She couldn't remember how she ended up in such a place.
Her last memory was of an ordinary day at school. But when she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a filthy, dust-covered, foul-smelling bed in a rundown room.
Kidnapping? Ransom? Imprisonment?
All sorts of possibilities raced through her mind.
No matter what, this was an unprecedented emergency, and it had to be handled with utmost caution.
Shinomiya Kaguya immediately entered battle-ready mode.
To kidnap her—the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family—straight from Shuchiin Academy and bring her to this place, ordinary criminals would never be capable of such a thing.
She had to stay cautious and assess her surroundings. Acting recklessly might trigger unforeseen consequences.
Having quickly assessed the situation, she opened her eyes slightly without moving her body, scanning the room. She noticed the man lying beside her, who seemed to be feigning sleep but was clearly observing the room—his head was subtly moving.
From the side, she couldn't determine his exact age, but he looked to be a young man, maybe 18–22. His clothes were average quality, stained with suspicious red-and-white smears. He was tall, around 183 cm, roughly 25 cm taller than her, and solidly built. If he was trained, engaging him directly would be dangerous.
Being this close to a strange man was deeply uncomfortable for Kaguya, who had been raised in near-total isolation as a noble daughter. But her strict upbringing and cultivated rationality kept her focused.
This man could be another victim like her—or he could be involved in whatever was happening. Judging by how carefully he was pretending to sleep while observing the room, he was clearly cautious too. He might already have realized she was faking sleep.
If that were the case, the element of surprise was likely lost. She'd be better off creating distance first before attempting anything.
If only Hayasaka were here… No. That kind of thinking won't change the current situation. She had to act.
Just before she moved, though, a sharp screech rang out. Her body froze.
The same voice that Kai had heard began speaking directly into her mind.
[…Player Shinomiya Kaguya, this is your first game. Game difficulty: Dusk.]
[Your objective is: Escape from Shirakawa Apartments.]
[You have seven days to complete the game.]
[…]
The rest of the message was identical to Kai's, only the name changed.
Unlike Kai, however, Kaguya had no idea what was happening. Panic surged inside her. If her body weren't frozen, her face would have betrayed her shock.
What was going on?
She couldn't move—not even breathe. As the voice played, she literally stopped breathing.
She couldn't feel her body. If not for her honed mental discipline, she might not have noticed her own breathing and heartbeat had halted. It was as if her soul had left her body.
No kidnapper could cause something like this.
This went beyond all reason and logic—this was unreal.
What kind of situation had she been thrown into?
No, now wasn't the time to panic. Fear wouldn't help. What mattered was figuring out what to do next.
As the heir of the Shinomiya family, raised in the ruthless world of a corporate empire, her mind had long since been tempered. Even in the face of the unthinkable, she forced herself to stay calm and listened carefully.
Sacrifice game? Shirakawa Apartments? A seven-day limit?
The four clues seemed vague, but they had to mean something.
She considered many things, but there simply wasn't enough information yet.
As the voice faded, she regained control over her body and swiftly sat up, subtly moving her limbs while locking eyes on the boy nearby.
"Holy… crap…"
Kai had rolled off the bed, snatching the paper and backing away. Now upright, he looked at her.
Their eyes met.
"Uh, uh… Hello? Nice weather today, huh."
Not knowing what else to say, Kai waved and tried to look harmless.
"That voice just now… you heard it too?"
Kaguya stood beside the bed, keeping about three meters between them.
From her analysis, it was likely he'd been abducted too. She couldn't be sure yet, but starting a dialogue seemed wise.
"If you mean the one that said I'd become a player in a 'Sacrifice Game' and made my body freeze, then yes. You too?"
Kai stepped back again to maintain distance.
"I see. I'm Shinomiya Kaguya. May I ask your name?"
There was nothing in her expression or tone to indicate emotion. This Kaguya was even more intimidating than her anime counterpart.
Kai, however, was no stranger to hardship. Orphaned and raised on the streets, he wasn't easily cowed.
"I'm Takashina Kai."
"So, Miss Shinomiya, if I'm right, you suddenly blacked out and woke up here, yes?"
"Same here. I was packing at home, then suddenly ended up here. I think we've been pulled into something serious. Have you ever experienced anything like this?"
"And this printout… it looked out of place in this rundown house, so I figured it might have clues. Wanna check it out together?"
He raised the paper, still wary.
He saw the words "Shirakawa Apartments Rules for Living" on it. The text looked Chinese—she might not understand. But knowing Kaguya's background and brilliance, she might just read it fluently.
He didn't move closer. Partly because of the unknown situation, but also because the original Kaguya could judo-flip a 175 cm guy and knock him out cold, not to mention her training in archery, fencing, and martial arts.
"You can place it on the table. We can read it at the same time."
Kaguya pointed to a low round table, moving to stand across from him.
"Read it together?"
Kai didn't get it at first—was she going to stand next to him?
"Reading upside-down text isn't hard for me. Just put it down."
She added, staying on guard.
"If you say so."
Kai placed the paper down slowly, then stepped back.
He focused on the text.
Takashina Kai looked calm on the surface, but his insides were screaming.
On the other side, Shinomiya Kaguya remained vigilant as she read the paper as well. As she had said earlier, reading upside-down text posed no difficulty for her. She even finished reading faster than Takashina Kai and memorized everything at a glance.
[Shirakawa Apartment Survival Guidelines]
This was the title of the printout, enlarged and highlighted in red to grab attention.
[If you're reading this set of rules, you've probably just woken up in this apartment. You likely have no idea what's going on. You might be thinking of opening the door and getting out of here. Maybe even calling the police or trying other desperate things. I suggest you don't do that. Read through this set of rules as fast as you can and memorize it. It's the only way to survive here.
You need to understand that from the moment you were chosen by Shirakawa Apartment, escape became impossible. Adapting to these rules and surviving is the only thing you, we, and all those trapped here must do.]
The printed text used a bold, standard black font.
As he read, Takashina Kai instinctively felt a deep sense of unease gnawing at him, but he forced himself to stay calm and continued reading the so-called survival rules.
Rules:
1. You may only enter or leave Shirakawa Apartment between 8:00 am and 5:50 pm through the main entrance. Outside these hours, entering or exiting is forbidden—especially not through any other route.
(Sometimes, it may be safe to enter or exit at 7:59 am or 5:51 pm, but that's not guaranteed. Many people who thought they had figured out the "safe" windows paid the price. I doubt you want to join them. As for trying to leave through a window—don't. Not unless you absolutely have to.)
2. After 9:00 pm, do not linger anywhere outside your own room.
(Stay in the room where you first woke up. After 9:00 pm, every part of this apartment becomes unsafe—corridors, stairwells, everything. Don't worry about time accuracy. The clocks in the rooms are absolutely precise. They will not deceive you.)
3. If you hear a child crying and knocking on your door at the same time, do not open it. Do not make a sound. Pretend no one is inside until the sounds disappear.
(Nighttime in this apartment can be... turbulent. Just pretend you don't notice. In this building, children are taboo. I can't explain more yet. But curiosity will kill you—literally.)
4. After dark, do not turn on the lights, do not make any noise in your room.
(This rule is an extension of Rule 3. No lights. No talking. Keep your room dark and quiet, as if no one lives there. Also, lock the door. I didn't need to make that a rule, right?)
5. There are no children in Shirakawa Apartment. If you see any, do not talk to them. Avoid them.
(No one chosen to live here has ever been a child. The youngest resident was already 20. No outsiders can enter this building either. If you see a child, do not interact with them. If you don't believe me, try. Just be ready to face the consequences.)
6. If your path is blocked by a child and you can't avoid them, climb on top of a tall cabinet and wait until they leave.
(You'll notice there are lots of two-meter-high cabinets in the hallways, nearly reaching the ceiling. We set those up. You can barely lie on top of them. Sometimes we even stash supplies there. If you can't move past the child, get on the cabinet and stay there until 8:00 a.m. Some who broke Rule 1 survived by doing this.)
7. If you survive an encounter with a child, never talk about it. Don't discuss it. Don't write about it. Not even to yourself.
(This rule purposely avoids certain details. As I said—children are the greatest taboo here. You'll understand once you've lived through it. For now, just obey the rules and hope you never get that "lucky moment." Even if you're alone, don't speak. Don't record. Others have died—or worse, dragged others down with them.)
8. Room 304 does not exist. Do not talk to anyone who claims to be from Room 304.
(When meeting others in this apartment—excluding children—the first thing you must do is confirm which room they're from. If they say anything other than 304, you can at least trust they're human. But if they say 304—avoid them. Even if they were your friend, they are no longer the same. If necessary, use force. But do not kill or knock them out.)
9. Within any three-day period, you must stay at Shirakawa Apartment for at least one day. You may only leave for up to two days.
(Thinking of escaping forever? Think again. Anyone who stays away for more than two days will be pulled back here on the third—usually at night. You do not want to come back at night. We, the ones who wrote this, haven't given up. Survive. Only by surviving can we find a real way out.)
10. After staying in Shirakawa Apartment for six consecutive nights, you must leave on the seventh night.
(The number 7 seems to carry some kind of meaning here. Some think it represents a cycle. Whether that's true or not, everyone who stayed seven nights vanished—even if they never left their room. So don't stay too long. Go out now and then—it's good for your health.)
By the end of the rules, you probably have a decent idea of what kind of place this is. You might think I'm exaggerating. Trust me—this is no joke. Every one of these rules is written in blood. Follow them, and you might just live.
I am Masaru Kusuo, a long-time resident of this apartment. I'm in Room 309. If you want to know more, come find me during the day—except Sundays. I'm usually around.
---
The whole thing was over 2,000 words, but Takashina Kai didn't take long to read it.
Reading was one thing.
The mental impact was another.
What the hell… This is straight-up a Rule Horror story, isn't it!?
Where's my romantic comedy? My anime harem? My smug webnovel protagonist perks? Why did I end up as a lab rat in a cursed apartment!?
Why? Tell me why!?
His face stayed calm, but his heart was howling.