Subtle Unease

The stairs feel far too long for a basement. It almost feels like I've descended down several skyscrapers already. I mean, maybe it's just my brain playing tricks on me, but for some reason, it feels like I've been walking for quite some distance now.

It's a game. Of course, that's why this nonsensical basement goes down forever. 

A thought does cross my mind however. What if the basement is dangerous? I mean, I could run into some kind of boss battle down there. The dark steps prevent me from seeing far, and I might not detect any threats until it's too late. A horror story I once read about eternal stairs now crosses my mind. Maybe Chisaki is right. I should turn back. I should-

My foot knocks over a small pebble that was on the stairs, and it bounces down the wooden steps, until it clatters upon what looks like a wooden door.

There's light coming from underneath.

God, this is stupid. It's like those idiot protagonists from horror movies that keep going deeper despite all logic.

I open the door.

...

It's a fairly large, if ordinary basement. There are chisels and hammers lying about in various locations. One of the chisels has an engraving on it that says "Chisaki's favorite chisel!"

Are you a sculptor, Chisaki? Well, there are statues. Marble statues of people, crowded around the entrance. I turn around to see one right in front of my face, and I fall over with a shout, surprised. Hell, that's not good. I get up and stumble into an open area.

The statues look like they're in agony. One has such a look on their face that it seems like it's looking at me.

Wait, is it looking at me?

I turn around, and there are several other statues in varying states of what appears to be, pain. They are all facing me. Or is that my imagination?

Oh fuck, please don't tell me this is some kind of Weeping Angel statue. I have to get out of here. Chisaki was right. I don't need to be in this place.

I think the statues moved. But they're not exactly moving towards me. Or was that there? Was that always facing me?

Also, is it just me, or are there more statues?

Something grabs me, and I jump back, screaming. This is it. I have to fight-

"Hinata? What are you doing down here? After I told you to stay put!"

Oh thank god, it's Chisaki!

It's...Chisaki...

There's something different about Chisaki. It's cold, iron. Her tone isn't panicked or even angry, it's just...intrigued. For a moment, I feel like there's a weird glare coming from her eyes. 

Like she's enjoying it. And yet, there's a hint of pain.

Even some kind of weird lust. 

I don't know what to make of it.

"Chisaki. I'm sorry, I-"

"Hmmph. Well, things are certainly interesting now, aren't they?" Chisaki mutters.

"I'm...sorry..." I say, as I back away from her. "Are these...your sculptures?" 

"Let's get out of here." Chisaki says. "Come on. I don't want to be down here any more than you do." Her face is bright and cheery again, as if none of this happened.

I take a good look at the sculptures. What kind of twisted mind do you have to make these, I want to ask her, but I keep my mouth shut. 

"Look, we'll just pretend none of that ever happened, okay?" 

"I...alright. I'm sorry."

"If you choose to forget this, I'll forgive you. Deal? Please, I'll be a good girl for you. So you have to be a good boy and forget all this, okay?" She looks up at me with those pleading red eyes, and I find myself losing my mistrust. People have weird hobbies. I mean, I haven't even asked if she's made these yet. For all I know, she just found them, or can't move them out of the basement.

I...shouldn't pry.

Is that really the best choice?

I take her hand, and we walk up the stairs, before coming back to the door. I'm aware of the fact that the distance here to the door was far shorter than vice versa, but it's a game. I shouldn't worry. Everything is normal.

Everything has to be normal.

***

"Amazing movie." Chisaki says as the credits to the final movie rolls. I look at her. Not an ounce of stress on her face.

"Y-yeah." I say.

What am I even supposed to say at this point? Noticing my unease, Chisaki looks over to me.

"You're quiet. What's wrong?" She gives me a warm smile that almost wins me over, but the left side of my brain is now telling me that I shouldn't trust it.

She's really cute. 

But that's why I can't trust my instincts right now.

"Hey, Hinata? Earth to Hinata?" Chisaki pouts. "Okay, if you want to ignore me like that, fine. I'll go feed my pets." She gets up and walks away from me.

Despite the alarms going off in my head, I don't want to be alone. I can't trust Chisaki anymore, but she's also my only lifeline.

God dammit, why did I go down into the basement, and was that a mistake, or was that a warning?

I watch as Chisaki feeds her pets. She looks like a normal girl. She's cute. Small reddish brown twintails. A cute face. And I'll admit, a shapely body.

She's the whole package.

But...

"Hey Hinata, you want to feed them as well?" Chisaki turns to me with a smile. Upon seeing my face though, she looks away, a slightly guilty, then annoyed expression of her face. "Hinata, are you still dwelling on the basement?"

Chisaki walks up to me, putting my hand on her waist. 

"Hinata?" She gives me a smile again.

I grimly take my hand off of her, and approach the animals. 

"What do I feed?" I ask her, grimly.

"Uh, how about the frogs? Are you not good with insects?"

"No, I'm terrible with them."

"How about the fish then?"

I take a few pellets and sprinkle them down into the fish bowls. How do I break things to her? I have a feeling she's going to go ballistic if I tell her that I now want out. But I can't take this anymore. She has full control of the situation here. Hell, she controls my apartment cameras and my microphones, and who knows how much more.

"Hey Chisaki, where do you buy the animal food?" I ask numbly.

"At the store. I told you, we have a whole economy here. The NPCs aren't exactly smart, but they know how to do basic stuff like storekeeping. Especially when things like supply chains don't matter and it's all just magically spawning food."

"Exciting."

"Hinata?"

"Chisaki, how...how do I leave?"

"Leave?"

"Like...get out of here. Am I a unconscious in the real world? Is time passing? I need to get ready for work and stuff."

"Time...time passes in the real world much slower, yes." Chisaki says. "But...you're not unconscious. You're literally in the game. So there's nothing to worry about for the next few hours."

I stare at the animals.

"They're...cute, aren't they?" Chisaki gives me a smile. "Just like you!"

"Huh."

"Hey, this one looks like that desert rat, doesn't it? The tiny cute ones." I say nothing. "Hinata, are you ignoring me?" She gives me a playful wink and leans in, but after seeing the absence of my reaction, she pulls back. "Hinata, you meanie. But that's okay, I still love you."

I can't be emotional.

"A desert rat should be free in the desert." I say numbly, quoting the movie. "Not cooped up in a cage like this."

"Well, he's not really a desert rat. Those are fictional!"

"It's metaphorical. It's about ideals."

"Whatever." She reaches into the cage and pets the rodent. "Who cares about that, really? And ideals...come on, now you're just mocking me."

"I feel like a rat."

"Hinata, what's gotten into you? It hurts, Hinata...I'm a person, you know. Whatever, I forgive you. Let's have fun!"

"Aren't you technically an NPC?" It's hurtful, but I say it anyways.

"I...I'm not like those automatons. I'm not preprogrammed. I might not even respawn if I die."

"They...respawn?" Chisaki perks up as I ask her the question, her face lightening up.

"Yeah, they do. Oh, I know! I'll take you to one of the combat zones I mentioned earlier later on. How does that sound?" Chisaki says. " We could reenact the battle scenes from the movie! If you want, I could even reverse engineer something for you to have in your personal inventory. I bet you could rack up a good killscore with the kit I have in mind for you..."

"Uh...sure, sounds fun." I say. "I guess it doesn't matter if they're literally brainless NPCs.

"Besides," she says with a flourish. "Does all that really matter anyways? I doubt it. As long as I'm having fun and happy, that's all that matters to me. That's what all humans are like, deep down. All that talk about ideals and beliefs are at the end of the day, justification for doing what we do best."

"And what's that?"

"Following our instincts." She gives me a proud smile, like she's delivered me some great wisdom.

"I don't know. I feel like there has to be more to it than that."

Chisaki shrugs.

"If that's the way you feel, I guess. Not much I can say about it." She smiles, but there's a hint of sorrow on her face. "Before you leave, I should probably treat you to some fun. There's more beyond this house, you know."

It's a fucking trap. I need to get out. I need to escape.

"Chisaki, I really have to get out of here. I have work to do tomorrow-"

"Why?" Chisaki snaps at me. "Why do you keep trying to leave?" She looks at me with those big giant puppy eyes, and I find myself melting, but I can't. "Do you not trust me anymore? Do you hate me?" She looks down. "You're not scared of me, are you? I'm not a threat to you. I promise. I just want a partner. I just need someone who-"

"I...I have someone else I like." I finally say. "And I have a date with them tomorrow so..." Just then, I look back at Chisaki, who looked shocked.

Chisaki looks crestfallen, as if someone stabbed her in the heart. There's subtle tears forming around her eyes. For a moment, I find myself feeling like a monster, and reach out to reassure her when a voice in the back of my head starts to speak, asking if she's about to go sicko on me.

"Oh, I see." She looks down. "I see. It's ok. I understand."

My heart finally melts.

"I'm sorry." I walk forwards to embrace her, but she swats my arms away.

"I understand." 

She crumples onto the ground, and there's a long pause as I stand there, awkwardly.

"I'm sorry." I say again.

"Why?" Chisaki asks. "You have everything here. You have me, you have the simulations, you have everything you can ask for-"

"Chisaki...I..." Oh god dammit. Please don't make me say it. "This isn't...real. You know what I mean."

"Oh, I see. Is that it then?" She stays on the ground, crumpled up in a ball, and I go out to embrace her again, but just as I do, she suddenly gets up and looks up at me with a glare in her eyes. "You've forgotten about me, haven't you?"

"What?" She gets up with a strange glare in her eyes.

The same look she had in the basement.

"I get it. I really do." For a moment, she seems to relax. Then there's a glint of metal.

She...she has a knife.

"Wait, hang on-" I start to back off. 

"You're mine, as I said," she snarls. "And I have no intention to share you."