh?"

The bespectacled girl looked on in shock.

What is this? Recharging after a battle? Or was this one of those unspoken rules?

But what if she, too, was subject to an unspoken rule?

This boy was quite handsome, and agreeing wouldn't be such a loss. Though, he seemed a bit too young—like a high school student...

"We're recharging," Chika explained briefly, noticing her distracted expression.

The bespectacled girl's eyes lit up. There's a benefit like that? 

Please, count me in!

After taking a detour to avoid any monsters, the group returned to the clothing store.

This time, there were no mannequins lurking. It seemed there had only been two mobile ones to begin with.

A short while later...

"Amamiya-kun."

Hayasaka's voice was soft, yet tinged with unease. She bit her lower lip, her tone noticeably complex.

"Hm?"

Amamiya turned her gaze toward the mannequin standing before Hayasaka—and her breath caught in her throat.

The figure's waist-length golden hair and the black collar around its neck were unmistakable.