In the narrow hallway, aside from Takashina Kai and Shinomiya Kaguya who had just exited their room, there were already five other people present. Among them were four men and one woman. Excluding the unusually beautiful Maki Shijo, only the Black guy looked relatively young—about twenty years old. The remaining three appeared to be middle-aged men, all at least in their thirties.
The overweight executive and the Black guy both had obvious expressions of nervousness and confusion on their faces. If they weren't pretending, then like Takashina Kai and Shinomiya Kaguya, they were probably first-time participants in this death game.
In contrast, the tall white man also looked nervous but had a tinge of vigilance and unconcealable fear in his expression. Takashina couldn't yet conclude the reason for this reaction. He instinctively felt that the man might not be a rookie—either that, or he had seen something terrifying that the others hadn't.
As for the man with the backpack, he appeared calm and gave off the impression of a reliable veteran. The others were gathered around him—except for the white man and Maki Shijo—so it seemed that while Takashina and Shinomiya were still hesitating inside their room, this man had already gained some trust from the group.
Precisely because of this, Takashina found the man even more suspicious. This place was very likely controlled by supernatural forces in a death game scenario. Who knew to what extent people here would abandon morality to survive?
In summary: two seemed like generic background characters, one looked like a minor supporting role with some personal subplot, one was probably a human antagonist or an older brother-type character with a lot of secrets, and then there was Maki—an anime-style beauty that matched Takashina's ideal type, so she was exempt from his usual sarcasm.
As Takashina and Shinomiya sized up the group, those already present in the hallway were simultaneously observing the two of them.
Their gazes ranged from confused to disappointed, indifferent to unreadable.
The hallway was cold—eerily so, like a chilly breeze blowing silently.
Under the stark white light, Takashina noticed the couplets and "Fu" characters stuck next to room 203 had faded and were gray with grime, barely legible.
Peeling paint and shattered glass littered the floor. If stepped on carelessly, they would make a loud crunching noise.
He hadn't immediately found the staircase. After observing carefully, he concluded that stairs should be located at either end of the hallway. The distance was too far to make out clearly, but he could vaguely see the outlines of staircases on both sides.
Room 204 was slightly to the right of the building's center. If they encountered something they couldn't fight, the right-side staircase would be the nearer escape route. However, something about it felt strange. From afar, the structure of the staircase didn't seem quite right. Hopefully, it was just his imagination.
All that observation and thinking took only a few seconds.
And in those few seconds, the people in the hallway had also finished observing Takashina Kai and Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Students? Great, just what we needed—more dead weight…"
The tall white man muttered under his breath, looking displeased.
Apparently unwilling to cooperate, he immediately turned around and went back into his room, locking the door behind him. Takashina noted that the room he entered was 209.
"Hello, you can call me Old Guo. We all woke up in one of these rooms. Did you find a printed sheet with writing on it in your room?"
The backpack-wearing middle-aged man stepped forward and introduced himself to Takashina and Shinomiya. His tone was calm, with a friendly smile, giving the impression of someone trustworthy.
Mahime Shijou didn't greet them. She stood silently nearby, giving Shinomiya a once-over.
"You mean the Shirakawa Apartment Rules? So each room had one, huh?"
Takashina didn't try to brush Old Guo off. He had already noticed that both the Black guy and one of the middle-aged men were holding the same kind of printed sheet. Though he couldn't read the text from a distance, the bold red title made it clear they were the same.
So, the person named Masaru Kasou mentioned on the paper must've made many copies and placed one in every room?
"So everyone got one, huh? Looks like we're in luck—this should be a low-difficulty Dusk-level game."
Old Guo smiled as he said this, visibly more relaxed.
A low-difficulty Dusk-level game?
For some reason, seeing Old Guo with his "veteran player" demeanor, Takashina couldn't help but imagine himself as a defeated general escaping alongside him, only for Old Guo to suddenly stop in a canyon and mock historic strategists with a smug "If I were in command…"
"We'll talk more later. Trust me, everyone will be fine. Dusk-level games aren't that hard."
Old Guo clearly wasn't aware of Takashina's inner monologue. After saying a few more words, he turned his attention to the room where a scream had just come from.
"Still calling this a game… What kind of game is this…"
The chubby executive frowned even more after hearing Old Guo's words, clearly unsettled.
He had shown a look of disappointment earlier when he saw Takashina and Shinomiya come out, and now, despite his reluctance, he walked over and forced a friendly smile.
"Hello, are you from Huaxia too? I'm Sun Dajun, an executive at XX Corporation. Do you know what this place is? Is this some kind of reality show?"
Maybe it was because of the Chinese writing on Takashina's shirt that he was recognized as a fellow countryman. Though more likely it was the red-and-white stain on his clothes—which Takashina still suspected might be his own brain matter.
As for Sun Dajun's question, though he tried to keep his voice steady, the slight tremor in his tone betrayed the fact that he likely already knew deep down that this wasn't some kind of reality show. He just didn't want to believe it and was trying to lie to himself.
"I don't know, but I sure hope it is. Did everyone just wake up in a random room? By the way, I heard a scream just now. Anyone know what that was about?"
Takashina shook his head slightly, doing his best to appear ordinary and timid.
So far, nothing utterly irrational had happened. Barring extreme possibilities—like a psychic horror that had already driven them insane—Takashina assumed it was still a "safe period."
Just like in horror games and movies, there's usually a calm intro before things spiral out of control. According to the rules, the Shirakawa Apartment should be mostly safe from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.—as long as you don't do anything stupid.
So for now, he tried to appear weak and unremarkable, hoping to gather intel and stay off anyone's radar. Better to avoid being the first one to trigger a death flag.
Takashina looked like a timid, inexperienced young man. Even the normally cold Shinomiya had subtly adjusted her expression and posture, perfectly embodying a scared girl unwilling to talk. Her performance was even better than his.
She didn't even need to speak. Takashina thought it was a waste she wasn't an actress.
Thanks to their act, Sun Dajun quickly lost interest in them and turned his focus to room 205.
At that moment, everyone in the hallway heard the sound of stumbling footsteps from inside that room.
Bang!
The door to 205 burst open.
A blonde girl in a tank top and shorts, with heart-shaped tattoos on her arms, tumbled out and screamed incoherently, "Dead—dead body! There's a dead body!"
Her scream was piercingly loud. If her earlier cries were enough for the whole floor to hear, this one definitely was.
Appearance-wise? If 100 is a perfect score, she'd score 60—max. For reference, Shinomiya is a 95, and Maki Shijo is 96. The latter is more approachable, hence slightly more pleasing to the eye.
She didn't seem to be a character from any anime or movie—probably an original extra.
Usually, loud extras like this tend to be the ones who get everyone killed. Maybe it's better to just go back to my room?
As Takashina considered backing out, Sun Dajun and the Black guy stepped forward to help the terrified girl to her feet.
"You okay? You said there's a body in there?"
Sun Dajun wiped some cold sweat off his brow and glanced nervously at the open door to 205.
Was there really a corpse inside? Damn it, why was he dragged to such a hellish place?
Meanwhile, Takashina noticed something else—Shinomiya slightly tilted her head toward the right side of the hallway, like she was listening to something.
Maki Shijo and Old Guo also reacted. Maki, like Shinomiya, tilted her head. Old Guo's eyes shifted subtly, a movement Takashina only noticed because he had been watching him closely.
Was someone coming from the stairs?
Takashina couldn't hear anything himself, but he inferred something was wrong based on the others' reactions.
The air was getting colder.
Suddenly, a faint pain pricked his left wrist.
He looked down at his left hand—at the strange black watch he hadn't taken off.
It felt like a needle inside it had just poked him.
What the hell was that?
The blonde woman kept mumbling about the corpse under the bed. Her arms were covered in goosebumps.
Maki began moving toward Shinomiya. Old Guo faced the stairs, openly taking a defensive stance.
"Oh God, what is with this lady's smell? It's like my ex's dreadlocks after six months—could hatch aliens if thrown in a sink. What is this freakin' place?"
The Black guy's strange mix of Chinese and American English confused everyone.
"Let's take her to my room—210. It's big and intact. Anyone want to check her room with me? We're trapped here, and we need answers."
Old Guo walked over to room 210 and opened the door.
But Takashina noticed—Old Guo didn't actually help with the girl. He just returned to his room, which was closest to the staircase and the footsteps. He turned, looked at the stairs, reached into his pocket, then went inside and closed the door.
"Hey! What are you doing? You said take her inside and then shut the door on us?"
"What?"
Sun Dajun yelled, clearly annoyed. The Black guy looked confused.
Takashina felt the chill grow stronger.
He still couldn't hear the footsteps, but based on the reactions of the few who did, something—or someone—was coming from the stairs.
Who or what? No idea.
But Takashina suddenly felt dread and immediately knew what he had to do: get back into a room.
His and Shinomiya's closest options were 204, which couldn't lock, and 209, which was locked and held an unfriendly white guy. No good.
205 had just yielded a terrified woman. That left 203 and 208.
He looked at both, then chose 208—it was closer, slightly ajar, and not locked like 203.
In his past life, Takashina had been labeled paranoid. He liked to observe, analyze, and imagine. So he turned to writing to put that imagination to use.
Back then, he knew it was just imagination. But now—he couldn't be sure.
All he knew was this: he didn't have a second life to bet on it.
"You…"
Shinomiya, unsure of the situation and Takashina's reasoning, was surprised when he dashed for room 208.
But then she remembered Old Guo's odd actions. Her eyes narrowed. She looked at Maki, gave a signal, and raced toward 208—so fast she beat Takashina there, leaving him stunned.
"Go in."
Shinomiya opened the door but waited, clearly for Maki.
Even if he entered now, Shinomiya wouldn't shut the door until Maki was in.
Takashina did consider shoving Shinomiya aside and locking himself in—but the thought lasted only a tenth of a second. He ran straight in.
First, she could've done the same but didn't. Second, she was a composed, capable girl—not a stereotypical horror-movie burden. Third, he dreamed of being a rom-com protagonist, not some edgy anti-hero.
Okay, fine—mostly it was because she'd destroy him if he tried.
The layout inside was similar to 204 but slightly larger.
At the door, Shinomiya frowned, Maki sprinted over, and the others—still helping the blonde—watched in shock.
"She's coming…"
Shinomiya whispered. She had heard the footsteps hit the second floor.
Maki burst through the door, nearly colliding with Takashina.
Shinomiya shut the door instantly.
*Click!*
The three of them were now sealed inside.
"What did you see?"
Takashina asked. He had noticed a change in Shinomiya's expression.
She didn't answer. She just raised a finger to her lips and leaned her ear against the door, listening.
Takashina fell silent too, pressing against the wall and lowering his breathing. Maki, standing beside him, looked calm but tense.
1001… 1002…
Takashina Kai silently began counting seconds in his head.
1051 seconds, 1052 seconds...
Everything around them was so quiet—so quiet that only the faint, deliberately suppressed breathing of the three of them could be heard.
1599 seconds, 1600 seconds... Ten minutes had passed.
Takashina had counted 600 seconds silently in his mind, and during that time, he hadn't heard a single sound.
Which meant, unlike earlier when they could still hear voices in the hallway when the door was shut, now there was nothing at all. Through a not-so-thick iron door, every sound in the hallway had completely disappeared. And for ten full minutes, no one had come knocking or asked anything.
The world outside had gone silent.
Takashina remained silent as well.
He noticed that Shinomiya Kaguya's body was still tense, showing no signs of relaxing.
So, he wouldn't be the first to crack just because of a few minutes of silence. He continued to wait, continued to stay quiet.
Though he couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with the door to this room. Was it because the door was closed that he couldn't hear anything from the outside?
Maybe they'd chosen the wrong room—one that could be locked. Maybe this was the real trap, the place they should've avoided.
Once that thought took hold, it was hard to suppress. Takashina was already the type to let his imagination run wild, and now, in this nerve-wracking silence, it was only getting worse.
Until he heard a very distinct sound.
The sound of a door opening.
It came from outside, from the hallway. Judging by the direction, it was from Room 204. The front door had opened.
Takashina tilted his head slightly, glancing at Shijo Maki beside him.
From the way she also tilted her head, it was clear she'd heard it too.
So, it wasn't that the room had some perfect soundproofing. They could still clearly hear sounds from the hallway.
It was just that the outside had simply... gone quiet.
At that moment, Shinomiya Kaguya pulled out an old-fashioned cell phone from her clothes. Even though she'd said earlier that her outfit had no pockets, she somehow managed to produce a rather dated-looking phone. She tapped a few buttons, then turned the screen toward Takashina and Maki.
On the screen was a short, unsent text message:
[ I didn't see anything ]
Just that, and nothing more.
But both Takashina and Shijo Maki immediately understood what Kaguya was trying to say.
Before the door closed, at the very last second, Kaguya had looked toward the staircase. She heard footsteps reaching that floor—but saw no one emerging from the stairwell.
...What the hell?
Takashina felt his heartbeat pick up.
From waking up here to now hiding in this room, only about half an hour had passed.
He hadn't actually seen anything "supernatural" with his own eyes yet.
But at that moment, he felt a strange and stifling pressure... and a growing fear of the unknown entity behind those footsteps.
Director, where's the so-called safe period? Who starts a game like this?
Still, even in times like this, Takashina hadn't lost the habit of internally roasting the situation.