Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 320

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 319: Mi-ro (4) (Final)

──────

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 137

Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 - ‘Rest Room’ (Mi-ro’s Room)

Sage’s Advice: 0]

- Han Ga-in

A very scary story? What could it be?

Mi-ro looked like she was about to speak right away, but when I approached, she started hesitating.

“What is it?”

“A scary story.”

“So what is it?”

Mi-ro kept hesitating, making me more curious by the second, then suddenly blurted it out in a rush.

“If a summoned version called out by Time Lender dies, the original dies too!”

“W-what did you just say-”

If the summoned version died, the original died too! My breath caught as I grabbed Mi-ro by both shoulders.

“Is that true? Why would-”

I realized why before I could finish.

We used the word “summoning” for convenience, but as Grandpa had pointed out, Time Lender’s function was completely different from summoning. It literally borrowed our past time and called it into the future!

The relationship between the summoned version and the original was the relationship between the past and the future. If my past self died, then my future self being alive was a contradiction in itself.

“Ah! Why, why are you only telling me something that important now? Did you only realize it a moment ago-”

Then I realized another use for Time Lender. Its owner could summon anyone who had lent them time and kill the summoned version, thereby killing the original too!

Of course, Mi-ro had to be capable of killing the summoned version.

Still, the summoned version couldn’t choose when or where it appeared. Mi-ro only needed to summon it at a time and place that overwhelmingly favored her.

Why had Mi-ro tried to hide this information...?

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“...”

“Did you think my companions wouldn’t lend you time if you told them?”

“...”

“Or if you thought we were threatening you, were you planning to immediately-”

“N-no!”

Had she been planning to secretly hurt us with Time Lender if she thought we threatened her?

All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. One of them was that Mi-ro was quite intelligent. I had felt it in Frozen Hell too. Her personality was childish, but her mind could be sharp in matters like this.

I felt something close to betrayal. At the same time, I understood. This situation must have been frightening and confusing for Mi-ro too.

When I had first entered the hotel, Jin-cheol’s size had made me feel threatened, and I had been wary that he might become violent. Mi-ro probably wasn’t any different.

I needed to look at this rationally instead of reacting emotionally. Why hadn’t she hidden it to the end? Why tell me now?

The biggest reason was probably that once Mi-ro dismissed the summon, I would lose all memories related to this conversation.

If there was another reason, it was likely because Mi-ro herself was wondering whether it would be better to share this information.

This was a time for persuasion, not anger. I tried to keep my tone as gentle as possible.

“Were you a little scared when you spoke to the others earlier?”

“... A little.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to tell everyone this?”

“Why?”

I chose the most rational reason I could.

“Whether the summoned version knows this information or not will change our tactics. If we don’t know, the summoned version might mistakenly think that even if it dies, its ‘future self’ will be safe. It could act too aggressively.”

“Like Cha Jin-cheol charging in while using Star too much?”

“Something like that. In reality, the summoned version needs to survive if possible too.”

“Right.”

“What happens if it gets hurt instead of dying?”

“I don’t really know about that...”

“We’ll have to find out.”

Silence filled the room for a moment. Mi-ro looked anxious and downcast, and I felt I needed to reassure her.

“Mi-ro, I completely understand that you can be scared of us or wary of us. But don’t forget one thing.”

“One thing?”

“Who were the people that rescued you from Frozen Hell?”

Mi-ro broke into a bright smile.

“You!”

I-I was a little flustered.

“I, I didn’t do it alone. We all did it together. The people outside suffered in the cold while praying too.”

“Oh, right?”

“Remember that. I’m not saying you owe us because we helped you. Just as we trusted you and woke you up, you need to trust us too.”

“Okay. Tomorrow morning, I’ll tell everyone!”

There was a little lie mixed into that.

Honestly, I didn’t think anyone among us had trusted Mi-ro. We had only agreed to revive her because even imagining what A-ri and Grandpa might do if we gave up on her revival was exhausting.

Still, I decided to bury thoughts like that now.

Just as the atmosphere began to relax, Mi-ro’s eyes started reddening for some reason. Was the physical and mental exhaustion she had felt throughout the day about to burst out all at once?

“... Why don’t you go to the bathroom?”

Something I needed to do alone had just come to mind too.

“I-I’ll be right back!”

...

That brief conversation made me realize something again.

This girl resembled A-ri, but she was completely different. She wasn’t a Management Bureau agent who looked like she’d snort even if someone stabbed her with a knife.

She was emotional and childish, like a middle schooler. She could think quickly in the moment, but she lacked experience, so her thoughts didn’t run that deep.

She might seem persuaded in front of me now, only to change her mind later when she was alone.

I couldn’t leave the matter of delivering such important information to a middle schooler’s whims.

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 137

Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 - ‘Rest Room’ (Mi-ro’s Room)

Sage’s Advice: 0]

I always kept a special pen inside my shirt, one that could write on anything in the world as though it were paper.

「If a summoned version called out by Time Lender dies, the original in the present time dies as well.」

After some thought, I added another sentence.

「If Mi-ro does not tell everyone this tomorrow morning, be wary of her.」

... This should be enough, right?

Once I had put a minimum safeguard in place, I felt relieved. The rest was for tomorrow’s Ga-in to figure out-

- 「Now」

- 「Now, did Mi-ro summon me with Time Lender?」

A sentence I hadn’t written appeared in my Status Window in real time. The original in this time period was still awake.

...

「Yes.」

- 「Did Mi-ro hide that information? Did you persuade her to tell everyone tomorrow morning?」

「That’s right.」

- 「Wow, Han Ga-in! I knew I could count on you! You did well. Talking to my past self is such a strange experience, though.」

「We could use this as a long-distance communication method.」

- 「You’re right. We could use it somewhere far away, like Room 203.」

A conversation with another me in another Room 105, not this one...

It was very.

Extremely.

Unpleasant.

What was that bastard laughing about? He hadn’t even known I was here. What did he mean, he knew he could count on me?

I was already here, so why was there another “me”? Why was someone else looking at my Status Window?

I was the one here, gathering information, persuading Mi-ro, and reducing the chance of future conflict. Why was that bastard, who had been lazing around in bed, taking all the credit for it-

“Huuh!”

I rubbed my chest and calmed myself down.

No. I couldn’t think like that. Our relationship wasn’t one of real and fake. If the fake died, there was no way the real one would die, right?

It was a relationship between the past and the future. Time Lender had just created a kind of time travel!

As I pulled my extremely agitated thoughts together, the “me” who didn’t understand the situation asked a question.

- 「How’s Mi-ro? Is she okay?」

Why was that guy sending me messages so casually? Couldn’t he feel what I was feeling right now?

「Remember this. You must never meet me.」

After saying that, I threw the pen onto the floor and shoved the Status Window into a corner. The “other me” seemed flustered and asked something in response, but I had no desire to answer.

Around then, Mi-ro returned from the bathroom, looking neat again.

“Sorry! I’ve decided now. I’ll tell everyone tomorrow!”

“You made a good choice.”

“... Ga-in? Did something happen?”

“Something?”

“Was I wrong?”

Nothing much happened after that. We talked about the schools we attended and what we would do after getting outside.

Mi-ro was very curious about the “distant future” or “lost past” that she herself didn’t know, in other words, adult Mi-ro. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could tell her.

“It’s almost time to say goodbye. Well, we’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“...”

Did she still have something to say? Her expression made it seem like she did...

“S-see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

“I had fun today! It’s a shame tomorrow’s Ga-in won’t remember a single thing about hanging out with me today.”

When I heard that, an indescribable emotion filled my heart. The other me, who was probably rolling around in bed, wouldn’t remember the time I had spent with Mi-ro...

Strangely enough, that made me happy.

That was the end of my consciousness.

* * *

- Kim A-ri

I suddenly came to my senses. What? I had just lent Mi-ro some time-

“... You summoned me.”

“Yep!”

A girl who looked exactly like me stood before my eyes. Well, I needed to get used to this too. It would happen often from now on.

“Did you have something to say? Are you still mad about the bacon I ate earlier?”

“... I’m not mad anymore.”

So she really had been angry about that until just now.

When I reached out and lightly tapped Mi-ro’s head, she dodged this way and that. It was funny, so I moved to the side-

“...”

“A-ri?”

“...”

“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly staring at me like that?”

“...”

I stared at her.

There were obvious traces of someone far bigger than Mi-ro having been on Mi-ro’s bed. I was a Management Bureau agent, so I could tell things like that at a glance.

Only then did Mi-ro notice my gaze and panic.

“Don’t get weird ideas!”

“What ideas? Saying that just gives me weird ideas.”

“Ahhh! Forget it. Empty your mind of weird thoughts.”

“You still think that works on me? Mi-ro, this is what a supernatural ability should be like.”

To scare her a little, I split a nearby chair in two with the power of Old Blood. Mi-ro shrank back in surprise when she saw it.

“Again! A-ri is trying to scare me again!”

“Grrr!”

I made a monster noise, picked Mi-ro up, stuffed her into the blanket, and rolled her around. We giggled together for a while, then Mi-ro poked only her head out from the blanket and spoke.

“Ahahaha! But we really don’t have much time now. I told you the daily summoning limit is one hour.”

“I think you were only with me for about ten minutes. Why is time already so tight? You couldn’t have spent much time on the experiments earlier... You spent thirty minutes with ‘someone,’ didn’t you?”

“Argh!”

“Did you have fun with Ga-in?”

“I-it wasn’t Ga-in!”

“... For a second, I thought you were an elementary schooler, not a middle schooler.”

“... It was Ga-in.”

“So what did you want to say? You wouldn’t have called me just for fun.”

As I fixed Mi-ro’s hair, which had become messy while we played, she told me that if a summoned version called out by Time Lender died, the original would die too.

“I told Ga-in this too.”

“What did he say?”

Mi-ro told me about her conversation with Ga-in. He had already persuaded Mi-ro, and as expected, he was good at handling people.

I decided to add just a little more.

“Mi-ro.”

“Yeah?”

“You resemble me.”

“...”

“Of course, if we care about the order, it’s the other way around. I resemble you. Anyway, I saw something in your actions just now that resembles me.”

“What?”

“A tendency to be secretive. When something feels uncertain, you hide it first and start turning it over in your head.”

“I’ll fix it.”

“No. You should hide things that need to be hidden. One day, when you leave the hotel and return as a Management Bureau agent, you’ll carry even more secrets than you do now.”

“Is that so?”

“But don’t hide information that can’t be hidden.”

“Information that can’t be hidden?”

“If one of us gets summoned and dies, the original far away dies too. If you use Time Lender just once or twice in a Curse Room, there’s a high chance we’ll learn that anyway.”

“...”

“Let’s say Mi-ro summons me when she’s in danger. If I die protecting you, the real me far away dies at that moment. Could you hide that?”

“You’re right.”

“So there’s no point in hiding this kind of information. It only creates needless conflict. That said, maybe we can try that tactic in Room 203.”

“Room 203?”

“If you summon me and kill me, what happens to the me rampaging through the mountain range in Room 203?”

“I don’t know...”

“It’s unclear. I think I’d die, but this kind of death wouldn’t release my Sealing. It would make me disappear, so I don’t know what would happen. You’ll have to find out.”

“Okay.”

“Is that all you wanted to say?”

Of course not. I just knew. Mi-ro still had more to say.

“I didn’t tell Ga-in this either.”

“You’re only telling me? That makes me a little happy. What is it?”

Mi-ro turned around and held the pocket watch close to my face.

“Three slots are filled. Morning is me? Noon is Ga-in?”

“Yeah. I’ve almost used up the time I borrowed from Ga-in, so I’ll fill it again tomorrow.”

“What about midnight?”

Mi-ro looked confused and afraid.

“...”

“Who is it? Jin-cheol? Mook-seong?”