Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Chapter 29: The Soft Feeling in the Eye of the Storm

Gulu—— Gulu——

The instant noodles dropped into the boiling water, beginning to cook quickly.

Maki softly hummed a melody, gently stirring the noodles with chopsticks before adding the seasoning packet.

The heat spread through the kitchen, and next to the sink, several pairs of clean chopsticks were already placed, along with a fork for Green and a few ceramic bowls.

"Honestly, could you please not knock like that next time? I thought something was attacking, and I almost decided to lock myself in right there," Takahashi Takakai sighed deeply, speaking with an annoyed tone, while sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Beside him was Kaguya, who also lowered her head, furrowing her brows, massaging her forehead with her hand, looking helpless.

The one who knocked this morning was none other than Sun Dajun.

Though he was the physically weakest here, due to his biological clock and the sleeping habits of the older generation, he typically woke up around 6 AM. He stayed in his room until 8 AM, carefully stepping out after noticing everyone else still hadn't emerged from their rooms. He waited until Green and Maki left their rooms, and since Takahashi and Kaguya's room 204 was quiet, he hoped Green would unlock the door to check the situation.

At first, Green didn't want to, but after some thought, Maki decided to take action. Therefore, Green had no choice but to break the lock. Sun Dajun then stepped into the hallway, approaching the living room door.

Through the crack in the door of room 204, he could see Takakai and Kaguya sitting on the floor resting. After considering how to wake them up, Sun Dajun decided to knock on the door, and immediately, Takahashi and Kaguya were startled.

If Maki hadn't rushed over just in time, reaching through the peephole to unlock the door and rush in, Takahashi and Kaguya would certainly have turned back time in shock.

"Sorry, really sorry."

Sun Dajun felt embarrassed, bowing his head repeatedly in apology.

"Alright, I know you didn't mean it, but that was really terrifying. Do you understand? From now on, no matter what happens, try not to knock on the door again. Tch... I have a feeling that even if I escape this hellhole, I'll end up with PTSD from door knocking..." Takahashi Takakai sighed deeply, just as he saw Maki walking out from the kitchen.

"Alright, stop blaming this uncle, it was my decision. Who told you two not to wake up a bit earlier and be a little more aware of the danger? Especially you, oba-sama, the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, but because you're not used to sleeping on the floor, you couldn't wake up in the morning. It's really pathetic."

With that, Maki placed a bowl of noodles neatly on the table, then took out several small bowls to share with everyone.

The aroma of the seasoning filled the air, making those who hadn't eaten in a while in the room crave food.

"Oho, looks pretty good."

Takahashi Takakai, who claimed to be a "pure" instant noodle eater, was the first to step forward and ate three bowls of noodles made by Maki. Green, due to his large body and high food consumption, also ate three bowls. Kaguya and Maki each ate only a small bowl, and it seemed like even that small bowl was difficult to finish. The one who ate the most wasn't Takakai or Green, but Sun Dajun. This middle-aged, overweight man ate nearly four bowls of noodles, an astonishing amount.

"Sorry, I ate a bit too much..."

Noticing the others' gazes, Sun Dajun felt very embarrassed, so the fourth bowl wasn't filled to the top. He had high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and couldn't exercise much, but ate a lot. He also had the habit of waking up at night. If it hadn't been for the illusion caused by the clock last night, which made him faint from exhaustion, he might not have been able to bear waking up to go to the bathroom last night.

The so-called midlife crisis? It's troublesome. Who would have thought this middle-aged uncle's body would be so weak? If danger struck, he might not be able to escape.

Takakai was surprised to learn of Sun Dajun's problems. He immediately felt a headache and hurried to exchange more information with him. He found out that Sun Dajun had been an engineer when he was young. Regardless of how tough or physically demanding the work was, he always pushed himself to the limit, working day and night, relying solely on his youth.

But as he grew older, he gained weight, developed high blood pressure, high blood sugar, back pain, and many other health issues. Plus, when he started working in an office and became less active, his health continued to deteriorate. In a few years, he might have to use a wheelchair.

Upon hearing this, Shinomiya Kaguya felt displeased. The warped education she received made her begin to think about the value of keeping Sun Dajun in the group. But this time, Takahashi Takakai and Shijo Maki firmly stood by Sun Dajun's side. Maki first called Sun Dajun aside to try and comfort him, while Takakai was seriously considering methods to ensure his safety and better utilize his skills.

"Sun-san, since you've worked as an electrician, could you try fixing the lights in the rooms on the second floor? Then gather all the switches, and ideally, we could control each light from one central room."

Leaving the room, Takakai saw the wires connecting the rooms spread across the ceiling in the hallway. He had an idea and returned to ask Sun Dajun about it.

"Well, fixing electricity isn't that simple, but... we can try. I took some tools from Green and the girl with the braided hair; it's enough for now, but I'm not sure if it will work."

Takakai's slightly odd idea clearly made Sun Dajun feel awkward, but he still nodded, agreeing to give it a try.

The older man understood very well that, in this temporary survival team, he was the one who ate a lot but couldn't go on expeditions or help analyze clues, making him a burden. So, he had to do his best to contribute wherever he could.

Green remained silent, only quietly following orders to protect Sun Dajun.

As for Maeda Miwa, after being locked in room 205 for an entire night, when the others went to check on her the next day, they found she seemed to have gone mad. She was curled up in a corner of the room, trembling uncontrollably, and anyone who approached her would make her scream loudly. She could barely communicate at all now.

"We have no other choice... we'll have to leave her in room 205. At least she's safe here. Once we truly find a way out, we'll see if we can take her with us."

Maki sighed helplessly. Though she deeply sympathized with the woman, given the current situation, even she didn't know how to care for her while continuing to explore and ensure everyone's safety. So, the only option left was to give up for the time being.

...

Next, they proceeded to explore the three remaining rooms on the second floor.

Rooms 203, 202, and 201 were all uninhabited, and based on the condition of the rooms previously explored, these three rooms surely contained supply boxes, precious food, and small items or tools.

Green was the first to unlock and open rooms 203 and 202, and the exploration of these two rooms went relatively smoothly. In room 203, the body was of a person who had hanged themselves in the living room. By the time it was discovered, the body had been severed at the abdomen, and the lower part had fallen to the floor. As for the body in room 202, it lay flat on the bed with no visible injuries or obvious signs of trauma, but two bottles of sleeping pills were found on the bedside table, both empty.

The two bodies in these rooms did not move at all. During the exploration, there was only slight twitching or blinking. When Takakai and the others left the rooms, despite signs of the bodies wanting to follow them outside, neither body left the room. They only moved a little, took a few steps down the hallway, then returned to the room and resumed their original positions, standing still. Takakai original plan had been to lure these bodies into room 210 to see if they could destroy the one inside, but this plan had completely failed.

Was it because there was no "owner," causing some limitations in their actions?

With this thought in mind, Takakai entered room 201, but as soon as he stepped into the hallway, he was nearly struck in the face by an elderly corpse, almost meeting his end right there.

The scene at that moment could be described as extremely dangerous. When the door to room 201 opened, the hallway was pitch dark, and it was impossible to tell if there was anything inside. As Takakai stepped into the hallway, something dry and shriveled immediately lunged out from within. Or more accurately, it... flew out? In any case, it appeared so suddenly and without a sound that it was almost unbelievable, rushing at him immediately.

Just as Takakai's foot touched the ground, a dark purple hand shot out and left five gashes on his arm.

If it hadn't been for Maki standing beside him and swiftly pulling him out, Takakai might not have escaped that situation. And when everyone stepped back, the elderly corpse did not retreat into the room but stood still at the doorway, making no one dare approach to close the door.

The footsteps on the stairs were drawn in by the previous movements, forcing everyone to hide in the living room. It took several hours before they dared to step outside again. As a result, the door to room 201 remained open, and that thing still stood at the door.

"It seems that the corpses in the different rooms really do have distinct personalities, but this one is just too aggressive," Takahashi Takakai clicked his tongue as he looked at the five long scratches on his arm, shaking his head helplessly. If he hadn't reacted quickly at that moment, it might not have been just five scratches but his body torn into five pieces.

"That's right, and all these corpses were once people who lived here. Seeing the dead come back to life is truly not an easy experience," Shijo Maki said, shaking her head with a sigh, as she cleaned Takakai's wound with disinfectant.

"Ayaya... Could you be a little gentler?" Takakai winced at the sting of the disinfectant.

"Hmpf, and you can't handle it? You used to say how tough you were, how when everyone else was dead, only you returned. I thought you were some kind of hero," Maki remarked, her lips curling into a slight smirk, laughing lightly.

"Ahaha, I also wish I were a hero, although I always feel like I'm quite brave myself," Takakai chuckled, then fell silent again, just watching Shijo Maki carefully bandage his arm.

Outside, Sun Dajun had reconnected the electrical circuits for rooms 202 and 203 and tried to fix the switches, wiring the lights of these two rooms to room 204 so that the people inside room 204 could turn on the lights of these rooms anytime. However, because most of the lights in the Shirakawa apartment were nearly burned out, the lights could only flicker once or twice.

Meanwhile, Green was in another room, as per Kaguya's instructions, organizing the supply crates they had found. The food would be distributed strictly, with priority given to those responsible for exploring each day. Each person's portion would be carefully controlled to prevent the kind of waste they had seen earlier.

So, at this moment, only Takakai and Maki remained in room 208, with Maki bandaging Takakai's wound.

The atmosphere felt a bit unusual.

"By the way... about that last round, the one where you said our whole team was wiped out, could you tell me what happened then?" Shijo Maki's voice rang out, responding to Takahashi Takakai's earlier question.

"About that? You really want to know?" Takakai was a little taken aback, not expecting Maki to ask this.

"Maybe... just curious. After all, I did fight alongside you for a while, but now I don't remember anything about it. Thinking about it, I feel kind of disappointed. So, we must've had some good times before, right? In your eyes, what was I like back then?"

Shijo Maki smiled gently, then sat down next to Takahashi Takakai.

The Shirakawa apartment had been abandoned for a long time, and the sofa was covered in dust, which both Kaguya and Maki found uncomfortable. However, at this moment, Maki confidently sat down comfortably, just a hand's distance from Takakai, turned to look at him, and smiled.

Takahashi Takakai was quiet for a moment. He felt like he should be moved, but in this moment, he instead thought back to the time he had been trapped on the third floor of the building with Shijo Maki, when she sat beside him, writing on the back of his hand with her finger, gently patting his hand.

Those moments, Maki could not know now, because they were from a future that had been erased, things that never happened.

Only Takahashi Takakai, who had returned to this timeline, could remember the beautiful moments that never existed.

"I really don't want to talk about this." Takahashi Takakai shook his head, refusing her request.

Those things were better left for him to know alone; no one else needed to know.

"But I really want to hear it. You... seemed to trust me from the start, right? I've noticed, when everyone else doubted you, you were the first to want me to trust you."

Shijo Maki lowered her head, her voice softening slightly.

She seemed hesitant, her small feet gently rubbing the ground a few times before she finally mustered the courage to look up and meet Takahashi Takakai's eyes.

"When I heard you talk about turning back time, and going through a loop, I couldn't help but wonder, in that failed loop you mentioned, what I would have been like, and why I would have earned your trust."

"Also, now that everything has reset, and I don't remember those things anymore, does it make you sad? Because I don't remember the moments we shared, but you are the only one who still remembers what happened."

"I think that must be really painful, right? Friendships built up only to return to zero, people who once knew each other becoming strangers. If this makes you sad, I hope I can share what only you remember. I'm an expert in emotions, you can think of me as a social butterfly, feel free to talk to me about anything. After all, we're comrades, I can't abandon my comrades."

She smiled confidently, her voice light and comfortable as she gently placed her hand on Takakai's hand, which was resting on the arm of the chair.

Just like before, she softly patted the back of his hand.

Just like before, the familiar soft and warm feeling.

It was like the scene in that dark room was replaying, only this time, he saw the smile on her face.

"Really... you're a good girl," Takahashi Takakai couldn't help but feel a strange sense of melancholy and shook his head, sighing.

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