Exam Period (1)
- Work hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the primary duty being securing the doors.
- Once the sun sets, stop by the Admin Office to pick up the key bundle.
- When the bell tolls at 10 p.m., quickly close the main gate and return.
- 3.1. The main gate is across the playground. Do not cross the playground.
- 3.2. Do not go outside the school. The moment you do, you become an outsider.
- 3.3. If the bell tolls at a time other than 10 p.m., it must stop before the sixth toll.
- After closing the main gate, proceed to secure the doors inside the school.
- First lock the Annex Building doors, then lock any unlocked classroom doors.
- Once door securing is complete, submit the key bundle and duty log to the Admin Office.
- 6.1. The duty log is already filled out; no additional writing is needed.
- 6.2. Do not write anything additional in the duty log.
- For facility-related matters, refer to the Guard Rules Booklet.
I was initially shocked to see the special notice for the exam period, but as I read through it carefully, I gradually calmed down. The duties hadn't changed much—in fact, my shift start time had been pushed back later. And there was one new item that seemed like it would bother me: the bell.
The rules for handling the bell toll implied it would ring at some point. I just hoped it wouldn't go off randomly all the time.
As soon as I finished checking the notice, the world darkened in an instant, as if it had been waiting. And then the bell began to toll.
For Elise.
A question arose as I listened: there are so many brighter-toned bells out there, so why did so many schools adopt this one? It didn't match the atmosphere here at all, but every time I heard it, a subtle melancholy crept in. Not that I was dismissing Beethoven's masterpiece—every piece of music has its fitting occasion, right?
Muttering to myself, I stood up to leave the guard room. My shift didn't start until 10 p.m., but I figured I'd grab the key bundle first.
I noticed something odd when I entered the Admin Office and picked up the key bundle. The bell hadn't stopped. It had long passed the point where it should have ended. The melody flowed seamlessly even when repeated, and since it was tolling at the usual time, I hadn't paid much attention at first.
Was this school hazing me or something? Call it the exam period initiation ritual. At least it had tolled twice by now. I had some time before the sixth, but people always tense up and panic when facing a situation for the first time, no matter how simple.
The rules didn't specify where to stop the bell, but I could guess: the broadcasting room on the fifth floor. There was no other place to control it.
I dashed up the left staircase. Starting from the second floor, a different scene unfolded—one unlike anything before. The corridors were lit up. The third floor, fourth floor—bright corridors with lights on. It was like they were actually doing late-night self-study.
No way they were really studying, right? If I ran into Kim Eat-Chil later, I'd have to ask what they were even studying.
Peering up from the fourth-floor stairs, the fifth floor was as dark as ever, lit only by the red emergency lights—just like before. I never wanted to come back here after being chased by that disfigured high school girl last time.
But to stop the bell, what choice did I have? This wasn't an exploration run anyway. Turn it off quick and get out quick.
As soon as I stepped onto the fifth floor, the corridor lights flicked on to greet me. I quickly checked the lamp on the broadcasting room door. Fortunately, it was off. If it had been on, I'd have been in trouble.
Inside, nothing had changed from last time—still those inexplicable broadcasting devices. But the button I needed to press was obvious: a single red one glowing in isolation.
Click. The light went out, and the school bell stopped simultaneously. Mission clear. Time to get out of here. I never wanted to run into that girl again.
Every time I post an update on the Gallery, my heart races. Now that I knew about the writing prohibitions, that is. Not being able to discuss tricky topics meant I had to bottle them up alone. One or two were fine, but as they piled up, the pressure built.
In this world, picking the wrong option meant death.
Fortunately, this post went through without issue.
Author: Guard67
Gal buddies, you said special notices come once a week. Did you lie to me?
I'd posted hoping for info and some sympathy, but the reactions were unexpected. No one had heard of what I was dealing with. But Chieon Nak-si-kkun hadn't replied yet, so I held onto hope. Surely I wasn't the first to face something unseen by 66 predecessors.
As expected, the admin didn't let me down. He knew everything. Praise be, god admin.
Uncharacteristically, he hesitated. If even long-timers didn't know, it must be ancient history. I could wait even if it took time—my door rounds didn't start till 10 p.m.
While waiting, I opened the fridge. What was today's menu? Steaming stir-fried squid greeted me. It struck me as odd that it was still warm straight from the fridge. I'd always scarfed down the school lunch quick to get to work before, so I'd never noticed. This leisure let me spot the little things.
Exam period. Maybe not so bad?
Dragging it out like this in broadcasting would be a crime. Maybe the admin had MC vibes. Come to think of it, he'd dragged out a topic last time too. Was it that serious? My face hardened.
But his next words were completely off-script.
......What?
I was speechless. More precisely, my typing hands froze. Favor? Did he mean my recent chats with Kim Eat-Chil? Was this fallen world actually a dating sim... with youkai? Pick wrong and boom, dead. Because youkai.
Even trying to explain to the admin would trigger a writing ban if I mentioned Kim Eat-Chil. I'd go insane. How to explain this?
I minimized it, and the Gallery allowed it.
The Gallery exploded at my response. I was dumbfounded. Was it that weird? He looked human, talked human, so I talked back. What else was I supposed to do?
Author: Guard67
The more we talked, the weirder I felt. Honestly, it was unfair. Anyone in my shoes would've done the same. Ignoring seemed riskier. Talking to youkai was wiser... right?
Chewing over the reactions, something felt off. Maybe I was the abnormal one. The thought grew inside me.
When in doubt, bail. I knew that, so why hadn't I with the youkai?
Youkai event? No way it was good.