Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Chapter 30: The Investigation Began

Takahashi Takakai didn't talk too much about the first round, which only he remembered; he merely mentioned a few things briefly, like how he and Shijo Maki investigated together, then got trapped in a pitch-black room on the third floor, and eventually, the girl was killed by a frozen corpse.

He didn't mention the part about her taking the bullet for him, but just the things he had already mentioned made Shijo Maki's expression change significantly.

"We were pulled into a room like that by that strange hand. It's really hard to imagine such a situation, and in the end, I was killed by the corpse in the room? The person frozen in the refrigerator could do something like that…"

The girl sighed deeply, unsure of how to react to what Takahashi Takakai had said.

Although it sounded unbelievable, Shijo Maki had completely changed her view of the world by now, so she didn't doubt his words were fake.

However, it really did sound desperate. Everyone was dead, Oba-sama had turned into an invincible monster even when shot in the head, and in the end, she herself died in front of Takakai. How did he manage to persist alone, find the wall clock, and reverse time?

"Takahashi... Um, if you don't mind, can I call you 'Kai-kun'?"

After a moment of thinking, Shijo Maki looked up, meeting Takahashi Takakai's eyes, her voice gentle.

"Of course, as long as you don't call me 'big guy' or anything like that, Shijo-san."

Takahashi Takakai didn't mind and nodded lightly, and immediately, she patted his shoulder again.

"Just call me Maki."

Her brown-purple eyes gleamed with a hint of light at that moment.

"Since we were once comrades who fought together for our lives, it's fine to call me more casually. Call me Maki, Kai-kun."

She smiled brightly, showing a small, slightly sharp fang, smiling with confidence.

Shijo Maki stood up, gently patting Takahashi Takakai's shoulder, then turned to look at the living room door, where Shinomiya Kaguya had entered.

"It's time to prepare for the second exploration."

Shinomiya Kaguya's voice was calm, as if she had just arrived, not like she had been standing outside listening to their conversation for a while.

However, at this moment, Kaguya wasn't eavesdropping out of boredom; rather, after receiving the second rule board yesterday and deducing many things, she couldn't help but think about Takahashi Takakai's identity.

She started connecting the red and white stains on him, considering some not-so-pleasant possibilities, such as Takahashi Takakai actually being someone who had died and was just pretending to be alive. That's why she wanted to observe him secretly again in normal situations.

However, from her current observations, her thoughts seemed to be wrong, and there was no need to worry too much.

"Oh, right, Shinomiya-san, there's something I think I should mention here. I've discovered that it seems like I play the role of a 'special character' in this building. Hmm, it sounds strange, but I think... maybe I'm the corpse in Room 204."

Takahashi Takakai's serious statement almost caused the calm expression on Kaguya's face to falter.

.....

A few minutes later, in front of the hole in the kitchen of Room 206, Takakai jumped down first, landing in the water below.

His freshly dried shoes were soaked again. Takahashi Takakai had originally intended not to wear shoes into the water, but thinking that the environment in the room was complex and there could be nails or sharp objects hidden under the water, he ultimately decided to keep his shoes on.

However, the feeling of water soaking into the shoes was truly uncomfortable.

"Be careful."

Shijo Maki stood guard at the hole, giving serious instructions, while Shinomiya Kaguya checked the rope made from bedding in the rooms, which was connected to the kitchen on the second floor.

Unlike yesterday, today's exploration had only Takahashi Takakai going down. Shijo Maki and Kaguya stayed at the hole on the second floor and the kitchen door, while Sun Dajun and Green stayed in the living room. Sun Dajun had brought small wooden cabinets from other rooms to try sawing and dismantling them to make a temporary ladder, while Green was in charge of calling the clock if needed, in case the worst happened.

The reason for deciding that only one person would go on the exploration, and choosing Takahashi Takakai—the one with the strongest mental resistance—was primarily because after reviewing the second rule board yesterday, the three of them—Kaguya, Takakai, and Maki—agreed that if multiple people went down, and one of them encountered problems in the harsh environment below, it could lead to the complete elimination of the explorers.

Additionally, since it was forbidden to use light and only action in the dark was allowed, anyone other than Kaguya, Takakai, and Maki would basically lose their ability to act once they went down. Therefore, the decision was made for Takahashi Takakai to carry out the task.

"30 minutes, we'll start timing. After 30 minutes, we'll pull the rope once, and you pull back as a signal. We'll wait for 10 minutes. If you don't return in 10 minutes or don't respond when we pull the rope, we'll immediately reverse time."

"As long as the first exploration is successful, I'll go down next, and Maki-san will go on the third. Each round will be 40 minutes, so we need to make sure everyone has enough strength for the investigation. Therefore, your responsibility, as the first explorer, is extremely important, don't push yourself too hard."

Kaguya spoke to Takahashi Takakai seriously. Unlike Maki, Kaguya was colder and more rational. At this moment, she had focused all her thinking ability on the current exploration, which was why her attitude towards Takakai had shifted slightly.

However, perhaps this small change was also influenced by Shijo Maki's trust in Takahashi Takakai, which made her more willing to pay attention to him. After all, Shinomiya Kaguya came from a strict family of aristocrats, so her changes in personality and thinking were very unpredictable.

"Well, I'm going now."

Takahashi Takakai finally raised his hand to wave at Maki and began walking.

He opened the kitchen door and stepped into the dark living room.

Rustle—

As he walked, the cold water began to rise.

The gloomy living room hadn't changed at all since yesterday, but this time, Takahashi Takakai approached the altar in the room more closely, trying to investigate what was on it.

The altar was covered in stains and signs of decay, and the statue on it had also been severely corroded.

Even so, Takahashi Takakai could vaguely recognize that it seemed to be a statue of a benevolent goddess, holding a child.

A statue of Guanyin, the goddess of children?

Takahashi Takakai didn't believe in gods or deities and wasn't very knowledgeable about such matters, but he did know a little about the characteristics of religious statues, like the wide ears typical in this one, and the base of the statue seemed to resemble a lotus pedestal, plus the statue holding a child. This made him think of Guanyin, the goddess of children.

Was the statue placed here in hopes of having children? Then again, is it appropriate to have a Guanyin statue in the house? Perhaps he should learn more about folk customs?

Takahashi Takakai didn't touch the decayed statue. Instead, he turned around and walked back toward the living room door.

Once again, he noticed a figure sitting with its head lowered on the nearby sofa.

Recalling what the rules had said, he didn't think much of it and pretended not to see, opening the living room door and stepping into the darkness ahead.

From here, the light from the kitchen was no longer enough to illuminate anything.

He had to act in total darkness, moving forward in the pitch-black environment where he couldn't even see his own hand.

Hoo...

Takahashi Takakai could feel his breath becoming heavier.

It's fine, it's fine.

Rather than worrying about what might be encountered in the darkness, it was better to move quickly—it's just dark, there's nothing to be afraid of! Damn, why does this feel like I'm pulling a death flag? This feeling is so uncomfortable.

Rustle—

Takahashi Takakai continued walking, step by step, into the darkness of the hallway.

Then, he heard a voice coming from behind.

From the room he had just left, the voice of a man suddenly echoed.

[Don't raise daughters, raise sons instead. Raising daughters brings suffering. I've suffered once, I can't bear it again. Bodhisattva, please bless me with a son, don't let my family line be cut off!]

The man's voice sounded regretful.

At the same time, he heard the cries of a child and a woman sobbing.

Rustle—

Takahashi Takakai pretended not to hear these sounds, leaning against the wall and continuing to move forward.

Rustle—

The sound of water splashing up from his feet as Takahashi Takakai walked seemed to drown out the noises from the room behind him.

Rustle— Rustle—

But then, Takahashi Takakai heard another sound from behind.

The footsteps of someone following him, their feet splashing in the water, just like the sounds he was making.

Rustle— Rustle—

Someone had come out from the living room, silently following him.

Rustle— Rustle—

In the pitch-black hallway, the two of them moved forward in silence, the sound of water splashing alternating between them.

Rustle— Rustle—

Takahashi Takakai, leading the way, could hear the footsteps behind him gradually getting closer, shrinking the distance little by little.

Ten steps, nine steps...

He could even feel the water from behind, hitting his feet, as if it was breaking apart.

Rustle—

His fingers brushed against the wall, feeling the dampness, like traces of moss.

The footsteps behind him grew even closer, so close that Takahashi Takakai felt that the person was just one step away from him.

Rustle—

Then, suddenly, the sound of water splashing was gone, leaving only Takahashi Takakai's footsteps echoing in the water.

It was as if it had all been an illusion, as though the person following him didn't exist at all.

Phiu...

Until Takahashi Takakai felt a light breath blowing against the back of his neck.