It was as if the cogs of my mind had been oiled up, and they started moving again. The moment I heard the Matriarch’s words, something clicked.
’…Animator.’
I slowly turned my attention towards the TV.
Mr. Jingles. He was… a cartoon character.
He was part of a greater animation with a whole background and everything.
My eyes couldn’t help but fix on the child in the corner. He was drawing as usual, his gaze fixed on the drawing.
’Could he be Mr. Jingles? Could he…’
My heart sped up at the thought.
The more I stared at the child, the more unsettled I felt.
From the slow movements of his hand to his seemingly detached gaze. The more I looked at him, the more it felt like I was onto something.
’It’s him. It has—’
“I think the reason why he doesn’t speak so much is because he’s still struggling to cope with his father’s death. It’s such a pity since things were just turning around for them.”
Hearing the Matriarch’s words, I blinked slowly and turned to look at her.
“Turning around…?”
“Ah, yes… They weren’t doing so well before his animation came out. They were struggling financially, and Chris used to come here on certain occasions when his father had to move to other islands in order to attend some work meetings.”
“I see.”
I could see why the child was always by himself.
To have lost his father so early, and so suddenly… A lot of children would turn out like this. I wasn’t that much different in that regard.
But it wasn’t like I could recall much about my parents.
I just knew that they were nice.
“Hm? Seth…?”
Hearing the Matriarch’s words, I smiled at her and walked towards the child.
’If he’s likely Mr. Jingles, or the source of everything, then I need to get closer to him.’
It said that this was a game of ’Hide and Seek’. I struggled to understand what the quest was trying to say at the start, but I now understood.
[Containment Vessel].
By tag… it meant that I had to use my skill once I found his true body.
I couldn’t do it with the glasses on since that would subject me to a direct attack from Mr. Jingles. However, the same couldn’t be said if I did it while it was hiding in a child’s body.
These were all hypotheses, but I was almost certain that this was the correct method.
Now, all I needed to do was—
“…..”
Stopping right before the child, my eyes fell on the drawing before it.
It was the same as usual.
The drawing of a clown. From the long shoes to the nose… Everything was the same. Or at least, that was how it seemed at first.
But then—
I noticed it.
’Eye…’
Instead of the swirling black void, I saw an eye on the drawing.
My breath paused, and the world around me seemed to freeze.
Flick!
“——!?”
The TV in the distance flicked on.
Silence.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
The forceful taps of the rain on the windows echoed loudly.
A flash tore through the room.
And—
Tatata~
The familiar chime rang in the air.
’Shit!’
I moved immediately, dashing towards the TV. I had to turn it off before it was too late.
But just as I moved, a character popped up on the screen.
With his bright red hair, red nose, and pale face, it was Mr. Jingles.
I froze.
No, it was more like…
I couldn’t move at all.
“Hello everyone~”
He waved at everyone.
So did the people standing behind him.
“How have you all been doing?”
Mr. Jingle’s squeaky and joyful voice echoed throughout the entire room as cold sweat trickled down the side of my face while everyone stared at the TV blankly.
’No, no, no, no, no…’
Despite my best attempts at moving, I couldn’t move at all.
’Fuck, that rat…! How long is he going to take to shut down the electronics?!’
In hindsight, this was my fault. I should’ve unplugged the TV from the start… However, the main reason why I didn’t do so was because I was afraid of alarming the Mr. Jingles, who was hiding among the children.
I was afraid that the moment I tried that, Mr. Jingles would act.
But…
’Damn it, I should’ve tried it regardless!’
BANG!
A thunderous boom echoed through the air, shaking the walls and rattling the floor beneath us.
“….!?”
That was all it took for me to snap out of the state.
However, it was already too late.
“Do you all want to play a game?”
Mr. Jingles’s smile slowly stretched until it reached his temples.
“Mr Jingles says~”
The silence settled once more, and in that moment, I slowly felt Mr. Jingles’ head turn in my direction.
Our eyes met.
My breath left.
And—
“…Catch him.”
My stomach churned in that moment.
I…
Really needed to puke.
And as if that wasn’t enough.
Flick!
The TV turned off, alongside all the lights.
The surroundings grew dark.
In the silence and darkness, the only sound was the relentless tapping of rain against the window.
But then—
A bright light flashed into the room.
It wasn’t for long.
Just a split second.
However, that was long enough to see it.
Every head turned toward me.
Children and staff alike.
They were all…
Smiling.
***
“Why the hell is it raining even harder?”
“…Beats me.”
Kyle muttered, eyes fixed on the downpour around them. The rain fell harder than before, almost like a curtain, yet as they walked, it never touched them. It stopped just at the edges, as if something invisible shielded them.
“Apparently, this region just tends to rain a lot. Looking at how the people aren’t even surprised, I figure they are mostly used to it.”
“…I guess.”
Zoey replied while stopping before another house. It was not much different than the house from before, but unlike the other one, this one seemed a little bit more rundown, with the stone steps containing a lot of overgrown weeds.
The building also appeared to be a two-story one, and Kyle and Zoey didn’t waste a single second to infiltrate the place.
Creaak—!
The wooden door creaked open, revealing the cramped interior of a small apartment. A musty scent hit them instantly. Papers, clothes, and unwashed dishes were strewn about in what could only be described as a complete mess.
Walking into the apartment, the two looked around.
Eventually, Kyle stopped by a certain frame. He picked it up and looked at it, unable to hold back a small laugh as he looked.
“Look at this. Doesn’t this remind you of Seth?”
Flipping the frame over, Zoey caught a glimpse of a man with glaring black circles, black hair, and a lifeless expression.
While his appearance was completely different from Seth’s, his general vibe was the same, prompting Zoey to smile too.
“…Almost uncanny.”
The two shared a laugh before going back to looking around the place.
There were a lot of things to look at, but most of them were on the floor.
“What in the world happened here? It almost feels like a storm has passed.”
Bending over to pick up another frame, Kyle’s face froze.
His sudden reaction didn’t escape Zoey’s gaze as she looked at him curiously.
“What happened? Did you find something…?”
“…..”
Her words were met with silence.
But then—
“Go.”
Kyle muttered, his voice low.
“Eh? What…?”
Flipping the frame over to show the same man from before, holding onto a child that the two were familiar with, Kyle’s voice grew louder.
“We need to go back to the orphanage, now!”