In the end, the three of them decided to stay put for now and wait to see if anyone else would make a move first.
Since the situation outside remained unclear, acting rashly wasn't a good idea. Shinomiya Kaguya, with her sharp hearing, stayed near the front door in the hallway to keep an ear on any movement outside. Shijo Maki took charge of a more thorough search of the apartment interior, hoping to find any clues they might have missed. Takashina Kai assisted her, helping search through everything in Room 208.
"Judging by the clothes, it looks like a young man lived here alone."
Maki frowned as she spoke, wiping her hands repeatedly after pulling out some plain men's clothing from the closet.
"And the kind of guy who really didn't take care of himself."
Kai stared at a pair of yellow-stained, moldy boxers and socks lying by the bed. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to touch them and simply kicked them toward the wall with his foot.
"Unfortunately, we didn't find any diary or written records. Looks like whoever stayed here last didn't leave behind anything useful."
After the fruitless search, Maki looked disappointed. She patted her flat chest and let out a long sigh.
"Normally, people don't keep diaries anyway. At least where I'm from, only elementary school kids are forced to keep one by their teachers. Once you hit middle or high school, almost no one does it anymore."
Kai opened the door next to the kitchen as he replied casually.
"That only proves you don't understand how diverse people are. A lot of folks keep diaries—especially sensitive, thoughtful types. And you, are you really a novelist? Aren't people in your profession always scribbling stuff down?"
Still unwilling to deal with the dirty clothes, Maki spoke while using her foot to shove the pile toward the wall, sending them right next to the stained underwear and socks, merging them into one gross heap.
"I always say I'm just a web novelist. My job is basically to write shallow stuff to help people relax. I'm nothing like those serious literary types. The gas stove still works, and the water's running—seems like clean tap water too. Even though this place looks like a total dump, the water, electricity, and gas are all still on. What's up with that?"
Kai tested the stove and the sink, puzzled by the utilities still functioning. Hearing this, Maki followed him into the kitchen. When she saw the blue flame flickering on the burner, her expression lit up with surprise.
"That means we'll at least have hot water."
She glanced over at a frying pan on one side of the kitchen. It was stainless steel and only covered in dust, not rusted. If cleaned, it could definitely be used for boiling water or cooking noodles.
Maki had originally braced herself for days of gnawing on raw food and scavenging for water. Now that she saw utilities were still running, this was the best news she could've hoped for.
"Well, it's good news, but we still only have instant noodles and compressed biscuits. Better than nothing, I guess."
Kai had always been a firm supporter of eating instant noodles with just hot water. Boiling them seemed like a waste of time. He'd only bother to cook them if he had absolutely nothing else to do. Now that he thought about it, wasn't the reason he transmigrated in the first place because he went out to buy eggs and ham to go with his noodles?
"No matter the situation, maintaining quality of life is important. It does wonders for one's mental state. Even if our ingredients are limited, since we've got gas and water, I'll take care of dinner tonight. Hmph, don't assume I'm some helpless pampered rich girl."
Disagreeing with Kai's view, Maki shook her head proudly, patting her flat chest again and showing a hint of smugness.
"Is that so? I did visit Shuchiin once, but I didn't really get to know any of the students there, so I have no idea what kind of person you are (which is a lie). But I did hear the Shinomiya and Shijo families are both major corporate powerhouses. Alright, I'll handle that fridge over there. It hasn't been opened in over two years—it's probably horrifying inside. Not exactly the kind of thing a girl like you should be opening."
Despite having read Kaguya's original story, Kai lied through his teeth without batting an eye. He moved past Maki, heading toward the fridge in the back of the kitchen.
"Hah? What, you think I'm only strong because I rely on my family? Hmph, you really don't know anything. I'm a true all-rounder—I can handle any situation. I've mastered skills you can't even imagine. Math, martial arts, kendo, home economics, the arts, foreign languages… my experience in daily life isn't something a shut-in like you can compare to. Move aside. It's just a fridge. You think I'd be grossed out by a few rotten veggies and meat? Don't underestimate me. Step aside—I'll check it. This is the Shijo family's way of doing things!"
Speaking at high speed, Shijo Maki stretched out her small hand to block Takashina Kai, flashing him a slightly disdainful expression before striding confidently toward the fridge.
Judging by her words and tone alone, she really didn't sound cute. To someone unfamiliar, it might seem like she was genuinely looking down on him. But in truth, after hearing Kai's concern, she was worried something might really be lurking in the fridge in this creepy place. She just didn't want him to take the risk, so she deliberately put on an act.
Yet before her brave words had even fully landed, as she reached the fridge, her slender legs began to tremble slightly. Her fingers hesitated over the handle.
Don't tell me… there's really something inside?
Maki wasn't exactly brave. She was already shrinking back, but still forced herself to hold her ground and not show weakness in front of others.
So that's what a tsundere is like.
Takashina Kai, having noticed her subtle movements, stroked his chin and quietly reflected on the differences between real-life tsunderes and their 2D counterparts.
In manga, you can tell someone's a tsundere right away. But in real life, if you're not paying close attention to their body language, you'd really think she was just insulting you. Yeah… maybe tsundere girls are only cute once you really understand them?
I wonder if I asked her something about relationships now, could I bait her into saying the classic "I'm a love expert" line? Man, I kind of want to hear her say it now. Bet it'd sound hilarious.
Even while his thoughts ran wild as usual, Kai's feet had already moved, quickly stepping beside Maki.
"Looks like the fridge still has power. Be careful. Who knows what's in there."
As he spoke, Kai reached out and grabbed the fridge handle first.
"Hah, as long as nothing jumps out and attacks me, there's nothing to be afraid of. I've seen way more than you."
Irritated at being underestimated, Maki pouted and also grabbed the handle. Then together, they pulled the door open.
A frozen man's face appeared inches from hers.
"..."
In that instant, Kai could feel the girl next to him stiffen completely, her body tensing like a statue.
As the door opened fully, a man's corpse curled inside the fridge, frozen solid, was revealed to them both.
Even though he had clearly been dead for a while, his horrified, twisted expression—now locked in frost—still seemed to scream the terror he'd felt in his final moments.
Kai leaned in to examine the fridge. Disappointingly, there was no letter beside the body, no carved message—a far cry from typical escape room scenarios. Real life, as expected, wasn't that convenient.
"Just wearing a tank top and shorts… maybe he was attacked while sleeping and, caught off guard, chose to hide in the fridge?"
Feeling the cold air wafting out, Kai tried to deduce the man's final moments, but couldn't come to any useful conclusions.
"Hah… this kind of thing… you can tell just by looking… whew… nothing to fuss over. Wait a second, aren't you kind of weird? Why are you analyzing this like it's nothing? Are you really a novelist?"
Maki, finally recovering from the shock, forced herself to speak with some pride before frowning suspiciously at Kai.
"Well… I guess it's because I've seen a lot of disturbing stuff while doing research. Like, ever heard of the world's most disturbing websites…"
Kai was still trying to explain when footsteps behind them cut him off.
Shinomiya Kaguya had entered the kitchen without a sound. Only when she got close did she deliberately make noise to alert them.
Without speaking, she looked at the half-open fridge and the frozen corpse inside. Then she made a shushing motion and held up her phone.
[Something's happening outside. Stay quiet. Come with me.]
She showed the message to them. Her gaze lingered on the tears that had yet to dry at the corner of Maki's eyes before she turned and walked away.
Kaguya was holding the clock from earlier, having taken it off the wall. Kai and Maki followed without question, moving quietly and carefully.
Knock knock knock—
They crossed the living room and entered the hallway.
Before they reached the door, Kai heard knocking—and voices.
[Hey Kai, little Kai, you in there?]
[Why aren't you answering? It's me, Sun Dajun.]
[We're all outside discussing what to do. Why are you hiding in there? What are you and those girls up to? Hey, say something!]
It was the voice of that fat manager guy from earlier.
His voice held no trace of anything strange. It sounded completely normal, even confused. In the background, Kai could faintly hear the voices of the Black man and the blonde girl too.
They were all outside.
Just as before, the calm knocking and voices drifted through the door.
Knock knock knock—