Creak— Creak—
The wheels of the iron-framed bed scraped against the white floor.
The man strapped to the bed lay with half-lidded eyes, his body swaying slightly with the bed's movement. His mucus-crusted gaze was unfocused—impossible to tell if he was looking at anything at all.
His face bore the marks of repeated beatings—swollen bruises and half-healed wounds. Drool seeped from his lips, green snot dripped unchecked. No one bothered to wipe it away.
By all appearances, he was just another psychiatric patient—the kind people instinctively avoided.
But Takakai knew:
This was the entity he had to face to clear Fujika Middle School.
The dungeon's Core Obsession.
Honestly, I didn't expect to see him again so soon.
Though this meeting is... weird, to say the least.
Two burly orderlies dragged Takakai by his arms.
The Core Obsession was strapped spread-eagle to a metal bed.
Somehow this makes us look likecellmates.Ugh, that thought alone gives me goosebumps.
Noticing the orderlies' white-knuckled grips, Takakai glimpsed their expressions—tense, teeth gritted, as if the bedridden man had murdered their families.
Their pace suddenly accelerated, yanking Takakai away before he could observe further.
His last glimpse:
A nameplate on the bed.
[Hirano Sousuke]
The human name of Fujika's Core Obsession.
Like Andreas, this entity didn't inflict curses or attract [Gazes] when its secrets were uncovered.
But...
The difference between now and when he killed me last loop isstaggering.
That brief encounter had shown a dirty but composed officer—nothing like this broken lunatic. If not for his perception, Takakai would've sworn they were different people.
Not that "person" is the right word anymore.
The oppressive chill permeating the ward left no doubt—this was still a dungeon, no matter how "normal" it seemed.
Down the hall, girls' screams erupted.
Takakai glimpsed one pinned to the floor, thrashing—
—until an orderly jammed a cattle prod into her side.
ZAP!
The girl convulsed, then went limp, a puddle spreading beneath her.
Orderlies cursed, kicking her unconscious form into a cell.
The other girls fell silent, shuffling obediently toward a large door under the guards' watch.
Takakai was steered elsewhere—but in the same general direction.
His guess proved correct:
A divided recreation area.
A glass partition separated male and female sections, allowing visual contact.
There—
Yotsuya Miko, weaving through patients, her golden eyes scanning urgently—
—until they locked onto Takakai.
Her entire demeanor brightened.
...Why does she suddenly remind me of apuppy spotting its owner?
Miko's classmates—Sekino Rikka and others—clustered nearby, their panic palpable. Takakai ignored them, focusing on Miko's abrupt flushed cheeks and averted gaze.
What's up with her?
Approaching the glass, he watched her mouth move soundlessly:
[Mr. Takakai! Are you okay? Do you know where we are? Some classmates think this is a reality show , but I remember being dragged here by something terrible ... Why is it so cold? I keep feeling watched but can't see anything—]
The words poured out—uncharacteristically verbose for the usually reserved Miko.
She'stalking to copewith fear.
But she's alsoacting way closerto me than previous loops.
Like I'm hersafe harbor.
Attempting lip-reading failed; Miko just grew more flustered.
So Takakai breathed on the glass and began writing backwards:
[I'm fine. Follow the orderlies' rules for now. Calm your classmates if possible—if not,distance yourselfto avoid collateral damage.]
[Look for posted rules or probe orderlies about restrictions.Trust your instincts—if something feels off,retreat immediately.I'll reach you soon.]
[P.S. No need to write back—I can read lips.]
Miko nodded vigorously, relief washing over her.
Then—
"Hey! No loitering!"
An orderly stomped over, cattle prod raised.
Completely human-like.
If not for my perception, I'd never guess it's an aberration.
"Sorry, just wanted to talk to my girlfriend. Miss her too much, you know?"
Takakai's lie earned an eye-roll. "Another delusional."
The orderly wandered off, leaving Takakai to survey the room:
Two orderlies betting on horse races via newspaper.
A patient trying to strip, beaten unconscious by guards.
A trio of patients—one seeing mahjong tiles on girls' faces, another praising the sun, the last pretending to be a sunflower.
Everyone acts sonormal.
Just like Nutty Putty Cave's Lost Ones—this is allsurface-level mimicry.They'll keep "playing human" until someone triggers death conditions.
Ignoring them, Takakai moved to a window—
—and froze.
Fujika Middle School stood in the distance, sunlit and derelict, about 100-200 meters away. Surrounding buildings—1950s-60s worker apartments—were equally deserted.
This matchesAlice's idol era.
His theory crystallized upon spotting a pristine poster on the wall:
[Welcome Miss Alice for Her Charity Performance!]
A staticky TV buzzed to life nearby, playing distorted pop music.
Yet the voice was unmistakable:
[Alice loves you all~! Everyone is Alice's best friend , so this next song— "Best Friends Forever" —is for you!]
The room erupted.
Patients and orderlies alike swarmed the TV, chanting:
[Alice... Alice... ALICE ALICE ALICE—!!!]
Their adoration turned frenzied—eyes glazing, voices shrieking, bodies convulsing in worship.
Across the glass, Miko's classmates recoiled—some dazed, others scoffing:
"What's the big deal? She's not even that pretty—"
Silence.
Every head snapped toward the speaker.
The illusion of normality began peeling away—
—until the recreation room doors burst open.
Creak— Creak—
The straitjacketed man was wheeled in.
Instantly:
The TV clicked off.
Patients blocked the poster.
The crowd's frenzy died mid-chant.
They glared at the bedridden man—hatred and terror warring—before scattering like roaches.
Two escape-attempting girls were dragged back, convulsing from cattle prods.
Takakai lingered near the poster, whispering to a drooling patient:
"When's Alice's performance?"
[Tomorrow... hehehe... tomorrow we see cute Alice ... hehehe... tomorrow...]
As the orderlies fled the room, abandoning the bound man at its center, Takakai's gaze swung between the poster and the prisoner.
So.
Alice visits tomorrow.
*And Sousuke's here tosupervise.
This is going to beinteresting.