Episode 4
What is the first bug in HelloHappyHotel’s hard mode?
The answer to that question can be found in a guide posted on a gaming community about HelloHappyHotel bugs.
* * *
【Title: Black Security Bunny Strategy】
【This jerk caused my game to crash like 10 times, so I’m writing this out of pure rage.
The moment you enter hard mode, you’ll definitely encounter the Black Bunny in the main lobby.
It looks like a regular bunny doll, except it’s got black fur and blue eyes. Picture it wearing a black suit, and you’re good.
Honestly, there’s not much to call a strategy. Just don’t run into it. If you think it’s coming, hide somewhere.
From what I’ve gathered, it seems to attack if the player doesn’t have a clear affiliation. Get attacked, and the game force-closes.
Here’s a pro tip: when the Security Bunny is nearby, you’ll hear a faint creaking sound. Kinda like a mechanical noise? Something like that.
So, play with the sound on if you can, highly recommend~】
* * *
The strategy is coming back to me in surprising detail. Probably because I’ve experienced this bug myself.
The creaking sound from beyond the door matched the noise from the game perfectly. I quickly scanned the scattered sofas and tables among the flower-shaped lights.
‘Gotta hide.’
No one knows what happens if you get hit by a bug while possessed…
‘Wait…?’
Hold on.
‘Do I really need to hide?’
Let’s think about this. The effect of getting caught by the “Black Security Bunny” bug is none other than a forced game crash.
Right. A game crash!
So, maybe, just maybe, I could use this bug to escape the game right now?
‘It’s possible!’
Even if it fails, it doesn’t seem too risky. Bugs that cause a game crash usually let you pick up where you left off once you restart the game.
‘Even in a possessed state… maybe it’ll just knock me out for a bit.’
Of course, there’s a lingering unease. The game never clearly showed what happens when the Black Security Bunny attacks.
I have no idea what’s about to happen.
But.
‘It’s either take a big risk for a chance at immediate escape or wander through low-level dangers for who knows how long.’
I’m not in a position to be picky. If there’s even a sliver of a chance, I have to take it.
I steadied my breathing and stood firmly in place. At that moment, the creaking from beyond the door stopped.
And then… the door opened.
“…….”
It was an intricately crafted bunny doll, so lifelike you could mistake it for a real rabbit.
If its blue eyes weren’t so glass-marble-like, if its body didn’t emit strange mechanical sounds, if it wasn’t wearing a black suit, I might’ve believed it was a giant rabbit walking on two legs.
Creak. Creak. Creak.
The black bunny tilted its head curiously upon spotting me. Then, it slowly glided closer.
Creak.
It stopped right in front of me. Up close, it was slightly taller than me, its eyes just above mine.
I swallowed hard. I’d been vaguely picturing its pixelated form from the game, but facing it in reality was overwhelmingly intimidating.
‘…What happens now?’
In the game, blood would suddenly burst from the player character, and the screen would turn red.
“…….”
In the suffocating tension, the black bunny’s glassy blue eyes spun wildly.
Spin, spin.
Spin, spin.
They kept spinning for what felt like an eternity… until they abruptly stopped.
Immediately after, the bunny’s head fell off with a thud.
“……!!”
Its head, barely attached by thin stitches, dangled limply.
For a moment, I was captivated by the horrifying sight. If only I hadn’t been.
No, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. From the spot where the bunny’s head had been…
《Unregistered employee.》
…a massive drill-like object emerged. Even if I’d noticed it in time.
《Eliminate.》
The gleaming drill shot upward, then plummeted directly toward me.
‘…Huh?’
It was instantaneous. The time it took for the giant drill to pierce my left eye.
“Guh, ah.”
My body collapsed. Red and silver lights alternated above me.
They say the brain blocks out unbearable pain, and it seems that’s true. I felt nothing. Or maybe there was no body left to feel anything?
I don’t know. Only one thought consumed the fragile thread of my consciousness.
‘I want to go home…’
And then, the last of my vision faded away.
* * *
Pain exploded through my entire body.
“Ugh, aaaaah, AAAAAH!!”
I writhed on the floor, clutching myself. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.
Am I dead? Alive? Where am I? What happened to me? What am I doing right now?
“Haaah!”
Then, as suddenly as it came, the searing pain vanished. It was as fleeting as tossing a lit match into a lake.
“Haa…”
My body was drenched in cold sweat.
I lay sprawled on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. Tiny specks of light, about the size of my palm, fell gently from the towering tree-like pillars.
This was still… the main lobby of HelloHappyHotel’s hard mode.
“What happened…?”
My last memory was that headless bunny bastard attacking me mercilessly. The thought of its unfocused eyes sent shivers down my spine.
And the overwhelming pain that followed, engulfing me from head to toe.
“…….”
It seems my “use the bug to escape the game” plan failed. So, as I suspected, I just passed out briefly and woke up again?
In other words, all that pain I endured was meaningless.
‘You bastard.’
Who the hell did this to me? Why do I have to go through this? I’ve never once wished for possession in my entire life. Not even in my dreams.
Amid my burning rage at everything, the worst part was not knowing who to strangle. Should I curse the past me who loved this stupid game? Or the developers who created this abomination?
Unable to contain my anger, I pounded the grass beneath me. I knew full well this was childish venting. I knew lying here throwing a tantrum wouldn’t solve anything.
But what am I supposed to do? Haven’t I been calm enough already?
“Send me back home…!”
The more I screamed, the more my suppressed rage surged. I buried my face in the artificial grass, flailing my limbs wildly in a frenzy.
I might’ve kept at it for a while if I hadn’t felt a vibration near my thigh.
“…? What’s that?”
Fumbling around my thigh, I pulled out a round object and brought it to my face.
It was the red compass-like pocket watch. The one BunnyPervert gave me, the one that opened to reveal HelloHappyHotel’s game interface.
But now, it was buzzing like a phone receiving a call. Forgetting my tantrum, I opened it in confusion.
“Does it have a phone function or something…?”
As before, opening the cover brought up the HelloHappyHotel game screen.
The interface was unchanged: darkened, disabled icons and the faded lobby backdrop.
But one thing was different—a notification bubble with an exclamation mark on the gear icon.
“No way.”
Could the quit function be active now?
I hurriedly tapped the gear. The system menu popped up, along with a small notification.
《Function Unlocked!》
《By achieving “First Death,” the Save function is now available!》
《Upon death, you will return to your last Save Point. Don’t forget to save regularly!》
What the hell is this nonsense?
‘HelloHappyHotel never had a save function.’
Not even in hard mode.
Is this something added because I’m possessed? Does that mean Studio Wonderland, the developers, are the ones who trapped me here?
‘I don’t know yet.’
Either way, the fact that this function unlocked after getting hit by a bug suggests that stepping on bugs will lead to a game over, followed by a return to a save point.
‘A save function in a healing game? These crazy bastards…’
Wait a second. If that’s the case, where am I right now?
The save function just unlocked, so no save point has been created yet.
“No way.”
A chill ran down my spine. I immediately strained my ears toward the door.
……
…Creak.
Creak. Creak. Creak.
