Chapter 83. Chapter 83. Hinata felt a sense of familiarity.
After leaving the second floor and going up the stairs, the four of them did not separate again due to teleportation, but went directly to the fifth floor of the old school building.
Although they were initially a little surprised, by now they had accepted the idea that "anything can happen in a place like this."
Anyway, the four of them originally planned to investigate the old school building, so even though they were sent directly to the fifth floor... well, since they were already here, they might as well start their investigation from here.
Overall, the fifth floor didn't seem much different from the two floors they had visited before. However, the fifth-floor corridor didn't have the weapons scattered on the ground floor that had appeared later on the first floor, nor did it have the figures wielding daggers and chainsaws from the first and second floors respectively... Of course, it's possible that they just weren't there yet.
However, if you walk around the corridor a little longer and take a closer look, you can still find many things that are not right.
"Huh? What's this...?"
"It's happened again."
Walking down the fifth-floor corridor, the group noticed pink bloodstains on the floor or walls from time to time.
Considering the strange creature they encountered earlier, with its manic energy that seemed to want to kill everyone it saw, the bloodstains scattered throughout the fifth floor now make one wonder what exactly happened here.
...Suddenly, Komaeda Nagito's previous theory of "battle royale-style infighting" makes even more sense.
"Wow." Wang Ma Xiaoji exclaimed, looking at the bloodstains splattered on one of the walls. "Is this what censorship is? How thoughtful and weird."
Putting aside the question of how pinkish bloodstains could occur, it's unlikely that the supernatural would bother to blur out the bloodstains to avoid scaring people, especially since...
Hyuga Hajime's lips twitched: "Is this considered censoring? It actually looks even weirder now."
Pink blood looks a bit too grotesque in real life!
The eerie, deep corridor, the occasional glimpses of pink blood on the floor and walls illuminated by flashlight beams, and the echoing footsteps that reverberate through the empty passageway...
Hajime Hinata felt that there was no need for such a horror movie atmosphere in this situation.
They really do look very similar.
Meanwhile, Tsukino and Chiya, who were also noticing the bloodstains on the fifth floor, thought the same thing.
It must be admitted that the situation on the fifth floor makes Komaeda Nagito's previous speculation about infighting even more plausible. Moreover, compared to the first and second floors, this floor seems to be the main battlefield for the infighting.
Generally, before the infighting begins, the first thing the mastermind does is gather all the participants together. Perhaps they're gathered on the fifth floor, making the situation there even more brutal.
...Cough, I subconsciously followed Komaeda Nagito's line of thought.
But it is precisely because the situation is so mysterious that Tsukino and Chiya become even more concerned and curious. What exactly happened at Hope's Peak Academy in the future?
The group walked around the fifth-floor corridor for a while and found nothing noteworthy except for the eerily pink blood. They then began to gradually enter the rooms on that floor.
Unlike the first and second floors, none of the doors on the fifth floor were locked; they could be opened with a gentle push.
The scene inside one of the classrooms seemed to confirm Komaeda Nagito's earlier conjecture—
After pushing open the door to a classroom, they saw bloodstains everywhere inside.
Just like what I saw in the preparatory school building because of the cloth strip incident, this place looks like it has been the site of some kind of brutal massacre, which is why it looks like it is now in such a physically disturbing state.
"..."
Tsukino and Chiya, Ohma Kokichi and Hinata Hajime had all seen classrooms like this in the Cloth Man incident. Komaeda Nagito, who was participating in a supernatural incident for the first time, quickly returned to normal after a brief moment of surprise.
Perhaps more accurately, it is Komaeda Nagito's normal state.
"……ha."
Laughter escaped from Komaeda Nagito's throat.
As Komaeda Nagito surveyed the entire classroom, he made no attempt to hide his excitement: "This is wonderful!"
Hyuga Hajime glanced at him, knowing that after their brief time together he might say something strange again, he thought for a moment and then asked what was going on: "That's great...? Komaeda, what do you mean by 'great'?"
"Because after futile guessing without any real clues, we have finally found a place that seems to have quite a few clues. So I am happy for everyone."
Komaeda Nagito covered his chest with one hand, and his genuine joy made Hinata Hajime subconsciously feel that Komaeda looked very... devout.
"While it is true that difficulties and despair can give rise to even brighter and more beautiful hopes, it would be a bit too much to go without any clues to overcome them. Now, after hard work and effort, everyone has finally found a place with clues, and we are one step closer to the path of working together to overcome despair with hope. So I am very happy."
"It's just a standard procedure, Komaeda is just exaggerating it."
As the classmate who was most familiar with Komaeda Nagito among everyone present, Ohma Kokichi, who was already used to it, waved his hand.
"As long as you don't die too early in such a place, the normal exploration process is to enter the haunted location, encounter the haunted event, find clues, solve the problem, or repeat the previous actions in the days that follow to solve the event and leave the haunted location."
"Although some processes may differ along the way, the overall process is always the same."
Based on the paranormal events they had experienced before, this explanation does seem to make sense.
However, thinking of Yashiki Kazuo's past experiences, Tsukino and Chiya silently added in their hearts: except when fighting the final boss.
“I see.” Komaeda Nagito looked enlightened, his tone sounding as if he wanted to memorize every word that Ohma Kichi had just said. “It seems that Ohma-kun really knows a lot about this kind of thing.”
"Of course, I am the mastermind of evil, and countless people have died directly or indirectly under my command, so countless vengeful spirits want to get their hands on me. But now... hehehe."
Wang Ma Xiaoji revealed a meaningful smile.
"Speaking of which, Kohinata and Kotsukino's reactions just now were really funny."
Amidst the background noise of Hyuga Hajime asking, "Is Tsukino reacting? I can't see any reaction," Ohma Kokichi continued to mutter to himself, "I never imagined that a mere Komaeda could possess such power. Should I consider training all my subordinates to have Komaeda's personality?"
Komaeda Nagito: "Hahaha, what Ohma-kun said is really frightening. I'm a little embarrassed."
Hajime Hyuga: "To cultivate..."
Tsukino and Chiya: "A subordinate like that...?"
Recalling the evil organization with approximately ten thousand members that Ouma Shoji frequently mentioned, Tsukino, Chiya, and Hinata Hajime, despite not exchanging much words at this moment, found their thoughts colliding unexpectedly—
Are there 10,000 Komaeda Nagitos in the organization?
That's a bit scary.
It's so scary that just thinking about it gives me nightmares.
*******
The weapons on the classroom floor are the same weapons that Tsukino, Chiya, and Komaeda Nagito saw on the first-floor corridor earlier...
"They are exactly the same in terms of type."
Tsukino and Chiya said confidently.
Komaeda Nagito echoed, confirming, "That's right, it's just like everything that Tsukino Kazuki and I saw in the first-floor corridor has been moved to this classroom."
Aside from exchanging a few words about the terrible state of the classroom upon entering, the four of them tacitly began investigating inside.
"That might actually be the case."
Tsukino and Chiya crouched down, staring at several weapons on the ground that caught their attention.
During the fight with the strange creature on the first floor, not only were my clothes stained with pink blood, but the weapons on the ground were also stained with some of the pink blood that had flowed from the creature's wounds.
And now, in these classrooms, some of the weapons are also stained with pink blood, and even the stained areas are exactly the same as those in Tsukino and Chiya's memories.
While Tsukino and Chiya were crouching down examining the weapons, Ohma Kokichi and Komaeda Nagito were investigating other parts of the classroom. After a while, Chiya stood up and joined in.
"Look at this."
"This box... is it the same type as the previous two?"
"So the side view does indeed have a name too,"
"Goriki Gohiko, Umesawa Aiko, and Yoko Masaharu."
"Looking at me? Then I can't let Wangma and Tsukino down. Yes, I remember those three names too. They are also members of the undergraduate student council, and they are all people with amazing talents."
"Oh dear~ it's always good to ask Komaeda about this!"
Over here, Tsukino and Chiya are studying the newly acquired clues, while on the other side, in the same classroom, Hinata Hajime—
He felt a sense of familiarity.
Upon entering the classroom, Hyuga Sou was initially drawn to the bloodstains and weapons scattered throughout, but he quickly realized what he should do and began to act, splitting up with the others to investigate.
However, the more Hajime Hinata moved around in this classroom, the more familiar it felt.
It was as if he had been to this place before. He was even familiar with the bloodstains, the weapons, and the boxes.
What exactly is this...?
Hajime Hinata felt lost. The voices of his companions seemed to be fading away, while another unfamiliar voice was drawing ever closer.
"Hello, nice to meet you."
After hearing that voice, the scene in front of Hyuga Hajime changed abruptly.
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Author's note: Brother Chuang: I've been to this place before (?)
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