To Survive A Harem System - Lucas Owens' Edition

41 - Who's There?

The bus pulled up to the town, parking outside. We passed a rickety old sigh, stating the name and population of the town.

Spotsville, Home Within The Oasis.
Population: 123

That's pretty low. We must've at least doubled the population count for the trip.

"We're here... not that there seems to be anything here... Other than this weird fog." The bus driver stated.

Hm? What do you mean?" Madam Cloud asked.

We looked out the windows at the town. It looked like one of those old western towns. All the windows were boarded up and not a single soul was in sight.

Lingering throughout the place was a mysterious fog... Heh. It must be because of the humidity here from the lake. It's pretty cool here compared to the rest of the Underworld. What a drastic change in temperature!

Author's Note: Minecraft biomes.

But most importantly... I didn't see any other buses. Where could the other students be?

"Huh. Strange." Madam Cloud commented. "I don't remember it being like this."

[BGM]
Who's There? - Persona 4 OST

"What do you mean, Madam Cloud?" Ruby wondered. "You've been here before?"

"Yeah. A year or two ago. It was much more vibrant and lively than... this." She explained. "And this fog..."

We got out of the bus, except for the bus driver who stayed inside. We walked to the entrance of the town.

"It really is empty..." El stated.

"I don't like this..." Muttered Illya.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." I smiled, ruffling her hair.

"Hm... I want a headpat too..." I heard Ruby mutter.

It's really not the time to be jealous...

Looking around the town, it was terribly quiet, unnerving. The silence wavered in the air. It was way too silent for a town even this small.

"What happened here?" Madam Cloud muttered.

Wandering through the town, we gazed at all of the closed buildings. It really did feel like a ghost town here.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" A light hiss penetrated the silence to our left.

Reflectively, I reached my hand into my inventory and grabbed the handle of my [Rock Hard Maniac].

Looking over, one of the windows of a building had been slightly opened and a single eye peeked through. From the outside, the building looked like a western pub. Like one that you would see cowboys partying at. Just like in cowboy movies. Yet even that felt empty and silent.

"What's going on here?" Madam Cloud asked.

"So you don't know..." The voice muttered. "C'mon! Get inside quickly before they arrive!"

The door to the pub opened. I glanced at the others, using my eyes to ask them if this would be safe.

"Come on." Madam Cloud whispered. "It'll be fine."

We hesitantly entered the dark pub. It was covered in darkness except for the couple candles which rested on the multiple tables, which had a plethora of people sitting around them. The morale was low, looking like they were in despair.

"Welcome to Spotsville. Or at least, what's left of it." Said the person whom had talked to us from the window earlier. "It's quite unfortunate you came at a time like this."