Chapter 8: Maki Shijo Stands Still
In the end, the three of them decided to stay inside the house for the time being, waiting to see if the other two groups would make the first move.
The situation outside was unclear, and taking the initiative at this point wasn't a good idea. Therefore, Kaguya, with her keen hearing, stayed in the hallway near the entrance to monitor any outside movements. Maki conducted a more thorough search of the house, looking for any overlooked clues. Kaito assisted the girl, helping her investigate various items in Unit 208.
"Judging by the clothes, it seems like a young man living alone."
Maki said as she pulled out some simple men's clothing from the wardrobe, frowning and wiping her hands several times.
"And the kind who lives a pretty messy life."
Kaito stared at the moldy underwear and socks with yellowish stains tossed by the bed, ultimately deciding not to touch them and instead kicking them toward the wall with his foot.
"Too bad we didn't find any diaries or records. It seems the last person who stayed here didn't leave anything useful."
After searching without much success, Maki sighed deeply, patting her barely noticeable chest in disappointment.
"Generally, people don't keep diaries as records. At least where I'm from, only elementary school students write daily journals under their teachers' orders. By middle or high school, no one bothers with that stuff anymore."
Kaito, who had wandered near the kitchen, opened the kitchen door and casually chimed in.
"That just proves you don't understand human diversity. Many people keep diaries, especially those who are introspective and sensitive. And you—are you really a novelist? People in your line of work usually love writing stuff down, don't they?"
Not wanting to touch the dirty clothes again, Maki kicked the pile toward the wall, where it merged with the underwear and socks Kaito had kicked earlier.
"Which is why I always say I'm just an online novelist. My job is to write shallow, relaxing stuff—nothing like the habits of serious literature folks. The stove still has gas, and the water seems to be clean tap water. This place is falling apart, yet utilities are still running. What's up with that?"
Kaito tested the stove and faucet, puzzled. Hearing this, Maki followed him into the kitchen and, seeing the blue flame on the stove, brightened with pleasant surprise.
"At least this means we'll have hot water."
She glanced at the wok placed on one side of the room. Made of stainless steel, it hadn't rusted but was merely covered in a layer of dust. Once cleaned, it could be used to boil water or cook noodles.
Originally, Maki had thought she would have to endure days of eating raw food and drinking blood. Now that the water supply hadn't stopped, this was the best possible news she could have received.
"While it's a good thing, the only food we have right now is instant noodles and compressed biscuits. Well, better than nothing, I suppose."
Kaito himself had always been a fan of instant noodles—in his view, they were meant to be soaked, and going through the trouble of boiling them was just unnecessary. Normally, he'd only consider cooking them when he had nothing better to do. Come to think of it, the reason he ended up crossing worlds might have been because he went out to buy eggs and ham to pair with his noodles.
"Maintaining quality of life is always important—it has a positive effect on mental well-being. Though our ingredients are limited, now that we have water, I'll take charge of tonight's dinner. Hmph, don't assume I'm some sheltered young lady who can't do anything."
Maki, disagreeing with Kaito's approach, shook her head and patted her flat chest with a hint of pride.
"Is that so? I did visit Shuchi'in Academy once, but I don't know much about its students, nor what kind of person you are (this was a lie). Though I have heard the Shinomiya and Shijo families run impressive corporations. Hmm, let me open that fridge over there. One that hasn't been opened in over two years is bound to be pretty horrifying—not something a girl like you should handle."
Despite having read the original Kaguya-sama series, Kaito kept a straight face while blatantly lying. He moved past Maki, heading for the fridge tucked in the far corner of the kitchen.
"Ha! What, you think I'm strong just because of my family? Hmph, ignorant fool. I'm a true polymath—capable of handling any situation, with skills far beyond your imagination. Mathematics, combat, kendo, home economics, art, foreign languages—my breadth of knowledge in daily life isn't something a shut-in like you can match. Now step aside. It's just a fridge—you think I'd be scared or disgusted by some rotten vegetables and meat? You're underestimating me. Move over, I'll inspect it myself. Consider this a lesson in the Shijo family's way of doing things!"
Maki spoke rapidly, her small hand blocking Kaito's path as she shot him a disdainful look. With a snort, she marched toward the fridge.
Her tone and attitude were undeniably unlikable—someone unfamiliar with her might have thought she genuinely looked down on Kaito. In truth, though, she was worried that in this bizarre place, the fridge might actually contain something dangerous. She deliberately acted this way to keep Kaito from taking the risk. Yet before she could finish her bold declaration, her legs had already begun trembling slightly as she reached the fridge, her fingers hesitating over the handle.
What if something really jumped out when she opened it?
Maki wasn't particularly brave, and she was already shrinking back—but she stubbornly refused to show weakness in front of an outsider.
Ah, so this is what they call a tsundere.
Noticing Maki's subtle movements, Kaito simply stroked his chin and nodded slightly, musing inwardly about the differences in tsundere behavior between 3D and 2D worlds.
When reading manga, the tsundere vibe is instantly recognizable. But facing a real person, unless you carefully observe all their micro-expressions, you might genuinely think she was looking down on me just now. Hmm, so tsundere girls only seem cute when you already understand them, is that it?
If I asked her about love right now, could I get her to say something iconic like "I'm a love expert"? Ah, suddenly I really want to hear her say that—it'd definitely bring a unique kind of amusement.
Though Kaito's mind continued its usual wandering thoughts, his feet had already carried him swiftly forward until he stood beside Maki.
"The fridge still has power, it seems. Be careful—who knows what's inside."
As he spoke, Kaito stepped beside Maki and reached out to pull open the refrigerator door first.
"Ha, as long as nothing jumps out to attack me, there's nothing to be afraid of. I've seen way more than you have."
Feeling somewhat underestimated, Maki wore an unhappy expression as she spoke and also grabbed the small refrigerator door, then forcefully pulled it open.
A frozen man's face came face-to-face with Maki in the next instant.
"..."
In that split second, Kaito could feel the girl beside him instantly tense up, her entire body nearly frozen stiff.
As the refrigerator door fully opened, the figure of a man curled up inside—completely frozen—was revealed before the two of them.
Even though he had been dead for a long time, the frozen, contorted face filled with terror and despair seemed to still convey the sheer fear this man had felt when he hid here as a last resort.
Kaito lowered his head to inspect the refrigerator's interior, but unfortunately, he found no clues like [a note beside the corpse] or [words carved before death]—common elements in puzzle games. It just went to show that games were still games; finding clues in reality wasn't so easy.
"Only wearing a thin tank top and shorts... Maybe he encountered something while sleeping or resting and, caught off guard, chose to hide in the refrigerator?"
Feeling the chilling cold emanating from the refrigerator, Kaito tried to analyze the deceased's final moments and actions, but for now, he couldn't draw any meaningful conclusions.
"Ha... T-this kind of thing... huff... is nothing special once you see it. Wait a second, aren't you acting a little weird? How can you analyze things so calmly after seeing a corpse? Are you really a novelist?"
As for Maki, who had been badly startled, she was just now catching her breath. She forced out a few words to preserve her dignity before immediately frowning and turning to Kaito.
"Well, probably because I've seen a lot of disturbing things while researching for my books, so I've built up some immunity. Like, for example, the world's most unsettling—"
Kaito pondered a suitable explanation, but before he could finish, footsteps from behind interrupted him.
Kaguya had, at some point, silently entered the kitchen. Only when she was close to the two did she deliberately make her footsteps audible to announce her presence.
She didn't speak, her gaze merely sweeping over the half-open refrigerator door behind Kaito and Maki, as well as the fully frozen, curled-up corpse inside. Then, she gestured for them to stay quiet and held up her phone.
[Something's happening outside. Don't make a sound. Come here.]
After showing them the brief message, Kaguya's eyes lingered for a moment on the faint dampness at the corner of Maki's eyes—leftover from her fright—before she turned and walked out first.
The wall clock had already been taken down by Kaguya and was now in her hand. Without hesitation, Kaito and Maki followed, all three moving as quietly as possible to ensure no sound was made.
Tap tap tap—
They passed through the living room and entered the hallway.
Before Kaito could even reach the door, he heard a series of knocks—neither too loud nor too soft—accompanied by voices.
["Kaito, hey Kaito, you're in there, right?"]
["Why aren't you answering? It's me, Sun Dajun."]
["Everyone's out here. We're trying to figure out what to do. Why did you hide inside? And those two girls with you—what are you all doing in there? Hey, don't just stay silent. Say something."]
It was the voice of the fat executive, the same one they had heard not long ago.
There wasn't the slightest hint of anything unusual in the tone—just plain confusion, rising and falling alongside the knocking. Faintly, the voices of the Black guy and the blonde woman could also be heard. All three of them were speaking outside the door.
Along with the steady knocking, their voices seeped into the room where the three stood.
Knock knock knock—