What do you mean?

Yin Zhu looked like she was eager to learn, almost as if she was about to pull out a small notebook and start taking notes.

Unfortunately, Teacher Xiao didn't intend to continue, only touching on the subject briefly, which was very much in line with the style of the riddle teller of Sin City. Feeling refreshed, Teacher Xiao made up her bed and prepared to go to sleep, leaving Yin Zhu to the side, secretly feeling depressed.

However, Yin Zhu didn't have time to be depressed; she had other plans.

Since Teacher Huang was not present, Yin Zhu had to act alone from then on. Because she didn't know whether the statue could actually control the children, Yin Zhu didn't have the opportunity to be alone.

When Yin Zhu suggested going to see the child who had fallen into the water, Teacher Huang mentioned the teaching seminar. However, if they were only being scolded, the teachers wouldn't feel the need to be so dedicated. Therefore, Yin Zhu suspected that the safety of the children would affect the treatment of the teachers in each class at the teaching seminar, and that this meeting was not just a formality.

So after a busy day, the first thing Yin Zhu did before looking at the map was to take some time to communicate with Jing Gui about what she had seen at the door last night.

"It was a person wearing a cleaner's uniform."

The Mirror Ghost describes it this way.

This is in line with the description of the rules to some extent.

[Rest Section 8. When resting in the dormitory at night, please be sure to lock the door. This kindergarten has a curfew from 22:00 to 5:00 the next day. If you go out without permission, you will be responsible for any dangerous consequences.]

Sin City is a lawless place, and there is a high possibility that vicious criminals might break into the kindergarten at night. Do not believe any noise you hear outside; all the teachers and students will be in their dormitories at this time and will not go out.

[Other points 9. The kindergarten's cleaner cleans the kindergarten daily and only appears during curfew hours, so you are unlikely to encounter him under normal circumstances.]

However, this rule has a second part:

If you encounter a cleaner during normal working hours, please report it to the head teacher immediately; she will handle the matter.

In other words, in some cases, cleaners are not only present at night.

Putting aside the "special cleaners" who might appear during the day, Yin Zhu could easily guess the cleaning staff's movements at night: in addition to teachers' and students' dormitories, other areas such as classrooms, canteens, and restrooms also need to be cleaned.

It's so late at night, and you're working so hard. It's tough being a working person.

Yin Zhu sighed sincerely.

wrong.

Yin Zhu then engaged in her habitual self-reflection, because she suddenly realized she had overlooked a crucial point. The "Faculty and Staff Handbook" stated that cleaning staff would not come to clean the faculty and staff dormitories; staff members were responsible for cleaning them themselves.

[Rest Period 10. During your stay in the dormitory, please be responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the dormitory with your roommates. The kindergarten's cleaning staff are not responsible for cleaning the teachers' dormitories.]

However, the rules do not mention that cleaners will not clean student dormitories.

In other words, the cleaners will also enter the student dormitories, in addition to the places Yin Zhu had previously thought of.

Recalling the heavy footsteps from last night, including the dragging sound, Yin Zhu imagined the kindergarten cleaners stepping into the children's dormitory, while the group of fake children listened intently to the sound echoing throughout the room, trembling under their blankets, afraid that the footsteps would stop beside their beds...

Sigh, maybe she's overthinking it.

However, now that she knew it was a cleaner, Yin Zhu was no longer afraid—the heavy footsteps probably meant the cleaner was overweight, and the dragging sound meant she was carrying a mop or broom, which was definitely easier to drag than to carry.

Thinking about this, Yin Zhu felt a little regretful: if only she knew how to play some musical instrument, she could play the electric guitar inside and put on a "Gigili Love Live Concert" when the cleaning lady came to her door: gigili love~

The enhanced Mirror Demon naturally knew what Yin Zhu was thinking.

Its expression twisted for a moment, then finally returned to calm: Fine, it's just a mirror ghost, it can't control this amusing person, let Yin Zhu cause trouble for others as it pleases.

Just don't harm it.

If it were that cleaner, knowing that Yin Zhu was taking advantage of the fact that outsiders couldn't get in and was provoking it relentlessly, it would want to strangle Yin Zhu.

At midnight, footsteps sounded precisely on time.

The footsteps stopped again when they reached Yin Zhu's door.

Before Yin Zhu could think of any way to torment others, the cleaner outside kicked Yin Zhu's dormitory door hard and then walked away without stopping.

"……boring."

Knowing she wouldn't have another chance to bother the cleaners, Yin Zhu turned over and decided to get a good night's sleep.

...

Louis closed his eyes tightly, his whole body covered by the free blanket provided by the kindergarten, listening to the heavy footsteps patrolling the children's dormitory.

Do not open your eyes if you hear any noise after midnight.

This was the advice the other children gave him.

Even though he had heard it several times, he remained wary of this unknown entity, to the point that he dared not fall asleep when it appeared in the room.

Louis knew that the other children were the same.

Every time this person leaves the apartment building completely, a child breathes a sigh of relief.

In Louis's supernatural world, there is naturally no "Teacher Hao" who would cause trouble for the natives. Similarly, in Class 2, there is only one teacher, Maria (Teacher Huang), who takes care of each child.

If we exclude the possibility that she would take the children outside the meditation room, Maria actually gave Louis a great sense of security.

This also indirectly tells Louis a teacher's unspoken rule: sending children to the meditation room is a way of harming children that is permitted by the rules, while hurting children is a situation that is not permitted by the rules.

But once it's bedtime, kindergarten becomes extremely terrifying.

Like the other teachers, Ms. Maria would leave all the children in the dormitory and then go back to their own rooms and lock the doors.

However, the doors to the children's dormitories cannot be locked.

So when those footsteps echoed in the dormitory, everyone living in Sin City would be on high alert.

According to Louis's observation, the footsteps would sound at midnight and 4 a.m., twice a day.

So far, nothing unexpected has happened.

Why are other people afraid of him?

Perhaps it was the rhythmic footsteps that made Louis gradually become drowsy and almost fall asleep.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air above the classroom:

"No—don't grab me—"

Then there was the sound of someone jumping off the bed, without even wearing shoes, their feet slapping the floor as if they were running away from something.

The previously heavy footsteps were no longer slow; they quickly caught up with the fleeing child.

The child seemed to be being choked; the only sounds in the air were the brief rustling of fabric caused by the struggle. Finally, silence fell, and the monster appeared to stuff something into the fabric, then dragged something away from the dormitory.

Louis didn't know whether he should open his eyes or not.

Are you asleep?

In the darkness, he heard the child in the next bed lower his voice and whisper to him.