"Whew… So this is a crimson Moon-tier dungeon… Truly terrifying in every sense."
In the small room, Fujiwara Chika murmured softly, sipping from a cup of hot water.
"This is all the intel Kumami-san left us…"
On the other side of the room, Maki handed Takakai the bloodstained homework sheet, sharing her own deductions before sitting down with a sigh.
"U-Um, here's some water…"
Gotou Hitori, even more reserved around strangers, passed Maki a cup of hot water, which she accepted gratefully.
"..."
Miko had recovered, but her condition wasn't great. Ten minutes of death's agony had left her mentally drained—she still needed time to fully regain her bearings.
Considering her connection to the Black Watch, even if Takakai rewound time, Miko would remember this suffering. For a high school girl, this was undoubtedly a horrifying experience—though Takakai couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of camaraderie.
At least I'm not the only one enduring grotesque deaths now.
…Wait, no. That's not something I should wish on her.
Focus on clearing this dungeon first.
Shaking off the thought, Takakai looked back at Kumami's Obsession Item.
The sheet contained her final observations and analysis:
The Central Atrium of the Main Building is where the dungeon's victims are buried. Most who die here end up stuffed into the soil there. Some were buried alive—including Asamoto Eriko, the Core Obsession.
The perpetrators? Students. And the entire school knew.
Such systematic horror couldn't be normal. Kumami speculated that an urban legend had warped the students' minds long before the dungeon formed, turning them into monsters who hid behind normal facades.
The [Occult Research Club]—confirmed via Kumami's spiritual sight—was itself an urban legend.
Back when the school was alive, this club never existed. The students treated it as a rumor, yet their persecution of Asamoto Eriko hinged on "finding the club's recruitment flyer."
Was this club Takamagahara's way of manifesting in Yoruyama High?
An "urban legend" that didn't exist—yet enabled those unpunished monsters to keep hurting people, turning the school into a slaughterhouse that operated undisturbed until a student built a bomb.
At the very least, one Core Obsession's corpse location is confirmed—and the teacher she waited for can be inferred.
Kumami clearly heard the students' rules:
"If a teacher friendly to Eriko can't be driven away, bury them in the mud behind the old school building."
Was that the abandoned building Takakai, Miko, and Hitori had explored?
No, wait—maybe not.
The dungeon's time distortion means the old and new buildings swap, but the empty lot behind the old building might not be part of that stasis.
After all, only the main campus's old building has the jumping girl specter and the rule:
"Never go to the rooftop."
But which is it?
No way to confirm now.
Because their allies inside the main campus—Kaguya and Hayasaka—likely can't remember them clearly, just like Maki and Chika initially couldn't.
Even if they sense something's wrong, breaking through the memory block is nearly impossible. And even if they did, they're too weak to help.
Maki and Chika only survived because Kumami rescued them.
…Though they were in danger because of me in the first place.
If I hadn't recklessly investigated the school at night…
Tch. No point dwelling on it now.
Takakai exhaled, leaning against the wall.
[Yoruyama High] was different from past dungeons.
He hadn't felt the usual oppressive dread from the start. There were fewer life-or-death chases, more time to rest.
But in exchange, the dungeon's information isolation had gradually boxed him in, leaving him increasingly powerless.
Returning to campus during the day? Suicide.
At night? Maybe feasible—but the main building's atrium is a rule-bound death trap, and the lot behind the old building could be just as lethal.
During the students' nap time? No—not all students sleep, and being spotted now would be disastrous.
What a mess.
Still, at least Asamoto Eriko's solution is taking shape.
Since she and the teacher never fulfilled their promise, Takakai guessed that bringing their corpses together might free her.
But this was just a theory.
After all, Takakai suspected he might have taken the teacher's role in this dungeon. Yet Hitori had used Obsession Items in front of him repeatedly without issue—meaning his idea might be flawed.
Regardless, the broken promise is key to this Obsession.
But one question remained:
Why is Asamoto Eriko a Core Obsession?
In past dungeons:
Li Zhaodi was the source of Shirakawa Apartments' tragedy.Andres & Herdal were the origin and executioner of Nutty Putty Cave.Hirano Sousuke was Fujika Middle's executioner.Hachiya Chiyo was Shirasawa Elementary's final product and executioner.
In short, Core Obsessions are either the cause or the final result of a dungeon's formation.
By that logic:
Mori Haruhiko (the bomber) is the real-world executioner.The "urban legend made real" is the theoretical result.
Both fit as Core Obsessions.
But Asamoto Eriko?
Her death occurred post-war—likely not the first urban legend here. Her death didn't change the school. Her classmates faced no consequences.
She seemed no different from any other rumor.
Yet players confirmed her as a Core Obsession, and Hitori took her Core Obsession Item (the guitar).
Why?
What makes her special?
Then it hit him.
Hitori's guitar's most terrifying ability wasn't creating clones—
It could place them in the past, altering history.
Limited? Yes. But still a time-manipulating power beyond any Obsession Item Takakai had seen.
War-era records say Yoruyama High was the only school to produce lethal results—though other researchers doubted it, and history remained unchanged.
What if… Asamoto Eriko was that "result"?
Her urban legend formed post-war, but her time-related traits let Takamagahara use her to affect the past, making her the "earliest urban legend"—the linchpin of the dungeon's causality.
Takakai broke out in a cold sweat.
He'd thought Kumami's sacrifice had given him a lead on one Core Obsession.
But now, deeper analysis only raised more questions.
What do I do now?
"Takakai?"
Though his thoughts felt lengthy, his enhanced mind processed it all in seconds.
When Chika called him, the water in his cup was still steaming.
"Hm?"
He turned as she scooted closer.
"You should rest. Whatever you're planning, it can wait until this room's about to vanish."
She smiled, poking his cheek before leaning in.
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I won't push myself."
He shrugged off her closeness, taking another sip.
"You always say that, but you never take care of yourself. Everyone worries, you know?"
Her shoulder pressed against his, her head resting on him, voice dropping to a whisper.
"Do I? Maybe. Fine, I'll rest."
With a resigned chuckle, he set the cup down.
The nightlight cast a soft glow, their shadows merging on the wall—
As Chika lifted her head, lips brushing his ear.
And then, she whispered:
"Meow~"