Yui took a step outside, looking back into the classroom before she made her way through the dark hallways of Heavenly Host. That scream they had heard earlier... it was definitely Nakashima. She couldn't help but try to shake off this dreadful feeling she had. If something bad had happened to one of her students.. she would certainly never forgive herself.
"Valour, thy name is education!" She would say out loud, to nobody in particular. This was mostly just a coping strategy for her, after all, she is going off alone in a scary school. Regardless, she started to walk ahead. From there, she met a crossroad, a stairway or a turn towards another classroom.
"Um... Nakashima sounded like she might have been upstairs..." Yui said out loud to herself, so she made her way towards the stairway. As she walked up and got to the little floor in between, she noticed a glowing object on the floor. The teacher would grab it, and notice it was a key labeled "3-A".
"3-A? I assume it's about one of the classrooms here..." She would put it in her pocket, then she would look at the stairs up. From there, she would see the third floor was blocked off, a barricade in place, with a sign saying "No Teachers allowed on the third floor."
"Um..." Yui would look around cautiously, although she was definitely a stickler for the rules, if there was even a chance that Nakashima was in the third floor... she would have to go through the barricade. Although, as she tried to climb over the barricade, she was suddenly pushed back and almost stumbled down the stairs. Catching herself from falling, she would look at the barricade, a slight tint of fear in her eyes.
"W-What the..." The teacher would compose herself, sighing to herself. Of course, nothing about this place made any sense... so she supposes a literal magical barrier is logical. But if she couldn't get through the barricade... maybe she could get Kishinuma or Morishige to help?
But then again... she doesn't want to endanger her students. Ugh... what a dilemma. Sending them up there by themselves would go against everything she swore to do. But she just can't stand by and do nothing if one of her students is actively in danger. She doesn't have a solution and it frustrates the hell out of her!
Dejectedly, she would walk back downstairs. She would then take out the key in her pocket, it was left there in the stairway for a reason. Maybe there's something in there worth checking out? With that in her mind, the teacher would walk toward the other classrooms. In front of Classroom 2-A, she noticed a paper plastered on the wall. The paper read 'Return home immediately. Those who remain here... will go hungry, and die of starvation.'
"Oh no... Monet... He's all by himself right about now... He's probably really hungry now..." Yui would sigh to herself, thinking about her poor unattended cat. But this thought would only end up strengthening her resolve. After all, not only does she have her students to look after, she also has her cat to return to!
The teacher would walk into Classroom 2-A. The air was stiffening, so she quickly made her towards the other door to get out. But a certain newspaper on the wall caught her attention. "Breaking News: Serial kidnappings ends in murder". The article foretold about numerous children going missing back in 1973, and authorities quickly turned to kidnapping being the most likely explanation. But in September 18th, the bodies of the kids were found within the Heavenly Host Elementary School building. Authorities revealed that a male instructor from the school was found with the bodies, near catatonic but alive, holding a pair of bloodied scissors.
"E-Each of the corpses to have its tongue se... severed... and remove... mutilations far too grotesque?" Yui would look away from the newspaper. "I-I've heard about this before... b-but I never really realized... how awful it all is."
A bunch of children being kidnapped and murdered brutally by their own teacher... it was so... so obscene to her... what kind of a monster would do that? Teachers are supposed to care for their students, to nurture them and help shape them into being the people they want to become... It's all so... it's all so fucked up. Something like that just made Yui feel a burning anger.
Walking out of the classroom, she would take a couple moments to do some breathing exercises to calm herself down. After all, getting really angry in a place like this doesn't seem like the best idea, she'll need a clear head if she's expected to lead her students out of here. So, she walked over to Classroom 3-A, and she would quickly unlock the door. Entering the classroom, she felt an even more suffocating athmosphere about it.
Not wanting to waste any time in there, she quickly made her way to the other door and promptly exited out. Something about that room felt really off, and she felt an almost sinister presence in there... She wonders if she had stuck around in there any longer than she should have if she would have met or seen something she would not have liked.
Sighing to herself, she would take a step forward, but not before another earthquake started to happen.
"W-What? Another earthquake?" Yui would almost trip, but she would collect herself before that could happen. After a couple of seconds, the earthquake would quickly subside. And just then, she heard footsteps, running from the hallways. Before she could even register what happened, she found herself colliding with another person.
"W-Wahh!"
"Ouch!"
Yui would fall down onto the ground, along with the person who happened to fall with her. She would take a moment to look down at the person, and immediately realized it was a young girl. A student from another school, to be exact. But it wasn't just this girl either, as immediately there was another person right in tow. A young boy, who looked at the girl with concern.
"M-Mitsuki, are you alright?" The boy would call out.
"Huh...?" The girl, who appeared to be named Mitsuki, would say. She would then open her eyes and realize what exactly was happening. She would yelp in fear, and quickly get off the teacher as she ran over the boy. "F-Fukuroi, who is this?"
"I don't know." The boy, named Fukuroi, would say. "Who are you?"
"Um..." Yui would get up by herself, sighing a bit. "I'm Shishido Yui, I'm a teacher from Kisaragi Senior High."
"A teacher?" Mitsuki would say, looking at Yui.
"Um, yes, I am a teacher." Yui would say, going through her breast pocket and taking out her teacher ID. "Right here."
"How did a teacher end up in here?" Fukuroi asked, it seemed like the two were quite suspicious of Yui. Not that she could blame them... who knows what they've seen while in here.
"I'm not so sure myself..."
"Did you do a charm, too?" Mitsuki would ask. "Something with a paper doll?"
"Oh, yes, I did!" Yui would reply. "Do you two know something about that?"
"Not really, it's just... it seems like a lot of people have done that to end up in here." Mitsuki replied. "It's certainly not a coincidence."
"Did you end up in here all by yourself?" Fukuroi asked.
"No, I was with three of my students. But then I heard another one of my students scream, so I went out to look for her." The teacher replied.
"Really? I'm also looking for someone, as well. Her name is Kirisaki Tohko." Mitsuki replied. "Oh... um, silly us, we forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Yamamoto Mitsuki from Byakudan Senior High, I'm the secretary of Byakudan's student council."
"I'm Fukuroi Masato, I'm the student council president of Byakudan Senior High." Fukuroi would introduce himself. "In all honesty, it's a bit of a relief to meet a teacher in here."
"Did your teacher not do the charm with you?" Yui asked.
"No, why would she? She's just our teacher, after all." Mitsuki said, and then she would find herself getting flustered. "N-No offense..."
"No, that's okay." Yui replied. "I know that not all teachers are like me... but in all honesty, as scary as it is, I'm a little happy I did the charm with my students. If I didn't... I wouldn't be here to protect them."
"You seem to care about them quite a lot." Mitsuki observed. "That's good, they have a really great teacher with them."
Yui would feel a slight feeling of joy in her heart. Her, a really great teacher... for a while, she wasn't even sure if she could even be considered a decent teacher, but for someone to say she's a great teacher... it made her quite happy. She would give the other girl a bright smile.
"T-Thank you, that really means a lot to hear." Yui replied.
Mitsuki would nod at her, before Fukuroi cleared his throat, prompting the teacher and the girl to look at him.
"Sorry to interrupt you two, but I must ask, what do you intend to do from here on out?" Fukuroi asked. "In all honesty, it's quite dangerous to traverse this school alone."
"Yeah, that's true! That's why Fukuroi and I have stuck together all this time." Mitsuki replied. "Shishido-san, you really should travel with us!"
"H-Huh?" Yui found herself being taken rather aback. Well, it did make sense, after all, but still, it was rather surprising for them to offer her their companionship. "Well, um... I'm still looking for my student, though..."
"We can look for her together! As I said before, we're searching for someone too!" Mitsuki replied. "It's really, really important that we stick together."
"Right... you said her name was Kirisaki Tohko?" Yui brought up, she did hear what she said before.
"Yes, Tohko, she's my best friend." Mitsuki stated. "She's in this school somewhere, she wasn't with us when we woke up."
"I see." Yui said, then she took a couple of moments to think. Yes, these kids aren't her students... but they're still kids, nonetheless. She can't stand the thought of something bad happening to them, either. So, for their safety, she will stick around with them after all. It's the best option. "Then we should stick together, safety in numbers!"
"Great!" Mitsuki replied. "Where were you headed?"
"I thought I heard my student upstairs, but when I tried to go up it wouldn't let me. Teachers aren't allowed on the third floor." Yui replied. "A-And I mean that literally, I can't pass through the stairs. There's some sort of force that won't let me."
"A supernatural force that won't let you go upstairs... for this place, that makes a lot of sense." Fukuroi replied. "Then, would you like for us to investigate it for you?"
"W-Well... yes... but I also don't want you two to fall into harm's way." Yui replied. "Going up there by yourselves is dangerous..."
"Considering it'll be the two of us, we should be fine." Mitsuki replied, and then she also took out a little purple crystal from her pocket. "Plus, I found this crystal earlier. Tohko and I would look into stuff like this, so I'm feeling confident that this crystal will protect us."
The teacher would take a look at the purple crystal. At first glance, it really doesn't seem all that special, but upon closer inspection, she started to get a certain vibe from it. The vibe that the crystal might actually be capable of helping out in tough spots. So, she will just nod.
"Okay... then you two can go check upstairs." Yui said. "I can wait at the stairway, that way we can just shout to keep in touch with each other."
With that, the three made their way towards the entrance of Classroom 3-A, but as Yui tried to open the door, she suddenly found it unwilling to open.
"Huh? That's weird, I just came out from there..." Yui tried to open the door once more, but all of a sudden a force pushed her back, accompanied with an ominious voice.
"STAY OUT, YOU DAMNED SCUM!" A voice from inside the classroom screamed out, startling the three people outside. After a couple of beats of silence, Mitsuki spoke up.
"What in God's name was that...?" Mitsuki asked. "S-Shishido-san, are you okay?"
"Um, yeah, I'm alright." The teacher tried to reassure her, but in all honesty, she was quite frightened by whatever that was. She was just in that room, so for something to take over it... what an eerie feeling. And the absolute hatred in its voice...
It's probably better if she doesn't think about it. But then, another thing came to her mind.
"Oh no..." Yui said, looking at the hallway to her left, realizing it was still collapsed. "That classroom... it was my only way to the other side of this floor. I can't reach my students, now!"
"The ones you left behind?" Fukuroi asked. "That's no good... but not to worry, there's still another staircase downstairs and upstairs. It'll take longer, but we can still reach them."
"Oh, is that so? That's a relief..." Yui sighed. She does hope that her students are doing alright...
In the meanwhile, back in the same classroom that her students were left in, the three of them found themselves rather troubled. While Yui has instructed them to stay and wait for her to come back, the sudden earthquake unsettled them. Ayumi was off her seat now, pacing around the room a bit.
"Shinozaki, you're going to stress yourself out." Sakutaro said.
"What do you want me to do? I don't like this feeling I have. We need to go." Ayumi replied.
"Go? Get out of the classroom? But what if Yui-sensei comes back while we're gone?" Yoshiki questioned. While he disliked sitting around doing nothing in this classroom, deviating from the plan and potentially missing their teacher also didn't sound like a good idea.
"We're going, okay!?" The blue-haired girl called out. She seemed like she was going to be quite stubborn about this.
Sakutaro would just sigh to himself, this definitely wasn't how he was expecting things to go. Taking a couple of moments to think, he would just approach the class rep.
"Alright, alright, we'll leave this room then." Sakutaro said. "I take it you're worried for her, and you want to look for her?"
"Yes, yes, I really do." Ayumi replied. "I have this awful feeling and I can't get it out of my head. She might be in trouble, we need to find her."
"If that's the case, then we should leave her a note or something in case she comes back..." Yoshiki said. "Do you have a pen?"
"I do." Ayumi replied. "No paper, though..."
"Here, we can use a page from my notebook." Sakutaro said, taking out a small notebook from his pockets.
"You have a notebook?" Yoshiki asked.
"As part of the drama club, I need to keep track of a lot of things." The boy said, ripping out a sheet of paper from his notebook. "Write on this, and we can be on our way out."
The class rep would take the paper, then she would quickly write down a little note for their teacher. Then, she would place the paper on the teacher's podium.
"There." Ayumi said. "Now, let's go, please."
"I'll lead the way." Sakutaro said. "You two stay right behind me, and do not stray far, okay?"
"Are you sure? I can lead the way." Yoshiki replied. "You don't need to take all the responsibility, you know."
"Sensei trusted me with you two, and I don't want to risk any of you getting hurt." The boy with glasses said. "So, please, cooperate with me, alright?"
The blonde-haired boy would just sigh, in all honesty, he wasn't even sure if Sakutaro could fight back if they met someone hostile, but since he's adamant about being on the frontlines, he'll let him have it. He just has to be sure he's ready to swoop in to save him if he needs it.
With that, the three would then exit the classroom, although they would stop as they looked upon the hallway they were now in. It was very unsettling, all things considered.
"Ugh... the vibes... I hate it." Ayumi whimpered.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now? We left the classroom for you, you know." Yoshiki looked at the blue-haired girl, who just groaned slightly at his comment.
"No, I definitely do not want to go back inside. We need to find sensei." She responded to him, she was set on looking for Yui for sure. "I'm just... ugh... why does this place have to be so scary..."
"It definitely makes me feel a little lightheaded..." Sakutaro remarked. "But no matter, it's as Shinozaki said, we must find Sensei."
With that, the three continued along their way. They would head north, and would stumble upon the crossroad of the stairway and the hallway that leads to classrooms 2-A and 3-A.
"Um... where should we go?" Ayumi asked.
"I think we should go towards the classrooms first." Sakutaro said. "If we don't find anything of value in there, we can check upstairs next."
"Well, as long as Shinozaki is fine with it, then I don't have a problem." Yoshiki replied.
"Morishige, did you see where sensei went off to when she left?" Ayumi asked.
"No, not exactly." Sakutaro replied. "Although, if I had to guess, she definitely would have also gone towards the classrooms. It makes the most sense to check the floor you're currently on first before checking another floor."
"Yeah... that does make a lot of sense, doesn't it..." The class rep pondered for a second. "Well, let's go check them out, then."
With that, the three of them would make their way over to Classroom 2-A. As they entered, they really didn't find much. As they made their way to the other doors, Sakutaro noticed a sudden chill on his back.
"It's really dark in here..." Ayumi said out loud.
"And quite... unsettling... and cold." Sakutaro replied.
"Hey, Shinozaki, do you still have those candles of yours?" Yoshiki asked.
"Oh... um, yeah, I do, actually!" The blue-haired girl replied, taking out a candle. "Do you want me to light one up?"
"Yeah, that'd be great." The blonde boy replied.
Taking out a candle and then promptly lighting up a match, the class rep would set the candle down on a desk and would promptly light it. The aura of it was warm and comforting, which helped the trio calm down a bit.
"I noticed something." Sakutaro said, going towards a wall. "There's a paper on the wall, but I can't read it. Shinozaki, mind giving me another one of those candles?"
"Sure, here you go." Ayumi would light up another candle and hand it to him, and Sakutaro would promptly read what was on the wall. While the glasses-wearing boy was busy reading up, the other two would set up some chairs in front of the desk and would sit around the candle.
"It's so warm... Suddenly, I find myself being super thankful that you carry these around all the time." Yoshiki would say with a grin.
"I did tell you, didn't I, Kishinuma? You will appreciate these one day, hehehe. When I get it right, it's very much right indeed!" Ayumi would give him a slight smile.
"Well, I suppose that's part of your charm, isn't it..." The boy would say with a small blush.
Yoshiki, to put it simply, had a major crush on Ayumi. It was rather ironic, a delinquent like him falling head over heels with the class rep, someone in a position of authority, but it just happened rather naturally. The crush started to develop when, one day, Ayumi stood up to him against that jerk of a gym teacher. He found himself being really thankful to her for that, and from there the two naturally gravitated towards each other. He wasn't exactly sure if Ayumi felt anything back, but to spend time with her anyway was good enough for him.
"You really should trust me more, you know?" Ayumi replied. "Well... I guess... not right now, considering... but... i-in general!"
"Hey, Shinozaki, it's not your fault." Yoshiki said, trying his best to comfort the girl.
It wasn't exactly a coincidence that mere moments after they did that friendship charm, they ended up in this school. With that knowledge in mind, Ayumi felt an immense sense of guilt. She felt so incredibly stupid for even suggesting it in the first place. I guess that's why they say 'dont always believe what you read on the internet', right?
"Isn't it, though..." Ayumi said quietly.
"You couldn't have possibly known that this was going to happen. I know you aren't the type of person to do something reckless and harmful, Shinozaki." The blonde boy replied. He definitely had a lot of faith in her, after all.
"Kishinuma..." The blue-haired girl would reply silently. He can say those comforting words to her, but it doesn't change how she feels. She's the class rep, she's supposed to be better than this! Now they're trapped in god knows where, surrounded by god knows what, and she doesn't even know where everyone else is! All this wouldn't have happened if she just wasn't so trusting of that blog!
"I-I know actions speak louder than words or whatever, but... you really shouldn't beat yourself up over it too much..."
"How can I not?! Y-You heard that screaming earlier... it sounded like Nakashima. She might be in danger and it's all my fault!"
With that response, Yoshiki would fall silent. He really didn't want Ayumi to feel guilty over this whole thing, that's just how much he cared about her and her well-being.
"Hey... Shinozaki..." Yoshiki said. "Where did you find that charm, anyways...?"
"Huh?" Ayumi was a bit taken aback by this question, Yoshiki doesn't usually pry where she finds this stuff so it was definitely unexpected to hear now. "Um... on Saenoki's blog."
"Saenoki? Right, her... that's strange, didn't you say she was reliable?"
"Yes... she is... so..." The blue-haired girl would then gasp. "A-Are you saying she set us up? It can't be! She's Saenoki Naho! She would never do such a thing! It's clearly all my fault! I must have screwed up the instructions somehow and we ended up in this whole mess because of it!"
The blonde boy just fell silent, while he was definitely suspicious now of Saenoki Naho, that suspicion wasn't going to do much for them in their current situation. After all, it's not like he can go confront her about it, anyway. So, for right now, he would just put a hand on Ayumi's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"Look, we'll be alright." Yoshiki said. "Trust me, okay?"
"You can't promise that." Ayumi remarked. "You know you can't promise that."
"Even if I can't promise that, I'm gonna try as hard as I can to make sure we all get out of here alive, you know? And you know you can trust me with that, after all, I'm the ever reliable Kishinuma." He said with a calm smile.
Before Ayumi could get a word in, Sakutaro approached the two.
"Hey, what were you reading, Morishige?" Yoshiki asked, prompting the other boy to just sigh.
"You sure you wanna know? It wasn't exactly a light read." Sakutaro crossed his arms.
"I mean, this whole situation isn't exactly a light situation, either..." The blonde boy remarked.
"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you."
With that, Sakutaro would then inform the two about the newspaper article he had read, telling about the children who were kidnapped by their teacher and murdered gruesome. By the end of his recount, Ayumi looked like she was on the verge of tears. Meanwhile, Yoshiki looked distraught.
"That's fucked up..." Yoshiki sounded disgusted by this. "What kind of a monster does that? To kids, especially?"
"I know." Sakutaro replied. "Not even the most heinous of villains in our plays would do such a thing..."
"Children... those poor innocent children..." Ayumi said sadly.
The three would stay there in silence for a bit, taking in the heavy gravity of that. After a couple of moments of silence, Yoshiki would speak up.
"So... I think it's obvious by now, but... we're trapped inside Heavenly Host Elementary School, right?" Yoshiki replied. "That news article, and that paper that teach found... it all makes sense, doesn't it?"
"In any other case, I would say that's impossible," Sakutaro stated. "But... that seems like the most likely option."
"Ugh... I knew it in the back of my head, but hearing it now... I feel more sick." Ayumi replied. "But why... why did we get brought here?"
"It's so fucking weird, especially when you consider the old building was torn down. How can we possibly be in here?" The blonde boy pondered.
"That, I cannot explain." The glasses-wearing boy crossed his arms, deep in thought.
"Well, regardless of the logic behind it or whatever, what I really care about is getting out of here." Yoshiki stated. "I got better things to do than die in here."
Ayumi would get up from her seat, the other two boys looking at her.
"Shinozaki?" Yoshiki asked.
"We should move on, we really need to find sensei." Ayumi responded to Yoshiki, looking at the door out of the classroom.
"Well, I guess we can move on... but are you sure you don't want to gather your bearings a bit more?" Sakutaro asked.
"No, the longer we stay in here, the more freaked out I get." Ayumi said. "Let's find sensei and the others so we can find out how to get out of here sooner."
"Well, that's a good plan." Yoshiki replied, getting up. "Let's get going."
The glasses-wearing boy would let out a small sigh, but he would follow the two as they walked out of the classroom. As they made their way out into the hallway, there was a small sense of dread. And as it turns out, it was completely valid. The trio encountered the same collapsed hallway that Yui had encountered earlier, but the door to Classroom 3-A that was uncollapsed has now vanished.
"Um... I feel like there should be a door there...?" Yoshiki seemed dumbfounded.
"Yeah... that doesn't exactly give me good vibes, at all." Ayumi replied. "Oh... sensei... I really hope you're okay."
"Well... since we can't investigate that classroom, I suppose we should check upstairs, now..." Sakutaro said. The other two would just look at him, but it's not like they could argue against that. The gap was simply too big to jump over, and it would be quite dumb to even attempt that to begin with. So, defeatedly, they would follow him over to the staircase, and they would walk up the third floor.
As they reached the third floor, there was a slight feeling of unease. But then that feeling went into relief and disappointment, as this specific part of the third floor was rather small, only containing one room and a couple of shelves.
"So, this is this side of the third floor." Sakutaro commented. "I would suppose the other side of the school would have the other side of the third floor."
"The other side of the school that we currently can't access." Yoshiki sighed in annoyance. "Well, this is going just great."
Ayumi would approach one of the shelves, and from there she would notice a rather creepy drawing. It depicted four children smiling happily as they stabbed an adult to death.
"Ughh... I don't like that." Ayumi said, turning away from the drawing.
"Well, I suppose we could check out that room?" Sakutaro pointed at the door to the other room, but as he approached it, he found that it was locked. "I probably should have expected that."
Yoshiki would approach the door, and he would give a hard yank, to no avail.
"Kishinuma, you can't just pry it open." Sakutaro crossed his arms.
"Well, I mean, find me a crowbar or something and I probably could." The blonde boy said with a cheeky grin. "It's just a door, it can't be that hard to open."
"Maybe you could try picking the lock?" Ayumi suggested, prompting the two boys to just look at her. "What? It's just a suggestion. It's not as bad as prying the door open with a crowbar or something like that..."
The glasses-wearing boy just sighed to himself. "We're getting nowhere very fast."
"Yeah, the third floor is a bust, and we can't access the rest of the second floor." Yoshiki said. "Maybe we should check downstairs? Maybe teach went downstairs, and found her way to the entrance hall?"
"I don't exactly have any other plans, so let's go with that." Sakutaro replied. "Shinozaki, how about you? Do you wanna investigate downstairs?"
"Umm... I have something of a bad feeling about being down there..." The class rep stated.
"Don't you worry, Shinozaki, if any danger arises, I will protect you." The blonde boy replied, giving her a pat on the head. "You can definitely trust me on that!"
Ayumi would blush a bit. "T-Thank you, Kishinuma..."
There always was something on the back of Ayumi's mind when it came to Yoshiki. She always found herself gravitating towards him more than she did with the other boys in the class. If she were to be honest with herself, she was definitely very fond of him. Despite how he may seem, he was actually very easy to get along with. It also helped that he was very caring and affectionate towards those he valued, and during those days Ayumi would feel down about herself, Yoshiki was always there to cheer her up. She really appreciated him during all those times, and she definitely appreciates that of all the people she could have ended up stuck with, it was him.
Ayumi found herself feeling all warm and fuzzy inside when Yoshiki gave her that head pat, and it definitely helped brighten up her mood once again. Maybe, just maybe, her "very fondness" of him was actually something a bit more? Maybe there was something else, some other feeling she felt towards the boy... but that was something for another time. She can figure out her feelings once they get out of this place.
Either way, the trio would then make their way to the first floor.
Back in the other pocket dimension, Yui, Fukuroi, and Mitsuki had just arrived at the classroom Yui had left her students in. And to her horror, they were not there anymore. The teacher would just stare in abject terror at this revelation, prompting Mitsuki to put a hand on her shoulder.
"S-Shishido-san, are you okay?" Mitsuki asked.
"I-I.. um... I..." Yui found her whole world starting to fall apart, it felt as if she was looking into an endless void that was threatening to swallow her whole. How could she have been so stupid? Why did she leave them? They're gone... and it's all her fault... Why... Why?
"Shishido-san!" Mitsuki was now in front of the teacher, giving her a worried look. This would snap Yui out of her thoughts, and she found herself a bit startled.
"O-Oh! M-My apologies..." Yui sighed to herself. "I'm just... um... I'm honestly a little frightened..."
"Well, are you sure this is where you left them?" Fukuroi asked. "There's a chance you might have gotten your classrooms mixed up."
''No! I definitely left them in here!" The teacher said with a tinge of panic in her voice. "I-I walked out of here, then I went over to the staircase. I passed another classroom on the way, so I know this is where I left them!"
"Maybe your students left? There's a chance they didn't want to wait around, after all." Mitsuki stated.
"B-But... t-they wouldn't have... not without leaving l-like a note or something..." Yui said, it felt like she couldn't breathe as she started to shake in fear. This really was the worst thing that could have possibly happened. She tried her best, she really did, but in the end, she failed. She failed to find Nakashima, and she failed to even protect the students she was stuck with. Why? Why must this-
"Something like this, right?" Fukuroi asked, snapping Yui out of her thoughts. She would see the boy holding a note, and she would quickly take it from his hands and would read it. She felt a sense of relief wash over her as she finished reading it, letting out a deep sigh.
"They went out to look for me." Yui stated. "They told me to wait here for them, though."
"Is that so?" Mitsuki asked, taking the paper and reading it for herself.
"I feel like we would have encountered them, no?" Fukuroi asked. "This school isn't that big, and you yourself said you couldn't pass by through the second floor. So we should have encountered them on the first floor."
The teacher went silent after that, pondering to herself. It does make sense, but... maybe they just had bad timing? Surely she couldn't have possibly missed her students like that. She would have been way more attentive than that!
"Um... I feel like I would have definitely noticed them, though..." Yui replied.
"We were quite distracted, there's always a chance they slipped you by." Fukuroi crossed his arms. "There's no shame in admitting that. In any case, we can wait here for a little bit."
"Yeah, just a bit, though... I still really want to find Tohko." Mitsuki stated, then she would sit down on one of the available chairs.
"Yeah, um... t-thank you." Yui replied, then she would get on the teacher's podium and would start nervously looking at the chalkboard.
"I've already said it before, but you really do care for your students, huh?" Mitsuki asked.
"Well, yes... after all, they're such young minds with so much potential in their future. And I have been tasked with the responsibility of taking care of them and help nurture them into being the people they want to be." The teacher said. "I really have such high hopes for them, and I really want them to all be so successful."
Mitsuki would nod along. "That's very admirable. You seem like a great person, Shishido-san."
"Ah, ahahaha... thank you, Yamamoto."
The teacher would smile at the Byakudan girl, she really appreciated her compliments and it definitely helped her feel a lot better about this whole situation.
"So, um..." Yui looked up at the girl. "You said you're the secretary of the student council? How is that like?"
"Well, as you can probably imagine, busy." Mitsuki replied. "But I don't mind it all too much, honestly. It's hard work, but it's ultimately very rewarding for me."
"Really?" The teacher looked at her with a curious look. "It doesn't stress you out having all that responsibility?"
"No, not at all!" The Byakudan girl replied. "Some people thrive in situations like that, and I happen to be one of those. I like to be busy, it's fulfilling in a way."
"Wow, that's honestly quite impressive. W-When I was your age, I don't think I would have been able to do all that you do, hahaha."
"Hehehe, don't be so harsh on yourself, Shishido-san. I'm sure you're quite capable of many things!"
Yui would then let out another sigh, this time one of peace. What a reliable person Yamamoto is. The teacher would then look over to Fukuroi.
"Oh, and how about for you? You're the student council president, right?" Yui asked Fukuroi.
"Me? Well, I have a somewhat similar opinion as Mitsuki." Fukuroi replied. "It can be a bit hard, but it's rewarding and I definitely feel like it's worth it."
"That's very nice. You two are quite diligent, indeed. I'm sure you'll have very bright futures ahead of you!" The teacher said with a warm smile. Even though she wasn't their teacher, she still admired just how well put together these two students were. She was sure they were the most excellent students any teacher could ask for.
"Haha, please, you flatter me too much." Mitsuki replied. "I'm just doing my best."
"But still, praises from a teacher like yourself is quite the compliment." Fukuroi stated. "So, thank you, we appreciate it."
And then after that, Mitsuki and Fukuroi would start talking to each other while Yui would look on nervously at the door to the classroom. Her mind wandered, wandering exactly where her students could have gone. Although, now that think of it, them going off on their way definitely shows how courageous and independent they all are. That makes her proud of them.
And they went looking for her . They really did care for her, maybe just as much as she cared for them. So, perhaps she really is doing a great job as a teacher.
"Okay, I think Mitsuki and I should get going." Fukuroi said.
"Huh?" Yui snapped out of her thoughts, looking at the two Byakudan students.
"Well, we did say we would wait for a while." Mitsuki said. "A couple of time has passed, so... Fukuroi and I are going to head out. You'll be safe in here, waiting for them to return, I'm sure."
"R-Really? I still feel like it might be dangerous..." Yui trailed off, prompting Mitsuki to once again take out the purple crystal from her pockets.
"Remember this? We'll be fine, really." Mitsuki replied. "You really should stay here and wait for your students."
But before the two could move out, a blue flame suddenly appeared in the classroom.
"Ahh!" Yui jumped back, startled by the abrupt appearance. She then looked around and was rather confused by Fukuroi and Mitsuki's lack of response. "U-Umm..."
"It's another one of those spirits." Mitsuki said. "Um, hello there."
"Did you say you were waiting for your students?" The flame asked. It was obvious this question was directed at Yui.
"U-Um... yes." Yui replied.
"And these two aren't your students?" Said the flame. Yui would shake her head in response, prompting the flame to continue. "Well, that's a shame. In that case... your students will not be returning."
"W-What? What are you talking about?" Yui asked. "Why would you say that?"
"I can only sense three living beings in this pocket dimension." The flame said.
"P-Pocket dimension?" The teacher was dumbfounded.
"Ah, we know this." Fukuroi stated. "This school is rather complicated. There are multiple versions of it that exist, and they all overlap with each other. There are multiple pocket dimensions that exist."
"We encountered a spirit like this one before, and it told us the same thing." Mitsuki added.
"Yes, seems like you two were well-educated." The flame said. "When you were transported to this place, you were all scattered into different pocket dimensions. It seemed like there were four of you in this one, and then things shifted and now three left, but two were added in here."
"T-Things shifted?" Yui was still extremely confused, all this information was too much to handle. "Do you mean that earthquake? I ran into Fukuroi and Yamamoto right after that earthquake..."
"You're a fast learner." The blue flame replied. "I'm not sure what exactly causes the pocket dimensions to shift, but I do know it is possible to travel between them. Just like what happened right now. Your three students were brought out, and these two were brought in instead."
"That's... crazy..." Yui just looked away, fear starting to set in again. God, this situation was even worse than she imagined. Things are getting really, really bad.
"That may be, but that's how this place works." The flame continued. "I believe it may be possible to freely travel between the pocket dimensions at will, but as to how, once again, I do not know."
"Has anyone ever escaped from here?" Fukuroi asked.
"Hmm... escape is highly unlikely." The flame responded.
"You say unlikely." Mitsuki said. "But does that mean nobody has escaped at all? Or most people just don't?"
"Only one person has ever managed to escape this hellhole." The blue flame revealed.
"W-What?" Yui was startled. "O-Only one person...?"
"That's why I say highly unlikely, hundreds of souls have perished in here, but yet only one girl was capable of making it out."
The three of them would take a couple of moments to ponder this information reveal. Even though it was an extremely low chance, the fact that somebody escaped before means that somebody can escape again.
"Do you happen to know who managed to escape?" Mitsuki asked. "Maybe she left something behind here, something we could use to our advantage."
"Hmm... I don't remember all too much... I believe her name was Ichikawa." The flame replied. "As for if she left anything behind... well, that's for you to find."
With that, the flame disappeared. Yui would just nervously pace around the room for a bit, trying to recollect her thoughts.
"Ichikawa... Ichikawa... why does that name feel familiar?" Mitsuki pondered to herself. "Shishido-san, does that name also feel familiar to you?"
"Um... I can't say it does." Yui replied. "But still... if Ichikawa was capable of getting out of here, then doesn't that mean we can, too?"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Fukuroi said. "Either way, we know your students won't be coming back here. In that case, that means you can continue traveling with us."
"Yes, that's true..." The teacher pondered a bit more. "God, I hope they'll be okay..."
"I'm sure they'll be fine, Shishido-san." Mitsuki stated, putting a hand on the teacher's shoulder. "In any case, standing here won't help anyone!"
And just then, there was a sudden earthquake. The three would stumble around a bit, but it would end just as quickly as it started.
"Woah... are you two okay?" Fukuroi asked.
"Yeah... that startled me a bit, though." Mitsuki replied.
"Do you think the pocket dimensions shifted again?" Yui questioned. "Maybe my students are back?"
And then suddenly, the three could hear a voice call out.
"Still just three of you." The voice said.
"Whoa..." Yui got chills in her back. "I guess that must have been the spirit from earlier..."
"Yeah... that answers our question, though..." Mitsuki sighed. "You know, there was something that bothered me."
"What is it, Mitsuki?" Fukuroi asked.
"So, you know how there's like a hall right next to the stairs on the first floor, but then it just abruptly leads to a dead end? Something about that doesn't seem right. It feels more like there should be something there, and it just isn't." The Byakudan girl said. "As we know, each pocket dimension is different. Maybe this pocket dimension shifted, and now that hallway is opened up?"
"Well, that makes sense." Fukuroi said.
"You two really are quite bright." Yui said, once again. "Um... I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out, right?"
"Yeah, hahaha.." Mitsuki said.
With that, the three of them would exit the classroom and would head downstairs. As they got to the first floor, they followed Mitsuki toward the dead end she remembered from the last time. And when they arrived, the dead end sure didn't exist anymore.
"Aha! I knew it!" Mitsuki said, she felt quite proud of herself for noticing something like that.
Where the dead end used to be, was now a much more extended hallway with a door at the end of it. The teacher felt a bit nervous looking at it. While it was pretty cool to see the school could change, she wondered just where that could possibly lead.
"So... that looks a little scary." Yui said.
"This whole situation is scary." Mitsuki sighed. "But as long as I have Fukuroi, this crystal, and you around me, we should all be okay!"
"Yes, that much is true." Fukuroi replied, and then he started walking towards the door. "I believe this might lead to an annex."
"Right, a second wing." Yui said, following Fukuroi. Mitsuki quickly began to follow as well.
"I know that spirit said it was still just three of us, but who knows? Maybe we'll find something that Ichikawa left behind here, or maybe we'll even transport pocket dimensions. In that case, surely we'll find Tohko." Mitsuki stated. "Come on, you two!"
The Byakudan girl would go ahead of the other two, and would open the door to the annex. Yui took a deep breath as she took a step outside the door.
The sound of rain was rather comforting towards Yui, as she stepped out onto the little passageway that connected the main building and the second wing. The passageway was outside, so the fresh air and the rain were a well-received feeling.
"Huh... it's sort of pretty." Mitsuki said. "A little outside area... how nice."
"Yeah." Fukuroi replied. "Maybe we could take a breather out here for a second before we start checking out the second wing."
As the two looked out into the outside a bit, Yui started to fiddle with her panda necklace. She did feel nervous, still. Sure, it was nice to have some company, and these two students really were diligent. But in the back of her head, she couldn't help but really worry about how her students were doing...
Back in the other pocket dimension, Ayumi, Yoshiki, and Sakutaro were at the entrance hall. The three had tried to open the entrance doors earlier but to no avail. So, for now, they were taking a break to recollect their thoughts. They were sitting on the floor, Ayumi and Yoshiki were next to each other, while Sakutaro was a bit further away from them. He was looking at his phone, staring a bit at the most recent picture of Mayu he had taken.
Earlier, before entering the entrance hall, the trio had stumbled upon a bunch of corpses in a hallway. It was quite a freakout for all three of them. Eventually, they had to address the elephant in the room in regards to that. So, Yoshiki was the first to bring it up.
"So..." Yoshiki said, his thoughts starting to wonder. "We're trapped in here, the entrance hall doesn't open... and apparently a lot of people have died in here."
"All those bodies... how horrible..." Ayumi commented.
"It almost seems unreal... I would have thought that if it wasn't for the smell." Yoshiki shudders.
Sakutaro would look away from the phone screen, at the two in front of him. He had many thoughts about what he had just seen. In all honesty, he had wished he could just pretend those corpses were props. But he knows deep down that isn't the truth at all. They were real . Sickeningly real.
Every part of him wanted to run away into the deepest pits of his mind and act like nothing was happening. But he can't do that. Not when someone he cares the most for is also trapped in here. Mayu, oh Mayu. The thought of her having seen those bodies for herself... made him feel a sinking feeling of despair and agony .
He was sure he would have lost his mind in here if he didn't have that picture of Mayu on his phone. Even if it was just a picture, he could still see her smiling face. A sight like that will bring him comfort. Always.
"Um..." Yoshiki would sigh. "Are you feeling alright, Morishige? You're spacing out."
"Ah, my apologies." Sakutaro replied. "I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?" Ayumi asked.
The glasses-wearing boy would look away from the two for a second, giving it some thought. He wanted to keep his feelings to himself, mostly so he could still keep up a brave facade to the other two. But it was quite obvious that he couldn't keep his emotions under wraps any longer. So, he would look back at the two, sighing to himself as he spoke up.
"Mayu." Sakutaro replied. "I'm really, really worried about her. I don't even know if she's all by herself or what... but what I do know is that I'm not there to comfort her."
"Yeah... that is pretty rough..." Yoshiki responded. "But, hey, Suzumoto is pretty strong, you know? I'm sure she's doing fine."
"Maybe... but that feeling of doubt and uncertainty is killing me." The other boy stated. "We simply just don't know if she's doing alright or not."
"W-Well, I mean, she has to be in this school somewhere, right?" Ayumi spoke up. "After all, we did all end up in here..."
"Possibly... but we've been looking everywhere." The glasses-wearing boy sighed.
"Well... not everywhere ." Yoshiki remarked.
"What do you mean, Kishinuma?" The class rep looked at him curiously.
"Err... we never walked past those bodies on the first floor." The blonde boy bluntly said.
"Oh god." The blue-haired girl just looked away. "T-That is true..."
"Yeah... there is a whole other area of the school beyond those corpses... but it's just so sickening." Sakutaro said. "Must we really go past them?"
"Maybe the others are also getting held up by those corpses and we just don't know it. If we go past them and check out the school, there's surely a chance we will find our friends." Yoshiki responded. "Let's just... walk past them."
"Kishinuma..." Ayumi looked back at him, she seemed quite afraid.
"Hey, I don't like this idea, either." The blonde boy replied. "If you really can't stomach the sight of them... how about you close your eyes, and hold my hand? I'll lead you past them, that way you don't have to worry about seeing them or walking on them."
Ayumi would blush slightly at his suggestion, looking away for a second as she thought about it.
"B-But then you would have to look at them again..." The class rep replied.
"Ah, we can worry about that later." The Kishinuma boy smiled at her. "If it's for the sake of finding our friends, I'd do anything."
"S-So admirable..." Ayumi said out loud, then realizing she said it out loud, she would blush a bright shade of red and cover her face. "U-Um... i-if you insist, then sure!"
Yoshiki also found himself blushing slightly at Ayumi's compliment, but it felt reassuring that she found him and his bravery admirable. Either way, the two would get up from the floor, preparing themselves for what they had to see.
"Alright, then let's not waste any more time." Sakutaro said. "Let's get this over with."
With that, the three of them would make their way out of the entrance hall, and they would walk straight forward. Again, they walked upon the corpses in the hallway, but this time Ayumi reached for Yoshiki's hand. He would take her hand into his own, gently holding her hand as the blue-haired girl closed her eyes. Together, the two would walk past the corpses, Yoshiki making sure that Ayumi wouldn't accidentally step on one. As they got past, Yoshiki would gently inform the girl that they were past the corpses.
Ayumi opened her eyes again, letting out a sigh of relief. Sakutaro, meanwhile, just quickly walked past them.
"Well, that went better than I expected." Sakutaro said. "Now, what's past here?"
The three of them would head towards their left, and they would stumble upon a door that was open. Although they all shared looks of concern with each other, they would walk into the room that the door was inviting them into. Upon entering, they would see one seriously strange classroom. It was less of a classroom and more a long hallway with an even longer teacher's podium.
"W-What the hell kind of classroom is this?" Yoshiki remarked. "I've never seen anything like this before."
"This is truly a bizarre sight." Sakutaro commented.
Ayumi would suddenly put her hand up to her head, looking away as she let out a yelp of pain.
"S-Shinozaki, are you okay?" Yoshiki asked.
"M-My head... it feels like it's splitting..." Ayumi replied. "T-There's something seriously wrong here..."
"Alright, Kishinuma, can you stay with Shinozaki? I'll check up ahead." Sakutaro said. "If there's anything of interest, I'll let you two know."
"Sure, I guess we can do that." The blonde boy said, putting a hand on Ayumi's shoulder.
"I-I'll be fine..." The class rep said, but it was quite obvious that she wasn't doing fine at all.
Regardless, Sakutaro would walk further into the classroom, but then he would stop dead in his tracks at the sight before him. In the corner of the classroom, sitting down looking idly into nothing, was a ghostly-looking boy. He was glowing blue, and there was blood coming out of his mouth.
"W-What the...?" Sakutaro recoiled in shock, and then Ayumi would suddenly run up to him.
"M-Morishige! G-Get back!" Ayumi said. "T-This... that... that kid... he's dangerous!"
The class rep seemed freaked out, which didn't bode well for Sakutaro. He would take her at her word, and together the two, along with Yoshiki in tow, would exit the classroom. The blue-haired girl would be slowly trying to relax her breathing, looking away from the two.
"This is insane." Yoshiki said. "Fucking hell, this is seriously insane!"
"I-I'm not even sure..." Ayumi would start to relax (well, somewhat.), facing the two again. "I'm not even sure what happened to that kid... but I could just sense something ominous and hostile from him."
"Just looking at him gave me bad vibes." Sakutaro sighed. "Honestly, I'm not even sure what we should do from here."
"Being in this area is driving me crazy..." Ayumi said. "But... we still haven't checked out the other area of the second floor, right?"
"That is true." Yoshiki replied. "Since we couldn't get there from that gap, but since we're here on the first floor... I suppose we could head up?"
"I think just to be sure we really should check the rest of the rooms in this area." Sakutaro said. "Then afterward, we can head upstairs."
"Ugh... I suppose so." The class rep sighed. "Let's not waste any time."
The three would walk ahead, finding another door to another classroom. Although, the door wouldn't budge open. Afterwards, they would walk ahead even more, and at the end of the hallway they would find a red door. Beyond it was the loud sound of TV static, but it was impossible to enter the room. With really no other options, the three would then leave this section of the first floor. They would then make their way over to the other set of stairs, and they would walk up.
Upon arriving on the second floor, they were quick to take notice of the door on their right. Yoshiki would then look up at the sign, reading it out loud.
"Infirmary." Yoshiki said.
"Surely, there's a chance our friends would be in here, right?" Ayumi asked. "It's an infirmary, nothing bad ever happens in the infirmary."
"Well, we did say we'd search the whole school." Sakutaro said. "Come on, you two."
The trio would enter the infirmary, but they would quickly stumble upon a rather bizarre sight. Inside the infirmary, was a girl the three did not recognize. But what was more bizzare was she was surrounded by two ghosts of children. One was missing an eye, and the other was missing half of her face. It appeared the girl was the ghost children were having a conversation, but the still-living girl was quick to notice the trio. She would turn to look at them and would give them a wave.
"Oh, hello there." She said. "I'm Urabe Emi, from Byakudan Senior High School, I'm in class 2-4."
At that very moment, the three knew they were in for some tough shit. They would just stare at the girl with bewildered looks, prompting her to just frown.
"I-It's really rude to not introduce yourselves, you know..." Emi stated.
Sakutaro was the first to break the silence, slowly walking towards the girl.
"U-Um... I'm Morishige Sakutaro, from Kisaragi Academy. I'm in class 2-9."
"Morishige... I like that name. How pretty." Emi replied. "It's nice to meet you, Morishige."
"Um..." Sakutaro would throw awkward glances at the ghost children. "Urabe, right? What are you doing in here with these... kids?"
"Oh, I know they look scary, but trust me, they're not dangerous one bit." The girl would wave his concern off. "They've just been through a lot. See for yourself."
Emi would hand Sakutaro a newspaper, and he would quickly motion for Yoshiki and Ayumi to read it as well. The newspaper detailed the four missing children, and how they were murdered brutally by their own teacher. The kids had their tongues cut out with scissors, and one even had the top half of her head removed. It also, although the rest of the words were torn off, tells about a child who was discovered at the crime scene, although it doesn't say whether or not that child was still alive.
"These ghosts... have the same face and uniforms as the children in the newspaper..." Yoshiki said.
"T-That boy downstairs was also one of them..." Ayumi said. "U-Urabe-san, I know we just met, but please, you need to trust me. These kids ARE dangerous!"
"How can you say that? You don't even know these kids!" Emi replied. "These poor tortured souls... they didn't deserve what happened to them!"
"T-The vibes... the ominous feeling I get just by being in the same room as them... something is seriously, seriously NOT right here." Ayumi said. "Your life could very well be in danger!'
"Enough!" Emi said. "You should leave."
"I-I'm not just going to leave! If there's somebody in danger, I will help them, no matter what!" The class rep said, but as she tried to approach the girl, she was sent flying back.
"S-SHINOZAKI!" Yoshiki ran over to her, checking on her. Ayumi wasn't sent back all too hard, but it was quite clear she was now disoriented from being launched.
"I won't say it again. You need to leave." Emi stated.
With no other option, the three would exit the infirmary, leaving the Byakudan girl with her new friends. As they went out to the hallway, Yoshiki let out a groan of annoyance while Ayumi gathered her bearings.
"I hate to say it, but... if she doesn't believe she's in danger, maybe we should just leave her with them." Sakutaro said. This apathy was a shock to Ayumi and Yoshiki, who both just looked at him with somewhat horrified expressions.
"A-Are you serious, Morishige?" Ayumi asked.
"I am, we don't even know the girl." The glasses-wearing boy replied. "I wouldn't waste my energy worrying for some stranger when our friends are very much in danger."
"E-Even if she's just some stranger, she's still a person! She still has a family and a life ahead of her! I can't just stand there and let her die!" The class rep shouted, she was quite passionate about helping others, after all.
"What do you propose we do, then? We can't even get to her, and it's quite obvious she won't intend to listen to us." Sakutaro questioned her. While it did seem cold-blooded of him, it was the truth. In a situation like this, you really should prioritize those you care for the most over anyone.
"Hello." A voice called out, startling the three of them. The trio would turn to face the source of the voice, and standing in front of them was a girl dressed in a school uniform they didn't recognize. One thing to note was her eyes... seemed rather unnatural.
"T-This girl... she has eyes like a dead fish...!" Yoshiki said quietly, he seemed quite mortified by her appearance.
"You've only just got here, haven't you?" The girl asked.
"U-Um, yes, we have." Sakutaro replied. "Were you brought here too?"
"Me?" The girl said quietly. "Actually, I died here quite some time ago. I came here to look for someone, you see..."
"Your name... it wouldn't happen to be Saenoki Naho, would it?" Ayumi asked. Yoshiki would look at Ayumi, his eyes widening in realization.
"It is." The girl, now known as Naho, revealed.
"S-Saenoki..." Yoshiki said. How about that? Turns out he could drill her about the 'Sachiko Ever After' charm, after all.
"Shinozaki told me that she got the Sachiko Ever After charm from your blog, isn't that right?" Yoshiki looked at Ayumi.
"U-Um, yeah! That's true!" Ayumi replied. "As a matter of fact, the Sachiko Ever After charm was your last post... I wondered what had happened to you, but I didn't imagine it would be like this..."
"..." Naho would just stare blankly at them, it didn't seem like she was here to answer any questions regarding that.
"You say you went here to look for someone?" Sakutaro said.
"Yes." Naho replied. "My friend Sayaka and I came here, but that's not what's important here."
"You can't just say that's not important." Yoshiki replied. "You came here, out of your own will? How is that even possible? Does it have to do with the Sachiko Ever After charm?"
"I'm sorry, but that's not something I want to talk about." The dead girl sighed.
"W-What? Seriously? Don't you feel like you owe us some answers?" The blonde boy remarked.
"Kishinuma, that's enough." Ayumi stepped in. "She doesn't owe us anything."
"Like hell she doesn't!" Yoshiki replied. "I swear, Shinozaki, there is no way somebody like you could have screwed up that charm!"
"We should all calm down." Sakutaro said. "Kishinuma, I understand where you're coming from, but for right now, let's just hear what Saenoki has to say. She did come to us for a reason, after all."
"That is correct." Naho said. "That girl in the infirmary... Shinozaki, you said you wanted to help her, yes?"
"Yes, that I do!" Ayumi replied. "Do you know a way to help her?"
"Before I died in here, I searched high and low for an escape." Naho said. "Did you know? This school... it exists in multiple planes. As a matter of fact... I felt nine people arrive here a while ago."
"That must have been us." Sakutaro said. "So, where are our friends?"
"You see, your friends... they are in this school, but not in this exact version of the school. There are multiple versions of this school that simultaneously exist, overlapping with each other. So, while your friends are in this school, they are not in this exact space." The dead girl informed the trio.
"In most cases, I would try to refute that... but considering how absurd this whole situation has been in general... I believe you." Sakutaro replied.
"Is there a way to reach our friends?" Ayumi asked. "Like, can we travel through spaces?"
"Hmm... that's tricky." Naho replied. "Those ghost children travel freely from space to space, but that's because these spaces are formed through their sorrow and agony. They were murdered here, thirty years ago... They are the ones giving shape to this nexus."
"Those four children in the newspaper..." Sakutaro said. "I read about them way earlier, but to think they were actually the ones keeping this whole space together... that's some real life foreshadowing, I suppose."
"Unfortunately, this place took its toll on me, and I died." The dead girl continued. "But the key seems to lie with those children. If they can be put to rest, there just might be a way out of here. After all, if these closed spaces are sustained by their sorrow and agony... then the closed spaces should cease to exist once those negative emotions are vanquished. But that's my theory, anyways."
"Putting those children to rest? How are we supposed to even do that?" Yoshiki said. "And, I'm sorry, but I still have a hard time trusting you considering the whole thing with the Sachiko Ever After blog!"
"Would you rather me not try to help you at all?" Naho said, her usual cold attitude cracking. She seemed to be getting irritated. "Don't be stupid. I wouldn't lie to you about this. Besides, what's in it for me to lie? I'm dead. If you can put an end to this hell, you can leave, and I will be free too, and my spirit can finally rest. It benefits all of us."
Yoshiki just crossed his arms, but he stayed quiet. He couldn't exactly counter against that.
"So... how do we put the children to rest?" Ayumi asked.
"By giving them closure, of course. What they lack is any remorse or regret from the one who killed them." Naho said. "Funnily enough... their murderer is in this school, too."
"Seriously?" Sakutaro was rather shocked. "How are we supposed to get any regret from a heartless monster like that?"
"You'll need to figure it out. And figure it out quickly. Those children will hurt that girl if you don't." Naho replied.
"Okay, I will. First things first, though... I need to find the killer." Ayumi sighed.
"I'm not so sure about all this, but I will help you, Shinozaki." Yoshiki said. "Morishige, how about you? I know you said you didn't want to help her..."
Sakutaro would let out a small sigh. "If Saenoki is to be trusted, then it will be beneficial to everyone if we find the killer and get him to express remorse to those kids. So, I will help, as well."
"Alright, let's go, then." Ayumi would walk ahead to the staircase downstairs, Sakutaro following. Yoshiki would stay behind, looking at Naho who was still standing there.
"Just because we're doing this, it doesn't mean I trust what you have to say." Yoshiki said. "I know you purposefully screwed up the instructions for the charm in your blog. I just know it."
"You should really join your friends, Kishinuma." Naho replied.
Something about the way she said that seemed rather threatening, so Yoshiki was quick to follow his friends. And with them all together, the three would proceed to start searching the school.
"Where could we even begin to find the killer?" Ayumi asked. "I feel like we've been around the whole school and we never encountered anyone that's still alive."
"What if... the killer isn't still alive?" Sakutaro wondered. "He could have died in here, long ago..."
"So then what do we do? Do you want us to just search every corpse and hope one of them is him and that he has an apology letter in his pocket?" Yoshiki remarked.
"No, that's not what I'm saying at all." The glasses-wearing boy replied, crossing his arms. "If his spirit also lives on in here, then all we need to find it."
"Easier said than done." The blonde boy sighed. "Shinozaki, what are your thoughts?"
"Hmm... I have a hunch." Ayumi said. "Back when we were in the entrance hall, I thought I felt something else. L-Like a presence or something similar. But I didn't want to think too much about it..."
"So, you mean there might have been a ghost in there...?" Yoshiki was rather taken aback. "Ugh... I have a bad feeling about this."
"Well, it's a lead, no matter how small it is." Sakutaro stated. "Let's go check out the entrance hall again."
The trio would make their way over to the entrance hall, although Yoshiki felt a sense of dread as they approached it. Entering the entrance hall, Ayumi would let out a deep sigh as she followed her senses, going to where she felt the presence the strongest. Eventually, she would step on a floorboard that creaked, ever so slightly.
"Huh?" Ayumi found herself being a bit surprised by this. "This floorboard feels a bit loose... let me see if I can take it off."
"With your bare hands? You might hurt yourself or something." Yoshiki said. "I mean, surely, there's something we can use to open it?"
"I don't think we have any options, do we?" The class rep questioned, prompting the blonde boy to start looking around the entrance hall. She would let out a small sigh, while Sakutaro would kneel down, looking at the floorboard as well.
"It is quite loose." Sakutaro said. "Maybe we don't even need something to get it out."
"Tada!" Yoshiki said, taking out what appeared to be a crowbar from a cabinet in the entrance hall.
"W-What!?" Ayumi was dumbfounded, where did that even come from?
"Was there really a crowbar just lying around in here...?" Sakutaro was also dumbfounded, staring at Yoshiki in total disbelief.
"When we were in here earlier, I thought I saw something lodged in one of these cabinets. Turns out, I was right!" Yoshiki replied. "Now then, do you want to do the honors, Shinozaki?"
"Um, sure." The class rep took the crowbar from the blonde boy's hands, and proceeded to pry the floorboard out of place. Once it was removed from it's spot, she would move the floorboard away and look at what was under it.
Beneath the floorboard was an antique-looking doll, it seemed out of place compared to the overall atmosphere of the school. Picking it up, Ayumi would look rather intensely at it.
"This is it." Ayumi said. "This is what I was getting that feeling from..."
"D-Don't tell me it's some sort of possessed doll...!" Yoshiki found himself getting disturbed at the thought.
"All things considered, would it really be all that odd, Kishinuma?" Sakutaro sighed.
"No, but fuck, dolls are already creepy as it is!" The blonde boy replied.
"Ugh..." The class rep let out a groan. "My head hurts..."
"Are you feeling alright, Shinozaki?" The blonde boy would go up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm... not sure..." Ayumi replied. "I feel so much... spiritual energy from this doll... it's overwhelming..."
"May I hold on to it, then?" Yoshiki asked.
"Go... go ahead." The blue-haired girl said, handing the doll over to Yoshiki.
"Do you think this doll is even what we're looking for?" The blonde boy questioned.
As if on cue, small ghostly sobs were audible, and the source of the sobs appeared to be the doll.
"W-What the fuck!?" Yoshiki was quite startled by this. "T-There's a voice! Coming from it!"
"to have killed children so brutally... I was not in my right mind..." The doll said. "i did not want them to die... I was scared too... I am sorry... so sorry... I am so very sorry... i'm a good person too..."
"I knew it...!" Ayumi said out loud. "That presence I felt... this doll is possessed..."
"Does this doll belong to the murderer?" Yoshiki questioned.
"Feels a little too convenient, doesn't it?" Sakutaro remarked. "Like, it's just saying what we want to hear. Almost mocking us, really."
"But... could it count as a repentance from the murderer?" The blonde boy asked.
"E-Even if it does... I'll never forgive him... never!" The class rep said.
Yoshiki would just sigh, still carrying the doll in his hands. "Should we go take it to those kids?"
"Are we sure about this?" Sakutaro said. "We're making a risky bet..."
"Who else could it be?" Ayumi asked. "Do you really think there are any other murderers trapped in this school?"
"It's just... it's all too easy." The glasses-wearing boy commented. "We're informed about the murderer being in this school, then almost immediately we find the doll that belongs to him? This almost feels like a setup..."
"He's making a lot of sense, Shinozaki." Yoshiki replied. "But... Shinozaki is also right, Morishige."
"Way to take sides, Kishinuma." The other boy just sighed. "We're at a standstill, it seems."
"Morishige, I can understand your concerns." Ayumi replied. "But we're not going to accomplish anything if we stand here debating. And you heard what Naho said, time isn't on our side!"
"I don't want us to do something we'll end up regretting." Sakutaro crossed his arms.
"It's our only option." The class rep stated. She was definitely standing her ground on this.
Sakutaro found himself getting irritated at this. This whole situation they were in was extremely serious. And dangerous. Getting those kids to move on from their anger was their best bet, and playing a guessing game was not something he was willing to do about it. But he knows, if push comes to shove, Kishinuma will side with Shinozaki. He will be outvoted 2-1. And there was no way he could talk Shinozaki down from this.
"Fine." Sakutaro sighed. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Don't be such a downer, dude." Yoshiki replied. "I'm sure we got this!"
The glasses-wearing boy would let out an annoyed sigh, and together the three of them would make their way back upstairs. Ayumi found herself extremely nervous. While she stood her ground on using this doll to appease those children, she started to feel a sense of unease set in. Self-doubt was threatening to swallow her whole, was she really making the right choice with this?
But it was too late to turn back now, as the three entered the infirmary. Immediately, Emi would give them a sharp look.
"I thought I told you to leave." Emi remarked.
"No, look." Ayumi said, taking the doll from Yoshiki's hands.
"What is that?" Emi questioned.
"This doll.. it belonged to the killer." The class rep replied. "The killer of these kids."
"Im so sorry... I was scared too... im so very sorry... I did not want them to die..." The doll said.
"Do you hear it?" Ayumi stated. "The killer.. he's sorry..."
There was nothing but tense silence in the room, the ghost kids just looking at the doll. And then eventually, the silence was broken, by one of the children.
"mahhh... meehhhh..." One of the children said, in between sobs.
"T-The killer regrets doing what he did... so... you don't need to hold on to your anger and sorrow anymore, okay?" The blue-haired girl said. "You can let go of it all, now. You can finally move on, and go back home to your parents.."
The ghost children just continued to sob, but then almost immediately... Ayumi felt a sense of dread. And not just her, either. Yoshiki and Sakutaro both felt chills on their spines as if something seriously bad was about to happen.
"MAHHHH MEHHH!" One of the ghost children screamed out loud.
And suddenly, Emi was lifted up.
"A-AHHH!" Emi screamed out in fear. "W-W-WHAT IS HAPPENING!?"
"N-No! Stop! You don't need to do this!" Ayumi replied. "Please! Let her go!"
But her words were useless. Nothing Ayumi said could appeal to the ghost children. Their minds were already made up.
In a flash, the ghost children and Emi burst through the infirmary doors.
"AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A bone-chilling scream from Emi was all the three could hear as they stood in shock... and suddenly... a loud, sickening , slamming noise rang across their ears. The silence they stood in quickly became suffocating. Ayumi felt like her head was about to explode. What the hell...? What the hell just happened!?
The only thing Ayumi could do was throw the doll out of frustration and anguish, then she would run out of the infirmary.
"W-Wait! Shinozaki!" Yoshiki said, running after her. Sakutaro just stood there in silence, in horror at what he had just witnessed.
"W-What..." Sakutaro snapped back to reality, then he was quick to follow the other two.
Sakutaro would run out of the infirmary, and he would take a right. But as he ran towards the end of the hallway... he quickly came to regret it. The wall was now covered in red, and sickening chunks of flesh and human remains .
"W-W-What... what the... fuck...?" Yoshiki let out.
Ayumi was on her knees in front of the remains of Emi Urabe, mortified at what had happened.
"T-This.." Ayumi let out a shriek of horror. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"
And then, she would get up quickly, and she would run away, past the remains and further into the second floor.
"H-Hey! Shinozaki!" Yoshiki said.
Sakutaro was quick to follow after her, leaving Yoshiki to stand there in shock.
"Fuck..." Yoshiki said to himself. "T-This is all so fucked up...!"
But Yoshiki didn't have much time to gather his bearings, as a figure started to approach behind him. It was a large undead man holding a hammer up in the air, ready to strike.
"Huh?" Yoshiki suddenly felt a chill on his spine, and he turned around. He turned around just in time, as he noticed the large man start to bring the hammer down. The blonde boy was quick to move out of the way, although he would stumble backward. The hammer would strike down on the ground. The large man let out a groan, letting go of the hammer as it got stuck on the floorboard it broke. Meanwhile, Yoshiki quickly stood back up, and he stared at the large man as the man gathered his bearings.
"W-Who the fuck are you!?" Yoshiki questioned.
In response, the large man swiftly and prompting punched Yoshiki in the face. This was enough to knock the boy out cold, with him collapsing to the ground. With the blonde boy now out of commission, the large man would proceed to grab onto his collar, and he would drag him away. Who knows where this large man was going to take the boy, and who knows if any of his friends would find out where he went...