[Outstanding Student Alice, applying for special request…]
[Request approved. Target: Troublemaker Takakai…]
[Preparing special request ritual…]
Faint voices echoed in Takakai's fading consciousness.
He felt himself being strapped to a cold metal bed, then wheeled into an elevator, descending into the depths of the earth.
BZZZT—
A piercing noise rang out.
The elevator shuddered slightly, as if heading toward a different location than the underground research facility.
Someone nearby hummed softly.
Another presence watched him, giggling quietly, pacing around him, even waving a hand in front of his face.
Further away, agonized screams and struggling sounds reverberated.
The stench of blood grew thicker.
Through blurred vision, Takakai saw the elevator walls smeared with grime and claw marks.
Where… am I being taken?
Ding.
The doors slid open.
The bed was pushed forward, into absolute darkness.
[Are you sure this will work?]
A hesitant voice whispered in the void.
[It will. The power of the supernatural is born from madness and resentment. If we control the variables, if we stabilize the process, we WILL succeed. Trust me—this is foolproof.]
A second voice, firm and fanatical, answered.
[But… how many people will we have to kill? And even if it works, will it really create what we want? That hotel… can we trust what we found there?]
The first speaker sounded fearful, even terrified.
[No mistakes. This method is absolute. This is our chance—once we succeed, no one will ever look down on us again!]
The second voice grew more fervent, more unhinged.
Two figures materialized in the dark—young, disheveled, covered in dirt, their faces etched with exhaustion and relief.
They had escaped something horrific.
And they had brought something back—something that drove them to obsession.
[…Fine. I'll trust you this once, Satou.]
[Then first, we show the military what we found. They must understand—this is beyond human comprehension. Only then can we proceed!]
With that, the two figures vanished into the darkness.
Behind them, a shadow loomed—
—a towering building, its form indistinct, its presence unnatural.
Just glancing at it made Takakai feel it draw closer, as though it were reaching for him.
He jerked his gaze away, forcing himself back to reality.
The Ritual
He was back on the bone cane's platform, pinned down, tubes snaking into his body.
The real [Alice]—possessing Miko's body—stood beside him, her expression blank, her hands adjusting machinery.
She, too, was connected to tubes, some of which linked directly to Takakai.
[Sensei~ Do you want to know what a "special request" is?]
A giggling voice came from his side—another [Alice], this one just an illusion.
[At first, it was just a trick. Back then, this school was normal. The "special request" was just a show—strapping "bad students" to beds, shocking them to death, then giving the "outstanding students" drugs to make them feel stronger.]
A second [Alice] perched at his feet, her tone giddy.
[But just like how this school became a real nightmare… the fake ritual became REAL.]
A third [Alice] strolled past him, grinning.
[Now, little Miko will truly absorb your life. Your strength. Your memories. Everything.]
[You'll live on inside her. Isn't that wonderful? After all, you're her dear friend~]
The three illusions faded.
The real [Alice] pressed a button.
A wet, sucking noise filled the air.
GLOOP—GLOOOORP—
Takakai's blood, flesh, organs—everything was being drained.
A fraudulent ritual had become a real supernatural phenomenon.
His mind fractured.
His body withered, shrinking into a desiccated husk.
Pain—
Unimaginable, all-consuming pain—
It felt like he was being pulled apart, stretched into thin strands, sucked through narrow tubes.
For a moment, his consciousness drifted into another body—
—one already broken, hopeless, barely clinging to existence.
It's okay… It'll be over soon…
Though he couldn't speak, he tried to project the thought.
CRACK—SQUELCH—
His body was now little more than skin-wrapped bones, still shrinking further.
And then—
He sensed it.
The thing lurking in the depths of this vessel.
Could it even be called a [consciousness]?
It was pure darkness, an abyss without light.
It had consumed everything.
And now, it was consuming him.
Not yet… It's not over yet…
With the last of his will, Takakai reached out.
He had no arms, no body—just fading awareness.
Yet he grabbed something in the dark.
And then—
A new vision.
A row of figures sitting on a bench.
Men, women, old, young—no common traits.
Except their eyes had been gouged out, leaving empty black sockets.
[Not good enough. None of them are suitable.]
A voice sighed.
[What about this one? From the camp. They were going to give her to the higher-ups, but… she can see things.]
Another voice spoke as a small figure was dragged forward.
A girl, no taller than 150 cm, looking no older than 14.
Golden hair, clutching a dirty stuffed animal, her eyes wide with fear.
She resembled [Alice], but lacked her unnatural perfection—just a pretty, terrified child.
[You can see them, can't you? The things normal people can't?]
A man leaned down, his voice low.
The girl nodded shakily.
[Good. Then it's you. Don't be afraid—this is your chance to become a "god." You should be grateful to us.]
And then—darkness swallowed her whole.
Takakai's consciousness teetered on the edge of annihilation.
[Alice]'s laughter rang in his ears.
In the void, she spread her arms, ready to embrace him.
[Sensei~ Stay here forever~]
Her voice was soft, gentle—
—as the final second on his watch ticked away.
BOOM—!
A distant explosion.
The darkness shattered.
A shrill scream echoed as the entire school building turned pale, faded, then vanished.
Beneath it—
A crumbling structure, long abandoned, buried underground.
For the first time, it was exposed to the open air.
And as Takakai's consciousness finally gave out—
He saw a figure step inside.
A silhouette, faceless, unknown.
But in that final instant, Takakai recognized it.
That… is the true core of Fujisaka Academy.
Then—
The illusionary school reappeared, covering the truth once more.
Click.
The black watch's hand moved from 5 to 6.
And Takakai's last glimpse of reality faded into nothingness.