Yotsuya Miko lay perfectly still on her bed, her face expressionless as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
The rhythmic breathing sounds around her continued undisturbed, as if her three dormmates were all peacefully asleep.
But she knew the truth was far worse.
"..."
She didn't dare make a single sound.
Because the gaze fixed on her felt like knives scraping against her bones.
They were here. Right beside her. Watching. Waiting. Anticipating the moment she would slip up.
What is happening?
Miko could feel her heartbeat accelerating, cold sweat beading on her skin.
Neither of the two rule lists she'd seen for the dormitory mentioned anything like this. Why had her roommates transformed into these things? Why was something sharing her bed now? What should she do? Were the rule lists incomplete? Missing critical details?
What do I do? What do I do?!
Beneath the covers, her small hands clenched into fists unconsciously.
[Hello?]
Giggling sounded right beside her.
Something was sharing her bed, slowly squirming closer, whispering to her.
The horrifying sensation made Miko's breath catch, but she remained motionless, lying there as if completely unaware - seeing nothing, hearing nothing, feeling nothing.
Don't panic.
She told herself firmly.
No attack has come yet.
I'm still alive.
She remembered Takakai's words - these urban legend entities had no humanity, no consciousness. They followed fixed patterns like machines running programs.
If she'd already broken some fatal rule, she'd be dead already.
So the situation wasn't hopeless yet.
[Yotsuya-san?]
Something leaned over from the headboard, whispering her name.
Its face was deathly pale, its mouth moving though the voice seemed to come from right beside Miko's ear.
Something rose from one of the other beds.
Miko didn't turn to look, but from her peripheral vision she saw its hunched form with limbs stretched to unnatural lengths.
It crawled down slowly.
With raspy, labored breathing interspersed with choked [guh...ah...] sounds, it began creeping toward her.
[Miko-chan?]
This time the voice calling her name came from beneath the covers at her chest.
Strangely familiar.
It sounded like...the voice from the bathroom in the main building earlier.
Had that thing followed her back to the dorm?
The realization made Miko shiver slightly, but she maintained her act of obliviousness.
[Hehehehe—]
Laughter came from the ceiling's edge.
Another thing rose from a different bed.
Even more grotesquely deformed, it scrambled up the wall like a spider, chuckling softly as it moved.
The mattress dipped slightly.
Something was stepping onto her bed from the footboard, slowly approaching.
The small dorm room was becoming increasingly crowded.
One after another, twisted figures emerged to wander the space.
Like some surreal nightmare, monsters that shouldn't exist played and cavorted freely, occupying every corner while their attention remained fixed on the room's sole human occupant.
[Yotsuya-san?]
More voices began calling her name.
[Miko-chan?]
From all around, the voices called out repeatedly.
Why do they know my name?
For a moment, Miko's thoughts drifted to this question.
Then she noticed—these voices sounded familiar.
Ah, of course.
How could she have forgotten?
These were her classmates' voices. People she'd seen daily, even if they weren't close.
[Yotsuya-san?]
Half of Shino Rika's severed head landed on Miko's chest.
Blood and brain matter splattered across the girl's neck.
[Miko-chan?]
Kawa Kyoko's flayed body crawled along the wall.
The raw, red figure left smeared trails as it moved.
[Hello?]
Kobayashi Chiharu's severed arm dropped onto Miko's pillow, accompanied by the mouth torn from her face.
More mangled flesh rained down across the dorm - floor, desk, everywhere.
The calls continued relentlessly.
More familiar faces appeared.
More once-familiar, now mutilated faces entered Miko's vision.
She saw herself sitting in a classroom surrounded by familiar classmates.
She saw herself lying in a dark dorm room surrounded by their remains.
Still they called to her.
Called from the congealing blood.
Called as they squirmed in the darkness, murmuring like sleep-talkers.
Yotsuya-san?
Yotsuya-san? Yotsuya-san?
Yotsuya-sanYotsuya-sanYotsuya-sanYotsuya-sanHelloMiko-chanYotsuya-sanYotsuya-sanMiko-chanYotsuya-sanHelloHelloYotsuya-sanYotsuya-sanMiko-chanHelloHelloHelloYotsuya-sanHelloYotsuya-sanHelloMiko-chanHelloHelloHelloHello...
The voices rose and fell like waves, threatening to shatter her sanity completely.
It all felt like some horrific nightmare.
Which was how Miko suddenly realized—she must already be deep in the nightmare. She must have fallen asleep.
Splash—splash splash—
Red raindrops began seeping through the ceiling.
Crimson flooded her vision, submerging the twisted remains.
The voices vanished instantly.
When Miko opened her eyes again, sunlight streamed through the window.
"It's past 7, time to wake up, Yotsuya-san."
Ai's voice came from the next bed, as cool and composed as ever.
"Slept pretty soundly, huh? Thought you might have insomnia. Good job, Yotsuya."
Kumami yawned by the bathroom door, toothbrush in hand.
"Yotsuya-san, hurry up. We've got more investigating to do today."
Nanami had already made her bed neatly and smiled at Miko.
Morning already?
Sitting up, Miko felt dazed.
Just as she'd guessed—that horrifying scene must have been a nightmare conjured by the dungeon.
If she held fast and didn't lose herself in it, she could wake up safely?
So now I'm...
She got out of bed slowly.
Yawning, the girl shuffled toward the bathroom in a haze.
Reached out. Opened the door.
The bright bathroom's inner door stood ajar, muffled sounds coming from within.
The tightly drawn curtains fluttered slightly despite no discernible breeze.
She turned on the faucet.
Splash splash—
Filled her cup with water.
Stared blankly at it before looking up—
Into the mirror.
At the reflections of Kumami, Ai, and Nanami standing behind her.
"Yotsuya-san, what's wrong?"
Are they...calling my name?
"Why just standing there frozen, Yotsuya?"
Why...are they using my name?
"Miko-chan? You haven't said a word since waking up. Something wrong?"
We agreed not to use names inside the dungeon!
No!
No no no! This isn't real!
I'm not awake yet!
Still trapped in the nightmare!
[Yotsuya-san?]
The calls began again.
Miko's eyes snapped fully open as she stared into the mirror.
The bright light was gone, replaced by gloom.
Splash splash—
The faucet still ran endlessly.
The bathroom door stood slightly ajar as if someone inside was peering out.
The curtains were drawn as before, but now something seemed to be moving behind them—something trying to climb in from outside.
Miko stared into the mirror.
At the things surrounding her reflection—packed densely behind and beside her.
[Yotsuya-san]
They spoke in unison, calling to her.
Miko turned—
To find nothing behind her.
Then the curtains twitched as a pale hand grasped them, slowly pulling back.
Moonlight illuminated the dark bathroom.
Miko's gaze met the thing crouched outside the window.
A...student?
Wearing the same uniform, but stained with mud and blood.
Her arms bent at impossible angles, countless wounds weeping crimson.
Half her skull had caved in, the crushed brain matter beneath trembling like soft tofu with each movement.
Their eyes met.
The hatred and malice in those bloodshot, bulging eyes nearly popping from their sockets struck Miko with terrifying clarity.
[Why pretend not to see me?]
The sobbing voice asked.
Then—
The figure fell.
Miko heard the heavy impact, the sound of something shattering.
Faint crying followed, along with pained gasps and the noise of something dragging itself along.
BANG—
The dorm door burst open violently.
Whirling around, Miko saw a towering, mangled figure in the doorway—broken skull dripping blood, limbs twisted—clearly not among the living.
In the next instant—before she could react—it crossed the room instantly, its ruined face inches from hers. Those bloodshot eyes bulged grotesquely, the damaged brain beneath its fractured skull pulsing faintly.