23:06
6th Floor, Dormitory 606
Takakai leaned against the door, carefully listening for any movement outside. Only after confirming the ghost had left this floor did he relax slightly, turning to the two girls beside him.
Yotsuya Miko had slumped to the floor. Even after her experiences at Fujika Middle School, such close encounters with lethal supernatural entities remained overwhelmingly intense for her. Though trembling uncontrollably, she hadn't made a single sound throughout the ordeal, maintaining perfect silence and never freezing up completely.
"You okay?"
After confirming Miko wasn't physically injured, Takakai finally spoke.
"...I'm fine. Yeah, I'm okay."
The black-haired girl nodded weakly. Though pale-faced, her voice had steadied.
She was gradually recovering from the shock, though the consecutive frights from Takakai's gruesome appearance and the jumping ghost still left her slightly dizzy.
As for the other girl...
"Thank you for saving me. Without you, I wouldn't have escaped that situation."
Takakai bowed sincerely to Gotou Hitori.
As the first officially encountered urban legend in Yoruyama High School, the jumping ghost had demonstrated terrifyingly troublesome abilities. What appeared to be a slow crawler could actually teleport freely throughout the dormitory's halls and stairwells. Once it locked onto someone, no amount of running could shake it off, and its killing rule—[instant death upon eye contact]—was downright unfair.
But redirecting its [lock-on target] can counter its rules?
Takakai glanced thoughtfully at Hitori's Obsessional Item guitar. While he doubted he could control such a powerful and dangerous item, the socially anxious girl's method had inspired him.
Of course, inspiration alone wasn't enough to form a concrete plan.
"U-um, n-no need for th-thanks?"
Hitori seemed startled by the formal gratitude, awkwardly bowing in return. Her stammered response made her nervousness obvious.
Takashi didn't dwell on it, instead quickly scanning the dorm room. It was completely empty.
So this room belongs solely to four mimic-students?
This discovery put him on alert. The dormitory's survival rules specifically warned against entering rooms without permission, especially empty ones marked as [absolutely do not enter].
"Are you sure this place is safe?"
He turned back to Hitori, ready to bolt if necessary.
"Y-yes, n-no problem. I got p-permission earlier."
Hitori nodded slightly, still tense but answering clearly.
That morning after waking, she'd immediately noticed the face under her bed and found the dormitory's survival rules.
After careful study, she'd proactively knocked on every sixth-floor dorm, asking each resident:
[Can I bring friends to visit your room anytime?]
And obtained consent.
As for how a socially anxious girl convinced these exclusionary ghost students...the answer was obvious. With her guitar, she could summon multiple "friends" on the spot, overwhelming the mimics through sheer numbers.
So by reverse-engineering the rules, she turned the entire sixth floor into [permitted access] areas?
This girl might stumble over every spoken word, but when it comes to dealing with the supernatural, she's surprisingly capable.
Still, they couldn't stay long.
Takakai could sense the jumping ghost still prowling the building. Leaving meant risking another encounter.
But remaining away from their designated beds too long might trigger another rule—likely involving a [dorm supervisor ghost] checking rooms at night. Combine that with the jumping ghost's door-opening behavior, and players were trapped in a lose-lose scenario.
This is the true nature of Crimson Moon dungeons. Survival requires more than wits and courage—you need comprehensive supernatural tools and blessings to counter these rule-bound horrors.
"I can summon a stand-in to return to my dorm bed. You've done something similar with your guitar, right? Could you help her too? Her room is 508."
After quick analysis, Takakai made his request.
"O-okay. No p-problem."
Hitori understood immediately.
A strum of her guitar conjured a doppelgänger with 70% resemblance to Miko (minus the golden eyes), which exited to return to Room 508.
Meanwhile, Takakai directed Howard back to Room 203 on the second floor to occupy his bed.
As for Hitori herself? She'd already created a replacement earlier.
Now came the real question—what should their awake trio do next?
"Two options: the main building or the annex."
Takakai held up two fingers.
"We've each obtained one [Occult Club Recruitment Poster] corresponding to those locations. Since dorm ghosts activate after lights-out, the same likely applies there—meaning the recruitment processes might now be accessible."
"They could be traps, but with so little intel, we have to risk it. However, there's a key difference: we've deciphered the main building's survival rules, but not the annex's. In a way, we haven't [triggered] its hauntings yet."
Takakai suspected this distinction hid crucial clues—perhaps making one location far more dangerous than the other for their current group.
As for completely unexplored areas like the gym or auditorium? Those were too risky without any prior investigation.
"We're the only active players right now. So we must decide—where do we go from here?"
He leveled a serious gaze at the two girls, presenting their options:
Investigate the Main Building (Basic/Survival Rules deciphered)
Investigate the Annex Building (Partial Basic Rules known, Survival Rules untouched)
Alternative Ideas?
This choice might determine whether we live to see tomorrow's sun.
The thought weighed heavily as they deliberated.