The light dimmed gradually.
As the trio stepped deeper into the wooded area, the dense canopy blocked out the sunlight, casting everything in an oppressive gloom.
Thanks to Maki and Chika's early bell trick, the student horde had retreated toward the main building, buying them time.
But how much time?
Takakai, carrying Miko on his back, and Bocchi sprinted forward, pushing through the undergrowth.
Yet the deeper they went, the more wrong it felt.
Crunch. Crunch.
Their footsteps echoed unnaturally in the silent forest.
Their breathing grew heavier, the air thicker.
Five minutes of full-speed running—yet no end in sight.
The trees stretched endlessly, the school's outer wall nowhere to be found.
Are we even going the right way?
The doubt gnawed at Takakai, but there was no turning back.
Meanwhile: The Annex Building
Two girls huddled inside the broadcast room, barely daring to breathe.
[■Heh… heh■hehe… ugh…]
Something dragged itself down the hallway outside.
A wet, gurgling noise—like vomiting—mixed with the sound.
One moment, it sounded far away.
The next, right outside the door.
Then distant again.
Its position shifted unpredictably, defying logic.
Don't be found.
If that thing sees us—
We're dead.
Earlier, after hacking the bell system to save Takakai, Maki and Chika had tried to leave.
Then—
The broadcast equipment screamed to life, emitting static-laced noise.
A young man's voice cut through the distortion:
[Welcome to "Kaidan Night Tales." I'm Edoya Kenichi, vice-president of the Kaidan Club.]
[Today's story comes from a prospective member—Shijo Maki of Class 2-8. Let's give her a round of applause!]
Maki froze.
The broadcast then played her own voice—but cheerful, unnaturally upbeat:
[Hi, everyone! I've always wanted to join the Kaidan Club! Today, I'll share a spooky story about… the broadcast room!]
That's not me.
That's not my voice.
Yet it was.
The door wouldn't budge—no matter how hard they pushed.
Then, Chika noticed:
The rules poster had changed.
Two new lines, scribbled in crayon-like scrawl, had appeared:
[4. The Kaidan Club may use this room to welcome new members who pass our tests.]
[5. The Kaidan Club shall announce new kaidan here, then vote on their validity.]
The broadcast continued:
[Our story begins with two girls trapped in the broadcast room. They hear footsteps outside… Should they call for help?]
As if on cue—
Footsteps.
Two students chatting as they walked past.
Maki and Chika exchanged glances and stayed silent.
[But shouting might be a bad idea. Because suddenly—]
Screams.
The students outside shrieked, one falling, his cries turning to agonized wails before cutting off abruptly.
The other ran—then silenced just as suddenly.
[■Heh… heh■…]
Something laughed.
Something dragged itself closer.
[The girls don't know what's out there. But if they open the door… they'll find out.]
Maki's broadcast voice narrated their own predicament with chilling accuracy.
This thing is toying with us.
We have to stop the broadcast.
A silent nod to Chika.
They crept toward the control panel, step by painfully slow step.
The broadcast paused, as if waiting.
Maki's hand hovered over the power switch—
CLICK.
The machine shut off.
Silence.
Then—
[The girls think turning it off will save them. But they're wrong.]
CREAK—
The locked doorswung open on its own.
A mutilated corpse—chest torn open, jaw hanging loose—lurched into view.
Its mouth moved, but the voice was Maki's:
[You've always wanted to join the club, right?]
Behind it, black, skeletal hands pulled its strings like a puppet.
Maki and Chika braced, their blessings flaring—
When—
"HEY! ANYONE IN THERE? ANSWER ME!"
A booming voice shattered the tension.
Kumami stood in the hallway, ignoring the [NO LOUD NOISES] sign, her presence disrupting the scene entirely.
The corpse-puppet twitched, its grip on reality wavering.