Chapter 22: The Girls' Struggles and Overlapping Nightmares
In those eyes, there was no emotion that should belong to a human.
The icy chill radiating from him as he approached only further confirmed his true nature.
A being that had died, yet returned through the power of horror story rules, maintaining a grotesque state between life and death.
An unconscious fear began to stir within them, as if trying to shatter the fabricated calmness on their faces.
Even though both Maki and Kaguya knew that when facing such things, staying composed was essential, their bodies still reflexively stepped back upon getting too close—an instinctive fear of approaching death, an unshakable, primal terror.
Even so, after everything they had endured in Shirakawa Apartment, both girls had trained themselves to maintain a composed demeanor, revealing no openings.
"Today's analysis work ends here. You two may rest for now. Tomorrow, come to the research sector to assist with the tasks."
After saying this, Professor Fornell turned around and slowly stepped into his office.
At the very moment the door closed, Shijo Maki, who was standing nearby, took the chance to glance inside. She saw cabinets packed tightly with documents—this place was likely storing extremely important information.
Based on what they knew, before his death, Professor Fornell held absolute authority within this research institute. Perhaps, in that room, they could find many valuable clues.
But the problem was—how could they break in?
As she was thinking about this, Shijo Maki suddenly felt that something was off.
She looked down and immediately realized that the doll she had hidden under her coat was gone.
There was no doubt about it—in that brief moment just now, Takakai had silently manipulated the doll to slip into Professor Fornell's office.
...This guy sure knows how to seize opportunities.
Shijo Maki pouted slightly before turning away with Kaguya, leaving the second floor.
As much as she wanted to go to the surveillance room to see what Takakai was up to, without an assigned task, they couldn't just walk into the control zone inside the command room. So, for now, she had no choice but to set that thought aside.
But one thing was certain—next time she had the chance to access the surveillance room, she would definitely rewind the footage and see exactly what that guy had done.
...That fat woman with the butterfly bow...
Ughhh... I can't believe those two are shameless enough to bathe together, and on top of that, she even sneaked glances at Kai-kun multiple times...
And now, they have to stay together in a cramped detention room for twelve whole hours...
Shijo Maki abruptly stopped in her tracks, instinctively spun around, and was about to stomp her foot hard on the ground—only to hesitate at the last second, afraid she might attract something unwanted.
Annoyed. Frustrated. Irritated.
Why the hell did that idiot end up in this situation? He's already a pervert, and now he's unlucky enough to be stuck in a situation like this... like this...
Lowering her gaze to her own pitifully flat chest, Shijo Maki unconsciously clenched her fists.
He clearly said he liked me before, even jumped on me, wanting to do all sorts of things with me—yet the moment he sees that fat chick, he suddenly gets all excited.
Boy really are all the same! Hentai Takakai!
The fire of anger inside her flared up even more, but then, the image of the "ancient parasite" she had seen on the surveillance camera suddenly resurfaced in her mind, making Shijo Maki's face turn bright red.
That size... something about it still doesn't seem right...
If I hadn't kicked him away that day, and just let things happen naturally...
No, no, no! What the hell am I thinking!?
Right now, the real issue is figuring out how to deal with the current situation. The information she and Kaguya had gathered so far was still too fragmented, while Takakai had clearly come from somewhere else, meaning he likely possessed more crucial clues. She needed to find a way to exchange information with him.
But even if she wanted to do that, it couldn't be now. She would have to wait until the next exploration mission for an opportunity.
So before that happens, she needed to gather more intel—at the very least, she had to get a better understanding of this research facility.
Shijo Maki finally regained her composure, forcing herself to refocus on the main objective.
Even though her mind was still a chaotic mess, the process of regaining control took only a few brief seconds.
Meanwhile, Kaguya—who had maintained a calm expression from start to finish—couldn't help but recall… the scene in the bathroom earlier.
A boy… having such an exaggerated form?
It felt like she had just gained an immense piece of knowledge…
No, no. Letting emotions waver over something like this would be highly unprofessional.
She couldn't dwell on it. She couldn't dwell on it. She had to focus on the current mission. The most important thing right now was conquering this dungeon.
Even though her face remained expressionless, Kaguya's mind was still spinning with the image of that "ancient super parasite," completely unable to erase it from her thoughts.
"Do you have any ideas for our next move?"
Appearing as composed as ever, Kaguya turned to ask Shijo Maki.
"While we don't have an assignment, our movement is restricted to the second-floor dormitory and the third-floor recreation area. The research sector on the first floor is now off-limits, and we're required to return to the dormitory during rest hours. So, I suggest we head to the third floor to investigate and see if we can find any clues."
Maintaining a calm expression, Shijo Maki slowly responded.
The two of them turned away and walked up to the third floor together.
However, just as their figures disappeared down the hallway, a tightly shut office door silently cracked open just a tiny bit.
From the narrow gap, an aged, balding face with scruffy facial hair emerged—Professor Fornell's emotionless eyes followed the departing figures of the two girls.
Under the desk in the office, a bloodstained rag doll lay motionless, completely hidden without making a sound.
And as for Takakai's current situation?
Hmm… how should one put it? It's not exactly easy to describe.
At some point, his side-lying position had shifted into lying flat on his back.
Takakai stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar ceiling, desperately trying to loop some random shounen anime OP in his head.
But for some reason, the more he repeated it, the more it morphed into an eroge theme.
And eventually, it turned into hentai music.
The reason was very simple—
A girl with incredibly cute pink hair was lying on top of him.
"Grr…Guru...Gawr."
Perhaps due to a nightmare, the girl had unconsciously clung to Takakai, wrapping her arms tightly around him, showing no signs of letting go.
Takakai remained completely still.
The scent of shampoo lingered through her soft strands of hair, the warmth of her body, the sensation of smooth skin… Of course, there was also an indescribable softness—everything hit him all at once, overloading his nerves, making it utterly impossible for him to fall asleep.
Was this ultimately a form of pleasure… or a form of torture?
Takakai fell into deep thought.
But despite everything, he did nothing.
He exercised immense self-control, stubbornly maintaining a composed mindset, preventing any thoughts in his head from running wild.
And the reason was very simple—
Because right beside him… was a corpse.
A lifeless body dressed in yellow-striped clothing, completely crushed beyond recognition, as if it had been run over multiple times by a steamroller—flesh and blood splattered everywhere, limbs twisted to the point of no longer resembling a human form.
Just when Takakai's thoughts started drifting toward BONK territory, that thing lying right next to him suddenly reminded him of its presence, instantly obliterating any improper ideas from his mind.
The stench of blood filled his nostrils.
The source of it… was coming from the gap under the door.
Click—click—
The sound of something being dragged across the floor echoed through the air.
In the distance, faint and desperate screams rang out.
Then came the deafening sound of gunfire.
And soon after, everything fell silent once more.
Click—click—
The sound of something being dragged echoed once more.
This time, it seemed to be a little closer.
Takakai keenly noticed that it was probably a metal object scraping against the floor.
What exactly was out there?
The temperature in the room seemed to be gradually dropping.
Chika—the girl sleeping on top of him—was still breathing steadily, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Click—click—
The sound continued to draw nearer.
Takakai reached out his left hand, and cracks appeared on his tattered watch.
From within, a black umbrella emerged.
Just as he was about to open it—
Click—click—
The piercing sound of metal scraping grew even closer.
Takakai suddenly froze.
He noticed that from inside the black umbrella, a small red shoe was sticking out.
And inside that shoe was a deathly pale foot.
This Obsession… was about to lose control.
Why was this happening?
It had just been summoned—why was it already showing signs of losing control?
Shouldn't it only start deteriorating after being used for a while!?
Takakai didn't understand what was happening, but he quickly retracted the Obsession and began testing whether his other Obsessions could help him deal with the situation at hand.
Then, he saw it—
A dark shadow suddenly emerged from the edge of the bed.
He could feel something rising up beside him, just staring at him in utter stillness.
"..."
Everything came to a halt in that moment.
Takakai shut his eyes, as if he had truly fallen asleep, remaining completely still on the bed.
Chika, perhaps dreaming of something, tightened her embrace around him even more, making it slightly difficult for him to breathe—he even felt a bit of pain.
But he continued to lie there silently, eyes closed, making no sound as he pretended to be asleep.
Until that gaze disappeared.
Until the chilling cold that had enveloped the cramped room gradually faded away.
Feeling that it was finally safe, Takakai suddenly realized that something was off.
Why hadn't his Blessing activated?
Whether it was the corpse that had inexplicably appeared earlier or the thing that had just been staring at him—he had only been able to perceive them once he laid eyes on them. But his Blessing hadn't reacted at all.
It hadn't detected any goodwill or malice. It couldn't distinguish whether they were human or not. There was nothing—absolutely no response.
Not even… Chika, who was lying in his arms, squeezing his chest tighter and tighter as if she wanted to crush his ribcage.
Takakai opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head, looking down at his chest.
He was met with a pair of eyes.
Pale, bloodstained, shattered into fragments.
And from within those eyes, a surge of hatred and resentment overflowed.
[I… want all of you…]
———
The next moment, Takakai's eyes snapped open, and he found himself sitting in a clean hallway.
Had he just been inside someone's dream?
He slowly stood up.
Then… had he truly woken up from the dream now?
Takakai turned his head, gazing down one side of the hallway.
At that moment, two faint figures appeared in the corridor, walking while seemingly discussing something.