"Yui-sensei was here!" The girl cooed cheerfully, quite proud of herself and her find. She was pointing on the teacher's podium in class 1-A, a grin graced upon her features.
If that was the message scripted, then certainly, Ms. Shishido had to be somewhere, right? Safe and sound! Unless... She didn't really want to head that way. Seiko approached, followed by Naomi and read the message left by what must have been one of their friends. All for sure, it wasn't Morishige, since he just woke up moments ago and instantly proceeded to search for Mayu. She would assume the teen was alone, unfortunately, due to the closed spaces and the little room each one held. Then there was... Yoshiki and Ayumi. They had to be the ones!
"Yeah... The handwriting, looks like.. Kishinuma's, doesn't it?" Naomi thought out loud, getting a nod from Seiko. "If we stay here, will they find us?" Yuka asked, voice twinkling with hope. Naomi frowned. "Yeah, maybe." Who knew if they were in the same space, which could be problematic. "Look, there's another message!" Seiko cheered, pointing to another part of the podium. Unfortunately, the words were scratched and torn, unreadable. Shrugging, the girl hurled the nail puller over her shoulder.
Humming, and giggling, she walked towards a glass cabinet, taking a peer inside. "I thought we could take that key up there. It could be useful." She voiced out, while reaching out to open the piece of furniture. It was stuck together, not giving a budge. "Break the glass, maybe?" Naomi offered, and Seiko nodded once more, taking a swipe to smash into the glass. It shattered into pieces the very second the strike came to be, while the three jumped back so that they wouldn't get cut by any glass that sprayed around.
Yuka walked cautiously over to the cabinet, and by standing on her tiptoes, picked up a tiny key from the top and showed it to the two. "Got it!" She exclaimed brightly. Naomi chuckled, nodding. "I'll put it in my pocket. Might become useful." She said, before looking at Seiko. Unluckily, the nail puller also shattered at the impact. It was useless now.
Seiko stared at it, sighing loudly in frustration. "Nothing more's here." The teen murmured after poking around a little more. She led them outside again and headed towards the north, towards a new note hanging on the wall. "Do not make eye contact with the children. Noted." She read, quite liking the fact that she could do that. She rarely got the chance to do that in the classroom, since the calmer pupils always went first and content was read before her turn could come. "Their grudges serve as the ties that hold this school building together, and largely account for the dreadful curse placed upon it. When staring such power in the face, your mind will surely wither, and your soul will no doubt be eaten."
She blinked a few times, giggling to herself. "Why would they eat our souls?" Yuka looked at the page uncomfortably. "Maybe we should go see where the key goes?" She offered, getting a positive response. She could only think of the extended hallway, and that the doors were closed. They should check that out, shouldn't they? She began to certainly lead them towards the spot, skipping lightly in the direction. Eventually, she was granted the key from Naomi and pushed it into the lock. Fitted.
Gnawing at her lip, she twisted it, before pushing it open. Outside was revealed a covered walkway, rain rumbling over the top of it. Taking the key with her, Yuka moved towards the older girls and held their hands once more, while they all headed towards the second wing. "It's cold!" Seiko whined, getting hushed by Naomi quickly. "And the school's so big! We'll never find each other at this rate!" She continued after a rest.
Yuka stopped for a moment, shivering and straining as she felt stomach pains emitting from her filled bladder. "Are you alright?" Naomi asked her quietly, and Yuka nodded. "I'll be fine." She half-lied. She just had to believe that a usable bathroom would be found in the second wing, that's all. Naomi's focus was taken by the woods surrounding.
What if Yuka did her business there? There were probably ghosts there, though, so scratch that. They seemed endless and easy to get lost in. Not to mention, they surrounded the school building pretty finely. It would be impossible to escape through that route. Panting, Yuka started to head forth again, determined to hold herself into one piece for the time being. She had to.
As they entered the next wing, Yuka could feel a splitting headache surge through her, Seiko frowning deeply at the thickness of the air. "I don't like it here one piece. It's harder to breathe." Although, maybe it was her neck? Something like that didn't just pass away in the matter of seconds, she supposed. It was seriously hurt by the rope.
"My head... It's really sore... It's like it's about to split..." Yuka complained with a loud moan. "Yeah... and my ears and ringing..." Naomi trailed off, taking a glimpse around. Shoes were scattered everywhere, pretty small in size. Belonging to pupils of Elementary schools for her eye. "It might not be safe here. Would you like to leave, and we'll be back soon?" Naomi asked, while Yuka stared up at her in disbelief. "O-of course not! I don't want to be left alone..." Nodding, Seiko lead them around the lockers, investigating each one.
"There's a note up here!" Yuka called, and Seiko laughed, while pushing her way forth. They should know by know that she was the one reading. "- 2. - D. Okay..." Seiko read, titling her head. That was odd. It didn't even make sense! After reading the weird message, they headed to the west doorway, and emerged to a new area. A hall, to be exact. "A toilet!" Naomi cried to the youngest of the three, pointing to a doorway. Indeed, a note hang on the wall, reading: 'Boy's Lavatory: Any and all students responsible for damaging these facilities will be severely reprimanded.'
In joy, Yuka raced into the bathroom. All the stalls were locked off, through a large hole. "No luck." Naomi sighed. "Nnnng... Rnnng..." Yuka groaned. "Don't worry. If there's a boy bathroom, there's a girl's one too, right?" Seiko tried to cheer her up, and Yuka nodded. Sounded reasonable. Heading in the same direction as before, they trailed off onto a staircase, heading down to investigate the spot first of all.
It ended abruptly in a dead end, with a girl's body sprawled on the ground, holding a piece of paper in a bony hand. Naomi closed her eyes in disgusting, ripping the paper from the decaying corpse's grasp. "Luck is fickle...but I still have faith in it. That good luck charm... I know it's stupid...but I truly believe it works... So I know I'll see you again. Mao...and if anyone else finds this letter...please...wish her good luck for me. - Kaori Kimura, class 2-4, Lexern High."
Close by was another of the victim's memoirs. "COLD
HURTS TO MOVE FINGERS
NO STRENGTH TO WRITE ON DESK
CANNOT TALK OR SEE FRIEND
TENDON IN LEG CUT
BLEEDING BADLY." Seiko read the depressing message, shaking her head. How unfortunate was that for the poor soul? She left the note be, moving up the stairs again. The three continued up, moving past the ground floor. Just like the first. And second. On the third, they found another corpse, laying close to a pair of doors. Taken from size, it had to be a High School student.
"Ryoko Fujiwara, 17." Naomi murmured, reading the tag that lay close by. Looking at the door, the tag 'Principal's Office; No entry permitted' was found on the very doors, hard to read, but still manageable. Seeing the doors were closed, they continued down to the second floor they had passed, and went through those. It was almost identical to the first floor's one, but in a worse state. "Girl's Lavatory: No unauthorized teasing or trickery. Anyone caught horsing around will be severely punished. Nice school." Seiko commented on yet another note.
A door covered in papers was blocked by another set of holes, blocking the entrance. "... So sorry Yuka."
Nodding, the girl continued into another room. It was all empty, apart from two single notes scattered around. Seiko approached one that looked fairly similar to the last one. "- 1. - N. Yeah..." Shrugging, Seiko headed over to the next one. At least this one made more sense! She blinked a few times, before clearing her throat and beginning.
"Heavenly Host Elementary School. Notice of school Closure. 10-18-1975. Due to the reputation earned from repeated tragic incidents and accidents in and around this school, plans for its abolition have been finalized. There has been a sharp decline in registration and attendance since the initial incidents, indicating to the school board that our time is at an end. We sincerely regret to announce that Heavenly Host Elementary School will close its doors for the last time on November the 18th, 1975. It is through my own vices that this disdainful decision has come to pass, and for that, I must offer my deepest apologies to all who are affected. Filed: To all teaching staff. Heavenly Host Elementary School. Principal; Takamine Yanagihori." Seiko read, her features twisting. Closure?
Heading on, they emerged into a hallway, splitting at the end. At one end, there was some sort of green goo covering the ground. It was painfully burning whenever walked on, and Naomi screamed as she did, jumping back. "Can't get there." She finally breathed, leading the group the opposite way to see what they may find there instead. Walking to the end of the hallway, there was a doorway which led to some stairs, which they climbed down.
Mid-way, there was a corpse sitting on a chair in the corner. Close by was a name tag, which Naomi picked up. "Nao Takahashi, 17." She read. Moving onto the first floor east hall, they happened to find an.. odd spot. Swallowing, they moved to another note. "111. 222. 333. 444. 555. 666. 777. 888. 999. 111. 222. 333. 444. 555. 666. 777. 888. 999. 111. 222. 333. 444. 555. 666. 77. III I III." That was strange, to say the least, and Seiko decided to leave the note lone, because of the very reason. Nearby piano music was sounding, every so often wrong keys pressed. The doors of the room were closed, though.
Moving on, they found themselves doubling back. Checking the door again, this time it was open and somewhat still. "I don't like it here..." Yuka muttered, a shiver running down her back, causing her tiny frame to shake visibly. Entering the room, the three walked up to the piano that the music was coming from. Or, tried to reach it.
In their way stood a fallen cabinet, shards of glass spread unevenly across the ground. It appeared pretty heavy, out of extraordinary in that case. Trying to get over it with the litter of glass was most likely not the smartest idea. Turning around, they chose a different route, this time reaching the piano, on the way hearing a loud slam on the keys. Then, everything goes silent. Like the player just left. With nothing else to see, they left the room. At that point, music sparked back to life.
There was another pair of doors, closed this time round. Therefore, they continued to go north. At the very end of the hall were locked doors to the staff room. "Strange. There should be a key nearby, right?" Seiko mumbled, trying to open the door up, unsuccessfully. Heading towards the west, it brought them up to a loop, and they emerged in the entrance way. Walking through the same corridor, Yuka run forth.
"There are doors here! An Art room, it says!" She explained, opening the classroom and walking inside, not really waiting for the others.
Back in Kisaragi, she enjoyed her Art and Design lessons, so this was a treat. If you could even call it that way. She wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't what she did. It was better. Although there were no real desks or anything, there were multiple canvases and materials to be used. The only problem was, they weren't usable. To be honest, she expected something horrible to be on the canvases, like drawings with blood. Luckily, it was nothing of sorts. Approaching the corner, the three were stopped.
"Ah! Shinohara... Nakashima!" Yuka wailed, hiding behind Seiko. In the corner stood a tall teen with straight bluish grey hair, facing the wall. "Yeah. I see her too. She looks... living, I suppose. Never saw the uniform before." Naomi whispered. "We should talk to her!" Yuka then responded, pulling herself forward. "I guess."
As they neared, they found the girl having empty, hollow eyes. Unresponsive to their presence and everything else. "Hi there! I'm Shinohara Seiko, and this is Nakashima Naomi and Yuka Mochida. We're from Kisaragi Academy. We performed this ritual with our friends... And we lost consciousness... We woke up divided and in this school. Who are you?" Seiko asked, offering a lighthearted smile. There was no change in expression in the girl, no movement, no nothing.
It appeared she was chanting a charm.
"Nakashima?"
"Yeah."
"... yet in the grand scheme of things, are they not tiny sampling of small, insignificant lives? These chicks who are nested within, never to be seen again...washed away by nothingness...rising and falling in a constant stream... Oh, I do appreciate Sachiko's kind gesture, but any more will only bring me sadness... Please, no more..." Yuka heard the girl say, blinking in confusion after the statement. Backing off, the trio walked out of the classroom, creeped out by whatever was going on.
They met a girl running down the hall, who frantically looked around, before escaping to the west and into the hall of that side. "... It's somebody else!" Yuka exclaimed, pointing in the direction. "Looks like many other people were brought here." Naomi agreed, beginning to pursuit the stranger. They run after the stranger. "Um... Hi!" Seiko greeted the girl. "Sorry if we scared ya. We're students of Kisaragi Academy... And..." Seiko trailed off, seeing the girl shiver and whimper, ignoring them. "What's wrong?" Yuka asked.
"NO! NO-ONE BELIEVES YOU!" She screamed at them. "NOT A SINGLE WORD!" She spat viciously, backing a step away. "OUT OF MY WAY!" The girl finally added, pushing past Naomi and Seiko to escape the two. "So... um..." Seiko mumbled after the girl, shrugging it off. Everyone that they stumbled upon seemed to loose their minds. As they exited the hall, the ground started to shake under them. Yuka fell to her knees, squealing in fear. Naomi and Seiko hugged around her to protect her, both screaming quietly. "Another earthquake?!"
Eventually, it passed off, and Yuka picked herself up, with the help of Naomi and Seiko. She was hiccuping and shivering wildly, hugging Naomi for comfort. "It's okay... Everything's okay..." Seiko looked around. "Hey! Look! The holes are gone!"
