Chapter 30 The Sunset and the Mystery
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”…Ah.”
I shouted before I could stop myself, thinking it was a monster.
The shape before me stood as high as my waist, wide and flat, walking on four legs.
”What is it, Young Master!” Trash-san called out.
”It’s… a bed.”
”…A bed?”
”There’s a bed here. Why? Why would a bed be out here…?”
A short distance from the sandy bridge sat a polished wooden bed. Its frame looked heavy and solid, the mattress thick and firm, the sheets and pillows spotless—like something just brought out from a luxury hotel. It stood quietly on four legs, its feet half-sunk in the gentle waves.
Well, I was tired, but… why now? Where had it come from? I could’ve sworn it wasn’t there a moment ago.
No, that couldn’t be right.
”Come to think of it, we haven’t slept in a real place for a while,” I muttered. “If I could lie down on those clean sheets, it’d feel amazing.”
”Young Master,” Trash-san said softly, “I see something different.”
”…What? There’s nothing else there.”
”There.” She pointed toward the bed.
I followed her gesture, scanning the area. But there was nothing else—no item, no shadow—just the bed.
”You’re sure about the spot?”
”Yes. In the place you’re looking, I see a mystical object lying there.”
”Nothing’s there, I swear.”
”Strange… I don’t see a bed at all. Are you certain it’s really there? I can’t imagine missing something that big.”
”What—what’s going on?”
We tilted our heads at each other in confusion. If we were both telling the truth, then I saw a bed—and she saw something else entirely. But which one was real?
”It seems, Young Master, that we’re seeing different things.”
”That reminds me,” I said. “Earlier, I thought I saw a rice ball on the ground, but you picked up that bamboo dumpling instead. I figured they were lying close to each other, but maybe not.”
”…”
”Trash-san?”
She stopped walking and stared silently toward where the bed stood, thinking hard.
”What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you actually want to rest on that creepy thing. Come on, let’s move before it gets dark.”
If this place were safe, maybe I’d joke about testing it with her—but that wasn’t an option here.
”Young Master,” she said, “it might be dangerous, but I’ll go retrieve it.”
”W–wait, what?”
”Please stay here.”
”O-okay… be careful.”
She stepped off the sand path and into the shallow water. Ripples splashed as she walked toward where I saw the bed.
”…Hey. It’s getting darker. It was just evening a moment ago—the sun’s dropping fast.”
With each of her steps, the scenery dimmed. The red sun turned pale orange, the sea deepened from gold to dark blue.
A chill crept up my spine.
”T-Trash-san! Something’s wrong! Come back—quick! The sun’s sinking fast!”
”Just a moment. I have it—returning now!”
”Hurry!”
She splashed through the shallows and ran back toward me, holding something long and thin in her hand—just a stick, like driftwood.
”I’m sorry! Are you unharmed, Young Master?”
”I’m fine… but everything suddenly got dark. It’s… stopped now, I think.”
”It seems so. That was careless of me.”
She stood in front of me, eyes scanning the surroundings, tense and alert.
”You scared me,” I said. “Don’t rush off like that.”
”Even if it were a trap, it might’ve been something we needed. And besides, I think I understand how this dungeon works now.”
”Really?”
”Yes. You said you saw a clean bed. You must be tired, aren’t you?”
”Well, yeah. I could drop right now.”
”And when you saw the rice ball earlier—what were you thinking?”
”…That I was hungry.”
I started to understand.
The things I wanted most had appeared right in front of me. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
No—it was obvious now.
This was a trap, bait made to stir up desire.
”So you mean,” I said slowly, “this place reads what we want?”
”That’s right. That’s the rule of this dungeon, I believe.”
I looked again at where the bed had been. Now it was gone—replaced by the stick she had picked up. What appeared depended on the person who reached for it.
I had wanted rest, so I saw a bed.
A dungeon that reads your heart and gives you what you crave… it sounded like a dream, yet it was far too convenient. If enemies came here together, they’d probably destroy each other.
Luckily, Trash-san and I trusted each other.
Still, a place where anything you want appears—it couldn’t end well. Sooner or later, it would take something back.
”What happens,” I murmured, “when the sun finally sets?”
”When you follow your desire, the sun sinks lower. I don’t know what comes when night falls… but that might be why no one ever returns.”
”That’s… scary. You think the others couldn’t resist?”
”Most likely. The items themselves are perfect—no flaws to warn you. People take just one more step, then another, until it’s too late. That’s how they vanished.”
”Then let’s stop. Let’s not touch anything else.”
The sun hung low, half buried in the horizon. Above, stars began to flicker—time itself seemed frozen between sunset and night.
We hurried on.
The path was short; we could’ve run straight through if we ignored everything. But neither of us could stop glancing toward the shallows, where treasures gleamed faintly.
I saw all kinds of things. Candy and packaged meals from my old world. Stationery. Textbooks filled with math and science. History books, medical journals, coins, even high-end computers.
Everything I once thought I’d never see again appeared before me, shimmering, waiting to be picked up. Each one seemed useful, real, trustworthy—and maybe that very feeling was the dungeon’s greatest danger.
It was pure mystery—beyond logic, beyond reason, a miracle standing right in front of me.
”What do you see, Trash-san?”
”Many wondrous things. Relics I wished for since childhood—a treasure house of mystical objects.”
”…I thought I could resist. But these… they’re made just for me. Things no one else would ever understand.”
”I feel the same,” she admitted. “Heirlooms I could only dream of are lying before my eyes. But we must not be deceived.”
”I know… but when it’s this close…”
There, within arm’s reach in the shallow water, lay the very things I longed for most.
”Ah… damn it.”
My eyes fixed on one in particular—an aircraft design manual from my old world. If I could take that back, how much fortune would it bring?
If I had that book, I could live comfortably for the rest of my life without diving into dangerous dungeons again. I could even support the Imperial Guards.
I weighed the risks and rewards.
Yes, it was dangerous—but maybe, if I only reached for something close to the sand path, it would still be safe. The sun hadn’t fully set yet, after all. If the darkness grew only in proportion to how far we waded out, then judging from how far Trash-san had gone earlier, we’d still have time to grab one of those books.
”Hey,” I said carefully, “just suppose… after we cross this bridge safely, what if we go back a little and pick up just one thing near the shore?”
”Young Master,” she replied, “is there something you want?”
”There is. I can’t tell you what yet, but I think it’s worth the risk.”
”We don’t even know what the limits are here…”
”I know. That’s why we’ll open the exit first. We’ll watch the light—see how much darker it gets with each step. Once we know that, we’ll be fine.”
”…I see.”
If she called it dangerous, then fine—but everything that had happened before was far worse. We’d already faced death. We’d lost C*mslut. I’d almost died myself. After that, a small risk felt like nothing.
”This kind of chance won’t come again,” I said.
I tried to convince her.
It wasn’t greed—it was something deeper. If I could collect even a few of those medical texts, I could help advance medicine in this world. I could save people. Bring something back that justified all we’d lost. Maybe even the lives I’d already cost.
It was my only absolution.
No one would understand, no one I could confide in. These books weren’t just valuable—they were my way to atone. This dungeon, one that read our unconscious desires and shaped them from our past lives, gave me this single chance to do something right. My one cheat act.
She said nothing. Just looked at me for a long moment.
And then, with one word, she shattered my hope.
”No.”
I blinked. “Wait, what…?”
”Let’s go, Young Master.”
”…”
Her sharp gaze cut into me. I couldn’t help but sound a little angry. She’d never turned me down before—not like this.
”Why not? You don’t even know what’s out there.”
”Because it’s dangerous. Here, anything that seems good… is something you don’t need.”
”Dangerous? Come on, since when has that stopped us? You know how many times we’ve almost died?”
”Please remember—that is the trap here. And walking in the shallows might not be the only trigger. We still know almost nothing about this place.”
”Hmph… easy for you to say,” I muttered, “since you already picked something up.”
Her eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn’t expected me to snap back.
And honestly, I hadn’t expected it either.
”Ah—sorry, that came out wrong…”
I hadn’t meant to hurt her. She’d risked herself to protect me over and over. Seeing the look on her face—half shock, half pain—made me turn away.
”…Trash-san, what did you pick up earlier? Just—change the topic, please.”
”It’s a rare mystical object traded only in the capital. Selling it could buy an entire estate.”
”…Oh.”
”You think that’s unfair, don’t you, dear Young Master?” she said gently. “But it’s called the Staff of Foresight. It reveals the safe path home from any of the dungeon’s exits. A one-time-use relic. It can’t be taken out.”
”I—I see… so that’s what it was.”
I felt my face burn with shame. While I’d been thinking about my own gain, she’d been thinking about our survival. What she took wasn’t for profit—it was to make sure we didn’t die here.
I lowered my head and let her take my hand again as we walked.
”…Trash-san, I’m sorry.”
”When faced with mystery, people lose their calm,” she said with a small smile. “Seeing a man’s little outburst as cute—that’s one of a woman’s joys.”
She was incredible, really.
I took a breath and started walking again, determined not to be swayed this time. I gripped her hand tightly.
Halfway across, the sandy bridge began to narrow. It was only about a meter wide now—barely enough for the two of us side by side without brushing the waves. Gentle ripples lapped against our feet from time to time.
Then my foot slipped.
”Whoa!”
”Careful, Young Master!”
”S-sorry! I stepped in with one foot!”
”…The sun just sank. Exactly one step’s worth. So it really is linked.”
”We’ll have to move carefully. And look—the path’s getting tighter. No more running blind.”
”Single file, then,” she said.
I stepped behind her, holding onto her waist. With about thirty meters left, the path thinned to barely thirty centimeters—just enough for one person.
”…Ah—”
”What’s wrong, Trash-san?”
”…My sisters’ keepsakes. The ones who starved to death. Even their favorite toys…”
”Hey, calm down!”
”So that’s where they went… I thought they’d been thrown away…”
Her voice broke. She stood frozen, eyes fixed on something in the shallows.
”T-That’s not real,” I said. “It’s fake, right?”
”…No.”
”Trash-san?”
”Young Master… everything that appears here is real. You know that.”
”I do, but that’s exactly why you can’t! Once you want it, you’ll never come back!”
”Because it’s real,” she whispered, “it’s so hard to turn away…”
She swayed, stepping toward the water.
I pinched her side as hard as I could.
”…Ah!”
Even for a child’s strength, it must’ve hurt. She blinked and turned to me, breath catching, the spell broken.
”…Forgive me. I wasn’t myself.”
”Let’s go. If we stay, we’ll both lose it.”
”Yes… I owe you, Young Master. Thank you.”
We kept walking.
More things appeared along the way, but we tried our best to ignore them. Still, I couldn’t help but look.
”What’s that—”
”Don’t! Don’t look at it!”
The things appearing now were even more personal.
Photos of my parents from my old world. Family heirlooms sold long ago. My childhood mountain bike—the one I’d forgotten I even owned. And there—my stolen mobile phone, still carrying the voice of someone I’d once loved.
”What is this… my eyes… I can’t focus. I need to keep walking…”
Ah… no way.
There was the narrow dirt path to my grandmother’s house, the one lost to development years ago. Even the tin sign I’d nailed to the fence was there.
Then came the things from when I still believed the simulation world was real—memories of a second family, a secret one. The first love letter I’d ever written. Everything was coming back, vivid and alive.
Before our eyes, all that we’d lost returned—only to vanish again.
Each time we reached out, it slipped through our fingers.
It felt like the dungeon was tearing away little pieces of ourselves—showing them to us, then throwing them back into the dark.
”Sniff… damn it. This is cruel. Why do we have to go through this?”
”Young Master, please—stay strong. Keep your heart steady.”
”I’m carrying both our hopes, you know? I can’t… I can’t anymore. I can’t even see through the tears.”
”Hold on to me. We’ll move forward, one step at a time.”
”…Okay.”
We staggered on, our steps weak and heavy.
Tears blurred my sight as I tried to calm my heart, but nothing worked.
Each time I saw something new in the glowing sea, a sharp ache of longing tore through me.
Ah… if only I could dive into that sea and never come back.
I forced myself to focus, careful not to step off the path. Trash-san muttered softly to herself beside me, her voice trembling.
”Sniff… what do you see now?” I asked.
She gave a shaky laugh. “Don’t mock me. Beautiful, fragile young men—calling to me with their bare, perfect bodies. How divine they are.”
”Wha—heh… sniff… seriously? People appear too? That’s ridiculous. I just keep seeing my old memories.”
”Young Master is pure-hearted. I, on the other hand, was a poor, greedy child. I always wanted everything…”
”That’s not true. Since I met you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you pure.”
”…Ha.”
Trash-san actually laughed at that, maybe remembering my usual mischievousness. I found myself laughing too. Somehow, that small moment gave us strength to keep walking.
We moved on, both of us crying openly.
Trash-san took each step with care. I pressed my face against her back, wiping tears as I followed. Drops of salt water—tears, not waves—fell into the sand. It hurt, but we had to go on.
Just a little more now.
Ten meters to the small island ahead. I cleared my mind and walked, focusing only on the narrow path before me.
Then Trash-san slowed. Something shimmered in the water ahead.
”So this is it,” she whispered. “The final chance. To take what was lost—or what I desire most. At the very end, I must choose.”
The path was now thinner than my foot—barely ten centimeters across. We could only step one at a time, balancing like tightrope walkers.
And there, just off the path, floated the final mystical object.
It was close—so close I could reach it if I stretched out my hand.
But the sea was dark and deep.
If she stepped forward, the sun might fall completely. Maybe she could still grab it carefully—but the ground was narrow, her body tense, and the fear of falling held her back.
Trash-san stood frozen, trembling.
Would she reach for it—or resist?
I watched, hardly breathing.
If she gave in, I couldn’t stop her. I could only trust her.
Whatever she saw, I had to believe she would choose our safety first.
”…Trash-san,” I called.
”…Mm.”
”Hey—why aren’t you saying anything?”
”…Young Master.”
”W-what?”
Her back was shaking. She must have seen something powerful—something that hurt.
Without turning, she spoke.
”Why did you want that bandage at the start?”
”Huh? The bandage? From way back at the beginning?”
”Yes.”
”Well, because I wanted you to heal quickly. You were hurt. It looked painful…”
”I see… so that’s why.”
She gave a soft, broken laugh. Her shoulders trembled.
I stayed silent, watching her.
”Haha… Then my choice is clear,” she said finally. “There was never a question. To have a man who cares more for me than himself—no mystical treasure could ever surpass that.”
With that, she stepped forward onto the small island.
She turned, feet firm on the sand, and reached a hand out to me.
”I choose what I truly want,” she said.
Her voice was steady, but her face told another story.
Sweat beaded on her brow, her expression stiff, almost pained. She was clearly holding something back, resisting with all her strength.
And yet, that contradiction—her pride and restraint—made her even more human.
More real.
More beautiful.
I admired her.
Felt moved.
Felt love.
But then… I saw what lay near me.
My heart pounded. My mind went blank.
Even if the sun fell—even if I never escaped this dungeon—at that moment, I didn’t care.
Because I heard her voice.
”Yo, Young Master! You made it out alive, huh?”
Standing in the shallows—was C*mslut.
She looked exactly as she had before, calm and carefree.
”What’s with that face? You don’t look so good. I’m so happy to see you again! I really missed you!”
”…”
”Things got rough earlier, huh? Wait—earlier? Did something happen before? I can’t remember…”
”…”
”Eh, who cares! Come on, let’s go!”
I stood there, frozen.
She was only two meters away.
If we both reached out, we could touch.
”Are you all right?” Trash-san asked behind me.
”…Let’s go,” I said.
”Yes. No matter what you see—it’s not real.”
”Let’s just go. We have to.”
But my feet wouldn’t move. It felt like they were glued to the sand—roots holding me down.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull free.
My two Imperial Guards spoke in turn—one real, one not.
”Young Master! Are you okay? Why are you crying?”
”Young Master, your steps have stopped…”
”I can’t… I can’t move. My feet won’t move.”
”Hey, does it hurt somewhere? Or—heh, want to… connect again?”
”Just a few more steps, Young Master! Please, come this way!”
She was so close I could almost touch her. I swore I could even smell her again.
I leaned forward, swaying toward her. I knew staying here was deadly—but my body wouldn’t listen.
Then—my feet lifted.
A rush of weightlessness.
And suddenly—I was on the island.
Trash-san had grabbed and carried me across, setting me gently on solid ground.
”Forgive me,” she said quietly. “I don’t know what held your feet still, but I was the one who took away your chance to ever reach it.”
”…I’m sorry.”
”It’s all right. Let’s move on.”
”No… I don’t mean you. I’m sorry—for leaving her behind.”
We had finally crossed the path.
The small island was empty except for a single door standing in the center.
The sunset burned brighter than ever, its light spilling across the calm, rippling sea.
”Let’s leave. Quickly.”
”Yes.”
We pushed the door open, almost running.
Just as we stepped through, a voice called out from behind—a familiar, husky, teasing voice I’d come to know too well.
”So you’re goin’, huh? That’s a shame, but… guess that’s how it is.”
”…”
”Hey, Young Master. It was short, but fun while it lasted. I’ll never forget it, okay?”
I turned back.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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