Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

However, this is not the issue that Gao Hai and the others are currently concerned about.

Open the latch on the glass window of the bulletin board and take out the newspaper that looks somewhat damaged.

Gao Hai unfolded the simple newspaper, revealing the text page by page. The illustrations also showed a very abstract figure, which could only be vaguely made out to resemble the silhouette of a female high school student with her intestines hanging on the ground.

The newspaper article seemed to record the footsteps that the three of them had just heard in the stairwell, the so-called "stairwell woman" ghost story.

[Strange Tales Report - Issue No. ■■]

[Edited by: Jiang Gu Xianyi]

[New original ghost story included in this issue: The Staircase Woman]

[Welcome to subscribe to this issue of our newspaper's miscellaneous tales! This issue features brand new original ghost stories, namely the "Staircase Woman" ghost story.]

Although the name of this ghost story sounds a bit simple, the concept is actually quite good. This time, the main setting is a "school building stairwell," meaning it's closely related to everyone's lives—making it the "most relatable ghost story" that our Ghost Story Club strives for!

[This ghost story is quite simple; it focuses on some very subtle aspects of our lives. Therefore, before telling this story, I'd like to ask everyone: when you walk through a narrow, enclosed stairwell, when you're moving up or down the stairs in dim light, have you ever considered that perhaps something else is also hidden in the stairwell, somewhere you haven't noticed?]

The answer to this question will obviously vary from person to person, but one thing is certain: the fear of enclosed, dark environments is in our genes. From our primitive days, when we were living like hunters, environments perceived as harboring venomous snakes and wild animals have naturally instilled fear in us. This is especially true of tall buildings with more than five or six stories, which typically use elevators, leaving staircases largely unused and closed off.

Furthermore, some high-rise buildings don't even have windows in their staircases; they're truly completely enclosed. Therefore, stepping onto such a staircase, smelling the musty, dusty odor of the building, and having to walk in complete darkness with no light source, must have been incredibly stressful.

The "Staircase Woman" ghost story is created based on this sense of oppression. The origin story of this ghost story isn't the focus for me, as it strips away the inhuman aspects of the tale itself; therefore, I'll discuss that last. What I want to talk about first is the form of this ghost story. Yes, as I mentioned before, the so-called "Staircase Woman" is someone who appears at the top of the stairs with you, but you won't immediately notice them.

As you enter the stairwell, you will hear her footsteps, almost simultaneously with yours.

Whether you go upstairs or downstairs, you will find her approaching you, you will hear her footsteps quickening, and you will hear the sound of the distance between you gradually closing.

Perhaps you'll try to run, perhaps you'll want to try to outrun the other person.

But as long as you remain in the stairwell, in that small, enclosed space that can only go up and down, you will hear her voice getting closer and closer. Until her breath is on your skin, until her outstretched hand actually grabs you.

Those who are caught by her will vanish without a trace, just like the mysterious disappearances common in ghost stories, and no one will ever know whether they are alive or dead.

So when you hear footsteps approaching you, when you hear her getting closer and closer, the only way you can escape is to run out of the stairwell and get away from the area where you encountered her.

This is precisely one of the principles of ghost stories that I emphasize: regionalization. A ghost story that can be effective anytime, anywhere is boring. It's like forcibly creating a monster without any restrictions; besides making people feel scared, it's meaningless. After all, an omnipotent monster is just a monster. It is the complex rules and mechanisms that distinguish ghost stories from ordinary monsters, stripping away the human and emotional aspects of ghost stories, and giving them a sense of terror that no living being possesses.

Would you want to confront such a ghost story?

[Haha, of course, ghost stories can't exist; they're just fakes. So-called ghost stories are ultimately manifestations of human imagination, and what our Ghost Story Club pursues isn't witnessing real ghost stories, but rather exploring the power of imagination—nothing more.]

That's right, ghost stories don't exist. There are no ghost stories in this world, therefore the "staircase woman" doesn't exist, right?

[So, next up is the origin story of this newly included ghost tale...]

The rest of the content is missing; the newspaper isn't complete, half of it has been torn off. Coincidentally, the torn part is the origin story of the "Staircase Woman" ghost story, the fundamental part of this tale.

Kenichi Egani?

This is the first [name] Gao Hai obtained after spending a whole day investigating and searching in this instance.

Judging from the notes, this person is an editor of the "Kwaidan-ga" newspaper, so he should be a member of the Kwaidan-ga society, right? No, to be able to appear on the first page as an editor of such a club newspaper, he should be a core member, or even the president or vice president.

I don't know if we can find this student by tomorrow.

Great, at least that gives us another direction for our investigation. I just don't know... if I tell this name to other people, will they be able to hear and understand it?

Also... this thing broke really well. Was it really not intentionally torn at this point, like a piece of newspaper that was torn at the perfect moment?

It just abruptly ends the origin story; who did they learn this abrupt ending from?!

Gao Hai could only mutter this to himself.

However, this problem is not insurmountable, since Gao Hai now has a teammate with X-ray vision.

"You've already seen it before, haven't you? The origin story of the 'Staircase Woman'?"

Gao Hai turned to look at Jianzi, who was reading the newspaper with him, and asked.

"Yes, I did see it."

Seeing Zi nod slightly, her expression carrying a hint of lingering fear.

Very good. The fact that I can hear her say that proves that the depth of information that Miko and I can understand is still the same. There is no situation where one of us has obtained a deeper level of information, which has led to a situation where we cannot exchange information.

"Um, the second floor... we've finished investigating, and we haven't found anything unusual yet."

Goto Ichiri weakly raised his hand, and after a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out this sentence.

From the very beginning of the operation, although she was always very quick to set out, she would proactively scout the enemy's situation, constantly be vigilant about her surroundings, and use her own obsession objects to check every possible problem. In terms of reliability, it can be said that Goto Ichiri has completely overturned Takami's original impression of this girl.

Well, that's assuming she doesn't speak. Whenever it's time to communicate, Goto Ichiri immediately transforms back into Shimokitazawa Tsuchiya. At this point, she can express herself properly, only pausing once or twice, which is honestly a huge improvement.

If it were any other Red Moon-level player with the strength and equipment of Goto Ichiri, they would probably have already taken absolute control of the team and wouldn't have let Kobochi play a support role and obediently listen to Gao Hai's commands.

"Thank you for your help. Now, let's see what else is on the second floor."

As he said this, Gao Hai looked down at the identity card he had obtained at Fujika Middle School, which was tucked in his pocket, and frowned slightly.

Since entering Yelushan Middle School, he has not been able to find a place where he can use this magnetic card.

No matter how much it resembles a school on the surface, its essence as a research institution shouldn't change. If this were the original Yoruyama Middle School, the research institute area would be located deeper than the 10th basement level of the teaching building. But right now, they've searched the school for an entire day without finding a single trace. It's worth noting that information related to research institutes at both Fujika Middle School and Hayate Elementary School was quickly uncovered, unlike this instance which is shrouded in mystery.

Perhaps it's because Nightfall Mountain Middle School is the only instance area that successfully continued operating after the war. This school continued to operate normally for a long time after the group from Takamagahara disappeared, meaning this area once continued to operate **without researchers controlling it**. Therefore, could things related to the researchers have been hidden even deeper and harder to find?

Putting everything else aside, when I was still at Fujika Junior High School, Kita Ikuyo would come over to visit, but now that I've entered Yoruyama Junior High School, she's disappeared. This is a question worth pondering.

While they were thinking, the three of them began to walk along one of the corridors.

Meanwhile, unseen by the three people on this side, the door of a classroom in the corridor opposite the second floor of the teaching building opened silently and gently.

【■■■■■■……】

Amidst the laughter and chatter, it seemed as if footsteps were emerging from the classroom, or something was peering out from inside the classroom. It was noisy and bustling, yet also strangely silent.

Meanwhile, the hands of the wall clock in the corridor, which had been moving slowly, also came to a stop, as if time had been frozen in a deathly silence.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Be sure to find your location carefully in the dark!

step-step-

In the pitch-black corridor, where nothing could be seen from a distance, faint footsteps could be heard, carrying out in all directions.

Gao Hai almost stopped breathing, taking one step at a time, carefully moving forward while keeping a close eye on his surroundings, ready to make a quick getaway if he noticed anything amiss.

Miko Yotsuya followed closely behind, her body almost pressed against Takami's, but she herself was completely unaware of this, simply following along step by step.

Goto Ichiri, who was following on the other side, was a bit further away. It seemed that the girl was still a little uncomfortable acting with others, so her movements and expressions were very restrained, and she always maintained a vigilant state like a small animal.

Further ahead and behind these three figures were two girls who looked about 7% like Goto Ichiri. One was leading the way, and the other was at the rear, guarding against possible attackers.

Although I've mentioned it before, I have to say it again: Goto Ichiri's coveted guitar is just too useful. In comparison, his two Red Moon-level blessings don't even come close in terms of versatility. Well, it's not that his blessings are bad or anything, it's just that humans are always drawn to what they don't have, so Ichiri is incredibly envious of Goto Ichiri's guitar.

However, despite saying that, he had no intention of taking the guitar. This kind of instrument, which required professional skill to use, was rather inconvenient in Gao Hai's eyes. He couldn't play the guitar anytime, anywhere like Xiao Boqi, without ever making a mistake. Even if he were given professional training, Gao Hai was certain that he would struggle to reach even a fraction of Xiao Boqi's level; that was already a difference in innate talent.

A quarter of the area has been explored, and nothing has been found.

After walking through the corridor and reaching the corner, Gao Hai silently thought to himself.

The main teaching building is a typical U-shaped building, so it can be divided into four different areas. At this moment, Gao Hai and his two companions were passing through the corridor that came out of the stairwell.

If you turn around here, you'll find the locations of classes 6, 7, and 8 in the second year of high school. After turning another corner, you'll reach the area with another staircase, which is also where classes 9 through 13 in the second year of high school are located.

Along the way, every classroom door was securely locked, and there were no dead plants or any unusual occurrences.

Although the gloomy and dark corridor itself could bring a considerable sense of oppression, this level of atmosphere was not enough to make the three people here back down.

"call……"

With soft breathing, Gao Hai's footsteps landed on the ground, but there was almost no sound of footsteps.

At this moment, he had focused all his energy to the extreme, his body was completely tense, and he was ready to deal with danger at any time.

tread--

Behind her, Miko followed cautiously behind Takami, trying to walk as quietly as possible, though she couldn't achieve the same silent movement as Takami when he was fully focused. Although she hadn't seen anything unusual yet, the girl instinctively sensed an ominous feeling in the building, causing her heart to pound and making it difficult to calm down. If it weren't for Takami leading the way, she was certain that Miko would never have made it this far on her own.

"Wait, wait a minute."

Goto Ichiri suddenly spoke up, signaling Takami and Miko to stop.

She nervously reached out and gently plucked the strings, slowly playing a very short tune, while keeping her eyes fixed on the clone responsible for scouting ahead.

Then, in less than two or three seconds, the girl's expression changed drastically. She immediately pulled Gao Hai and Jian Zi back, and then continued to pluck the strings with lightning speed, causing the clone that was originally on guard behind to pass over the three of them and rush to the front.

problem occurs?

Gao Hai immediately looked at Jianzi, only to see a confused expression on her face.

Seeing that her son seemed normal, she couldn't tell if something had happened. Was the threat something intangible?

Without the slightest hesitation, Gao Hai grabbed Miko without a word, carried her, and sped away, following Goto Ichiri in their escape. The other woman was so nervous she didn't even speak as she fled. If he asked her what had happened now, they might be captured and killed by the monster by the time Goto Ichiri could gather her thoughts. Therefore, the most important thing now was to trust his teammate and stick together. Gao Hai wouldn't be foolish in this situation, and thus immediately chose the correct course of action.

In just a second or two, the three of them returned to the stairwell they had just entered from.

Goto Ichiri stopped at this moment, finished playing the piece with a tense expression, and then turned to look at Takami.

"Those two clones... have lost contact and are no longer obeying my commands."

Goto Ichiri, who wasn't good at organizing his thoughts, hesitated for two or three seconds before speaking to Takami.

"Do you mean something else is controlling their actions? Can you still sense those two clones?"

After a moment's thought, Gao Hai kept a watchful eye on his surroundings while quickly asking questions.

The pink-haired girl nodded slightly at first, then shook her head vigorously, her expression clearly showing confusion. She obviously didn't understand why the clone she was controlling was in this "out-of-control" state.

In the past, when using this guitar, although the clones often died tragically for various reasons, they were basically killed under the strange rules of the monsters. They were never controlled. After all, these clones were still individuals created by the core obsession of the Red Moon level. Even though the clones themselves were very fragile, their status was still at the Red Moon level, so it was not so easy for them to be controlled by the monsters.

But just now, while she was playing, she suddenly discovered that the clone that was originally walking in front was no longer under her control, and something else had usurped her control.

In fact, Goto Ichiri didn't even notice this at first, because although the clone had lost control, it was still obediently following her previous orders to walk ahead and explore the way, and there was no flaw to be seen at all.

However, Goto Ichiri herself is actually very meticulous when operating the clones. She deliberately adds details to the normal operation, such as bending her fingers, scratching her head, or yawning. These small operations don't help in controlling the clones, but Goto Ichiri believes that they can make the clones more realistic and might help her complete some special actions at some time.

It was precisely because of this small detail that she was able to notice that the clone in front of her, which seemed to still be under her control, had gone out of control. And the instant she realized this, Goto Ichiri discovered that the connection between her and that clone had been severed, and she could no longer sense the clone's existence.

In other words, after that moment, the clone that was scouting ahead of the three of them became, in effect, an "uncertain" entity.

Although she didn't know what changes had occurred to the clone, Goto Ichiri was certain that it was a sign of some kind of deadly danger. Therefore, she immediately ran away while sending the still controllable entity behind her to its death, and only stopped at the stairwell where she had come in.

However, expressing what she knew was a very troublesome matter for this little loner. In previous missions, she could communicate with Aoyama Nanami through a special object of her remembrance, allowing the other to help her express what she couldn't say herself. But now, without this key teammate, Goto Ichiri only managed to express that her clone was not obeying her commands; she didn't know how to say anything more.