"Is there something there?"
Kaguya asked cautiously.
"Yes. A door. One that can only be opened with a keycard."
Takakai shone his flashlight into the hidden space as he answered.
"Be careful. I can't see that door at all."
Kaguya shifted her position, but no matter how she adjusted her angle, the wall remained unchanged in her vision. From her perspective, Takakai was just standing in front of the wall, moving around strangely.
Is this an illusion?
Or is the difference in our perceptions—due to our different "roles"—this extreme?
A sense of unease settled in Kaguya's chest.
This dungeon was still shrouded in mystery. Just overcoming the [Regression] mechanism alone had taken an entire day. Now, their differing roles had led to direct discrepancies in what they could perceive. Kaguya couldn't help but suspect that there might be even more hidden, unnoticed mechanisms lurking in this place.
"I'll go in and investigate. Stay alert out here."
Takakai stepped into the hidden room.
Kaguya blinked—and in the next instant, he vanished from her sight. Even his last words were cut off mid-sentence as if swallowed by the space he had entered.
I can't observe Takakai-san once he's inside?
Waiting for his return, Kaguya kept watch, her nerves taut. The golden retriever, sensing her tension, nuzzled against her waist reassuringly.
"I'm fine. Let's just wait for Takakai-san to come back."
Though not particularly fond of dogs, Kaguya couldn't help but smile faintly, giving the pup a gentle pat.
Meanwhile, Takakai had already swept his flashlight across the hidden room twice.
Despite the absolute darkness, his external light source still functioned, allowing him to clearly see the layout.
Huh. This place looks familiar.
The structure was almost identical to the [Observation Rooms] in Fujika Academy. The wall he had entered through was actually a one-way mirror, offering a perfect view of the classroom. The room was filled with research reports and logs, though most were too faded to read. Still, it wasn't hard to imagine researchers once sitting here, observing and recording.
"Experiments, experiments, experiments… These damn school dungeons are all the same."
Muttering under his breath, Takakai moved deeper into the observation room. Soon, he spotted a skeleton collapsed in the corner.
At first, he tensed, instinctively raising his guard. But after a careful inspection—and emptying several rounds into its bones to confirm they were just normal, brittle remains—he approached and noticed a journal lying beside it.
"Classic horror game trope. Corpses always have notes or diaries lying around. Next thing you know, it's either gonna sit up or something's gonna jump me when I turn around."
He didn't open the journal, merely picking it up before quickly glancing back to ensure nothing had changed.
Everything seemed normal.
He swept the flashlight across the pitch-black room once more, then looked through the one-way mirror at Kaguya, who was sitting bored at a desk in the brightly lit classroom.
No issues on her end, at least.
Stashing the journal in his bag, Takakai decided against reading it—names were a risk. After the ordeal in the bedroom, he wasn't eager to gain another [Friend]. He'd check it later under safer conditions.
Moving deeper, he found three more corpses, clustered in an area the mirror didn't cover.
Shattered syringes littered the ground. On the far wall, written in blood:
[What did we observe?]
Something's off.
How did these researchers die? Did they get trapped and commit suicide? With syringes?
Takakai crouched, rifling through drawers and cabinets. Soon, he uncovered rows of reagent bottles beneath a desk.
Most labels were illegible, but he could still make out names like Sevoflurane, Fentanyl, Propofol…
Anesthetics?
His medical knowledge was limited, but thanks to Lin Xusheng's expertise, he recognized these as sedatives and anesthetics.
Why would researchers stockpile these in an elementary school?
Were they performing surgeries on children?
No… sewing dog pelts onto kids is too convoluted. Maybe the anesthesia itself was the goal?
They needed a way to keep students unconscious at all times?
It was a plausible lead, though many questions remained. At least it explained the researchers' deaths—trapped, they overdosed themselves.
I'd better stay alert when leaving.
After a thorough search, Takakai only found a few faded student IDs and two partially legible documents:
[Test Subject: ■■■■]
[Resistance Level: ■■]
[Cognitive State: Aware]
[Memory Clarity: Medium■]
[Recorded Anomalies: ■■]
[Current Tendency: Canin■]
[Test Subject: ■■]
[Resistance Level: High]
[Cognitive Phase: ■■]
[■■ Clarity: Low]
[■■ Anomalies: 9 instances]
[Current ■■■: Teacher]
Hard to make sense of this.
Most of the text was obscured, but these were the clearest records he could find. The rest were completely illegible.
Wait… are these files about me and Kaguya?
He recalled finding his own records in Fujika Academy's archives.
As he turned, his foot bumped a stool in the dark, knocking it into a desk. A cup wobbled—about to fall.
Takakai caught it just in time, setting it back carefully.
One last sweep of the flashlight confirmed nothing amiss.
Too normal.
Was this exploration truly smooth, or did I miss something because I'm already affected?
At the exit, Takakai hesitated—then pulled out the 20-sided die.
He rolled it on the table, watching as it settled.
After a moment, he exhaled, pocketed the die, and stepped out.
"You're back? How was the investigation?"
Kaguya turned at the sound of footsteps, watching as Takakai reappeared from thin air beside the wall.
She didn't approach immediately, taking a step back first.
"Got some leads. The researchers here were mass-dosing students with anesthetics. My guess? They used drugs combined with supernatural influence to mentally control them."
Takakai stayed where he was, speaking calmly.
"Anesthetics… That's something. But administering them daily via injection seems impractical. Lacing food would leave traces. Maybe inhalation gas?"
Kaguya frowned, analyzing the information. Then she paused.
Wait… did I just hear two versions of Takakai-san's voice?
One had mentioned finding a journal.
"Also, you found a diary? It's better not to read it carelessly. Written records here tend to carry supernatural risks."
"Inhalation gas? I only know about that Russian rescue op where they gassed hostages by accident. And no, I won't read the diary. Wait—why are you telling me both to read it and not to read it?!"
Takakai's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room.
Something was wrong.
Kaguya had also heard overlapping words.
"Huh? I didn't say anything about reading—"
But before she could finish, Takakai had already pulled out the journal, flipping it open.
"Fine, let's read it together. Maybe there's a clue."
Kaguya, now standing beside him, leaned in curiously.
Takakai began reading aloud:
[My name is Kamiki. I am a researcher. Today is my first day at Hayarigi Research Institute, under military orders…]