Chapter 6: The Investigation Team is Formed
The silence at the door lasted over half an hour.
Kaguya leaned against it for a long time before finally straightening up, no longer pressing her ear to the wood.
"The footsteps went downstairs," she murmured, then stepped forward, signaling for Kaito and Maki to follow her deeper into the hallway.
Room 208's layout was identical to 204's—another bizarre corridor that turned at a sharp right angle only at the very end.
A wall clock hung near the door to the living room. Kaito recalled the time displayed on the clock in 204 and did some quick mental math. The time here matched exactly.
Every room's clock is perfectly accurate?
He suddenly remembered that rule.
If the rules are absolute, then what if I adjust this clock? Would it still be considered [accurate]?
Though the idea intrigued him, he didn't act on it. Testing the rules wasn't the priority right now. Besides, they had already encountered something that defied the rules—the eerie incident earlier, despite it still being daytime. The safety guidelines stated that the outside was only dangerous after 9 PM, yet that inexplicable event had still occurred.
Maybe the rules weren't wrong. Maybe the outside was still safe, and what happened was just a non-lethal anomaly.
Or perhaps they had misjudged the time—maybe it was already night, and the faint light seeping through the boarded-up windows was misleading.
Or worse, maybe the rules themselves were outdated, no longer capable of protecting the survivors here.
After considering all possibilities, Kaito leaned toward the third option.
According to the author of these guidelines, this was a [Daily Life Handbook], emphasizing [daily life] over [survival]. Kaito doubted the writer would misuse such terms. Combined with the fact that copies of the rules were left in every room, it was likely that at some point, survivors in this abandoned apartment had formed a small community, living together and compiling these rules.
But by the time Kaito and the others were dragged into this damn Sacrifice Game, the place was already in ruins, with no recent signs of habitation. Even the rules were covered in a thin layer of dust—less so than the broken furniture, but still noticeable.
In other words, the rules they held might already be obsolete, no longer reliable.
This realization deepened Kaito's unease.
No, I can't jump to conclusions.
The earlier anomaly hadn't invaded the room—at least, they hadn't seen anything strange happen inside. So the rule about rooms being relatively safe probably still held. However, neither Kaito nor Kaguya were in their original rooms anymore, which meant they still had to be cautious.
Creak—
While Kaito was lost in thought, Maki, leading the way, had already opened the living room door and stepped inside. Kaito followed, with Kaguya bringing up the rear.
Room 208's living room was nearly identical to 204's, except for a square coffee table instead of a round one, a worn-out sofa, and a few stools. The kitchen door was still intact, though left ajar.
Kaito didn't see a printed rule sheet here. Had the previous survivors missed this room?
"Don't worry about this room's safety. This is where I woke up. I've already searched it thoroughly."
Maki leaned against the wall, speaking calmly as she placed her copy of the rules on a nearby cabinet.
Unlike the lovelorn girl Kaito remembered from the original story, this Maki exuded a chilling, imposing aura—similar to Kaguya's, though less sharp. Where Kaguya's gaze felt like being stabbed, Maki's was merely uncomfortable.
Ah, right. In the original, Maki was basically a sunnier, more tragic version of Kaguya. Despite her reputation as a loser in love, she's still the heiress of a top-tier conglomerate, with intellect, insight, and skills far beyond her peers. Strip away the tsundere and the heartbreak, and she's basically Kaguya Shinomiya Lily—a highly valuable ally, maybe even more so than Kaguya herself. After all, Kaguya's twisted upbringing makes her a tricky teammate, while Maki's a genuine sweetheart who'd never betray him unless he really screwed up.
"Mr. Kaito, what exactly do you know?"
Kaguya, who seemed to trust Maki implicitly, turned to Kaito and cut straight to the point.
"Earlier in the hallway, you were just observing your surroundings."
"But your gaze kept lingering on that man who called himself Lao Guo. Your attention wasn't just because he seemed authoritative—you had your own reasons."
"Then, when you saw him act strangely by locking himself in a room, you immediately decided to hide in one yourself, as if using his actions as a guide. The same goes for when you read the rules. You didn't seem to doubt their authenticity, as if you'd seen something like them before and recognized them at once. I'd like you to explain all this. If you're honest, we might form a temporary alliance. I'm sure someone as observant as you understands how much help you'd gain from having Maki and me as allies."
Without giving Kaito time to think, Kaguya delivered this rapid-fire interrogation in a cold, measured tone.
While Kaito had been observing others, Kaguya had clearly been observing him.
She had pieced together several inconsistencies and laid them all out now.
Kaito could sense both girls' wariness. Kaguya's knees were slightly bent—he had no doubt she'd strike if he seemed suspicious. Meanwhile, Maki had subtly shifted her left hand behind her back, where she now held what looked like a rusty fork or knife. One stab from that, and he'd be dealing with tetanus on top of everything else.
Whether they became allies or enemies hinged on his next words.
Kaito raised his hands, making sure both girls could see them, then took a moment to gather his thoughts.
I could just say it: I'm a transmigrator. In my past life, I browsed a lot of rules-horror forums and read endless 'infinite flow' novels, so I suspected that guy might be an experienced player and watched his moves.
He considered this approach—or maybe toning it down, just mentioning rules-horror and infinite flow concepts.
But...
[Never let anyone know where you came from.]
He couldn't remember where he'd heard that.
Yet the phrase surfaced now, sending an inexplicable chill down his spine.
I can't say that.
Not just the transmigration part.
He couldn't mention rules-horror or infinite flow either, because those were concepts from his previous world. When he'd searched online earlier, he'd confirmed many things familiar from his past life didn't exist here. He hadn't checked exhaustively, so he wasn't sure about these two—but if they were unique to his old world, admitting he knew them would expose him.
Wait—expose me to whom?
The question puzzled him briefly.
But he brushed it aside. He already had a cover story ready. Adjusting his collar slightly, he began:
"My name is Kaito. I'm 19."
"I live alone in a detached house on XX Street, having dropped out of school. Every day, I game until 11 PM before washing up and going to—ahem, no, I mean, because of gaming, I've always had a vivid imagination. At one point, I thought about combining the rules and notices you see in hotels or supermarkets with horror stories, turning them into fiction. I figured it might be a hit."
"But before I could try, I ended up here. So when I saw that handbook, it felt weirdly familiar. As for that Lao Guo guy, his behavior was suspicious from the start. And ever since arriving, I've had a theory: that voice said this was my [first game], meaning this has happened many times before, and there must be veterans who've survived multiple rounds. I suspected Lao Guo was one."
"So I watched him. If he acted strangely, it probably meant something bad was happening. And for my own safety, I figured copying him was the best move."
He'd almost slipped into a certain hand-obsessed pervert's iconic monologue, but he'd managed to steer it back. His explanation might not earn their full trust, but it was plausible enough.
Incidentally, the part about writing rules-horror wasn't entirely made up. In his past life, he had considered it. And in this world, the original Kaito's notes contained similar ideas. So technically, he wasn't lying—from any angle, his story held up.
"…Is that so?"
Kaguya gave a slight nod, her expression unreadable. It was impossible to tell whether she believed him.
"No need to dance around it, Auntie. You can tell this guy's sharp. And he obviously knows who we are—the way he looks at us is different from the others. You're Kaito, right? You know my name, don't you?"
Maki spoke up, twirling the fork in her hand as she took a step closer.
The first part was directed at Kaguya, but the question was for Kaito.
"I do. Maki Shijo. You're the heiress of the Shijo Family, and she's the heiress of the Shinomiya Family. After dropping out, I traveled around Japan for a year. During an open event at Shuchi'in Academy, I snuck in and saw both your names on a ranking board."
Kaito answered smoothly.
The Japan trip and sneaking into Shuchi'in were details from the original Kaito's diary. The ranking board part was fabricated, but at this point, it didn't matter.
"So you do know who we are. You've even been to our school. And now, here we all are, in this hellhole. Don't you think that just makes you more suspicious?"
Maki's voice grew colder as she stared into his eyes.
"True. But denying it would be worse. As for suspicion—I think we all realize by now that whatever's happening here goes way beyond a normal kidnapping. That eerie voice, the way we lost control of our bodies—I don't need to spell it out."
Kaito remained calm, his expression unwavering under her scrutiny.
Silence fell again.
Maki crossed her arms, studying him intently.
Kaguya, though silent, was doing the same.
"…Alright, Auntie, I think we can trust him—for now. But seriously, are you really 19? You act more composed than some people in their late twenties."
Finally, Maki sighed and relaxed, her tone lightening.
Kaito knew he'd earned her basic trust—about 10% on the friendship meter. Kaguya, however, remained silent and guarded.
"Maybe I've just lived a lot? Or maybe I've always fantasized about adventures like this, haha…"
Kaito rubbed his head and forced a dry laugh, lying through his teeth.
"Either way, for now, we need to work together—at least to figure out our situation. I'm confident in my abilities, and with Auntie here, we'll manage. But you—Kaito, was it? You're pretty sharp. I'm sure you've noticed that both Auntie and I have exceptional physical skills and senses. So as long as you don't try anything, we can cooperate. Deal?"
Maki flashed a haughty smile and extended her hand.
Did she just decide for both of them?
Kaito noticed Kaguya's slight frown—she still hadn't fully let her guard down and couldn't commit as readily as Maki. But she didn't object, silently acquiescing.
"I'll do my best—though I doubt I can match either of you."
For now, at least, he was in.
In this eerie, decaying apartment, a transmigrator and two elite schoolgirls had formed a makeshift investigation team, embarking on a real-life rules-horror adventure.
As the moment sank in, a stray thought crossed Kaito's mind:
Huh. Now that I think about it, having two cute, capable high school girls as teammates feels kinda… pandering?