Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 48

Alright, then I’ll pretend to investigate the door and, when the opportunity arises, open it...

“There's a bed and... a table?”

Just then, Raphne, who was keenly observing her surroundings, noticed something about the room’s layout.

“...Ah.”

And then her eyes met mine.

“Se, Se, Se, Se...!”

“No, wait—!! It's not that, Raphne!! It's a kiss, a kiss!! That was deliberately meant to mislead us by the person who made this room!!”

As Raphne's face flushed red and her eyes widened, I waved my hands to correct her misunderstanding.

Her face was as red as if smoke were coming out of it.

Raphne either didn’t hear me or was pretending not to as she slowly approached.

“I-I’m fine, really…!”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I’m fine here right now!”

“So what are you trying to say?!”

The wild beast-like girl, gasping for breath, brought her trembling hands to my chest.

Her moist eyes gazed up at me, her cheeks flushed either from embarrassment or excitement.

A strange atmosphere began to flow.

“Ken…”

Raphne slightly closed her eyes.

At that moment, I...

“No, just push it, and it will open.”

“...Huh?”

Even in this strange mansion, I wouldn’t commit such an act.

Of course, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t tempted.

I left the confused Raphne and approached the exit, pushing the door to the side.

Clunk.

After feeling quite a strong resistance, the door smoothly opened.

A sliding door.

Though it looked luxurious and had a handle like a typical swing door...

Upon closer inspection near the handle, there was writing.

[Push to the side.]

In other words, the phrase above the door—[You can only exit by 스]—was a trap.

It was a ploy by the production team to create an intimate atmosphere among the characters.

Raphne, who was blankly staring at the open door, puffed up her cheeks and shouted when she understood the situation.

“W-Well, a kiss would have been okay!”

I see; she heard the part where I mentioned a kiss earlier.

Raphne looked at me with tears welling in her eyes, dissatisfied. It seemed she was disappointed that we hadn’t even kissed.

‘...Maybe she feels a bit hurt.’

Certainly, since we’ve already kissed, it shouldn’t be difficult...

I approached Raphne, who was turning away with a pout, and lightly tapped her shoulder.

At that moment, her sulky face turned to look at me.

Seizing the moment, I pressed my lips against Raphne's forehead.

“...Ken.”

“Since we’re outside, I thought it would be better to do this much.”

As I did, I felt embarrassed all over again and a rush of heat in my face as I looked away.

━ Pooof.

Then Raphne lightly leaned into me.

It seemed that my earlier gesture had eased her irritation.

“...Ken.”

But as Raphne gazed up at me, her eyes were once again dark and filled with an ominous glint.

“Then if we go back to the tower, you better prepare yourself.”

“...Y-Yes.”

Thinking about the male instincts I would have to suppress when we return to the tower made me blush and send chills down my spine.

We escaped the room like that.

After leaving the room and passing through a short corridor, we opened the next door and found ourselves in the mansion’s grand hall.

“Did we come out first?”

“Of course, Ken opened the door right away.”

“Sorry.”

It seemed that Raphne hadn’t fully recovered from her mood yet.

The hall had a luxurious atmosphere mixed with an eerie ambiance.

When we turned to look at the door we came out of, it transformed into the mansion's main entrance.

In front of the main entrance were stairs leading to the second floor and hallways on either side leading to other rooms.

Since we had to act together with the group, we sat on the stairs, waiting for the others to emerge.

After a short while...

Creeeeak━.

The second pair to come out were Mary and Emily.

Unlike the tense faces they had when entering the mansion, the two now looked flustered, avoiding each other’s eyes and appearing a bit excited.

As they opened the door and scanned the area, they spotted us.

“Ah, Ken! You’re safe!”

“W-What a relief. I knew we were in the same room…”

Both of them, realizing that the others were in the same room as them, froze.

━ They stopped speaking simultaneously.

Then, without anyone saying who was first, they rushed toward me.

“W-Wait a second...! So how did Raphne and Ken come out together?! Did something happen?!”

“D-Did you kiss?! If not...!”

Given that they came out of that room together, it was only natural for them to think that we had completed the task.

However, I was more concerned about how to handle this situation and hadn’t acted rashly toward Raphne.

I silently praised my past self for suppressing my male instincts.

“...Calm down. The command phrase in the room was a trap. You just have to push the door to the side to open it.”

“Exactly, Ken did nothing and opened the door right away.”

Seeing Raphne puffing up her cheeks in annoyance, they seemed to calm their flustered hearts.

“Is that so? I thought…”

“So, that’s how it worked. Ken, you have impressive insight.”

I wasn’t anything special; I just knew the answer.

...Wait a moment.

If Mary and Emily didn’t know how to get out...

“W-Wait, how did you two get out?”

My question, which I blurted out in a moment of panic, made the two of them calm down again, turning red in the face.

“N-No!! It’s not what you think with Emily!!”

“Y-Yeah!! It's not like that!! We just kissed on the cheek!! That’s how the door opened!!”

So, they did kiss on the cheek.

I mean, the definition of a kiss isn’t limited to just lips.

From their perspective, it would make sense to try that one after the other. It seems that starting with the cheek worked.

Since there weren’t any scenes like a cheek kiss in the game, I couldn’t imagine it.

Maybe a kiss on the forehead like I just did with Raphne opened the door as well.

...But kissing on the cheek?

Who did that?

Emily... or Mary?

“Ow?!”

“W-What are you imagining?! You pervert!”

The flustered Emily attacked my side, her cheeks reddening.

They say imagination is free.

Anyway, the two of them, having come out safely, sat on the stairs with us to wait for the others.

Then...

Creeeeak....

The last two, Ziegfried and Ellice, carefully opened the door and stepped out.

“......”

“......”

The two who came out exchanged glances but couldn’t meet each other’s eyes, both blushing.

Even the normally calm Ziegfried had a red face, covering his mouth with his arm.

Ellice, with her flushed face, covered it with her hand and fidgeted nervously.

‘They... kissed, didn’t they?’

“They did.”

“Oh wow~. This is interesting.”

“It’s youth.”

Emily, Alicia, and Adrian had similar thoughts to mine.

Hearing their voices, Ellice flinched and noticed us.

“Ah, ah~! So you all were here! I thought we had scattered….”

Then, spotting Alicia’s smirk, Ellice’s face turned as red as a strawberry.

“W-What’s with that expression?! Why are you looking at me like that?!”

“Eh? Oh no~ I was just thinking it must be nice~”

“Don’t talk like a grandma when you’re a junior!! You perverted old lady!!”

With Ellice shouting in embarrassment, everyone had safely entered the mansion.

“…This is a huge lock.”

In the center of the mansion's hall.

As everyone gathered, Ken and his group checked the next exit.

The exit, looking like a door, was situated between the stairs leading up to the second floor.

A massive lock was hanging on it.

‘So this time it's a key hunt.’

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Ken immediately recognized what needed to be done this time.

It was a key hunt.

They had to search every open room in the mansion to find a key that would open this door.

“Shall we split up and look for it?”

Having brought as many people as possible for situations like this, Ken checked with everyone for their opinions.

Some agreed with him, but...

“W-Wait, won’t that leave us alone? That sounds a bit scary…”

Among those trembling, Ellice raised her hand to express her thoughts.

“If you’re scared, it’s fine to stay with someone else. And you shouldn’t get hurt, so don’t worry.”

This mini-event only creates a scary atmosphere; it doesn’t actually pose any threats like a real horror game.

As long as they don’t trip over their own fear, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“Then... Zieg, let’s go together.”

“Okay.”

Fortunately, those who were scared were able to find companions to explore with.

“Ken... um, will you come with me?”

“Ah, yes. You’re a bit scared, aren’t you?”

“Ah! Then I’ll join too!”

“Then it’ll decrease efficiency. Raphne will come with me.”

Raphne clung to Ken, trembling as Mary approached him.

However, Raphne was pulled away by Emily’s intervention.

“Ahhh~! Ke-Ken~!”

As Raphne was being pulled along, Ken gently waved his hand at her.

Then, suddenly remembering something he had forgotten, Ken hurriedly called out to the dispersing group.

“Oh! Just so you know, you might see some illusions that could trigger your trauma!”

“Eek!”

“Why didn’t you say that sooner—!!”

Mary whimpered in fear, while Ellice shouted from afar.

Feeling a bit guilty, Ken scratched his head awkwardly.

“Umm~ Raphne, do you see anything?”

“Ugh... Emily, you’re so mean... I wanted to be with Ken too.”

“We’ll see each other again when we find the key, so don’t be like that.”

Emily partnered with Raphne to explore the second-floor rooms.

They rummaged through drawers in what seemed to be a study, but each one was empty.

“…There’s really nothing.”

After searching aimlessly for a few minutes...

“Hey, Raphne. We’ve looked around here enough, so now….”

As Emily turned to look at Raphne, who had been with her, she saw something.

“...Kyaaa! Hahaha!”

“...Huh?”

A long-haired woman wielding scissors stood there.