Chapter 90 090 The Dollhouse

090—A dreamlike little world. Amidst the uniformly blank expressions of Mori Ougai and Vladimir, Montgomery, who had not yet noticed the two people standing at the very back of the crowd, was talking happily.

Then, the two middle-aged men, both actually in their forties, just watched as a little girl, Mori Ougai, who was less than half their age, tried to act a little longer. However, with Vladimir squatting next to her, she simply lost interest and watched with Vladimir and Montgomery use what could be called an "unruly brat" attitude to threaten everyone who had been captured.

Then, Montgomery briefly mentioned the exit, and everyone rushed over without even confirming it.

During this time, Vladimir and Mori Ougai sat on the ground with their legs drawn up, like two mushrooms silently watching things unfold in the corner.

It seems that the two people were too inconspicuous, or that Atsushi Nakajima had attracted all of Montgomery's attention, and in the process, he didn't even spare a glance for the two mushrooms in the corner.

Mori Ougai, who unconsciously mimicked Vladimir's movements, asked, "Are we being treated like decorations that come with this room?"

As Mori Ogai spoke, Montgomery held a key in his hand and proudly introduced it to Nakajima Atsushi and Tanizaki Jun'ichirō.

Ignored and unsure of what to do, Vladimir brandished a gun gesture, pointing it at Mori Ougai: "You could say I'm being mistaken for a doll in this room, but how could an old man like you possibly be mistaken..."

At that moment, Atsushi Nakajima was talking to Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, and then the two of them quickly assumed an attack stance.

Then, a doll with multiple arms, huge stitches on its face, and a body proportion that completely violated ergonomics suddenly appeared behind Nakajima Atsushi and grabbed Tanizaki Junichiro in an instant.

Vladimir: "...So this is what Anne looks like?"

Mori Ougai: "...I don't think you'll be mistaken for a doll in this room, the difference in appearance is too great."

Countless puppet arms surged out from the white door, dragging the captured Tanizaki Jun'ichirō behind it.

"This is Anne, look." The giant doll named Anne returned to Montgomery's side, and Montgomery leaned against Anne happily as well. "Look, isn't Anne adorable?"

Vladimir: "...That thing doesn't look cute at all."

Mori Ougai: "...Now that you mention it, the decorating style of this house is quite strange."

Although it has a fairytale style, the composition and design reveal a sense of eeriness.

Looking at it this way, Montgomery's aesthetic sense is indeed extraordinary.

The two of them openly criticizing each other seemed far too conspicuous, especially since Atsushi Nakajima appeared to be caught in a dilemma. So Montgomery finally turned his attention to the two pretending to be mushrooms.

"Oh dear, were there two other guests here?"

Montgomery didn't recognize Vladimir, mistaking the two men for oddballs who had been dragged into this mess.

Of course, the two men's overly calm expressions made Montgomery more vigilant.

"Ah...speaking of which," Mori Ougai said, glancing at Montgomery who had turned away, before turning to Vladimir as if remembering something, "Do you know how to escape?"

Vladimir continued with his deadpan expression: "How could I possibly know such a secret? Didn't she just say that we should just go out through that black door?"

"She also said that the memory will be lost if you leave from a certain place, right? I'm asking if you know how to leave unharmed."

"I already said it's a secret of the group, how could I possibly know? Maybe Roland or Agatha would..."

Montgomery was startled when Vladimir uttered the word "combination." He then frowned and pondered deeply while Vladimir and Mori Ogai spoke. It wasn't until he heard the names "Roland" and "Agatha" that he suddenly realized: "I remember now, 'Childhood Love' Vladimir Nabokov, isn't that right?"

"Ah, congratulations on getting it right." Vladimir stood up and symbolically dusted off his skirt.

"The UN is also hunting 'Man-Tiger,' so how about we make a deal? Could we let us have this kid?"

Upon hearing the words "human-tiger," Atsushi Nakajima stopped thinking, looked up at Vladimir, and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

However, in the instant his attention was diverted, a huge arm emerged from the ground and grabbed Atsushi Nakajima's ankle.

Atsushi Nakajima: "..."

Wait, at least finish what you were saying...

Then several of Annie's hands emerged from underground and grabbed Nakajima Atsushi haphazardly, one of which pinched his face.

Atsushi Nakajima, who cannot speak: "..."

Why did you do this to him?

Vladimir watched as a lifeless Nakajima Atsushi was dragged into the doorway by a bunch of dolls, and a ring on his hand flashed light and transformed into a charging gun.

"Fine, it seems you're unwilling."

"Vladimir Nabokov, I've heard quite a few rumors about you before. But when it comes to your special abilities, they don't seem to be offensive, do they?"

Montgomery looked at Vladimir, who was considerably shorter than him, and flashed a rather "bright" smile: "Even if it's 'childhood romance,' this is still Anne's territory."

Vladimir, who had been indifferent, tilted his head and then felt his waist being gripped by a pair of huge, hard, human-like hands.

That was the sudden appearance of "Anne the Red".

Vladimir didn't even have time to react before the enormous Anne grabbed him.

"In Annie's game room, Annie is invincible!"

Seeing Vladimir captured in an instant, Montgomery's smile was genuine and radiant.

Vladimir, who had been captured, calmly turned around a couple of times to make himself a little more comfortable before looking at Montgomery with an indifferent expression: "Is there anything else?"

Montgomery, who was originally full of pride, became somewhat irritated by Vladimir's indifferent attitude. He didn't say what he wanted to say, but instead waved his hand, and a large number of puppet arms that poured out from the white door grabbed Vladimir.

Only now did Montgomery breathe a sigh of relief, turning to Mori Ougai: "Alright, now it's time..."

"Is this really the end?"

Vladimir's calm voice rang out from behind Montgomery, sounding nothing like the voice of someone who had been captured.

Almost instantly, Montgomery turned his head with a speed that nearly broke his spine, looking in Vladimir's direction.

The doll originally called Anne has turned into a giant inflatable balloon. Vladimir has a steel needle between his fingers. As Anne, now a balloon, is expelled from her body, she swings for a while and then turns into a flat piece of cloth.

On the other side, the puppet hands that were originally trying to grab Vladimir have all turned into soft, powerless rag doll hands made of real cloth and cotton.

The doll had no strength to support Vladimir's weight, and with the help of gravity, Vladimir naturally fell back to the ground.

Vladimir, holding the needle in one hand and rubbing his neck with the other, looked at Montgomery's astonished face and clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"At this level, you wouldn't even be able to kill me in your wildest dreams."