-Wait, what is this?

It there was a time to describe this place in a word it would be: chaotic. The in-game time was shifting from day and night. The buildings and trees were being converted into data codes. NPCs were appearing and disappearing with deformed forms. The red box message was flooding the screen.

[ERROR]

-No...no, no, no!

He tried to move, but there was no response from the game. Even the quick load hotkey was not working. Quickly, Chris opened the menu to load manually, but-

-Ah, c'mon!

There was no success. The transparent screen of the menu was there, but he couldn't select any of its options. Now, it can't even be closed.

-Seriously, why this happened now?!

In anger, the boy hits his knee. The game bugged and he couldn't blame anyone except himself for this.

(And I was so close to using all the items too! Urg!)

All his efforts for nothing. All those hours spent getting the items lost. He looks at the screen again, to the chaotic sight of a buggy game. A game he thought he knew everything, but he didn't. A game he wanted to play.

(As if I would let this end like this!)

Chris got his hands back on the keyboard and started to smash the keys. It didn't matter what he pressed nor what he opened, the boy wouldn't let this end without a fight.

(C'mon! C'mon! C'MON)

But, there was no response from any command he tried. In fact, most of them even made the screen looks even worse than before. Options menu, inventory menu, skill menu, all of them where opened and stuck on the screen. Like the main menu he opened before, all of them were transparent, but, with all of them opened, there was almost no clear sight of what was happening behind them.

(Dammit! Another one!)

Yet, Chris didn't give up. Some would say he was a fool for trying to fix the glitch, but, as a gamer, he wouldn't abandon something he worked so hard for. There must be something, something Chris could do to fix it. This hope, this small glimmer of hope, keep the boy moving. However-

(No...no, not now!)

A sight that made his sweaty hands stop. Behind all the screens, it was walking towards him. Slow steps, steady steps. The black silhouette was getting closer and closer with the scythe in hands.

The character couldn't move. The trick wouldn't work. The killer was getting near. [Game Over], the thought of the screen after dying appeared in Chris's mind.

(C'mon, move you oblivious idiot!)

Driven by fear, he tried even harder to move the character, but it couldn't be moved with the menus open. Of course, that wasn't applied to others in-game characters.

The steps were getting louder and louder each time the killer was getting near. The keys were getting louder and louder each time the boy pressed them. Sweat drops from his forehead on the keyboard. His face was almost touching the screen without him noticing.

In the end, the inevitable.

-Ah...it's over...

With tears in the eyes, the boy could only talk one phrase in front of it. The killer, so close that it's head almost as fitting the entire screen, was preparing the attack. Its scythe was being lifted with the blade pointed towards the player.

-Well...it was good while it last.

When the scythe was brought down, the boy couldn't afford to watch it. He closes his eyes and waited for the [Game Over] sound to appear.

...

......

.........

-...Huh?

But, it didn't happen. Curious, Chris opened one of his eyes and-

-Wha, no way!

The wasn't any glitches nor bugs anymore. The park was exactly was when he went there so many times. The character could move, all the menus were operating, everything was working normally. It was like that never happened.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

-And...it's...still there...

Chris couldn't believe it. Standing in the middle of the plaza, in the front of the fountain, it was there, waiting. The killer, Midnight Pumpkin, stood still, staring directly with its red glowing eyes at the player from a distance.

The boy was surprised. It wasn't trying to kill him nor run away, rather, it felt like it was waiting for him to come. Holding his breath, he slowly walks towards it.

[Care to move faster?]

-!!!

Midway, Chris stopped after reading the text box. For the first time, even when it was in the normal game mode, Midnight Pumpkin talked.

(Is this really a secret character? Was all of that a cutscene? If so, then why I-)

[You coming or what?]

-Ops, sorry...

Embarrassed by being called out, Chris walks towards Midnight Pumpkin again. From such a sight, the killer smiled.

[Great, what do you want?]

With that one question, the boy smiled when he got the chance he worked so hard for and just wait for the menu to open-

-Hmm?

But, even when he got near enough to interact, there were no options to interact with it. Confused, he stood there without moving.

[...What is the problem?]

It called him out again, but what could Chris do? Without a menu, there was no way of communicating with the characters. Then, when he looked carefully, at the end of the text box in the bottom of the screen, there was a vertical line blinking.

(Huh? Since when this is-)

[...This is really getting annoying.]

Tired of waiting, Midnight Pumpkin picked it's scythe and prepared its attack. Alarmed, Chris quickly typed on his keyboard.

[WAIT!]

The killer stopped, making his scythe vanish into the air.

[See? Was it so hard to talk?]

Exhausted, Chris responded.

[Sorry, I was thinking for a moment.]

[About what?]

[How to talk.]

[...]

After a moment of thought, the killer covered it's mouth with a hand and giggled.

[That was funny.]

Chris responded confused.

[You got some weird taste of comedy...ha ha...]

Seriously, Midnight Pumpkin asks.

[What do you want to talk about?]

-Hmm...

With a hand on his chin, the boy was thinking about how to talk with the unusual character. Then, he typed.

[Who are you?]

[Don't you know about Midnight Pumpkin?]

The killer looks strangely at Chris.

-That's not what I wanted to know... - The boy sighs.

He typed.

[I mean, who are you behind the mask.]

[...]

After being still for a moment, the killer reaches its hands on its pumpkin's head and destroys it. With interest, Chris waits for the hand to lower and sees-

-!!!

Nothing. Darkness. An empty shell made of data. How does it look behind the mask? Is it another secret heroine? An easter egg? That was something Chris wanted to know after knowing Midnight Pumpkin for the first time, but now...

-How do I respond to this...

[Did you like it?]

The pumpkin was restored like it was before. Startled, Chris typed.

[I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting that.]

[What you expected?]

[Who knows, a pretty face hahaha.]

-It would be nice if it were a new heroine tho.

[...]

Again, the killer moved its hand towards the pumpkin and smash it. Chris was confused as to why it did it another time, and then-

His heart skips a beat.

-...Wow...

Snow white skin, pink lips, rose red and watery blue eyes, platinum blond hair. With one word: beautiful. All the girls in the game were peerless beauty, but she was special, unique. Like a treasure inside a wrecked ship underwater, the girl shined amidst the dark.

Surprised or breathless. How did this happen? Chris didn't know nor thought about it. He just stood there, looking at her. She smiled at him.

[How is it?]

The boy gulped.

[It's pretty.]

The girl giggles.

[I see.]

The pumpkin was restored once again. Altho he was sad, Chris thought it was nice that Midnight Pumpkin was someone behind the mask.

(Maybe it glitched the first time and that's why she did it again?)

Such thought was the only answer he could have for that sight. And then, when he was thinking about how she looked, the girl said.

[Hey, can I ask you something?]

Chris was surprised.

[Sure, anything.]

Waiting to see the question, the boy smiled at the girl.

[Who are you?]

(Weird, doesn't she already knows that?)

[I'm A, nice to meet you!]

A. The name Chris chose for his character. Since he wasn't sure about the game at first, he decided to not think too deeply and just go with one letter to save time and the first letter he typed was "A". In the other files, he chooses the same name to honor the first character that made him like this game.

With red cheeks from the embarrassment, Chris only wished that he had chosen another name.

(Well, not like I could make up a good name anyway.)

He laughs at himself.

[Sorry, but who are you?]

But she tilted her head in doubt.

(Huh? Didn't she understood me?)

[I'm A.]

She frowns the pumpkin's eyes in anger.

[I want to know who are you.]

Chris asked confused.

[I don't understand what you asked, I'm A.]

The girl gritted her teeth.

[No, I mean you! I want to know you! Tell me!]

She points her finger at Chris.

[Who is the one behind the screen!?]