Chapter 30. Chapter 30. Crimson liquid was everywhere. ...
Wang Ma Xiaoji burst into a tremendous laugh.
It has to be said that this purple-haired boy has a really good voice. No matter how much he laughs or cries in his daily life, Qianye has never seen him have any discomfort in his throat.
Tsukino and Chiya put themselves in their shoes and thought that if it were them, their throats might feel uncomfortable the next day after such an intense emotional performance.
...Hmm, isn't the focus a bit off?
Hyuga Hajime was even more puzzled by the situation: "Oma... not to mention that you didn't even turn on a light when you went upstairs, and you even deliberately tiptoed so we wouldn't find you... what are you laughing at now?"
I absolutely don't get the joke! Was there anything funny about his conversation with Tsukino? The atmosphere of a good, heartfelt conversation between friends was completely ruined!
Wang Ma Xiaoji tried to suppress his laughter, but he couldn't hold it in at all, or rather, he was just pretending to endure it symbolically. In the end, he burst out laughing with a "pfft".
"Our evil secret society members, from the lowest-ranking henchmen to myself as the leader, are all professionally trained! I won't laugh unless I can't help it!"
You were laughing the whole time, you didn't put your heart into it at all!
Laughing isn't a big problem, it's just...
Hyuga Hajime tried to remind him, "Ohma, if you keep laughing like that, won't you attract the guards?"
The school was deserted at night, and Wang Ma Xiaoji's laughter, which he hadn't bothered to suppress, was a little too clear. It would be terrible if it attracted the attention of the guards patrolling the school buildings.
Tsukino and Chiya: "There's no need to worry too much about this..."
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Because I knocked all the guards unconscious with a stick on my way here!"
Hajime Hyuga: "What?...Wait, don't joke like that."
Tsukino and Chiya: "Um..." It was indeed a joke. The truth is that he had warned in advance that there might be strange occurrences tonight, so Hope's Peak gave all the guards a day off.
Wang Ma Xiaoji added with a grin, "Hehe, Xiaoyinxiang doesn't believe me? I think this is a great idea. If we encounter anything strange next, we can just throw the security guards downstairs out to take the bullets! After all, one of the guards' jobs is to protect the students' safety!"
Tsukino and Chiya: "If that's the case, then the guards are a bit pitiful."
"Hmm? That's such a kind thing to say. Even I, with no conscience, feel a little guilty listening to it. So, Kozuki, don't worry." Ohma Kokichi kindly reassured him, "Because I was just lying to you! The security guards are all fine! They're probably having a great time drinking right now!"
Tsukino and Chiya: "That's wonderful."
Hajime Hinata wore a complicated expression.
Well... undergraduate students are really full of personality, and so is his classmate, who can be considered his deskmate by rounding up. It's amazing how they can continue the strange topic so naturally.
Wait a minute? Why is Wang Ma looking at me like that?
A sense of foreboding welled up in Hyuga Hajime's heart, and his premonition came true the very next second.
Wangma Xiaoji's lips curled down, his expression shifting vividly and naturally from laughter to tears: "Waaaaaah, Hinata is so strict with me! Actually, I'm terrified! That's why I'm racking my brains to think of something fun to distract myself!"
Wang Ma Xiaoji roared, "Damn it! One incomprehensible thing after another! I didn't want to wake up to find myself marked with some random mark!"
Hajime Hyuga: "Ohma...you..."
This emotional shift was rather sudden. Hyuga Hajime looked at the purple-haired boy in front of him, who seemed to have suddenly become a different person, and for a moment he couldn't be sure if this was really what he meant.
"You won't die." A calm voice came from behind them.
Tsukino and Chiya stood at the entrance to the rooftop, a few steps away, watching the two people below them.
Judging from their positions, Tsukino and Chiya were looking down at them. But when they noticed those calm, still gazes, they didn't feel like they were being looked down upon; it was as if they were simply looking at each other as equals.
Tsukino and Chiya said again, "None of us will die."
"...Huh? Pre-battle pleasantries? We've already reached this stage."
The anger on Wang Ma Xiaoji's face had long since subsided, and now only calm remained on his adorable face.
"But if things go wrong, this might actually turn into a flag, right?"
“No, that won’t happen.” Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Tsukino and Chiya continued, “If it’s a flag, then I…”
"—Buzzing!!"
In a quiet environment, even the sound of a vibrating phone is exceptionally clear, in addition to human voices.
Tsukino and Chiya's voices abruptly stopped.
This was an alarm he had set on his phone beforehand, which he had discussed with Hajime Hinata, to remind himself when it was time to go.
As the black-haired boy took out his phone from his pocket and turned off the alarm, he stood in front of the rooftop door, looking around warily at any place where strange things might appear at any moment.
Is it coming?
Hyuga Hajime and Ohma Kokichi also fell silent.
A profound silence fell.
Tsukino and Chiya's gazes swept across every part of the rooftop.
The iron railings along the edge of the rooftop, still free of rust, appeared even colder under the moonlight. The rooftop was empty, with two flattened aluminum cans, probably brought up by students, lying on the concrete floor.
There were some odds and ends in a corner of the rooftop, but it didn't look like a place where people could hide. However, if it were a place to hide something strange...
Tsukino and Chiya's gazes lingered for a moment on a few empty flowerpots in the corner.
No, something strange shouldn't be able to hide in a flowerpot.
But then...
"There's nothing there." Tsukino and Chiya confirmed again. "How's the situation on your end?"
“It’s the same here.” Hyuga Hajime said, his heart suddenly tightening as the time came. “Nothing different from before.”
Could they have guessed wrong? Hajime Hinata began to feel uncertain. But that shouldn't be the case. Even if it were a prank, would a normal human choose 8 PM? Without Tsukino and the key, they wouldn't even be able to get into the school building.
"Abnormalities? Yes, there are."
Like Hyuga Hajime, Ohma Kokichi did not go up to the rooftop, but he gave a different answer.
The purple-haired boy gripped the stair railing with both hands, craning his neck to look down.
His upper body leaned dangerously forward, making one nervously wonder if he would tumble down the stairs at any moment. Hyuga Hajime, who was closest to him, instinctively moved closer, just in case Ohma Kokichi lost his footing and fell, so he could catch him in time.
"Kozuki was on the rooftop just now, so she couldn't see it. As for Kohinata, she was probably nervous on the rooftop too."
However, Wang Ma Xiaoji quickly ended his dangerous maneuver, stood firmly back on the ground, and said confidently.
"The lights downstairs just turned on."
"Guards?" That was Hyuga Hajime's first reaction.
"No, that's not true. Didn't I say before that I knocked out all the guards?"
Hajime Hinata: "..." No, you just clarified that you were lying about this, didn't you?
"So, next," Tsukino and Chiya checked the rooftop one last time, which still showed no abnormalities, "I'm thinking of going downstairs where the lights are on, as Ohma mentioned. What do you guys think?"
*******
The three of them went downstairs together.
This wasn't the first time they had investigated this floor—it was also the place where Xia Chuan's figure had disappeared before.
The corridors were dimly lit, and the classrooms were completely dark. Without lighting, it was impossible to see the layout, and it was easy to trip and fall.
This is completely different from Wang Ma Xiaoji's previous description of "the lights were on".
Before anyone could ask any questions, Wang Ma Xiaoji spoke up first: "It was lit up just now, but now it's back to normal. If it's strange... there shouldn't be a saying that you can't see things at night, right?"
“You tell me, in this situation…” Wang Ma Xiaoji’s lips curled upwards, “don’t we look like prey lured into a trap? Maybe some strange entity is watching us from somewhere.”
Tsukino and Chiya were not intimidated by such remarks at all: "Perhaps... However, although it is said that monsters like human fear, deliberately setting traps seems a bit difficult for most of the monsters who are rather single-minded."
Most weirdos probably don't have the brains to come up with so many fancy things.
Although only Ouma Kokichi said he saw the light on the floor below, while Tsukino, Chiya, and Hinata Hajime didn't notice it, as mentioned before... when dealing with strange things, we should treat everything that seems to have happened as if it has actually happened.
Tsukino and Chiya, holding flashlights, stood at the very front.
The flashlight beam wasn't strong enough to shine directly into the depths of the corridor, but it was enough to illuminate the path ahead of the three of them.
Tsukino and Chiya, holding flashlights, intended to hand the keys to Ohma Kokichi so he could open the door since he was empty-handed. However, as they took the keys, they vaguely glimpsed a figure flashing past in the corridor ahead.
? !
"Hey, Tsukino, Ohma." He wasn't the only one who saw the fleeting figure; Hyuga Hajime looked towards the depths of the corridor with suspicion. "Was that...?"
As Hinata Hajime asked his question, the figure reappeared out of thin air in the corridor.
Long white hair, blue dress, a young girl.
She...it was standing some distance from the flashlight beam. In the darkness, the girl's face wasn't clear, but never underestimate the power of human imagination and interpretation; Tsukino and Chiya could roughly pinpoint the location of her grey eyes.
The white-haired doll that I had seen in the mansion not long ago stood motionless in place, and two seconds later it disappeared into thin air just like it had appeared suddenly before.
...Apart from that, it said and did nothing, as if it had simply come out to show its face and indicate that it was there.
"Is that the Oddity?" This was Hyuga Hajime, who had never actually seen an Oddity before, and his expression was clearly much worse than before.
Although the girl's figure just now didn't seem to be associated with anything strange, Hinata Hajime wasn't going to mistake a girl who could appear out of thin air and then disappear for a normal person.
“Strange? It probably is.” Ouma Kokichi unlocked the door to the nearest classroom with his key. “But if Kohinata is asking if it’s strange that it left a mark on the love letter I sent you… my answer is ‘no.’”
"I know you have many questions in your mind, Kohinata, but things always have priorities. Just like in some situations, you have to complete certain prerequisite tasks before you can do a certain mission. Anyway... the most important thing right now is to start the investigation."
As he said this, Wang Ma Xiaoji pushed open the door.
The moment the door was pushed open, a bone-chilling wind that seemed to strike straight to the soul blew towards the three of them, causing them to shiver uncontrollably and raising goosebumps on their arms.
Perhaps because they were worried that the weather forecast predicted a heavy rainstorm in the early hours of tomorrow, all the classroom windows were tightly closed.
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who pushed open the door, did not rush to go in first. Instead, Tsukino and Chiya, still holding flashlights, took a few steps forward and came to the front.
Wang Ma Xiaoji's voice came from behind him.
"It seems we won't leave empty-handed this time."
*******
"like".
Such words covered the blackboard in the classroom.
Countless "likes" were crowded together, these words, large and small, were densely packed on the blackboard, like love that swelled in the chest and refused to let go of any inch of space.
No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem normal. If another teacher notices it tomorrow morning, they'll definitely find that disruptive student and give them a good scolding.
The classrooms on the top floor are currently mainly used as venues for some club activities. The preparatory course, which was established not long ago, only has two classes of students so that it does not need so many classrooms for daily teaching.
Click-click—Wang Ma Xiaoji turned the light switch on and off again. It seemed that, just like in the old house, the classroom lights couldn't be turned on either. Sure enough, they still had to rely on a flashlight.
"Look here!" Hyuga Hajime, who was walking on the other side investigating with his phone's flashlight, suddenly stopped and pointed to the ground in front of him.
A few dark brown stains were scattered under the third-to-last desk in the second row of desks counting from the door. They were inconspicuous in the dark classroom, and at first glance, they could be mistaken for ink stains accidentally spilled by a student while swinging a malfunctioning pen.
Under the bright light from the phone in Hyuga Hajime's hand, all three of them could see that the bloodstains, which were not isolated, stretched intermittently towards the back of the classroom.
Hyuga Hajime followed the trail of blood, eventually stopping at the back door.
It looked exactly like... someone had been injured and left their seat through the back door, with drops of blood still dripping from their wound onto the floor.
Wangma Xiaoji squatted down and carefully examined the bloodstains on the ground: "I thought Xiaoyina's reaction would be more exaggerated."
"Ohma, is it just my imagination? You sound a little disappointed," Hyuga Hajime said helplessly. "After all, I've accepted that there are strange things in this world. Seeing bloodstains in the classroom seems like a normal development in a supernatural event?"
Moreover, not long ago he personally witnessed a figure appearing and disappearing out of thin air. No matter how you look at it, this is still more terrifying, isn't it?
Tsukino and Chiya caught the key that Ohma Kokichi tossed to them and opened the back door of the classroom.
"Was this... originally there?" Hyuga Hajime asked uncertainly.
“I’m not sure,” Tsukino and Chiya said, their steps never faltering. “But I think it must have appeared later… I didn’t notice the bloodstains in the corridor before.”
He followed the trail of bloodstains that he had seen on the floor after opening the back door of the classroom. He wondered whether they had been there from the beginning or appeared later. Soon he arrived at the front door of the next classroom.
Curiosity and a desire to investigate the bloodstains on the ground prompted the other two to quickly follow.
The only sound in the empty corridor was the footsteps of the three of them.
Tsukino and Chiya opened the front door of the new classroom they had arrived at. The layout of this classroom was not much different from the previous one, but the blackboard was clean and free of the dense writing.
In this classroom, the same spot where the source of the bloodstains was found under the chair in the previous classroom was also the third to last seat in the second row from the door.
Unlike the previous classroom, this classroom had a lot of things on the desk.
Because this was the only seat on the entire classroom with something on it, it stood out conspicuously.
There were many things on it... a vase containing withered white chrysanthemums, a picture frame upside down on the table, and a candle that had long since gone out.
This scene is clearly a memorial service for a deceased student.
Tsukino and Chiya lifted the vase; there seemed to be something inside. He took out the few withered white chrysanthemums and set them aside, then turned the vase upside down, trying to pour out what was inside.
A key and several unidentified caterpillars fell out of the bottle. The key landed on the table with a crisp sound. The caterpillars also landed on the table, wriggling and crawling slowly and aimlessly.
Tsukino and Chiya first picked up the dropped key, then took out gloves from their backpacks that they had retrieved from their dorm room before dinner, put them on, and then put the insects into a container that they had also taken out of their bags.
That's really thorough preparation...
Hajime Hinata, who was watching this scene from the sidelines, felt that he had learned something. While watching Chiya's actions, he reached out to right the upside-down photo frame on the table.
However, before he officially took the position, he noticed something written on the back of the photo frame, something like... a name?
"Morikawa...Yoshiko...?"
This should be the name of the person in the photo, and logically, it should also be the name of the deceased, right?
Hajime Hinata flipped the photo frame over, wanting to see what the person in the photo looked like.
The photo in the frame was indeed a black and white photograph of a young girl, but her face had been maliciously covered with countless lines drawn with a red marker, completely obscuring the girl's face.
Combined with the atmosphere of this memorial service, Hajime Hinata felt as if the photo frame he was holding was somewhat prickly.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tsukino and Chiya had already started packing the candles into their bags.
Hajime Hyuga didn't understand but humbly asked, "What's the use of these things?"
"It's not clear yet," Tsukino and Chiya explained, "but maybe some of these things will come in handy in the future. In any case, whether they're useful or not, we should just take them."
This was a valuable lesson he learned from Mr. Hachishiki, a former seal engraver at Kujokan.
Hinata Hajime thought for a moment, then handed over the photo frame he was holding: "And this one too?"
Tsukino and Chiya: "Take it with you."
However, he didn't possess the same precise judgment as Yashiki Kazuo... After all, not everyone can always come up with strange and unusual ways to use items to deal with supernatural beings. So, after a rough imitation, Chiya could only pack up all the suspicious items and take them with him.
Besides the extra items on the desks, bloodstains were also found under the chairs this time. However, compared to the previous classroom, the bloodstains on the floor were much larger this time.
Pools of blood, one after another, led to the back door. Unlike the dark brown blood seen in the previous room, the bloodstains in this classroom looked fresher.
Tsukino and Chiya were exploring the other side of the classroom when Hinata Hajime took the key from him and opened the back door as well.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Wang Ma Xiaoji, who hadn't gone into the classroom this time, but was standing in the corridor waiting.
"Huh? It was Hinata who opened the door."
Despite knowing that strange things were lurking in the school building, Ohma Kokichi, standing alone in the corridor, appeared to show no fear whatsoever. He greeted Hinata Hajime in a relaxed tone as he opened the door, then gestured for Hinata to look at the floor of the corridor ahead.
"See that? These bloodstains really appeared out of nowhere. So, we, drawn forward by these bloodstains..."
As if deliberately trying to match the terrifying atmosphere, Wang Ma Xiaoji's tone also became deep and somber.
"What kind of hell will we arrive at if we follow the strange guidance to the end?"
*******
It truly is hell.
Just as they had done before, they opened the front door of the third classroom.
The moment the door was pushed open, it was as if some terrible seal had been broken; an overwhelming, nauseating stench of blood assaulted the nostrils. Crimson liquid was everywhere—on the ceiling, the blackboard, the floor…
The classroom desks and chairs were overturned and scattered on the floor. In the very center of the classroom floor, there was a large, undeniable pool of blood... Could this really be the amount of blood a person could bleed?
In that pool of blood, there was something lying... Judging from its shape and outline, it looked like a human.
Being in such an environment, I felt that even after leaving the classroom, I would still be covered in this awful smell.
"Ugh, it smells awful..." In the deathly silence, Wang Ma Xiaoji, whose complexion was not good, broke the silence with a weak voice, "This smell fills my nose."
Upon hearing this, Tsukino and Chiya asked, "Do you want to go outside for some fresh air? I can handle the investigation."
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Ah, no need for that. This kind of taste is indeed a bit unfamiliar to me, as someone who has been living behind the scenes for so long as the leader, but it's not so bad as to be uncomfortable, is it?"
Hyuga Hajime took a deep breath... no, he shouldn't take a deep breath now, it would only inhale a bloody smell. He walked in with a stiff face, feeling a little lost, but at least he could use his phone's light to illuminate the classroom and observe it carefully.
Tsukino and Chiya also took their first steps.
However, he stopped after taking only two steps.
The sensation under his feet wasn't right; he thought he had accidentally stepped on something... Doesn't this seem familiar?
Tsukino and Chiya looked down expressionlessly.
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