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

However, there's no need to consider that for now; there's someone more worthy of attention.

"Was it your idea, Ogiyama-kun, to sign the registration form?"

Hongxia looked at Shizuko Ogiyama, who seemed the quietest and most introverted of the three, and asked her with some curiosity.

"Yes, these monsters, I think... they're acting according to some kind of rules we don't understand. So I thought if we want to survive here, we should behave in a similar way and follow the rules. So I asked Hondou and the girl we met on the way to sign the papers too. In fact, it was only after we signed that the girl suddenly noticed a key on the counter, even though we had checked that place before and there was no key there."

When Shizuko Ogiyama saw that Nijika had taken the initiative to look over, she quietly explained her thoughts and actions, and then gave a general overview of the situation on her side.

Shizuko Ogiyama and Haruka Hondo, the gyaru-style girl next to her, both came to Tokyo from out of town to study. They attended the same high school and happened to be assigned to the same four-person dormitory. Therefore, they had a lot of contact, and although their relationship wasn't exactly close, it was still pretty good. However, Shizuko Ogiyama was a well-behaved girl who studied diligently, while Haruka Hondo was quickly influenced by certain trends in Tokyo and turned into a gyaru who would go out for fun in the middle of the night.

After the strange event in Tokyo, the two women happened to be in their dormitory and took refuge there. Suddenly, the toilet bowl started overflowing with water, followed by body parts that began to wriggle. Shizuko Ogiyama didn't elaborate on what happened next, but she gave Haruka Hondo a disapproving glance, her expression clearly showing some dissatisfaction with her roommate. Perhaps there was more to their accidental entry into this alternate world than met the eye.

Regardless, Ryo felt it was necessary to get to know Shizuko Ogiyama better. The fact that she thought to sign the register showed a level of awareness far superior to her clueless sisters who still hadn't figured things out. Perhaps they could work together successfully.

Of course, there is one issue that needs to be addressed first.

"When we arrived, the fountain pens at the counter in the duty room had their nibs removed and couldn't write anymore. Because of this, the three of us couldn't register our names. You said you registered when you came, right? Did you use your own pens or that fountain pen?"

Hongxia spoke up again. Ryo herself wasn't good at asking detailed questions, so after exchanging glances with her and roughly confirming the topic her friend was interested in, Hongxia took the initiative to bring it up.

“We used that fountain pen; only that pen could leave a mark on the register. I tried it; my own ballpoint pen couldn’t leave any mark on that register at all.”

The answer given by Shizuko Ogiyama the next moment made Ryo's expression turn ugly.

"Regarding the issue of the pen losing its lead, we have absolutely no idea. It's indeed very strange. When the three of us arrived, the pen was perfectly fine, without any problems. However... you mentioned that there are four names on the register, right? That means that before you came in, there was actually another person who entered this apartment building. Could it be that person did something?"

As they spoke, Shizuko Ogiyama frowned, it was unclear whether she had realized something or was simply putting on an act to mislead the three. Of course, the latter, somewhat sinister thought, was only one possibility that Ryo had considered; neither Hoshika nor Nijika had yet harbored any suspicions, which only suggested that their personalities were indeed poorly suited to the ghost story arcade.

Is the fourth name on the register Kusashi Tomo?

Judging from the name itself, it's probably a male name, while the three people gathered here are all women, so there is definitely a difference. I don't know if it was that person who took the pen nib, and I can't understand their motive for doing such a thing.

"Let's go check again. Maybe the pen tip is left somewhere in the lobby? If it's not there, let's try to find Kusashi Satoshi. Since he signed it, he should be in this building."

As she said this, Shizuko Ogiyama stood up, looked at her two companions beside her, exchanged glances, and then spoke.

"Okay, let's do this."

Liang nodded immediately, her gaze drifting towards the wall clock on one side of the living room. At that moment, the clock showed... 19:45 PM.

The reason she was certain it was 7 PM and not 19 PM was because these wall clocks had both analog and digital displays, so there was no chance of mistaking morning for afternoon. Incidentally, after entering the house, Liang had actually used the excuse of going to the bathroom to discreetly observe the layout. To be honest, for a not-so-large apartment building, she thought it was quite well-equipped: a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, and two bedrooms, with a separate toilet and bathroom, and even a bathtub in the bathroom. It was a fairly standard residence suitable for a family of three. Perhaps the only slightly abstract aspects were the living room's lack of windows and the kitchen's lack of ventilation, relying entirely on a range hood.

Another noteworthy feature is that every single room in the 109-room complex has at least one clock. Clocks are hung in every room, from bedrooms and kitchens to dining rooms, and even the bathroom has a waterproof clock. The relatively large living room has clocks in three different locations. It seems the residents here are very concerned about being able to check the time at any time.

Residents

Ryo wasn't actually sure if such people existed, but judging from the appearance of room 109 itself, she was inclined to believe that there were original residents in the apartment building.

After all, room 109 was already furnished with various pieces of furniture. Although many things looked a bit old, even the television was one of those old-fashioned CRT TVs from the last century, the furnishings alone, along with the fact that the room itself wasn't very dusty, already spoke volumes.

These personalized decorations couldn't have appeared out of thin air. There should be indigenous people living here before these three girls found the key. Someone should have lived here for a certain period of time.

But if that's the case, where are those indigenous people, those residents, now?

Liang didn't say anything, but simply concealed all her guesses and thoughts, showing no abnormality on her face.

She didn't think these things were appropriate to discuss here. In fact, she remained wary of the three people around her, occasionally wondering if they were truly alive, or perhaps monsters in disguise, or if they harbored ill intentions towards them. Perhaps such thoughts were somewhat malicious and impolite, but knowing that her two teammates were somewhat dim-witted, Liang couldn't feel at ease. Furthermore, the surrounding environment constantly reminded her of their current predicament in a foreign land, keeping her on edge.

"Should we go back?"

Xingge didn't quite understand Liang's meaning, but seeing that she had decided to act, she also got up. As an adult, she felt that if a real crisis occurred, she should take action, at least not lose face like before.

"Okay, let's go together, the three of us. If we can find a pen tip, we can just sign our names."

Liang nodded and said, glancing at Hongxia before looking at the three people opposite him after seeing her nod.

"We have to go out again? Then I won't go this time. It's not worth it for that inexplicable registration."

Hondou Haruka yawned, waved his hand, and said with a disgruntled expression. He didn't look like he was trapped in some kind of ghost story dungeon; he looked more like an impatient elementary school student being disciplined on a school field trip.

"I...I'll stay here too. I don't really want to go outside."

Torio Mami shook her head as well. Unlike Hondou Haruka, who seemed to be deliberately putting on an act, she was clearly genuinely scared. If nothing unusual happened, she might stay in this house until she died.

“I’ll go out with you. I also want to take this opportunity to investigate this place more thoroughly. We’ve inexplicably ended up in such a dangerous place, so we have to find a way back. I came to Tokyo to study, and I don’t want to be stuck in this godforsaken place forever.”

Shizuko Ogiyama adjusted her glasses, stood up, and spoke while holding the only key to room 109.

"Well, I guess I'll go out too. I really should find a way to leave this place."

As a result, Haruka Hondo, who had just been looking bored, immediately changed her mind, waved her little hand and ran to Shizuko Ogiyama's side, patting her on the shoulder.

Judging from the expression on the girl's face, she probably didn't like this kind of physical contact. She just twitched her lips helplessly and habitually endured it.

"Then...then I'll go too."

Then, Tori-o-Mami changed her mind and followed, trembling. It seemed that although she wanted to stay in the house, she didn't feel very safe in this seemingly ordinary house if she were alone.

Hongxia moved closer to Liang and nudged her gently without saying a word, but Liang could already understand what she meant: she was asking herself, "Is everything alright?"

Liang nodded slightly, though her movements were somewhat hesitant. Of course, she wanted to answer confidently that there was no problem, but when she thought of the hideous monsters she had seen before and the ragtag group of people hastily assembled here, she honestly had no confidence at all.

It would be great if there was a really reliable person here.

Despite having this thought in her mind, Ryou tried her best to maintain her usual calm expression and walked towards the door with Shizuko Ogiyama.

Reach out.

Shizuko Ogiyama, who had reached the door first, placed her hand on the doorknob and was about to push the door open.

"Wait a moment."

Whether it was a premonition, an intuition, or simply a sense of vigilance, Ryo reached out and pressed down on Shizuko Ogiyama's hand, preventing her from opening the door.

"what happened?"

Shizuko Ogiyama was somewhat puzzled, but Ryo did not answer her. Instead, he looked at the door in front of him.

whoosh-

There seemed to be a faint breeze, which suddenly swept through the doorway.

At this moment, Ryo used the power she had recently acquired, which allowed her to slightly detach her consciousness from her body, thereby changing her perspective and enhancing her observational abilities.

The heavy door that was originally impenetrable vanished from Liang's sight. The dark, damp corridor came directly into her perception.

And the person standing motionless in the corridor, facing directly at the door of room 109.

Chapter Seven: The Discordant Elements of the Temporary Squad and the Exploration of the Soul's Perspective

There are people outside the door.

A tall man with his head down, his face obscured, wearing a dirty security guard uniform.

He stood outside the gate of 109, having been there for some time now, facing directly towards the gate.

The instant she realized this fact, and felt the chilling atmosphere outside the door, Liang felt as if her breath had stopped, and she froze on the spot, unable to move.

Of course, Liang didn't let fear overwhelm her consciousness. The moment she realized she was being watched, she immediately tensed up, taking out the laptop she had been carrying under her armpit, ready to turn it on and release its red light at any moment.

"Hey?"

But the moment she made her move, the scene she perceived suddenly changed. The figure standing outside the door vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the area outside empty and devoid of anything unusual.

Hallucination?

In that instant, Yamada Ryo couldn't help but have this thought.

No, that's not right. The figure I just saw couldn't possibly be an illusion!

According to Alice, the ability to see through illusions using a soul's perspective is precisely what allows one to see through illusions. Therefore, what I just saw must have been real. In that case, that person probably discovered my spying, which is why they disappeared. That means that person... no, they shouldn't be human. That terrifying aura could never be emitted by a human; it must be a ghost. The one standing outside the door should be a ghost.

After confirming what was standing outside the door, Liang's body stiffened even more. Seeing this, Shizuko Ogiyama realized something was wrong and withdrew her hand from the doorknob.

"No, what are you all standing there for at the door?"

Next, Hondou Haruka walked up with a puzzled look on her face and reached out to put her hand on the doorknob to open the door.

"Wait a moment!"

Ryo hadn't expected that after Nijika and Hoshika on his side started to change their ways and stop acting foolishly, this friend of Shizuko Ogiyama would immediately take over the mess and grab the other's hand. Shizuko Ogiyama also reacted immediately, stepping aside to block Haruka Hondou from opening the door.

As a result, Hondo Haruka's face changed instantly after being pushed, and she immediately shoved back forcefully. Taking advantage of her height and strength, she made Ogiyama Shizuko stagger. Ryo was blocked and had no time to react, so he could only watch helplessly as the other party went to open the door.

However, the next moment, as Ijichi Hoshika's figure flashed by, Hondou Haruka, who was showing a smug expression, had her outstretched hand grabbed and forcefully pulled off the doorknob.

"Are you brainless or just naturally stupid? Don't you know how to read the situation?"

With that in mind, Iji Tomoka, relying on her adult strength and 166cm height, dragged Hondou Haruka aside.

"What's it to you? Are you out of your mind—"

Almost immediately, Hondou Haruka, who had been somewhat smug just moments before, revealed a fierce expression like that of a thug, and began to utter extremely loud and vulgar language.

Snapped!

Then Xingge slapped him across the face, interrupting him abruptly.

Shizuko Ogiyama paused, but made no move to stop them. Nijika had never seen her older sister like this before. After a moment of surprise, she instinctively tried to intervene, but was immediately stopped by Ryo. As for Torio Mami, who was at the very back, this only adult present had no intention of stepping forward. Instead, she was startled by Hoshika and trembled as she backed away.

As for Hondou Haruka, who was slapped, interrupted, and insulted, her expression quickly twisted after a brief moment of stunned silence.

"You idiot—"

Snapped!

The dyed-hair stunt girl's second attempt was abruptly interrupted by Hoshika's slap. This attack was noticeably more severe, causing Hondou Haruka to bleed from the nose.

"I'm going to kill—"

Snap! Thud!

On his third attempt, Hondou Haruka lunged at Hoshika with a ferocious expression, only to be slapped in the ear for the third time, causing him to feel dizzy and his ears to ring. Then, Hoshika delivered a knee strike to his stomach, causing him to crouch down in pain, no longer displaying his previous arrogance.

"elder sister……"

Hongxia was stunned and speechless when she saw Xingge beating someone up for the first time.

"Ah, sorry, it's been a long time since I've punched anyone, but it seems like my touch is still there."

Xingge simply nodded slightly, looking completely calm, not at all like someone who had just suppressed a teammate.

"Sorry, this person isn't very bright and likes to go against others in all sorts of things."