Tanimaki Works a Shift at a Haunted House (Part 1)

Tanimaki and his companions were walking along the shore of a lake.

Specks of light shimmered across the water, bathing the surrounding scenery in their glow. The crisp, clear air felt wonderful as it filled their lungs.

“Look! There are fish, meow!”

Tanimaki’s eyes lit up. His stomach had been growling nonstop for a while, and he looked ready to dive straight into the lake at any moment.

“I wanna go fishing, meow. I haven’t had fish in ages.”

Tanimaki imagined salt-grilled sweetfish, its savory aroma seeming to tickle his nose. His mouth began to water.

“We still have a while before lunch. Can’t you wait?”

Mayutan, who was walking at the front of the group, spoke gently, as though he were talking to a small child.

“I can’t wait, meow.”

Tanimaki was determined to keep doing things at his own pace.

“You’ve been eating and drinking as much as you want lately, Tanimaki. Our money is starting to run low.”

Debiru, walking ahead of Tanimaki, said with an exasperated sigh, keeping his eyes forward.

“I’m a growing boy, y’know!”

Although he looked no different, Tanimaki’s physical abilities were indeed improving by leaps and bounds.

“He’s right. We should let Tanimaki eat as much as he wants.”

Debiru, who was following behind Tanimaki, spoke up.

“Meow?”

Tanimaki sensed that something was wrong.

There was a Debiru in front of him—and another Debiru behind him!

“Meeeeow?! There are two Debirus!”

“What are you talking about?”

Debiru turned around—and found himself staring at another “Debiru” who looked exactly like him.

“W-Who are you?”

The Debiru in front of Tanimaki stared at the impostor, his eyes widening in shock.

“Heh heh heh…”

The other Debiru behind Tanimaki gave a sinister grin.

“So, you’ve seen through my disguise… Behold my true form!”

With that, the fake Debiru transformed in an instant into a troll that looked nearly ten meters tall.