Chapter 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Gym Clothes
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Here it is.’
The teachers' office wasn't far from the central entrance, so I arrived quickly.
I kept an eye out for the security guard and quickly ducked toward the entrance.
Just as I was about to enter the office,
I spotted a box placed near the entrance.
A flashy background and bold font caught my eye.
[Lost and Found Box]
If you've lost something, come and get it.
That was the gist of it.
The lost and found box was wide open.
I peeked inside.
It was filled with junk like broken pencils and erasers.
There was even trash in it.
Like an empty bag of Postick chips.
And cigarette butts.
Though it was called a lost and found box,
it seemed the students treated it more like a trash can.
Then again, it's not like they'd leave lost items out in the open like this.
If it was something valuable, like a wallet or an iPad, it would belong to whoever found it first.
Assuming it ever made it into this box in the first place.
‘Nothing special.’
I rummaged through the box full of trash.
There was nothing that could be called an item.
Just as I was about to look away,
something shiny glinted between a chip bag and a Matstar snack wrapper.
[...There is something inside.]
I tore open the Matstar bag to check its contents.
Inside was a small, baby-bottle-shaped container.
[You have acquired Ink.]
‘Oh.’
An unexpected find.
Getting ink meant I could save my game from now on.
[Ink]
【Red-colored ink.
Used for writing in a diary.】
I immediately took out the diary.
Strike while the iron is hot. It was better to save now.
‘Otherwise, I’ll have to start all over again.’
Imagine dying while trying to conserve saves.
I’d have to repeat that lovely game of hide-and-seek with the security guard from the very beginning.
I’d rather die than do that.
The guard's smirking, self-satisfied face flashed before my eyes.
I never wanted to see it again.
[Would you like to record your journey so far?]
Without hesitation, I used the diary.
The ink gushed out.
‘Ugh.’
They could have at least given me a warning if this was how it worked.
The spilled ink stained my palm.
Maybe because it was red,
it reminded me of blood.
‘Of all the colors, why red?’
It felt like a bad omen.
I wanted to wash it off immediately, but there were no restrooms nearby.
As a temporary solution, I rubbed my hand against the wall to wipe off the ink.
The once-pristine white wall was now smeared with red.
Looking at it now, it really did look like blood.
[Your journey has been recorded.]
The diary was now stained with ink.
I carefully opened the first page.
The original content was gone, replaced by a solid coat of crimson.
I turned to the next page.
A number was written starkly in red letters.
[6:37]
Did that mean about six minutes had passed since the beginning?
It must have been 12:00 on the dot when I woke up in the classroom, so the current time was probably around 12:06.
‘Only six minutes have passed?’
It felt like I’d been chased by the guard for at least five hours.
Come to think of it, the time when I was dead wasn't included.
Perhaps that's why time flowed more slowly than I perceived it.
The subjective time I experienced was long, too.
Given the circumstances, I was filled with the fear that I might be stuck wandering this school in the same time loop forever.
‘Let’s just grab the key and get out of here…’
I tried to shake off the ominous thoughts and pushed the door to the teachers' office. But it didn't open.
*Rattle, rattle.*
The door seemed to be locked; it wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pushed.
‘...What the.’
I hurriedly checked the handle.
A small phrase was written on the doorknob.
[PULL]
“Ah.”
*Creeak.*
Feeling embarrassed, I entered the teachers' office.
‘You’d only know this stuff if you came here often…’
My school life was far from that of the model students who frequently visited the teachers' office.
I spent most of my time sleeping, so I was almost completely ignorant of the school's layout.
Maybe that's why the teachers' office felt so alien to me.
It’s a lot bigger than I thought.
Rows and rows of computer desks were laid out.
Taken on its own, the office felt more like a corporate building than a school.
It had a distinctly professional atmosphere.
Perhaps because it was so different from the classroom I was in earlier, I felt a sense of suffocation.
It was a stark reminder of how different the atmosphere could be within the same school.
As I scanned the office, one computer caught my eye.
Even though it was well past midnight, the monitor was brightly lit.
‘Did someone forget to turn it off when they left?’
Curious, I approached it.
And I couldn't believe my ears.
*Tap-tap-tap.*
*Click.*
The sounds of a keyboard and a mouse clicking alternated. To my surprise, the sounds were coming from the computer.
But there was no one at the desk.
The computer was moving on its own.
*Tap! Taptaptaptap! Taptap! Taptaptap!*
It was furiously typing something into a word processor.
I immediately turned around.
I tried my best to act casual.
Paying it no mind, I moved away from the haunted computer.
I whistled nonchalantly as I walked away.
Now I had another reason to find the key and leave quickly.
[It’s a computer desk. It’s cluttered with textbooks and handouts.]
[It’s a massive, person-sized bookshelf. Textbooks for each subject are organized by type.]
[It’s a printer. It doesn’t seem to work.]
I searched everything in sight.
If an object was interactable, I checked it.
All the while, the computer kept typing away furiously.
‘So damn loud.’
*Taptaptaptap! Tap!*
*Taptaptaptap! Tap!*
Was it using a blue switch keyboard despite being for office use? The sound was piercing my ears.
I wanted to run over to the computer and smash the keyboard to pieces.
But I had no idea what kind of disaster that might cause.
For now, I endured it and ignored it.
I had to find the key, if only to escape this god-awful noise.
It should be showing up soon.
I emptied a drawer.
I was already about halfway through searching the office, but I hadn't found a single key, not even a minor item.
This time will be different, I hoped, as I searched the gym teacher's desk.
‘Ugh.’
Is this a desk or a pigsty?
I couldn't help but frown.
Not only were papers scattered about haphazardly,
but the desk was also covered in all sorts of trash.
There was even leftover food just sitting there.
It looked like the desk of someone who had never tidied up in their entire life.
Maybe I should just skip this one.
I couldn't bring myself to search it.
Just as I was stealthily turning away,
something glinted from under the desk.
Looking closer, I saw a box hidden among the trash.
‘An item?’
It was buried so deep it seemed intentionally hidden. I almost missed it.
I reached under the desk and pulled out the box.
Just getting it out was an ordeal, blocked by all the trash and piles of documents.
What on earth could be inside that it was hidden so carefully?
It has to be the key, right?
My anticipation grew. I swallowed hard and slowly opened the box.
[You have acquired Gym Clothes.]
Huh.
Gym clothes?
My thought process momentarily froze.
I rummaged through the box again, wondering if I had missed something. But there was nothing else.
Instead of the key I was looking for, there was just a set of random gym clothes.
The material, the design…
it was just an ordinary gym uniform. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with it.
Was it a hint that running in a school uniform is uncomfortable, so I should wear this instead?
It was too suspicious to be a simple act of consideration for me.
Besides, has this even been washed?
With a skeptical look, I sniffed the gym clothes. There was a faint, but noticeable, smell of sweat.
Someone had definitely worn these before.
Since it came from a teacher’s desk, did a teacher wear it?
If so, I really didn’t want to wear it.
The mere thought of sharing skin contact with that large teacher was disgusting.
But for that to be the case, the gym clothes were too small.
It would be impossible for a man of the teacher’s portly build to wear this.
Then who wore it?
I brought the uniform to my nose and sniffed again.
It definitely had a scent, so it wasn't new.
How should I put it?
It was the smell of sweat, but it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it was rather fragrant…
It was a truly strange smell, hard to describe.
Maybe the item window will tell me.
While still sniffing, I brought up the detailed description of the gym clothes.
[Gym Clothes]
【Ordinary gym clothes. Sized for a female student. A faint scent remains.】
…Wait a minute.
I quickly pulled the gym clothes away from my nose.
I stared blankly at the description.
‘It belongs to a female student?’
Looking again, the size was clearly for a woman.
And there was a name tag pinned to the chest.
[Jin Dayeon]
…You again.
The name was so familiar it felt friendly.
It was the same girl from the classroom who had lent me the recorder.
The owner of this uniform I had been sniffing was none other than a girl from my class.
‘This makes me look like some kind of pervert.’
The only reason I smelled it was to see if it was new or not.
If I had known it belonged to a female classmate, I never would have sniffed it.
…Seriously.
Therefore, I was innocent.
If you think about it, Jin Dayeon was the one at fault for not taking proper care of her gym clothes.
‘But why are her gym clothes at the teacher's desk?’
I thought for a moment.
And was horrified.
‘Damn it…!’
No wonder the box was hidden so well.
I felt like I’d just been hit over the head with a hammer.
I shoved the gym clothes into my inventory.
It was so I could return them to Jin Dayeon.
There were no other ulterior motives.
…Seriously.
Anyway, that concluded my search of the desk.
I didn't find the key, but I did learn something I hadn't known.
I never would have thought the teacher was that kind of person.
To be honest, his face always gave off that kind of vibe.
I resolved to find a clue and report him as soon as I escaped the school.
So, where is the key?
I'd rummaged through all the teachers' desks, but there wasn't even a trace of it.
It seemed the key was somewhere else.
I guess I have no choice.
With a heavy heart, I headed back to the office entrance.
On my way, I noticed a box hanging on the inside of the door.
Large letters were written on its surface.
[Emergency Spare Key Box]
“Ah.”
Found it. The key.
When I first entered the office, the angle had cleverly hidden it from view, so I’d walked right past it.
And I, not knowing any better, had gone through all that pointless trouble searching for it.
I smacked my own head.
I almost left empty-handed.
Still, I’m glad I found it.
I cheerfully opened the key box.
But it wouldn't open.
As expected, it was locked.
And with a keypad-style lock, no less.
For fuck's sake.
I had sort of expected it.
There was no way a Horror Tsukuru game, rife with absurdity, would just hand over the key so easily.
What fresh, creative puzzle awaited me this time?
I was so excited I could just die.
Looking for a clue, I found a small note under the key box.
[The password is on the computer!]
The computer?
My gaze drifted somewhere.
*Taptap! Taptaptaptap!*
*Taptap! Taptaptaptap!*
The self-operating computer was still clacking away at the keyboard.
That's the only computer here.
I really didn't want to get close to it.
But I had no choice if I wanted the password.
Reluctantly, I walked toward the computer.
*Taptaptaptap! Tap!*
*Taptaptaptap! Tap!*
The typing sound grew louder as I approached.
At this point, it was starting to give me a complex.
The note said the password was on the computer.
I wasn't sure, but I guessed it had something to do with the furiously typing keyboard.
Maybe I'll know if I look at the monitor?
I had been curious about what it was typing so diligently ever since I set foot in the office.
It would be great if the clacking was the password for the key box.
‘I’ll just take a quick peek and get back.’
I snuck up behind it and checked the monitor.
The word processor was filled with a dense block of text. I carefully read the first sentence.
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
…That’s my name.
I read the next sentence.
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
And the next sentence,
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
And the next.
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
It just kept repeating the same thing.
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
[Lee Hyeon dies if he only avoids and runs away.]
*CRUNCH.*
[You have died.]
[Restarting from the last checkpoint.]