It went without saying—Shijou Maki would never go to the restroom alone in a dungeon.
In fact, she had entered with Shiomiya Kaguya, Aoyama Nanami, and Nanakawa Ren. Kaguya had been in the stall right next to hers.
But now…
Maki was hearing voices.
Two unfamiliar girls, chatting away in the stall where Kaguya should have been—and another, further down.
Had space shifted somehow?
Or was this an illusion?
Recalling the information Takakai had shared through their mental link, and how she hadn't been able to understand Yotsuya Miko's words earlier, Maki strongly suspected she had triggered some kind of rule. If she left now, she might finally see the hidden rules she hadn't been able to perceive before.
But…
Should she leave?
As she hesitated, the conversation next door continued.
[There are so many versions of Hanako-san, you know? Which one are you talking about?]
[The one from Fujika Middle School, of course! Haven't you heard? If you pass by the restroom late at night, Hanako might invite you in to play.]
A soft giggle. The sound of shoes shuffling against the floor.
The two girls spoke as if they had snuck in here just to gossip.
[Oh, that kind of urban legend? I bet "playing" isn't as fun as it sounds. Probably more like… if you agree, you die, right?]
[Hehe, that's a fair guess, but no~ In fujika's version, it's the people who refuse Hanako that get dragged into the toilet and drowned.]
[Eww, what a gross way to die.]
[That's why it's scary! But I've also heard… even if you play with her, if she enjoys it too much, you won't be able to leave either.]
[That's so unfair! Are all urban legends this unreasonable? Where'd you even hear this?]
[The Occult Research Club, of course! You've never heard of it? Wanna join? Oh, and urban legends are reasonable. If you think they aren't, it's just because you haven't seen enough~]
[Pfft, like you have. And what's this "Occult Research Club"? I've never seen any posters for it.]
[You want one? Here~]
A hand slid under the stall door.
A crumpled flyer was placed on the floor.
[So? Wanna give it a try?]
A low laugh.
The stall door creaked open.
Footsteps faded away.
Maki blinked, snapping out of her daze.
She hadn't even realized she'd been standing there, listening to the entire conversation.
Was my mind influenced? But the three mental barriers Takakai set for me weren't triggered. Did something bypass them?
And…
The hand was already gone.
Only the flyer remained—a crude, unremarkable black sheet of paper.
After a brief hesitation, Maki picked it up and unfolded it.
Any change—good or bad—is better than no change at all.
Even if it was risky, she needed to see what was written.
Her violet-brown eyes scanned the text carefully.
[Club Recruitment Notice:]
[The Occult Research Club is recruiting! Join us~ ♪]
[Do you find the world too dull?]
[Does your life feel monotonous?]
[Do you crave something extraordinary?]
[Are you fascinated by the unknown?]
[If so, then the Occult Research Club is for you!]
[We're all just like you—tired of the same old routine, ready to walk a different path!]
[Join us in uncovering forgotten secrets!]
[How to join: Between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM, enter the Annex Building. The kitchen door on the second floor will be open. Find the locked disc in the first-floor library's AV section, then play it in the fourth-floor multimedia room. Complete the challenge, and you're in!]
It didn't take long to read.
But the contents were… unsettling.
Sneaking into a locked building in the dead of night? Playing a mysterious disc?
This sounded less like a recruitment notice and more like a suicide invitation.
I need to tell Takakai.
She quickly relayed the information through their mental link, then stepped out of the stall.
The restroom was eerily silent.
Her three teammates were nowhere to be found.
Unfazed, Maki walked out—
And was immediately greeted by the noise of the hallway.
"Why'd you space out like that?"
Kaguya's voice.
The raven-haired girl tilted her head, puzzled.
"…Did we all leave the restroom together?" Maki asked, glancing at Nanami and Ren.
"Yeah? Why?" Nanami frowned. "Something wrong?"
As players, they were quick to pick up on irregularities.
But…
None of them were looking at the flyer in Maki's hand.
It was right there. Impossible to miss.
Yet they acted as if they didn't see it.
So this is thecognitive blockTakakai mentioned?
Even though it's physically here, they can't perceive it. Only I can.
She still didn't understand how it bypassed mental defenses.
What was this dungeon?
What was she supposed to do now?
Keeping her composure, Maki simply replied, "I'm fine," and followed them back to class.
The students around them continued chatting, laughing, completely absorbed in their own worlds.
They paid no attention to the four players.
Though they would step aside in crowded areas, these seemingly normal students never engaged with them.
It was only now that Maki realized—
Not a single student is alone.
Every group had at least two people.
No one walked by themselves.
It was like some twisted friendship game.
If that was the case…
"Cough—Are you sure she's okay?" Maki asked Nanami quietly.
After Takakai's warnings, players avoided using names outright. But Nanami understood immediately.
"She'll be fine," Nanami answered confidently.
Maki wasn't so sure.
Gotou Hitori was alone in her classroom right now.
Was that really safe?
Back in Class 2-12, Gotou Hitori was on the verge of a meltdown.
Her third and fourth periods were back-to-back math classes. The teacher had assigned a short exercise during the break—intended to reinforce the lesson.
For Hitori, this was a nightmare second only to social interaction.
I can't solve any of these…
Even as a Crimson Moon-tier player, even with enhanced physical and mental abilities, Hitori had one fatal flaw:
She wasn't smart.
To put it bluntly, she was the type to study hard—and still rank dead last.
A year ago, she might have scored 10/100 on a test. Now? Maybe 25.
A huge improvement.
But it didn't help right now.
"Uuu… Why do I have to do advanced math in a dungeon…?" she whimpered.
The classroom buzzed with chatter.
Laughter. Conversations.
But—
Every single student was looking at her.
Their heads turned. Their eyes locked onto her.
Yet their mouths kept moving, their words never pausing.
…Is someone staring at me?
Hitori glanced up.
Nothing.
Just students chatting like normal.
But that can't be right.
If a player senses something off, there's always something wrong. It's never just imagination.
This was one of Hitori's self-proclaimed Three Great Laws of Being a Player.
(The second law: Core Obsessions are always super tragic. The third was still a work in progress, but three sounded cooler, so she went with it.)
She looked down again—
And pulled out a small mirror.
One of her many Obsessional Items.
[Phantom's Gaze] (Dusk-grade)
An item that allowed her to create a floating "eye" within a 5-meter radius, seeing through walls, objects, and even hidden truths.
The mirror's surface darkened, then swirled with color.
This time, she positioned the "eye" above her own head.
The reflection showed her pink hair first—
Then panned out.
And there they were.
Every student in the room.
Still chatting. Still laughing.
But their eyes—
All fixed on the mirror.
Staring straight at her.
Crack—
A sharp snap echoed in Takakai's mind.
His head whipped toward the hallway.
One of his mental fragments—placed on an unknown player—had just shattered.