Even when fully prepared, encounters with ayakashi could still catch you off guard—a fact Takakai knew all too well.
"Ahh, found you! Finally found you!"
The severed head on the floor giggled with delight.
Meanwhile, its headless body had already crawled entirely under the bed, its hands reaching for Takakai.
BOOM—
In the next instant, Takakai flipped the entire bed fort upward, sending planks flying.
Before Hayasaka could even scream, he'd yanked her into his arms, kicked a bed into the headless figure, and—using the recoil—launched himself backward like a human projectile.
BANG! BANG!
Two shots struck the entity's chest, staggering it just long enough for Takakai to jam the Blood Key into the door lock, twist, and kick the door open.
They tumbled through—
SLAM!
—and he wrenched the key out, sealing the thing on the other side.
Crisis averted.
Takakai took a steadying breath, then scanned their new surroundings.
This time, he'd aimed the key for "near Shinomiya Kaguya's location." If all went well, they'd find their missing teammate soon.
Pitter-patter… pitter-patter…
The sound of rain was unmistakable. They stood in a hallway, its windows boarded up with planks—likely ripped from desks and chairs. Scrawled on the wood:
[Don't look outside.]
[Don't let them see you.]
The door behind them was now a classroom entrance, identical to the one they'd used earlier.
Faint light seeped through the boarded windows. Was it daytime here? Or just another illusion?
Either way, Takakai had no intention of testing it.
"Stay low. Move along the wall. Don't let your silhouette pass the windows—something might be watching."
Hayasaka, though still dazed from the rough handling, nodded silently and followed.
Her discipline was impressive. Despite the whiplash of recent events—the Kaguya-headed monstrosity, the physics-defying escape—she prioritized survival over questions.
Maybe I misjudged her.
Takakai's initial resentment (over her stalking) had faded. Now, he just needed to keep her alive.
Soon, they found another crayon rule on the wall:
[Student Rule #5]
All windowed hallways are sealed. DO NOT look outside or linger in window light. If you find an unsealed hallway, you are not in a hallway. RUN. Find a sealed one. Stay hidden. Do not be seen.
Placed at eye level for crouching kids. Someone organized this.
Takakai grew increasingly certain: Survivors had once thrived here—likely children led by a few adults.
(Their fate, of course, was undoubtedly grim.)
Past the hallway lay a decadent but ruined hall.
Faded wallpaper. Cracked parquet. A shattered chandelier.
No sign of Kaguya—but no threats either.
"Relax. That thing can't follow us. The Blood Key doesn't just open doors—it links spaces. Once I pull it out, the connection breaks."
Hayasaka, still glancing nervously backward, forced herself to focus.
Yet… something itched at her instincts.
"I targeted 'near Kaguya's location.' We should find her soon."
"Thank you, Mr. Takakai. And… I'm sorry for surveilling you before."
Her blue eyes flickered with guilt.
"Save the apologies for after we survive."
He turned to explore—
Then froze.
Behind them, the sealed hallway was now—
Bright. Open. Unbarricaded.
And standing in it was—
Kaguya.
Or rather, something wearing Kaguya's body.
Her uniform. Her backpack. Every detail perfectly replicated.
But the head—
A tangled mass of black and red scribbles, contorted into a grotesque smile.
Step—
No movement visible—yet it closed half the distance instantly.
Takakai's blessings screamed.
He scooped up Hayasaka and ran.
"Hehe… HAHAHA!"
Childish laughter echoed as they barreled into a new hallway—
Unsealed. Drenched in light.
And lined with headless figures in lab coats and teacher attire.
Though eyeless, their gaze weighed on him—
From outside the windows.