Security Breach?

I slowly turned around, and Monorakun was hunched down, teeth bared, like he was ready to pounce on me. Toko bolted out of the room, leaving me to my fate.

Monorakun repeated himself. "What did you just do?"

I took a deep breath, then answered. "I saw an interesting book, so I tried to pull it from the shelf. However, it only came halfway out, before snapping back into place and opening up." I looked over my shoulder, at the dark corridor beyond.

Monorakun took several steps to the left, looking past me down the corridor, then sat down on his haunches. "Can you close it?" It was as much a statement as a question.

I pulled on the "Sora no Heya" book again, as the bookcase was still visible within the recession in the wall. To my mild surprise, the door started shutting again, sliding back into its proper place.

Monorakun looked over the bookshelf, then started climbing up it. However, he was unable to position himself in a way to pull the book out properly, rendering himself unable to open the passageway himself.

Grumbling to himself, he climbed down from the bookshelf, landing on all fours on the floor, and then asked me to open it again. I pulled the "Sora no Heya" book, and just like last time, the book came halfway out, then snapped back into place before the passageway opened again.

Monorakun was absolutely seething, but strangely, his anger did not appear to be directed at me. Rather, this secret hallway seemed to have enraged him to no end, but why?

Against my better judgement, I decided to ask a question of Monorakun. "What, exactly, has you so upset?"

Monorakun turned his head and looked up at me. "When we bought this property from Izuru Kamukura, he made no mention of this. I didn't know this even existed until Toko, and later you, opened the door. I was hoping I would have time to scope this area out and install security cameras, since, let's be honest, no one here likes Toko anyway. However, when YOU opened the door, that idea went out the window! Now, what to do..."

Monorakun's red eye started glowing, but then went out after a few seconds. He then shook his head, lowering it. "Nah, I can't do that. You haven't broken any rules."

I tilted my head, confused. "Cannot do what?"

Monorakun looked up at me. "You won't survive that answer."

A shiver went through me, but I maintained my composure.

Monorakun spoke up again. "Tell ya what. We're gonna explore this area together. You and I. As your headmaster, it's my responsibility to know every square inch of this place, and to ensure this area is safe and secure. Can't have unauthorized personnel trespassing in here, threatening my students."

I debated asking a question, and decided to anyway. "What if there's a way out here?"

Monorakun went silent for a while, as he scratched his chin with his left front paw. Eventually, he nodded to himself. "That's a risk I'm willing to take. If we end up finding an escape route, you can leave, by yourself, no strings attached. However, you would have to leave NOW. No going back for anything or anyone. You lose sight of that exit, I will seal that exit shut, anyway I can. Understood?"

I nodded in agreement.

Monorakun continued. "Also, I agree not to kill you back there, as long as you do not break any rules listed in the E-Handbook. I need 3 sets of eyes to start a Class Trial, and a death with no Class Trial is a waste of my time. Not to mention, I'd prefer to have a witness back up my words, so no one can claim I'm lying, or doctoring any video recordings. The others would seem to trust you, at least in that regard."

Sighing in relief, I smiled at Monorakun. "Thank you for the kind words."

Monorakun cocked his head, almost as if in thought. "Speaking of kind words..."

He turned his attention to the security camera in the room. "I need to make a live announcement. Stand underneath that camera. I need you out of the camera's view."

I did as he asked, standing underneath the camera in the corner of the room. Monorakun's red eye glowed, then started steadily blinking for about 15 seconds before going steady red again. On the monitor, I could see Monorakun in the Library, live.

"Attention, students! There is a possible security breach in the facility! All students, please report to your dorms, lock your doors, and remain inside until the All Clear is given! Repeat, report to your dorms, lock your doors, and remain inside until the All Clear is given! This is NOT a drill!"

The monitor then changed to a message stating : "Security Breach! All Students: Report to your dorms, lock your doors, and remain inside until the All Clear is given!"

Monorakun then looked down at me. "There. I did my part. Whether or not they listen, is up to them now. Ok, follow me."

I followed Monorakun down the dark hallway, with Monorakun's red eye serving as a sort of reddish flashlight. The passageway went straight, then right, then right again, ending at another bookcase.

Monorakun's red eye lit up brighter. "I've only got red, but see if you can find anything here."

I searched the bookcase, but most of the books weren't even real; they seemed to be part of a wall instead. However, towards the bottom, there was a black book with gold writing. "Kagi wa Hondesu", or "The Key is a Book". I pulled it, and just like "Sora no Heya", it came halfway out, then snapped back into place and opened back and to to the right, sliding into another recess in the wall.

Beyond this bookcase wall was...

...Nothing. A completely empty, bare, white room. No furniture, no windows, no other doors. The walls and ceiling were lightly padded, and white as well. The ceiling seemed half the height of the other rooms, though.

Monorakun and I looked around, then he motioned for me to return to the entryway. I considered readying my heel blades, but didn't want to lose any element of surprise. Monorakun followed me to the entryway, then spoke.

"There is a electronic receiver coming from the ceiling. I'm gonna try to hack into it. I don't know what's up there. I suggest you be ready to run, or...wait, you're a serial killer, right?"

My eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

Monorakun shook his head. "Never mind. Just be ready."

Monorakun's red eye started blinking steadily. After a minute or two, his eye started rapidly flashing for about 15 seconds, then went solid again. Then, his eye got bright for a few moments before dimming back to normal.

Suddenly, the first section of the ceiling, very close to the entrance, swung down, revealing a staircase. If I had been inside, I would have been fully trapped inside, with no way out.

Walking up the staircase, there was another room, with a bed, a nightstand with a built-in charger, and a E-Handbook, much like mine. Picking it up, I tried turning it on. A logo of Hope's Peak Academy displayed, then a name. Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate...

Then the E-Handbook died. I put it back where I found it.

Monorakun looked over at me. "So, this is where the previous owner stayed during his game. Guess that makes sense." He then scurried over to a single door. "I suppose he kept his clothes in this closet, right...huh? Wait a minute here!"

I looked over at the closet...but it was no closet. It appeared to be a very narrow passageway within the wall itself, maybe half a meter wide at most, going in both directions.

Monorakun disappeared for a while, traveling throughout the walls, but not before pulling one of his ears off to serve as an audio transmitter. After roughly 20 minutes, Monorakun returned, seemingly satisfied.

"All clear. There are a lot of hidden passages within these walls as I suspected, but no one is inside. I have more than just regular vision in this red eye, ya know. Infrared, night vision, heat vision, X-ray vision, and magnified vision. Gotta keep you students safe from outside threats, after all."

A question came to mind. "For one who wants us to kill each other, you certainly seem concerned for our safety all in a sudden. Why the change of heart?"

Monorakun cocked his head at me, and sat up on his haunches. "Don't misunderstand me. I don't care which one of you individuals lives or dies. What I DO care about, however, is the integrity of this game. As the Headmaster, it's my responsibility to uphold the rules and regulations of this game, come what may. Even if someone were to break in here, I'd rather see everyone escape alive, than have even one student killed by an unauthorized intruder. That would be simply insulting to me."

I nodded, unsure what to say.

Monorakun shut the door, then ushered me down the stairs and closed up the hidden bedroom. He then looked up, and his right eye started steadily blinking, then glowed brightly for about 5 seconds.

Finally, he spoke. "No one is going up there again. I factory reset the receiver, then shut it off. Only I can turn it back on, and I'm not going to. Now, let's head to the Gym. The other students are owed an explanation, and they shall receive one."

As we left the Library, after I closed both of the hidden bookshelf doors, Monorakun spoke once more to me, in his usual low, growling voice.

"I also have an announcement to make, once everyone's in the Gym together. Everyone's gonna LOVE this one! Hehehehehehe-heeeeee!"