Takakai felt it was time to start preparing for the Shirasawa Elementary regional dungeon.
Though he absolutely didn't want to return to the [School Horror Tales], his experience at Fujika Academy made him suspect that his initial focus on that dungeon was precisely what had drawn him into it in the first place.
Now that Kumami had mentioned the Shirasawa Elementary dungeon, he had a feeling this was another twist of fate - a sign that whether he liked it or not, he would become involved with this area dungeon, much like the preview at the end of a TV episode teasing what's to come.
Perhaps when this half-month period ended, his next dungeon would begin there.
No - it might be even worse. He might get dragged in before the official mission started, just like last time. As the saying goes: "There's no such thing as just crossdressing once - wait no, that's not the right analogy!" The point was, what happened once could happen again. If the high school horror idol Alice had taken a liking to him at Fujisaki Academy, maybe an elementary school version Alice Lily would appear at Shirasawa Elementary?
That's right - by imagining the worst-case scenario first, the reality would seem not so bad in comparison... or so he told himself. Bullshit! He'd just gotten back, just gotten some time to rest, and now another crisis was looming over him...
"I don't want this!"
"Kai-kun, what's wrong?" Chika, sitting beside him, blinked as she noticed the dramatic shifts in Takakai's facial expressions and leaned in to ask.
"Nothing, just feeling some pressure. My convictions are being tested... test passed: 'Valor.'"
Takakai spoke with exaggerated seriousness, though his gaze was firmly locked on the glimpse of soft curves visible at the collar of Fujiwara Chika's dress.
Ah, the beauty of oppai. His sanity points were rapidly recovering.
Through his unique Takakai-style healing method, his mental state was quickly stabilizing.
"No getting frisky in public," Chika warned sternly, poking his cheek, highly sensitive to where his eyes were focused.
"So it's okay if it's not in public?" Takakai's eyes gleamed with newfound energy.
"So Kai-kin's conviction test actually failed then..." Chika muttered offhandedly. She didn't really mind his gaze - after all, he'd already seen, touched, kneaded, and even licked... Compared to that, her dessert on the table was far more important, so the girl's attention quickly returned to the pastry.
If asked what she liked most about being a Player, Chika probably wouldn't say "[meeting Takakai]." Instead, she'd say "[having superhuman physical abilities that prevent weight gain is amazing]." Because Players' bodies surpassed normal humans, their food intake was much greater without worrying about fat accumulation, allowing Chika to eat whatever she wanted without concern for calories or sugar.
In fact, many Players became quite lax about their diets after confirming their physical changes. Though in Takakai's view, this level of carelessness was nothing compared to the Red Moon-level players Kumami had mentioned - the ones who drank industrial alcohol or even kerosene for fun.
Of course, while enjoying herself was important, serious matters still needed discussion.
"About Kaguya's situation... I'm not entirely sure, but she seems to be looking for someone. Maybe someone close to her has gone missing? I was actually planning to talk to you and little Maki about this this afternoon. I wanted to ask earlier, but Kaguya has never been good at asking others for help. It's just how she is..."
With a light sigh, Chika explained her recent communications with Kaguya with a troubled expression.
Even though Fujiwara Chika was essentially Shinomiya Kaguya's only friend at school, when it came to personal matters, even when clearly struggling, Kaguya still refused to share details, avoiding communication - a personality flaw that was truly frustrating.
But now that they were a team that needed to move forward together, they couldn't just ignore Kaguya's situation. So after getting a general understanding from Chika, Takakai decided to visit Kaguya alone to inquire.
"I can't go with you? Why?" Chika, who had wanted to come along, was stopped by Takakai and looked at him with confusion.
"Kaguya's issue could be big or small. If there really is something abnormal going on - like if her friend was investigating something related to the Sacrifice Game - then me going to see her might be dangerous. Right now, my self-defense and combat abilities are the strongest. If trouble arises, I can escape easily - you might not be able to. I already told Maki not to come today, so you should stay back too. Leave this to me."
Takakai's attitude was firm. After what happened with Miko, he'd become somewhat traumatized. So now that something strange was happening with Kaguya, even if it seemed like excessive paranoia, he had to take full precautions.
"But if that's the case, then Kai-kun will..."
"Maki already said all this - no need to repeat it. With greater power comes greater responsibility. Since I have the capability, it's natural that I should take the lead."
Before Chika could voice her concerns, Takakai pressed a finger to her lips.
Though clearly displeased, seeing how serious Takakai was, Chika ultimately didn't argue further, just puffing her cheeks and nodding slightly.
Finally, after calling Miko to warn her that if she planned to return to her original classroom and saw any strange doodles, she should stay far away (to which the girl replied, "After what you've said, I've decided not to go back"), Takakai set off alone for the Shinomiya estate.
Hmm... if he really was going to enter the Shirasawa Elementary dungeon, he did remember some relevant information from before. Though scarce, it might still be useful.
Also, he needed to contact Kohatori about upgrading their team's Twilight-grade Remnants. Many were already outdated and needed to be replaced with Dark Night-grade ones - though that probably wouldn't be easy.
Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Takakai soon arrived at the Shinomiya mansion. The servants recognized him, so after announcing his arrival at the gate, he was admitted into the sprawling Western-style villa.
"Takakai-kun, what brings you here? ...Ah, so you noticed after all?"
Kaguya, looking noticeably more haggard than before, quickly realized why he'd come upon seeing him, a bitter smile appearing on her face.
"We're teammates now - shutting others out isn't good. You should learn to rely on everyone. Weren't we pretty well coordinated when dealing with your eldest brother? So, what's going on? ...Let me guess - it's about your little maid?"
Not seeing the golden-haired maid who had shadowed him so many times among those greeting him, Takakai immediately suspected something had happened to her.
If it was Hayasaka Ai, no wonder Kaguya was so distraught - she was the only person Kaguya could truly trust unconditionally, her longtime companion and only real friend.
Though technically, she was a spy who had betrayed Kaguya countless times, and before resigning as maid, Kaguya had essentially worked her like livestock. Ahem - that was an exaggeration, of course, but this ojou-sama really hadn't valued Hayasaka much. In the original story, it wasn't until they'd had their heart-to-heart and Hayasaka stopped being her maid that Kaguya finally learned to treat her as a real friend.
But now, that little maid was missing. What could have happened to her? Come to think of it, she'd tried following him a few times recently and seemed afraid of him - probably because how he'd dealt with Shinomiya Oko had been too flashy and scared her. Following the logic that stories are full of coincidences, maybe Hayasaka had disappeared because of him? Ahahaha, in that case, where would she be now... wait, holy shit, no way?
Before Kaguya could even explain, Takakai's runaway imagination had already arrived at a highly plausible - and stomach-churning - possibility.
"Hayasaka... she really is missing. As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Takakai-kun. At first, I thought I could investigate it myself, but until now there haven't been any results... no, that's not entirely true. There were some clues. I found this at your home's backyard. I'm sorry - that girl didn't understand you and took it upon herself to surveil you, which led to this situation..."
Kaguya, who had already been planning to ask for help, laid everything out after Takakai broached the subject.
But Takakai's focus wasn't on that.
"you're saying you found something like a child's doodle? And you brought it out with you? Is that correct?"
Takakai's expression had gone completely blank (resigned), his tone utterly calm as he asked.
"Yes, that's... huh?"
Kaguya nodded as she produced the strange doodle, then froze as Takakai's reaction made her realize she might have done something very stupid.
This time, however, the situation wasn't as bad as Takakai feared. In fact, when Kaguya showed him the doodle, he sensed something else entirely.
This feeling... is this a ticket? It feels similar to a dungeon ticket, but not quite the same. It seems to have no restrictions - a key that can activate the dungeon at any time. And... it seems only I can perceive its true purpose?!
In that moment, Takakai suddenly remembered the experience just before the Fujisaki Academy dungeon ended - the hallucination of being strangled by the KP.
That KP had been different from the ones in Shirakawa Apartments and Nutty Putty Cave - he'd seemed intensely hostile toward Takakai destroying the dungeon, wanting to kill him. Yet in the end, he hadn't, instead saying a few words:
[You can join this game anytime. The remaining areas are yours to choose. Go ahead and try - let's see what you can do to my creations!]
That's right.
Takakai was now certain.
That doodle had originally carried some cognition-affecting power. With Kaguya's usual caution, even if she'd confirmed the doodle wasn't dangerous, she shouldn't have casually taken it with her. But that KP had said Takakai could enter any area of the [School Horror Tales] dungeon anytime. So, the doodle's original power had been altered, turning it into a harmless ticket that Kaguya had unknowingly delivered to him.
In that case, it was entirely possible he'd soon hear from Bocchi-chan about a way to enter Yoruyama Mountain High at will. And if he chose not to act immediately, perhaps methods to enter Bydos Academy - or even the rumored fifth school that only existed in players' speculations - would also come into his possession through some means.
Ding-ding-ding—
Takakai's phone rang at that moment. Pulling it out, he saw it was indeed Gotou Hitori calling.
Just as expected...
In that moment, Takakai couldn't help but wonder if he'd finally glimpsed the power of those KPs hidden in the dungeon's history.