Classroom 1-7, Observation Room.
Takakai once again held the magnetic keycard that granted access to hidden areas.
He had assumed that, with the school building locked down, this room would vanish—but to his surprise, the card was still here.
Maybe the black watch's guidance preserved it?
"Takakai-san, do you know what this card is for?"
Beside him, Kobayashi Chiharu asked curiously.
Yotsuya Miko also looked intrigued, while Ogawa Kyoko and Shigeno Rika hung back, still wary of Takakai.
This third loop had started similarly to the second—though this time, Takakai hadn't worn the sheep mask, instead revealing his true face.
Surprisingly, this lowered his intimidation factor among the students.
But after chopping off the blonde girl's arm and demonstrating how to 'cook' a horror, they'd quickly fallen in line.
Not that it matters.
With the school locked down, there were no horrors to command, so how long these kids would stay obedient was anyone's guess.
Still, Takakai had no interest in babysitting.
He'd only brought along Shigeno, Ogawa, Kobayashi, and Miko—the ones who'd shown some promise in previous loops.
"I'm not sure yet, but it's definitely important."
Pocketing the card, Takakai turned to gaze at the dormitory building through the window.
Staying here is safe… but the black watch won't let me idle.
And who knows if [Alice] might come knocking?
He exhaled deeply, fatigue creeping in.
Two deaths, and I'm still no closer to Fujika Academy's core.
Will this loop finally end it?
Before moving forward, it was time for an experiment.
"Miko, take the others and keep your distance. What I'm about to do might be dangerous."
Once they were 10 meters away, Takakai cleared a space in the classroom and sat down.
From his watch, he retrieved a clump of dark-red flesh.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary minced meat—but upon closer inspection, it was alive, squirming with embedded nails and teeth.
This was a piece of the flesh monstrosity from the second loop.
Its function was simple: suppress horrors.
But with only a small fragment, it could handle maybe two or three weak entities.
Not very useful in a place like this…
Unless combined with other relics.
"Let's hope this works."
Takakai then pulled out the pill bottle—
—and a man's hand shot out, grabbing it.
[WHY WON'T YOU LET ME DIE?!]
The horror materialized, lunging at him.
"Sorry, I'm just too kind. Let me help you move on."
Takakai's machete flashed.
Ten seconds later, the horror's dismembered remains were absorbed by the flesh clump.
Even without the machete's bonus against school horrors, Twilight-grade entities are no match for Scarlet Moon relics.
Picking up the pill bottle, he checked the contents: 9 tablets left.
Enough for two more attempts.
Now, the real test.
From his watch, he produced a stuffed animal doll—one that sealed a player inside.
Instantly, he felt eyes upon him.
Every [Alice] in Fujika Academy had detected the doll, sensing their "lost friend."
But the gazes from the locked zones didn't move—only the dormitory's [Alice] reacted.
Good. The others are inactive.
Without hesitation, Takakai sliced open the doll's belly, revealing pulsing red flesh inside.
Can't remove it—the doll's power is the only thing keeping this person alive.
He shook out four pills, then forced them into the doll's flesh.
The meat quivered, expanding unnaturally.
RIIIP—
Takakai tore the doll apart, yanking out the flesh mass.
The doll's power faded, and [Alice]'s gaze vanished.
Yet the flesh didn't die.
Instead, it swelled on the floor, growing bones, nerves, organs—
—then limbs, torso, head—
Within half a minute, a humanoid shape had formed, flesh knitting into skin, hair sprouting, nails lengthening.
Even expecting this, Takakai was awed by the relic's power.
By the one-minute mark, a naked woman lay before him.
Appearance-wise… a solid 7/10.
But honestly, I feel nothing.
He tossed a curtain over her, then stepped back, machete ready.
She lay still, seemingly in deep sleep—
—but Takakai knew better.
No one sleeps in those dolls. She's faking.
"Kumami-san, time to wake up. The longer we wait, the sooner [Alice] finds us."
He tapped the machete against the wall.
The woman's eyes snapped open.
One normal, the other a bronze prosthetic.
"…Who… are you?"
Her voice was hoarse but controlled.
"Takakai. A player trapped here, looking for a way out. You're Kumami, right? Your doll had the name."
He glanced back, spotting Miko and the others peeking in.
"Kumami… yes. I'm Kumami. You… actually took a doll out of here? Are you… a rookie from one of the Scarlet Moon teams?"
Her shock was palpable, even through her exhaustion.
And as she regained her senses, Takakai sensed it—
—a pressure, unlike any player he'd met.
Even Old Guo pales in comparison.
This woman… how strong is she?
Then—
A disturbance.
Through the rescue team member he'd stationed at the dormitory passage, Takakai saw her—
—a blonde girl, smiling, approaching.
[Alice] was coming.
"She's here…!"
Kumami's face drained of color, her prosthetic eye glinting ominously.
She sensed it before I did.