'To think that I, who had watched over 10 terabytes of top-tier "resources" and was recognized among my friends as a true connoisseur, would actually get this flustered in front of a real-life 2D girl's gentle touch—how pathetic could I be?'
At that moment, Takumi sat there stiffly, sighing inwardly at himself.
Honestly, even if Maki had already turned into a monster and was just trying to lower his guard, he still thought it was worth it. The door was broken and couldn't be opened anyway; even if he wanted to run, he couldn't. Might as well enjoy himself a little before dying.
But those messy thoughts were quickly interrupted by another sound.
[Step—step—]
Footsteps.
They came from the hallway outside, separated by only a wall.
Someone was out there?!
Startled, Takumi sat up.
Then came more footsteps—several, mixed together. Clearly not just one person.
[Thud, thud—]
And then came the knocking.
The same calm, unhurried knocking sound as during the "Three Knocks" horror event from a few hours ago.
Along with it came a serene voice.
"Takumi-san, Shijō-san, are you inside? We've come to rescue you."
It was Kaguya's voice.
It sounded completely normal—peaceful, composed, without the slightest hint of anything wrong.
The only problem was that it shouldn't be appearing like this, at this exact moment.
Takumi and Maki both widened their eyes at the same time.
[This door seems to have a problem… hm, as I thought, the lock core's jammed. No wonder you two haven't come out.]
[Step back a little. I'll try to open it from my side.]
The voice outside continued to speak.
No matter how he listened, it was unmistakably Kaguya's voice—along with the mixed murmurs of Green and Hiroshi.
The four people they'd been separated from earlier… now seemed to all be standing right outside the door.
How could that be…
At that moment, Takumi could hardly contain the shock rising from deep within him.
He already understood what it meant—to hear Kaguya's voice from here.
He must not respond!
Without the slightest hesitation, Takumi immediately pulled out the earplugs he'd taken earlier from the supply box in his pocket.
No matter what happened, he absolutely could not respond, could not listen to the voice outside.
As long as he couldn't hear the sound, there was still hope.
As long as no interaction occurred, there was still a chance to survive!
So—
[Bang!]
With a heavy impact, the living room door burst open on the spot.
Holding a makeshift torch crafted from wooden sticks and torn cloth, Kaguya stepped inside.
[Are you two okay? After you disappeared, the door to Room 208 opened by itself. We sensed something strange inside, so we decided to take the risk and come looking for you. But the hallway at night had completely twisted—we have no idea why it changed like that.]
Kaguya spoke with visible concern, while Hiroshi stepped forward as well, his face filled with guilt as he apologized to Takumi and Shijō Maki.
[I'm so sorry… I—I really thought you two were kidnappers or something. It wasn't until I saw what this place had turned into that I realized you were actually good people. I'm sorry, really sorry.]
As he spoke, Hiroshi's expression overflowed with near-collapse.
Maeda Miwa also stepped forward cautiously to apologize, letting out a few small sobs as she spoke.
Not far away, Green shook his head and muttered something like, [Why didn't you do that earlier?]
Still, he seemed somewhat disappointed—clearly, the way he'd earlier looked at Yamamoto Hiroshi and Maeda Miwa like dogs had brought him no small satisfaction.
Takumi and Shijō Maki remained frozen where they stood.
Everything before their eyes once again defied comprehension.
Why… did they just walk straight in?
Even that "Knocking" horror had never truly appeared before them.
But this time—why had people simply walked right in? And all of them looked completely normal, utterly ordinary, with nothing out of place.
[Are you all right? You didn't run into any danger here, did you?]
Kaguya fixed her gaze on Takumi and Shijō Maki, asking seriously.
There didn't seem to be anything wrong.
No—there shouldn't be anything wrong in the first place.
"I thought… you'd already turned into one of those 'Knocking' ghosts."
Takumi spoke stiffly at first, but his tone soon became smoother, sounding just like he usually did.
[How could that be? I am still the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family. I wouldn't fail so easily. Oh right—after nightfall, every wall clock disappeared. I suspect the nights here follow a different set of rules. We'd better head back to our rooms quickly; that's the only way to stay safe.]
Kaguya spoke sternly, motioning for Takumi and Maki to follow her before turning around and starting toward the corridor.
"Oba-san… and everyone… you're all really okay…?"
Maki asked blankly as her feet moved forward on their own.
Takumi and Shijō Maki walked beside Kaguya, leaving the living room and entering the fractured corridor beyond the door.
'No—that's not right. Had I forgotten something?'
Takumi lowered his head, glancing at the black watch on his left wrist.
They had finally reunited safely.
Even though this apartment was filled with danger, with so many people gathered together, surely they could overcome the trials and keep living here.
He still had many questions he needed to figure out.
With Kaguya and the others' help, he was sure he could understand everything.
Takumi lifted his head, looking at Kaguya walking ahead.
Yet he still felt as if he had forgotten something—
something he should never have forgotten,
a question he should have asked the moment he saw her.
What was it?
"Shi… Shinomiya-san…"
Takumi slowly opened his mouth, speaking with difficulty.
'What was it again?'
[Yes, Takumi-san? What is it?]
Kaguya turned back to look at him, asking calmly.
'What was I about to say?'
Takumi stared fixedly at the girl holding the torch ahead.
He opened his mouth, yet no sound came out—something seemed stuck in his throat, as if his thoughts had congealed into a lump of solidified grease, unable to move.
'I should be asking a question.'
'That's right—I'm supposed to ask something.'
But what question?
The more he tried to think, the more confused he became.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't say them.
[Takumi-san?]
Seeing that he still didn't answer, Kaguya asked, slightly puzzled.
'What is it… what was it again?'
Once more, he lowered his head.
His gaze froze on the battered watch on his left wrist.
'That question—yes, that question wasn't only about me.'
'It also had something to do with Maki.'
'It was extremely important. I need to know the answer right away.'
"Um…"
Finally remembering something, Takumi spoke slowly.
"Um… Shi… Shijō-san—right, Shijō-san's backpack went missing. Did you… happen to pick it up?"
Although Takumi still couldn't remember exactly what the question had been about, he did recall what the thing used to hold that object was.
"Ah, right, the bag I picked up from Room 208…"
Maki froze for a moment, then lifted her head to look at Kaguya.
[Oh, so that's what you meant. It's right here—let me return it to you.]
A worn-out backpack was unstrapped from Kaguya's shoulders and handed back to Maki.
She had been carrying it ever since she'd kicked the door open and come inside, yet for some reason, neither Takumi nor Maki had noticed it at all.
Maki instinctively took the bag and unzipped it.
It was flat and empty, appearing to hold nothing. Inside, she saw only a single piece of filthy, yellowed stationery.
Upon seeing that letter, Maki's expression didn't change. She calmly zipped the backpack shut and slung it over her shoulders.
[Need me to carry it for you?]
Green stepped forward, smiling as he asked.
Kaguya stood in front of Maki, watching her quietly. Yamamoto Hiroshi and Maeda Miwa had also stepped up from behind, curiously looking at Maki, who was standing still with the backpack, not moving forward.
"Mm, yes. Please, help me carry it."
Maki spoke softly.
[All right, then I'll—uh—]
Green's smile suddenly froze.
He didn't take the tattered backpack from Maki's hands.
What greeted him instead was Maki's heavy kick straight between his legs, making the man immediately double over.
[Bang!]
A step forward, a bend, a turn, and a ruthless elbow strike—
Shijō Maki's merciless blow smashed into the side of Green's head, knocking the tall man to the ground in an instant. The contrast in their heights made the sight almost comically exaggerated.
And right after that—while delivering the strike—Maki sharply bent down and kicked out, her foot slamming into Yamamoto Hiroshi's shin just as he tried to move forward, sending him crashing into Maeda Miwa beside him. She followed up immediately with another kick, toppling both of them together.
In less than two seconds, Maki had floored all three of them.
She spun around suddenly, charging straight at Kaguya. She yanked the backpack off and swung it forward by one strap, but Kaguya dodged to the side. The follow-up punch was slapped away by Kaguya's palm, and in the next instant the two closed in. Maki tried to grapple, but Kaguya extended her arm and shoved her, making her stumble back. Yet instead of retreating toward Green and the others, Maki shifted her footing just slightly at the moment of contact, letting Kaguya's push send her straight in Takumi's direction.
[Bang—]
The collision sent Takumi staggering backward, and Maki immediately grabbed his hand, pulling him along as she broke into a sprint.
"Run! Don't stop!"
Shouting that, the girl dashed ahead. Takumi, finally realizing what was happening, didn't hesitate—he followed right after her, the two of them running down the corridor one after the other.
[What are you two doing? The corridor is dangerous at night! Don't run around recklessly!]
Kaguya immediately gave chase, shouting loudly from behind with the torch in her hand.
"Shut up! Don't you dare use my Oba-san's voice to speak!"
Maki shouted with fury, yet her voice trembled more and more.
From the torn backpack, that piece of letter paper slipped out, drifting through the air before falling to the floor.
On it was only one sentence—written in trembling, messy strokes that still carried a faint trace of girlish neatness.
A very short line: [Don't trust me.]
The moment Takumi saw those words, the sluggish haze clouding his mind completely vanished.
He ran forward with all his strength, fleeing from the thing behind them.