2:57 P.M.

2:57 P.M.

 

“You woke me up?” she said, blearily.

“Yeah. I’m Habara Kentaro. He’s Tanaka Shiro.”

The girl sighed. “Michimoto Sakiko.”

She seemed really out of it.

“Michimoto-san, were you talking to the King of Distortion?” I asked.

She nodded, woozily.

“Tell us about it. Anything that’ll help us figure out what it’s up to.”

Her gaze finally locked onto my face.

“Why do you ask?”

“We’re gonna put an end to this. But we need more info.”

“You? End this?” She didn’t seem like she believed me.

“I know, I don’t look like I can pull that off. But we mean business.”

I glanced at Shiro, who nodded.

“Did you see anything weird before it all started? Anything that stuck out, that didn’t seem like it belonged? We think there’s something up with this building. Some trick to it.”

“………”

She just frowned, then hung her head.

“What did the King of Distortion say to you?” she asked.

I shifted, nervously. “I… I imagine more or less the same as you.”

That was a stretch.

“And you still think you can beat it?”

“When you put it that way…but if we don’t at least try, who knows how long we’ll be trapped in here? Don’t want that, do we?”

“………”

Michimoto Sakiko stared at us wordlessly, not answering.

“Habara-san, we can get through here,” Shiro said. He was at the door Michimoto Sakiko had been leaning against, holding it open. “I don’t think it’s unlocked, though. I don’t think it ever had a lock. Doesn’t look like they got around to installing one.”

“Good!” I said. I glanced back at Michimoto Sakiko. “We’re doing this. You don’t have to believe us, but… well, just wait and see, I guess.”

“………”

We stepped back into the eaves. This time there was actually light. I looked up, and there were vents open to the outside world.

But that was all there was. This was just an empty corner of the building—it didn’t lead anywhere.

“Nothing here. Let’s go back.”

“Right.”

We turned back to the door, but…

The door slammed shut. And then we heard something heavy fall in front of it.

“…?!”

We ran over to it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Wh-what the heck?” we yelled.

“You’re staying put,” Michimoto Sakiko said.

“Wh-what?!”

“I won’t let you interfere,” she shrieked. “Whatever the King of Distortion is after, I won’t let anyone stop it!”

We gaped at each other.

“W-wait!” Shiro yelled.

But she just shouted over him. “I hate it here! I wanna go back… I’m going back there!”

There was no getting through to her.

And even if there were, we could hear her footsteps moving away.

“Jesus…” Shiro said, frustrated. He punched the door. “Can’t believe this happened!”

“Sh-shit…” I said, still reeling. “Are we really locked in here?”

Then the vents behind us slammed shut.