Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary!

Chapter 794: Cold [1]

I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the building.

The air felt considerably better out here. There were still people gathered near the steps, but none of them were asking me to introduce myself or how I had managed to get in. Probably, they already knew.

That alone was quite a pleasant turn of events.

I had attended the meeting, provided some useful information, and left without agreeing to do any additional work.

Everything felt great.

Adjusting my sunglasses, I started making my way down the steps while the others followed. Mia was saying something to Nora behind me, and Joanna had already taken out her phone.

It was then that I noticed Jordan.

He was walking a little farther behind everyone else, occasionally glancing towards the entrance. When he noticed me looking, he immediately straightened.

“Something wrong?”

“Ah… No.”

“Then why do you keep looking back? Did you leave something?”

“No, I…”

His gaze moved towards the building again before returning to me.

“Was what you said really true?”

I tilted my head.

“I said quite a few things.”

“About the doll.”

“Ah.”

Another one.

First Mia, and now him. I was starting to feel as though nobody had any faith in their Team Leader.

A little hurtful, considering how talented I was.

“Why? Do you think I made it up?”

“No, that’s not…”

Jordan stopped speaking as I looked at him.

Then he slowly lowered his head.

“…I wasn’t sure.”

At least he was honest.

I smiled and waved my good hand dismissively.

“Well, my information is accurate. But whether they accept it or not is up to them.”

I looked back towards the building.

“It’s also not that simple to clear the Gate.”

Jordan’s head lifted.

“…What?”

“Finding the doll is one thing. Dealing with it is another.”

The doll hadn’t been particularly difficult to find once I knew what I was looking for. That didn’t mean someone could simply walk up to it, pick it up, and leave.

This was an Ranked Gate, after all.

There were probably other ways for the doll to protect itself. There was no way to be sure that the woman was the only thing the doll was capable of summoning. Was the woman even its limit? Could she summon more?

I doubted they had managed to capture everything.

‘Actually, I’m starting to get interested in the doll. Maybe I should get the doll for myself.’

It was just a passing thought.

Unless I stole it, there was no way the BUA would allow me to have something so dangerous.

“But you said it would be easy.”

Jordan muttered as he looked at me.

Looking at him, I nodded.

“For me.”

I mean, I could just have the Voidwalker do all the work for me. Even Mirelle could probably do it.

“…..”

“But they’re not me. So it won’t be that easy for them. Still, I told them enough. It’s definitely much easier than it was in the past.”

I had already helped them more than I should’ve. If they wanted me to explain every little thing, then that would be way too much work for me.

I was currently trying to avoid that.

Jordan looked towards the entrance one last time before slowly nodding.

“Then… we’re not going inside?”

“The Gate?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t I say we were taking a break?”

“You did.”

“Then take a break.”

His shoulders finally relaxed a little.

Good.

Perhaps now he could stop worrying about things that weren’t his problem. I was about to offer him some more advice when something tickled the inside of my nose.

My breath caught.

“Achooo!”

I turned my head, bringing my good hand up just in time.

“…Bless me.”

Rubbing the bottom of my nose, I took another step.

Then I stopped.

My hand remained against my face.

Oh…

***

Mia watched their Team Leader walk away before turning towards Joanna, who was still holding her phone.

The directions to the nearest clinic were open on the screen.

“…Did he really leave because he sneezed?”

Nora was the one who asked.

Joanna looked up from her phone.

“That’s what he said.”

“Oh.”

Mia glanced in the direction the Team Leader had left.

“…..”

For the first time, she found herself unable to say a thing.

She thought he had been joking at first. Like… who would call a doctor because of a sneeze? But he actually did go.

‘What the hell…?’

Perhaps he really didn’t like getting sick.

Well, nobody did, but most people weren’t quite so eager to see a doctor after sneezing once.

“Let’s go.”

Putting her phone away, Joanna started walking towards the car. Mia followed, only to notice that Jordan hadn’t moved yet.

He was looking back towards the building again.

“Still thinking about the doll?”

His head turned.

“Ah… A little.”

“Didn’t you just ask him about it?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“He said it wouldn’t be that easy for them.”

Mia looked at him for a moment before smiling.

“But easy for him?”

“…Yes.”

That sounded about right.

She could almost imagine the expression he had made while saying it.

“Come on.”

She motioned for him to follow, and Jordan finally moved away from the steps. They walked behind the others for a few seconds before Mia spoke again.

“The Team Leader can be a little weird sometimes.”

Jordan looked at her.

Suddenly she thought about his recent actions.

“…Quite weird, actually. But he’s usually right about these things.”

“I’m not saying he’s wrong.”

“I know. I asked him about it too.”

That seemed to surprise him a little.

Mia shrugged.

“He goes through phases. In some moments, he wants to step on things. In other moments, he becomes reclusive and stays in his office for a long time, and in other moments he starts speaking in poetic yet nonsesical ways. He’s currently in that phase.”

“…Oh.”

“You learn to get used to it.”

Mia nodded.

“He is weird, but… his capabilities are real.”

She looked back at the building.

“I can guarantee you right now that within the next couple of days the Gate that one single Guild couldn’t clear will be cleared. All because of what the Team Leader said.”

She was doubtful at first too, but thinking about how the Team Leader was, she realized it was pointless worries.

“He’s not one of the youngest Team Leaders for no reason.”

Jordan remained quiet for a moment before slowly nodding.

“…Alright.”

“Besides, he told us to take a break. There’s no need to make that difficult.”

That was the part she was most excited about.

They reached the car just as Joanna unlocked it. Nora got in first, and Jordan opened the door on the other side while Mia slid into the seat beside Nora.

As she reached for the door, her nose suddenly tickled.

***

“It doesn’t seem like you have a cold.”

“…Are you sure, doctor?”

“Yes.”

The doctor sitting across from me lowered the thermometer onto his desk before looking back at me.

“There’s nothing at the moment that suggests you have one. And sneezing once doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve caught a cold.”

“I guess you’re right.”

I rubbed the bottom of my nose.

It felt fine.

In fact, everything felt fine. My throat wasn’t hurting, my head was clear, and I didn’t feel particularly different from how I had felt before leaving the building.

I had just sneezed.

Once.

That was all it had taken for me to ask Joanna where the nearest clinic was.

She looked rather confused, but she still found one. I told her to take the others back before coming here on my own.

Looking back, it had been a rather quick decision.

‘Kind of strange now that I think about it.’

I looked at the bracelet on my wrist.

Was I really cured?

“Has it happened again since then?”

I looked up.

“What again?”

“The sneezing.”

“No.”

“And you haven’t noticed anything else?”

“No.”

The doctor nodded and turned towards his computer.

I watched him type for a few seconds before lowering my gaze towards my hands.

‘Maybe I am being paranoid.’

It was possible.

After everything that had happened at the hospital, I was probably paying too much attention to things I normally wouldn’t have cared about.

People sneezed.

I had sneezed before.

Quite a few times, actually. None of those times ended with me sitting in front of a doctor, asking him about my general state. In fact, I had never gone to a doctor regarding colds in the past.

But…

‘I have a cold.’

Geneva’s brother’s voice came back to me.

I remembered how softly he had spoken back in the hospital. How he had stood there with blood running down his face.

My fingers slowly tightened against my knee.

“Are you concerned about something?”

I lifted my head and put on my sunglasses.

‘Damn, I really am paranoid.’

But I guess I was now sure the doctor wasn’t an anomaly.

The doctor was looking at me even more weirdly now, his hands resting beside the keyboard. From his expression, he probably thought I had other more serious problems than the cold.

And he was right.

“…I’d rather not get sick.”

“Of course.”

“I have quite a few things to do.”

He nodded, although I doubted he understood just how many things I had to do.

“What made you think you had a cold?”

I looked at him.

“The sneeze.”

“Right.”

“…..”

“…..”

When he put it like that, it did sound a little unreasonable.

I leaned back in the chair and slowly let out a breath.

It wasn’t as though I expected him to identify whether I had caught an anomaly exclusive disease or not. Even if something was wrong, there was a good chance that he wouldn’t notice anything.

I knew that.

I had known it before coming here.

And yet, I still came.

Perhaps I just wanted someone to tell me that I was fine.

The doctor turned back towards the computer, and I waited while he finished typing.

My nose had yet to bother me again.

The more time passed, the more it seemed as though I had overreacted.

‘It was just a sneeze.’

I rubbed the side of my face.

A little embarrassing, but I could live with that. I would much rather embarrass myself over nothing than ignore something I shouldn’t have.

At least now I could go back and rest.

“Alright.”

I placed my good hand against the armrest and stood up.

“Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re welcome.”

I nodded and reached for my sunglasses.

Then my nose started itching.

“Achoo.”

My hand stopped just above the glasses.

“…..”

Slowly, I looked at the doctor.

He looked back at me.

“…That’s just—”

“Achoo.”

“…..”

“…..”

His gaze remained on my face for several seconds.

“…You might have a cold.”

“Fuck.”