In the narrow corridor, aside from Takakai and Shinomiya Kaguya who had just stepped out of their room, there were already five other people present. Among them were four males and one female. Excluding Shijou Maki (who suffered constant misfortune), only the Black guy with a buzz cut looked to be around 20 years old—the other three appeared to be middle-aged men in their thirties at minimum.
The portly executive and the Black guy displayed clear signs of nervousness and confusion on their faces. If they weren't faking it, they were likely first-time participants in this death game, just like Takakai and Shinomiya Kaguya.
In contrast, the tall white man also seemed tense, but with an added layer of wariness toward others and poorly concealed fear. Takakai couldn't yet determine why he was reacting this way, but his instincts told him this guy might either be an experienced player or had seen something terrifying that the others hadn't.
As for the backpack-wearing man, he seemed calm and collected, giving off the reliable vibe of a veteran gamer. The others had naturally gathered around him, except for the white man and Shijou Maki. It seemed that while Takakai and Kaguya were still in their room, this man had already managed to earn some trust among the group.
But precisely because of this, Takakai found him particularly suspicious. Given that this was likely a supernatural death game, who knew how low people's morals might sink when survival was at stake?
To summarize:
Two obvious cannon-fodder types.
One side character with a bit of individual plot relevance.
One potential human antagonist or a mysterious veteran with many secrets.
And Shijou Maki—a 2D beauty who perfectly aligned with Takakai's preferences, thus exempt from his usual sarcastic commentary.
While Takakai and Shinomiya Kaguya sized up the group, the others who had arrived earlier in the hallway were also scrutinizing them.
Their gazes held confusion, disappointment, indifference—and some were simply unreadable.
The corridor was freezing, as if an eerie draft were silently blowing through.
Under the pale fluorescent lights, Takakai could see the couplets and "福" character pasted on the door of Room 203, now faded and grayed, with only a few barely legible characters remaining.
The floor was littered with peeling paint and shattered glass shards—stepping on them carelessly would produce loud crunching sounds.
He couldn't immediately locate the stairwells. After closer inspection, he confirmed they were likely at both ends of this narrow hallway. However, due to the distance, he could only vaguely make out what appeared to be staircases, unable to discern any details.
Room 204 was positioned slightly to the right of the building's central area. If they needed to flee from something in the hallway, the right stairwell would be closer. Still, something about the stairwell's structure seemed off from afar—hopefully just his imagination.
This observation and analysis took only a few seconds—enough time for the people in the hallway to finish examining Takakai and Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Two students? Just great, more dead weight..."
The tall white man muttered under his breath, his expression clearly displeased. He seemed deeply opposed to cooperating with others. After his quiet complaint, he abruptly turned and retreated into his room—Room 209—locking the door behind him.
"Hello, you can call me Lao Guo. We all woke up in rooms here. Did you find a printed document in yours?"
The middle-aged man with the backpack took the initiative to introduce himself, stepping forward with a friendly smile that made him seem trustworthy.
Shijou Maki didn't approach to greet them, instead silently observing Shinomiya Kaguya from a distance.
"You mean the Shirakawa Apartments Living Rules? So every room has a copy?"
Takakai didn't evade the question, having already noticed that the Black guy and the executive were holding identical printouts. Though he couldn't read them from this distance, the bold red titles confirmed they were the same document.
So, had that person—Xu Sheng—photocopied multiple copies of these rules and placed one in each room?
"So everyone received them? That's good. This must be a low-difficulty Twilight-level game, then."
Lao Guo smiled, his expression relaxing slightly.
A low-difficulty Twilight-level game?
For some reason, watching this self-proclaimed veteran's demeanor, Takakai suddenly felt like one of Cao Cao's retreating soldiers, following this man as he laughed and boasted, "I mock Zhuge Liang for lacking strategy, Zhou Yu for lacking wisdom—if I were commanding troops..."
"We'll talk more later. Trust me, everyone will be fine. Twilight-level games usually aren't too difficult."
Of course, Lao Guo had no idea about Takakai's internal sarcasm. After offering a few general reassurances to him and Shinomiya Kaguya, he turned his attention back to the room where the scream had originated.
"Still going on about this 'game' nonsense..."
The overweight executive—Sun Dajun—frowned deeply, his expression growing increasingly miserable.
His mood had clearly been poor from the start, having given Takakai and Shinomiya Kaguya a disappointed look when they emerged. But after hesitating, he cautiously approached Takakai, forcing a somewhat friendly smile.
"Hello, are you Chinese too? I'm Sun Dajun, an executive at XX Group. Do you know what's going on here? Is this some kind of reality show?"
Perhaps he recognized Takakai as a fellow countryman due to the Chinese characters on his shirt—though the dried red-and-white stains (his brain matter?) were far more noticeable. While Sun Dajun's voice tried to remain steady, the faint tremor betrayed that he already suspected this wasn't a reality show—he was just clinging to denial.
"I don't know, but I'd certainly prefer it to be a reality show. Did you all wake up randomly in rooms too? By the way, I heard a scream earlier—does anyone know what happened?"
Takakai shook his head slightly, deliberately playing the role of a timid, inexperienced young man.
So far, nothing outright incomprehensible had appeared to slaughter them all.
Barring extreme scenarios like them already being driven insane by some horrific entity they couldn't perceive, Takakai tentatively concluded that they were still in a "safe period."
Just like in horror games or movies, where the protagonists start off cheerfully preparing for a vacation, everything seeming normal until someone opens a door they shouldn't or does something they shouldn't—triggering the descent into chaos. This initial period, by convention, was the "safe time" meant to ease the audience into the horror.
After all, according to the rules, between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM, Shirakawa Apartments should be relatively safe—as long as they didn't do anything stupid.
So for now, it was best to appear weak and unremarkable, avoiding becoming the cannon fodder who triggered the first death flag.
With this in mind, Takakai acted like a cowardly, inexperienced youth. Behind him, Shinomiya Kaguya—who had initially seemed cold and aloof—subtly adjusted her demeanor as well, now appearing like a frightened girl too scared to interact with others. She didn't even need to speak—her acting was flawless.
She's wasted not being an actress, Takakai thought.
But thanks to their performances, Sun Dajun—realizing these two weren't particularly reliable—only managed a few half-hearted words of encouragement ("We'll all be fine, I'm sure") before refocusing on Room 205.
And at that moment, everyone in the hallway heard stumbling footsteps from inside that room.
BANG!
The door to Room 205 was thrown open violently.
A blonde girl in a tank top and shorts, with a heart tattoo on her arm, stumbled out and collapsed onto the floor. Her eyes were wide with terror as she babbled incoherently:
"D-Dead... dead person! There's a dead person!"
Her shrill scream was ear-piercing—already loud enough in the room, but now echoing through the entire hallway. Takakai had no doubt the whole floor could hear her.
Hmm, judging her looks... on a scale of 100, she'd barely make 60. Shinomiya Kaguya gets a 95, and Shijou Maki a 96—mostly because the latter seems more approachable.
Anyway, she doesn't seem like a character from any anime, manga, or movie—probably an original cannon-fodder type?
In most cases, wouldn't a noisy side character like this be the first to trigger a group wipe? This feels dangerous... maybe I should just retreat to my room?
Just as Takakai considered playing it safe, Sun Dajun and the Black guy stepped forward to help the hysterical woman up. She trembled uncontrollably, clearly traumatized by whatever she'd seen.
"Hey, hey, calm down. You said there's a corpse in there?"
Sun Dajun's face was slick with sweat as he glanced nervously at the open door of Room 205.
A dead body in that room? Damn it, why was I brought to this hellhole? What the hell is going on?!
His frustration was written all over his face. Meanwhile, Takakai—who had already taken a step back, ready to bolt to his room—noticed Shinomiya Kaguya tilt her head slightly, her ear angled toward the right side of the hallway, as if hearing something.
At the same time, Shijou Maki—who had remained silent until now—and the friendly backpack-wearing man also showed subtle reactions. Like Kaguya, Maki tilted her head slightly, clearly perceiving something. The man's response was more discreet—just a faint shift in his pupils. If Takakai hadn't already pegged him as a potential "veteran player" (like in those infinite flow novels) and watched him closely, he would've missed it entirely.
Is someone coming up or down the right stairwell?
Without enhanced hearing, Takakai could only guess based on the others' reactions.
The air seemed to grow colder.
A faint, stinging pain suddenly flared in his left hand.
Looking down, he saw the strange black watch he still hadn't removed in his haste to assess the situation.
It felt like a needle had pricked him from inside the watch.
What the hell?
The blonde woman was still babbling about "a dead person under the bed." Wearing just a tank top, her arms were covered in goosebumps from fear or cold.
Shijou Maki, positioned closer to the right stairwell, hesitated briefly before quickly moving toward Shinomiya Kaguya.
The backpack-wearing man had now fully turned his attention to the stairwell, his guard visibly up.
"Oh god, what's with this lady? She smells like my ex's dreadlocks after six months without washing—toss her in water and she'd hatch a Xenomorph. What kind of messed-up place is this?"
The Black guy muttered under his breath, his speech a bizarre mix of Chinese and English. Even though this strange place seemed to grant everyone the ability to understand all languages, his odd phrasing still made everyone slightly uncomfortable.
"Let's take her to my room. Room 210 is bigger and undamaged—she can rest there. Would anyone volunteer to check out the room she came from? We're all trapped here; we need to understand the situation."
Lao Guo turned and walked a few steps, opening his room's door.
At this point, nothing outwardly strange had happened in the hallway.
But Takakai noticed something: while Lao Guo had suggested taking the woman to his room, he'd actually positioned himself near Room 210—closest to the right stairwell and the approaching footsteps.
Is he trying to assess the situation first?
As Takakai pondered this, Lao Guo paused at his door, one hand in his pocket, facing the stairwell—then abruptly entered and locked the door behind him.
"Hey! What's your deal? You tell us to bring her in, then lock yourself inside?!"
"Wait, what?"
Sun Dajun's angry shout and the Black guy's confusion overlapped.
Watching this, Takakai felt the cold intensify.
He still couldn't hear the footsteps—only the reactions of the three who could told him something was approaching the stairwell.
Who—or what—was coming?
He had no idea.
But seeing Lao Guo's swift retreat, one thought crystallized in his mind:
We're in trouble.
And he knew exactly what to do: get back to a room—now.
The closest options were:
Room 204: Broken lock, couldn't be secured. Useless if something dangerous came.
Room 209: Already locked by the unfriendly white guy. Not an option.
Room 205: Just vomited out a hysterical woman. No thanks.
That left Rooms 203 or 208 on the opposite side.
Takakai's gaze snapped to Room 208—its door slightly ajar, unlike 203's closed state.
In his past life, people had called him paranoid. He noticed details others missed and spun wild theories from them. It made him an outcast in school, until he channeled it into writing fiction.
Back then, he knew his imagination was just that—imagination.
Now? He couldn't be sure if he was seeing real danger or just panicking.
But he did know one thing: he wouldn't get a second chance to find out.
"You—"
Shinomiya Kaguya, hearing the anomaly but lacking Takakai's paranoia, hadn't reacted yet.
When Takakai suddenly bolted for Room 208, she blinked in surprise—then, connecting Lao Guo's earlier actions, her eyes widened in realization.
She moved fast.
Before Takakai could reach the door, Kaguya had already darted ahead, yanking it open.
"Get in," she ordered, holding the door—clearly waiting for Shijou Maki, who was sprinting toward them.
Takakai briefly considered shoving past her and locking the door—a classic survival horror dick move—but discarded the idea instantly.
*Reasons not to:
She's faster and could easily do it to me first.
She's a rational, capable ally—not some screaming liability.
I'd rather be a harem protagonist than an edgy survivalist.*
(Also, she'd kick my ass.)
In the world of 2D physics, Shinomiya Kaguya's combat skills—while not as absurd as her maid's—still far surpassed anything a real-world otaku like him could handle. Speed, strength, reflexes—he stood no chance.
He rushed inside without protest.
The layout mirrored Room 204 but was slightly larger.
Kaguya remained at the door, tense, as Shijou Maki closed the distance at shocking speed—so fast that Sun Dajun and the Black guy gaped in confusion.
"It's here..." Kaguya murmured, hearing the footsteps reach their floor.
Maki barely slowed as she barreled into the room, nearly colliding with Takakai in the hallway.
The moment she crossed the threshold, Kaguya slammed the door shut.
Click.
The lock engaged, sealing them inside.
"What did you see?"
Takakai had caught Kaguya's expression shift just before she closed the door.
"..."
She didn't answer, instead pressing a finger to her lips.
Then she leaned against the door, ear pressed to the wood, listening intently.
Takakai held his breath. Beside him, Shijou Maki stood equally still, though her face betrayed less fear.
One thousand one... one thousand two...
The count began in his head as they waited in silence.
Takakai silently counted seconds in his heart.
1051 seconds, 1052 seconds...
The surroundings were utterly quiet—so silent that only the faint, deliberately suppressed breathing of three people could be heard.
1599 seconds, 1600 seconds... Ten minutes passed.
Takakai counted 600 seconds mentally. Throughout this, he heard no sounds.
No sounds meant the hallway voices audible when closing the door had completely vanished. Despite only a thin iron door separating them, all corridor noises disappeared entirely. For ten full minutes, nobody knocked or spoke outside.
The outside had turned silent.
Takakai kept quiet.
He noticed Shijou Maki's body remained tense without relaxing.
So he wouldn't break silence impulsively. He'd keep waiting.
But he wondered—was the door faulty? Did closing it block outside sounds?
Had they chosen wrong? Was this lockable room the trap—the forbidden place?
Such thoughts, once emerged, were hard to suppress. Takakai was prone to wild imaginings, and under this torturous silence, his mind raced.
Until he heard a clear *click*—a door opening.
From outside. From the hallway. Position suggested Room 204's door.
Takakai glanced at Shijou Maki beside him.
Her slight head turn confirmed she heard it too.
So no soundproofing—they *could* hear hallway sounds clearly.
Meaning outside had simply... gone quiet.
Then Shinomiya Kaguya pulled out an old flip phone from her clothes (though she'd claimed her outfit had no pockets). She typed, then showed the screen to Takakai and Shijou Maki.
A draft message read:
**[I saw nothing.]**
Just that line.
Both understood instantly.
Before closing the door, Shinomiya Kaguya had glanced at the stairwell. She'd heard footsteps arrive—but saw *nothing* emerge.
*Oh come on...*
Takakai's heartbeat spiked.
From waking here to hiding now, ~30 minutes passed.
He'd witnessed nothing overtly supernatural yet.
But now, an indescribable dread coiled in him—fear of those unseen footsteps.
*Director, where's the "safe period"? Who starts horror games like this?!*
(His internal sarcasm remained intact.)