The stage had fallen silent.
All frenzied movements, all maddened voices—stilled.
The chanting husks were now shattered meat, the howling monsters reduced to twitching fragments slowly pulling themselves together.
For at least a few hours, nothing in this hospital would threaten Takakai's group.
The stage's confinement had also lifted. They could now move freely to its edges—or more accurately, the restrictions had vanished the moment Miko's perception locked onto [Hirano Sousuke], forcing the core obsession to manifest. After all, Kumami had been hurled off the stage into the seats earlier, and her facial wounds hadn't fully healed yet.
Was the stage's power tied to [Alice]? And Hirano's presence completely overrode her influence?
Takakai mulled over the theory.
Regardless, this venture had yielded critical intel. The risk had been worth it.
[Hirano Sousuke—the core obsession of this dungeon—is a survivor of Fujika Middle School. When [Alice] destroyed the school, some escaped. Based on current clues, there were at least two survivors: a teacher and a student. The teacher was executed for protecting students, but Alice's rampage might've allowed them to flee.]
Picking through the debris of shattered seats, Takakai relayed his thoughts via the mental link.
[So… the two who left flowers and red candles at the memorial—were they Hirano and his teacher?]
Miko's voice was hesitant.
[Likely. And as survivors, I suspect Hirano shares Alice's 'anomalous' nature. Otherwise, soloing a concert massacre and hunting fans in front of Alice? That's beyond absurd.]
Takakai affirmed her guess, then added:
[The vision Miko saw—Hirano burning, then reappearing to slaughter everyone—must've been the dungeon's final moment of formation. His hatred crystallized into this world. But gaps remain. The four Alice fragment artifacts lack explanation here. And according to Miko's intel, Hirano was unaware of Alice's nationwide fame until victims begged for his help?]
Kumami chimed in while hoisting Gotou #1 off the stage.
Though the girl's torso had been punctured clean through, she wasn't dead. As a cursed puppet, she possessed a mononoke's resilience. Her wounds were already sealing—though her spine wasn't fully regenerated, leaving her limp.
Wait. During the fight, why didn't Ichi use her identity-swap Blessing? Was she too slow, or did Hirano bypass it?
Clink.
A crumbled stone fell from Gotou #1's hand—pulverized by a bullet. Her palm was lacerated by shrapnel, though the chest wound had overshadowed it earlier.
That stone… was used to transfer someone's identity. But Hirano's shots hit regardless of swaps. Does his targeting lock onto [current] and [former] identities simultaneously?
Meaning once he marks you, changing your "role" won't save you.
This fucked-up priority system… feels like "kill all suspects, let God sort them out." Did Alice condition him into this?
After propping Gotou #1 on a seat, Kumami began scouting.
Blood still streaked her face, but she advanced without hesitation.
"Exit here. Also… a hidden room."
The door wasn't hard to find—slightly ajar, faint light seeping through. The second room was trickier: a smooth section of wall that, upon touch, revealed itself as concealed glass. Breaking it exposed a tiny observation chamber.
Beyond the lit door, stairs led upward—likely to the hospital or its vicinity.
The hidden room resembled the director's office in layout. Inside were files, similarly contaminated but now safe to read—with the director and other mononoke neutralized, their curses held no threat.
Most documents were experiment logs. Fujii Hiroshi had meticulously recorded each "performance" on this stage. As brainwashing deepened, as believers multiplied, Alice's phantom grew more vivid—yet never real.
The final entry read:
[This is the last observation. I've wasted enough time. And… I lack Alice's power. Despite my connections, investigators are closing in.]
[My days are numbered. The fools… they're forgetting Alice. Soon, only this hospital will remember her. When that day comes… I…]
[No more repetitions. These data… perhaps they were flawed from the start.]
[This time, I'll change the experiment. An execution.]
[Hirano Sousuke… he stole my love, my world. He crushed the hearts of Alice's devotees. I subjected him to ten maximum-tier treatments, yet he remained a corpse. Filth like him never deserved her grace.]
[So he'll be the sacrifice. Let them believe his death heralds Alice's rebirth. If this fails… at least her killer will suffer.]
[Ah, yes—those who sought his help. The list is ready. Time to reap. These heretics who rejected Alice… I'll execute them all!]
[Tomorrow's the day. Alice, my Alice… watch me punish the one who hurt you. I will deliver your justice!]
[AliceAliceAliceAliceAlice—]
The handwriting degenerated into scribbles, the author's sanity unraveling.
Takakai finished reading, nausea churning—though he swallowed it down.
Further searches yielded a locked drawer. Forced open, it revealed a handwritten concert ticket—likely from Alice's debut. A cursed artifact, no doubt Fujii's obsession given form.
Disgusting simp. But Takakai pocketed it without hesitation. His watch's storage could handle the contamination.
Meanwhile, Kumami reported back:
[Found the exits. Two paths.]
[One leads to the staff cafeteria's side door—a hidden passage.]
[The other? Straight outside. We can leave the hospital now.]