The campus before her… there was no way out.
Hayasaka had tried to escape countless times.
But—
The school gate wouldn't budge.
Climbing over the wall was useless; beyond it lay nothing but dense fog. The moment her feet touched the ground outside, she would find herself back on campus, as if the world itself refused to let her leave.
Once.
Twice.
Three times…
No matter what method she tried, the result was always the same.
At last, Hayasaka came to a grim realization: this entire world was a cage, and she was trapped inside with no escape.
What made it even worse was the crushing isolation. She seemed to be the only player left, surrounded only by vengeful spirits, creatures incapable of communication or reason.
Even a professionally trained spy maid couldn't keep despair at bay in such a situation.
Then, cutting through the suffocating silence of the campus, came a familiar voice:
"Hanamori-san! It's time to go home for dinner!"
"Huh?"
Hayasaka's head snapped up, her eyes wide with sudden hope.
'That voice…!'
Was it an auditory hallucination?
She quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea.
"It's not a hallucination. Even if I were hallucinating, I'd hear the young lady's voice, not… not Amamiya's!"
Her hands clenched into fists.
"I have to go check it out," she resolved.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Hayasaka bit her lower lip and left her hiding spot.
She'd had enough of this bleak, hopeless world. Whether it was a hallucination or some new monster, she 'had' to find out.
---
Meanwhile...
Amamiya called out again, his voice ringing across the eerily quiet campus.
"Hanamori-san, come out already! Dinner's waiting!"
He paused, waiting silently near the building.
This wasn't a game of hide-and-seek, and the vengeful spirits roaming the campus didn't seem to possess any intelligence. There was no need to worry about hiding his location.
If a spirit 'did' attack him, he could always rely on Kaguya's abilities to transform into a shadowcat and make a quick escape.
Suddenly—
'Thud.'
The sound of something falling caught Amamiya's attention.
He turned toward the noise and saw a shoe cabinet not far to his right. In its shadowy corner, a figure was lying on the ground, clutching its foot and rolling back and forth. After a moment, the figure stood up, removed its shoes, placed them neatly in the cabinet, then immediately took them out again… repeating the same motion over and over.
Amamiya raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He was about to approach when—
A shadow darted out from the side and grabbed him, pulling him back.
"Don't go over there!" a low, nervous voice whispered.
The breath against his ear was warm, and the scent unmistakably familiar.
Turning his head, Amamiya found himself face-to-face with Hayasaka.
Her hair was disheveled, her face pale, but her expression was firm.
"Finally found you," he said calmly, relief flickering in his eyes.
Hayasaka had left her hiding spot and sneaked downstairs. Spotting Amamiya just as he was about to approach the vengeful spirit, she had rushed over to stop him.
"This isn't the place to talk," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly with restrained emotion. "Follow me."
---
Without a word, Amamiya let her lead him away.
Soon, they arrived at an empty office.
'Click.'
The door closed softly behind them.
Hayasaka let out a long sigh of relief, biting her pink lips as she turned to look at Amamiya. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and concern as she spoke in a hushed tone:
"How did you get here? I didn't see you before. This place is dangerous—those vengeful spirits can't come near you. If they find you, terrible things will happen."
Amamiya studied her face for a moment before replying, "You don't look well."
"You have no idea what I've been through…"
Her tone carried an edge of bitterness, her usual composure clearly shaken.
In this strange, stagnant world where time seemed frozen in an eternal evening, Hayasaka felt as though she'd been trapped for hours. She had been completely alone, surrounded only by malicious spirits. The school itself seemed like a cage, impossible to escape. It was no wonder her condition was far from ideal.
As if seeking solace, Hayasaka sat down next to Amamiya, leaning subtly closer to him, as though drawing warmth from his presence. Even though she was a professionally trained spy maid, the sight of a familiar companion after such prolonged isolation awakened an instinctive need for reassurance.
"After entering the dungeon from the cinema, I landed directly in the school. When I passed the restroom, a vengeful spirit suddenly appeared and started chasing me. I don't even know how I ended up here…" Her voice trembled slightly. "This world is strange. It's always evening, and no matter what I try, I can't escape."
"I know," Amamiya said calmly.
"Huh?"
His tone was almost casual as he explained:
"There are seven ghost stories in Musashino Elementary School. The spirit that chased you in the restroom was Hanako, part of the ghost story lore. During your escape, you inadvertently triggered another—'The Thirteenth Step.' This alternate dimension was created by that legend."
Hayasaka's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know all that?"
Amamiya replied matter-of-factly, "I got the information directly from Hanako."
She froze, momentarily speechless. "…"
That horrifying creature with razor-sharp teeth and an unnatural ability to crawl along ceilings… could actually 'talk' with him?
"How bizarre…" she muttered.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, the spy maid bit her lip before asking cautiously, "So… you came here specifically to find me?"
"That's right," Amamiya admitted without hesitation.
Hayasaka felt a flicker of relief but quickly shifted gears. "Is Chika-chan with you? What about the others?"
Amamiya's expression didn't change as he asked, "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
Hayasaka rolled her eyes. "Obviously, the truth."
He shrugged. "The truth is, everyone else has already regrouped. We had a barbecue and cooked together at the restaurant. You're the only one left."
"…" Hayasaka's lips twitched.
'Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!' she screamed internally, cursing her rotten luck. Why was 'she' the only one left to fend for herself until now?
Amamiya then began summarizing the events that had occurred outside this alternate dimension. As he spoke, Hayasaka's expression grew increasingly dazed.
"So many things happened…" she murmured.
Her mind churned with guilt. She had sworn to protect her young mistress, but during Kaguya's most dangerous moments, she hadn't been by her side. Instead, she'd been stuck in this cursed space, waiting for someone else to rescue her. It was a glaring failure—an unforgivable lapse in her duty.
As Amamiya continued, he pulled out a notebook and began jotting something down.
"Hanamori found," the note read.
Curious, Hayasaka leaned closer, her shoulder brushing against his as she glanced at the notebook. "What's that?" she whispered.
"A player I encountered in the dungeon," Amamiya explained. "Her ability lets us communicate via written words in the air."
Moments later, new words materialized on the notebook's page:
"Is Hanamori-chan okay?"
"She's fine," Amamiya replied, before turning to Hayasaka. Her face was pale, her forehead slick with sweat. Concern flickered in his gaze. "Are you hurt?"
"No," Hayasaka answered, shaking her head. She bit her lip, her voice faltering slightly. "But the vengeful spirits here are… strange. Even if they don't physically touch you, the moment they spot you, it feels like your body is being tortured. That's why I pulled you away earlier."
"No wonder you look so pale," Amamiya remarked. "You've been enduring the pain all this time?"
"…Yes," she admitted softly.
Without another word, Amamiya reached out his hand. "Give me your hand," he said.
"…"
Though hesitant, the spy maid obeyed, placing her hand in his.
Amamiya studied her hand briefly before speaking. "I've encountered a similar situation. There was a boy in a classroom who kept wiping a desk over and over. It turned out he was under a pain-transference curse. From the looks of it, curses here can be copied and pasted."