Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Chapter 24: The Best Way is to Use a Simple and Powerful Method, or in Other Words... Violence

The scream outside the door hadn't stopped.

That silly blonde girl, Maeda Miwa, kept crying.

The body in the room seemed to have caused a huge shock to her. Ha, although for Takakai, this shock was nothing compared to the danger of Shirakawa Apartment, it would be hard for anyone to understand if he spoke about it now.

As for the new information just obtained, whether it was about the core "Obsession" or the situation with Old Guo, Takakai temporarily had no time to analyze it deeply.

The danger approaching was the most important thing right now.

Inhale...

Takahashi Takakai could feel his breathing gradually becoming steady.

That creature surely had heard Maeda Miwa's scream and started coming down the stairs.

Like last time, with each steady step, it would enter the corridor, and in the silence, kill anyone present.

He had to overcome this danger.

Even though this time, the difficulty of overcoming the danger had far surpassed what he went through in the previous loop.

Behind him, Kaguya and Maki, their doubtful gazes hadn't changed at all.

Sun Dajun, who had entered earlier to look for the "hidden camera by the film crew," would surely be quick to come out and check since Takakai didn't go in immediately.

Click—

A light door closing sound, Takakai heard the voice of the black man outside the door yelling. Though the words were unclear, Takakai knew that this person was wondering about Old Guo's sudden door closing action.

Time was very tight.

He couldn't predict his time reversal, and he couldn't adjust his emotions and thoughts after recalling the horrific memory of being boiled alive. After rewinding, he even had some odd actions to relieve his mood. On top of that, his acting skills were insufficient, causing him to expose many loopholes. This time, Takakai couldn't gain Kaguya and Maki's trust, and Sun Dajun was only temporarily tricked by him.

The abnormalities in Shirakawa Apartment almost always led to death. There was hardly anything in it that could serve as a lesson for newcomers. And Maeda Miwa, with her screams from the beginning, immediately invited a terrifying creature that shouldn't be approached.

It could be said that she had become one of the most difficult factors in the game. Even after going through time reversal, facing this issue again, Takakai still felt a huge headache, which was why he was in this difficult situation now.

There was no other choice, because he didn't know any "secrets only those trustworthy would know" or "words that could make the other party trust unconditionally." Honestly, with Kaguya's cautious and skeptical personality, even if he said those things, she would never believe him, and on the contrary, it could increase her suspicion.

So, there was only one simple and straightforward way left.

To let everyone see the truth, and then, when it's too late to save, reverse time again.

Although it would annoying, there was no other choice.

"Takahashi-san, why are you standing in the corridor? I went inside but didn't see the camera, is it really there?"

Sun Dajun had come out from the living room, his face full of doubt as he approached Takakai to ask.

His face seemed to change, as if something had frightened him, or perhaps he had gradually realized something and was becoming increasingly fearful.

Or rather, from the beginning, this middle-aged man had probably vaguely realized that he wasn't caught up in a reality show, but his stubbornness prevented him from associating it with anything else.

Although Takakai had temporarily tricked him into holding onto some hope, when the check failed and no evidence was found, his fear began to grow.

"Did you find the corpse?"

Takakai simply asked Sun Dajun.

"What… corpse, are you talking about the thing in the cabinet? Is that really..."

Sun Dajun, when asked like this, immediately trembled, his face turning pale.

I see, it seems that the dead person in room 206 died in such an ambiguous way that even though Sun Dajun had seen the corpse, he couldn't identify what it was.

Speaking of this, Old Guo's reaction to room 210 in the previous loop was a bit strange. As the landlord, when in the room, he shouldn't have been attacked by the corpse, yet he specifically warned Takakai that room 210 was very dangerous and to be careful with the corpse.

At first, Takakai thought he might have recognized the problem because he was an experienced player, but his self-revealing remark this time made Takakai think more.

Could Old Guo be a player who wasn't like the others? Perhaps… he had used some method to come to Shirakawa Apartment in a special way, so he wasn't recognized as the "landlord," which led to him being attacked in room 210?

At the same time, another question popped up in his mind. Room 204, where Takakai and Kaguya had woken up, was the only room without a corpse. And only in this room did the two players appear together.

Could this room also have some issue? Or perhaps the problem lies with Takakai or Kaguya themselves?

A series of questions arose in his mind, but Takakai didn't show any suspicion on his face. He was ready, simply putting on the headphones but not securing them tightly, then holding up a second pair of headphones in front of Kaguya and Maki to show them.

"We've all heard that sound, the sound that made us participate in the sacrificial game and threw us into this strange place."

"Sun-san, perhaps you just felt the terrifying sensation of your body being controlled and unable to move, but Shinomiya-san and Shijo-san, both of you will surely realize that something like this is beyond what a human could do, and you'll also realize the terrifying truth hidden behind it."

"Shinomiya-san, earlier you were very wary of me because you realized I recognized you, and I admit that. But I have to tell you, the reason I recognized you is because we acted together in this apartment not long ago and went through many dangers. And you, like everyone else, the reason you don't remember anything is because you died in this apartment, or rather, all of us died in this apartment."

Takakai's voice was very serious.

But clearly, his words couldn't make the three people here trust him.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I died in this apartment? You don't think you're using these absurd words to mess with my mind, do you?"

Kaguya's expression grew even more dangerous. She was ready to take control of Takakai right here. From the beginning, this man had been too suspicious, and she had even started to think, "All of this is Takakai's plot."

"Didn't you just say it was a reality show? Takahashi-san, why are you talking about such confusing things now?"

Sun Dajun fell into a state of confusion and fear, standing frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.

Only Shijo Maki remained silent, simply observing Takakai's reactions.

As someone regarded as a genius and a beautiful young woman, hailing from a wealthy family, Maki was different from Kaguya, who always doubted others and found it hard to trust. She wanted to trust her own observations at this moment.

And Takakai's reaction, no matter how you looked at it, seemed to be telling the truth. Or rather, Takakai truly believed in what he was saying, with no hint of deceit.

What's going on?

Shijo Maki furrowed her brows, seemingly unable to make a decision.

Meanwhile, outside the door, the hallway had gone quiet, with no sound left.

Takakai knew that the black man and the blonde girl were already dead.

With only one door between them, their voices would have certainly been heard by whatever was outside.

"The people in the hallway are dead, and next, that thing will discover us, realizing that we are talking without any cover. Based on what happened last time, I can guess that it will start knocking on this door, and the terrifying things will begin."

Takakai took a deep breath and looked at the three different sets of eyes around him. In a calm tone, he spoke.

"Sound is the medium it uses, so next, I'll put in these earplugs to avoid hearing its sound. You all want to verify the truth, right? Then let one of you come out here and wear these earplugs. One person will hear it, one won't, and that way, you'll naturally know what the truth is."

Takakai extended his hand toward Kaguya and Maki.

He waited for a response.

"What kind of superstition is this? If you want to verify it, shouldn't we just open the door and check right away?"

Kaguya, who still didn't trust Takakai, was ready to open the door.

"..."

Sun Dajun stood to the side, saying nothing, only stepping back a few paces. It was unclear whether he believed it or not, but it was obvious that the middle-aged man was in a very bad mood, seemingly agitated.

Only one person remained who hadn't given an answer.

Takakai knew that he was truly waiting for this person's response.

"Alright, I'll see what you really want to do."

Maki raised her hand and took the earplug from Takakai.

"Shijo…"

Kaguya frowned, unable to understand.

"This guy looks like he's been pushed to the limit, talking nonsense, but he fully believes in what he says, and there are so many strange points... Even if we want to verify it, at least we should choose a safe way. As for opening the door directly, it's simple, but it also means inviting danger. So, let's see what this guy really wants to do, or is the direct line of the Shinomiya family just as cowardly as the other branches?"

With a somewhat defiant attitude, Maki put in the earplugs and pressed them tightly.

Seeing this, Takakai didn't hesitate and immediately put the earplugs in his own ears.

Instantly, all sounds disappeared.

These earplugs were specially made by survivors from previous rounds of players and are extremely effective at blocking sound. Takakai could still see Kaguya standing just three or four meters away, her mouth moving, but he didn't hear a single sound.

Is it coming?

Takakai looked towards the door.

Maki was leaning against the wall, silently observing Kaguya and the large door at the far end. She was quiet, not saying anything, while the space around them remained completely silent.

No sounds at all.

Kaguya and Sun Dajun both turned their heads toward the large door at the end of the hallway.

Still no sound.

However, the large rusted door, as if affected by an invisible force, began to tremble lightly, with dust falling from its surface.

Still no sound.

Kaguya kept saying something, seemingly talking to someone, while Sun Dajun also appeared to be speaking, but all of it was silent. Both their mouths moved, but not a sound came out.

Only silence. A world where the only things heard were self breath and heartbeat.

Takakai remained standing there, holding the wall clock, waiting for a moment to happen, just like the last time, when that thing had directly communicated with them through thoughts. Takakai knew the danger was lurking, just waiting to explode.

Suddenly, Kaguya turned her head back, her serious gaze locking with Takakai's. She opened her mouth and seemed to say something.

Takakai couldn't hear what she was saying because his ears were blocked. Though he could lip-read, he wasn't great at it, so unless he made a deliberate effort to observe closely, he couldn't understand what Kaguya was saying.

Nothing abnormal happened in the hallway.

There were no shattering illusions, no strong vibrations like an earthquake, nor any signs of the door slowly being destroyed.

Everything remained silent, nothing happened.

Sun Dajun took a few more steps closer and seemed to say something to Takakai.

However, Takakai didn't look at him. Instead, he continued observing Maki's reactions. Takakai felt something strange about her. From earlier until now, she had been staring intently at some spot. But when he followed her gaze, he realized she was simply looking at the wall.

Was there something strange?

Just as Takakai was thinking this, Maki suddenly turned back, her calm gaze meeting his. Then, she slowly opened her mouth.

Takakai understood roughly what Maki was trying to convey, since he had been observing her closely.

What was she saying?

Maki said:

[Why don't you open the door for us?]

Hmm?

When he realized, the knocking had started, steady and rhythmic, neither too fast nor too slow.

The noisy chatter began to seep into his ears, entering his hearing despite the earplugs that should have blocked it out.

[Knock knock knock——]

[Hello, is anyone home?]

[Knock knock knock——]

[I'm the new neighbor. Is anyone home?]

[Knock knock knock——]

[Who left trash in front of the house? Is something wrong? Is anyone home? Why not come out and see?]

[Knock knock knock——]

[Buying scrap metal, buying scrap metal. Is anyone home? Do you have scrap to sell?]

[Knock knock knock——]

[You think we don't know you're in there? Open the door! Damn, you dare to owe my brother money for this long without paying!]

The knocking on the door shifted from gentle to angry, and eventually became banging.

The people knocking on the door came up with all sorts of excuses, but the result was always the same. They didn't even need to open the door, once they confirmed someone was inside, they would definitely force their way in. Banging on the door, breaking it down, over and over again.

"Sss..."

Takakai reached into his jacket pocket and lit his fingertip with a lighter.

The sharp pain quickly snapped him back to his senses.

Sun Dajun had moved closer to the door, almost about to grab the doorknob.

Kaguya also took a few steps toward the door, her expression a bit hazy.

Maki had sat down on the ground, showing a face of agony, as if she had fallen into some sort of illusion, as though her body was being torn apart by unbearable pain.

Everyone's position was completely different from before.

Takakai didn't know when, but in his view, the three other people had been replaced by phantom images. Their lips were moving, and they were all trying to communicate with him, searching for a weakness.

The thing descending the stairs, while its abilities and effects were similar to those of the monsters it had killed, its strength was vastly different. It seemed that when facing danger, the place to hide was in the room. The hallway was a place where one could not afford to stop, and both doors must be tightly shut to prevent its influence.

Takakai moved.

He knew that Maki, who had fallen into an illusion, was actually awake. So, first, he threw a punch at Kaguya, who was walking past, causing the girl, who had almost been completely mesmerized by the sounds from the thing outside, to snap out of it.

Then, he directly pushed Sun Dajun to the ground, slapping him in the face. When he couldn't wake him up, Takakai threw a hard punch, sending a tooth flying, and only then did he see the man's expression change, clearly showing signs of breaking free from the illusion.

The illusion began to invade everyone's senses, and Takakai could feel his flesh gradually being torn apart. He could faintly hear the knocking on the door.

Right after that, Takakai shoved the clock he was holding into Sun Dajun's arm, then took his finger and pressed it onto the clock's hand.

If Old Guo could use some method to adjust the clock with the black man's finger, then—

Click!

Sun Dajun's finger twisted the clock's hand.

All sounds vanished.

All images sank into darkness.

Immediately, Takakai sprang up from the bed, leaping down and running quickly to the living room door. He opened the door of apartment 204 and looked toward the clock.

The clock in his sight was still a clock, not the clock with a human-head shape.

So that means, this thing only identifies those who directly touch the clock hands?

"Ugh..."

The painful sound from Kaguya came from behind. Takakai turned around and saw the girl's panicked face.

He hadn't noticed before, but it turned out that when she was scared, she was quite cute.

Seeing her like this, Takakai couldn't help but feel a strange joy in his heart.

"So, do you believe me now?"

As he spoke, he shook the clock in his hand.

Takakai didn't pay attention to Kaguya's expression as she adjusted her mood. Instead, he took a deep breath and walked into the hallway, heading toward the stairs.

After dealing with the trouble using a brute-force method, it was now time to truly begin the second round of the game.