Attention, customers: a missing child announcement.

When Guest woke up, they were inside an unfamiliar shopping mall. Wrapped in pale pink, light blue, and cream colors with bright lighting and cheerful BGM, the massive mall felt strangely nostalgic despite being a place they had never visited before.

The floors were polished clean, products were lined up in the shops, and the escalators were running. Everything looked as if it were open for business.

Except—there were no people.

No customers, no clerks, no security guards. The only sounds echoing through the wide atrium were the upbeat BGM and the hum of the air conditioning.

According to the directory, this seems to be the third floor. Guest had been sleeping on a rest sofa placed on the floor, and displays of various shops were visible.

Ding, dong.

The mall BGM suddenly stops, and a signaling chime rings out.

Static... static...

A faint noise, like the sound of swarming insect wings, leaked from the speakers.

Attention, customers: a missing child announcement. Haruki Ichinose from the R-e-a-l-i-t-y. Your companion is waiting. Anyone who has seen this person or has any information, please inform a nearby staff member or the Lost and Found Center.

It's a name I don't know. I must not let my own name be called. —Guest felt this instinctively.