Kumami didn't know what was happening.
She had watched Shijou Maki and Fujiwara Chika inexplicably break away from the group.
Shortly after, the school bell rang prematurely.
To her, everything felt normal. Nothing seemed out of place.
But that was wrong.
As a survivor of [Shirasawa Elementary], Kumami had developed a habit of self-cognitive checks.
She constantly questioned whether what she perceived as "normal" aligned with objective reality.
So when Maki and Chika vanished without reason, she forced herself to think critically:
Is this truly normal?
Would any rational player bring two rookies into a Crimson Moon dungeon?
The answer was no.
Which meant her perception had been compromised.
Kumami dug deeper, probing her own thoughts.
Why would I ever allow this?
Then, a name surfaced—
[Takakai.]
The man who had saved her in [Fujika Academy].
The man who had defeated the horrors of [Shirasawa Elementary] with two newbies in tow.
A walking miracle.
Only his presence could justify such recklessness.
But… is he here now?
Her mind said no.
Logic screamed yes.
This contradiction confirmed it—
The dungeon was erasing him from their awareness.
Maki and Chika must have noticed the anomaly and acted alone.
But this is a Crimson Moon dungeon.
Rule-breaking invites catastrophe.
Kumami turned to her teammate, Katabuti :
"Code 1 Alert. Lock down the main building. No students leave."
Katabuti didn't question her. He never did.
Then, she sprinted toward the annex, heading for the broadcast room.
The corridor was silent, ordinary.
But Kumami spotted the [NO LOUD NOISES] sign—and deliberately raised her voice:
"HEY! ANYONE IN THERE?"
The moment she shouted—
Reality twisted.
A black, bestial shadow lunged from nowhere, ripping her in half at the waist.
Her severed legs thudded to the floor, her upper body yanked toward the ceiling—
Only to reveal a stuffed doll in her place.
The real Kumami stepped out from a mirror, short-barreled shotgun in hand.
[The monster is fast. It has claws. It has fangs.]
The broadcast narration resumed, defining the creature's form.
Kumami smirked.
Got you.
She pressed a microphone to her lips and echoed the broadcast's tone:
[But it's just an animal. Predictable. Huntable.]
The shadow solidified—a vaguely bear-like abomination, now visible, now vulnerable.
BOOM!
Her shotgun erupted, shredding its half-formed body.
But the creature flickered, its transparency returning as the broadcast reasserted its mystery.
Kumay didn't give it time.
Her bronze eyes bled crimson as she activated her Obsession Artifact—
Freezing the beast mid-air.
Then, with a piece of chalk, she drew a door on the floor.
A rectangle. A circle for a knob.
She turned the handle—
And rotten black hands surged out, dragging the monster into the abyss.
[Now, the prey is caught.]
With her final narration, the broadcast system short-circuited, smoking ruins crashing down.
Aftermath
The broadcast room door creaked open.
Maki and Chika peered out, wide-eyed, as Kumami leaned against the wall, lighting a fresh cigarette.
"Next time you pull a stunt like this," she said, exhaling smoke, "plan an exit strategy first."