"...anybody here?"
I looked around the room and saw a notebook floating above the desk.
"Oh, cool!"
I walked over and grabbed the notebook.
Its questions weren't much different, just without Baldi's face.
After finishing, I headed out.
"?"
I noticed something watching me.
"I see you, friend."
Its voice was scratchy, like it came from a broken radio.
Its appearance was... strange, with wheels, a heart in the middle, and two huge hands.
"Umm, hello?"
"Will you marry me?"
Wow, what a wild opener!
"Ummm, no sir, I don't like—"
It suddenly zoomed toward me like a motorcycle, startling me.
"Wait, wait, hold on!"
It pushed me with terrifying speed, and I was slammed face-first into the wall.
And to my left, Baldi was approaching.
"Oh no."
"I am 1st Prize and—"
"Alright, thanks for sharing your name, now please get out of my way!"
I tried to wiggle out of 1st Prize's grip, but it was so slow.
Even worse, it turned me toward Baldi, ready to push me again.
"No, no, no! Don't do that!"
"Just one little hug."
1st Prize shoved me toward Baldi, but I used all my strength to leap over it.
Right after, 1st Prize crashed Baldi into the wall, making me sigh in relief.
"Phew, at least I still have more muscle power than that guy."
I left the area, searching for more notebooks.
While looking, I figured out what the coin was for.
It was for the vending machine—insert the coin, and I got a BSoda.
Not sure what it does, but I'll keep it for now.
"Another notebook! Nice!"
"Chocolate bar? Well, I hope it's useful, I'll take it."
"Another notebook!"
Things were going pretty smoothly; I already had five notebooks.
But I didn't know how many more I needed to collect, and time was limited since someone outside the school wasn't exactly patient.
And Baldi's ruler-smacking was getting faster—could it be related to the number of notebooks I'd collected?
"Give me something Greaaaaaaat..."
"Ah, not you again."
Seeing the bully blocking my path, I had to find another way around.
No one likes giving stuff to this guy—what a pain.
"No bullying in the hall."
The Principal appeared and made the bully vanish into thin air.
"...wow."
If I escape this place, I'm definitely writing down everything that happens here to make a game.
"LOOKS LIKE IT'S SWEEPING TIME!!"
A booming voice made me cover my ears—I didn't know where it came from.
"GOTTA SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!!"
A giant broom appeared, zooming at breakneck speed.
"What now???"
It pushed me around, sending me all over the place.
Even the Principal, Playtime, 1st Prize, and that weird sock puppet got swept away.
And Baldi was right in front of me!!
"Damn it! Let me out!!!"
As I got closer and closer to Baldi, my mind raced.
Then I realized I could use the chocolate bar while the Principal was here.
So, I ate it right in front of him.
"No eating in the hall."
After that, the Principal and I appeared in the detention room.
"30 seconds detention for you. Your parents will hear about this one."
He left, and I sighed, then climbed out the window.
"I don't know how many minutes have passed... I have to hurry!"
I tried to find the remaining notebooks and only managed to get one more.
Now, Baldi's speed was even faster, forcing me to exert more effort to escape him.
"Where are they?? I've been searching forever and still can't find them!"
"Oh god! Not this door??"
"This door looks familiar... I think I've opened it before."
"Gahhhhh!!"
I collapsed, exhausted, not knowing where the notebooks were.
The sound of Baldi's ruler smacking got closer, forcing me to keep moving.
Finally, I ended up back where I started.
"Goddamn."
Since when did I have the ability to get lost like this? This place is like a damn maze.
"Ughh... Do I have to keep going?"
Just as I moved forward, a sound that wasn't Baldi's ruler echoed.
No... It was a voice, and it felt eerily familiar.
"...the heck?"
I looked at the door where I'd found the first notebook and opened it slowly.
Slowly... Slowly...
"What do I do?! I can't just stay trapped here!"
"?"
That voice?!
I flung the door open, startling the person inside.
I looked at them, and they looked at me.
Both of us were utterly shocked.
"..."
It was me.
"AGHHH!!!"
"AGHHH!!!"
He fell back, retreating.
I was sweating, staring at someone with my face, my style, my clothes—identical to me.
Wait a second?! Does that mean he's the one who—?!
Rage surged within me. I stepped forward and grabbed his collar.
"You bastard! Where are Uncle Ben and Aunt May?!"
"Calm down, please!"
"Calm down?! You ruined my family, and you're telling me to calm down?!"
"Please listen to me!"
I shoved him hard against the desk and glared at him.
"Listen to a guy who stole my identity? Who do you think you are?!"
"Please... Please, just... Listen to me."
I noticed the bitterness and sadness on his face, which felt a bit strange.
I thought Doppelgangers only took on personalities after replacing the original? He hasn't even replaced me yet.
Could it be... He's the Angel?!
Just to be safe, I prepared to kill this malevolent entity. If it kept living, it would harm people!
Grabbing a chair, I was ready to swing it hard at him.
[Calm down, the fun's just starting!]
The chair stopped, inches from hitting him.
'What do you mean?'
[According to that Tony guy, the Angel can transform into someone else's appearance and even take on their memories.]
'Huh? What do you mean—'
I froze, eyes wide, staring at him.
[Normally, these Angels have no trouble handling human memories, so they mimic the original perfectly.]
[But there's one problem... That's you, Peter. You have a ton of memories because of me.]
[When Angels attack the original's psyche, they dig up the darkest memories to instill fear. But Peter Parker's memories are a million tragedies, and it's not just one Peter—it's countless Peters.]
"Don't tell me..." I looked at my alternate self, still filled with sadness.
[Exactly. The overwhelming memories and countless tragedies that no human should endure overpowered the Angel's personality and memories, drowning it in the suffering of all the Peters.]
[And that, by accident... made the Angel believe it *is* Peter Parker.]
"..."
I didn't know why the Outer God was being so talkative, or if it was even telling the truth.
But I had to confirm one thing first.
"Hey, other me."
He looked up.
"Where are Uncle Ben and Aunt May? You must know, right?"
"...You're not mad at me?"
"I'm still mad... Unless you tell me where they are and if they're okay."
"...It's all my fault. If I... If I hadn't turned into you... I wouldn't have ruined everything like this..." He collapsed, blaming himself.
"..." I looked at this other me, who was on the verge of tears.
I had to find both of them, through this other me.