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

Chapter 15: Unexpected Events Happen When Least Expected

"Wh-what's going on? An earthquake?!"

In the kitchen, Sun Dajun clutched his head, screaming in panic. Next to him, Maeda Miwa shrieked in terror.

"Stay still, don't run around! W-what's happening here?"

Green, who was equally startled, tried to keep his composure and shouted at Sun Dajun and Maeda Miwa to stay calm. Instinctively, he turned to rush outside to find the other three.

"Don't move around! The problem isn't coming from us! Tell everyone to stay silent."

Takakai's voice rang out at this moment, and Shijo Maki immediately turned without hesitation, crawling up from the floor. She pulled a pocket watch out of her backpack.

The source of the intense tremors wasn't room 208—it was room 210.

Though no one could pinpoint exactly what was happening, it was clear that whatever had been drawn into room 210 was clashing with something that already existed inside. And the battle between these two "entities" was far more terrifying than the ghostly knocking game they had encountered earlier. The violent tremors reverberated through the building, making everyone feel as if it might collapse at any moment.

"This is…"

Kaguya, standing closest to the door, heard the sounds most clearly.

While Maki in the living room could only determine that the vibrations originated from room 210, Kaguya distinctly heard muffled sobbing mixed with screams and shrieks emanating from that room.

The chaotic noises were unmistakable.

The sound of glass shattering.

Bookshelves crashing to the ground.

Items scattered everywhere in utter disarray.

Everything seemed to be losing its original form, inching closer and closer to the brink of collapse.

What in the world…

The young girl's eyes widened in shock, and the next moment, she realized that the sounds in her ears were starting to fade.

Takakai, at some point, had rushed up to her. Despite the violently shaking ground, he crawled over to her, shoving earplugs into her ears.

"Don't… listen… anymore."

Word by word, Takakai instructed Kaguya. Although the earplugs muffled his voice, she understood him through his lip movements and instantly realized her mistake.

She had been so engrossed in listening that she completely ignored the danger of prolonged exposure to such sounds. Could her judgment have dulled this much?

Kaguya nodded slightly at Takakai, steadied herself against the wall, and stood up. The two of them supported each other as they quickly made their way through the swaying hallway, into the living room, and shut the door behind them, sealing off the noises outside.

Oddly enough, the violent shaking that had been unbearable moments ago began to subside significantly once Kaguya wore the earplugs. And when the living room door was closed, the tremors weakened further and eventually stopped.

"Even if we're not discovered or directly targeted, just exposure to related information, such as sound, can have an impact? No, if that were the case, we would've been attacked back in room 205. Perhaps it depends on whether it is 'activated' or 'dormant.' This is troublesome—if so, the only safe place during an incident is in the living room with the door closed?"

Takakai mulled over the possible scenarios but still felt there was something inexplicable about it.

The corpse in room 205—if it truly was "alive," why didn't it attack immediately? Why wait until they left to follow them?

It could be misled by Takakai into heading to room 210, which indicated it had human-like perception and could understand human language. So, what was its thought process? How intelligent and aware was it?

The entity in room 205 had clashed with something unknown inside 210. At least, judging from the sounds, there had been a confrontation. Only Kaguya, with her heightened sensory perception, could hear it clearly. They would have to ask her for specifics later.

Takakai couldn't help but think about the frozen corpse in room 208.

Why did the entity in room 205 act so quickly while the one in room 208 remained completely silent?

And what about room 204, the room he and Kaguya hadn't thoroughly explored yet? Could something be hiding there, quietly observing them?

Not many of these questions had immediate answers.

And finding those answers—while staying alive in the process—was, to be honest, a big question mark in itself.

"Compared to these brain-racking puzzle games, I still prefer fast-paced action games where I don't have to think," Takakai finally sighed.

"B-Boss, what's going on outside…?"

Green, who was so terrified by the earlier tremors that he nearly wet himself, cautiously poked his head out of the kitchen and asked timidly.

"It has nothing to do with us. Stop scaring yourself. Where are the other two?"

Kaguya, still wearing earplugs, didn't seem entirely composed and needed more time to calm down. Meanwhile, Maki sat frozen in place, clearly shaken by the events, though it was unclear what exactly had affected her. She wasn't reacting much either.

The only one unaffected was Takakai. He stood up and coldly directed his question to Green.

"They're fine. Everyone's fine!" Green quickly answered, grinning nervously while swinging the knife in his hand as if to prove everything was okay.

Takakai frowned and glanced at Kaguya beside him. Seeing that she had recovered somewhat, he stood up and headed toward the kitchen door. Passing Green—who was a full head taller than him—Takakai peered inside the kitchen, where Maeda Miwa was sitting against the refrigerator with Sun Dajun.

"What exactly are you two doing in there?"

Maeda Miwa didn't dare speak, but Sun Dajun still mustered enough courage to question Takakai in return.

Takakai didn't answer. His eyes carefully scanned Sun Dajun's angry expression, Maeda Miwa's frightened face, and the refrigerator behind them—a silent, unmoving object from the beginning.

After a moment of observation, Takakai chose not to approach and inspect further.

"In this godforsaken place, we know just a bit more than you two. I'm not looking to make anyone's life harder—I just want to survive and leave here. So, as long as you don't cause trouble for me, I won't do anything to you. Understand?"

With that, Takakai casually tossed two chocolate bars toward Sun Dajun. The man instinctively caught them. Only then did Takakai turn to Green, standing by the side.

"Keep an eye on them. If they show any unusual behavior, report to us immediately."

Although he had considered explaining things more clearly, the current state of Kaguya and Maki wasn't ideal. Moreover, his first impression of these two was already firmly set. On top of that, it was highly possible these two had "died" in the hallway during a previous time loop, and if this time turned out to be the same, they might "disappear" in some manner at a certain point. For these reasons, Takakai decided to maintain the status quo for now. If they were still alive after an hour, he'd consider further discussion.

"Boss… are they…"

Green swallowed nervously. He initially thought he was tasked with watching two ordinary people but now realized the situation was far more complicated. Fear began to creep into his heart as he questioned his ability to handle this job.

"If you're uncomfortable, switch with me. You can investigate the situation instead. How about that?"

Takakai asked calmly, his unflinching gaze locked onto Green, whose face turned ghostly pale, resembling a character in a horror movie.

"No! Please, no! I'll watch them closely!" Green stammered, apologizing profusely.

Takakai turned his back, walking away without noticing Green's resentful and helpless expression.

...

Back in the living room, Maki handed Kaguya several sheets of paper with important content. Afterward, she slowly sat down on a nearby chair.

Something felt off.

Everything seemed normal, but upon returning to the living room, Takakai couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

"Sanchez... 109... So, the Shirakawa building ended up like this because of a chain reaction triggered by the extreme actions of one survivor?"

Kaguya flipped through the pages, frowning as she muttered to herself.

"When you're reading, pay closer attention. These papers... something's off about them. I saw a few sentences earlier, but now it's like they've vanished..."

Maki didn't seem well. She rubbed her temples, yawned, but her eyelids felt increasingly heavy.

Strangely, her body felt heavier by the moment...

It was as if she'd forgotten something... something important, something she should've said immediately, but it refused to surface in her memory.

This hadn't been the case earlier. What on earth was going on?

"You okay?"

A hand rested on Maki's shoulder, snapping her out of her daze.

"Huh? What could possibly be wrong with me? Are you worried about me? Worry about yourself instead. We've only just begun piecing together the basics. Don't think we can relax just yet. We need to keep pushing forward. Oh, by the way, were you hurt earlier? There's antiseptic and well-preserved bandages in the supply box—they're still usable. If you're injured, don't just bear it silently."

Maki furrowed her brow and retorted sharply, but halfway through her haughty reply, her words softened into concern.

Takakai didn't answer. He simply frowned, staring intently at the visibly exhausted girl.

Something was definitely wrong with her.

Though he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, his instincts told him she wasn't okay.

Ever since he had touched the wall clock, and with the ever-present sensation of being watched by two—no, now three—of those grotesque clock heads, Takakai's perception had shifted slightly. This change in his awareness made him acutely aware of Maki's unusual condition as he observed her and Kaguya.

"Are you really okay? Your mental state doesn't seem stable."

Takakai started to voice his concern, but before he could finish, another sound interrupted him.

"Click—"

A sound like a mechanical trigger being activated, followed by the grinding of gears beginning to move.

It came from the backpack on Maki's back, from the clock head she was holding, and from the clock hands—resonating clearly.

The gazes of all three individuals simultaneously locked onto the clock near Maki, the one they could observe directly.

Right before their eyes, the hands of the pendulum clock suddenly began to accelerate, hurtling forward rapidly toward a distant point in time. The speed of the motion was unnerving, growing more frantic with each passing second.