"The thirteenth step..."
Amamiya muttered to himself as he steadied his right foot and stepped forward.
In the next instant, the world around him plunged into darkness.
It only lasted a second or two before the darkness ebbed away like a receding tide, leaving no trace of its existence.
---
"Huh?"
Amamiya looked around, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.
To his astonishment, the surrounding environment appeared nearly identical to before. He was still standing on the staircase.
He glanced at the walls, where years of neglect had caused the white paint to peel, revealing patches of bluish-black cement beneath. The shape of the peeling paint and the scattered flakes on the ground were unchanged.
But two notable differences caught his attention.
---
The first was time.
In reality, it had been late at night, the campus shrouded in darkness and lit only by the beam of a flashlight. Now, the world around him seemed frozen at dusk, bathed in the dim red glow of a setting sun that cast faint shadows along the corridor.
The second was the absence of Kaguya and the others.
Or, more accurately, it seemed 'he' was the one who had disappeared.
"Tch, so it's another dimension after all," Amamiya muttered, surveying his surroundings with a calm gaze.
The school building was eerily silent, the kind of silence that felt suffocating.
---
After quickly confirming there was no immediate danger, Amamiya pulled out a notebook and began writing.
Before entering this realm, he had prepared by copying Komi's paper communication skill. Now, it was time to put it to use.
"I'm Amamiya. I'm safe for now," he wrote.
Then he waited, watching the page intently.
If cross-dimensional communication was possible, he'd find out soon enough.
Moments later, words appeared on the notebook as if written by an invisible hand, the handwriting neat and delicate:
"I'm Komi."
Good.
Communication worked perfectly. In a horror scenario where electronics were all but useless, having a means to exchange messages across dimensions was invaluable. Komi's skill truly was a treasure.
---
New words soon appeared in the notebook:
"Amamiya-kun, what happened? You vanished in the blink of an eye."
It was Komi's handwriting again, clearly ghostwriting for the others.
Only when Komi herself wrote could the words synchronize with Amamiya's notebook.
The casual tone and the use of his name without hesitation gave away the real speaker—none other than the bold and playful succubus girl, Umi.
"I'm safe for now and still at the school," Amamiya replied concisely. "This seems to be some kind of alternate dimension."
More words appeared:
"Should we come help you?"
"Not yet," he wrote. "I'll call for backup if I need it."
---
After concluding the "call," Amamiya closed the notebook and exhaled softly.
He stood in thought for a moment before deciding to head downstairs.
Standing idle wouldn't accomplish anything. His objective was clear: find the elusive spy maid.
---
As he reached the corridor, Amamiya turned to face the western horizon.
The sun had already set, leaving only a faint ember of red light against the dimming sky. It was the Devil's Hour, and visibility was rapidly fading.
A cold wind swept through the hallway.
Suddenly, a low, mournful sound drifted through the air, like faint sobbing or a whispered lament.
"Hm?"
Amamiya tilted his head, listening intently before following the sound.
The unknown breeds the greatest fear.
Invisible ghosts are often the most terrifying.
But once they manifest, if they're in 'good enough shape,' someone is always bound to joke about dressing them up for a romantic story.
---
The sound led Amamiya to the doorway of a restroom.
The crying, though intermittent, was clearly coming from inside.
Amamiya stopped and peered into the darkened interior.
It was pitch black, as if the restroom were the gaping maw of an unknown monster, waiting to swallow any who dared enter.
Only the faint, broken sobs echoed from within—a haunting, chilling sound that sent shivers down his spine.
To be honest, it was genuinely unsettling.
Even in reality, most people would likely never dare to enter, let alone when this is the peculiar space created by the thirteenth step.
The creature weeping in the bathroom is almost certainly not human.
The primal fear brought by darkness.
The dread invoked by the sound of crying.
The combination of these two fears is enough to make anyone's scalp tingle. No ordinary person would dare step inside to investigate. Running away would be the most instinctive choice.
But, of course, this had nothing to do with Amamiya.
"…Why are you crying in the bathroom so late at night?"
Amamiya stood at the doorway and called out loudly.
"…"
The crying ceased abruptly, leaving only an eerie silence.
"You don't want to answer, huh?" Amamiya waited a moment before stepping into the bathroom. "Well, you'd better hide properly, because I'm coming in to find you, buddy."
"…"
Amamiya wasn't fazed. He'd been casually chatting with monsters—be it the two faced spirit or the vengeful ghost aunt next door—and had even patted Hanako's ghostly head a few times. The crying creature here didn't scare him in the least.
He actually hoped the being inside had some sense of reason, making it easier to negotiate or intimidate if necessary.
When you find yourself in an unfamiliar place, knowing no one, it's only logical to seek help from the locals.
Stepping fully into the bathroom, Amamiya squinted as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, gradually making out the room's features.
A row of open-top cubicles lined one wall, accompanied by a washbasin. In the corner were cleaning supplies like buckets and brooms. In short, it looked like an ordinary restroom—just one that had fallen into disrepair. The air reeked of mold and decay, a testament to its long-term neglect.
Click.
Click.
Amamiya's footsteps echoed in the stillness as he approached the first cubicle. He knocked gently on the door.
"Hey, is someone in there?"
"…"
Silence.
"Should I open it?"
Without waiting for an answer, he pushed the door. The creak of long-unoiled hinges grated sharply against the quiet.
"Tsk, no one here," Amamiya murmured, disappointed to find the first cubicle empty.
He moved to the second cubicle and repeated the process.
"Still empty."
"…"
There were only six cubicles in total. After systematically checking the first five, Amamiya finally reached the last one.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
He rapped lightly on the door.
"Hey, buddy," he called out, his tone oddly polite. "Open up, won't you? I've got something tasty for you."
"…"
Silence lingered as if the earlier crying had been nothing more than an illusion.
Amamiya tried pushing the door, but it was locked from the inside.
"The school's about to lock up. You should come out quickly," he urged.
"…"
"I'm such a nice person, you know."
"…"
"If you don't want to show yourself, at least answer a few questions for me, okay?"
"…"
Amamiya sighed, exasperation creeping into his voice. "Not saying a word, huh? You're making this difficult for me."
"…"
Inside the last cubicle, an evil spirit dressed in a school uniform huddled, trembling as long-buried memories resurfaced. Suddenly, the evil spirit sensed something odd—a gaze from above.
Startled, it glanced upward.
A rather handsome boy's face peered down from over the cubicle wall.
"…Found you."