Gathering Clues

I never thought she would come back at this time.

And the speed of movement is too fast.

Escaping by conventional means would be impossible.

I leaned my ear against the floor to locate the enemy's location.

To the right... She's heading to the kitchen. I heard the sound of something being dragged around, so it looks like ingredients were brought in.

I think I should go back to the room before the cooking is over.

However, I'm already here, so I should at least do a basic investigation.

I glance around the room.

A large bed and a dressing table were the first things that caught my eye.

There's nothing special about the bed, so let's check the dresser.

There are few cosmetic products.

Other than that, I don't think there's anything special... I have a feeling of discomfort.

What is that?

Woosh...

A note fell.

It looks like the others have entered this room too.

[Isn't this dressing table strange?

I keep feeling uneasy, but I don't know why.

And what's the purpose of this rigid metal that faces me when I sit down?

I felt the same thing before! It's like something is blocking my thoughts.

I had this same feeling in the bathroom... I'm not sure.

By the way, there was something that looked suspiciously like medicine in the dresser drawer here. -Kyeong-min- ]

Didn't Eun-jeong find the note?

Or maybe it was her who was caught hiding in the box.

"...There isn't much time to think about it."

First, I opened the drawer and took the pills. It's a habit of mine to always take them and check.

It's not like I'm stealing or anything!

What is this medication?

There's a lot of it, and it seems like she takes it regularly.

It can't be cold medicine... Is it difficult to live without this?

But there's no way that monster is in bad health. A disease that requires medication even though it is not life-threatening... Let's keep this in mind.

I went down to the room.

As soon as I got down, I looked for something that looked like a bag.

There was something like a laundry basket to store clothes.

I put the things I had packed so far there. I wrapped it with cloth to prevent things from falling out even when running.

...I'll have to grab some papers and pencils that are lying on the floor.

As I get more information, I might need a place to write it down.

"Haa..."

I let out a sigh. Since I was constantly in a state of tension, it was natural that I was tired.

The worst part is that I shouldn't relax yet.

The monster called Mom is cooking right now.

It seems like we are the children of that mother...

What comes next? If you think about it, it's probably time to eat.

"..."

Clack clack clack.

It's getting closer.

...The door opened.

"Eat... Food."

I decided to follow the monster's words.

Me and the fake group members sat at the table.

I guess they didn't notice the missing knife...

I looked at the monster carrying the food.

It was smiling.

First, it was potato soup... It seemed like everyone was eating.

I took a bite. It was bland, but not to the point where I couldn't eat it.

Of course, I didn't feel like eating a lot, so I just pretended to eat.

Next is...

"..."

"Won't you eat it?"

Never. I absolutely hate it. Upon closer inspection, it's not human.

Ordinary people don't have those strange tentacle-like things attached to their necks.

Because I didn't eat, the monster's neck elongated, bringing its face closer to me.

Don't get nervous.

I'm the only one who can get through this situation.

If I make a mistake, all our efforts so far will be in vain.

Should I stab her with the knife? No.

I don't have the power to defeat this monster.

There's no way a girl can kill a monster with her fists or a knife.

Clues. Think about the clues I've gathered so far.

All the monsters we've encountered so far had weaknesses, right? There were clues to figuring out those weaknesses.

...The dinner menu list!

Surely, in addition to the menus that have been presented so far, there was one more menu called wheat porridge (exclusive to Emily).

Just as I was about to speak,

I realized that the monster's face was so close.

"Flour porridge... P-plea... Se."

It's dangerous. I can't speak properly.

"...Ah. I'm sorry, Emily."

Emily? This is the name written on the note.

Perhaps she had mistaken me for the person who used one of those numerous rooms.

How can she make such a simple mistake?

The monster didn't seem to be thinking properly.

If I refuse to eat, she might suddenly cut my head off with the spoon she is holding.

The monster brought me wheat porridge.

I ate it up.

When it was time to go back after eating, the monster stayed alone and ate.

It would be an ordinary sight, if not for the meal being a monster-looking villager.

I quickly ran away after seeing the monster's head split open to reveal its tongue and teeth.

"...I wonder if this will be useful."

I have a bag of flour in my hand.

The monster made flour porridge on the spot and placed the remaining ingredients on the floor, so I sneakily took it.

It's a good idea to take something whenever you can when it catches your eyes.

Because it might be useful!

I'm not the type of person who goes straight to my room after eating.

Let's explore the other rooms.

Every room from the room next to us all the way to the front door was marked with an X.

They seem locked, but it's probably worth trying to open them.

Click.

It doesn't open either.

Is there someone who could try breaking down the locked doors... Maybe Suho? Anyway, it's really inconvenient.

As I was about to return to the room without any success... I noticed a subtle piece of paper sticking out from under the door.

[Maybe you'll be reading this, Ha-rim.

Because you are extremely meticulous, keep looking for more clues.

There are two things I found out a little more.

That monster woman sometimes goes down to the village to procure ingredients.

And I'm not sure what she does at the back of the house, but she spends time there.

If you want to do something, then that will be your chance.

However, since she doesn't spend too much time in neither of those things, I think it would be difficult for you to go down to the village.

And maybe this is just my imagination.

Can't you hear something like a sound from the hat-shaped badge that Mr. Pierrot gave us?

I found it suspicious, so I hid it in my pocket. You should check it later. ]

"...!"

I went into the room, put my ear to the three badges, and focused.

...I really hear a mumbling sound.

I can't hear it clearly, so I think I'll be able to hear it properly if I get the last one.

Mr. Pierrot is not a ordinary monster, so there's probably something hidden in the badge.

It's also suspicious that the monster took away Kyeong-min's as soon as she found it.

Looks like Suho was able to check because his badge was not caught by the monster.

Did he say he hid it in his pocket?

"Um... Suho?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Is there anything in your pocket?"

"No, there isn't."

"Now that I think about it, where is your outerwear?"

"Mom put it in the laundry room for repairs."

The place where the last badge is located is the laundry room...!

I wanted to go there right away, but I heard the monster finish her meal and return, so I decided to wait for a while.

Let's go up to the second floor in a few minutes.

I placed the bag of flour in the basket and sat on the bed.

...I couldn't waste any time, so I wondered what to do for a while.

I took out a piece of paper and drew a picture.

It's a picture of the monster I just saw.

I thought it would be good to know her characteristics.

It has 4 arms... 8 legs... Dressed entirely in black, it looks like funeral attire.

It's fast... The head also splits.

After a while, I realized that I had become absorbed in drawing.

After putting the picture in the basket, I slightly opened the door and checked the hallway.

...There doesn't seem to be any surveillance.

I decided to bring the basket with me because there might be something worth taking from there.

The laundry room is to the right of the kitchen, so I'll see it right around the corner.

While I was thinking about that and taking a step forward.

"Where are you going...?"

"..."

"Mom doesn't like kids who don't listen to her..."

I started to sweat like crazy.

It's right behind me!

Is this what Eun-jeong meant by the feeling of being watched that she wrote about in her note?

Suho didn't just stay still no reason, he was waiting for the moment when the monster left the house.

Regret, as usual, only surfaced after things had happened, and that was especially frustrating.

I should have known in advance that there would be some mean of monitoring me on the second floor... !

"You can't go to the village... How many times have I told you that the village is dangerous... People are going to poison you..."

Let's think. The clue will be nearby. Don't give up hope.

I have to think about what happened so far. What happened so far. What happened so far...

A girl with blonde hair flashed through my mind.

-Using an analogy, it's like riddles.

"..."

...Who is it? For some reason, I feel reassured and calm.

"A disobedient child will be locked in the basement... Tell me. Why were you wandering the hallways? If it's a bathroom, there's one in the room... !"

"..."

I showed the doodle I had just drawn in the basket to the monster herself.

"..."

Gulp. You just need to come up with a reasonable answer, like a riddle.

If the words make sense, just give it a try.

Will this actually work?

"It's a beautiful drawing, Charlotte."

The monster went upstairs, and I also returned to my room.

-Quite the actor, Ha-rim~

I recalled memories from the past. I felt like someone was praising me.

I wanted to know who it was, but it seemed like an unknown force was interfering with it.

As I was thinking about that person, it was time to sleep, so I laid down on the bed.

I wanted to walk around the hallways, but since I didn't know how they were monitored, I decided against it.

...Does that monster even sleep?

There was a bed in the room, so it's possible.

Sure enough, the sound of a large figure tossing and turning was heard from above.

Then there was the sound of something being eaten and the tossing and turning disappeared.

I felt like I knew what the medicine in the dressing table was.

...

And it was the next day.

I somehow made it through the morning and observed the monster's condition.

When I looked through the window, the monster was standing outside.

In front of numerous graves.

Her back looked very sad.

I left the window and headed to the laundry room.

There was Suho's jacket. There were also things like thread and needles, which I took because they seemed useful.

I searched through his outerwear and found the last badge. With this, four badges were collected.

Then something incredible happened.

The four hat-shaped badges merged into one and became a real hat.

Mr. Pierrot's voice could be heard clearly from the hat.

"Find the doll. Find the doll. Find the doll..."

Find the doll. It keeps repeating that.

I had seen a store selling dolls in the newspaper I found the a storage room.

...I have to go to the village.