"Ugh… nngh…"
A pained groan escaped the lips of the blonde girl as she slumped against her desk, clutching her severed wrist, her entire body trembling.
None of the other girls dared to approach her. Some who had been sitting nearby even scooted away, unnerved by the two severed hands placed neatly on her desk.
Whispers spread among them—discussions of what to do next.
Fear. Hesitation. Unease.
Every girl was deeply unsettled by their situation.
A few glanced at the game rule sheets on their desks, then at the writing on the blackboard, considering whether leaving the classroom might offer an escape. But the moment they peeked into the hallway and saw the ghost students—faces gouged with holes, skin flayed off, limbs twisted—they immediately abandoned the idea, slinking back to their seats in silence.
The dark hallway was lined with motionless, mutilated students.
A figure in a duck mask and another in a ram's head mask tried to pass through but were blocked by the students, forced to retreat.
Further away, a silhouette in a student uniform stood silently, watching them for a moment before vanishing.
Meanwhile, Takakai and his group had already reached the stairwell.
Tap—
His foot landed on the tiled steps with a crisp sound.
Creak— creak—
The grinding of joints—the sound of the Anatomical Model—echoed alongside his footsteps.
Takakai glanced to the side.
There, on the descending staircase, was the Anatomical Model.
Clutched in the grip of the Turtle Teacher, it writhed weakly as the masked figure dragged it downstairs.
"…Sensei… please… don't… use me… as teaching material…"
The voices of sobbing children seemed to leak from the model's hollow interior.
But the Turtle Teacher paid no heed, continuing its descent until both figures disappeared into the darkness.
Only the flicker of Takakai's candle illuminated the stairwell.
This time, the Turtle Teacher looked cleaner—no bloodied flesh clung to it. Probably because the game had just started, and Miko's classmates were still trapped in the classroom, leaving it no victims yet.
The girls beside him were pale-faced. Even though the Turtle Teacher appeared as just a masked man, the oppressive aura of an ayakashi—and the instinctive fear students had for teachers—left them shaking.
Except for Miko.
Her reaction was different.
She lowered her head, shut her eyes, and covered her ears.
Something was forcing itself into her mind—something she didn't want to see but couldn't stop.
The Vision Miko Saw
A dark room.
A balding middle-aged man stood under a lone light, his face drenched in sweat and terror.
Beyond the light, countless eyes watched him from the shadows.
"You've disappointed us, Mr. Kameda."
A voice spoke from the darkness.
"As a teacher, your duty was to maintain this school's order. Not betray it."
"You saw it with your own eyes. You felt it. The strides we've made toward godhood—the fruits of our labor."
"The Glorious Co-Prosperity Realm is at hand. This world is ours. What good does leaking intel to those doomed Americans do? You saw the reports—11 of their carriers sunk. Total naval victory is imminent. And yet, you chose betrayal?"
The man fell to his knees, trembling.
"N-no! That's not true!"
"I didn't do anything! I'm loyal! I swear!"
"I followed every order—pushed the students, culled the weak, everything! I did it all!"
"It wasn't me! It couldn't have been me!"
He knew what awaited him.
His pleas grew desperate.
Fear made him wet himself, a puddle spreading beneath him.
But the shadowed figures remained unmoved.
Not a single soul stepped forward to defend him.
And beneath his cries, another sound emerged—
The whimpers of children.
The Turtle Teacher's Past
"Your greeting lacked sincerity. Rip out your tongue. Gouge your eyes."
"Your gaze was disrespectful. Come. You'll be today's biology specimen. Don't worry—I'll use a small knife."
"You didn't offer to help me up the stairs? Here's a spoon. Dig out your own intestines with it."
Scenes of the man's past cruelty flashed by—smiling as students bled out at his feet.
"Marvelous. Just a word, and they'll die. They obey every command."
"Hahaha, their eyes—priceless. I love this job. The office is full of 'models' now. Maybe I'll keep just one—the perfect composite."
"The third batch of offerings is ready. Eleven 'honor students' dead—killed each other this time. Final count: zero. What's the old man planning, wiping out every class? Eh, who cares? As long as I enjoy myself."
The man who had once reveled in his power now cowered as a traitor.
And the school's darkest shadows closed in.
"Hiding intel inside anatomical models? Clever. How many secrets did you smuggle out? Then let your favorite method be your execution. Use this spoon. Hollow yourself out."
A scream.
Then silence.
The man's emptied corpse was swallowed by the dark.
Somewhere, a girl giggled before skipping away.
The vision ended.
Miko swayed, nearly collapsing.
"Yotsuya-san?!"
Shigeno Rika caught her.
"What did you see?"
Takakai had glimpsed fragments of the vision but hadn't heard the details. Seeing Miko's reaction, he stepped closer.
"I… saw the Turtle Teacher… how he was…"
Her voice shook as she described the execution.
The other girls exchanged uneasy glances. Shigeno Rika worried Miko was hallucinating. Her friend, Shinda Ai, suspected a mental breakdown.
Takakai, however, paused in thought before motioning them to keep moving—upstairs.
Fascinating. Could the Anatomical Model hold "critical intel"?
Last loop, Miko never got this info. Was it because the model and the Turtle Teacher never met? But touching the model is dangerous—it attacks. And I shattered one last time. Why didn't I find anything then?
And this clue is too convenient. Almost like it washandedto us. A little too perfect, isn't it?
"Where are we going?"
Shigeno Rika finally broke the silence.
Takakai didn't answer.
"What were those turtle-mask people?"
She tried again.
Still no reply.
"You—"
Miko tugged her sleeve, shaking her head. Reluctantly, Shigeno fell silent.
By now, they had reached the 7th floor.
Takakai checked the wall marker, then stepped out of the stairwell—into the area where the key to clearing the dungeon supposedly lay.
What Takakai Didn't See
Back on the 5th floor, in a narrow hallway—
Ding-dong.
The elevator doors slid open, revealing an empty interior.
Tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed, though no one was visible.
Then, a hollow voice whispered into the dark, devoid of all emotion:
"Alice's friend… was stolen…"