"Put it on the table. We can read it at the same time."
Kaguya did not respond to Takumi's first question—only to the second.
She gestured toward the small round table on one side of the room. Her steps carried her to one side of it, leaving the table neatly between her and Takumi.
"At the same time?"
Takumi wasn't quite sure what she meant. Was she planning to stand beside him and read together? But she was clearly still on guard against him, wasn't she?
"Reading text upside down is no problem for me. Just place it on the table."
Perhaps noticing his confusion, Kaguya gave a brief explanation while keeping the table between them, her posture still guarded.
"If you're sure about that, then fine."
Understanding her meaning, Takumi slowly set the printer paper down on the little round table, placing it in the center. The text faced his side, so he could read it with ease. As for whether Kaguya could handle reading it upside down—that was her own concern. Since she had suggested it, Takumi saw no need to insist on any kind of gentlemanly courtesy. No matter how pleasing a beautiful girl might be to look at, right now this could very well be a life-or-death situation. He had no time for frivolous thoughts.
Once the sheet was placed, Takumi released it and straightened, standing once more with the table between them. His eyes turned toward the words on the paper.
On the other side, Kaguya remained wary, yet still divided her attention to glance down at the page. Just as she had claimed, reading upside-down text posed no challenge for her. She even scanned through the page faster than Takumi himself, committing its contents to memory at first glance.
[Rules of Life in Shirakawa Apartments]
That was the title printed at the top of the page. The font had been deliberately enlarged and marked in red, making it impossible to miss.
[When you see this set of rules, you should have just woken up in this apartment not long ago. I imagine you don't yet know what has happened; maybe you're thinking of opening the door and leaving right away, maybe you're thinking of calling the police or something else. But I suggest you don't do that yet. Read through this set of rules as fast as you can, finish it, and remember it. This is your only reliance to survive here.
I hope you can understand, from the moment you were chosen by the Shirakawa Apartment, you have already lost the possibility of ever escaping it. Adapting to these rules and struggling to live on — this is the only thing you, we, and everyone trapped here must and can do.
The printed font was very ordinary boldface. The entire text appeared deliberately thickened.]
Seeing these words, Takumi already felt a strong sense of foreboding welling up from the depths of his heart, though he forced himself to remain calm by sheer willpower and continued to look at the so-called survival rules.
[Rules:
The Shirakawa Apartment can only be entered or exited through the main gate between 08:00 and 17:50. At any other time, you cannot go in or out, nor can you leave through anywhere other than the main gate.
(Sometimes, at times like 07:59 or 17:51, entering or exiting the apartment is still safe. This timing is not absolute. But believe me, that is only sometimes. Those who thought they had mastered the safe timing already paid with their lives. I don't think you plan to become one of them. As for if you want to try leaving through someplace other than the main gate, like the window, I can only say — unless absolutely desperate, don't do it.)
After 21:00, do not remain anywhere other than your own room.
(Stay in your room — the room you woke up in here. Once it's past 9 p.m., anywhere in this apartment besides your room becomes unsafe, whether the corridor, whether the stairwell. Enough people have already paid for this. Don't worry about the time: the clock in your room is absolutely precise. Every clock in every room here is precise. They will not deceive you.)
When you hear a child's crying together with knocking at the door, do not open it and do not make a sound. Pretend there is no one inside until the noise disappears.
(Sometimes, the nights in this apartment will become restless. But all you need to do is pretend not to notice. For this building, children are the greatest taboo. I can't tell you too much; you will understand if you get the chance. But for now, you only need to know — curiosity is the most useless thing here. If you want to live, don't be curious.)
After night falls, do not turn on the lights, do not make any sound 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 in it. That is what you must do to survive. And of course, don't forget to lock the door. But that should be common sense — I don't think I need to especially write that into the rules for you, right?)
No children exist inside the Shirakawa Apartment. If you encounter any children here, do not talk to them and avoid them as much as possible.
(No one chosen by this apartment has ever been a child. Up to now, the youngest resident has already been 20 years old, and apart from those of us who were chosen, no one else can enter this apartment. This has had no exceptions so far. So, do not approach any children you see in the apartment. Of course, if you don't believe this, you can try — but in that case you'll have to bear the consequences yourself.)
When your path is blocked by children and there is no way to avoid them, climb onto a tall cabinet and wait for them to leave.
(If you've stayed in the apartment's corridors, you'll have noticed that there are a lot of cabinets here. Each is about 2 m high, almost reaching the ceiling, though just enough for a person to lie on top. We built these cabinets ourselves, and supplies you might need are often left on them. When you have no other way out, if you can still do it, climb up to the top of the cabinet. Some who broke Rule 1 survived by this trick. If you're in that situation, remember to stay on the cabinet until 08:00 in the morning.)
If you encounter children in the apartment and survive, do not bring up the topic anywhere. Do not discuss it with anyone, do not mutter to yourself, and do not leave any written record.
(You may have noticed this set of rules deliberately avoids describing some things. As I said before, children are the greatest taboo in this apartment. I can't tell you why; when you've experienced it, you'll naturally understand why it must be so. By then, I believe you'll keep silent. Before you experience that kind of situation, all you need to do is follow the rules as much as you can and pray you don't have that "lucky moment." If you survive, don't think you can relax just because you're alone. Don't speak, don't record. Many have paid for this, even dragging others down with them.)
Room 304 does not exist in the Shirakawa Apartment. Do not interact with anyone claiming to be from Room 304.
(When you meet anyone other than children inside the Shirakawa Apartment, if you decide to talk, the first thing you must do is confirm which room they're from. As long as it's not Room 304, then they can be trusted, at least they can be talked to normally. But if they claim to be from Room 304, don't contact them anymore. Even if they were once your friend, they are no longer. Avoid them, do not speak with them. If necessary, you may use force — but never inflict injuries that could be fatal or cause unconsciousness. Absolutely not.)
Within every 3 days, a resident must spend 1 day living inside the Shirakawa Apartment. You can only leave it for at most 2 days.
(If you think you can simply escape the apartment, you're gravely mistaken. Many have thought so. They can only be away for at most 2 days. When the third day arrives, whether they want to or not, they will return to the Shirakawa Apartment. And in that situation they usually return at night — and what it means to enter the apartment at that time, I don't think you want to know. Those chosen by the apartment find it very hard to truly leave. But you don't have to give up. The one who wrote this set of rules, my friends, and many others haven't given up. Live on. Only by living on can we find the real way out.)
When you have stayed overnight in the Shirakawa Apartment for 6 days in a row, you must not stay inside on the 7th night. You cannot stay overnight in the apartment for 7 consecutive days.
(The number 7 seems to carry some kind of meaning in the Shirakawa Apartment. Some people think 7 days here represents a cycle. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that those who stayed here for 7 days in a row all disappeared on the 7th day, even if they stayed in their own rooms. So don't keep staying in this apartment. Go out for a while; it's also good for your body, isn't it?)
Reading up to here, you should already have a certain understanding of this apartment. Maybe you think I'm just making alarmist claims, but believe me, these things that cling to us like a curse are no joking matter. Every one of us here must follow these rules. Every line above was paid for with human lives. Cherishing them is cherishing your own life.
I am Kyosei, an old resident of this apartment. My room is 309. If you want to know more, you can come find me during the daytime. Except for Sundays, I'm usually around.]