"Name."
"...The Evil King's True Eye Envoy."
"You just said your surname was Takanashi."
The aho-haired girl took a small step back and pressed down her eyepatch with a finger. "My true name holds great power. I can't reveal it lightly."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki stared at her in silence for two seconds, then concluded: the girl in front of him was probably not very smart.
"You're the only one in your ward?"
"There's one more."
"Another player?"
"No." Takanashi Rikka shook her head and nervously glanced toward the door behind her. "It's a really scary vengeful spirit. It can talk. It said it was hungry and told me to go find food. If I don't bring something back... it'll get mad. And when it gets mad, things get bad."
More players began to emerge from nearby wards, though unfortunately, there was still no sign of Fujiwara Chika or Shinomiya Kaguya.
After a brief discussion, Amamiya Natsuki was able to piece together the basic mechanics of the current game:
Every player starts in a separate "initial ward."
Each player is matched with a "roommate"—a non-human "patient," often an evil spirit.
These spirits harbor strong malice but won't directly attack. Instead, they increase psychological pressure in various terrifying ways.
Corridor lights stay on for only ten minutes at a time.
Darkness = danger.
To survive, players must stay in their ward during dark periods and meet the demands of their evil roommates—no matter how unreasonable.
Like the girl beside him: her roommate demanded food. If she returned empty-handed... she probably wouldn't survive the night.
In short, the greatest threat currently came from the spirits assigned to each ward.
Amamiya Natsuki thought of his roommate—Miss Sadako.
Miss Sadako had severe social anxiety, and currently refused to come out of the TV well. That meant... his room was basically a safe house, right?
That said, there was no time to relax just yet. He still hadn't found Kaguya or Fujiwara.
They hadn't appeared in the corridor, which meant they were most likely still stuck in their rooms—unable to leave.
Amamiya looked around the corridor, noting how many identical doors lined both sides.
"Search room by room?"
He quickly dismissed the idea. "Too dangerous."
He couldn't punch ghosts—he only had the ability to read prompts.
"In that case... the priority is figuring out which wards Kaguya and Fujiwara are in."
With thoughts racing, Amamiya began walking down the corridor.
The aho-haired girl followed close behind.
"…Why are you following me?" he asked, stopping to look at her.
"Fate is guiding me."
"…Try again."
"Um…" Her ahoge drooped. "I don't know where to find food."
"You're a grown player now, and an Evil King's Eye Envoy at that. Sounds powerful—solve your own problems."
"…My Evil King's True Eye is sealed at the moment from overuse…" Rikka's voice trembled. She looked like a small animal about to be abandoned. "Senpai looks like a trustworthy person."
"Villains don't have 'villain' written on their faces."
"Yukinoshita-san said the same thing when I met her."
"…Huh?"
After further questioning, Natsuki learned that this girl was a brand-new player, fresh off her first successful round. She didn't survive due to wisdom or strength—she simply got carried by a veteran: a long-haired girl named Yukinoshita.
Compared to the pale, panicked expressions of other players, Natsuki was calm—exactly the same kind of "thick-thighed player" Rikka wanted to cling to again.
As they talked, they arrived at a nurses' station.
Under the dim, cold overhead light stood a nurse in a white uniform. Her figure was nice, but her clothes were splattered with dark brown blood, and her face was wrapped in gauze that oozed fresh crimson. Worst of all, she clutched a comically oversized syringe. Even a pig would scream after one jab from that thing.
No one dared approach her.
Just moments ago, a bold player calling himself "The Tyrant of the Nangong Family" had swaggered up to her… and got jabbed on the spot. He was still lying motionless on the floor.
Amamiya Natsuki observed the nurse for a few seconds before a prompt popped up.
[You have discovered: Swollen-Faced Nurse]
[You have seen through her weakness…]
[As the hospital's lowest-ranking employee, she works endless night shifts for the worst pay and the hardest tasks. Every day she thinks about quitting.]
[Weakness: Hates working nights. If patients stay silent and don't draw attention, she'll pretend not to see them.]
Having seen through her, Natsuki calmly walked toward the station.
"Senpai…!" Rikka's expression turned panicked, and she grabbed the hem of his shirt.
"Stay quiet."
Natsuki raised a finger and whispered, "Wait here. Don't make a sound."
The girl nodded, both hands covering her mouth.
Natsuki advanced.
Several nearby players watched with shock.
"…What's that guy doing?"
"He's gonna get jabbed! Doesn't he know?!"
"Maybe it's a mission... Wait, huh? He's fine?"
Under their stunned gazes, Amamiya casually reached the desk and began rummaging right in front of the nurse.
"Found it."
He pulled out a clipboard—an admission worksheet listing which spirits were in which wards.
Ward 404: Amamiya Natsuki
Ward 405: Fujiwara Chika
Ward 406: Shinomiya Kaguya
"…She's been next door this whole time?"
Having gotten the information he needed, Natsuki calmly turned and walked away.
The nurse didn't even look up.
"…Is he invisible?"
"No way. She looked right at him earlier!"
"You're okay!" Rikka let out a long breath of relief and hurried to catch up. "How did you do that?"
"Don't ask me," Natsuki replied. "Use your Evil King's Eye to see the truth."
"…It's sealed right now, remember?"
"…Forget I said anything."
The ten-minute light limit was nearly up. The corridor was dimming rapidly—night was coming.
They turned back.
Amamiya Natsuki stopped at Ward 405 and knocked politely.
Always knock before entering. That was basic manners.
After a few seconds without a reply, he gripped the door handle, turned it slowly, and pushed the door open.
His eyes instantly fell on Fujiwara Chika, standing in the middle of the room...
...wearing nothing but her underwear.
Natsuki's hand was still on the door.
His expression didn't change.
"Pardon the intrusion," he said calmly.
Then immediately: "I'll be leaving now."