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

Chapter 7: Two Gods Carrying a Useless One, and That Useless One is Me

Even now, when the three people in the room reluctantly reached an initial cooperation agreement, the hallway outside remained eerily silent.

Sun Dajun, the black man, and the blonde girl had been so frightened they could barely walk, had all gone silent since leaving the hallway. Since Kaguya shut the door, not a single sound had come from there.

At this moment, no one knew what was happening in the hallway outside the door.

However, for now, the people in the room didn't need to worry about that.

"Anyway, Horror Story Rules is essentially a survival guide compiled without directly describing scary things. But I suspect that this guide is outdated—at least no longer applicable in the current situation."

Takakai sat down at the tea table in the room, looking at two identical A4 papers taken from rooms 204 and 208 placed on the table, analyzing slowly.

"Let's not discuss the part of the rules that says daytime is safe, because we still can't confirm the exact time right now. But one thing is enough to prove the issue: this set of rules states that those who are mysteriously brought to Shirakawa Apartments are all aged 20 or older. Yet, the three of us here—none of us is over 20."

"This point alone doesn't match the rules, so I guess there's been a major abnormal change in this apartment complex, rendering the rules that previous survivors used no longer accurate and incapable of protecting us from all dangers."

"After all, since we arrived, although we haven't explored much, whether it's in the rooms or the hallway, we haven't found any recent signs of habitation, right? Those who survived and left these rules couldn't have just left a piece of paper and done nothing else."

"If they were still around, we should've found some clues no matter what. But that's not the case right now. Therefore, I think we need to verify these rules, figure out which ones have become invalid and which ones can still protect us."

"Of course, this is just my personal opinion. What do you guys think?"

As he spoke, Takahashi Takakai obediently sat down in the chair, his kind face resembling that of a model elementary school student.

Despite his seemingly humble attitude, Takakai couldn't help feeling a bit smug inside.

After all, I'm an Isekai-jin, someone who's experienced the real world and endured hardships. My knowledge and thinking undoubtedly surpass these high school girls who don't even know what Horror Story Rules are.

Now then, moving forward, I'll rely on my wisdom and the support of these two to overcome the challenges ahead!

"If we're talking about traces of previous inhabitants, I've found some. But there's one thing Takakai said that's very true—the people who left them are long gone."

Shijo Maki, standing in one corner of the room, nodded seriously after listening to Takakai, then approached the bed in the corner. She bent down, reached under the bed, and pulled out a small box.

"Mm…"

The box was clearly quite heavy, and Shijo Maki struggled a bit as she lifted it. Nonetheless, she gritted her teeth, held the box tightly, and slowly placed it on the table. Then, she unzipped the box, which resembled a small suitcase.

Shortly after, Takakai and Shinomiya Kaguya saw that the box contained all sorts of miscellaneous items.

Compressed biscuits, instant noodles, bottled water, toilet paper, medical alcohol, iodine disinfectant, fever reducers...

Various items were mixed together, clearly prepared by someone to supply whoever occupied this room.

"The production dates are all from about two years ago. The most recent one was two years and three months ago. The items are either expired or close to expiring. The text on the packaging is all in Chinese, so it seems we've been brought to a small town somewhere in China. Also, there's this inside the box."

As Shijo Maki spoke, she opened one side of the box and pulled out a sheet of white paper from inside.

Like the rules found earlier in the rooms, this paper also had text written on it.

[To the Survivors]

[Whoever you are, once you wake up in this room, you have become one of us.]

[Like us, you are now cursed and cannot escape this terrifying apartment complex. Only by cooperating can we survive better.]

[Inside this box, there are some food items, water, disinfectants, bandages, and a few basic medical supplies. These supplies are replaced annually, so you don't have to worry about their usability. Use them as needed.]

[However, if it is nighttime, please avoid making noise while using these items. If you have read the rules in the room, I trust you understand what I mean. If you haven't, please go read them immediately. This is not a safe haven. Everyone here constantly faces danger, so if you wish to survive, you must know the rules thoroughly.]

[Supply Box Contents:]

Chocolate bars x3; Compressed biscuits (1 box); Vitamin supplements (1 bottle); Instant noodles x3; Bottled drinking water x5 (600ml each); Lighter x1;Toilet paper (1 pack, 180 sheets); Disinfectant alcohol (1 bottle); Iodine disinfectant solution (1 bottle); Medical bandages (1 roll); General medication (1 box); Sanitary pads (1 box); Clear tape (1 roll);Earplugs (1 pair); Homemade soundproof mask (If you have issues with snoring, wear this when sleeping at night. No matter how uncomfortable, do not take it off).

[—Xu Sheng]

Unlike the dense two-thousand-word rulebook, the content of this paper was much simpler and easier to understand.

Just by looking at these things, Takakai could feel an indescribable sensation.

Whether it was the set of living rules placed in each room, the special lockers set up in the hallway to avoid danger, or the current supplies found in the room for the survivors, everything gave the impression that the group of survivors who once lived here must have tried their best to unite and find ways to increase each person's chances of survival.

But now, they were gone, leaving behind only traces of their existence.

What had happened during this process?

From the writing on this note, it was clear that the group of survivors who lived here had the ability to distribute these emergency supplies to each room. This meant that the people who lived here had carefully studied the rules, were almost able to live normally, and even had surplus resources to help others.

So, what happened that caused this group of survivors to disappear without a trace?

"If this 'once a year' part is not fabricated, then the organized group of survivors that once existed here must have collapsed at least a year ago."

Shinomiya Kaguya, with her cold expression from the beginning to the end, slowly spoke, her gaze fixed on the cluttered items in the small box, as though she was lost in thought.

"That's right. I asked the others in the hallway earlier, and it seems they didn't notice the boxes in the rooms. I suspect that each room has a supply box like this."

"If we really have to stay here for a while, collecting these supply boxes will be essential. Even though the food is close to expiration, at least it can fill our stomachs. Facing the strange apartment building in a state of hunger and thirst is not a good idea, right, Oba-sama?"

Shijo Maki said, sitting down on the sofa in a corner of the room, gently swinging her legs.

"The supplies in this box are enough to sustain us for about a day. Even if we try to conserve them, we could stretch it longer, but that would drain our energy and make it harder to respond quickly in the face of danger."

"In other words, even with a strategy of conservation, we can only stay in this room for one day at most. At the latest, tomorrow, we must act and leave here."

Shinomiya Kaguya frowned. She didn't like being called "Oba-sama" by Shijo Maki. Although it was technically correct in terms of their family relationship, both of them were of the same age, and being addressed as "Oba-sama" made Kaguya extremely uncomfortable, to the point where she felt like arguing right there.

No, I can't do that.

As a member of the Shinomiya clan, private arguments are fine, but in front of outsiders, it's better to maintain decorum.

Feeling somewhat irritated, Shinomiya Kaguya exhaled softly, maintaining her calm expression, and continued her analysis:

"Even though we must act, the information we have now is too limited. Therefore, acting thoughtlessly is not a good option. As Takahashi-san mentioned, this rulebook may have become outdated. While some parts may still be of reference value, other parts—rules that seem to protect us—may now have become deadly traps."

"Therefore, right now, we need to carefully review this rulebook."

Kaguya extended her delicate, pale fingers and gently placed them on the rule sheet on the table, her tone growing increasingly serious.

"Then let's start with the first rule. From 8 AM to 5:50 PM. Clearly, there is an issue with this. While the light coming through the window suggests it is daytime, there are strange phenomena in the hallway that cannot be explained by common sense. Either the light outside the window is a deception, and we are actually in the darkness of night, or this rule is no longer valid. The apartment is dangerous even during the day."

Shijo Maki immediately spoke up, clearly having thought about this issue beforehand.

"I can confirm that it is definitely daytime right now. There's no mistake about it. Therefore, the only explanation is that this rule is no longer accurate and can no longer protect us."

Immediately, Shinomiya Kaguya responded with an answer that was incredibly confident.

"Biological rhythm?"

Shijo Maki was momentarily stunned by this answer, but then immediately understood Kaguya's point.

"Yes. The Shinomiya family's living rules are very strict. Once it's past 11 PM, my body automatically starts to feel sleepy, and before that, the wall clock was showing about 1 o'clock. If this is 1 AM, I would definitely feel it."

Shinomiya Kaguya nodded slightly, her words carrying an unconscious touch of arrogance.

"Indeed, it's a strict work style that could almost be seen as pitiful, Oba-sama. But have you considered the issue of time zones? If we've been brought to a different time zone, your biological rhythm may not match the time here. And what if we're in a different world?"

Shijo Maki snorted, placing her hands on her hips, and responded without any courtesy.

"I've thought about that too. But everything here—the houses, the furniture, the writing—clearly has Chinese characteristics. Unless the builders were so bored that they went to places like the US to replicate it, the time zone shouldn't differ too much."

"As for another world, that's not something we need to worry about right now. If we think that way, we'd be trapped in this room for the rest of our lives. Thinking that way would lead us to make mistakes. Our goal is to leave here, not trap ourselves in a dead end."

Shinomiya Kaguya quickly rebutted, while Shijo Maki, after thinking for a moment, nodded in agreement with the other's point.

"I think..."

Takakai, who had been waiting for a chance to speak but had been unable to, finally raised his hand as if to say something.

"Alright, then let's move on to the second rule. After 9 PM, this apartment seems to undergo an unusual change..."

But Shinomiya Kaguya swiftly moved on to the next topic. Though Shijo Maki had stopped and wanted to hear what Takakai had to say, she too found herself swept up in Kaguya's pace and could only continue discussing the next issue.

"The clock is absolutely accurate... This line wasn't written randomly; it surely has a deeper meaning. We should try changing the time on the clock later to see what happens."

"According to this rule, after 9 PM, we must stay inside our room, preferably the room we woke up in, and keep absolute silence, ignoring the sound of children knocking on the door... The 'children' here may refer to some kind of threat within the apartment. Perhaps there's a way for someone to monitor the entire building, and so no matter what we know, we must not discuss things casually?"

"I tested the electricity in my room as soon as I woke up, and it was broken, and it's been broken for a long time. So, the third rule about not turning on the lights is completely useless. This could be evidence of the disappearance of the previous survivors."

"When the survivors were still active, the electrical system in this apartment was definitely maintained and intact. No, we can't just think about our own rooms—what about the lights in the hallway? What if the lights there are also the kind that 'must be turned off after 9 PM'?"

"Is there anything on the high shelves? We'll have to check. This rule clearly states that the threat is the size of a child, not very tall, so it could be hiding behind high shelves. But now that they've disappeared, we can't be sure if this avoidance measure will still work. However, the traces on those shelves might help us investigate further."

"The explanation for Room 304 is like this, the problem might be huge. The person who set these rules said they lived in Room 309, meaning the third floor itself is safe, and only Room 304 has a problem? Anyway, investigating the third floor is absolutely necessary."

"By the way, when I was outside earlier, I asked about the room numbers of the others. They were all residents of the same floor—the second floor. As of now, no one has identified themselves as coming from Room 304."

"According to these rules, entering and leaving this building isn't really restricted, but we must enter and exit through the main door."

"But our task is to escape the Shirakawa apartment in 7 days. If it were truly that easy, I don't think we would have been given such a mission. The situation on the first floor is likely very dangerous, and if we want to investigate, we must be extremely careful."

"Not to mention other things, but until now, the hallway has been eerily quiet. Just this alone is troublesome. Even though Oba-sama heard footsteps leaving earlier, is it truly safe outside? Just deciding whether we should open the door to explore or not is already a major issue."

...

Takahashi Takakai remained motionless.

While the two high school girls were having a fast-paced discussion, he stayed silent.

Several times, he wanted to speak up, but he never got the chance to interject.

Whenever he tried to say something, one of them—Kaguya or Maki—would say exactly what he intended, then quickly move on to another topic. The speed of their conversation was so fast that Takakai couldn't keep up and found it impossible to find a space to add anything.

Before long, he gave up, sitting quietly and listening to their analysis, fully abandoning the idea of participating in the conversation.

Indeed, there are many differences between people.

In this moment, Takakai felt that the two girl in front of him resembled two gods, while he himself was just a useless person present to fill the numbers.

"Anyway, the focus now is whether we should open the door to investigate the situation outside. Oba-sama, you think we should try to probe, but I still think we should observe for a while, at least wait to see what the others, who are also hiding in their rooms, will do next. We can't be guinea pigs. Oh, Takakai, what do you think? Do you have any opinions?"

As the discussion neared its end, and they started to talk about their current actions, Shijo Maki finished speaking and suddenly looked over at Takakai, who had been silent beside them, to ask for his opinion.

"I'll be in charge of shouting, 'Police, police.'"

Takahashi Takakai, with a blank expression, raised his right hand and answered very seriously.

"Huh?"

Shijo Maki frowned, not understanding this answer. (Note: I don't understand either, and I don't remember any memes to replace it :D)

"What I meant is, Big Boss, please continue to guide me. I'm a newbie."

Takahashi continued, still expressionless.

"What is this nonsense? I'm seriously asking for your opinion!"

Shijo Maki, still completely not understanding what Takakai was saying, stamped her foot in frustration, revealing her sharp canine teeth.