[Record of the 22nd Exploration of Room 304]
When he turned back to the screen again, he saw the man seated at the desk begin to talk to himself, murmuring as he opened a notebook and started writing.
[I've finally confirmed the hidden room within 304.]
[The storage room—it should be a storage room, a small and very inconspicuous one.]
[Why is it that none of the tenants' rooms in this apartment have this storage room? In a standardized apartment of uniform structure, such a discrepancy shouldn't exist—unless it was hidden.]
[Kyosei… was it you who did this? What exactly are you? Could it be that our being trapped here is actually the result of your machinations behind the scenes?]
As the man spoke, he continued writing, but suddenly stopped, then sighed and set down his pen.
[Forget it, this matter isn't important. I've already confirmed that child's name and all related information. What I have to do now is find her.]
[She is the source of all this—it must be her. She… I'm not entirely sure what's going on. Ever since I learned that name, I've had this strange feeling, as if there's suddenly someone else in my room, as if no matter where I go, someone is watching me.]
The man's emotions seemed to have gone slightly awry.
He suddenly stood up and looked toward the computer in the room.
From Takumi's perspective, the man on the surveillance screen was staring at him—at his own back before the computer.
It truly felt as though a gaze was piercing from behind, nailing itself onto his body.
[Who are you?]
The man's trembling voice sounded.
[Why are you in my room? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?]
The voice didn't come from within the computer screen—it came directly from behind him.
He smelled scalding heat and the scent of flesh steeped in boiling water.
Drip—drip—
Water dripped onto the floor, accompanied by the sound of something dragging its feet.
Takumi stood silently in place, staring at the screen where the man had already walked up behind him—almost pressing right against his back.
[Splash!]
The next moment, within that icy, suffocating sensation, Takumi suddenly plunged into water. Struggling, he rose from the pool that covered the floor of the room.
He was now in the living room of 109.
The papers pasted on the wall had been covered with moss, and the various documents on the table had decayed beyond recognition.
He had broken free from those fragments of the past and returned to the real 109.
At that moment, several pitch-black figures were standing in the room, seemingly searching for something as they roamed about.
Takumi himself took a deep breath, touched the key and cassette on him, and after confirming they were still there, stepped forward and started walking straight toward the door.
He had to go back.
After obtaining what could very well be crucial items, what he needed to do now was return upstairs as soon as possible.
These… rescue personnel should be attempting to search for survivors inside 109. They were still being deceived, probably. In any case, he had to take advantage of this opportunity to return—to bring the key and cassette back to Kaguya and Maki.
Thinking that, Takumi passed through the living room door and quickly moved through the corridor filled with moss, corrosion marks, and murky yellow stagnant water.
Perhaps because he had expended considerable energy earlier, Takumi felt that he was sweating heavily. He subconsciously grasped the life jacket on his body and gave it a shake.
The main door was open, and the corridor outside looked equally terrible. Many pieces of trash and debris floated in the water.
Takumi glanced to both sides and quickly found the room he needed to go to—Room 106.
What he had to do next was return upstairs and rescue the survivors trapped there. The flood peak would arrive very soon; if he didn't act quickly…
[Splash—splash—splash—]
His steps forward faltered with difficulty.
Takumi coughed up a mouthful of foul yellow water, braced himself against the wall, and frowned as he looked around again.
Why could he see?
Wasn't the first floor supposed to have no light at all?
Why could he now see everything around him so clearly—and… were these my clothes?
What did I come here for? Rescue… no, I came back to find someone… no, no, something's clearly wrong with my mind. Where's the problem… what's wrong…
"Ah…"
No sound came from his mouth.
His body was becoming increasingly stiff.
It was as if he was no longer himself—slowly turning into another person.
Takumi suddenly stretched out his hand, grasped the rope tied around his body, and pulled it tight little by little.
He had to send a signal.
He had to make the people on the other side understand it, and then… act…
[Time to go. The couple from 304 has already been evacuated—get them out first!]
A voice came from the end of the corridor.
Takumi raised his head and saw several rescue team members running down from the stairwell, along with a man and a woman being supported by them.
[Let go! You bastard, let me go! What, I won't leave, so what!]
The man reeked of alcohol, continually shouting curses, thrashing his legs as he tried to kick the nearby rescuers.
[Help! Molestation! You filthy shameless bastards—your blind mothers who eat pig slop every day should've been hit by trains and reincarnated as dogs! Let go! Let me go! Let me go, ahhh—!]
The woman was struggling fiercely, screaming, hurling all sorts of vile insults, and even trying to spit in the rescuers' faces.
[These two lunatics—and that child in their room…]
[Forget it, just take them away first. The flood peak shouldn't reach the third floor. If it does, we'll come back again… just get these two out of here, and make sure they're strictly restrained.]
[Animals—how could they do something like that? Are these two even human anymore? I heard their son was sent back to their hometown four days ago? So they already knew something like this would happen and prepared in advance?]
[It's been so many days already… with a stench that strong, how did no one call the police? It's impossible for everyone in the building to have lost their sense of smell, right?]
[Enough talk—take them away. The officers are already waiting in the safe zone. Get them out first, then we'll discuss the rest.]
The voices of the rescue team members and the man and woman's furious curses mixed together, as if they were being shoved straight into Takumi's skull.
Amid waves of stabbing pain, Takumi, unable to move from where he stood, simply watched those rescue team members walking forward toward him, along with Takeda Yūsuke and Takeda Kazue, who were being supported by them, and…
Behind them, unnoticed by anyone, was a small figure.
That was…
That was… that was a chil—
That… that was… me… here… no…
All capacity for thought nearly broke off at that instant, to the point that even his entire sense of perception began to collapse.
Takumi could no longer hear sounds or see anything clearly, nor could he perceive his surroundings. All he felt was pain—an unbearably sharp, unending pain that went on and on.
It was as if someone were holding a needle and thread…
stitching his mouth shut, little by little…
Sewing… it… shut…
Because… he had… not… listened…
…
[Click!]
When Takumi opened his eyes, what he saw was Green, sitting by the kitchen side with a deathly pale face; the wall clock lying on the floor; Maki, who looked worried as she helped him up; and also Kaguya and Yamamoto Hiroshi, who were likewise watching him.
He had returned to Room 206.
Returned to the moment just before the second exploration was about to begin.
"How was it? Did you find anything?"
Shinomiya Kaguya stared intently at Takumi and immediately asked.
Takumi didn't answer at first. He reached into his pocket.
Then, he showed an expression of surprise.
The key to Room 304 was still there, and so was that old cassette tape.
How could this be? Why hadn't these two items been rewound as well? Could it be that they possessed some kind of special property, and thus could not be reset?
"There were indeed many discoveries. I—"
Relieved to have returned to a safe place, Takumi let out a breath, preparing to tell them about his experiences below.
But just as he opened his mouth and lifted his head again, his words stopped involuntarily.
He saw, standing in the middle of the living room, that small figure watching him.
She was here.
Silently watching him.
Waiting for his gaze to meet hers, so that he would understand the reality before him.
[The greatest taboo of Shirakawa Apartments is the child.]
That key piece of information from the outdated rule sheet suddenly flashed through Takumi's mind.
He had thought he already understood what that taboo meant.
But now, it seemed that only at this moment had he just begun to touch upon it.
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