Creak... creak...
Click!
With a crisp sound, the lock of Room 204's door popped back into place, finally functional again after being jammed.
"It's fixed. It's just a temporary patch, but it should hold for a few days."
Wiping sweat from his brow, Sun Dajun looked up at Takakai with a tired smile.
"Thank you. At least this way, we can feel a little safer tonight."
Takakai tested the doorknob, feeling the obvious stiffness as he turned it. It wasn't smooth, but at least it wasn't completely stuck anymore.
"Are you absolutely sure that guy, Old Guo, might turn the clock at any moment?"
Not far away, Maki watched their surroundings nervously before asking again.
"I'm certain. Last time, our entire group was wiped out largely because of that bastard messing with the clock."
Takakai shook his head, glancing at the others in the hallway before his eyes settled on the wall clock Kaguya was holding. A sense of unease lingered in his chest.
Their exploration of the cracked hole in Room 206's kitchen hadn't lasted long.
After Kaguya confirmed the contents of the second rulebook, Takakai had only made one more attempt to investigate—this time without even leaving the living room, instead closing the door behind him. Then, he decided to retreat. They sealed the kitchen door on the first floor, returned to the second floor, carefully covered the hole, and shut the kitchen door again before preparing to return to their respective rooms.
Old Guo could manipulate the clock at any moment using the black man. If he did, the entire apartment would rapidly descend into darkness.
Before that happened, everyone needed to be back in their rooms.
Sun Dajun left Room 206, using tools he'd found to repair the broken lock on Room 204's door, solving the issue for Takakai and Kaguya. Notably, shortly after Sun Dajun stepped out, Green—who had been ordered by Maki to guard the open door of Room 206—suddenly spotted the charred corpse inexplicably reappearing in the hallway, scaring him so badly he nearly collapsed on the spot.
However, the moment Sun Dajun returned to Room 206—more precisely, the instant he stepped back inside—the charred corpse vanished from the hallway. Soon after, they found it again inside the burnt wardrobe where it had originally been lying.
During the day, if a resident leaves their room, the corpse inside may or may not react. But once the resident returns, the corpse calms down and reverts to its original state.
After this, Takakai specifically checked Green's Room 209 and quickly discovered a desiccated corpse hidden in the damaged ceiling. Like the "Fridge Brother" in Room 208, this corpse showed no reaction when Green was outside the room. But when Takakai stepped into Room 209 while Green waited outside, he immediately heard footsteps approaching from inside. He quickly pulled Green in, and the two of them found the dried corpse already standing in the living room.
Green's face turned ashen—especially when he realized he had to spend the night in the same room as this corpse, or risk being killed by the apartment's horrors. He trembled with every step as he entered, his fear palpable.
He's terrified of death.
This man, Green, was desperately afraid of dying.
Perhaps because he had already experienced a supernatural event before, his fear of the unknown far surpassed the others'. He knew all too well that in this deadly game, a single misstep could mean instant death—which was why he was so eager to cling to stronger players.
He's actually a problem.
Takakai couldn't help but think this.
Right now, Green obeyed because he believed these people could keep him safe, that they offered him a chance at survival.
But if things took a turn for the worse—if the situation became so dire that no one could guarantee safety, and he was forced to take risks himself—would he still be so compliant?
We'll need to prepare for that.
Meanwhile, Maeda Miwa from Room 205 had to be practically dragged back inside.
When she learned she would have to spend the night in that pitch-black, foul-smelling room with a female corpse, she screamed like a madwoman, thrashing and struggling with all her might. Tears, snot, and saliva streamed down her face before she finally wet herself. No amount of reasoning from Takakai or the others made a difference.
In the end, Green stepped forward, locked his arm around Maeda's neck, and choked her unconscious before tossing her into Room 205's living room. Then, he locked the door from the outside, finally resolving the issue.
Sun Dajun visibly hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the brutality. But when Takakai asked if he was willing to risk this woman screaming in his room and attracting every ghost in the building, the man fell silent. After a long pause, he chose to stand aside.
Kindness has its time and place.
In this horror-filled apartment where survival was uncertain, no one had the luxury of compassion for someone who refused to cooperate and offered nothing in return. Green even went so far as to loot Room 205's supply box, gleefully presenting it to Takakai and the others. However, stealing supplies while the owner was still alive was a step too far—especially since both Maki and Sun Dajun disapproved. In the end, the supply box was returned to Room 205.
"I've never seen someone so utterly useless and troublesome before."
Watching as Green deftly picked Room 205's lock from the outside, Takakai couldn't help but sigh.
"People who've lived too long in peace and comfort become like this when thrust back into harsh environments. Ultimately, the greatest achievement of modern society is letting more incompetents survive. Normally, you don't notice them—but in critical moments, every single one becomes a burden."
Coming from the ruthless world of high finance, Kaguya had already written Maeda Miwa off entirely. She even snorted in disdain when Takakai returned the supply box out of consideration for Maki's discomfort, clearly unimpressed by their soft-heartedness.
"Ahem... At least when the person's still alive, we should keep up appearances. Looting with tears in our eyes looks better, doesn't it?"
Takakai felt slightly awkward. Honestly, when Green handed over the supply box, he'd been ready to take it without a second thought. But Maki's hesitation gave him pause. In the end, since the food inside wasn't much anyway—and the real threat in Shirakawa Apartments wasn't starvation—he chose to return it. After all, Maki's opinion mattered more to him.
Whether he realized that both Maki and Kaguya had seen through his reasoning—leading the former to overthink things and the latter to quietly enjoy the drama—was, sadly, a no. But that wasn't important right now. Survival took precedence.
Click— Click—
As it turned out, Gao Hai's concerns were justified.
The crisp sound of turning clock hands echoed through each room as time accelerated forward.
This time, since Takakai hadn't adjusted the clock himself, he didn't witness any strange visions. Sun Dajun, however, wasn't so lucky. Curled up on his bed, his mind flooded with fragmented, indistinct images before he finally passed out entirely.
Takakai closed the living room door, locking it securely.
Then, he turned to face the nailed-shut window.
Outside, the light was fading rapidly—the apartment's time hurtling from day into night.
"The clock will stop at 8:50. That means once it stops, we have ten minutes before we must stay completely silent until morning."
Takakai kept his voice low as he spoke to Kaguya, who stood against the opposite wall. Then, he took off his shoes and socks, sitting down barefoot with his back against the wall.
After exploring the first floor, his footwear was soaked through. Drying them overnight would be difficult, but they'd have to make do.
"Understood."
Kaguya nodded curtly, sitting down as well without another word.
Neither of them chose the filthy bed.
The light outside grew dimmer.
Takakai knew total darkness wasn't far off.
"Based on the apartment's layout, this window should actually lead to Room 205's hallway."
With little time left before silence became mandatory, Takakai decided to speak, hoping to build some rapport.
"Spatial distortion. You mentioned that before—how the third floor has become an infinitely vast, chaotic space."
Kaguya's voice was cool and detached, her tone measured.
"Right. But there's something else bothering me," Takakai hesitated before continuing, "Shijou Maki, Sun Dajun, Green—each of their rooms has a corpse inside. All three are alone in single rooms, forming a clear pattern."
"But there are exceptions. Like our room—two people sharing one room has never happened before."
"Room 205 is also strange. Two corpses, a sealed kitchen door—none of that is normal. And Old Guo's Room 210... I suspect there's something off there too. He warned me about the corpses' danger, but if he's Room 210's resident, the corpse inside shouldn't attack him during the day."
"Rule-based horrors still follow rules. Even exceptions should have reasons, some underlying logic. But I can't figure out why Rooms 204, 205, and 210 break the pattern."
"Any thoughts, Miss Four Winters?"
As Takakai finished speaking, the last traces of light outside vanished entirely.
"Who knows? Even I can't draw conclusions without enough information. But more than that, there's something else I'm curious about. I'll ask you tomorrow."
Kaguya's voice cut through the darkness before silence reclaimed the room.
Takakai sat against the wall, waiting quietly for the night to pass.
Silence.
A darkness so complete it felt suffocating.
Takakai suddenly remembered a story he'd once heard—about two men making a bet. One had to stay in a haunted house for three days. If he lasted, he'd win a fortune. Of course, the house wasn't actually haunted—the other man was hiding inside, creating eerie sounds to scare him. On the first night, the hidden man made all sorts of ghostly noises, but the challenger wasn't fazed. On the second night, he escalated—creaking floors, moving furniture—yet the challenger remained unmoved.
Then, on the third night, the hidden man did nothing.
The house was utterly silent.
And it was this silence that finally broke the challenger. He fled before dawn, forfeiting the bet.
Fear doesn't always come from monsters or supernatural phenomena.
Sometimes, it's the oppressive weight of nothingness—the inability to see, the absence of sound—that gnaws at the mind.
This is going to be a long night.
Takakai couldn't sleep. He couldn't relax.
He wondered how Kaguya was handling it. Heh, for all I know, she's already been replaced by something unnatural. Maybe she's standing right in front of me, staring at me right now.
His overactive imagination conjured up the unsettling image.
Closing his eyes, Takakai waited.
Gradually, the chaotic thoughts in his mind began to fade.
Gradually, he thought he heard something... saw something...
What is that?
That sound—so familiar, like something he heard every few days—
In his daze, Takakai opened his eyes.
[Let us row~ our little boat~ ♪]
Was that... a child's singing in the hallway?
Slowly, he stood up, turning to look at the bed.
He saw Kaguya, sleeping soundly.
He saw himself lying beside her—watching.
A version of himself with a skull crushed down the middle, half his torso flattened, his body smeared in red and white filth.
He saw his own eyeball dangling from the shattered remains of his head, staring back at him.
And in that eyeball's reflection, he saw the mangled corpse standing in the living room.
"...So that's how it is."