Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Portrait
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Portrait
[6:37]
When I came to my senses, I was at the entrance of the teachers' office.
I could see the wall I had scrubbed to wipe off the ink.
I had returned.
To the moment before I entered the teachers' office.
‘I knew this would happen…’
My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.
It was a good thing I’d written in the diary.
I almost had to start over from the very beginning.
I was relieved that I wouldn't have to see the security guard again.
On the other hand, I wondered why I had died.
I had simply looked at the monitor, but then I felt my consciousness fade, and I was dead.
Does that mean the computer isn't the answer?
I entered the teachers' office once more.
The loud typing sound assaulted my ears.
Clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack!
I easily ignored it and checked the key box.
I examined it carefully, wondering if I had missed something.
[Emergency Spare Key Box]
There were no obvious clues.
Only the note I had found before was stuck there.
[The password is on the computer!]
‘On the computer, my ass.’
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack!
The computer clacked and clicked, creating a racket. And if you look at the monitor, you die.
It was utterly nonsensical.
What is this, the devil's computer?
I cautiously approached the computer.
I did my best to avert my gaze so I wouldn't accidentally look at the monitor.
*Flick.*
I quickly reached out and turned off the monitor's power. The brightly lit screen went dark.
However, the keyboard and mouse were still moving on their own.
Still, this way, I wouldn't die.
I searched the area around the computer with a bit more peace of mind.
[The drawer is full of miscellaneous documents.]
[Workbooks are stacked by type.]
[The timetable is organized by subject.]
I checked every place I could.
But there was no sign of any items.
That left only one thing.
The computer.
‘Is it really here?’
To investigate the computer, I crawled under the desk.
The tower was humming away.
Should I try rebooting it?
I followed the cables connected to the computer.
I soon found the outlet it was plugged into and was about to pull the plug to turn it off.
My hand, reaching for the power cord, froze.
The power strip connected to the computer wasn't lit. The OFF button was pressed.
‘It’s turned off.’
Then how is this computer running?
*Whirr, whirr.*
The fan in the tower was spinning.
The computer was definitely on.
I was dumbfounded.
I unplugged the cord from the power strip.
But the computer kept running.
This time, I unplugged the monitor, keyboard, and mouse cables. And yet,
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack!
The keyboard and mouse kept moving. The monitor’s power button also remained lit.
‘This is weird.’
I picked up the disconnected keyboard to examine it. The keycaps were pressing themselves, typing away.
It was the same for the mouse and the monitor.
They were moving on their own, connected to nothing.
There wasn't a single clue about the password.
Come on, it said the password was on the computer.
At this point, I began to have a reasonable suspicion that the note was wrong.
‘Did I miss something?’
Clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack!
Clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
‘But I’ve already searched everywhere.’
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack!
‘Maybe there's a hidden clue in the gym clothes…’
Clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack!
It’s so damn loud.
My patience was wearing thin.
Overcome with frustration, I was about to slam the keyboard on the floor.
But then, an image of the security guard's face flashed in my mind.
‘Patience, patience…’
I immediately put the keyboard down.
The thought of the guard made my heart pound.
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack!
The keyboard continued its clatter.
I wanted to stop this infernal noise.
I searched for a way to deal with it other than just smashing it to pieces.
Maybe I should pull off the keycaps.
I pondered a way to silently dispose of the keyboard without the guard noticing.
Clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack!
Clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
I used the repetitive typing as background noise.
Like a looping track, it showed no signs of stopping.
‘Wait, repeating?’
A sense of déjà vu washed over me.
I stealthily listened to the typing sound.
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack!
Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack!
It was an assault on the ears, comparable to a blue switch keyboard.
I suppressed the urge to rip off the keycaps and focused on the sound.
Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack! Clack-clack-clack!
‘What the.’
The typing sound had a strange rhythm to it.
I hadn't noticed before because I was trying to ignore it, but it was clacking in a specific, repeating pattern.
“!”
Suddenly, an idea struck me.
I categorized the sounds according to their intensity.
Clack-clack-clack-clack!
Clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
Clack-clack-clack!
This was the pattern.
It seemed to be hinting at something.
Like Morse code, or a password.
‘Wait a minute, a password?’
A wild idea began to form.
I strode over to the key box and examined the lock.
[Please enter the password.]
[0000]
…A 4-digit password.
I immediately recalled the typing sounds.
If I were to associate the keyboard with a 4-digit number,
Clack-clack-clack-clack is four sounds, so 4.
Clack-clack is two sounds, so 2.
Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack is five sounds, so 5.
Clack-clack-clack is three sounds, so 3.
If that's the case, the password would be 4253.
It might have been a coincidence, but the circumstances fit perfectly.
‘Nah, there’s no way they’d make the password this stupidly, right?’
Half-doubting, I turned the dials.
I entered the numbers I had deduced.
[4253]
-Click.
…The lock opened.
I couldn't believe it, but it was true.
The answer to the key box password was the sound of the keyboard typing.
‘That’s all it was…?’
I felt more empty than happy.
If I’d known, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble.
I saw the note under the key box.
[The password is on the computer!]
Seriously, couldn't you have written the explanation properly?
Of course I wouldn't get it when you give a hint this twisted.
I was boiling with anger.
I felt nothing but resentment for the person who wrote this note.
There had better be a key in here.
After calming myself down, I took out the key box. I prayed there was something, anything, inside.
Then, I slowly opened the case.
-Creeak.
Unfortunately, the basement key wasn't there.
Instead, there was a different key.
[You have obtained the Art Room Key.]
The art room this time?
The locations are getting more and more complicated.
At this rate, I'll have to search the entire main building.
‘I guess I’ll find out when I get there…’
I didn't know about anything else, but as long as the security guard wasn't there, I'd be fine.
Before heading to the art room, I grabbed the gym clothes I had found before I died.
For the record, I had no ulterior motives.
It's for women, so it wouldn't fit me anyway.
I was just picking it up in advance in case it could be used as a clue.
And I figured I could return it to its owner while I was at it.
With that, I left the teachers' office.
Next stop, the art room. Even if I wanted to go somewhere else, this was the only key I had.
I hoped that this time, I would finally find a clue to escape.
I didn't want to set foot in this grotesque and eerie school ever again.
‘I want to see another person…’
I was exhausted, both mentally and physically.
I’d always been something of a loner, but today, I was unusually desperate for human contact.
But the only things in this godforsaken school were a popping security guard and a computer that had reached singularity and moved on its own.
If I stayed in a place like this any longer, I felt like I would go insane.
I wanted to meet a human being I could talk to, one with all their limbs intact.
To do that, I had to escape this school as quickly as possible.
Dragging my weary body and mind, I forced myself to take a step.
‘Where was the art room again?’
I remembered it being on the fourth floor.
I was passing through the central entrance hall to get to the stairs.
*Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.*
A familiar footstep echoed.
A chill ran down my spine.
Hoping I was wrong, I looked back down the hallway.
Sure enough, it was the security guard.
The guard ran towards me with his arms wide open.
Looked like he wanted to give me a big, heartfelt hug.
“Goddammit, seriously.”
I quickly dashed into the cleaning supply closet.
**
After a cozy little date with the security guard,
‘Is this it?’
I finally arrived at the fourth floor of the main building.
Thankfully, the guard was nowhere to be seen.
If he had followed me all the way here, he’d be a real piece of work.
I walked down the hallway leading from the stairs and found a classroom sign.
[Art Room]
‘This is it.’
As expected, the door was locked.
I took out the key I had obtained from the teachers' office.
[You have used the Art Room Key.]
-Click.
The door opened.
I was on edge, worried something might jump out like it did at the main entrance.
I cautiously entered the art room.
The pungent smell of paint stung my nose.
Forcing myself to bear it, I scanned the entire room.
‘It’s huge, now that I look at it.’
I'd never felt it was spacious before, since it was usually packed with 20 or 30 students.
But looking at it now, it was easily more than twice the size of a regular classroom.
I carefully examined the art room.
First, I focused my search on the desks.
[Painting supplies, including palettes, are scattered about in a mess.]
[This is a water container used for cleaning paint. It has a blood-red color.]
[This is a plaster statue the size of a human head. It’s too heavy to move.]
I couldn't find anything useful. This time, I turned my attention to the walls.
One wall of the art room was lined with paintings.
As I got closer, descriptions of the paintings appeared.
[Michelangelo – The Creation of Adam]
[Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa]
[Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers]
There were world-renowned masterpieces, as well as some clumsy and crude-looking paintings that seemed to be done by students in the art club.
Among them, one painting caught my eye.
It was a portrait of a female student.
She was neatly dressed in our school uniform, so she seemed to be a student here.
She had blue-tinted black hair and pale skin.
Her expression, which held a hint of contempt, created a strange atmosphere.
Her face was generally cat-like, with sharp eyes. I found myself drawn to it.
The more I looked, the more I felt like the girl was glaring at me.
‘Wow, this looks more like a photo than a painting.’
The craftsmanship, with every single strand of hair delicately painted, was truly admirable.
I wondered who could have painted such a hyper-realistic portrait.
However, unlike the other paintings, no description appeared for this one.
I tried a few more times, but it was the same. This painting was not interactable.
‘Why is it doing this?’
I thought the system might be broken, but the other paintings appeared just fine.
The problem seemed to be limited to this painting.
What, is it a bug?
I looked away from the other paintings and turned my gaze back to the portrait.
But I couldn't find it.
‘Huh?’
I couldn't believe my eyes. The portrait of the female student was gone without a trace.
Thinking I might have mistaken the location, I scanned the entire wall of the art room.
Amidst the various paintings on display, one spot was conspicuously empty.
It was where the female student's portrait had been.
There was no mistake. The spot where the girl's painting had been hanging was now empty.
‘What the hell, there was a painting here.’
Instead, it was just an empty opening, revealing the hallway outside.
As I approached, a description appeared.
[It’s an ordinary window. You get the feeling someone just passed by on the other side.]
‘…A window?’
No matter how I looked at it, it was an ordinary window. That meant there was only one answer.
‘No way.’
My heart sank.
My back was drenched in a cold sweat.
‘There’s someone else in this school besides me…’