For a moment, Yotsuya Miko's breathing nearly stopped.
[Miko-chan]
The voice calling her name vanished in an instant—so fast that Miko couldn't even tell if it belonged to a man or woman, an adult, child, or elderly person.
But she already understood, with perfect clarity, the situation she was in.
Drip—
Outside the stall door, a faint sound of dripping water echoed.
Inside the dim, cramped restroom stall, the girl—her finger still pressed against the toilet's flush button—widened her eyes, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Calm down.
She told herself, deep inside her mind.
Calm down, now.
These things… thesemononokedon't kill without reason. They're bound by the rules of urban legends. They need to fulfill certain conditions before they can act. Even though my name was called, as long as I don't respond, it can't hurt me.
That's right. Just don't respond.
Stay calm. Don't panic. Don't lose control.
Remember howsenpailed me through survival in Fujika Middle School. Remember how he faced these things. Even if I can't be as composed as him, at the very least, I can't falter. I can't show too much fear in front of them.
"…Haa…"
With a slow exhale, Yotsuya Miko's expression smoothed into blank neutrality.
Then, she turned around.
What greeted her was the slightly grimy, worn-out stall door—looking as though it had been abandoned for some time.
There was nothing visibly horrifying.
No grotesque entity in sight.
Even though she'd heard the voice, whatever had called her didn't seem to be inside the stall with her.
But…
That voice had definitely come from behind her.
Miko had long since learned to trust her eyes. If something had truly been standing behind her, calling her name, she would have seen it when she turned. Even if it were some formless, intangible specter, her vision would have caught its presence.
Which meant…
It was here.
Somewhere in the stall with her, lurking just beyond her line of sight.
Watching her.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
She wanted to push the stall door open.
She wanted to run.
She remembered the rules she'd read earlier—about how the school building's [Open Hours] were supposed to be safe. As long as she didn't break certain fundamental rules, she wouldn't be in danger.
But this "game" had been going on for hours now, and none of the players had made any progress. Even with her and senpai's ability to see the abnormal [Survival Rules], they still couldn't locate the elusive [Living Club]. They were stuck attending classes, trapped in this place.
And now…
One of them had come for her.
If it was really here…
Could she find it?
If she could observe it, like she had in Fujika Middle School… would she see something others couldn't? Could she uncover clues that normal methods couldn't obtain?
Drip—
The sound of water droplets echoed outside the stall again.
Silence.
When she'd first entered the restroom, there had been other students here. Fujiwara Chika had come in with her. But now…
No voices.
No sounds.
Just the dripping water.
Her own breathing.
Her own heartbeat.
Her fingers shook.
Her body trembled on its own.
Miko knew exactly what she was considering.
For an ordinary girl like her—one who lived a simple, routine life of school → sweets shop → home—these twisted entities were the stuff of nightmares. She was terrified of them. Even though she could pretend not to see them, the fear never truly left her.
To actively seek them out…
That was an unbearable trial.
But…
Senpai had done it.
Countless times.
Even though he knew full well how dangerous they were—how one misstep could mean death—he still confronted them. Fujika Middle School. Shirasawa Elementary. She had witnessed his deaths, seen the suffering he endured.
If I die here…
Senpai can reset everything through that crimson city. The revived me would remember what I saw and heard, and I could tell him.
No… the chance of me dying here is low. Right now is the school's [Open Hours]. According to the rules, as long as I don'tcommunicatewith it, it can't harm me. Unless… unless the rule list itself is a trap.
"…Haa…"
Another deep breath.
She steadied herself completely.
Then—
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She crouched down inside the stall.
She knelt.
Then, she leaned forward, pressing her face close to the gap beneath the stall door—peering out into the hallway beyond.
Nothing.
The hallway was empty.
No one in the opposite stall.
No feet visible under the partitions.
The pale fluorescent lights reflected off the tiles, casting dizzying white spots—so stark they reminded her of frozen corpses.
"..."
Silently, Miko didn't rise immediately.
Instead, she turned her head—looking to the side.
The stall to her left.
No one there.
From this angle, unless someone was standing on the toilet, she should have been able to see their feet. But there was nothing. Just an empty stall, the tiles at the far end of the restroom, and a mop and bucket leaning against the wall.
She turned her head the other way.
If she remembered correctly, Fujiwara Chika should have been in the stall next to her.
And then—
She saw them.
A pair of women's dress shoes.
Small, dark-red leather boots.
Toes pointed inward, perfectly aligned.
Standing in the next stall over.
Miko's breath caught.
Those weren't Fujiwara Chika's shoes.
She was certain of that.
So…
Whose were they?
And how long had they been standing there, silently, in the stall beside her?
Where was Chika now?
Drip—
Another droplet fell, this time from the sink outside.
Miko stared at the shoes.
Then, a realization crept in.
Slowly…
She lifted her gaze.
Upward.
Toward the top of the stall—over two meters high.
Black hair.
She saw black hair.
A small portion of a head peeked over the partition, strands of inky hair dangling down. One lock even spilled over into her stall.
Was that…
A person?
Standing in the stall next to her?
Miko couldn't be sure. The angle was too awkward, the position too high. She could only make out a vague silhouette.
[Miko-chan]
Then, she heard it again.
A young woman's voice.
Not unpleasant, but utterly lifeless—like someone reciting lines from a textbook.
It came from directly above, where that head was peering over.
The shoes in the next stall shifted slightly.
The head rose a little higher—as though someone were standing on tiptoe, trying to lean further over.
A wave of primal terror crashed through Miko.
Now, she knew where the voice had come from.
Look down.
Before that thing could fully peer into her stall, Miko swiftly averted her gaze—staring at the floor instead.
And there…
She saw them.
Another pair of women's dress shoes.
Black this time.
Toes perfectly aligned, facing her.
Right outside her stall door.
When had those—?
Before she could process it, the shoes moved.
Step.
Step.
Silently, they walked away.
No sound.
No visible figure.
Just shoes gliding across the floor—as though worn by an invisible person.
But that wasn't the main concern anymore.
[Miko-chan]
The voice called a third time.
And now…
Miko could feel it.
Close.
Too close.
Right behind her.
The voice wasn't coming from the next stall anymore.
It was right behind her head.
So near that she could almost feel breath against her hair.
Whatever this thing was—this entity that mimicked human form but was nothing human—it was now mere centimeters away from her.
Miko didn't turn around.
Even as the presence loomed, she refused to look.
A deep, instinctual warning screamed inside her:
Don't turn.
Don't meet its gaze.
Don't let it see your eyes.
But… why?
Were the rules wrong?
They'd only said not to respond—but this feeling… was looking forbidden too? Had she misunderstood something?
She couldn't figure it out.
But she'd already gotten what she came for. Pushing further would be suicide.
So, forcing herself to remain calm, she reached for the stall door's latch.
Creak—
The old hinges whined as she pushed it open.
Step.
She stepped into the hallway.
No sudden attacks.
No hands grabbing her.
So she kept walking.
Step.
Step.
Toward the sinks.
The only sound in the dead-silent restroom was her own footsteps.
The overhead lights cast two shadows on the tiled wall.
One—small, hunched, moving cautiously—was hers.
The other…
Long.
Thin.
Twisted.
Something grotesquely misshapen.
It loomed behind her, stretching unnaturally across the wall, keeping pace with her steps.
Miko didn't react.
She simply kept walking.
Drip—
Another droplet fell from an unclosed faucet.
She reached the sink.
Turned the water on.
The loud rush of water filled the silence as she washed her hands.
Then, she turned it off.
Walked out.
Never once looking back.
Never once glancing up.
She might as well have been blind to the thing following her—even as its distorted shadow stretched across the wall beside her.
And then—
Noise.
Laughter.
Chatter.
The world snapped back to life as she stepped into the hallway.
Takakai, leaning against the wall, turned to look at her—his expression shifting to concern.
All three girls should have exited the restroom together. Yet here was Miko, alone.
That instantly put him on edge.
"Hm. Safe return. No abnormalities detected."
Then—
Fujiwara Chika's voice.
Bright. Cheerful.
Right behind Miko.
The pink-haired girl stepped out, drying her hands with a paper towel before bouncing over to Takakai's side.
A moment later, Hayasaka Ai emerged as well—immediately noticing the tension in Miko and Takakai's expressions. Her guard went up instantly as she scanned the area.
But…
Nothing.
Both girls acted completely normal.
Yet, from their perspective, they had all left the restroom together.
Miko had simply been the first to step out.
And at the same time, in another restroom down the hall…
Shijō Maki frowned at the stall door in front of her.
She hadn't heard any voices calling her name.
But…
From the stall next to hers, she could hear two girls chatting.
[Hey, hey… isn't this boring? Have you heard the rumor about Hanako-san in the toilet?]
[That old story? Why bring it up now?]
The voices were light. Playful.
As if two ordinary schoolgirls were just killing time.
But Shijō Maki was alone in the restroom.
And the stall beside her…
Was empty.