You finish telling your tale about the tree that guarded the path to the underworld. Fidgeting nervously beneath the girls’ stares, you look at the ground. Even as you spoke the words, you could tell how unbelievable it must have sounded. Maeda looks like she thinks it has all been a waste of time, while Uehara seems expectant, waiting for you to say more. When you do not, she asks, “That is it?”
“Yes,” you nod.
“You didn’t find anything else at the tree?”
“…no. I found nothing. I gave the tree some of my blood, as the note suggested, and suddenly I was trapped in the courtyard no longer.”
“Really?” Uehara asks, staring up at you with her big, innocent hazel eyes.
“R-Really,” you gulp.
“What’s the point of pressing him on this, Uehara-san?” asks Maeda impatiently.
“Oh, no, I was just curious, that’s all. Shinoseki-san did tell me that he was going off to check on something… I thought that he would have returned with anything helpful,” sighs Uehara. Then, she smiles at you – a smile that does not reach her eyes. “I’m sure you wouldn’t hide anything from us, right?”
“Right. Of… of course I wouldn’t.”
“Then I shall have to take your word for it,” she quips cheerfully. “Don’t worry! It’s not that I don’t trust you… I was just curious.”
She knows I’m lying.
The voice of a strange thought flashes through your mind, swiftly followed by another.
Kill her. Kill her now.
Your fingers reflexively curl up for an instant before you force them to relax.
That’s right. There should be no more killing.
Bitchbitchbitchbitchbitchbitchbitchbitchbitch-
You blink slowly – the only sign you let show outwardly at the conflicting voices in your head.
“We should get in the building now, it’s freezing,” complains Maeda.
Uehara nods in agreement, placing her hands behind her head and walking off into the lobby.
Pawns – Pieces of the game - Unnecessary action –
“-kay?”
“-you okay?”
“Shinoseki, are you okay?” asks Maeda again.
The voices are obscured by a burst of familiar static and die away as abruptly as they appeared. A shortlist of possibilities scroll through your mind at high speed.
Hallucinations caused by exhaustion.
Schizophrenia.
A hidden metal plate in my head picking up radio signals directly.
Aliens.
A curse of the Juunimon tree.
Ghostly possession.
If you could pick from the choices above, you would definitely pick the first, but life probably isn’t that simple. Shaking your head, you respond to Maeda. “I… I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You just seemed to blank out for a second there. Look, let’s just go inside.”
“O-Okay… thanks for waiting for me,” you say sincerely. After all, Uehara had just gone on ahead of her, and Maeda could have easily done the same.
“Eh? I… ah, no, d-don’t think too much into it,” says Maeda, taken aback at your gratefulness. Considering her status, she should be used to being thanked profusely... but perhaps she does not get a sincere word of thanks all that often. Maeda falls silent and turns away, only pausing to call over her shoulder, “Come on, hurry up, you slowpoke," her tone returning to the familiar, haughty way she uses to address you.
***
The research facility is, to your surprise, relatively clean. There are no scattered corpses, no blood-stained walls. The only sign of something out of place is a lingering feeling of dread that weighs heavily on your shoulders, and the shadows seared into the white walls; black, human-like forms that seem to have been painted onto the once pristine walls. Taking that into account, you are unsure whether this place is worse than the gory spectacle of the main building. You cast your gaze down, examining the coloured lines painted onto the walls and floor. Every now and then there are words written within: Advanced Laboratories. Research Laboratories. Imaging Department. Auditorium. Administrative Offices. These lines must serve as guides. If you follow them, you can probably get to their respective areas. The data that you are looking for would probably be found in the laboratories, but perhaps it would be quicker to search the administrative offices to get an idea of what can be found where.
“The last time I was here, a keycard was needed to get into the laboratories on the top floor,” says Maeda. “We won’t be getting in without one, either. Shinichi would have had a guest card, but he isn’t here with us…” If she is right, there are not many ways you can get around that – you can’t exactly pick an electronic lock with an improvised pin.
“Should we go around searching for a card?” asks Sakimura. “Mori-san?”
“Hm? Ah, yes. Of course. That would be the right course of action, yes.” Mori’s reply comes a second later; the man seems to be preoccupied with something else. Ever since you returned to the lobby, where that shrine had been set up, his attention has been wandering. His eyes are darting around when he thinks nobody is looking, trying to seek out something that he has not yet found. Even though he is evidently feeling disturbed, the grim expression on his face – which has taken on a sickly pallor in the harsh white lighting of the building, almost reminiscent to that of a corpse – indicated that he did not want to be bothered.
You recall that you still have Dr. Usui’s staff card in your pocket. He was assigned to the general wards; you highly doubt that it would work on the laboratory doors. Still, perhaps it couldn’t hurt to try…
***
03:15
A. Head up to the laboratories and test out Dr. Usui’s card first. If it works, you should count yourself lucky, and if not, you can always proceed to search for another way to gain access. It shouldn’t take too much time.
B. Conduct a general search of the building, as Sakimura suggested – someone might have left their card lying around, or you might come across another way to gain access to the laboratories. There might also be more helpful information in the other parts of the building besides what you can find in the laboratories.
C. Proceed to the administrative offices. You might be able to find some general information about the projects taking place here there; nothing detailed about the experiments, obviously, but it could help. If the computers are working, you might also be able to access the security framework for this building and disable the locks remotely.
D. If the locks are electronic, they will disengage when the fire alarm system activates. You have alcohol. Alcohol is flammable. You have a lighter. You set a fire. Simple.
E. You resist the urge to commit arson and smash the nearest fire alarm box to probably achieve the same effect without getting yourself wet.
F. Head outside and attempt to climb up the walls. The building is pretty high, but you should be able to get in where you want from the windows.
What exactly have you done to earn her trust? I can name a few things you did that would lose it.
