Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Still Gotta Work

Blue Mascot.

The bizarre entity that had changed my boarding pass into a membership card. The one who even put out a missing person notice for me when I escaped the gate, treating me like a lost child.

The more I recalled it, the more unsettling its cute, blue dragon-like appearance felt…

A good kid!

Strangely friendly.

Just looking at it now brought me a sense of stability.

I stepped right up to the gate and waved at the Blue Mascot, who was fidgeting, unsure of what to do.

Realizing once again that neither of us could cross into the other’s zone, the Blue Mascot looked a little dejected but soon started enthusiastically waving back.

Some nearby guests, amused by the sight of the two mascots waving at each other across the gate, turned their attention to us, chuckling.

A good kid.

I came to see you.

And then—

I realized something strange.

‘I can hear it… more clearly.’

Not just the usual short, clipped mascot speech, but something deeper—like that grand, awe-inspiring voice I had once heard.

Yet, unlike before, I didn’t feel the crushing pressure that made me cough up blood.

It felt like a pure will being transmitted directly to me.

Was it because we were both mascots?

Right now, the Blue Mascot’s message carried two overlapping meanings:

‘You finally came to see me!’ and ‘I’m so happy and grateful that you came all this way!’

So, mascots could communicate this richly between themselves.

‘Which means… the guests around us can’t understand this deeper meaning.’

That meant we could communicate more directly.

I

Want to play.

!

Why

Did you invite me?

At the theme park, we had promised to play together. But when I got here, I was forced to work.

If that was the case, why invite me at all?

Hearing this, the Blue Mascot fidgeted nervously and hesitated before answering.

You can play.

…!

Make our zone.

What?

Then the Blue Mascot showed me something—a vision.

‘…!’

A shared area where the Yellow and Blue zones overlapped and could be used together.

‘Ah!’

I got it! This could be the third zone!

That’s how we could spend time together.

If we did that, I could cross into the Blue zone, and the Blue Dragon could come into the Yellow zone!

The guests would have twice as many rules to follow, but they would also have twice the fun!

And since our rules didn’t conflict, it was entirely possible.

We could enjoy each other’s theme parks together, forever, in this fantastic, joyful amusement park, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun, joyful and fun—

‘…!’

I bit my tongue.

…Just barely, I pulled my mind out of that vision…

‘I almost… just went along with it.’

The Blue Mascot’s will was corrupting me. No good.

Even without malice, it was dangerous.

‘Expanding the situation further is suicide.’

I waved my hand to calm the Blue Mascot and spoke.

What if…

I just quit.

I meant, what if I stopped being a mascot and simply crossed into the Blue zone as a guest?

But the Blue Mascot lowered its head sadly.

No.

……

A mascot… must exist.

An activated theme park zone must have a mascot.

Which meant, I couldn’t just quit being one.

‘I knew it.’

I expected this.

But if I forced my way out, the danger that followed…

A good kid… disappears.

‘……!!’

The Yellow Mascot would remain.

But I, as a person, would be cast away from it and vanish.

And if someone had already been too deeply merged with the identity of a mascot…