Chapter 142 There's an extra person in the elevator...
"...The wooden barrel contained human bones. More accurately, it should be the remains of a deity."
Entering the elevator would not prevent Tsukino and Chiya from recounting to Higashi Mamoru their recent experience in that illusory world with Ohma Kokichi and Hinata Hajime.
Even if the elevator shook violently the moment the three of them stepped in and before they even pressed the button to start it, it would still be the same.
...The security here doesn't seem to be very high.
As Tsukino and Chiya calmly recounted the events of not long ago, Ohma Kokichi, who had also entered the elevator, stood in front of the elevator control panel that extended from the floor. There were only two buttons on it. One indicated "First Floor," representing their current room, and the other "Building B."
That's good. No wonder Hinata Hajime didn't go into detail about which floor to press when he told the story; it turns out they only had one choice.
Without asking the other two's opinions, Wang Ma Xiaoji decisively and quickly pressed the "Building B" button. Since they were already inside, no one would suddenly change their minds and shout "I don't want to play anymore, let me out!" and try to run away.
“…That was Aurora disguised as you. She demanded the doll's head I was holding. Without the arrow, the chances of me successfully sealing it were extremely slim. However, I still carried the dagger that I had borrowed from…someone in the church as a gift from the gods, so after that…”
Although the thought that "something might happen after entering the elevator" had heightened their vigilance, Tsukino and Chiya outwardly continued their storytelling. Only for a brief moment did his calm voice get lost in the roar of the elevator as it started moving.
...It really isn't very safe, is it?
The rumbling sound accompanied the violent shaking of the floor beneath their feet, but it quickly subsided and didn't actually affect Tsukino and Chiya's narration. His voice continued, but the disappearance of the rumbling didn't mean the elevator was completely silent.
All three of them felt the unsettling swaying of the ground beneath their feet. While it wasn't enough to frighten any of them or cause them to lose their footing, it still sent an invisible signal of danger into the confined space of the elevator.
"...The dagger did work; Aurora is currently in a state of 'death.' However, this 'death' is only temporary. The marks on me and Wangma haven't disappeared yet. Then, after it falls..."
Despite the creaking and shaking, Tsukino and Chiya's voices remained perfectly calm, showing no signs of being disturbed by external forces.
Both Ouma Kokichi and Higashigo Mimi knew that this was the usual state of Tsukino and Chiya. Or rather, they were so used to Tsukino and Chiya's perpetually unflappable demeanor that they had never witnessed any crisis that could truly make them change color.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that whenever a crisis occurs, the fact that this acquaintance remains unchanged makes people subconsciously feel that the situation may not be so bad.
After all, this calmness... is indeed very reassuring.
Finally, the voices of Tsukino and Chiya recounting their past hadn't faded, but the shaking of the floor and the creaking sounds that followed had also disappeared. The elevator finally started operating and slowly ascended.
Wait a minute... this isn't right, is it?
"...and you'll see what happens next."
At that moment, Tsukino and Chiya brought up the ending. The entire elevator fell silent.
However, there are some people whose mere presence can cause the situation to develop in unexpected ways.
Wang Ma Xiaoji first sighed sadly, then extended his hand to Tsukino and Chiya. Tsukino and Chiya seemed to understand what he meant, so they handed over the backpacks they had been carrying.
Miya Higashigo watched as Ouma Kokichi readily accepted the backpack, unzipped it, and began rummaging through it. She wanted to ask, "What's wrong with this now?"
However, before she could take any action, Tsukino and Chiya, who knew that although Higashigo Miya had a general understanding of their past experiences related to the supernatural, she did not know all the details, took the initiative to speak up and answer her questions.
Tsukino and Chiya's answer was simple and easy to understand: "The elevator should be going down."
Both Hinata Hajime's account and the meaning of "B" on the "B Building" button as "basement" clearly indicate that their elevator should normally be moving downwards.
"I see." Higashigo Mimi understood. It wasn't that she didn't know that Building B usually referred to the underground floors, but over the years she had seen many examples of actual development contradicting common sense. Having encountered so many complex situations, she hadn't immediately grasped the concept in such a simple place.
The elevator continued its slow but steady ascent, its destination unknown, and whether it would ever stop. No one knew what lay ahead, but for now, all they could do was wait.
"So," she said, watching Ouma Kokichi's actions expressionlessly, "what are you doing now?"
"Can't you see, Professor Donghu?" Wangma Xiaoji said in a sad tone, "I'm looking for Xiaoyueye and the notebook and pen in my backpack, preparing to write my will."
"A suicide note?"
"Yeah~ This kind of elevator constantly going up is practically an unsolvable scenario in a horror story! So I think I'll just leave a suicide note here with some unclear meaning. Because according to the plot, maybe in a few years, some so-called horror story protagonist will find this suicide note that I wrote in desperation to record my last moments. Maybe my suicide note will even become a clue for someone else to survive! Let me think about what to write... I've got it, 'When you see this, you need to show this suicide note to five other people or you will die from a curse'..."
Miya Higashigo: "Why don't you tone down your suddenly cheerful tone?"
Tsukino and Chiya: "This isn't helping at all; it's malicious."
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Xiaoyueye...wait a minute, what's that?"
The purple-haired boy rummaged through his seemingly bottomless backpack for a long time, but couldn't find a notebook or pen. Instead, he found something else that was a bit unexpected.
Tsukino and Chiya: "Hmm? This is..."
What Ouma Kokichi took out of his backpack was a hair clip with a red bow. Since they had only seen it recently, Tsukino and Chiya still found it very familiar. The first time they saw it, it was also being held by Ouma Kokichi in the same way.
This is the bow hair clip he put in his backpack in that fake world. He thought it might come in handy, so he put it in his bag. But after they left that world, they never managed to use it... So, when the doll's head disappeared, did this hair clip somehow get brought back to the real world?
Tsukino and Chiya originally wanted to say, "This is a hair clip we found in the previous world," but he obviously didn't have time to finish his sentence.
One or two seconds after Wang Ma Xiaoji took out the hair clip, the elevator lights suddenly went out for a moment.
It happened in an instant, and it was just that. The next second, it lit up again.
And inside the still-ascending elevator, there was one more person...?
It was a young girl.
Out of habit, Tsukino and Chiya immediately looked at the girl's elbow that had suddenly appeared in the elevator... and sure enough, there was a ball joint belonging to a doll.
It was a doll unlike the plain-looking Aurora. The doll-girl who appeared out of nowhere had slightly wavy red hair and wore a dark red dress that was a shade darker than her hair color. And if you added the bow hair clip still in Ouma's hands…
It's such a red doll.
Tsukino, Chiya, and Ohma Kokichi all recognized this face. It was because this doll's face belonged to the same doll they had seen in that world.
Compared to Aurora... or even Aurora in her "dead" state, the doll in front of her looked much more wretched due to the terrible damage all over her body.
With such a thing suddenly appearing, the other three naturally turned their attention to it. But the doll just stood there quietly, remaining silent.
Tsukino and Chiya remembered that in that world, the doll was unable to speak. Is it the same now?
Just as this speculation crossed their minds, Tsukino and Chiya heard a stiff voice coming from the doll.
It said, "I want to go home."
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