Takumi could feel that the sheep head was gradually fusing with his own head.
Those sticky masses of flesh were still alive, silently writhing, little by little squeezing into his cheeks and burrowing into every pore of his skin.
However, this thing could not completely erode Takumi himself. Even when he was almost deprived of his sense of self by the sheep head's power without deliberately resisting it, the thing still could not completely eliminate Takumi himself. That was why he had been able to take the Outstanding Student badge at the critical moment.
If one had to ask the reason, it was very simple. Takumi was also wearing the Rescue Team Badge, and a Rescue Team uniform was constantly manifested on his body. By using the mutual cancellation between two different assimilation forces, combined with the certain degree of resistance he had developed after experiencing assimilation influences many times, he was already able to endure the sheep head's influence while remaining conscious. He could even deliberately allow the assimilation tendency to spread to a certain extent while maintaining his awareness throughout the process.
Although doing so was still extremely uncomfortable for him.
Unfortunately, under that state it was still very difficult for him to fully control his actions. Otherwise, he would have liked to try taking a few more student badges. Speaking of which, the texture of this badge… could it actually be made of pure gold? It feels like it might be quite valuable. But since I'm now in a relationship with both Maki and Chika, it seems like I probably won't have to worry about money for the rest of my life anyway.
While thinking this, Takumi still had not removed his hood. Maintaining this state could help him gain certain advantages within the school, so even though he knew the danger of this thing, he still chose to continue wearing it.
In addition, the second Rescue Team member he had summoned had now entered the archive room under his command.
During the time when Takumi and Miko went to Class 2-1 to search for the Outstanding Student badge, he had not forgotten the rescue team member he had summoned earlier and left near the archives room. After giving the other party the instruction to enter the archives room and investigate, it was now about time to confirm the situation.
Shifting his gaze into the archives room, it could be seen that the small room had already been completely turned upside down. A large number of documents were piled on the table, while the rescue team member silently flipped through the documents page by page, discarding those that had already become blurred and whose contents could not be seen clearly, leaving only those whose contents could still be identified.
All of these documents could only be found when the lights were on. Earlier, when the rescue team member entered the archives room while the lights were off, he discovered that the entire archives room had already been burned down, and there was nothing of value inside. But when the lights came on and the Teaching Building entered the daytime state, the place returned to its normal appearance. The archives that had originally been burned were restored as well. However, for some unknown reason, the vast majority of the files appeared blurred and indistinct.
The rescue team member picked up one of the documents whose contents could still be identified. Takumi was somewhat surprised to discover that the name written on it was actually Ogawa Kyoko.
[Enrolled Student: Ogawa Kyoko]
[Student Number: ■■■■■]
[Enrolled Class: Second-Year Division, Class 015]
[Aptitude Assessment: Ordinary → Delinquent]
[Current Status: Deceased]
[Recommended Measures: None]
[Disposition Conclusion: Sent to the Biology Classroom and used as dissection material]
The contents of the file were not extensive—only a single page. Attached to it were a photo of Kyoko herself and another image of Kyoko after she had become a human anatomical model.
Realizing something, Takumi ordered the rescue team member to conduct a more careful investigation. The other party quickly found several more files. Soon, Takumi confirmed that all the files with clear handwriting were files belonging to Miko's classmates, and in every file the Current Status was marked as Deceased. It seemed that these records documented the living people who had come here, and at least for now it appeared that all of Miko's classmates had already died.
No—wait. It seemed there was still one person alive.
[Enrolled Student: Yoshino Rika]
[Student Number: ■■■■■]
[Enrolled Class: Second-Year Division, Class 015]
[Aptitude Assessment: Ordinary → Delinquent → Bad]
[Current Status: Under Reflection]
[Recommended Measures: This student's aptitude is extremely poor, disobedient, and disrespectful toward teachers. Upon locating the student, a humanitarian elimination should be carried out immediately]
[Disposition Conclusion: Await her departure from the classroom]
What was going on with Yoshino Rika? She had already been downgraded to a Bad Student, yet she was still alive. Moreover, judging from the description in the file, she had actually already triggered the death penalty, yet the punishment had not been carried out.
It seemed that it would probably be necessary to go back later and confirm her situation. The fact that she had survived until now might mean that she had discovered something special.
But before that, they first had to find the files belonging to himself and Miko in order to confirm what kind of relevant information was recorded in the archives room.
So the rescue team member began searching again. This time, however, it took quite a while before the rescue team member finally found Takumi's file.
However, this file was extremely unusual.
[Enrolled ■Stu■dent: Taka■shi■■Tak■＆le＃]
[Stu■■dent Number: ■■■■■■■]
[Enr■■olled Cl■■ass: 10*cewv1500sdv]
[Aptitude Assessment: Ordinary → Delinquent → BadBadBadBadBadBadBadBadTeacherTeacherTeacher■■]
[Current Status: Unavailable]
[Reco■■mended Mea■sures: fr■e＆■dv@r废jkExc■e;■■■]
[Disposition Conclusion: None / Bury him deeper]
What the hell? Could files really be filled out like this?
Looking at the file page—almost completely collapsed, filled with scribbles that looked like ghostly scrawls—and at the photo of himself on the file, whose face was so distorted that it was almost impossible to recognize that it was him, Takumi felt utterly baffled.
Could it be that this thing simply had no way to obtain clear data about him?
Could it be a problem with this watch?
Takumi could not help lowering his head to look at the shabby, battered watch on his wrist.
Meanwhile, the rescue team member had already begun searching for Miko's file. However, this time the rescue team member searched for a very long time and still found nothing. Yotsuya Miko's file was not in this archives room.
The files of her twenty-three classmates who had been dragged into this place had all been found, and only Yoshino Rika's file showed that she was still alive; everyone else had already died.
From the moment they had been dragged into this place until now, it had probably only been a little over an hour.
In such a short time, twenty-two girls in the prime of youth had perished in this aberrant Teaching Building. Takumi could not help but feel a sense of lament.
After searching through the entire archives room, the rescue team member did find one more document—a document different from the other files. It seemed to be a planning document concerning the fifth floor of the Teaching Building.
[Second-Year Division Plan Sheet]
[Class Area Division Completed]
[Advanced Zone: Class 001]
[Observation Zone: Classes 005–008]
[Control Zone: Classes 002–004]
[Lower Zone: Classes 013–024]
[Special Zone: Classes 010–012 (Closed Area); Class 009 (Isolation Area)]
[Note: The area division of the Second-Year Division has already been completed. The coordination work with those Germans has also been completed. Recruitment preparations can now begin. The early-stage preparations of the plan have by now been basically completed. The future of the Empire will be opened through our efforts.]
[— Fujii Goro]
Judging from this document, it seemed that the entire Second-Year Division on the fifth floor had originally existed for some kind of experimental objective.
Takumi had a very bad feeling.
He could not help thinking of the research base in the Red Nut Grey Cave, the place that had cultivated the Red-Clothed Aberration—the violent and terrifying core obsession.
Could it be that Fujihana Middle School was also a similar place?
Using a group of middle school students for research… such a thing truly left one unable to find the proper words to describe it.
No—perhaps it was not only that.
Takumi had once constantly wondered why Hayadate Elementary School, Fujihana Middle School, and Yoruyama Middle School, these three schools, had fused together with Baidōsu Academy, that German academy, to form a massive large-scale Instance. After all, since these schools were able to fuse into a single Instance, it meant that during the process in which they turned into an aberrant place, some form of connection must have arisen between them—just like the Red Nut Grey Cave and the research base.
But if that were the case, then where exactly did the connection between these schools lie?
After seeing this planning document, a thought had gradually formed in Takumi's mind.
Perhaps these four academies had all engaged in the same kind of research. Perhaps they had all conducted some form of research on aberrations themselves and had attempted to make use of them.
It was even possible that Hayadate Elementary School, Fujihana Middle School, and Yoruyama Middle School together carried out an integrated research process, jointly sharing certain aberration-related information with Baidōsu Academy, applying it in research, and thereby shaping what had now become this hellish place known as the Campus Uncanny.
If that were the case, then what role exactly did Alice play in all of this? In her game rules, the Good Kids and Bad Kids—could they correspond to the Good Students and Bad Students in Fujihana Middle School? And ever since this Instance began, he had not discovered any trace of Alice's existence at all. What exactly was she? Could the aberration that had grabbed his hand at home earlier have been Alice?
While thinking about these matters, Takumi lowered his head and saw the umbrella he was holding in his hand.
Huh?
Hadn't he already stored this umbrella inside the watch space? Could it be that he had simply forgotten?
In her confusion, Takumi put the black umbrella back into the watch space, then turned his head to look at Miko, who had been sitting in front of the toilet stall door the whole time.
She had been very quiet since just now—perhaps she was simply too tired.
"How was the rest?" Takumi asked.
Click.
At that moment, the lights in the restroom went out, and the illumination throughout the entire Teaching Building disappeared with them. Everything returned to a state of darkness.
[I'm fine. I was just sitting and resting for a while. Are we going to continue moving forward?]
In the faint glow of the candlelight, Miko stood up and looked at Takumi with a smile as she spoke.
"That's good. Let's go. Next, we'll try heading back toward the classroom to check the situation." Takumi nodded lightly, turned around, and walked out of the restroom.
[Mm, I understand, teacher]
Miko's voice sounded softly behind Takumi. Then came the sound of her footsteps following him—one step, then another—as she quietly followed behind him.
Step—
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