Chapter 30
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Brontë Sisters 2
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The Brontë Sisters 2
-♬♬♪♪♬
A mournful melody filled the hallway.
Was the song called 'Für Elise'? For just a piano piece, it felt inexplicably eerie.
“Nice piano playing.”
“Is this really the time for a music review...?”
Other than the self-playing piano, there seemed to be nothing else out of the ordinary in the music room.
It was probably a similar situation to the computer that was clacking away by itself in the teachers' office.
I cautiously stepped into the music room.
Fortunately, the door didn't lock behind us.
The layout of the music room was similar to the classrooms I'd explored before.
The only difference was the absence of desks, replaced by a large grand piano.
No one was sitting at the grand piano, yet it played on its own, producing a beautiful melody.
Looking closely at the piano, I saw the keys pressing down on their own.
“Maybe it's a remote-controlled piano.”
“There's no way a school would have something like that.”
It wasn't that self-playing pianos didn't exist, but I was certain our school didn't own one.
A regular high school with a shoestring budget would have trouble affording even a single grand piano.
If that's the case, there's only one answer.
This piano was haunted.
-♬♬♪♪♬
Knowing that made the music sound utterly terrifying. Dayeon, on the other hand, seemed unfazed and examined the piano intently.
“There's sheet music tucked in here.”
Dayeon pointed above the piano keys. A piece of sheet music was placed there.
The title read 'Für Elise.' It was the sheet music for the song currently playing.
“Do you think the piano is playing from this sheet music?”
“Probably.”
Dayeon took the sheet music from the piano. The music, which had been flowing smoothly, abruptly stopped.
She then handed the music to me. As I blankly accepted it, an item acquisition message appeared.
[You have acquired Sheet Music #1.]
I observed the now-silent piano.
There was nothing suspicious about it; it looked perfectly ordinary.
The same went for the sheet music.
It was just a staff sheet adorned with musical notes.
Nothing seemed out of place.
A normal piano and normal sheet music.
So why was this piano playing by itself with no one there?
“It's definitely haunted.”
When I placed the sheet music back on the piano, the music began to play again.
I didn't know what it meant, but this grand piano seemed to be a clue.
Leaving it as it was, I continued to investigate the music room.
[A pile of blank staff paper is stacked high.]
[An unknown instrument lies in the corner.]
[It's a metronome used for keeping time. It doesn't work.]
I searched around, wondering if there was something shiny hidden somewhere in the music room. Then, I noticed a portrait hanging on the wall.
[Ludwig van Beethoven]
[1770~1827]
The face looked familiar, and I realized it was a portrait of Beethoven. Seeing the painting, Dayeon made a mischievous joke.
“Maybe Beethoven is actually the one playing this song.”
“Don't say such ominous things.”
-♬♬♪♪♬
'Für Elise' was still echoing through the music room.
Perhaps because it was a song by the man in the portrait, a sense of foreboding washed over me.
Just as I was about to look away from the portrait, I felt a strange gaze.
For some reason, it felt like the Beethoven portrait was looking at me.
I shifted slightly to the side. The eyes in the portrait followed me.
Moving to the other side didn't change anything. Beethoven's eyes tracked my movement.
The Beethoven portrait was unmistakably staring at me.
“...I think there's something weird about this painting.”
“Really?”
Dayeon stopped examining the piano and approached the portrait. But by then, the portrait of Beethoven had returned to normal.
Strange.
It was definitely staring at me.
“Hmm.”
So Dayeon didn't notice the change in the portrait. After a moment of looking around, she went back to the piano.
“Let me know if you find anything weird.”
As soon as Dayeon walked away, the Beethoven portrait stared at me again, its lips curled into a grin so wide it looked like its mouth would tear.
‘Damn it...’
I forced myself to ignore it and turned away from the portrait. I wanted to tear it to shreds, but I held back for the sake of finding clues.
“Look at this, there's a note.”
“A clue?”
“Well, I don't know about that.”
Dayeon gestured toward the piano. I spotted a scrap of paper wedged between the keys.
For some reason, it was stained with a drop of blood. I carefully unfolded it to find a lengthy message.
【A message from the art room.
Parent-teacher observations are scheduled for next week, but a painting has gone missing from the art room.
If it's not too much trouble, I'm writing to ask if we could borrow the Beethoven portrait from the music room for a day.
We would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience.】
“Does this mean we're supposed to take the Beethoven portrait to the art room?”
“I really hope not...”
But there were no other viable clues. On top of that, an interaction prompt appeared on the Beethoven portrait.
[Take the painting?]
[Take it / Leave it]
It seemed like taking this painting and hanging it in the art room would trigger some kind of change.
With a heavy sigh, I took the Beethoven portrait off the wall.
[You have acquired the Painting.]
♬♬♪-.
The moment I did, the piano music cut off abruptly.
The sheet music for 'Für Elise' was still in place.
The music had stopped just from me touching the Beethoven portrait.
“See? I knew Beethoven was the one playing.”
“That can't be it...”
I shook my head firmly, telling myself there had to be another reason.
“The battery on the self-playing piano must have died.”
“Didn't you say the school couldn't afford something that expensive?”
“...Don't worry about the little things.”
I didn't even glance at the suddenly silent piano. I also flipped the Beethoven portrait over so I couldn't see the painting.
In situations like this, not looking was the best policy.
Just as we were about to leave the music room.
-Slam
The music room door suddenly slammed shut.
It happened in the blink of an eye, giving me no time to react.
Fortunately, I had already stepped out of the music room, but Dayeon hadn't. Her nonchalant voice came from beyond the door.
“Huh, the door won't open.”
“No way.”
-Rattle, rattle
I tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. The situation was no different from before.
Dayeon was trapped inside the music room, as if someone had intervened.
“Damn it...”
“Looks like you'll have to go to the art room by yourself. I'll just rest here.”
Dayeon replied casually, seemingly unaware of how serious the situation was.
I, on the other hand, was frantic.
With the music room door suddenly locked, we couldn't go on together.
“Even if the door opens while I'm gone to the art room, don't you dare leave.”
“Why?”
“I'll be back soon, so just stay put and wait. I'll figure out a way to open the door.”
Dayeon seemed bothered by my forceful tone and hesitated for a moment.
She drew out her words before finally agreeing.
“Okay, be safe. I'll wait.”
It was true that Dayeon didn't always obediently follow my lead, but she had never once deceived or lied to me.
She really intended to wait for me.
This gave me some peace of mind.
I now had a foolproof way to distinguish her from the fake.
“I'm going, then.”
As long as Dayeon was waiting for me quietly in the music room, any other Dayeon that appeared elsewhere had to be the fake.
So there was no way I would be foolishly tricked like last time.
With that resolve, I headed down the hall.
“The art room was on the fourth floor, right?”
Come to think of it, I had revisited the other locations based on the computer room password, but I hadn't gone back to the art room since it wasn't related to the password.
Was it a coincidence?
I hoped so.
I cautiously climbed the stairs, wary of the security guard. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't run into him since coming to the second floor.
To say our paths just luckily didn't cross felt... off.
I suspected there was more I didn't know, but I couldn't grasp the full truth.
While racking my confused brain, I arrived at the art room.
The scene in the art room was exactly as it had been the first time I entered.
The distinct smell of paint filled the air, along with the foul odor of a dirty mop rag.
“Nothing's changed in here.”
Pinching my nose, I looked around.
The desks were cluttered with layers of drawing paper, not to mention pencils, erasers, and brushes scattered all over the place.
[Painting supplies, including palettes, are strewn about in a mess.]
[It's a water bucket for cleaning paint. The water is blood-red.]
[A plaster statue the size of a human head. It's too heavy to move.]
Of course, there were still no clues. Coming up empty, I turned my attention elsewhere.
“The note said one painting was missing.”
I scanned the art room walls. Just like before, they were lined with all sorts of famous paintings.
[Michelangelo – The Creation of Adam]
[Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa]
[Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers]
It was a familiar scene.
The same one I'd seen when I first entered the art room.
But it wasn't a fond memory. I had almost died—no, I *had* died because of a painting.
As I was blankly gazing at the masterpieces, my eyes landed on one particular painting.
[Branwell Brontë - The Brontë Sisters]
Seeing the painting of the three women gathered together sent a chill down my spine and gave me goosebumps.
The memory of dying because of this painting was deeply ingrained in my mind.
Was that why?
Just looking at the painting made me shudder. I quickly pretended not to see it and turned my head away.
I came to the art room for a reason, didn't I?
According to the note, a painting was missing. I carefully examined the walls.
I found a spot that felt out of place.
Amidst the rows of displayed paintings, one space was conspicuously empty.
The missing painting must have hung here.
It seemed I was supposed to hang the Beethoven portrait here.
I opened my inventory and took out the painting.
[Hang the painting on the wall?]
[Hang it / Don't hang it]
Click.
The portrait fit perfectly on the wall. It slotted into place as if drawn by a magnet.
At the same time, Beethoven's face distorted.
His brow furrowed as if he'd bitten into a lemon, yet the corners of his mouth were turned up in a wide smile.
The frame cracked and split in two. Something slid out from under the painting and fell.
[You have acquired Sheet Music #2.]
It was another piece of sheet music, like 'Für Elise' from the music room. The title was 'Moonlight Sonata,' which, as far as I knew, was also a Beethoven piece.
Anyway, is that it?
Getting a new item was good,
but the music room key I actually needed was nowhere to be found.
There was no way I could get into the music room like this. I looked around the art room for more clues.
Once again, my gaze was drawn to a certain painting.
[Branwell Brontë - The Brontë Sisters]
Just a moment ago, it had been a painting of three women cozily gathered together. But now,
“...There are four of them.”
I doubted my eyes, wondering if I'd seen it wrong.
There were undeniably four people depicted in the painting.
Furthermore, the state of the painting was strange.
Red paint had been smeared over the faces of all the women.
Just like when I had caught the ghost from this painting and killed it by hanging.
“Does this mean the ghost has reappeared...?”
Before long, red letters began to creep into view around the painting.
[■: ■■ is not a Brontë.]
[■■: ■■■■ is the ghost.]
[■■■: I am a Brontë.]
[■■■■: ■■ is lying.]
It was the same kind of ghost-finding puzzle as before, but the content was completely different. Blood pooled around the frame, and new letters were etched into it.
[Only one is telling the truth.]
[Catch the one who is not a Brontë woman and kill her.]
“What?”
The conditions were far more difficult than before, and my blood ran cold. Soon, blood began to float up from the painting like an hourglass.
‘Fucking hell...’
All sorts of fears rampaged through my mind.
A cold sweat trickled down my spine.