Shigeno Rika was indeed still alive.
Even now, she remained conscious—still breathing, still surviving.
Though for her, this method of survival wasn't exactly comfortable. In fact, it was downright terrifying.
"Hah… hah…"
Her breathing was ragged, uncontrollable.
Her heart pounded so violently she felt it might leap out of her throat.
They stood right in front of her.
If she lowered her head even slightly, she could see their bloodstained feet, surrounding her completely, leaving no room for escape.
They had found her.
They had cut off every possible path.
Yet… they hadn't killed her.
These monsters did nothing to her. They simply trapped her, encircling her in silence, unmoving.
As for why Rika could only see their feet—
She had a trash can over her head.
The Desperate Escape
Earlier, after Takakai and Miko left the classroom, Rika and the other girls had cautiously ventured out to explore the school.
It didn't take long for disaster to strike.
One of them opened a classroom door—
—and unleashed a horde of students with their jaws and chests hollowed out, bleeding and shambling forward.
Chaos erupted. Several girls died instantly. The survivors fled down the hallway, ignoring Rika's warnings, and rushed toward a staircase in a nearby lobby.
Then, something emerged from the stairs.
It took them.
After a frantic escape, the last few survivors reached Classes 2-005 to 2-008—a horrifying section of the school.
These classrooms had glass walls, but they were one-way mirrors.
From the hallway, you could see inside.
From inside, you only saw your own reflection.
Like animals in a zoo, on display for observation.
Why would a place like this exist?
Rika had shuddered at the sight.
But they had no choice. Their candles were burning out. Without Takakai's help, they couldn't steal candles from the anomalies.
And these classrooms?
Every desk had a fresh candle.
No ghostly students in sight.
It seemed like a safe zone—a place to resupply.
So they entered.
One girl, curious, approached the glass wall, holding up her candle—
—and realized the "mirrors" reflected the classroom's true state.
Dozens of pale, limbless students sat at the desks, their heads slowly turning to stare.
Then the sawing began.
Rika was the only one who made it out.
She had tried to stop her classmate, but she was too late.
That small act of courage put her closest to the door.
When she looked back, the previously empty room was packed.
The girls who had taken the candles were now being dismembered, their limbs sawed off by the students.
One of them, gripping a bloodied saw, was walking toward her.
Terrified, Rika fled—
—only to run straight back into the hallway where the nightmare had begun.
Anomalies closed in from all sides.
Just as despair took hold, the bell rang.
Lights flickered on.
The students vanished.
Realizing she had to return to the original classroom, Rika rushed back—
—and found herself sitting among corpses.
Her dead classmates, chanting their textbooks in monotone voices.
The fear was suffocating.
When the lights went out again, those same girls—
—now twisted, monstrous—
—turned their hollow eyes toward her.
She ran for the door.
Two fused-together flesh abominations blocked her path.
The back exit was sealed by a faceless girl.
More anomalies closed in.
Shadows moved outside the windows—other classes' students were coming.
In a final act of desperation, Rika stumbled toward the corner—
—tripped—
—and knocked over a large trash can, which toppled onto her, covering her completely.
Her former classmates surrounded her.
But then…
They stopped.
The Trash Can's Protection
Rika didn't understand why they halted.
But she quickly realized—
The trash can was shielding her.
By hiding inside, she had symbolically declared herself "worthless trash"—a Bad Student beyond redemption.
And in this school's twisted hierarchy?
Only higher-ranked students could execute a Bad Student.
The surrounding anomalies, being lower-ranked, didn't dare overstep.
So they waited.
And Rika stayed trapped.
Even when the lights returned, the trash can wouldn't budge. It felt impossibly heavy, as if weighed down by some unseen force.
She could barely lift it enough to breathe.
And so, for hours, she remained—
—buried in garbage, surrounded by the stench of decay, listening to the shuffling footsteps of the things outside.
Until…
Footsteps approached.
Different ones.
"All students—yes, I'm talking to you—out. Go stretch your legs in the hallway."
Takakai's voice.
The anomalies obeyed, retreating from Rika's hiding spot.
Am I… saved?
She nearly sobbed in relief.
"Hiding in a trash can actually works?" Takakai sounded surprised.
[Maybe it's an unspoken rule among students.]
Miko's voice followed, though it sounded… different.
Rika was just glad to hear it.
The two (or was it three?) figures drew closer.
[By declaring herself 'trash,' she's admitting she's a hopeless Bad Student. The others no longer see her as competition, so they leave her alone.]
"That's messed up. Shouldn't a Bad Student be killed immediately?"
[Normally, yes. But in this school's hierarchy, only higher-ranked students can pass final judgment. The lower-ranked ones don't dare overstep—they fear punishment for breaking the chain of command. So she gets a temporary reprieve.]
"Huh. You're sharper than I thought."
[Hehe, thank you, Teacher~]
Through the trash can's cracks, Rika saw three pairs of feet.
Takakai's large ones.
Miko's smaller ones.
And…
A third pair, tiptoeing behind Miko, pressed unnaturally close.
Wait… when did a third person arrive?
Before Rika could react—
[Student Shigeno Rika, you're a Bad Child now. You know the rules.]
A girlish voice, sweet and chilling, whispered directly into her ear.
Then—
Someone blew out her candle.
The flame died.
And the world went black.