Given that the students had already locked eyes with us, perhaps it was a foregone conclusion.
‘No matter what, they’ll chase us.’
Even with a flashlight, moving through this haunted school while being hunted by two entities was sheer madness for an ordinary person.
It was a choice only a Disaster Management Bureau agent, equipped with tools and experience, could reasonably make.
‘Still, I would’ve done it differently.’
But spilled milk is spilled milk. Thinking rationally, I had to admit—
Being discovered by the agent was far riskier than dying within this nightmare.
Not only would death here be just an unfortunate side note, but I’d likely face interrogation and an investigation.
‘I have no choice but to trust the agent’s judgment for now.’
Still, I had to hold my weight—at least do my part.
‘If I’m going to act, it needs to be now.’
As the agent moved, I followed him into the classroom.
I reached toward the student by the back door and snatched their name tag.
‘Uuuugh!’
This was nerve-wracking.
The unmoving student, frozen in place, seemed ready to whip around and crush my skull at any moment.
But nothing happened, and I succeeded.
‘Huu.’
As my hand trembled with a mix of relief and revulsion, I heard something.
“S-Save me…”
I froze.
The student entity appeared to be stepping on a severed neck, but there was more.
Beneath them, someone was still alive.
Tears streamed down the face of the survivor, who whispered weakly, as though they lacked the strength to scream or curse.
“P-Please…”
After a brief but fierce internal debate, I made my decision.
……
“……! Hicc, sob… o-okay…”
I couldn’t be sure since my gaze was fixed on the student entity, but it seemed like the person beneath them gave a faint nod.
Slowly, I backed away and rejoined the agent. Together, we exited the classroom and began moving swiftly down the corridor.
“Keep looking ahead. I’ll keep an eye on the classroom.”
“…Understood.”
The agent turned on his flashlight, focusing on the back of the entity that had been watching us from the front door.
Meanwhile, I kept my eyes on the corridor, ready to ‘freeze’ any new entities that might appear.
We hugged the wall as we moved, ensuring no blind spots for either of us.
Our movements were silent yet desperate.
Finally, as the classroom faded from view, and I was certain one of the two entities was no longer visible, the agent muttered in confusion,
“Why aren’t they chasing us? Don’t tell me…”
A ripple of unease emanated from the agent’s back, pressed against mine.
“Was there someone alive in the room? Are they watching the students?”
“…Yes.”
The agent exhaled deeply.
“They must have been too injured to move. …You did well. During a Disaster, securing your own safety comes first. Helping others comes after.”
“Head for the staircase. We’ll stop briefly by the fire hydrant.”
“Understood.”
I resumed walking.
And then…
Flicker.
…The lights went out again.
“I’m shining the flashlight.”
“Yes.”
I kept moving forward, and that’s when it hit me.
During the blackout just now—
The person I’d given the name tag to had died.
‘They’re coming.’
The two entities would be leaving the classroom now.
But since my job was to watch the front and freeze anything new that appeared, I couldn’t look back to confirm it.
The thought alone made my hair stand on end.
“Do not panic. You still have a chance.”
“You obtained a name tag earlier, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, you just need to commit suicide.”
I almost passed out.
“Let’s do it as soon as we stop by the emergency light. You look so pale—it’d be best for you to wake from this nightmare quickly. With the name tag, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“…Wait.”
But there’s something.
I swallowed hard.
“I did acquire a name tag, but I no longer have it in my possession.”
“I gave it to the person who was alive in the classroom.”
That’s right.
Earlier, I deliberately dropped the name tag on the floor so the person beneath the ‘student’ could grab it.
– If you hold onto this, you’ll wake up from this dream.
– ……! Hicc, sob… o-okay…
“Since they have the name tag, they’ll wake up safely.”
And they even bought us some time by doing so.
The agent let out a sharp breath, heavy with frustration and stress. Then, in a more fatigued and businesslike tone, he spoke,
“…You must have assumed I had a spare name tag.”
“No. You don’t need to give me one. That’s something you obtained yourself.”
“You need more name tags, don’t you? You’ll likely need to distribute them to your colleagues.”
“…
Of course.
I wasn’t saying this because I was a fool with no plan.
‘I’m fine, really.’
Why?
‘Because I never intended to acquire a name tag and commit suicide in the first place!’
Exploration Record #13
The log I had used as the basis for my escape plan—the wiki entry I had written—was the record of an explorer who had never obtained a name tag to begin with.
I had analyzed this ghost story extensively, thinking through its variables, and had come to one conclusion.
‘To clear this without physically dying, you need to perform a specific action without possessing a name tag…!’
Moreover, this method allowed you to bring back the highest-grade Dream Essence solution as a reward.
‘So I have to do it.’
The D-squad—or rather, my new squad—needed proof that I could maintain similar levels of performance even under unfamiliar circumstances.