Of the four girls Takumi had brought out of the classroom, one vanished just like that without a sound.
A young girl who had still been alive only a few minutes ago had now become a corpse with her abdomen split open, hanging from an iron hook.
Dark-red blood flowed down, pooling into a puddle on the ground.
And after seeing this scene, the three girls still alive had undoubtedly suffered a considerable mental shock. Miko and Rika were still more or less able to remain calm, though their bodies could not help trembling a little. Sanada Ai, however, once again could not help vomiting. But because she had already thrown up most of what had been in her stomach earlier, this time she only braced herself against the wall and dry-heaved for a while.
"..."
Takumi remained silent as he stood not far away, only checking from time to time whether the Rescue Team member was still continuing to keep Alice locked down. He made no comment on the girls' reactions.
However, this Rika's ability to judge people and choose them seemed rather mediocre.
Ai had already collapsed onto the ground at this point; it was clear she was no longer capable of continuing to follow him.
Watching her performance, Takumi felt somewhat disappointed. Although he knew that expecting too much from these students was, in truth, asking the impossible, Ai's performance along the way had simply been too unsatisfactory. In the end, he couldn't help but feel a trace of disdain toward her in his heart.
If this loop still couldn't be cleared, then in the next loop, he'd better not let Rika choose people again.
As for Ogawa Kyoko, who had already died—although it was regrettable, the dead could not be brought back. Takumi could only say that she was simply unlucky. In the first loop, being killed by the mannequin was one thing; in the second loop, she was killed by an Aberration again, and judging by the state of her corpse, it was clearly far more gruesome than the first time. Thinking about it, both times it had been her—did this girl have some kind of special talent that attracted Aberrations to kill her?
With that thought in mind, Takumi turned to look at the Aberration standing motionless not far away.
That grotesque student, whose body was torn apart, had clearly shown signs of intending to attack Miko and the others when it saw them earlier. But after Takumi called out "Stop," it immediately ceased all movement. Evidently, a teacher's command still had an effect on students. However, this directly conflicted with the fact that Kyoko had been attacked and killed, which made things deeply puzzling.
Better go confirm the situation in the classroom first.
If the teacher's command had some kind of time limit, then perhaps something had already happened over there.
"W-why do I have to go through something like this… something like this… ugh… something like this… I want to go home, sob… I want to go home…"
While Takumi was thinking, Ai, who had been retching for quite a while, dropped heavily onto the ground and began to sob in a collapsed, broken voice.
She had been too heavily stimulated; her mind was already somewhat deranged.
"It's okay, it's okay, we'll be fine…"
Rika crouched down beside her and softly tried to comfort her, while Miko no longer dared to look at her classmate's corpse and instead turned her gaze toward Takumi.
Then she saw him take out a blood-red key, insert it into the door, and gently turn it.
Creak—
The door opened. On the other side were the students still obediently remaining in the classroom. They had originally scattered into various corners, but the moment they saw the door open and Takumi step inside, they hurried back to their seats in fright. Not a single one dared to meet his gaze.
The power of blessing confirmed that the students in the classroom were all human. Good—no problem. It seemed that Kyoko's death was not caused by the possibility of the teacher's command having a time limit. In that case, the real cause of her death would require careful consideration.
And also… two students were missing.
Takumi only took a quick glance before immediately noticing the change in the number of people.
It seemed that after he left, this group of students had still managed to stir up some trouble.
"Where did the two missing ones go?"
Walking up to a student's desk, Takumi knocked on it lightly and asked in a cold tone.
"Eh—eh—eh, I—I—I—I…"
Perhaps because the sheep-head mask was merging more and more deeply with him, and because the students who had stayed behind had not spent much time with him, the moment they were suddenly confronted with Takumi, the entire class of girls felt a deep, instinctive fear. They couldn't even speak properly.
It didn't take long for Takumi to learn what had happened to the two missing girls.
One had tried to climb out of the window and make her way to another classroom to escape. But as soon as she stuck her head out, something in the darkness grabbed her by the head and dragged her away.
The other, after realizing that the students in the corridor would not attack her, attempted to rush out. She actually managed to pass through the human wall formed by the Aberration students, but before she could go far, something grabbed her as well. She disappeared without a sound. When she vanished, the other students only heard a low, eerie laugh.
It was precisely because of these two examples that the rest had obediently remained where they were.
"Even in a situation like this, there are still people courting death. What should I even call that? Forget it. Anyway—Sanada Ai, right? Go back to the classroom and rest. In your current state, you won't be able to help at all. And… Yoshino-san, pick two more people. Make sure they're reliable."
Having no particular feeling toward the two girls who had sought death—and even thinking that their deaths had confirmed some useful information, making them rather valuable—Takumi turned and spoke coldly to Rika, who had just entered while supporting Ai.
"Eh… I—I still have to choose…?"
Rika felt somewhat relieved when she heard that Ai could go back and rest. But as soon as she heard that she had to choose again, her expression turned bitter once more.
So she was going to completely become the villain.
When she had chosen Sanada Ai earlier, Sanada Ai had already felt some resentment toward her. Now, being made to choose again, it was certain that whoever was selected would end up hating her. Especially after going outside and realizing what kind of horrors existed in this school, that resentment would only grow.
Still… there was no other choice.
She thought that Takumi must have chosen her because, as vice class representative, she knew her classmates better. Ai's reaction had clearly dissatisfied him, which was why he had emphasized "reliable" this time. If the people she chose were again unable to help and instead dragged him down, forcing him to send them back, then perhaps he would conclude that everyone in the class was a burden and abandon them altogether.
From Rika's perspective, such thinking was not unreasonable. Although in reality, Takumi had already regarded them as burdens from the very beginning. Even if, aside from Miko, there wasn't a single useful person among them, he would at most leave them in the classroom to maintain the status quo.
But Rika couldn't possibly know that. So she could only help Ai back to her seat, take a deep breath, and look at her classmates one by one.
Just like the first time she chose, every face was filled with pleading. No one wanted to be selected. Especially after seeing Sanada Ai's breakdown and noticing that one person hadn't returned, everyone was filled with fear, unwilling to become the chosen one.
"D-don't pick me…"
"Yoshino-san, we're friends, right? Don't pick me, don't pick me…"
"D-don't look at me, don't… please don't…"
The girls' pleading voices and terrified expressions placed immense pressure on Rika. But under Takumi's gaze behind her, she could only force herself to play the villain. Soon, she selected one girl.
"Yoshino-san… why… aren't we friends?"
The chosen girl's face was filled with despair.
"Kinoshita-san… please. You're very steady. You're the most suitable person I can think of."
Rika gritted her teeth and said firmly while looking at her.
"You… you bastard…"
The girl named Kinoshita Yuka glared at Rika with venom in her eyes. Unable to direct her hatred toward Takumi, she poured all her negative emotions onto her friend who walked to and from school with her every day. Rika could only lower her head and silently endure it before preparing to choose a second person.
"Excuse me… can I volunteer?"
At that moment, another girl raised her hand and spoke.
Takumi said nothing, only signaling Rika with his eyes.
The vice class representative walked over and recognized her—it was Kobayashi Chiharu, the president of the school's Horror Story Club. Usually quiet and introverted, she had a strong curiosity about supernatural events. She had also been one of the earliest students to attempt the "Alice Game" ritual circulating in Miko's school.
"Kobayashi-san, are you sure?"
With someone volunteering, Rika felt somewhat relieved, but she still asked politely.
"Yeah. Staying here is like being a prisoner anyway. If I go out, at least I'll know what kind of place this actually is."
Chiharu nodded, clearly having made up her mind.
Ai, whose mind had already collapsed, stayed in the classroom. Chiharu and Yuka became the new additions.
So far, nearly an hour had passed since the start of the second loop. Of the 24 students, 3 had died, 1 was incapacitated. Excluding the four fixed team members, there were still 16 available replacements—cannon fodder… well, more politely, new teammates.
"I only have one requirement—obedience. If you obey, I'll do my best to protect you within my capabilities. If you don't, whether you make it back alive is up to your luck."
Takumi spoke coldly to the two new girls.
"I—I understand…"
"I get it. I'll listen properly."
Yuka looked miserable and on the verge of tears, while Chiharu, though tense, could still communicate normally. In any case, both seemed to understand their situation and likely wouldn't try anything foolish.
Good. Students should be like this.
Students should listen to teachers. What use are those who don't? Only obedient students deserve to live.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Takumi's lips. With the sheep-head mask, that smile looked extremely horrifying, startling both girls.
…The influence of the sheep-head is appearing again? This strange sense of pleasure seems to be growing stronger. Even though I've already pushed the power of the Rescue Team Badge to its limit, it can still slowly erode my mind?
Once again, Takumi noticed the change in his emotions.
But he said nothing. He simply led the girls back through the door, closed it, removed the key, and returned to the art classroom.
In front of the art classroom door, Alice still stood there, motionless.
For now, it seemed this thing could remain stuck for quite a long time. But just in case, Takumi decided not to approach it. Instead, he walked to a wall on the side of the art classroom, turned sideways, and slammed into it—
Boom!
The wall shattered, and he stepped into the corridor.
"Let's go. Time to keep moving."
Ignoring the exaggerated expressions and wide-open mouths of the girls behind him, Takumi took the lead.
Miko followed first, as always walking beside him. She already seemed used to acting alongside him.
Behind them were Rika and Chiharu. The former nervously observed their surroundings, while the latter, driven by curiosity, looked around as she followed.
At the very back, Yuka lagged slightly behind, her expression dark and filled with fear, yet she didn't dare fall too far away.
The five figures soon disappeared into the distance.
At the entrance of the art classroom, Alice remained rigid, unmoving.
But suddenly, with a slosh and a wet, sticky squirming sound, something began to move.
A female corpse, its abdomen ripped open, slowly crawled out from the half-open storage room inside the art classroom… and into the room itself.
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