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

Chapter 11: Acting Skills are Extremely Important

If you were to ask how to quickly become aware of something, in general, hands-on experience is certainly the most convenient path.

At least for Shinomiya Kaguya, who had just gone through a terrifying experience like a nightmare—her body torn apart and destroyed, disappearing—she was now keenly aware of how horrifying the hidden things were in this shabby apartment.

"You reversed the time on the clock, so did we go back to the beginning?"

Kaguya quickly stood up, opened the living room door, and looked at the clock hanging in room 204, only to find that the time on the clock had indeed reverted to the original moment.

Could this really be possible?

Simply turning the hands of the clock in the room could actually reverse time.

Shinomiya Kaguya felt as though all the knowledge she had accumulated over the past 17 years had completely collapsed.

"It seems like it. Anyway, we need to get out of here quickly. If we really have gone back to the beginning, then it won't be long before the woman nearby will use her screaming to summon the invisible entity down."

Saying this, Takakai picked up the rule sheet on the nightstand, folded it, and put it in his pants pocket, then quickly glanced at the mysterious black clock on his left wrist.

In fact, during the previous emergency, his first instinct was to try moving the hands on the clock on his left wrist.

At the time, both Maki and Kaguya were on the verge of collapse, and his own body was falling apart. In that situation, he didn't dare touch either of the two people beside him. He just tried to see if he could adjust the clock on his wrist.

But he couldn't move it.

This strange clock only had the minute hand left, but it was so stiff that he couldn't believe it. It felt as if it had been welded to his wrist and couldn't be moved a bit.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly dire, with everyone's bodies about to break apart, Takakai decided to take a risk and touch Kaguya, trying to move the hand of the clock she was holding. This time, he succeeded.

Perhaps the clock on his wrist was not subject to the same rules?

But if that's the case, why was it on his wrist, and why couldn't it be removed?

Takakai pondered silently as he continued to walk ahead of Kaguya.

"Thank you. If it weren't for what you did earlier, I don't think I would have survived."

Kaguya, who had removed the clock from room 204, followed Takakai, her tone serious as she thanked him.

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't confirmed the exact range of the clock's effects. After I open the door, you must be very careful. We don't know if only those who possess and adjust the clock can retain their memories, nor can we be sure if the three people who turned into... monsters will return to normal."

"If anything goes wrong, you must immediately adjust the clock. If we don't meet Shijo-san, we only have one chance to experiment."

Takakai took a deep breath, trying to maintain his slightly weakened body, and continued walking.

"One chance?"

Shinomiya Kaguya realized the meaning behind Takakai's words.

"Adjusting the clock comes with a price. First, the time that can be adjusted is only for the duration we've been in this apartment. Earlier, when I reversed the time, I tried turning the hour hand to go further back, but I couldn't do it. The clock seemed to be stuck and I could only turn it a little."

"Secondly, once someone has adjusted the clock, they won't be able to adjust it again, or perhaps even touch it at all."

As Takakai continued to speak, he approached the large door, glanced back at the "clock" that Kaguya was holding, smiled lightly, then turned his face away and looked outside the broken door of Room 204 that he had opened.

He didn't look at the human head that Kaguya was holding in her hands.

The shattered head resembled him exactly, suspended with three clock hands. From start to finish, the head's gaze remained fixed on him, and Takakai could clearly feel that gaze at all times, everywhere.

He had a feeling that, even if he managed to survive this strange and terrifying place, that gaze would never leave him. Every day, every hour, every minute, no matter where he was, he would always feel that cold stare in the darkness, until the moment he stopped breathing and his consciousness ceased to exist. He would never escape from that gaze.

The rules didn't clearly state the dangers of coming into contact with such objects, or how they affected the players. Takahashi felt frustrated, thinking the rules should have been more explicit, not written in such vague terms.

Nonetheless, he only complained inwardly. He knew that complaining wouldn't change anything; action was what mattered right now. So, he didn't let his complaints escape, silently sighing to himself, not daring to say more, fearing that something capable of reading his thoughts might respond.

The door to Room 204 creaked open, and Takahashi saw Maki, her eyes slightly red, holding another hanging clock as she stepped out from Room 208. She had apparently regained her composure and got out with the clock faster than Takakai and Kaguya.

Yes, in Takakai's eyes, it was another head. And now, he felt its gaze doubled. As long as Maki and Kaguya still carried these two clocks, he could pinpoint their locations at any time.

"Don't worry, everything is fine. Ah, so there are three more people outside now? Are you all okay?"

Old Guo was talking to the black man in the hallway, trying to reassure him as he calmed his panicked state.

Sun Dajun leaned against the wall, his face full of worry, vigilantly observing his surroundings. When he saw Takakai and his group, his expression was clearly one of disappointment.

It seemed that the people who had turned into monsters in the hallway earlier were now completely normal again.

Takakai noticed the look in Old Guo's eyes. Although it was just a fleeting glance, he could distinctly tell the difference in that gaze. He was certain that the man who called himself Old Guo had retained his memories and knew what was going on.

This meant that when using the clock to reverse time, all the survivors, those who hadn't died, could retain their memories and be aware of what had happened?

Sun Dajun was about to approach Takakai.

It seemed he intended to ask a similar question as before, trying to deceive himself by using "virtual reality" as an excuse to hide the truth.

But this time, before he could speak, the large white man, who previously hadn't shown any intent to communicate with anyone, suddenly shoved Sun Dajun aside and hurried to stand in front of Takakai.

"You guys are old players, right?"

The man's voice trembled slightly, his gaze locked onto the three of Takakai with intense anticipation.

"Did you guys just use Obsession? Is it really possible to reverse time with Obsession? Incredible! My name is Green, I can do a lot of things. Can you take me into your team? Please, I don't have any ulterior motives."

Green.

The man introduced himself by his name.

Umu, the name was quite common, nothing special, but still better than something like Tom, Dick, or Harry.

However, the man referred to him as a "old player"?

The fact that there were players who had completed the tasks in the "Sacrifice Game" did not surprise Takakai. He had always suspected that the man who called himself Old Guo was a seasoned player.

Now, when the man named Green said this, Takahashi realized that he was definitely also a old player, perhaps someone who had survived a task. Of course, this assumption was based on the premise that he wasn't pretending, not acting intentionally.

"What exactly is a old player…?"

Initially, Sun Dajun had intended to ask more about the situation, but upon hearing Green's words, he suddenly didn't want to continue.

"Can you unlock it?"

At this point, Takakai hadn't figured out a way to respond, but Kaguya Shinomiya had already taken a step forward, looking at the man over 1.9 meters tall, and coldly spoke up.

Kaguya aura, the icy queen, honed in a genuine aristocratic family, was completely different from Takakai, just a small-time author. Though she was only a teenage girl, her imposing presence at this moment made Green, who was already somewhat wary, feel a deep sense of fear.

This was the bearing of a old player.

Indeed, just like the old players in his previous task, those at the front, easily figuring out how to escape the game without any casualties, Green had survived the bizarre game by choosing to follow them without knowing anything.

Therefore, the best survival method he had learned was to find a strong old player to follow.

Find a strong enough old player to stick to, go with them. Even if they don't protect him, it's fine; as long as they act when danger strikes, his chances of survival will increase dramatically.

"No problem, I know how to unlock, I know how to open it!"

Green, once a thief in the U.S., quickly nodded, pulled a wire from his pocket, and headed toward the door of Room 205.

"The noise is so loud. Do you want to attract that monster again?"

Shijo Maki also spoke coldly, her voice even colder than Kaguya's.

"Okay, I understand now."

By now, Green had completely regarded the three of them as old players, hurriedly responding, a cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

As for Takahashi, observing Kaguya's cold expression on the left and Maki's disdainful look on the right, he couldn't help but marvel at how their reaction speed and acting skills at this moment far surpassed his own in such social interactions.

After glancing at them, he shifted his attention to the door of Room 205, the room of the blonde girl whose loud screams had signaled the danger that could wipe out their team.

Click—

After a crisp sound, the door to Room 205 slowly opened.

In just over ten seconds, Green successfully unlocked the old door, allowing the soft white light from the hallway to pour into the darkness behind the door.