I can't remember how I ended up in a place like this.
The last thing I remember was a perfectly ordinary day at school. But the next moment, I opened my eyes to find myself in a dilapidated room, lying on a filthy, dusty bed that reeked as if it hadn't been washed in ages.
Kidnapping? Extortion? Imprisonment?
Various possibilities flashed through my mind.
Regardless, this was an unprecedented emergency that required my full and utmost attention.
At that moment, Kaguya Shinomiya entered a state of combat readiness.
To abduct me, the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, directly from Shuchiin and bring me to a place like this... this was no feat an ordinary kidnapper could accomplish.
I must be as cautious as possible and first try to assess my surroundings. Acting rashly could lead to unforeseen consequences.
Having processed all this in an instant, Kaguya Shinomiya remained composed and quickly decided on a course of action.
She cracked her eyes open slightly, keeping her body still, and rapidly scanned her surroundings. She noticed a man lying beside her. He appeared to be asleep, but a slight movement of his head revealed he was also surveying the room.
It was hard to judge his exact age from the side, but he was likely a young man, somewhere between 18 and 22. His clothes seemed to be of average quality, and they were splattered with suspicious red and white stains. He was tall, roughly 183 cm by my estimation, making him about 25 cm taller than me, and his build wasn't frail. Considering he might be a trained operative, confronting him directly would make it difficult to subdue him on the first try. I couldn't be reckless.
For Kaguya Shinomiya—the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Group, one of Japan's four great conglomerates, raised isolated from the world like a girl in a box—being this close to a strange man was utterly unbearable.
But her strict upbringing and cultivated rationality made her acutely aware that she was currently in an unfamiliar environment, isolated and without support. With so much unknown, cautious action was essential.
He could be a victim trapped here like me, or he could be an agent planted by the mastermind. In any case, his feigned sleep and surreptitious observation showed he was also a very careful person. It was possible he'd already realized I was pretending to be asleep. If so, he would be on guard against my movements, making the chance of subduing him by surprise slim. The best course of action, then, would be to put some distance between us first.
If Hayasaka were here, with her skills... No. As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, I shouldn't be dwelling on things that are meaningless for improving my current situation. In any case, I can't just wait and see. I have to do something now!
As Kaguya Shinomiya's mind raced, formulating a strategy, her body tensed unconsciously.
However, just before she could act, a piercing sound rang out, and she lost control of her body. Then, the same eerie voice Gao Hai had heard echoed clearly in her ears.
[...Player Kaguya Shinomiya, this is the first game you will participate in. Game Level: Twilight]
[Your victory condition is: Escape the Shirakawa Apartments]
[The time limit for this game is: Seven days]
[Now issuing...]
The specific content delivered by the voice was no different from what Gao Hai had heard, merely with a different name.
But unlike Gao Hai, Kaguya Shinomiya, who had no idea what any of this was, was utterly horrified. If not for the mysterious force paralyzing her body, her expression would have surely contorted dramatically.
What in the world is happening?
My body can't move.
It feels as if my breathing has stopped. No, when that voice sounded, I truly couldn't breathe.
From the tips of my hair to my toes, every part of my body was immobile, like the frozen remains of an explorer who fell into a crevasse, only to be discovered by people much later. As long as I'm not removed from the ice, there's no possibility of ever moving again.
But that wasn't what shocked the girl most.
When the voice spoke, it wasn't just that she couldn't move; she couldn't feel her body at all. If her own powerful consciousness hadn't immediately forced her to focus on her breathing and heartbeat, she would never have noticed while listening to that voice that her breathing had ceased and her heart had stopped. It was as if all physical sensation had abandoned her, as if her soul had left her body.
This was far beyond what any kidnapper could do.
This completely defied logic. It was incomprehensible, utterly unreal—something that shouldn't exist.
What kind of situation have I fallen into?
No, this is not the time to panic. Fear will not help me escape this situation. I need to know what to do next.
As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, raised in the cold and ruthless world of a financial conglomerate, Kaguya Shinomiya's mind had long been forged. Even when faced with an incomprehensible situation that utterly transcended common sense, she forced herself to remain calm and listen carefully to the contents of that eerie voice's message.
Sacrificial Game? Escape the Shirakawa Apartments? A seven-day time limit?
These prompts sounded like a meaningless word game, but if the other party provided this information, there must be a reason.
Kaguya Shinomiya considered many things in that moment, but with so little information available, she couldn't reach any effective conclusions.
Soon, as the voice faded, Kaguya Shinomiya regained control of her body. She quickly sat up, subtly flexing her hands and feet, her gaze immediately locking onto the person beside her.
"What... the..."
Gao Hai's reaction on the other side was much more dramatic.
The sudden loss and recovery of control over his body brought a strong sense of discomfort, causing him to roll right off the bed. Even so, he instinctively reached out and grabbed a note from the bedside table, then scrambled to his feet, took two steps back, and looked up.
Their gazes met.
"Ahem, uh, *konnichiwa*? Nice weather today, huh."
He didn't know what the right thing to say was, but he figured he should at least greet her.
With that in mind, Gao Hai waved at Kaguya Shinomiya, who was sitting on the bed, and tried his best to put on a harmless smile.
"...That voice just now, did you hear it too?"
Her eyes glanced at the note in Gao Hai's hand. Kaguya Shinomiya got off the bed and stood beside it, maintaining a distance of about three meters from Gao Hai as she spoke.
Based on her analysis of the situation, it was highly likely this man had been kidnapped and thrown here just like her. Although she couldn't rule out other possibilities yet, communication was necessary. Therefore, after a moment's thought, Kaguya Shinomiya decided to tentatively initiate a conversation with him.
"If you mean the voice that said I've become a player in the 'Sacrificial Game' and made my body freeze, then yes, I heard it. So, are you like me? Someone who was inexplicably brought to this place?"
As Gao Hai spoke, he took another step back, increasing the distance between them to ensure they both felt a little safer.
"Is that so? My name is Kaguya Shinomiya. May I ask your name?"
From her cold expression, Gao Hai couldn't read Kaguya Shinomiya's emotions at all, nor could he glean anything from her almost monotonous tone of voice.
This black-haired girl in a Shuchiin Academy uniform, though her figure and posture still had a touch of youthfulness, as if she hadn't fully matured, possessed an icy aura that was a world apart from her portrayal in the anime. Gao Hai suspected that even a young man in his twenties or thirties with little life experience might not be able to remain calm before this Kaguya Shinomiya, unable to withstand her piercing, knife-like gaze.
However, for Gao Hai, who had lost his parents early and had already been through the school of hard knocks, Kaguya Shinomiya's aura wasn't enough to give him any debuffs. He quickly calmed down and began to speak:
"My name is Gao Hai."
"Uh, Miss Shinomiya, if I'm not mistaken, you suddenly lost consciousness and woke up to find yourself here, right?"
"The same thing happened to me. I was just tidying up at home, and then suddenly I was here. Anyway, I think we might have been dragged into something really serious. Do you have any experience with this kind of thing?"
"Also, I noticed this printed paper earlier. It seems out of place in this rundown room. I think something might be written on it. Whether it's from the mastermind or something else, I believe it has some value. Do you want to take a look?"
Organizing his thoughts, Gao Hai spoke at a steady pace, holding up the printed paper in his hand.
Although he hadn't examined the paper's contents closely because he was busy watching her, a quick glance had allowed him to see the line: [Shirakawa Apartments Resident Handbook].
The text appeared to be Chinese, meaning she might not be able to read it. But considering they were caught up in this bizarre, supernatural event, maybe Miss Kaguya Shinomiya here also had some kind of language cheat ability. No, wait. In her original story, she's the daughter of a conglomerate chairman and so talented it's practically a cheat code itself. The possibility that she could read Chinese directly was also very high.
Gao Hai maintained a cautious attitude and didn't get any closer to this Kaguya Shinomiya.
Firstly, there were still too many unknowns about the current situation. Secondly, he remembered clearly from the original work featuring Kaguya Shinomiya that this girl, who looked to be under 1.6 meters tall, was actually quite a capable fighter. She could overpower an ordinary man with sheer muscle, throw a 175 cm tall high school boy to the ground and knock him out cold, and had systematically studied everything from archery and swordsmanship to hand-to-hand combat. On top of that, she was clearly on high alert, just as confused as he was. If he approached, he might end up like Ip Man's wooden dummy, taken down by a flurry of her attacks and possibly even knocked unconscious on the spot.
"Put it on the table. We can look at it at the same time."
Kaguya Shinomiya didn't answer Gao Hai's first question, only responding to the second.
She pointed to a low, round table at the side of the room and walked over to one side of it, positioning herself directly across from Gao Hai.
"At the same time?"
Gao Hai didn't quite understand. Did she intend to stand next to him to read it? But she was clearly on guard and wary of him right now.
"Reading upside-down text isn't difficult for me. Just put it on the table."
Seemingly noticing Gao Hai's confusion, Kaguya Shinomiya offered a brief explanation, all while maintaining her defensive posture with the table between them.
"If you're sure, then alright."
Understanding what she meant, Gao Hai slowly placed the printed paper in the center of the small round table. The text was facing him, so he could read it without difficulty. As for whether Kaguya Shinomiya would have any trouble reading it upside down, since she herself said it was fine, Gao Hai wasn't about to insist on being a gentleman. A beautiful girl was nice to look at, but this could very well be a life-or-death situation, and he didn't have the leisure for pleasantries.
After putting the paper down, Gao Hai let go and resumed his position standing across the table from Kaguya Shinomiya. He then turned his attention to the paper's contents.
On the other side, Kaguya Shinomiya remained on guard, her attention split as she also looked at the paper. Just as she had said, reading the upside-down text posed no difficulty for her at all. In fact, she could probably read the entire sheet faster than Gao Hai and memorize all of its contents at a glance.
[Shirakawa Apartments Resident Handbook]
This was the title on the printed paper, intentionally enlarged and colored red, making it immediately noticeable.
[When you see this handbook, you have likely just woken up in this apartment. I imagine you don't know what's going on right now. Maybe you're thinking about quickly opening the door and leaving, or maybe you're thinking about calling the police or some other nonsense. But I advise you not to do that. Read this handbook as quickly as you can, finish it, and then memorize it. It is your only hope for survival here.
I hope you understand that from the moment you were chosen by these Shirakawa Apartments, you can never escape. Adapt to these rules, strive to survive. This is the one and only thing that you, that we, that all of us trapped in this place, must do]
The printed text was a very ordinary bold sans-serif font, seemingly bolded throughout.
Reading these words, Gao Hai felt a strong sense of foreboding well up from deep within, but he willed himself to remain calm and continued reading the specific contents of this so-called resident handbook.
Handbook Contents:
1. You may only enter or exit the Shirakawa Apartments through the main entrance between 8:00 and 17:50. Do not enter or exit outside of this time frame. Do not enter or exit from anywhere other than the main entrance.
(Sometimes, entering or exiting at times like 7:59 or 17:51 is also safe; the time is not absolute. But trust me, that's only *sometimes*. Some people who thought they had figured out the safe times have already paid the price. I assume you don't want to become one of them. As for trying to leave from somewhere other than the main entrance, like a window, I can only say that unless it is absolutely necessary, do not do it.)
2. After 21:00, do not linger anywhere outside of your room.
(Stay in your room, the room where you woke up. As soon as it's past 9 PM, every place in this apartment outside your room becomes unsafe, be it the hallways or the stairwells. Enough people have already paid the price for this. Don't worry about the time; the clock in your room is absolutely accurate. The clocks in every room here are absolutely precise. They will not deceive you.)
3. When you hear a child crying and a knock on the door at the same time, do not open the door. Do not make a sound. Pretend no one is home until the sounds disappear.
(Sometimes, the nights in this apartment become very restless, but all you need to do is pretend you don't know. For this apartment building, children are the greatest taboo. I can't tell you too much; you'll understand when the time comes. But for now, you just need to know that curiosity is the last thing you need here. If you want to live, don't be curious.)
4. After nightfall, do not turn on the lights. Do not make any noise inside your room.
(This rule is actually an extension of rule #3. Don't turn on the lights, don't speak. Keep your room dark and quiet, as if no one has ever lived here. This is what you must do if you want to survive. Of course, don't forget to lock your door, but that's common sense. I assume I don't need to write that down as a rule for you, right?)
5. There are no children in the Shirakawa Apartments. If you encounter any children in the apartment, do not interact with them. Avoid them as much as possible.
(No child has ever been chosen by this apartment. To date, the youngest resident was already 20 years old. Furthermore, no one besides us chosen ones can enter this apartment building. There have been no exceptions to this. So, do not approach any child you see in the apartment. Of course, you can try if you don't believe me, but if you do, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself.)
6. If your path is blocked by children and you cannot avoid them, climb on top of a tall cabinet and wait for them to leave.
(If you've spent time in the apartment's hallways, you'll notice there are many cabinets placed around. Each is about two meters tall, almost reaching the ceiling, but a person can just about lie flat on top. We managed to set up these cabinets, and they usually have some useful supplies left on them. When you have no way out, if you still can, climb on top of a cabinet. Some people who violated rule #1 have also survived using this trick. If you find yourself in that situation, remember to stay on the cabinet until 8 AM.)
7. If you encounter children in the apartment and survive, do not mention the topic anywhere. Do not discuss it with others or talk to yourself about it. You cannot even leave a written record.
(Perhaps you've already noticed that these rules deliberately avoid describing certain things. As I said before, children are the greatest taboo in this apartment. I can't tell you why. After you experience it, you will naturally understand why it must be this way. I trust you will keep quiet then. As for before you encounter such a thing, all you need to do is follow the rules as best you can and pray you don't have one of those "lucky moments." If you survive, don't think you can relax just because you're alone. Don't speak of it, don't write it down. Many people have already paid the price for this, even implicating others.)
8. Room 304 does not exist in the Shirakawa Apartments. Do not interact with anyone who claims to be from Room 304.
(When you meet any non-child person in the Shirakawa Apartments, if you decide to communicate, the first thing you must do is determine which room they are from. As long as it's not Room 304, they can be trusted, or at least you can have a normal conversation with them. But if they claim to be from Room 304, do not interact with them any further. Even if they were once your friend, they are not anymore. Avoid them, do not talk to them. You can use force if necessary, but never inflict an injury that could be fatal or cause them to lose consciousness. Absolutely not.)
9. In every 3-day period, a resident must spend 1 day inside the Shirakawa Apartments. You can only be away from the Shirakawa Apartments for a maximum of two days.
(If you think you can just escape the apartment, you are gravely mistaken. Many people have thought that, but they can only stay away for two days at most. When the third day arrives, they will return to the Shirakawa Apartments, whether they want to or not. Moreover, they usually return at night, and I think you don't want to know what entering the apartment at that time means. It is very difficult for those chosen by the apartment to truly leave this place. But you don't have to give up. The friends and I who wrote these rules, and many others, have not given up. Survive. Only by surviving can we find a true way out.)
10. When you have spent 6 consecutive nights in the Shirakawa Apartments, you cannot stay in the apartment on the night of the 7th day. You cannot spend 7 consecutive nights in the apartment.
(The number 7 seems to have some special meaning in the Shirakawa Apartments. Some people believe 7 days represent a cycle here. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that people who stay in the apartment for 7 consecutive days disappear on the 7th day, even if they stay in their own room. So, don't stay in this apartment all the time. Go out for a walk once in a while. It's good for your health, isn't it?)
By now, you should have some understanding of the situation in this apartment. You might think I'm just fearmongering, but believe me, this thing that clings to us like a curse is no laughing matter. These are the rules that every single one of us here must obey. Every rule on this list was paid for with human lives. To cherish it is to cherish your own life.
I am Xusheng, an old resident of this apartment. My room is 309. If you want to know more, you can come find me during the day. I'm usually around, except on Sundays.
...
The handbook was over two thousand characters long, which seemed like a lot, but it didn't take Gao Hai much time to read it.
But, finishing reading it was one thing.
The mental shock it delivered was another thing entirely.
This... what the hell... isn't this a goddamn "rules of horror" story? This is totally a "rules of horror" story, isn't it!?
My slice-of-life youth, my 2D harem, my protagonist treatment from a Ciweimao otaku-pandering web novel... how did I end up as a lab rat in a "rules of horror" story!?
Why? Tell me why?!!
At that moment, though Gao Hai's face remained a mask of calm, seemingly unfazed, he was already roaring in his heart.
________________________________________
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