Chapter 38: Sadako
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[Current scene: Nara Hospital]
Amamiya opened his eyes, surveying his surroundings. He found himself in a dilapidated ward, the flickering incandescent light above casting a dim, eerie glow. The weak illumination was unreliable, threatening to blink out at any moment.
"Huh?" Amemiya murmured, a puzzled expression crossing his face. "Where are Chika and Kaguya?"
The room was cold, the air heavy with an unsettling chill. He was alone—no sign of the others.
"Are we not together this time?"
Amemiya's gaze shifted to the game panel hovering before him.
[You have received the main quest. Please click to view.]
"So this is a virtual screen, and I can't even tap it with my fingers?" Amemiya muttered sarcastically. After staring at it for a couple of seconds, the quest details popped up.
[Main Quest: Survive for 24 hours. Nurses will conduct random rounds every hour. During these rounds, do not remain in the corridor.]
[Tip: There are side quests in this scene. Please explore and complete them at your discretion.]
[Hint: The scene contains a hidden lore. Cracking it will result in great rewards.]
[Reminder: Maintaining a good relationship with your roommate will ensure your safety.]
"Wait, roommate?" Amemiya frowned in confusion. "I'm by myself. Who could they mean by 'roommate'?"
Suddenly, a crackling sound came from the corner of the room. The old black-and-white TV flickered to life on its own, the static humming loudly. Amemiya turned his head towards the TV, where a grainy image began to take form.
The screen showed an ancient well, nestled deep within a decaying forest. Dry, fallen leaves littered the ground around it.
The image on the TV quivered slightly.
A pale, ghostly hand slowly emerged from the well's edge, and Amemiya felt his heart skip a beat.
Next, a woman with long, disheveled hair obscuring her face began crawling out of the well, her every movement deliberate and ominous as she made her way toward the screen.
"Oh, fuck!" Amemiya's eyes widened in disbelief. "This is Sadako's entrance, isn't it?"
Of course it was! The famous horror icon, one of the top ten scariest spirits in the world.
"No way..." Amemiya's body tensed, dread creeping up his spine. If Sadako was his so-called "roommate," there was no chance he'd survive! What kind of twisted hospital!
Deciding that escaping was the better option, Amemiya immediately turned and opened the door of the ward, intending to flee. But as soon as he stepped into the hallway, he paused, his frown deepening.
The corridor was completely shrouded in darkness, not a single light illuminating the way.
At that moment, a warning flashed before his eyes:
[Highly dangerous. Do not enter the corridor at this time.]
Silently, Amemiya closed the door and reluctantly turned back to the ward, his gaze once more drawn to the TV.
By now, Sadako had crawled nearly to the front of the screen, her head beginning to poke out from the TV itself. The oppressive atmosphere in the room thickened, the sense of dread growing.
But then… something odd happened.
Sadako's movements suddenly became strained. Her long black hair trembled, and she seemed to be struggling.
"Wait a minute," Amemiya narrowed his eyes, puzzled. "Is she… stuck? Is the TV too small for her?"
Sure enough, after a few more moments of awkward wriggling, Sadako finally freed herself and slowly stood upright. Her white dress was stained with blood, and her face remained entirely hidden beneath her heavy black locks.
Amemiya's gaze involuntarily drifted downward, and he quickly realized why she had gotten stuck.
Well, that explains it.
It was her chest—large enough to get stuck in the TV's narrow opening.
For a brief second, the absurdity of the situation overtook his fear.
"Hold on… why does Sadako have... that?" Amemiya blinked in disbelief. "Wasn't she supposed to be… y'know, scary? What happened to the terrifying version of Sadako?"
Amid his bewilderment, a new text prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Name: Sadako]
[Company: Himura Dairy]
[Age: Unknown, but a long, long time…]
[Milk volume: Unspeakable.]
Amemiya felt a twitch in his eye. "Milk volume?! What kind of weird world have I stepped into?!"
Then, another prompt popped up, revealing more details.
[Through your careful observation, you have discovered two of Sadako's weaknesses.]
"Please don't tell me her weakness is... something weird," Amemiya muttered, bracing himself.
[Weakness 1: Severe social anxiety from living in isolation for too long.]
[Hint: Look into Sadako's eyes with sincere affection.]
Amemiya groaned inwardly. Even if an award-winning actor were here, no one would be able to gaze at Sadako affectionately!
"How is this social anxiety when she's walking straight toward me?" Amemiya thought. Sadako was now just a few feet away, her faceless figure closing the distance.
Realizing he couldn't flee into the dangerous corridor, Amemiya took a deep breath, calming his nerves.
"Alright then... let's do this."
Amemiya reached into his pocket, pulling out a wooden comb.
"Miss Sadako," he said with exaggerated seriousness, "I'm going to give you a middle parting."
Without waiting for a response, he stepped forward, the comb in hand.
Sadako froze in place, her hair trembling slightly as though she was confused by the sudden change in events.
What was this boy planning to do? Could it be... something indecent?
Everyone else she had ever encountered cowered in fear. Why was this one so different?
But before she could react, Amemiya swiftly moved forward and, in one fluid motion, brought the comb to her thick, tangled locks.
His hand worked quickly, moving with skill and precision. Within moments, her long black hair parted perfectly down the middle, revealing her ghostly pale face for the first time.
"...Huh?"
Amamiya had expected the face beneath the dark curtain of hair to be terrifying, or perhaps even featureless. However, once he combed her hair aside, Miss Sadako's appearance was surprisingly... beautiful.
Barring the deathly pale complexion, her eyes were strikingly normal—clear and bright, with a distinct contrast between the black and white of her irises. A small teardrop-shaped mole beneath the corner of her left eye gave her a delicate, almost vulnerable charm. Her face was that of someone who could easily evoke the impulse to tease or bully.
Miss Sadako stood there, frozen in place, bewildered by how her hair had been styled in an instant. The confusion in her expression was palpable.
Amemiya locked eyes with her, their gazes meeting directly.
For a moment, Sadako stared back, her face now fully revealed, before she trembled slightly. The familiar pang of her social anxiety returned, overwhelming her. She panicked, broke eye contact, and quickly covered her face with her hands before fleeing toward the TV.
"Wait, don't run," Amemiya called after her, raising an eyebrow. "We're roommates, what's there to be afraid of?"
But Miss Sadako ignored his words entirely. She dashed back to the TV, slipped inside, and swiftly disappeared into the well on the screen, leaving the room empty once more.
Amemiya quietly pocketed the middle-parted comb, reflecting on the situation.
Well, that went well enough, right? No risk of getting backstabbed by his roommate now.
He remained in the ward for a little while longer, noticing that the lights in the hallway were gradually brightening. Sensing the coast was clear, Amemiya stepped out of the room and glanced up at his door number: 404.
Just then, a faint click echoed down the corridor.
A door not far away opened, and out stepped a petite girl, her hair messily tied up with a stray lock dangling over her forehead. She wore an eye mask perched atop her head. Clearly, she was another human player. The mistiness in her eyes made it obvious she was on the verge of tears.
Amemiya silently observed, but Chika and Kaguya were nowhere in sight. After a brief moment of hesitation, he decided to approach the girl and ask for information.
"Excuse me, can I have your name?"
The girl, her aloof demeanor shaken, blinked away tears as she responded in a shaky voice: "Takanashi...Rikka…"