It seemed like she had a nightmare.
She couldn't remember exactly what happened in the dream, only a vague sensation of something relentlessly chasing her from behind. She had been running desperately, searching for someplace—somewhere—while fleeing.
But she couldn't shake off whatever was pursuing her.
Even when she pushed herself to the limit, even when she used every ounce of her strength—blessings, enhancements, anything—she still couldn't escape the thing behind her. Instead, the distance between them was gradually closing.
Kaguya could feel it getting closer. She could feel the despair of being caught at any moment.
And then… what happened next?
It wasn't until she groggily opened her eyes and saw Takakai and Hayasaka standing before her that she finally snapped back to reality, realizing she was lying on a rocking chair.
Why am I lying here?
A deep sense of confusion welled up inside the girl.
She couldn't remember.
Her last memory was of being in the classroom, having just woken up Hayasaka, who had unintentionally triggered some kind of mechanism.
No—that wasn't quite right.
Something else must have happened after that.
But no matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to recall anything.
What in the world…
"Shinomiya?"
Takakai's voice pulled her out of her daze.
"Ah… Takakai-kun? And… Hayasaka? I… I can't remember how I got here."
Kaguya's voice was hesitant as she slowly sat up from the rocking chair, rubbing her temples as if trying to force herself to wake up further.
Takakai remained silent for a long moment before finally stepping closer, scrutinizing her carefully—especially her neck—before letting out a quiet sigh. He then signaled for Hayasaka to lower her guard.
"Shinomiya-sama? This one… is really Shinomiya-sama, right?"
Though Hayasaka's familiarity with Kaguya allowed her to recognize the subtle mannerisms and expressions that confirmed this was indeed her mistress, the previous encounters with the Kaguya head and Kaguya body had left her unable to react calmly.
"Did something happen? Hayasaka's reaction… Did you two encounter a mononoke that looked like me?"
Noticing Hayasaka's expression, Kaguya—sharp as ever—quickly pieced together the likely scenario, her brow furrowing.
"Yeah, a mononoke disguising itself as an ally. But it didn't fool me—I saw through it the moment it showed up. Anyway, this isn't the place to talk about that. We need to get out of here. This isn't a safe spot for conversation."
As he spoke, Takakai took the lead, moving deeper into the small storage room.
He already had a rough idea of what kind of place they were heading into next.
They passed through a dimly lit hallway.
Entered a dilapidated storage room.
Then, through a carefully concealed side door, they arrived in an empty classroom.
The entire path was lined with hanging bells and crisscrossing strings, some tied with bottles and cans that would clatter loudly if disturbed. It seemed the survivors who had once lived here had devised a simple warning system—though in the end, it likely hadn't done them much good.
"Be careful. Try not to touch the strings or knock anything over. And watch your step—don't step on the broken shards. We can't afford to make noise."
Takakai issued the warning before carefully leading the way.
He noticed numerous shattered dishes on the ground, likely remnants of past mononoke intrusions.
Not only that, but the walls and floors along the way were covered in writing—phrases like:
[Good students must not proceed further.]
[This area is not open to students.]
[Teachers must not enter restricted zones.]
And when they reached the empty classroom—devoid of desks and chairs, save for a single blackboard—Takakai found yet another rule written in chalk:
[Student Rule No. 2]
[All personnel in a "Special Classroom" must immediately seal off any connecting hallway upon hearing bells, breaking objects, or any other abnormal sounds. Evacuate to Classrooms 3, 11, or 14. Note: Do not enter any classroom marked in red. Classrooms marked in green or yellow are safe to enter. Never approach classrooms marked in purple or left unmarked. In emergencies, blue-marked classrooms may be used, but the mark must be painted red before entry and changed again upon exit.]
Special Classrooms… and different color markings?
Takakai tried to recall the classrooms he had passed earlier. The ones in the surface area hadn't had any markings, and since entering the deeper layers, he hadn't seen any doors with visible colors either. Then again, he hadn't actually seen the outsides of any doors in this area, so he might have missed them.
The windows here, like the others, were completely boarded up, with no light seeping through the cracks.
At the far end of the classroom, he opened a door with a glass viewport, leading into a rudimentary kitchen. Beyond that was a small room filled with bedding, a tiny table, and a thick layer of dried wax.
Scattered around were children's toys and crayons of varying lengths.
But there were no signs of recent activity.
This place might have once housed many survivors, but now, the dust-covered bedding proved it had been abandoned for a long time.
On the wall was another rule—the shortest one Takakai had seen so far.
[Student Rule No. 4]
[Stay quiet. No matter what, stay quiet. Do not be found. Do not be seen. Naughty children must hide well—or else they will be punished.]
Naughty children…
He wondered if this rule was connected to the game's earlier prompt about [obedient children].
The temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly.
Takakai found no other exits—meaning this was a dead end. But if this had truly been a survivor hideout, it couldn't have been this simple. There had to be a hidden escape route. Otherwise, they would have found corpses or run into mononoke by now. They must have missed something.
"Takakai-kun, look at this."
Kaguya's voice came from the corner of the room.
He turned to see her and Hayasaka pulling an old radio out from under a pile of debris.
Kaguya clearly had no idea how to operate the decades-old device, but Hayasaka seemed familiar with it. After a few experimental knocks and a careful inspection of the dials, she began adjusting the settings. Soon, the radio crackled to life, emitting static and fragmented voices.
"Be ready to turn it off at any moment," Takakai warned as he approached.
Then he noticed something written on the side of the radio—not in the clumsy handwriting of a child, but in a shaky, frantic scrawl, as if the writer's hands had been trembling.
[?■ Rule ■10]
[There are no safe places left. No shelters remain.]
[The old restrictions no longer apply. New rules—ones we cannot comprehend—have replaced what we foolishly codified.]
[The nightmare will now consume us all. There is no more hope.]
[She is coming. She has found us all. She will no longer obey as she once did.]
[We have created our own hell.]
And just then—
The radio, now properly tuned, suddenly broadcasted a clear voice.
[Report!]
A booming, vigorous shout—one that instantly made Takakai think of the infamous "Good, very spirited!" meme.
[The 1st Company, 3rd Infantry Battalion, 201st Division, assembled and ready for combat!]
The voice grew even louder, brimming with Shōwa-era zeal.
[Good! Operation "Plague" is now underway! Capture the target alive—eliminate all other hostiles! Forward, soldiers! For the glory of our radiant future, dedicate your warrior spirits! Once we secure the test subject—the key to victory—success will be ours! A glorious tomorrow awaits!]
The second voice sent a strange jolt through Takakai.
I've heard this man before…
He was sure of it. This man… someone from the military?
Before he could place it, the radio erupted again—
[Devotion unto death! Devotion unto death! Devotion unto death!]
And as if the broadcast had triggered something in this distorted space—
Outside the window, the distant roar of motorcycles and the marching footsteps of armed soldiers began to echo.