Chapter 84 Hinata and the Doll.

The scene before me suddenly changed.

That being said, the classroom is still the same classroom.

However, compared to the bloodstains that Hyuga Hajime had seen before, which had gradually congealed and dried, the blood in the identical classroom he was standing in was still very fresh, as if it had just flowed from a person's body.

Hajime Hyuga looked around, but couldn't find where the cold, emotionless voice he had just heard came from.

Tsukino, Chiya, and the other two were nowhere to be seen in the classroom.

Instead, several gruesome corpses suddenly appeared in the classroom.

These weren't the dolls I'd seen in the preparatory school building, but real... corpses.

"!!"

Upon realizing what he had seen, Hajime Hinata was horrified.

For a high school student who had lived a normal but stable life for more than a decade, being suddenly trapped in a room with several gruesome corpses was definitely a bit too much.

But feeling surprised and doubtful is one thing, while rationally telling oneself what action to take is another.

Although Hajime Hinata didn't know why everything in front of him had suddenly turned out this way, he quickly gave up trying to find logic in the supernatural phenomenon. Even though he looked pale and was in a bad mood, he still tried his best to remember the characteristics of the corpses in the classroom.

The corpses in the classroom included both men and women, and although some were unusually small or large, upon closer inspection, Hajime Hinata could tell that they were all people his age…

Moreover, this pink blood...

Hyuga Hajime was slightly taken aback.

Although Hinata Hajime felt a sense of morbid curiosity and unease upon first seeing the pink blood, and upon seeing a large area of ​​it in the fifth-floor corridor, he gradually accepted the concept and even grew somewhat accustomed to the color after further investigation and seeing more of the blood in the corridor…

Furthermore, when Hyuga Hajime entered the classroom with Tsukino and the others, the bloodstains he saw were still pink, so he didn't immediately notice anything wrong with the pink blood.

but--

Hinata Hajime's thoughts.

If the pink blood signifies the strangeness of this old school building or the blood of those who died there, then what exactly are these corpses he is seeing now...?

The arrangement of weapons on the classroom floor had changed from what he had seen before—most of the corpses had weapons next to them, some even still clutched in their hands until their deaths.

Looking at it this way, Komaeda Nagito's seemingly baseless guess is actually getting closer and closer to the truth.

The appearance of these corpses really does resemble the result of injuring each other with these wounded weapons.

Judging by the wounds alone might be difficult for Hyuga Hajime, who had no prior knowledge of this type of weapon. However, the fact that these corpses all had weapons nearby made it much easier to deduce the cause.

Besides that, if there's anything else worth noting...

That is, the sense of familiarity that Hajime Hinata had with the classroom had not dissipated, but rather deepened.

Or to be more precise, when he first entered the classroom with Tsukino and the others and began the investigation, Hyuga Hajime only had a sense of familiarity with the classroom, as if he had been there before. But now, as he stood alone in this classroom where the scene had changed and saw the horrific sight, the thought "This is how it should be" came to mind.

Why?

Hinata Hajime recalled his conversation with Ohma Kokichi on the second floor.

If everything I'm seeing is what will happen in the future, then why does it feel familiar? Why am I hearing people shouting "Kamikura Izuru"? And why did I inexplicably and unconsciously end up here at the old school building from my dormitory?

...Actually, it should be easy to deduce.

My future self might also be caught up in the tragedy that will happen in the old school building in the future.

So, although so far we haven't seen a single corpse that resembles myself, but...

Given the horrific situation we've witnessed, will my future self really be any better?

Hajime Hinata knew very well that now was not the time to let his mind be disturbed by things that weren't entirely certain. However, even if he tried to force himself to calm down, those negative emotions and thoughts weren't so easily eliminated.

"..."

Hajime Hinata let out a slow sigh.

Since his three companions were no longer by his side, Hajime Hinata no longer needed to maintain a calm and composed demeanor.

His expression wasn't pleasant at the moment. The fatigue from being suddenly and inexplicably dragged into this matter overwhelmed him, and his face showed signs of weariness.

In short, although there is some danger, staying in this classroom will only leave us helpless and clueless. Let's leave here first.

After confirming that there was nothing missing from his investigation in the classroom filled with horrifying corpses, Hyuga Hajime walked towards the classroom door.

He reached out and opened the door.

"...!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he saw someone standing at the door. Because the environment here was already tense, Hyuga Hajime instinctively wanted to close the door, but his other hand moved just as quickly.

A white hand held the classroom door, successfully preventing it from closing.

Hyuga Hajime subconsciously looked over.

It was indeed a very white hand, almost exaggeratedly white, not like the skin color a human could have—but that's not a big deal, because it wasn't human to begin with.

...

This is a big problem!

Hyuga Hajime's eyes were fixed on the arm whose sleeve had slipped down due to the movement, revealing an elbow with a ball joint that resembled that of a doll.

The "person" before him... Hajime Hinata recognized it. He had seen it before.

That was back in the days of the "Paper Strip Man Incident." At that time, because of a love letter, Hyuga Hajime, Tsukino, Chiya, and Ohma Kokichi teamed up for the first time to sneak into the preparatory school building late at night to investigate.

Then, in the floor where that unfortunate Natsukawa disappeared, the figure of a white-haired girl appeared briefly.

At that moment, the figure flashed by too fast, plus...

It stood some distance away from the three of them, and the flashlight beam couldn't fully illuminate its appearance, so Hyuga Hajime didn't know what it looked like.

And now—even though he couldn't see its appearance clearly back then, the features that left a deep impression on Hyuga Hajime, such as long white hair, a blue dress, and a girl, all match the "person" in front of him.

Hyuga Hajime finally got a clear look at its appearance.

Indeed... in terms of the doll's craftsmanship, the girl in front of me is very beautiful and exquisite, just like a real person. Compared with the cloth doll from before, she is strangely beautiful.

But precisely because she knew the other person was also strange, this beauty, though so close, would also turn into a sense of unease in her heart.

Hyuga Hajime was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to try to close the door again with more force, or to smash the doll in front of him and escape to save his life.

It was at this moment that the puppet began to speak.

"Hello."

That cold voice... it sounds like the one I heard in the classroom when the situation changed just now...?

But this isn't our first meeting, is it?

How do dolls make sounds? Never mind, that's weird, so it's not important.

Her voice was so calm, you couldn't hear any emotion in it. Although Tsukino was like this usually, there was still a difference in the feeling she gave off. Was it because she was a doll?

Is it trying to communicate with me? So, it turns out that even the supernatural can appear so rational, calm, and articulate when communicating with people?

In an instant, a jumble of thoughts flashed through Hyuga Hajime's mind. Considering this strange, seemingly teleporting ability, he ultimately decided against trying to smash through the doll in front of him and escape through the door, as he would most likely be caught.

but……

Hajime Hinata watched the doll's movements, and after confirming that it had made no further movements or sounds after giving a greeting, he slowly took a few steps back.

"You..." he asked tentatively, "Is there something you want? Did you bring me here? What do you want from me?"

When dealing with the cloth-wearing man incident, Hajime Hinata had already personally experienced that physical attacks could indeed be effective against monsters.

And weren't there just a bunch of weapons within easy reach in the classroom behind him? If something unexpected suddenly happened, Hyuga Hajime felt he could try to fight back with those weapons.

Although we don't know how effective it will actually be, it's better than nothing.

"So it was you." The white-haired doll seemed unmoved by Hinata Hajime's action of taking a few steps back. "Hmm, in that case, saying 'nice to meet you' would be wrong. So... we meet again. Is that alright now?"

"Don't worry, I have no intention of doing anything to you."

"I was just... a little curious."

"Wouldn't it be more interesting to have someone like you involved in my game?"

*******

"Speaking of which..."

"Yes, that's right."

"This is the second time, isn't it?"

"I remember reading in the magazine that there are conditions for being possessed. Kohinata is possessed so frequently, does that mean he actually has a high level of inspiration?"

"Is that so? As expected, this Hinata-kun also has..."

"Shh, wait a minute, something's not right."

Tsukino, Chiya, and the other two quickly noticed Hyuga Hajime's unusual behavior.

After all, there were only four living people in the entire classroom, so it was obvious who hadn't participated in the investigation and discussion.

Unlike the incident with the cloth strip man, where he walked straight to the door after being possessed, this time Hyuga Hajime simply stood still in place.

But now, he's finally showing some reaction.

At this moment, Hyuga Hajime... or rather, something on Hyuga Hajime's body, asked in a hoarse, low voice.

"Why……?"