Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Knock, knock!

I knocked on the door hard, perhaps harder than I usually do. I could hear a coarse sigh coming from the other side, before Shiho opened the door a crack.

“Hi, Shiho,” I said cheerfully.

“Hey. What are you doing here so late?”

“Well, I was with Saki for a while. And I wanted to come see you. You know, it’s been a while since we spent a simple night together.”

Shiho sighed. “Come in,” she replied as she opened the door, allowing me in.

“And your sister, Shiho?”

“Shizuku’s on tour with her friends from More More Jump. I think they were having some kind of competition for an advertisement or something.”

“I see… idol stuff, I guess.”

Shiho nodded as we sat down on the couch.

“Yeah, idol stuff.” She answered while looking out the window. “And... how is she?”

“Saki?” Shiho nodded. “Well… she's getting better. The doctor told her that if she keeps this up, she'll be discharged in a few more days.”

“That's… great, isn't it?” Shiho said, her voice somewhat distant, but with a cheerful tone. “Once she's discharged, only Honami will be missing.”

...

“Shiho, don't worry about Honami. She's fine, and she calls us whenever she can, right?”

Shiho sighed. “I know… but I still don't understand why she moved.”

I took Shiho's shoulder, trying to calm her down. “These things happen, Shiho…”

A year ago, Honami had to leave the city. Her parents got a better job in Kyoto, but Honami couldn't stay alone with us. That day Honami left… that very day, Saki got sick again. Since then, only Shiho and I remain together. Saki is still there, but she spends more time at the hospital than with us.

Maybe in another reality, things would be different.

Growl

“Are you hungry?” Shiho said, hearing my stomach growl.

“Uh… yeah?” Shiho narrowed her eyes before taking my arm in her hand. “Shi-shiho! What are you doing?!”

“…You haven’t been eating well, have you? About two months ago, you weren’t this thin.”

I laughed a little. “Haha… yeah, I haven’t been able to eat much. Remember that time I got sick from eating seafood?”

Shiho nodded, knowing where this was going. “Still, you should eat more. Just because you got seafood poisoning doesn’t mean you can eat less.”

Shiho got up from the couch, heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner. I also got up to help her. I didn’t want to seem opportunistic.

“Let me help you, Shiho,” I said, but tripped on the rug at the entrance to her kitchen.

Seeing me trip, she tried to grab my arm to stop me from falling, but instead I accidentally ended up pushing her.

“Ouch!” she said before falling to the floor.

Everything changed in that moment.

“What the hell—!” Shiho exclaimed, before literally being swallowed by the floor.

“What?” Like water, Shiho passed through the floor, disappearing immediately. “Shiho?” I tried to call out to her, incredulous. I felt my pulse race when I heard no reply. “Shiho?! Shiho, answer!”

I yelled at the floor, but nothing happened. I approached the spot where Shiho disappeared, and everything became even stranger. The floor seemed… corrupted. As if it didn't belong in the kitchen. It reminded me of when the games Nene taught me would freeze and the textures would become corrupted.

Fearful, I reached for that spot on the floor… and it went right through. Terrified, I pulled it out as quickly as I could and walked backward.

“Shiho… no… God, don't tell me-”

Suddenly, I felt like I was floating in the air. I looked down, only to see the ground beneath me no longer solid. I tried to run away, but it was too late.

Everything went black.

Bzzzzz

“...ika!”

…Is someone calling me? I only hear… a buzzing sound.

Bzzzzz

“Ichika!”

I came to when I felt Shiho slapping me, trying to wake me up.

“Ah… My head…” I slowly opened my eyes and saw Shiho holding me firmly by the shoulders, with a worried expression I'd never seen on her before. “...Shiho?”

“You're awake… Thank God.”

She said as she hugged me tightly.

Bzzzzz

“Where…?” I tried to speak, but the light around me seemed to burn my vision. “God, turn off those lights.” Once my eyes adjusted, I realized where we were.

The world we knew seemed to have disappeared. Replaced by… something. The walls surrounding us were a sickly yellow, covered in wallpaper with a strange pattern. The fluorescent lights illuminating the room filled the air with a constant, annoying hum that seemed to come from everywhere. The floor beneath my feet was wet and slippery, filled with a liquid I don't want to know what, giving off a strong, moldy smell.

"Shiho, where are we?" I whispered to Shiho, a lump in my throat.

Shiho remained silent, looking around us, just as confused as I was.

"I have no idea."

Chapter Text

"Are you okay?" I asked Ichika as I helped her up.

"Yeah, just a little dizzy," she said, before looking around. "What is this place?"

I looked around us too. What the heck is this? A room covered in yellow wallpaper, with the annoying buzzing of lights, and... whatever soaked the floor mat. I highly doubt it's water, much less drinkable.

"Come on. We should move." Ichika is very nervous. I can see it in her eyes. She's staring blankly, trying to figure out wherever we are. "Hey, calm down. Ichika. Calm down."

Ichika took a breath and sighed deeply.

"Better?"

"A bit..."

Once Ichika was on her feet, I decided it was best to get going.

"Do you have anything in your pockets?"

Ichika searched her pockets, emptying them. “Nothing. I just have my keys and my cell phone.”

“Your cell phone?” I checked my pockets. Thank God my cell phone didn’t fall out when I fell through that void earlier. I turned it on and checked the signal. “I don’t have signal here. Do you?”

Ichika shook her head.

“I only have a text that Nene sent me, just before we arrived here.”

Great. No signal, in an unfamiliar place, and who knows for how much longer.

“…we should move. If there’s a way out, we won’t find it by standing still here.”

Ichika nodded and started walking beside me. I peeked through what looked like the entrance, only to see even more identical hallways. It looked like a veritable maze.

Our footsteps didn’t even echo off the walls. Either that annoying buzzing sound is too loud, or the wet carpet somehow muffled the sound. I looked to my side, just to make sure Ichika was following me closely. The worst thing that could happen right now is that one of us would get lost and get separated.

“How disgusting,” Ichika said, referring to the moldy smell on the walls.

“I know. It’s… I don’t know, but it makes me want to throw up. And the wet floor is worse.”

“I feel like I’m walking through a swamp.”

We reached an intersection. For the first time in… I don’t know, hours? Minutes? Anyway, for the first time since we arrived here, we found a room other than a hallway. It was a fairly large room, with four pillars in the center, and a couple of cabinets in each corner.

“This place doesn’t feel like it’s made for occupancy. More like…”

“Like it’s made for getting lost in?” Ichika asked. I nodded slowly.

“I mean, who the hell would need so many hallways in their house? And this room… it's so empty, except for those cabinets.”

“It's really strange,” Ichika said, and was silent for a while. “Do you think Saki's okay?”

I glanced at Ichika.

“…we're trapped in whatever this place is, and you're only worried about Saki?”

“So what do you want me to worry about?”

“Getting out of here first, maybe?” I said seriously. “Look, I know you're worried about her. But if we don't get out of here soon, who knows if we'll make it home alive?”

I walked over to one of the cabinets and opened it. Inside was a beige, unbranded can that only said Almond Water on the top. I continued searching the drawers, looking for anything useful.

“What are you looking for?”

“Something useful.”

“Like what?”

“Like a map or something to show us where we are and how to get out,” I said as I continued rummaging through the cabinets. Aside from that almond water, there was nothing else that would be useful.

“Hey, Ichika. Are you hungry?” I asked as I picked up a chocolate bar I found in one of the drawers. Like the tins, they only had a red wrapper with the word “Chocolate” written on it.

“Are you sure about this, Shiho? I don’t want you to go hungry because of me,” Ichika said when I gave her the candy.

“You can save half for me. Before we got here, you hadn’t eaten anything.”

We sat for a moment, wondering what to do next.

“There’s no map, no cell phone coverage, nothing,” I said, sighing. “There must be an exit this way, but where?”

Ichika finished her hot chocolate before answering.

“You know, Saki always said, when we were little, to go north if we got lost.”

She said, with a small laugh that poorly hid how nervous she still was.

“We all live north, obviously.” I looked around again. “But here there are just… walls and more walls. Hallways between hallways. There’s no clear north direction.”

“…Then let’s establish north.” Ichika stood up and placed the wrapper of her hot chocolate in the center of the room. “Here. From here, let’s go north.” She pointed to the left.

“I’m not sure that’s north, Ichika,” I said, sighing. “But I like your idea. Let's head over there then. We'll get lost if we try to go the other way.”

With renewed energy, we walked around the place again. I was surprised that not everything was the same. As we walked along, there were fewer hallways and more spacious rooms. Perhaps we were on the right path to the exit?

We came across a dead end, but there was something strange on the wall. I looked closer, and it was a piece of paper stuck to the wall with ordinary tape.

“What is it?”

I looked at it carefully before reading it to Ichika.

“It's a note, I think. It says… Exit to the right of the Manila Room.”

“Manila Room?”

Ichika asked.

“It must be some special room or something. Some kind of meeting point, maybe.”

But if so, where is it? Can we even trust what the note says?

“Shiho, I think I know where it is.” Ichika said as she looked down a hallway.

I walked toward her, and I understood what she meant. On one of the walls, spray-painted, was a sign.

Manila Room

"Can we trust this, Ichika?"

Ichika sighed before speaking.

"It might be the only way out of here, Shiho. Are you going to distrust the only lead we have?"

"...that's true. Better than just wandering around, right?"

We walked through different hallways, guided by the arrows painted on the walls. Over time, the unbearable buzzing of the lights became less annoying and more… bearable, to say the least.

How long have we been here? Hours? Days? We've walked so long that time seemed to matter. And my phone always showed the same time: 8:25 PM.

Although we may have been close to the exit, there's something that's been bothering me since we got here. I feel like someone… or something is watching us. And not only that, but I've heard very strange noises against the walls. Like footsteps, or something metallic being gently tapped.

Have I gone crazy?

The famous Manila Room appeared before us. It was... strange to see. There was only one door on the wall, marked Manila Room on one side. In fact, it even seemed to be sticking out a little, as if it had been built after this whole place.

"Is this the exit?" Ichika asked.

I swallowed as I carefully turned the doorknob. Slowly, I opened it and peeked inside.

It looked like an ordinary room, similar to the ones we'd seen earlier in this labyrinth. But there was a strange stillness inside. The buzzing outside was now very faint, the walls were white with brown lines, and there were several electrical outlets on the walls.

"This feels... strangely quiet," Ichika said. I just nodded as we looked around.

There were several pieces of furniture there, but they were empty. Near a shelf, there was a backpack with a note that read "To make your journey easier." I opened it, and inside were several cans and chocolates. It seemed that whoever had been here before made sure to leave supplies for the next few people.

We sat down at a small table in the center, finally able to rest.

“God, my legs were killing me,” I said as I placed my backpack on the table.

“At least we can sit in a chair. I was bored of walking and sitting on that wet carpet.” Ichika made a disgusted face at the memory of the damn carpet.

“Yeah, it’s disgusting. But at least we’re almost out, right? That note said we’re close to the exit.”

I took one of the cans of Almond Water and carefully opened it. I didn’t know if this was safe to consume, but it looked drinkable. And I’d rather something happen to me than Ichika. Especially if we’re so close to the exit.

“What does it taste like, Shiho?”

“...Just plain water. A little sweeter, though.” I quickly finished the can before lending another to Ichika. “Do you want one?”

She picked up the bottle and quickly drank its contents.

We stayed like that inside the Manila Room for a while, just replenishing our energy by using the supplies available. The chocolate was quite bitter, but it's better than not eating at all.

“Hey, Shiho. When the floor swallowed you, what did you feel?”

“...nothing really. I just remember falling, and out of nowhere, appearing in this place.” Ichika nodded. “Though I didn't appear in the same place as you. I spent about… I don't know, maybe 10 minutes exploring that room until you fell from the ceiling.”

“10 minutes? But it was barely a minute after you disappeared.”

“I'm not sure. Maybe it was a minute. But it felt like forever until you appeared.”

Ichika finished her can before continuing.

“I only remember a vast emptiness. Everything was dark, and I could barely see my hands. I don't remember; I think I lost consciousness after falling.”

Once I felt ready to leave again, I grabbed my backpack and stood up.

“Come on, Ichika. We're almost there.”

Carefully, I opened the door and peered around. Maybe I was hallucinating, but inside the Manila Room, I could hear a lot of knocking. I even thought I saw a shadow peeking out from under the front door.

We circled around to the right, right where a large arrow indicated where we should go. Again, the familiar buzzing of lights reached my ears. I didn't really care at this point; I just wanted to find the exit and leave this place for good.

We entered a strangely wide hallway, but it seemed to be the right place. The hallway led us to another large room, much larger than the previous ones. Leaving wouldn't be so easy, though.

We turned right and saw several holes with ledges in the floor in front of us. The ledge bordered an abyss that dropped several floors; at the end, a metal door awaited us.

“Careful, Ichika. I'll go first, okay?”

“Go ahead,” she said, as she walked toward the ledges.

For just a moment, I looked down, curious about whatever was there. A dim light revealed more carpet beneath me. It seemed like this place had several floors, but I didn't want to discover it.

“You're doing well, Shiho!” Ichika shouted from the edge.

Very carefully, I walked along the ledge, afraid of falling. My pulse quickened, and I began to sweat, thinking the worst. Finally, after much effort, I managed to reach the other side, right in front of a small table. I sighed in relief before speaking to Ichika.

“Your turn!”

As I watched Ichika walk along the ledge, I couldn't help but glance back toward the hallway we'd come from. I thought I saw something there. Something very tall and thin, seemingly not wanting to be seen, looming across the hall.

“I'm here!”

We resumed our walk, following the directions. Behind the metal door, a huge room with several cubicles awaited us. On one of the cubicle walls, I saw another note taped to it. This time, it had a strange drawing on the paper.

“If you hear a growl, run to the exit.”

Followed by a drawing of a tall, very thin figure. Similar to the one I thought I'd seen watching us in the hallway.

“What does it say?”

“Just… find the exit.” I lied. I didn't want Ichika to get alarmed again, not when we were only supposed to look for a simple door. “According to the drawing, it's an emergency exit.”

We walked around the place, checking each cubicle in search of the damn door. However, the feeling that something was watching us grew stronger.

“Ichika, stay as close to me as possible, okay?”

“Why?”

“…I have a bad feeling. Let's find that damn door.”

Noises like metallic rattling began to echo throughout the place. Footsteps and metallic clangs were everywhere. It seemed like something was searching for us, preventing us from escaping.

I turned a corner, and then I saw it. It wasn't my imagination.

That thin, tall figure, as if made of sticks, stood at the end of the hallway, staring at us.

“What's that?”

“Run.”

“Huh?”

“Ichika, run!”

I practically screamed at it when the strange creature roared and quickly began to follow us.

“RUN!!”

I yelled at Ichika as we ran through the hallways looking for the exit. I could feel that thing behind us, no matter how hard we tried to lose it.

Its roars, static-like and somewhat clipped, seemed to be right next to me. Fatigue began to affect us, but we knew that stopping now would possibly mean death.

"Shiho, the door!" Ichika said, pointing to one of the walls. There it was, the damn exit. A metal door with a wooden frame, beneath a bright green "exit" sign.

I looked back and saw how the creature continued to follow us tirelessly, despite being right in front of the exit.

"Don't stop, just open it!"

Despite its thinness, the thing's footsteps echoed throughout the room, as if it weighed hundreds of tons more than it appeared at first glance. I didn't want to think about what might happen if it caught us.

Ichika reached the door first and tried to open it as quickly as possible. I reached the door, the beast hot on our heels. My hands slipped on the handle, my legs trembling as she pushed behind me, desperately trying to open the door.

"Shiho, that thing is-!"

Finally, I saw a small button on the door's center post. With all my strength, I pressed it, and the door seemed to give way. I pushed it, managing to open it.

"Come in, quickly!"

Ichika entered the hallway as quickly as she could.

"Shiho!"

I pushed the door further, enough to allow me to enter with my backpack.

"We have to close it, quickly!"

I closed the door, but the creature managed to force its arm into the room, trying to stop us from struggling.. I pushed on the door with all my strength while loud, guttural growls came from the other side. Ichika helped me push the door, and we finally managed to close it, escaping from the creature. Slowly, their growls became softer and more distant until they were barely audible. It seemed we were safe.

I sighed in relief, leaning against the door to rest.

"God... that was..."

Ichika sat down next to me, breathing heavily.

"What... what the hell was that thing?"

"I don't know... but thank God it couldn't reach us..."

Ichika helped me up, and with the situation calmer, we were able to look inside.

"I think we made it..."

I nodded as I walked slowly to the other side of the hallway. A white double door stood before us.

"Should we tell someone?" Ichika asked as she opened the door.

"I think it's best to keep this a secret..."

I stopped when I saw the landscape beyond the door. An underground parking garage, filled with puddles of water and flickering lights, greeted us. In the center, there was a ramp that seemed to lead to the upper level of the parking garage.

We still had a long way to go before we could escape this horrendous place.

Chapter Text

How long have we been wandering around here? I could swear it was at least a day, but it's hard to say. We passed through a yellow maze and into a sort of pale gray underground parking garage. The air smelled like old metal, that smell you always get in a parking lot where the only light comes from the fluorescent tubes on the walls and ceiling. Unlike the previous space, this part seemed more... alive. There were several boards on the walls and some wires on the floor.

We decided that, just like with the offices before, it was best to follow a specific direction. This time Shiho chose, and we began walking toward what she thought was east, to the right of the door we'd entered through.

The first thing I noticed as we walked forward was the silence. It wasn't like the incessant buzzing of the previous space. The sound of our footsteps as we stepped over the puddles of water echoed over and over again on the concrete walls.

The lights flickered on the pillars, going out for a few moments. And every time that happened… I was overcome with the feeling that something was moving in the darkness, fleeing from the light.

“This place is huge…” Shiho said.

“And eerie,” I replied.

One thing that reassured me was precisely the fact that this place is so spacious. If, in those offices we fled from, that monster managed to find us by surprise in the hallways… if there really is something else with us here, at least we'll be able to see it beforehand, right?

“Shiho, I don't want to alarm you or sound paranoid, but… let's try to follow the light, okay?” I told Shiho when we reached a new intersection. To the left was a closed, but fairly wide, hallway. To the right… only a light in the distance barely illuminating the parking columns. “I feel like something really bad will happen if we go in there,” I said, pointing to the dark hallway on the right.

“I have the same feeling, Ichika,” Shiho said as we turned left.

We crossed the hallway and came to a different area than before. There were two hallways on either side, very long, but separated only by round columns. On either side of each hallway, there was some kind of doorless room with only a locker; and in the distance, on the other side of the hallways, there was a door. Or so I thought I saw.

“Could this be the right place?” I asked Shiho.

“…I don't know. But I'd like to think so.”

I nodded. I agreed with Shiho. Even if this area looked... eerie, I didn't want to imagine what the other dark hallway looked like, or if there was anything lurking there.

"Shiho, wait," I said to Shiho before we walked down the hallway. "Look, there's a table over there."

Shiho approached a table on the left side of the hallway.

"What's there?"

"It's just a note," she said, her tone trying to camouflage her nerves.

"What does the note say?" I insisted.

"...to stay away from the darkness."

Suddenly, I understood why the darkness terrified us. The lights in front of us went out for a few moments, but it was enough to see what lurked in the shadows.

In the darkness, there were eyes floating. Eyes with toothy grins. Many of them, waiting for us. Once the lights came back on, those... things disappeared.

"...What do we do now?" I asked.

"I think those things are afraid of the light. Or they're only visible without light. I don't know."

The lights went out again. I saw one of those floating faces slowly approaching us from the end of the hallway. Instinctively, I stepped back, feeling my heart pounding.

Surprisingly, that face stopped just at the edge of the darkness. It was as if the light was protecting us from harm from those creatures.

The lights came back on again, and Shiho reached out to where the faces were supposed to be.

"Shiho!"

...But nothing happened. It was as if those things disappeared into the light.

"...the light is safe." Shiho said as she looked at the hallway walls. “Ichika, listen. This will be dangerous, but it’s the only way out.” I nodded as Shiho took my shoulders. “Those things will definitely attack us in the dark. But the lights on the side rooms don’t turn off, unlike the ones in the center. We’ll have to run if we want to get to the back door, do you understand?”

“Y-yes. I understand.”

“Good,” Shiho said with a small smile. “Then, when I tell you, we run.”

We waited for the lights to cycle again. Once they went out again, there seemed to be even more smiling faces in the hallway.

“Now!” Shiho shouted as the lights came back on. I ran as fast as I could after her, trying to keep up. We stopped in one of the side rooms when the lights went out again.

After several minutes of running, we finally reached the end of the hallway. Shiho opened the door slowly, entering the next section.

“Gosh, this is really huge. Even bigger than the last place,” she said, frustrated.

“We’ll find the exit eventually, right? Those notes helped us escape the offices before,” I said, patting Shiho on the back. “Sooner or later, we’ll get out of here.”

We walked around the enormous room, looking for any clues to a possible exit. But instead, we only found trash. Cans of almond water on the floor, some wrappers, broken glass. Maybe we're in the right place.

It was really big. You couldn't clearly see the end, and the lights seemed to disappear over the horizon. Each of the columns that made up the room seemed to be separated by, what? Five meters? Ten?

"Hey, you guys!" someone shouted from behind. I turned to see who was speaking.

"Who are you?"

I said to the guy walking out of the shadows toward us. There was something strange about him.

"Are you lost?"

"A little lost," I replied.

"I can help you."

Shiho took my arm and started to lead me away from the guy.

"Ichika, let's go."

"Huh? But that guy seems to know the way out."

“Ichika. Look at his hands,” Shiho whispered to me.

I looked at his hands. They were covered in blood. Was he hurt or maybe…?

And the most suspicious thing was that this guy never took off his hood.

“Uh… actually, no. Thanks for the help, but we can continue on our own,” I said, as we slowly backed away.

“Come on, girls. How can you refuse help?”

“W-we're fine. Th-thank you.”

I said, holding back the urge to run. The eyes of the man in front of us seemed to be completely black.

“Yeah, we're fine. If you'll excuse us,”

Shiho said, dragging me with her.

“Hey! Wait!” The guy started running toward us. “There's something I need to tell you!”

“We'll hear it later!”

“No, this is serious! Hey!” His insistence was too suspicious. “Wait! Stop!”

Suddenly, the guy's voice became completely distorted, replaced by a very deep, monstrous, guttural voice. I turned to look, and the guy was gone. Instead, I saw him quickly transform from a strange person into a very tall, gray-skinned monster with enormous claws that started running after us.

“What's that?!”

We started running when the monster chased us.

“Hhhhheeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy!!” Could be heard in the distance. We continued running, dodging the pillars that blocked our way.

The beast was getting closer and closer to us, but none of us knew where the exit was. In fact, the room we were in seemed to stretch on forever the further we went.

"Where the hell is the exit?!"

Shiho yelled.

"I don't know!"

I said as I grabbed a can from the floor and threw it at the monster, hoping to stop it even for a moment. The puddles of water made escape even more difficult; with every step, I felt like I might slip and fall.

Suddenly, I could see an open door in a corner.

"Shiho, there!"

Shiho looked toward the door.

"Let's go!"

Shiho was ahead of me, and therefore ahead of the monster.

I could feel the growls echoing from behind me, getting closer and closer. Looking at the reflections in the puddles, I saw the creature was a few steps away from me.

"Ichika, hurry up!"

"I'm trying!"

I felt my legs begin to give out, clearly exhausted from the enormous distance we had run.

SPLASH!

I slipped on one of the puddles, falling to the ground as the monster approached me.

"Ichika, get up!" Shiho yelled from the doorway.

I tried to get up, but it seemed to be too late.

"N-no!"

I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst.

FLASH!

A loud bang echoed through the room, followed by a powerful flash and the smell of sulfur. I opened my eyes and saw that the creature seemed to have been blinded by the blast. I looked around and saw someone standing behind one of the pillars, beckoning us.

“This way!”

I looked at Shiho, and she nodded. As fast as we could, we ran to where the young man was.

“Who… Who are you? What did you do to-?”

“Follow the pillars with dotted lines and you'll reach the shelter. Come on! The fire salt won't distract it for long.”

We didn't think much about it and decided to listen to the strange man. We ran, following the path traced by the pillars the guy told us, until we reached a large green double door.

“Come in!”

Shiho quickly opened the door, letting me in. I entered and looked outside to see the man running with the monster behind him.

“Get the fire salt ready, guys!” the man shouted into the distance. Suddenly, I saw several people start throwing powder on the ground in the direction of the monster. After a few seconds, there was another strong flash, followed by the same sulfur smell as before. The beast was stunned and slowly began to back away, disappearing into a dark hallway, around another corner I swore hadn't been there before.

"God, that was intense," the man said, drinking from a can.

"What... what was that?" I asked, breathing heavily.

"That thing? A simple skinstealer. Don't worry, we deal with them almost daily."

"A skin-what?"

The man stopped drinking and stared at us.

"You must be new here, am I wrong?"

Shiho and I glanced at each other before nodding.

"Okay, follow me. You're all very agitated, you'd better take a break."

We followed the man through the long hallway, until we reached a new, large room almost as big and spacious as the last one.

“What the…” We said in unison as before us, an entire village spread out beneath the concrete: tables, hanging lights, people moving about casually. Everything seemed out of place.

“Welcome to Tom’s Diner, ladies. Have whatever you want.”

For the first time since we arrived here, I could hear more people around me. And not just a few. I estimate around 30 people, maybe?

Tom's Diner was... something. Between the pillars of the parking lot were several tables, with several people there. The air smelled of food. Food in general, I couldn't really say what kind of. In the side rooms, there were several supply stands, and in others, just places where things seemed to be traded.

"So, what is this place?"

Shiho asked. The man who greeted us smiled.

"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Henry, an explorer."

"Nice to meet you, Henry," I said as he shook our hands.

"And you are?"

"Oh, my name is Ichika. Ichika Hoshino. And this is my childhood friend, Shiho Hinomori."

Shiho nodded, introducing herself.

“Ichika and Shiho… fine. You must be new to the Backrooms, then.”

I looked at Shiho in confusion.

“Backrooms? What is that?”

Henry sighed. “I don’t think you really know anything. Come, sit down, and I’ll tell you everything.”

We sat down with Henry at one of the many tables in the village, if I may call it that, and he began to explain everything.

“Where we are now is a dimension known as the Backrooms. There are many different areas, which we call ‘levels,’ and believe me, there are a lot of them.”

“Is that why this… ‘level’ is so different from the last one?” Shiho asked.

“The yellow one? Yes. That was level 0. Here, we know it as ‘The Lobby.’ Right now, you and we are on level 1. We call it ‘The Habitable Zone.’ We’re not the only colony on this level, but we are the biggest.

So much information started to swirl around in my head.

“And what about those monsters that appeared?”

“Well, the Backrooms aren’t just those labyrinthine spaces you’ve seen. You’ve already encountered a Skinstealer.” We nodded before Henry continued. “The Backrooms are infested with many beings, not just people. On Level 1, we’ve encountered many Skinstealers and Smilers. That monster that was chasing you is a Skinstealer.”

Shiho seemed to understand something.

“Ichika and I passed through a dark room with many smiley faces that disappeared into the light. Are those the…”

“Exactly. The Smilers. Those faces you see floating around are very dangerous, but harmless in the light. I’d be more worried about the skinstealers if I were you. Those entities have a nasty habit of disguising themselves as people to trap their victims. How did you manage to differentiate it?”

“W-well, Shiho saw that skinstealer had bloody hands, and I saw that his eyes were very black. So…”

“Well played.”

Shiho spoke up. “If you say that yellow maze earlier was ‘level 0,’ why didn’t we see any smilers or skinstealers?”

Henry seemed to become serious.

“What kind of entity did you see there?”

“A very tall, thin thing. It looked like it was made of sticks or something, and it howled more than it growled.”

“…that was a Howler. You guys were really lucky.”

We continued talking with Henry for a few minutes, relaxing and refueling. Although he let us use the dorms to rest, Shiho and I decided to explore this colony a little more. A little human contact was just what we needed.

People trade things for other things here. We gave one guy three cans of almond water in exchange for a bowl of noodles with sauce. It was delicious.

“Well, this place isn't so bad, Ichika,” Shiho told me as we stayed in the dorms. “The only problem is they never turn off the damn lights. How am I supposed to know if it's day or night?”

“…we should get out of here,” I said to Shiho.

“Yeah. But we could stay here for a while, you know? I mean, we have a place to sleep, a place to eat. Lots of people to talk to. Besides, remember what Henry said? That there's no known way out of the Backrooms. They've been here a long time, and I don't want to risk getting lost between levels.”

I clenched my fist firmly. “And what about Saki…? and Honami…? and Shizuku…?”

“…they’ll be fine. Saki has her brother, and Honami barely speaks to us. My sister… honestly, I think I can live without her bothering me.”

“No! Shiho, how could you even think of staying here? We have family! Friends! People who care about us!”

“So how do you plan to escape then, huh?! Henry said there are apparently infinite levels. Do you want to spend the rest of our lives exploring endless places looking for an exit we don’t even know if it really exists?”

“Let’s at least try, Shiho! We can’t stay here forever and give up!”

An older man interrupted our discussion.

“I don’t want to get involved in your fight, but do you want to leave the Backrooms?”

I nodded. “Someone told us it was impossible to leave… but there must be a way out.”

The old man nodded. “There’s an old rumor around here about a possible exit.”

I opened my eyes wide, my heart pounding with joy. “Really?”

“Ichika, it’s just rumors.”

“Maybe it’s rumors, but everything works differently here. It’s said there’s an exit from the Backrooms on level 3999. Everyone who’s visited it in a group has returned alone, but they mention that their companions have returned to the Frontrooms.”

Hearing that, my heart seemed to break into a thousand pieces. 3999? We have to explore 3998 more levels to get out?

“That… doesn’t sound very easy.”

“It sounds like you’d have to explore a lot, but that’s not the case. You see, the Backrooms aren’t linearly connected. There’s a shortcut to level 3999 from this level, but no one knows the entrance.”

“Who would know then?”

“You can talk to the owners of this place. Tommaso Esposito and Aiko Sato. They've been in the Backrooms for many years, and they know many entrances and exits on various levels.”

Shiho and I looked at each other for a few moments.

“If that's true, where are they?” Shiho said.

“They're in the room at the end of the parking lot. A red-painted door.”

“And they'll want to talk to us?”

“They're kind people. If you tell Tommaso or Aiko that you want to leave, they'll be happy to help you.”

After sleeping, we went to the room that old man told us about last night. Shiho knocked on the door, and a very young woman greeted us.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me, we're looking for Tommaso. We need to talk to him."

"He's not here right now."

"So... is Aiko here?"

The young woman closed the door and opened it again.

"With her."

We entered Aiko's room. More than a room, it looked like she and Tommaso remodeled an old hallway and transformed it into a kitchen.

"What do you want to talk about?" Aiko asked pleasantly.

"Well, we're new to the Backrooms, and we heard rumors about a possible exit on level 3999," Shiho spoke up.

"We don't want to bother you, but someone told us you know several exits and entrances, and we were wondering if you happen to know how to get to that level quickly?"

Aiko nodded and took a small map out of a locker.

"I see. You want to get to The Arcade." She sighed a little before looking at us. "Look, I'm not sure how to get there. Even though they've told me how to get there, it's not something I can confirm. And besides, I can't assure you it's safe."

"We're willing to take the risk."

Shiho replied.

“Okay.” Aiko handed us a small piece of paper. “If you want to go, you have to go through level 3. There, we found an abandoned arcade machine. It wasn't working, but people here say that machine was the entrance and exit to level 3999.”

I nodded as Shiho took the paper.

“And this?”

“Level 3 is dangerous. You'll need supplies if you want to survive. It's full of Smilers and Hounds, so you have to be very careful. Follow that map if you want to find your way. It's not perfect, and the level tends to block its passageways, but this will help.”

Aiko led us down a long hallway until we reached some kind of old elevator.

“And this elevator?”

“It's the entrance to level 3. Press floor 3, and it will take you to the entrance. If you change your mind, just get on the elevator and press floor 1 to return, okay? You will always be welcome here.”

Shiho and I nodded before entering. I dialed the 3rd floor, and the elevator began to move as Aiko waved goodbye and wished us luck.

“Ichika, are you really sure about this? Maybe that arcade machine isn't working and—”

“I'm sure about this, Shiho. Completely sure.”

The elevator moved incessantly, the small light on the ceiling flickering every time it shook. It felt like it might fall down at any moment.

“Besides, if it doesn't work, we can just go back to level 1, right?”

Suddenly, the light went out completely. It was just Shiho, me, and the mechanical noise of the old, rusty elevator.

After what seemed like hours of complete darkness, the light returned. The door opened, revealing a brick wall in front of us. Shiho turned on her flashlight, and we walked down the brick hallway that awaited us.

I just hope this is worth it. For Saki and Honami.

Chapter Text

The first thing I heard was that the annoying buzzing sound from Level 0 had returned. It wasn't as loud, but it was still very annoying. We walked through some of the station's corridors, following the map Aiko had given us.

The place was very similar to Level 0. Just as enclosed and labyrinthine, but darker. The walls were made of brick, and occasionally there were longer corridors with a metal door in the middle.

"According to this map... we're here," I said to Ichika, pointing to a corner of the map.

"...this place is huge," she said.

Maybe all the levels are gigantic. Maybe this map we're using now is just a tiny part of Level 3. Whatever whoever explored it managed to explore.

Our footsteps seemed to have no echo here. The brick walls seemed to absorb everything. That, and that annoying electrical buzzing, as well as the sound of distant machinery.

Although we did hear many footsteps that weren't ours.

Suddenly, we came to a completely dark hallway, secured only by a metal door that didn't seem secure.

"Shiho, can't we take another path?"

"...no. According to the map... it's this way."

"What if we turn around?"

"...we'll just get lost," I said, turning on my flashlight and shining it down the hallway. "Let's go."

Ichika took my hand, and I held it tightly, trying to keep her as close to me as possible.

In the distance, I saw a face floating, staring at us. A Smiler, most likely.

I immediately remembered what Aiko had told us before we came here.

"Smileys don't like light."

I took the flashlight and shone it at the Smiler. The creature began to slowly but surely approach us, while I tried to calm down. My hands were shaking, but I couldn't let the flashlight fall.

As if by magic, the smiler simply disappeared when it was close enough.

I sighed, letting out all the air I'd breathed.

"That was close," Ichika said.

We made our way through the dark hallway, looking carefully around.

We came to a new intersection, lit only by a poor spotlight on the ceiling. But it was enough to save the flashlight battery.

"Where now, Shiho?"

I looked at the map, then at my surroundings. I noticed a pipe extending from the ceiling to the left and continuing down the hallway.

"We have to follow the pipe," I said to Ichika.

We arrived at what appeared to be a maintenance room. There were many shelves, machinery, and tools abandoned there. On one of the shelves, there were several flashlights, chocolate bars, and cans of almond water that we could use.

“Let’s rest a little.”

Honestly… I understand why Ichika wants to go home. Even though we've only really explored a very small part of the Backrooms, this place is… terrifying. I didn't want to say anything to Ichika, but she must be thinking the same thing I am; someone seems to be watching us. Not just on this level, but ever since we entered Level 0. It's like there's something in the walls watching us, studying us.

The only place I felt truly safe was Tom's Diner. There were so many people there, and they seemed to lead quiet lives, with no entities or anything around. And while on the one hand I also want to go home… I'm not sure if we can. Maybe Level 3999 is certain death. Aiko knows it exists, but the rumor about an exit there is just that. A rumor. What if it's not real?

I would have preferred to stay at Tom's Diner. Talk to the people there, eat, explore the safe zones.

Ichika wants to leave. I don't want to force her to stay in a place where she doesn't feel safe or comfortable, but I also can't let her explore the Backrooms alone. I don't want to imagine what might happen to her if...

"Shiho, wake up."

I woke up with a start when Ichika started gently shaking me.

"...what... Ichika?" I rubbed my eyes. "Did I fall asleep?"

"You were snoring, Shiho. Snoring."

I sighed.

"I must be really tired then." I stood up and stretched my arms. "Okay, time to get going."

"Where should we go next?"

I looked at the map, trying to find our bearings.

"According to the map, we should go through that door," I said as I approached the metal door in front of us. I tried to open it, but it was locked. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

"It won't open."

“Let me try,” Ichika said, and began struggling with the door, to no avail. “...what now?”

I looked around the room and saw a small indicator surrounded by several wires. I followed the wires, and then I understood why the door wouldn't open.

“It's energized. There are four lights here. I guess if we can activate them, the door will open.”

Ichika sighed. “But this place is huge. How will we know where those things are that need to be activated?”

I stared at the box with the lights for a few seconds.

“We can follow the wires. They must be connected to something. Maybe there's a fuse box, a button, or something. I guess—” I stopped when Ichika grabbed a flashlight and a few chocolate bars and cans. “Where are you going?”

“To look for the fuses?”

“Alone?” Ichika nodded. “No, we'll go together. I don't want to risk anything happening to you because of me.”

Ichika took my hand. It was warm.

“Shiho, it's for the best. It's four cables, two for each of us.”

“But it's dangerous.”

“Don't you trust me?”

…Do I really trust Ichika? I don't know. Since we arrived in the Backrooms, we've been moving forward together. Leaving her alone sounds… cruel. We don't know what else is here with us.

I would have preferred us to stay together, moving slowly but surely. But Ichika has never liked slowness. She always runs forward, even if the ground in front of her is collapsing.

“…be careful. Very carefully,” I said, taking her by the shoulders. “And you better come back alive, you hear me?”

Ichika smiled at me in that way she always hates when I tell her she has a baby face.

“Yes, yes. I will.” She said before heading down the hallway on the right. “I'll see you, Shiho.”

“Yes, we'll… I'll see you.”

I said, before heading down the hallway on the left. Hoping nothing bad will happen.

The worst thing that can happen to us now is that we won't be together when whatever's stalking us shows up.

The electrical hum of the machinery grew louder as I walked further down the corridor. I always followed the wire, even if my curiosity to know what was in the other corridor called to me.

On a wall, I found the first electrical box. I flipped the switches and heard something activating in the distance. I noticed a green light turn on above the box I had just activated.

“One activated. If Ichika already activated the other two, there should only be one left,” I thought.

I continued following the wire to the next box. I could hear a lot of distant growling, and the worst came to my mind. What if Ichika was—? No, no. She was the one who came up with the idea. And she promised me she would come back safely. There's no reason to think the worst.

I found myself again at another intersection. This time, the wire seemed to disappear. Without a guide, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to risk getting lost in this place.

I sighed and decided to go straight ahead.

I continued walking, but the growling grew closer and closer. I felt my flashlight slip from my hand due to the sweat, but I managed to pick it up before anything bad could happen.

After a while, I reached a new room. It was larger than the previous ones and very bright, but it didn't inspire confidence. Many wires were hanging from the ceiling, probably energized. The floor was filled with water, and I could hear an electrical hum coming from it. Very carefully, I decided to put my ring finger in the water. I immediately pulled it out when I felt an electric current running through it. In one corner, another illuminated hallway seemed to be the exit.

"Electrified floor... great."

I walked along the edge of the room, trying to avoid the loose wires and the water beneath me. I reached the hallway and walked along it, looking at the ceiling for the damn wire I had to activate.

“So here you are.”

I said as I found the last missing electrical box on one of the hallway walls. I turned it on, and the green light flickered on, followed by the distant electrical crackling.

“2 out of 4, at worst,” I thought as I ate a chocolate bar before continuing. I looked at the map, but couldn’t locate where I was. I only saw a large area marked "JERRY," right where Ichika presumably was.

“Maybe it’s a colony?”

I walked back toward the maintenance room where I had parted ways with Ichika, but something I saw completely paralyzed me. Some kind of dog was standing right where I came from, blocking my way. It was growling loudly, and its eyes were glowing crimson red.

“H-hey, doggy… can I come in?”

I tried to talk to it, but the dog didn’t seem to understand me. Instead, it growled again and lunged at me. My legs reacted in time, dodging it at just the right moment. I started running, this time toward the end of the hallway. I wasn't about to run through the electrified room with that thing chasing me.

"No…!"

I reached the end of the hallway, and unfortunately for me, it was a dead end. No intersections, no doors. Nothing.

Desperately, I shone my flashlight on the dog, hoping it would somehow help stop it. Fortunately for me, the dog seemed to go blind for a moment, howling in pain. I ran in the other direction, taking advantage of the shock of that thing.

A sign that hadn't seemed to be there before appeared on one of the walls, pointing to a blue door with a bird symbol drawn on it. Without a second thought, I decided to open the door and hide there, hoping the dog would leave.

Once I heard the dog leave, I breathed a sigh of relief. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. I turned on my flashlight and realized I was in a small room, filled with furniture and photographs of a blue parrot.

"What's this..."

The lights in the room turned on, blinding me for a few moments. When my eyes adjusted, I walked around looking for who had turned on the light.

"...Shiho?"

I turned around quickly when I heard that voice.

"Ichika? God, how nice you're-" I stopped when I saw my friend dressed in a blue toga, which seemed to glow in the electric light from the ceiling. Her eyes had a sparkle I hadn't seen before... “Ichika, what is this? Why are you dressed like that?”

Ichika’s smile grew even wider.

“Hail Jerry.” 

Chapter Text

I closed the last electrical box after seeing the green light on the ceiling turn on, followed by a distant electrical hum.

“Good. Shiho, please tell me you were able to activate the other two boxes,” I said to myself as I turned on my flashlight, turning toward the door I came through.

Crack!

I froze when I heard something, or someone, breaking what seemed to be wood. I wanted to say something, but I stopped and started walking quickly toward the metal door, ready to return to Shiho.

“Hey, you!”

A woman seemed to be speaking to me. What if it was a skinstealer? I didn’t want to look back, and continued forward.

“You! Hey!”

For a moment, I looked back just to make sure I didn’t hear any voices. I saw a girl, I think about my age, walking calmly toward me. She was wearing a strange blue robe with a drawing of a yellow bird in the center.

“S-sorry, I'm busy,” I said, when the girl touched my shoulder to stop me. “!!!!”

“Wow! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” she said when I practically jumped at her touch.

“Y-you're human? Aren't you that m-shapeshifting monster?”

“What? Oh, no. Don't worry. I'm just as human as you are. There are no skinstealers on this level, so relax.”

I sighed, relieved. The girl didn't seem to be lying.

“What a relief… who are you?”

“I'm Sister Macy. Nice to meet you.”

“Sister Macy…?”

Sister Macy… a nickname I always hear in church when priests speak to each other.

“If you're lost, we can help. Follow me.”

I decided to follow Macy, hoping that maybe on this level there would be another community where I could rest before returning to Shiho. We walked down a long blue brick hallway until we reached a huge room, full of people. I estimate there were about 20 people, almost the same number I remember living at Tom's Diner. But they all dressed the same, in blue clothes. Some wore togas, others wore simple blue jackets.

"Oh!" I yelped when I saw a very strange dog walking in front of me. It looked like a dog, but it had a human head, and it was balding.

"Relax. These Hounds won't hurt you."

We walked for a while, until Macy knocked on the door of a dark blue room with a bird symbol painted on it.

"Father Bluebird!"

Macey said. The door opened by itself, allowing me to walk into the room with her.

This room was very dark, with blue lights and windows that seemed to lead nowhere, except for that blue background. Then, Father Bluebird appeared. A somewhat elderly man, with a blue parrot on his shoulder, and dressed in a blue toga full of gold details. His voice seemed... calming and terrifying at the same time.

"Sister Macy, what brings you here?"

"Father Bluebird, I found this lost girl near the exit of our community."

"What's your name, my child?"

"...My name is Ichika. I-Ichika Hoshino."

"And what brings you to our community, Ichika Hoshino?"

"...w-well, I'm lost in the backrooms and we heard there might be an exit on this level. I came with my childhood friend, but we split up to activate some electrical boxes that wouldn't let us continue."

Father Bluebird nodded and knelt in front of me.

“You're looking for a way out… I understand. Do you know where your friend is?”

“…no. I don't know, we just… got separated. But she should be waiting for me in the maintenance room, where we rested for a while,” I said, a little nervously.

Macy then brought me a tray filled with… normal food. It looked like normal mints, blackberries, and other candies. They were delicious, and I was already craving something other than chocolate bars.

“I understand. Sooner or later, she'll come this way. I doubt she'll want to leave you alone.”

“Father, excuse me if I sound arrogant or anything, but what about that parrot? It seems… important.”

“Him? He's Jerry. Our Savior.”

“…he's a parrot.”

“He's our Savior,” Father said, sounding a little more serious now. “Jerry watches us, and Jerry knows us.”

I sensed something strange was happening. I tried to run away, without sounding ungrateful.

“Father, with all due respect… I think I should go find my friend. She's alone and-” Macy blocked the exit. “What-?”

The parrot touched me and I just…

I can't explain what I felt when its claw brushed against my hand. For a second I thought of Shiho, the living room, the electrical boxes… and then those images blurred as if they weren't mine. A soft voice said my name and I…

“Jerry… Jerry…!”

Then I understood with more clarity than I deserved to understand. Jerry was the reason.

Jerry makes everything make sense.

Jerry is everything.

“Hail… Jerry? Ichika, what's all this?”

I said to Ichika, confused. Seeing her dressed like that, and with that… strange voice, makes my hair stand on end.

“It's our salvation, Shiho. Come. I'll show you.”

Ichika extended her hand to me, and I decided to follow her. We arrived at a large room, also very blue, but with several passageways on the sides. The walls were covered with the same drawings of a blue bird, and I noticed some tables full of what appeared to be feathers. Everyone dressed the same, in togas or simple blue clothes, with a bird embroidered on their chests.

“Ichika, be careful!” I said to Ichika as one of those strange dogs passed in front of us.

“Don't worry, Shiho. He's also seeking salvation here.”

Salvation?

“Hey, Ichika, the only salvation here is possibly that level 3999. The one we've been looking for for a while? You remember?”

Ichika shook her head.

“That's not the real salvation. Jerry is the salvation.”

“Who the hell is Jerry?”

I asked, frustrated. Immediately, everyone in the room stopped and stared at me, as if I'd said something wrong.

“Don't worry, she's lost. Please go about your business,” Ichika said, even calmer. “Shiho, I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about Jerry like that.”

Ichika's calm tone sounded truly serious. It seemed that, even as calm as she was, speaking ill of this “Jerry” was heresy. She led me to a small room, also decorated with lots of pictures of the same blue parrot.

“Ichika, what the hell is going on? Want to explain to me what the hell is going on with you? And who is this Jerry you keep talking about?”

Ichika smiled before nodding.

“Jerry is everything. Our salvation, our reason for existing. He brought us to the Backrooms.” Ichika took my hand. “Jerry keeps us safe from all harm.”

This was going from bad to worse. I took her by the shoulders.

“Wake up. Ichika, this isn't you. What about the way out? What about Saki or Honami?”

“They can wait. Jerry brought us here on a mission.”

I stared at Ichika, but try as I might, she isn't here. Her eyes glow blankly, her tone is… too calm. As if the Ichika I knew had vanished, replaced by whoever was talking to me right now.

“Ichika, please. Just tell me what's going on. Who are all these people? That Jerry guy. Just tell me what's going on.”

“We're all here for a reason. And Jerry is that reason.” Ichika approached me, holding a few seeds. “You look tense. Let Jerry take away that anxiety you're feeling.”

I refused. The Ichika in front of me… is another Ichika.

“N-no. I think I can calm down on my own. If you'll excuse me, I'll go… get some air.”

I hurried out, but Ichika didn't stop me. She just watched me from a distance, raising her hand. I looked around, but I didn't feel safe. This didn't seem to be an ordinary colony.

I heard a bell ringing from the hallway to my left, and as if by magic, everyone, including entities, filed into the darkness.

My instinct told me to run, to take the opportunity to go back to that old maintenance room and see if the damn arcade machine was nearby, but I refused to follow.

Ichika's still here, it's just... something's wrong with her. I'm not leaving without her.

I grabbed a blue sweater someone had abandoned and put it on to jump in line and find out what the heck this is all about and if there's any way to get Ichika out of whatever's happening to her.

"Excuse me. I'm new to the community, and I'd like to know where we're going," I asked someone in front of me.

"It's Jerry o'clock. Father Bluebird has something important to tell us."

We entered what appeared to be an auditorium with deep blue lights, all forming into strictly ordered rows. I was lucky enough to be in the middle row, where I could get a good look around.

A few minutes of silence, and a somewhat elderly man walked to the center of the stage. On his shoulder was a blue parrot.

The same one from the photographs and drawings that filled this entire room.

“Followers of Jerry. Inhabitants of the Backrooms. I have gathered you here, because our Savior Jerry has an important message to deliver.”

The parrot began to scream, and the man nodded as if he understood.

“Jerry has spoken.”

“Hail Jerry”

“Hail Jerry”

“Hail Jerry”

They all said in unison, including me.

Suddenly, a woman, about my age, I think, came off the stage and approached Father Bluebird, whispering something to him.

“My brothers. We have detected a heretic among us. Someone who strongly rejects Jerry’s word is here, among us.”

I began to sweat, and my pulse quickened when the father said this. The people around me began to murmur.

“We must find the heretic. It's presence threatens the stability of our home. Once we find her, we'll let Jerry determine it's fate.”

The lights went out, and the hallway behind us came back to life. People walked through it, returning to the main room.

I must watch my step from now on.

I went back to that room Ichika originally took me to. I don't want to wander around and risk being discovered. It seems these fanatics can't stand it when someone simply doesn't want to be part of the cult.

…Even Ichika. She's still my friend, and she knows it. Otherwise, she would have taken me straight to Father Bluebird for… who knows what kind of thing.

“Shiho, you're back,” Ichika said, appearing from behind. “What do you think of our society?”

“To be honest… I'd rather die at the hands of a Smiler than live here.”

“Shiho, don't say that. We all live in harmony here, under Jerry's care. Isn't that beautiful?”

I grabbed Ichika's shoulders, frustrated, and tried to wake her from her trance.

“Ichika, listen to me! This isn't the Ichika I know! The Ichika I know wouldn't abandon her friends. Nor would she be influenced by a cult of fanatics who worship a damn blue parrot.”

Ichika seemed to get angry.

“Shh… don't shout, Shiho. There's no need to shout in here. Jerry always hears us,” she said, slowly pushing me away. “When Jerry chose me, I knew my entire life had to be dedicated to him. In exchange for his safety.”

“No… Ichika, that's it… Are you seriously willing to live forever here, in a cult of crazy people who worship a bird, just because you ‘feel safe’ here? Don't you remember Tom's Diner?”

I said, trying to get her to react.

“I'm willing to do it,” Ichika said, standing up and taking my hand, with a smile that appeared calm. “And you will be too if you let Jerry guide you.”

“Not even if it's the last thing I do,” I told her. “You told me yourself you wanted to get out of the Backrooms, even though we already found a place to live. Ichika, they're controlling you.”

For a moment, I could see that blue glow in Ichika's eyes seem to fade.

“N-no. Jerry doesn't control me. I'm… free to follow him. And I've convinced myself to give my life for Jerry.”

She hesitated for a few moments. Perhaps she wasn't as lost as she thought.

“Ichika, listen to me. You just—”

“Leave me alone,” she said coldly. “Stop talking.” Ichika stood up and opened a door in the back. “If you want to leave, do it. The exit is right here.”

“I won't leave without you. Not again.”

“I won't leave. No matter what you tell me. Jerry made me see things I've never seen before. He made me live in a safe community. If you want to leave, do it. But without me.” Ichika sighed. “But do it quietly. You're the heretic. Be thankful I haven't said anything to Father Bluebird.”

I just couldn't move. Did she really want to stay here, with these blue fanatics? I had a chance to leave, but without Ichika.

With a deep sigh, I hugged Ichika.

“...I'm sorry... I guess I'll... tell Saki that you-”

Ichika placed her hand over my mouth, preventing me from speaking.

“Sleep…”

Slowly, I felt my eyelids close. I took one last look at Ichika before I fainted.

“Ichika, you're... don't cry... …”

“Wake up.”

That was the first thing I heard when I regained consciousness. An old man stood in front of me, seemingly praying.

“What… what happened?” I said, dazed.

Once my vision cleared, I saw Ichika standing in front of me, next to that old man.

“Father Bluebird, I’ve brought the heretic.”

“Well done, Sister Ichika.”

No… Don’t tell me…

“What will happen to the heretic now, Father Bluebird?”

“We’ll let Jerry decide,” the man said. I tried to move, but my hands were tied with rope. Tightly.

The parrot on Bluebird’s shoulder flew toward me. It hovered in the air for a few seconds before trying to touch me.

“When Jerry touched me, I understood the reason we’re here.”

“No!” I managed to back away from the bird, kicking it with my leg. “Get away, you damn parrot!”

The parrot fell to the ground before looking at me and returning to Bluebird's shoulder. Ichika, the father, and everyone in the room stared at me.

“You made Jerry angry. What did I tell you about disrespecting him?”

“That damn parrot brainwashed everyone! You're all hypnotized!”

Ichika, along with another young woman, approached me. I tried to resist, but it was useless.

“Assaulting or insulting Jerry, our Savior, is the greatest offense in this community,” Bluebird said. “Sisters, take her to Jerry’s Room.”

“What?” I looked at Ichika again, trying to find answers. “Jerry’s Room? No, please. I didn’t mean to hurt him. I just want out of here. Ichika, hey! Let me go! Hey!”

I begged, but it was useless. Ichika left me inside a small room, even more claustrophobic than this entire level. Completely dark, lit only by a small blue spotlight on the ceiling.

“You'll stay here until Jerry o'clock, Shiho,” Ichika told me, in a seemingly calm voice, before closing the door.

“Wait, Ichika!”

The door closed firmly, locking me inside. No matter how much I knocked, or how much I spoke to Ichika, it just stayed closed.

Though what hurt the most wasn't being locked here, alone and possibly waiting to be sacrificed or something. No. It was Ichika… she was brainwashed, and I… she doesn't exist anymore.

I leaned against the wall, resting my head on my knees, while I just… waited.

“…Ichika…”

After what seemed like hours, I could hear several bells ringing in the distance, along with the murmurs of people in the room.

The door opened slightly, and a girl lifted me up.

“Your time has come, heretic.”

We walked through the room until we reached a sort of altar filled with feathers, with a statue of a blue parrot in the center. On the other side of the room, Bluebird appeared, walking calmly.

“Followers of Jerry. I am pleased to inform you that we have caught the heretic. We tried to make her see the truth of this world, to understand the hope Jerry gives us. But instead, she chose to insult our Savior. To beat him up and refuse to join our community.” The audience booed. “But Jerry has spoken. He has asked for a sacrifice so that our home will not fall apart. Jerry demands that the girl die and pay for her sins.”

My heart seemed to stop for a moment as the girl next to me dragged me toward what seemed to be a deep pit in one of the corners. I looked toward it, but all that lay beneath was darkness. A darkness that seemed to absorb me the longer I looked.

“HAIL JERRY”

“HAIL JERRY”

I looked at the audience one last time. I knew I wouldn't have a chance to escape this time. That I had failed Ichika, Saki, Shizuku, Haruka. Everyone I know.

“Any last words, heretic?”

Ichika asked from behind me, holding my backpack with a trembling hand.

“…take care, Ichika.”

I said as my vision, tinged by my tears, blurred and blurred. I closed my eyes, expecting to be thrown into that hellish pit.

I felt a sharp blow to my back, and there was no fall—only pressure, and the smell of feathers. I opened my eyes and saw her: Ichika, her smile broken and her eyes brimming with tears, holding my backpack like it was a burden.

“Shiho, run,” she murmured, her voice breaking. Behind us, Father Bluebird raised his hand as if to demand.

“Catch the heretics!” someone roared, and the crowd surged forward. Ichika pushed me toward the exit with such force that the rope cut into my skin, but she freed me—the wood creaked beneath our feet, and there was no time to hesitate.

Ichika took my arm and dragged me through the room, until we finally emerged into one of the hallways.

“We'll talk later, just run!”

Even with my hands tied, I tried to run while following Ichika. Behind me, I could hear all the cultists shouting “heresy,” along with several growls from what I assumed were entities, also hypnotized by that parrot.

“To the right, quickly!!” I just followed Ichika, even though I was running out of breath.

I felt something scratch me from behind, something huge with thin claws.

“Don't look back, just run!!”

I listened to Ichika, and we continued running through the blue corridors. Suddenly, at the end, several cultists blocked our way.

“Where now?!” I yelled to Ichika.

“This way!”

We turned left, but I couldn't go on. My hands, still tied, ached from the pressure of the rope; My legs seemed to give out, but I knew I couldn't stop for even a second.

"Ah... Ichika... what do we do now?"

I said to her, as the cultists blocked all the exits at an intersection.

"Sister Ichika, you betrayed our community by protecting this heretic," Father Bluebird said.

"...She's my friend. I... I can't let anything bad happen to her."

"Nothing bad would have happened to her if she hadn't accepted Jerry into her heart. Just like you did." The cultists slowly approached us. "Jerry has decided your fate." The parrot squawked. "You'll be sent to TH3 SH4DY GR3Y unless you beg Jerry for forgiveness."

Ichika was breathing raggedly, just as exhausted as I was.

"I... I... I've had enough of Jerry..." Ichika said, staring at a wall. “You guys stay with Jerry, I'll get out of here.”

She said before running toward the wall, dragging me with her.

“Ichika, wait—!”

“Catch them!”

After passing through the wall, we appeared inside a small room with a metal door on the other side. Ichika stood up, quickly opened the door, and once we were both on the other side, slammed it shut, placing a small board over the latch.

“…is that it?”

“...yes. That's it, Shiho.”

She said, hugging me tightly.

Ichika broke the rope binding my hands with a small switchblade.

“...thank you.”

“It’s the least I can do. After… you know. Trying to sacrifice you and all that.”

Ichika sounded guilty. Remorseful.

I sighed before standing up.

“Please take off that robe. It brings back bad memories.”

Ichika nodded and removed her robe, leaving it on the floor.

“Now, where to?”

I looked around, trying to find my bearings.

“...I don’t know. We’re lost again.” I looked at the map, mentally crossing off the areas I did recognize from Level 3. “But at least I feel safer here.”

Ichika laughed softly. “Oh, yes. A dark, red-brick labyrinth filled with wires and machinery is a lot safer than a cult that worships a parrot.”

“You can say that.”

As we walked through the tunnels, curiosity took over.

“How did you know that wall would teleport us here?”

“Oh, well. When I was… hypnotized by Jerry, a certain Macy showed me how those guys travel through this level. They have some special walls and floors they can clip through and cut through. They call it ‘noclip.’”

“Exactly how long were you with them?”

“I don’t remember. It’s like my memory was erased,” Ichika said, pointing to her forehead with her index finger. “But I did remember those passageways they used. And a few specific things. And that… I almost got you killed.”

“…It’s best not to think about that.”

After walking for what I think was hours, we came across a familiar pipe in the ceiling. We followed it, and ended up back at that maintenance room where we had gotten separated.

“Looks like we're back. It's strange, I don't remember seeing that hallway before.”

“Or maybe we took an alternate route?”

I approached the electrical box that activated the metal door in the pipe hallway we were following, and saw four small green lights on. I walked toward the door and managed to open it.

“We did it…”

“Yeah. Looks like it,” I replied. The hallway the door led to seemed too well-lit, but at this point we had nothing to lose.

“Hey, Ichika. If according to you, those cultists know other routes to Noclip, does that mean…?”

Ichika shook her head.

“I doubt it. They haven't mapped this level; they just go out to get supplies, people to indoctrinate, and come back. They have no way of finding us. And they won't bother to.”

“…thank God. Hey, what about that… ‘SH4DY GR3Y’ Bluebird talked about? What the hell is that?"

Ichika seemed to tense up at the mention of that name.

"From what Bluebird told me, it's... like some kind of sublevel of the Backrooms where they send heretics. No one ever came back from there, so..."

"It's certain death."

At the end of the hallway, I saw a small purple light coming from the wall. We approached, and there it was.

An old arcade machine, still working despite not being plugged in. It only showed a purple background with text that said "INSERT COIN" on the screen.

"Do you have a coin or something?"

Ichika checked her pockets, to no avail.

"Nope, nothing. What about you?"

"Nothing either."

We sighed, frustrated as we sat on the floor. We came this far, only to find an arcade machine asking for a coin. Would even the coins of our world work? Something tells me it's not as easy as it seems.

"I'll try something," Ichika said, standing up. I followed her, standing next to her as she pressed some buttons on the arcade machine.

"What are you doing?"

“Nene showed me this code once in an arcade. She said that on the old machines, the KONAMI code activated the cheats.”

Ichika moved the machine's joystick in a very specific pattern. Up up, down down, left right, left right, B, A.

…But nothing happened.

“Sigh. Of course it wouldn't work.” Ichika turned to me. “Any ide-?”

The machine shut down for a few seconds before turning back on. This time, it displayed a different message on the screen.

“Start Quest.exe?”

We stared at each other for a few seconds before making a decision.

“Shall we take the risk?”

“We've come this far. We might as well make the effort, Shiho.”

I nodded before pressing “A” on the machine. Immediately, the floor began to shake, and the lights around us went out completely, leaving only the dim light of the arcade screen as a source of illumination.

“What's going on?”

The lights soon came back on, but we were no longer on level 3. It was impossible.

Instead, we were standing in a very dark room, filled with arcade machines and neon lights.

It was our ticket out.

Chapter Text

“Is this our destination?” Shiho asked.

“So it seems,” I said, nodding as we looked around.

So many claustrophobic, dark levels, filled with danger… and now this. A huge arcade room, full of machines and neon lights on the ceiling. The noise of the machines was also… strangely familiar. I looked back, but the machine that brought us to this level had completely shut off.

“…Something’s not right,” Shiho said.

“This is too perfect.”

It must be a trap. But this is supposed to be the exit, right? So we should look for it.

We walked together through the aisles that separated several arcade machines. Although there didn’t seem to be anyone around, the floor was littered with typical mall trash: lint, drinks, remnants of some liquid, even tickets for some machine.

The arcade didn’t seem to be a simple room full of video game machines. We came across a section full of more… casual games, like a hockey machine or a pinball machine.

We walked down an aisle, and it seemed like we were in a completely different area. There was a huge supermarket, with a note at the entrance that said, “Take whatever you want.”

“Shall we go in?”

Shiho nodded.

We ran around the place, grabbing one of the carts and filling it with everything we could find on the shelves: candy, drinks, flashlights, snacks. As if we were planning a party for a big crowd.

I hadn't had this much fun since… since when? I don't remember, but now? I just wanted this moment to last forever.

Shiho crashed into my cart at full speed, almost knocking me to the ground.

“Hey!”

“You better hurry up, old lady!”

“Old lady?! You are the old one here!”

And we started chasing each other with our shopping carts, racing through the aisles of the supermarket. Very soothing music started playing in the store as Shiho and I were about to leave.

“Should we just take the stuff?”

Shiho asked. I agreed, but we couldn't get through the main door to return to the Arcade.

“Looks like we'll have to pay for it. There weren't any prices on the shelves, though.”

We wheeled the shopping carts to the checkout area, where a friendly cashier dressed in purple greeted us.

“Good morning, girls.”

But he had no face. We immediately backed away, scared and thinking the worst.

“Better… we'll just leave without paying, okay? We can—”

“Don't worry. If you're worried I might damage them, I won't,” the cashier said.

I glanced at Shiho, but the cashier's demeanor, as well as his posture, told us we could trust him.

“Are you sure you won't do anything?”

“No. I don't mean to,” he said, as he put the items through the register. “Okay, your total is… $100.”

“We don't have any money,” Shiho said.

“It doesn't matter. It's enough to keep a record of what you take.” The cashier pressed a button, and the door opened. “Have a nice day.”

We left the supermarket, carrying our carts through the arcade.

“That guy… was pretty nice, wasn't he?” I asked Shiho.

“Yeah. Although not having a face is pretty… weird.”

We continued exploring the arcade, looking for the exit. This place didn't seem to be an arcade, but more like some kind of shopping mall.

“Ichika, is that it…?”

Shiho said, observing the same thing I was.

A large glass door, in front of what appeared to be the building's reception area. On the other side… the sun shone brightly. Several cars were passing by on the street, and a park could be seen in front.

“That's the exit.”

We ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was useless. No matter what we did, the door wouldn't open. Shiho even took the cart and smashed it against the glass, hoping to break it. But nothing happened either.

“So what now?”

“…Maybe it was just an old myth,” Shiho said. “We could have stayed at Tom's Diner.”

“Shiho, we've come this far. Even if it's just a legend… we've come this far.”

Shiho sighed.

“But we came so far, only to be stuck here.”

I looked toward the reception desk, where there were a pile of stuffed animals and prizes, next to another faceless man serving him. I approached the counter, and the receptionist moved his hands. For a second the light reflected a gap between the fabric where his face should have been. It didn't seem malicious; just a clean absence.

"If you want to return to the Frontrooms," he said, and when he handed me a sheet of paper, the type lit up like a marker, "you must complete this. Complete the list, and the glass door will open."

The sheet of paper wasn't ordinary paper: the letters seemed to form out of dull neon.

"Uh... thanks?"

"You're welcome."

I went back to Shiho.

"Well?"

"The receptionist gave me this paper. He said the door won't open until we complete these tasks."

Shiho read the paper for a while.

“...this must be a damn joke.”

“But maybe that's what we should do.”

Shiho rolled her eyes before handing me back the list.

“Let's rest a bit. Then... we'll figure out what to do.”

We moved toward the cafeteria, sitting on the floor to rest and eat something. For some reason, the people serving us also had no faces.

The smell of soba in front of me was simply magnificent. It whetted my appetite to know we could eat something more... “normal.” More like our world.

“So... that weird guy told you that if we don't complete this list, the door won't open and we won't be able to leave.”

“Yeah. That's what he told me.”

“But this involves traveling to other levels... and after the cult, I'm not sure if I want to keep exploring more strange places,” Shiho said between bites.

“Me neither. But if it's to leave…”

“...or we could stay here.”

“What?”

“Look around, Ichika. We’re finally in a safe place. Without anyone else but us, but safe. We have endless food, the arcade games, and these faceless guys don’t seem aggressive. It’s like… like Tom’s Diner, but better.”

I sighed, trying to calm myself.

“Even if we're okay here, we don't belong here. And we're too close to going home. To going back to Saki, to Honami, to our friends.”

Shiho sighed, holding her head.

“We've got our lives covered here. As long as we're together, what does it matter? We have no idea if we can even survive on those remaining levels. This place is completely safe.”

“So you're willing to abandon your sister, Shiho? To abandon Honami and everyone we know, just because this place is almost perfect?”

Shiho closed her eyes for a moment.

“…I don't know, Ichika. I really don't know. Yes, the arcade is perfect. But we don't know if we can actually get out. I'd like to get out, I really would. But if there's no way to escape… I'd rather stay here than risk dying in who knows how many different ways before we can escape.”

“...then let's try it, Shiho. Where's the Shiho who agreed to run away with me when we were comfortable at level 1?”

Shiho stared at me before smiling.

“Damn, Ichika. You have a knack for convincing me.”

That night we slept near the reception desk, using sleeping bags we'd gotten from the supermarket. We took advantage of the fact that the outside world seemed to have day and night to estimate the time.

Last night we stayed up late with Shiho playing pinball. She ended up winning, but she cheated. She moved the machine slightly, and I'll prove to her that I won, even if she doesn't want to admit it.

The receptionist gave us a red button when we told him we'd try to complete the list.

“If you want to come back, or if you have to come back, just press the button and you'll be back here.”

We nodded before saying goodbye to the friendly man and walking toward the arcade.

“Which way now?” I asked Shiho, who was looking at the list intently.

“It says it's this way.”

We walked toward a green door, hidden among some arcade machines.

“Are you ready, Ichika? If this turns out to be a trap—”

“Let's just go,” I replied to Shiho. “We should go.”

Shiho nodded and opened the door. A strong wind seemed to be coming from inside, and strange music was playing.

“Let’s go.”

OBJECTIVE 1

COMPLETE THE ANIMATED KING'S RITUAL

Chapter Text

Everything around us seemed too idyllic. The door behind us closed, leaving only the door frame floating in the air, and us on this strange level.

Several hills, separated from each other, surrounded us and the seemingly endless road, and the blue sky.

Everything seemed ideal, but... at the same time, created by someone. Like those valley landscapes in a cartoon. It was too ideal, although the wind gently blowing over us told us it wasn't.

"What is this level?" Ichika asked.

"I don't know. It's too... perfect." I looked at Ichika, and we nodded. "Maybe the road will lead us somewhere."

On the one hand, I missed seeing places as open as this one. Even if this level seems manufactured or drawn by someone, at least it was an open place. Something different from the closed, claustrophobic, and dark places we've visited.

We walked along the road until we found a crossroads that circled several hills in a row, and a traffic sign in the middle of it that said "NO TURNING BACK."

"We just have to find that Animated King, right?" I said, looking at the paper the clerk at the arcade had given us. "Once we've done that, we can go back."

Ichika nodded. "I suppose so, but what is that Animated King?"

"That's why we're looking for him."

There was only silence here. No sign of a castle or anything like that, just the childlike hills that surrounded us, and the sound of the gentle wind around us. It wasn't even cold or hot, even though the sun, or what I assume is the sun, was shining directly on us.

We followed the road until we came across what we assumed was a town. But a very strange one. On top of several hills, there were several houses. All the same: yellow, with a few white fences outlining the yard, two stories high, and tall. But there weren't any houses on the ground; they were all on top of a hill. And far apart.

"What the heck is this?"

"I have no idea. It's like one of those towns in children's cartoons," Ichika replied.

"Hey, look over there." I pointed toward the horizon, where there was a large water tower in what appeared to be the center of this 'town.' "Maybe we can get some real water."

The road then seemed to split into many paths. Some led to nowhere, others to other houses, and one led directly to the water tower. We walked and rested for a bit beneath it.

"Now what?"

"We could look up information about that ritual. Although it doesn't seem like anyone lives on this level. It's too quiet."

Ichika nodded.

"At least we're outdoors, right?"

I smiled a little. "Yeah. I was bored of so many closed-in places."

Suddenly, very strange, cartoonish music, began to play in the distance. We looked at the road, and at one of the intersections, there were some speakers from which that silly, disturbing music seemed to be coming.

We drove along the road until we reached those speakers, and underneath it was a white van, but with the words "Ice Cream and Juice" written on the cab. The back was open, and inside were several metal shelves with dozens of juices and ice creams.

“Do you want ice cream?”

“Nah, don't worry, Shiho. I think we have enough with what we got from the arcade.”

We got out of the van and walked toward one of the houses.

Knock, knock!

But no one answered. I looked out the window, but no one was there. I turned the lock and opened the front door.

“Uh… this is weird.”

The house was completely empty, but fully furnished. It was very clean, but the furniture was generic. Even the bathroom was. I assumed the layout of the other houses would be the same: a living room with a couch and nightstand, the kitchen behind it, and a staircase leading to the second floor where the bathroom and a bedroom were.

“I have a feeling something's not right,” I said to Ichika as we left the house.

“Me too. Just look! The sky is too blue, the houses are all the same inside and out. Even that silly music playing in the vans. It's like… so childish and old-fashioned.”

“And we have no idea what this Animated King ritual is. That receptionist wouldn't tell us either.” I sighed, trying to calm myself. “We're lost. Although we can always—”

“No,” Ichika said, stopping me from pressing the red button. “We can't give up so easily. Maybe… there's a clue inside the houses, or something.”

“This place is huge. Outside of town, there are those hills that repeat themselves for who knows how long. We could go back to the arcade and ask for clues, then get back here.”

Ichika paused for a moment.

“Okay. But if you chicken out, I'll go back myself.”

I pressed the button, but nothing happened.

“This… I don't think it's working.”

I pressed the button again, but it still didn't do anything. I looked at the list again, and a small note appeared on the back.

“The button will only work if you complete the quest.”

“Great. We're stuck here until we find the Animated King,” I said, frustrated.

“Well, at least this place is safe,” Ichika said, sighing. “Strange, but safe.”

We walked back to the water tower, and the sky seemed to clear for a few moments. I looked at the horizon and saw something strange in the background.

“Hey, Ichika. Could that be what we're looking for?”

On the edge of town, there was a house that was different from the others. It was much taller, painted white with a blue roof, and had a path running along its edge. The strangest thing was that it seemed to be floating in the sky.

"Maybe?"

Although later I realized that this house wasn't floating. Rather, it was perched on a transparent hill. It was barely visible, but the hill's crest was a little more noticeable than the rest.

We walked down the road again, this time toward that strange house, when the sky began to change. It went from light blue to a deep orange as the sun set over the horizon. The music coming from the sirens in the streets suddenly died away, and the lights in the houses came on.

“I don't like this at all…”

Sounds like creaking metal sounded in the distance as we continued walking down the road. Even the wind seemed to stop.

“Shiho, could we pick up the pace?”

“...yes. This is a very bad feeling.”

We walked faster, this time toward one of the houses when it finally got dark. I opened the door and we quickly entered, sensing something following us.

I locked the door and made sure the windows were tightly closed. I'm sounding paranoid, but something about the night at this level tells me we'll die horribly if we're out in the open.

"Something weird is going on here," Ichika said once I'd secured the entrances to the house.

"Did you feel it too?"

Ichika nodded. "It's like something's stalking us in the night."

Suddenly, a loud knock was heard at the door.

"!!!"

All Ichika and I could do was hide, as the knocking grew louder and louder.

BUMP! BUMP!

We hid in the closet, hoping that whatever seemed to be following us would just leave.

CRACK!

The door opened heavily, as if something with tons of force had forced it open.

"Shiho, what are those things?" Ichika whispered to me.

"Shhh..."

Several... children, like those made of metal and wood, entered the house. Their sounds were mechanical, like robots. Even their laughter sounded crude, cartoonish, and pre-recorded.

I don't know what those things are, but they definitely shouldn't know we're here.

Suddenly, one of those children tripped, knocking into another. Immediately, the one who seemed to be the leader of the group signaled, and they all grabbed the one who fell and smashed him with their hands. The mechanical remains of his body were scattered on the floor, while the others continued to smash him mercilessly.

When they finished whatever they came here to do, they left, leaving the door open. Maybe so more of those things could come and explore. I peeked out of the closet a little, and noticed how, in the pitch darkness outside, hundreds of red eyes could be seen walking around the town, exploring the houses and laughing cartoonishly.

"God, it's... it's infested."

I said, returning to the closet.

"So what now?" Ichika asked, still hiding in the closet.

"...let's lock the closet from the inside. And wait for the sun to come up."

The music coming out of the speakers was our way of knowing when “night” and “day” began on this level. Sometimes, these entities would begin to emerge while the sun was still out, or disappear while it was still dark. We only knew when it was day or night because the music from the speakers would stop at night and return during the day.

During the day, this place was as perfect as ever, but at night it was… we simply had to hide during the night.

We advanced toward the castle on the transparent hill, but it seemed to get farther and farther away the further we walked. Either this town is really huge, or the castle really did get farther away from us the closer we got.

Anyway, we eventually reached the edge of the town. The castle was about… I don't know, maybe 500 meters away from us. But the day-night cycle here was strange. Sometimes the day lasted for hours, other times for minutes. The night always seemed to last the same amount of time, though.

"Let's wait for nightfall in this house," Ichika suggested. "Maybe it'll get dark before we get to the castle."

I nodded. I'd already seen what those things did to one of their "companions," I don't want to imagine what they'd do to us if they discovered us.

We entered one of the houses and took advantage of the opportunity to cover the windows with some tablecloths from other nearby houses. Although we've gotten used to hiding, if it's possible to be quiet at night inside a house, then we will.

"We're almost there, I hope." I said, taking a few snacks out of my backpack and putting them on the table.

"Let's hope that castle is the place we should go." Ichika drank some juice. "Hey, have you thought about what to do when we make it back?"

"Go back... home, right?" Ichika nodded. “Honestly, I don't know. We've been here in the Backrooms for quite some time. I'd say I've gotten used to being here. Even if we can't go back, I wouldn't mind—”

“Here we go again...”

“Yes. Again. But listen. What would you do if it turns out that completing that list the receptionist gave us doesn't lead us to our world?”

“Well, I'd find another way back.”

“And if there isn't one? I know you want to go home, and see Saki and the others again. But if there's no way out, then what? We have plenty of places where the two of us can stay. There's Tom's Diner on Level 1, the arcade, even… this level, even though it's extremely dangerous at night.”

Ichika sighed. “…if there's no way out… promise me you won't abandon me, Shiho.”

“I'll never—”

“When Saki got sick, you did it.”

Ichika was right. When Saki got sick, our whole group just fell apart. Honami started spending time with her classmates, and I started talking to Iori. Ichika was the only one still waiting for Saki to recover, while we... while I just walked away from her.

We got back together, though, right? After...

"...it's okay. If there's no way out here, I won't abandon you."

After that conversation, the night passed "normally," with the entities banging on the door and forcing us to hide again.

When the sun finally rose, we crossed the road that separated the village from nothingness itself, where the floating castle was.

“This really is a hill.”

Ichika said, surprised as we approached the castle.

“Yeah. I don't know why it's transparent.”

We climbed the mountain and stood in front of the enormous gate. Upbeat music, also cartoonish and silly, could be heard coming from inside.

Knock, knock.

No one answered. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open either.

“What if we try the window—?”

Something like the click of a button sounded, and the enormous double doors slowly opened, revealing a vast, very dark hallway with a light at the end.

“It's now or never.”

Chapter Text

We entered the castle, following the light and the music playing at the end of the hallway. Mechanical creaks could be heard from inside, but despite my instincts and my own body refusing to move forward and only retreating, something inside me told me it would be worth it.

The interior of the castle seemed less like a castle and more like a circus. The floor had strange shapes, full of stars, very childish patterns, and the walls and ceiling were covered with circus decorations, overly colorful. It was, as I said, more like a circus than a castle. It didn't help that annoying music, even more childish than the music in the town, played in the background.

"Are you sure this is a castle? It looks more like a circus," Ichika asked me.

"Well, that's what it said outside the door." I sighed, and we walked through the room until we came to another door, with three symbols: a star, a circle, and a square. "The door is locked again."

Ichika looked around before heading to one of the empty fair stalls.

“Shiho, help me move this.”

“What are you going to do with that box?”

“Do you see the symbol? It's the same one on the floor.”

“...I think I understand.”

We searched and moved several boxes around the room, placing each one on its corresponding symbol. A small “click” was heard in the distance, and the door opened.

“Good, it worked,” Ichika said with a smile.

We walked through the door and found ourselves in a gigantic room. Filled with food stands, round tables and chairs, even what looked like a roller coaster around it.

“This is a real circus.”

Ichika nodded. “I don't know what else I could expect, knowing that the music in town is very cartoonish.”

Several mechanical creaks echoed through the shadows, and I instinctively put Ichika behind me as those village dolls began to approach us.

“Back!” I said, trying to intimidate them.

I don’t know if it was my shaky voice, or that they could somehow sense my racing heart, but it seemed the dolls only stopped out of pity. Either way, they surrounded us, preventing us from returning.

“Shiho, what do we do?”

“Just stay behind me… Please.”

The lights in the room suddenly came on, and an imposing voice sounded through the speakers on the walls.

“Visitors, what do you wish to obtain from the Castle?”

I looked at Ichika before speaking.

“We come from—”

“We are searching for a certain Animated King. We were tasked with completing something like a ritual for him, and we came here hoping to gather information.” Ichika interrupted me. “We're just looking for information, and we'll leave. We promise.”

“Hey, I was just talking.”

“I don't want you to ruin this, Shiho. You're… a bit cold, and I don't think that coldness is helpful with these things,” Ichika replied. I gritted my teeth. Maybe she was right, but hearing her say it hurt more than I expected.

“Do you want to meet the Animated King?”

“Yes. Just tell us where he is, and we'll leave.”

The speakers cut off, and the robots around us began to move away as lights illuminated the center of the room. A stage began to rise from the floor, filled with smoke and playing a silly introduction song.

“Do you want to complete the ritual? Very well,” said a figure on the stage. “First, we must introduce ourselves.”

The smoke cleared, and a new entity appeared there. A rather small man, with a cartoonish physique, a crumpled cardboard crown on his head, and a cheap children's costume, walked toward us.

“I am the Animated King, and I am the king and creator of this world.”

The King said, offering his hand. Ichika and I shook it, trying to show respect.

“Nice to meet you, Sir King.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” said the King, as he sat down on a throne made of cardboard as well. “And why do you want to complete this ‘ritual,’ hmm?”

“You see, we come from another level and—”

“Another world, you mean.” For a moment, the Animated King's eyes glittered menacingly. Perhaps it would be a very bad idea to contradict him.

“Yes, that's it. From another world. And they gave us a paper with some objectives to fulfill in order to return to our original world. And one of those objectives involves you.”

“I see. Yes. So you came by accident.”

“Something like that.”

The King nodded, and with a snap, the floor began to shake. The floor we were standing on began to rise toward the ceiling, taking us to another, larger room.

“Very well. If you want to play with me, then I accept your invitation,” the King said in an ominous tone, as several lights lit up around us, revealing that we were inside a gigantic stage, with hundreds of puppets surrounding us as an audience. “Animations! Take these girls behind the curtain!”

“Anima-? Wait, what's going on?”

“You asked to play a game, and I'll make you play my game.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen! My beloved Animations! Stay in your seats because today I have a truly spectacular show for you!”

The lights came on, illuminating the entire stage. Ichika and I stood on pedestals in the center of the stage as the King spoke to his audience.

“Welcome everyone to the Animated King Show!!”

The Animations in the audience began to clap mechanically, their cries of joy seeming forced. They sounded pre-recorded, like the usual voices and sounds of them, but it was as if they were being forced to smile.

“Introducing today's contestants!” The King smiled before approaching us. “Excuse me, I didn't ask your names.”

“I'm Ichika. Ichika Hoshino, and this is my friend Shiho Hinomori,” Ichika said, her voice appearing calm.

“This is Ichika and Shiho!” The audience again cheered happily, as the Animated King leaned forward. “Very well! This contest consists of three different shows, girls. Complete them, and you'll be free.”

“We will,” I said. Either way, we had no choice.

Either we complete this “ritual,” or we'll be stuck in this level waiting for the Animations to find us in the night.

“Please sign this.”

The King presented a large piece of paper in front of us, with signature marks at the bottom.

“Can't we just start? Signing papers isn't very in keeping with—”

“If you don't sign, you won't be able to participate in the challenge. And not participating in the challenge means you're not officially part of this kingdom.” The King's last sentence sounded… cold. Cold and threatening.

Ichika and I signed the paper, which disappeared as soon as we finished writing.

“Okay, let’s begin the Animated King Show! Animations, prepare the stage!” Several robots appeared on the stage and closed the curtain in front of us. The King stood outside, and we could hear him talking to the audience, with some waiting music playing in the background.

“That King is quite a showman,”

Ichika said.

“Yeah. Like a circus ringmaster.”

The Animations continued working, bringing various props onto the stage. Among them were several fire rings, giant mirrors, and a trapeze.

“I wonder what the King plans for us to do?”

The curtain opened, revealing the audience again with the Animated King standing before them.

“All right! Ready for the first test?”

“Uh… yeah, I think so.”

“Perfect! Dear audience, the first test of the night!”

The King snapped his fingers, and the stage we were standing on again began to rise toward the ceiling, leading to another game room.

It was full of strange obstacles. A balancing area, another with cardboard cutouts of the animated King moving up and down a ramp, and several more I didn't realize what they were.

"For this first test, your mission is simple. You'll split into two paths, and you must reach that trophy at the top. But only one of you can get there. There won't be any traps on the right path, but whoever goes left must open the doors for whoever goes right."

“It doesn't sound so difficult.”

“It is! What's a good show without a little difficulty? Whoever goes to the left won't be able to see the obstacles that the one on the right can. It's a test of confidence, friends!” The audience began to applaud again. “But be careful not to make mistakes. If you fail, something horrible will happen.”

A loud ‘oooooh’ came from the audience, clearly shocked by the news.

“Something horrible? Wh-what kind of horrible thing?”

I said, a little nervously.

“If you think about it, you won't be able to pass the test. Now, stand in the center!” We complied, and the King took a coin from his pocket. “Choose.”

“I choose heads,” Ichika said.

“I take tails.”

The King nodded and tossed the coin into the air. It landed on tails.

“It’s a seal. Shiho, you’ll go to the right and Ichika to the left.”

I looked at Ichika. She seemed a little annoyed, but after winking at me, I realized she trusted me.

“Okay.”

“Okay, dear audience! It’s showtime!”

I appeared out of nowhere in a long, brightly lit wooden hallway with a walkie-talkie in my hand. I approached the edge, but a deep chasm separated me and Ichika.

“Bzzz… Shiho, can you hear me?”

“Bzzz… Yes, I can hear you fine.”

“What do you see on your side?”

I looked at the hallway on the other side of the chasm. Ichika was there, raising her hand to show where she was.

“There’s nothing. Just go straight ahead.” Ichika walked, but a large hydraulic press was in front of her. “Stop!”

The press seemed to go up and down every few seconds.

“Now, move quickly. And stop when I tell you to, okay?”

“Good.”

Finally, Ichika reached the end of the hallway and pressed a button. A door next to me opened, and I walked into the next section beside it.

“What do you see, Shiho?”

Ichika arrived at a maze filled with mirrors, visible from above.

“I want you to follow my steps, okay?”

Ichika began moving through the mirror maze, following my instructions.

“To the left, Ichika. No, wait, to the-”

Ichika hit her head on one of the mirrors.

“Hey, I thought you knew the way.”

“I was wrong, sorry. Okay, to the right.”

She exited the maze and pressed the button so I could continue moving forward. In front of me, on the other side of the door, was the famous trophy the King mentioned earlier.

“Ichika, I think this is the last section. I need you to pay attention to me.”

“Don’t make a mistake this time.”

“…I’ll try not to.”

Ichika was standing in front of a glass walkway, where only from my angle could I see which was the real glass and which the fake.

“Don’t jump on the glass, okay? If I make a mistake, at least you won’t… fall.”

I made a couple of mistakes. Even from here, the fake glass was hard to spot. But Ichika managed to reach the end and activate the door.

“Looks like we have a winner!” the King said when I took the trophy. “It was a good show! And what a drama! It seems Ichika doesn’t fully trust you, Shiho.”

“No, I made a lot of mistakes. She has reasons not to trust me.” I approached her. “Sorry, it’s just hard to see everything from up there.”

“At least we made it through, Shiho. That's what matters.”

“Dear audience, stay in your seats! The audience's favorite show is coming up!”

After the King introduced us again, the stage began to descend, this time into the basement. There, we once again found ourselves in a huge room filled with games and fair booths.

“Welcome to the second game of the day! The plan is simple: find three keys and open this treasure chest. But be careful! Something very bad will happen if you don't do it in time.”

“What exactly will happen?” Ichika asked.

“If you fail, you'll become part of my kingdom. That's the price you pay for having fun with me!”

The Animated King stated, followed by some surprised sounds from the audience.

“Can't we ask for a clue?”

“Sure, of course. What would a treasure hunt be without a map?” The King snapped his fingers, and a strange radio appeared in my hands. “The radio will play depending on how close you are to a key.”

“Okay, then… shall we just look for the keys?”

“The right keys!”

“How will we know if a key is right?”

“You guys will find out! Now, let the game begin!”

An alarm sounded behind us, and suddenly the whole room came alive. The booths filled with Animations, and the carnival games magically lit up.

We quickly explored the food booths, just to confirm that there wasn't a key hidden in the middle.

As we reached a cotton candy stand, the radio in my hand started playing loudly.

“Here's one.”

No matter how hard we looked at the products, we couldn't find a key. But the radio was playing loudly, so the key must be there.

“Ichika, what are you doing?” I asked Ichika as she peered under the food booth.

“I think I found it.”

“Do you think it's underneath? It would be too fa-”

Ichika stood up, showing me the key.

“Now we just need to verify it's real.”

We continued exploring the place, guided by the radio. The keys weren't easy to access. Some were prizes from a fairground game, while others required searching the stall. We even found one inside a jelly bean can.

In total, we found nine keys. The King said only three were real, but how would we know which one was real and which wasn't?

“I don't think we can just try one by one.”

I looked at the time we had left: about a minute.

“No, definitely not. There are three keys, and the chest opens with the three correct ones. That's too many combinations.”

“Time's up!”

“I know!” I said, frustrated with the keys in my hands. “Any ideas, Ichika?”

“We could ask the King about—”

“Hopefully, he gave us the radio so we can have an idea of ​​where the keys are. I doubt he'll tell us explicitly which is which.” I said, frustrated.

Ichika grabbed the keys and threw them on the floor.

“Pass me the radio,” she said, before taking the radio off me.

“Hey, what the heck?” Ichika started passing the radio over all the keys, listening to the sound. “Ichika, the radio sounds the same for all of them.”

“Not for all of them,” she said, very focused. “I got it.”

“What? How come-?”

“It did sound different, Shiho,” she said with a very smug smile on her face, before starting to put the keys in the chest.

With a small click, the chest opened.

“It opened!”

As we approached to see the contents of the chest, it closed aggressively.

“The contestants have done it!” said the King, and the audience began to applaud happily. “Congratulations, you have passed the second test.”

The stage rose again, and we returned to the main hall. I tapped Ichika lightly on the shoulder.

“Hey, I couldn't even help you.”

“It's just... you were taking too long.”

“But I was thinking about how to solve the key dilemma.”

“And I did it faster.”

The King returned to us.

“Ready for the final game?”

“...yes. Let's do it quickly,” I said quickly. All I want is for this “ritual” to be over soon. The Animated King is... strange. And I don't think he's as nice as he seems.

“You heard me! It's time for the final game!”

The King gave us a few minutes to prepare before his last game, so Ichika and I decided to explore the room he left us in.

“It’s strange.”

“What?”

“The Animated King. He’s… very strange.”

“I think he’s quite nice,” Ichika said. “Apart from this whole thing about games being a bit deadly.”

“What if it’s all a facade?” I looked at Ichika. “It’s too suspicious. The audience seems forced to applaud. He’s told us many times that something bad will happen if we fail, and everything is moving in his direction.”

“What’s your point, Shiho?”

“I don’t know. But we should be more careful.”

Ichika put her hand on my shoulder. “We only have one more game. Let’s focus on completing it, okay? Then we can get back to the Arcade.”

I nodded. She's right. No matter how suspicious the Animated King looks, there's nothing left to do except complete the last game.

I heard a small metallic creak in the distance, and we decided to investigate a little. I highly doubt the King would be angry if we explored the place where he told us to wait.

In the darkest part of the waiting room, we found several cages along the walls. Most of them were empty, except for one.

"...help..."

In one of the cells, there was an abandoned man. About the same age as Henry from Tom's Diner, but his condition was deplorable.

"God, what happened to you?"

I said to the man, and looked at his arm. It had gone from being organic to a kind of wooden and iron arm. Almost the same as the Animations that inhabited this level.

"The King... don't trust him... he's-!"

"Evil? Yes, we suspect them."

“No… if you fail in their games… you'll be one of them.”

The man said, before collapsing. Ichika and I instinctively moved away, while the man seemed to convulse and retreated into the darkness of the cage.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Where the man had been, an Animation appeared and tried to attack us. Luckily, the cage bars were strong enough that it couldn't escape.

“What the hell?!”

“Here you are!” said the King. “I couldn't find you anywhere.”

“What happened to that man?” Ichika asked. “He was normal, and suddenly—”

“He failed the test,” said the King tersely, snapping his fingers and the caged Animation disappeared. “He wasn't worthy of shining in my show.”

I could feel my legs shaking in fear at what that implied.

“W-you mean…”

“Oh, calm down!” The King’s voice suddenly changed. “You’ve been good contestants. I’m hopeful you’ll be able to complete my game! And if not, well… I always have room for more Animations.”

“Hey everyone!” The Animations began to applaud fervently, clearly excited for the final show. “Welcome to the final show! Our contestants have successfully passed all the previous tests, but there’s no better show than drama!”

“Drama?”

Immediately, Ichika and I appeared on a stage, much smaller than the previous ones, with the King between her and me.

“A trivia show! Every good show requires a trivia show. The rules are simple: there will be two sets of questions. The first are knowledge questions, and the second… will be a surprise! If you get the questions wrong more than twice in the first set…” The Animated King’s face changed for a moment. “It’s game over for both of you.”

Ichika and I looked at each other before looking back at the King.

“Okay, then let’s go,” I said, a little nervously.

“First question! What is the name of the cult you and Ichika fought in Level 3?”

“How do you know—?”

Ichika glared at me, furious, and shook her head as if asking me not to question the King.

“Ah… Jerry’s Cult?”

“Almost correct! I'll give you the correct answer just because you guessed the name of their god.”

“Damn…”

“Second question! Ichika, who is the absolute king of this world?”

“The Animated King. It’s you, isn’t it?”

“Correct! The lord and master of this world, the creator of Animations! The Animated King!”

The audience cheered happily for the King’s name.

“Third question! If you had to choose one place to live for the rest of your lives, where would you stay?”

What kind of question is this?

“In the Arcade.”

“Incorrect!” A strong electric shock ran through my body the instant the King gave the answer. “The answer is obvious, Shiho. This world is the perfect place to live! You have one life.”

When I recovered from the shock, I looked at Ichika. She was horrified, holding a hand to her mouth, but seemed to sigh when she saw that I only received a small electric shock.

“Last question! What are Animations?”

Ichika remained silent, thinking about the answer. “…free citizens living under the care of the King?”

“Exactly!” Upbeat music began to play, as the audience went absolutely wild. “You have successfully passed the first round of questions. Ready for the second round?”

“…yes.”

“Let the next round begin!”

Just like before, Ichika and I appeared sitting on an old, but very colorful sofa, while the King sat in front of us with a small piece of paper.

“This last round consists of a true or false challenge. I'll ask you a couple of questions, and you must tell the truth.”

“How will you know if we're lying?”

“Dear Shiho, I know everything. I know if you're lying to me or not. Now, let the game begin!”

The King coughed a little before continuing.

“First question, for Ichika. If your lives hang in the balance and only one can be saved, would you let Shiho die as long as you survive?”

“What?” Ichika said. I looked at her, worried. “I... I don't know. Would letting her die automatically save me?”

“Yes. And if you die, she lives.”

“I... the truth is…” Ichika sighed and looked at me a little sadly. “If it saves me, I'd let her die.”

The audience seemed to enjoy the answers, surprised by the revelation.

I just... I don't know. I don't want to judge Ichika; it's a hypothetical situation, right? I'd prioritize my life too, even if...

"Very well. Shiho, don't you think that, deep down, you think Ichika is nothing more than a nuisance in the Backrooms?"

My heart stopped for a moment. I wanted to lie, but the King's threat rang all too real.

"...yes. Sometimes, I do think that."

Ichika glared at me, but I tried to make her understand that she couldn't lie.

"Ichika, confess something Shiho should never know about you."

"...no. It's just that-"

"You can't lie, Ichika."

“...it's fine. The truth is... I kind of resent Shiho. For abandoning me for years when Saki got sick.”

What? Yeah, maybe I did abandon her. But I apologized to her!

“What a drama! Now, Shiho. If you could get back to the Arcade safely by yourself, would you do it even if it left Ichika trapped here?”

“Like... if there was no other option?”

“If there was a chance YOU could get back to a safe place in exchange for leaving Ichika here.”

“...I would.”

“Okay! Now, girls. Between the two of you, who would be the least in the way if they became an Animation?”

At this point, I didn't know how to respond. I just stared at Ichika, wondering what she must think of me now. Was she upset? Did she feel betrayed?

“Shiho. She would definitely be less of a nuisance. She always tries to be polite, so as an Animation, she would be very loyal.”

Ichika responded quickly and without thinking. Does she really see me as a nuisance?

“I understand. Shiho, name one thing you hate about Ichika.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Go ahead.”

“I…” I looked at Ichika one last time. “…I hate that she worries so much about others. She was always worried about Saki, and she would often leave me alone just to go see her. And besides, I hate that she’s so optimistic. Why did she never help me convince Honami to stay in the city? To her, there’s always a solution for everything, but she didn’t help me with the one thing that really mattered.”

The audience booed Ichika once more.

“Excuse me? Is it a problem that I'm optimistic?”

“Yes, it is. Do you know why? Because you live in a bubble that prevents you from seeing the truth around you! You keep insisting on going home and risking our lives when we can live in the Arcade, or Tom's Diner!”

“Well, I'm sorry for wanting to see Saki and Honami again! You never cared about her when she got sick!”

“What a drama, guys!”

“You think not?!”

“No! You're so inexpressive that I don't know if I'm talking to my friend, or a statue!”

“At least I'm worried about us surviving, Ichika! Sometimes you're so stupid that I don't know how you're still alive!”

“Now worrying about you being okay is being stupid?!”

“It is! I'd be much better off living alone in the arcade or on level 1 if it weren't for you and your eagerness to get out into the outside world!”

“Very well, enough!” said the King. “Wow, how dramatic!” The audience applauded. “Nothing more interesting than a broken friendship!”

The King snapped his fingers, and we reappeared on the main stage.

“You have successfully completed my games, and you gave us plenty of drama! Just what my Animations needed! Now, as promised, here is your prize!”

The King snapped his fingers again, and strange symbols descended onto our heads.

“What is this?”

“You have proven yourselves worthy contestants, and that deserves a prize. From now on, my Animations will view you as equals. The world is yours, go ahead!”

I glared at Ichika.

“No, thank you. I prefer to return to the Arcade alone. Let her stay on this level.”

“Same here.”

“Wow, how interesting! Very well. If you want to return to that Arcade, you'll return to the Arcade. Dear audience, our show today is over!” The audience exclaimed sadly, as if they wanted to keep watching us. “But this isn't the end of the show. There will be more episodes in the future!” The King turned to us. “Don't hesitate to come back!”

And with another snap, we suddenly appeared back in the Arcade. The sound of the arcade machines became strangely welcoming, after having been in that seedy town for who knows how long and surviving the King's ritual.

"I'm back."

"We're back, Shiho," Ichika said, still angry. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? More like, what's your problem with me?"

"You're insufferable, Shiho. Always so cold and determined to live in this disgusting place."

"It's not disgusting once you get used to it," I said, angrily.

I looked at the objective sheet in my hand, and one of the items glowed with a bright neon light.

KING'S RITUAL: COMPLETED.

1/5 OBJECTIVES COMPLETED.

“Now what? Do you want to continue with what that paper says, or would you rather stay here alone?” Ichika asked me.

“Here,” I said, as I tossed the list to Ichika. “I’ll try to go back to Tom’s Diner. You can go ahead without me if you want. I don’t want to stay with you anymore.”

I grabbed my things and left. I entered the supermarket, looking for things to take to Level 1.

“Looks like you had a problem,” said one of the faceless cashiers.

“I’m not in the mood. Just check this things out and let me take them.”

“Okay.”

“Do you happen to know of an exit to Level 1?”

The cashier looked at me while holding the doll I wanted to take.

“I think you can go through The Hub. You can go there through that emergency door,” he said, indicating an exit at the back of the arcade. “In The Hub, look for the door with a ‘1’ written above it. But be careful around there. I’ve seen some of Jerry’s followers coming and going from The Hub. I think they have a small base there.”

“Yeah, yeah. We already faced them once, I know who they are.” I sighed. “Well, goodbye, I guess.”

“Have a good time.”

As soon as I stepped outside the supermarket, I saw a strange figure staring straight at me. It was tall, thin, and black, also faceless. I froze in place, not knowing what to do. Wasn't there supposed to be no other entity on this level except the faceless guys?

“Oh… hello, uh, can you…?”

That strange figure approached me slowly, and I instinctively backed away.

“Back! Back away!”

Suddenly, everything went black when that thing touched me. I didn't know where I was, or what the future held.

I just wanted to get back to Tom's Diner.

OBJECTIVE 2

VISIT MR. KITTY'S HOUSE

Chapter Text

I opened my eyes, and the air had a strange, homey smell. I wasn't in the Arcade anymore; rather, I was in something resembling a house. A normal house, but a very childlike one. The walls and ceiling were pink, and it was filled with very childlike decorations. There were cute stuffed animals, teddy bear drawings on the walls, even some Hello Kitty, Sanrio, and San-X decorations throughout the room. I got out of the bed where I woke up, ready to explore this place.

I looked at the list again. It only said to visit Mr. Kitty's house. Could this be it? It's... too ideal to be a Backroom level. Like a lucid dream.

I opened the curtains and looked outside. There was only a vast green meadow and a blue sky with a few floating clouds.

This place definitely felt like a dream. A perfect dream. I had a feeling nothing would happen to me in here.

I remembered the last time I spoke to Shiho. How cold and distant she sounded toward me. The things she said... it's best not to think about that. She decided to go her own way. I'll do the same.

If she doesn't want to go home, I won't stop her. Nor if she wants to stay and live in the Backrooms. She's already shown me what she really thinks of me. A hindrance, an obstacle in her life. It's better for each of us to continue on with our lives, without any obstacles in front of us.

I left the room where I woke up and opened the door to a small hallway. Absolutely everything had the same tender, childlike style as the bedroom before. But there was something strange about the walls. There were several photo frames hanging. Some were empty, but others were...

I reached the end of the hallway, where there was a staircase to the first floor, and to the left, another door. I entered the room and found another bedroom. Only larger. And less decorated. The bed was right under another window, with the same landscape in the background. The sheets were plain white, but the tops were filled with children's stuffed animals and pink pillows. Hanging near the door where I entered were several pink backpacks with Hello Kitty prints on them as well.

On top of a nightstand, there was a radio of the same color, so I decided to turn it on. Immediately, some very… I don't know, dreamlike, maybe? music started playing. It was strangely relaxing too. I sat up in bed, looking at the list of objectives.

“Visit Mr. Kitty's house… what am I supposed to do here?”

I thought to myself. I don't think I should just go back to the Arcade, or should I? That would be too easy.

I looked at one of the photos in the room, one of the ones that actually had something to it and wasn't just a frame.

…it was a photo of me. From when I was 6 or so. There was me, with Shiho… with Saki and Honami. The four of us together in kindergarten.

I remember that day we were playing cooking in the garden. I didn't know anyone, and the teacher paired the four of us together. Saki was always the same, very hyperactive and cheerful. Honami was quieter. And Shiho… she was strangely similar to Saki when she was little.

The four of us were so happy… and now it's just me and Saki. If only I could get out of here. Shiho… She must be back on level 1. That's what she wanted.

Although I don't care what she does from now on, I just hope she gets safely to wherever she wants to be.

I continued to explore the house calmly, looking for whatever this list wants us to find in this place. The walls and some of the furniture were covered in pictures. Like the one in the large bedroom, many had photographs from my childhood. From when the four of us were together, not knowing what would happen in the future.

Each of those photographs brought back vague memories of my childhood. Distant, as if I were forgetting those happy times.

Although the house seemed quite large, there were only a few places I could enter. Besides the two bedrooms, there were two bathrooms, a living room, and a dining room/kitchen. In the kitchen, there was fresh food. Snacks, sandwiches, drinks. And every time I closed the fridge, it seemed like the food went right back where it belonged.

I took advantage of the opportunity to eat a little, accompanied by the distant music of the second-floor radio. Despite having explored much of the house, I didn't find any open doors or windows leading me outside to the patio. I think I'd even been inside for several hours, but the sky didn't seem to change. It had remained static since I arrived at this level.

I heard a small creak coming from the stairs, and I turned to see who or what it was.

For a moment, I froze when a black figure appeared out of nowhere in the living room, staring at me from the other side of the door. It was very tall, thin, faceless, and its arms were very long. It didn't seem to have hands either.

"Uh... hello?" I said, trembling. If this thing turned out to be hostile, I'd have nowhere to run.

The figure continued to stare at me before leaving. I just sat at the table, confused. I didn't know what this thing was, or if it was hostile or not. I only knew I wasn't alone here anymore.

I got up from the table and went to the second floor, where this entity seemed to be going. I wanted to see it from afar, to make sure it was hostile or not. However, there it was. Quietly walking through the house and entering rooms I couldn't enter.

I returned to the room where I woke up and noticed a small laptop in the corner, also pink with teddy bear stickers on the case. Curious, I decided to turn it on.

"Ichika?"

I turned to the door, only to see Shiho standing there, staring at me coldly.

"Shiho? What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing."

We just stared at each other for a while, keeping our distance.

"I thought you were trying to return to level 1."

"I tried. But a black thing appeared out of nowhere and brought me here."

So it was the same as it was for me. I asked the clerk at the arcade how to get here, and all he told me was to get something cute. When I left the supermarket with a really cute stuffed animal, I suddenly fainted and woke up here. But if that thing brought Shiho here…

“It doesn't matter. I just want to complete the list.” I replied to Shiho.

“You bet.” Shiho snorted. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

“I don't have the slightest idea.”

“Great… I'm trapped here with you.”

“I thought I was nothing more than an obstacle to you.”

“You are. And you'll continue to be, apparently. Whether I want it or not, you always end up getting in my way.”

“Well, sorry I came here without your consent.”

“You always say the same thing, you little—” Shiho stopped and started walking out of the room. “Anyway, if you find a way out, I'll be in the living room, trying to figure out a way out.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Shiho left, and I could finally breathe easy. God, she's always so bossy. Now it turns out I'm the one to blame for her being here, too.

I opened the laptop to distract myself a bit, but that black figure appeared behind me again.

“God, will you stop scaring me like that?” I said, frustrated. It’s always a bad idea to yell at an entity like that, but the encounter with Shiho frustrated me greatly.

The figure seemed to feel bad. It lowered its head, as if asking for forgiveness, before leaving again.

“Whatever…”

Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem hostile. Sure, when it appeared in the dining room, it gave me a good scare. But now that I looked at it closely, it seems more like someone curious. Like a small animal seeing a human for the first time.

The sound of the laptop distracted me again. It had already turned on, and it only showed a picture of Hello Kitty on a pink background. There were only two possible users to log in: “Owner” and “Guest.”

When I clicked on “Owner,” the computer asked me for a password. I went back and clicked on “Guest.” I didn't have a password, and when I logged in, all I saw were several apps and a very simple background with a Sanrio character on it.

Despite being a laptop, the system was old. It wasn't similar to the ones I'd seen on computers back home; rather, it reminded me a lot of older computer systems. I remember seeing them when I was a kid, when we went to the computer lab with Saki and the others at school.

Among the apps, there were three that caught my attention. I clicked on the one that allowed me to access the internet, but there was no coverage. So I was left with only two: email and a strange one called "DreamSleep."

Suddenly, I received a very strange email, despite not having an internet connection.

FROM: Administrator
TO: Guest

SUBJECT: Welcome

Welcome, explorer. You probably have many questions and few answers, and this automated message is for you.

You're probably confused by the strangeness of this level, but don't worry. Here's everything you need to know.

WHO IS KITTY?

You've probably seen a strange, very scary humanoid figure following you around the level, but don't worry. He's Mr. Kitty, the owner of the house, and you're his guest. Kitty likes to watch what his guests do, and don't hesitate to talk to him whenever you need to. He doesn't talk, but he'll be happy to help you however he can. Just remember, you're his guest, so it's your duty to behave accordingly. So try not to break anything, clean up any trash you leave behind, and treat Kitty with respect.

WHAT DOES KITTY DO?

Besides refilling the refrigerator and the clothes you wear, he'll only wander around the house, watching everything you do or leave behind. Remember: Kitty is your friend, so don't be afraid.

HOW DO I GET OUT?

Why would you want to leave this place? Kitty is your friend, and he's more than happy to let you live with him as long as you remember you're his guest. However, if you wish, you can give Kitty an item you find cute, and he'll let you out.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

…the email clarified a lot of the situation, I think. Although I have several questions, I think it's already cleared up most of it.

I looked to my side and picked up a small teddy bear that looked very cute.

Should I tell Shiho? That's what I thought before giving Kitty the stuffed animal. Shiho told me to talk to her in case I discovered a way out. And even though we're on our own, I plan to do her the favor.

Before leaving the room, I wanted to check the last app I had on the computer.

I clicked on "DreamSleep," but nothing seemed to happen. The app wouldn't open either, and there wasn't much else to do on the computer.

I got out of bed, but immediately afterward, I started to feel sleepy. Maybe I'd been awake too long…

I stared at the bed for a moment, undecided whether I should sleep there. The email said that as long as I behaved respectfully, I could do whatever I wanted in the house. Besides, I woke up in this same bed when I got here, so what does it matter?

I left my things on the edge of the bed and lay down, settling in for sleep.

A little nap won't hurt.

I woke up a few minutes after falling asleep in my bedroom. I stretched my arms, and after yawning, I got out of bed. For some reason, the laptop I'd used earlier wasn't there. Nor was the stuffed animal I was supposed to give Kitty to get out.

I looked out the window, but it seemed to have gotten dark. It's strange, but maybe time in this level passes differently. Maybe the day lasts "days," and the night lasts as long as usual.

Anyway, I have to find Kitty and tell Shiho how she's supposed to escape from this level.

"What the...?" was all I could say when, upon opening the bedroom door, I found myself no longer in the house. The landscape had completely changed; the floor seemed to reflect the dark sky, and there were several rooms floating around, and others at ground level.

Some were even distorted. Others were overlapping each other. And the pink color of the house was replaced by a deep blue.

If Mr. Kitty's house already seemed like a dream… this place is even more dreamlike. More surreal.

I got a little nervous; I didn't know what this place was, or how to get out. What if I got trapped here forever?

"Icchan!"

That voice was Saki's. Did she end up in the Backrooms too?

"Saki?" I called out as Saki peeked out of one of the rooms, giggling. "Saki, what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"Icchan, catch me!" And Saki entered the room. I had no choice but to follow her.

I ran through this place, feeling like I was floating even though the floor beneath me was solid.

"Saki, wait!" I entered the bedroom where Saki had entered, but… she was no longer there. Instead, I could see myself inside. Me, playing with Saki, Shiho, and Honami.

“Catch me, Icchan!”

“You won't get away, Saki-chan!”

“Be careful!” Honami said.

That was us, when we were little. It was when we were in elementary school, when we decided to form a band in the future.

“Look!” Saki said, pointing at a shooting star. “Make a wish!”

We were so happy back then… we only cared about playing and spending time together. Even Shiho was smiling.

“Icchan!” Saki appeared again, behind a bench, signaling me to follow her as she disappeared into the park forest.

“Saki, what's going on?!”

I walked toward the forest, but lost sight of Saki. When I emerged from it, I arrived at a hospital room.

That's when everything broke.

"Saki, how are you feeling?"

"I feel better, Shi-chan."

"Saki-chan, the doctor said they can't discharge you yet. You're still weak."

"But I feel better! Icchan, tell them!"

"...Saki, I don't know. If the doctor says so, I think it's for the best."

"But Icchan!"

"We'll visit you in the future, right, girls?"

There was never such a visit. After Saki fell ill, we were never the same. Shiho left us when Iori, another friend of hers, invited her to join a band. And Honami... she always tried to keep in touch with me until she had to move out.

The door to the room opened, and I just walked through it.

“Happy birthday!”

“Girls, you know this wasn't necessary.”

“Don't be a partypooper, Shi-chan! It's your birthday, so you deserve a surprise!”

I walked to other room.

“Hona-chan, Icchan, Shi-chan. Do you think we'll stay together from now on?”

Saki said with a smile, looking up at the sky.

“We'll make an effort, Saki-chan.”

“I can't promise anything, Saki.”

“...I'll stay with you, Saki. If neither Shiho nor Honami can, I'll do my best to be with you.”

Everything was ruined because of Saki's stupid illness. If she hadn't gotten sick that day... maybe none of this would have happened.

“Ichika-chan, what do you think of this apple pie?”

“Hmmm! It's delicious, Honami. Who is it for?”

“It's for Saki-chan. She asked me to make something special because it was our first band practice.”

...

“Hey, Shiho. I was wondering if—” Shiho started ignoring me at school after Saki got sick.

“Oh, Honami! Hey, Shiho didn't tell me anything, so I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to that Miku concert that came to town.”

Honami shook her head sweetly, trying not to sound aggressive.

“I'm sorry, Ichika-chan. I have plans with my friends that day. I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, it's okay… don't worry…”

Every room I explored held memories of my childhood. Memories of when we were all happy.

“I'm so sorry, girls. I really wanted to stay. But my parents won't let me.” Honami gave a small bow. “I'm really sorry.”

“...Honami, I... can't you convince your parents? You can stay with me or Ichika. M-my parents will gladly welcome you. Even my sister agrees!”

“Shiho, I'd like to. But I can't. I talked to my parents, told them I could live with one of you, but they refused.”

Shiho was the most affected when Honami moved out. She never liked going to see Saki; she said the sickly smell of the hospital bothered her. And when it was just her and me... I don't know. We always watched each other's backs, but it felt strange. As if Shiho felt obligated to stay with me.

“Ichika, I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for behaving this way with you. With you and Honami. It's just that Iori invites me to concerts whenever she can, and she said she wants me to join her band.”

...Iori... She's...

“Why don't you ever come with me to see Saki?”

“I don't like the sick smell of the hospital.”

“Shiho, do you know how Saki feels there? Aside from her brother, we're all she has left.”

“So why did she get sick?”

“Come on, Shiho. It's not like Saki got sick on purpose.”

“But she did, Ichika. We practically haven't seen her for two months. And you spend more time with her than with me.”

Ever since Honami left, and only Shiho was constantly by my side, we always had minor arguments. Although we always resolved them, there were minor disagreements between us that led to more arguments.

I opened another door.

“How are you feeling, Ichika?”

“Dizzy… and I feel like I'm in an oven…”

“…you're boiling. Stay here.”

Although Shiho always seemed to be with me out of obligation, looking back at these memories… I realized that wasn't the case. That time Shiho took care of me when I had a cold for several days, or when we went camping with Nene…

“Shiho-san, how long have you and Ichika known each other?”

“…years, Nene. We've known each other since kindergarten.” Shiho drank some water. “You know? Ever since Saki got sick, and Honami moved out, Ichika is the only thing I have left.”

“Saki-san is still in the hospital, isn't she?”

“She is, yes. But… I don't like visiting her. It's not that I hate her, more like… I don't like seeing her in that fragile state. Anything she catches could… you know. Worst case scenario.”

“I understand.”

“I know I abandoned Ichika for a while, but… I realized that without her, everything is very boring. Even if Iori invites me to his band practices, with Ichika everything feels different. When we go out together, or just have a sleepover at someone's house, everything is much more… comfortable.”

“But there must be something that bothers you about her, right?”

“Honestly… it only bothers me that she thinks more about others than herself.”

Another door opened.

“Ichika, if we ever part ways… let's keep in touch. We won't always be together, but… you know.”

…maybe that's what we should do now. Maybe Shiho really wants to stay in the Backrooms, but I insisted we stay together. To go back home together.

Maybe I should accept that she wants to follow her own path here.

I walked through several more rooms, looking for the exit. More and more memories appeared inside: Shiho's birthday, our first practice together, that time I went to a Miku concert alone…

Though I don't remember visiting a hotel with a courtyard full of windows with Shiho. Let alone having coffee with her in the city.

Suddenly, I felt sleepy again. I tried to stay awake, but it was almost impossible. My eyes just… closed… on their own…

I woke up back in the pink house, after exploring that strange place. Although now, Kitty's house seemed more... real.

I got out of bed and looked around. The laptop was off, and the plushie I was supposed to give Kitty was next to it. I picked it up and decided to find it so I could return to the arcade.

I went downstairs and saw Shiho in the dining room, eating something.

"You came back."

"Yes, I did," I said, a little calmer. "If you want to exit the level, give Kitty a plushie. That long, black entity."

"Uh, thanks."

"Don't thank me, Shiho. I'll continue with the list of objectives. You... do whatever you want, okay?"

Shiho nodded before getting up and walking to the second floor. I started looking for Kitty around the house, but I couldn't find him. Maybe he was stalking Shiho.

I returned to the second floor, but since I still didn't see him, I decided to call him.

"Kitty? Hey, I have a present for you."

Kitty entered the room through one of the doors that couldn't be opened. His way of walking was... strange. He seemed to be floating in the air, but his arms were still waving like tentacles.

He looked at me for a few moments, and I offered him the stuffed animal.

"Here. This stuffed animal was mine, but you can have it."

Kitty took the stuffed animal, then seemed to nod, trying to say "thanks", before leaving for the first floor.

Immediately, I fell asleep on the floor.

When I woke up, I appeared back in the arcade. She was lying on the floor, right where Shiho and I were sleeping.

I got out of my sleeping bag and looked at the list of objectives in my hand.

2/5 OBJECTIVES COMPLETED

It said below, as the Kitty House objective glowed a bright neon color. I sighed, relieved to have cleared that place.

I headed to the counter to speak to the receptionist.

“Hey, uh, can I ask you a favor?”

“Go ahead.”

“If you see Shiho, and she asks for me, tell her… I’m trying to get out. And not to worry about me, yeah?”

“Okay, I’ll tell her.”

After resting in the arcade for a bit and wandering around, I found a small exit from the level. According to the receptionist, for my next objective I must go to The Hub and enter a specific door.

I entered The Hub, and it was just… gigantic. It looked like a car tunnel, but on the sides were several doors with numbers. Behind me, there was a sign that said "3999," the same number we'd been told at Tom's Diner was the arcade. I carefully closed the door and walked around.

Finally, I found the door I was looking for. Party music was playing inside, and the word FUN =) was framed above it, with colorful lights seeping from underwater, and several balloons floating around. Even though it was boarded up, with boards nailed to it, I decided to go in anyway. I pulled the boards out as best I could and opened the door.

It seemed something fun was waiting for me.

OBJECTIVE 3

GET 4 KEYS AT THE PARTY =)

Chapter Text

As soon as I entered the level, the cheerful and colorful music playing outside faded away. But it wasn't as if someone had simply turned everything off; the music was muffled. As if the party was actually taking place in another room, far from the entrance.

I looked at the objective list again, searching for any clues.

“4 keys at the party.”

I had no idea what kind of keys I was supposed to get.

There were several tables with birthday tablecloths, and balloons were floating everywhere. The floor had a strange pattern of streets and houses, and some walls had overly childish characters drawn on them. Some were even poorly drawn.

I walked down a small hallway, and the party music began to become more distinct. However, the further I walked, the wider the hallway became. If the boarded-up door was already strange, seeing stop signs, police tape, and warnings on the walls made my hair stand on end.

At the end of the hallway, there was a white door with a small sign that said "WELCOME TO THE PARTY =)". I thought it must be here, since the music seemed to be coming from behind the door, and a typical party murmur could be heard from there. I slowly opened the door, not knowing what to expect.

I was in a huge room, filled with the same tables as before, but with different colored tablecloths. On top of them were several red plastic cups and some bottles filled with drinks. There were also plastic plates on top, but they were empty. The party music was too loud, too.

But the worst of all were the guests. All over the room, walking around or simply sitting at the tables, were very strange creatures. They were yellow, with somewhat square heads and feet, and very tall. I think they were at least 2 meters tall.

“Oh… hello?”

Immediately, everyone stopped and stared at me. All they had on their faces was a happy face, which looked like it was painted with blood or some very red pencil, very simple. Some were holding balloons.

“A GUEST!”

Some said, their voices slightly distorted and trying to sound cheerful, while confetti flew from the ceiling and walls.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“COME AND HAVE FUN WITH US!”

“N-no, thanks. Maybe later. I'm looking for some kind of keys or something.”

“DON'T BE A PARTYPOOPER! COME, HAVE A SEAT!”

I figured I had to listen to them. From the looks of them, if they were hostile, they'd destroy me in seconds.

“HAVE SOME CAKE!” One of the guests said as it brought a cake and placed a small party hat on my head. “LET’S KEEP CELEBRATING!”

I took a small slice of the cake and placed it on my plate. There was something strange about the whole thing. The cake looked very appetizing, but the raspberry sauce seemed too thick and reddish. And the batter was too pale, too.

Carefully, I moved the slice away from my plate and picked up a plastic cup. One of the guests took a large bottle and began pouring it into my glass.

“HERE. YOU MUST BE THIRSTY, AND YOU CAN’T CELEBRATE IF YOU DON’T FEEL WELL.”

I stared at the liquid in my glass. It was fizzy, pale red, but warm to the touch. I touched it with my hand, just to be sure.

!!!!

God! That stuff wasn’t drinkable. Whatever it was, it burned me and formed an ugly scar on my index finger. It even seemed like it was sour.

"I'm not hungry or thirsty, thank you."

I got up from my chair and started walking around the room. I had a strange feeling these guys weren't friendly at all, but it was best not to question anything. I estimate there were about 100 of them in the room.

Some danced to the music, others laughed maniacally. But they always seemed to be watching me at all times.

I came to another hallway, but it led to another party room similar to the one before. And there were also dozens of those yellow creatures.

There were party signs everywhere. Even if the room was empty, or no one was there, there would be a big sign that said "HAPPY" followed by any possible party.

Suddenly, I found one of the guests standing in front of a long table. He was alone, but behind him was a huge cake, perhaps the main course. On top of it, a yellow key hung.

"Oh, excuse me. There's something I need on the cake. Can I come in and-?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! GO AND ENJOY THE PARTY =)!"

“But I-”

“DON'T BE A PARTYPOOPER!! COME ON, THEY NEED YOU TO BREAK THE PIÑATA!”

It was no use; that guest wouldn't let me through. There had to be some way to get in there…

The music suddenly stopped, sounding like a broken cassette, and I watched as the guy guarding the cake quickly left the room to go to a hidden room on the other side of the room. When the music came back on, the guy quickly came back too.

…that had to be the solution.

But when I tried to enter the same room as the supposed DJ, several others blocked my way.

“YOU CAN'T HAVE FUN HERE!”

I stood there, staring into space, not knowing what to do. I couldn't just wait for the music to stop again; it might never happen again.

“Come on, Ichika. Think!” I thought about Shiho. About how she would try to solve the problem. “If I were Shiho… what would I do?”

I grabbed the backpack I got at the arcade and started rummaging through my belongings. Besides almond water, I found a pair of scissors I'd found at Kitty's house.

“THE BALLOONS! DON'T POP THEM!”

One of the guys said as I approached the center of the room and popped one of the party balloons. Following that, I stealthily cut one of the strings holding a huge birthday banner on the wall.

From a corner, I watched as even those guests guarding the music room went to help, going to another room to get more balloons. I took advantage of the DJ's distraction to quickly enter where I needed to go.

I softly closed the door and started walking down the hallway in search of whatever was playing the music.

“How strange…” I said as the floor slowly changed from a birthday room floor to a more normal one. Even the walls lost their decorations and became simpler.

“What the…”

I froze when, near the room where the music was coming from, I saw traces of something red staining the floor and walls.

That red color wasn't raspberry, it was blood. Not only that, but I could see the kitchen in the distance, with hundreds of apparently human remains stored like baking ingredients. I hid under a table when one of the yellow guys entered the living room and headed for the kitchen, ready to prepare whatever they were going to make.

The guy came out of the kitchen with a tray full of brownies.

These things... they use people as ingredients in their meals.

I couldn't help but throw up when I remembered the cake they offered me earlier.

For a moment, I'd almost tasted that. I'd almost eaten someone.

I came back when the kitchen emptied again. I quickly ran to the music room. It was pitch dark, with a radio plugged into the speakers on the level. I unplugged it, poured some of that red liquid they offered me earlier on it, and went back to the table where I'd been hiding.

When the DJ walked toward the music room, and I made sure no one was around, I ran back to the exit and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Besides, those guys on guard had returned.

I had no way out, until I remembered what Jerry's Followers taught me a while back, back on Level 3 when I almost sacrificed Shiho because of that parrot. I stared at the wall in front of me. I focused my hand, pushed, and the surface gave way as if the air were a curtain. My palm felt cold and wet as I passed; on the other side, my hand landed on the table in front of the cake. I fell flat on my face and crawled to the hanging key. The room roared; someone had noticed my absence.

I hid under the table, hoping they hadn't seen me. That upbeat but annoying music had finally stopped after I threw that corrosive liquid at it, so I could take a break from this enormous annoyance. I looked around and saw an emergency exit to the left of where I came from. I left the table, but a guy saw me hiding.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING UNDER THE TABLE?!"

“I… uh…” My pulse quickened. This guy was standing right in front of me, and anything I said could be my victory or my death. “I was... playing hide-and-seek?”

“HOW FUN!”

“Yeah, but they didn't find me. If you want, you can go tell him I was found and it's his turn to hide,” I said, pointing at someone at random in the room.

“FINE, BUT I'LL PLAY TOO!”

“Yeah, do it. But tell him you're joining in, too, okay?”

The guy ran off to tell someone else, and I took advantage of that moment to run toward the emergency exit. I remembered that on Level 0, when we were escaping from the Howler with Shiho, we had a hard time opening it. There was a small button on the railing, which I pressed, and the door opened immediately. I quickly went to the other side and slammed it shut, just in time.

I leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, I heard a loud commotion on the other side. It seemed like they were looking for me, so I got up and decided to head down the hall before those guys found out I'd escaped.

Luckily, I managed to get the key. I looked at the list in my hand, and it updated.

1 OF 4 KEYS COLLECTED

I walked down the small hallway until I came across a large party room. It was empty, but filled with tables and birthday party supplies. Just like the previous room. The party music had returned, this time sounding more distorted than before. Maybe because I'd ruined the stereo earlier.

I sat down in one of the chairs to rest, and my head started to hurt a lot. I started hearing things around me: children's laughter, roars, people talking. But it was just me in this huge room.

I drank a can of almond water and started to feel better. The pain stopped, and the hallucinations stopped. It was then that I remembered something I'd heard when we were at Tom's Diner.

"I've heard that those who lose their sanity in the Backrooms cease to be human."

What exactly is this damn "sanity"? I think I've held up well, but... there's something about this level that's bothering me. This party is too macabre. And Shiho… maybe being with Shiho keeps me okay.

I shook my head, trying not to think about that anymore. Shiho already decided her path, and I've decided mine. And I think I've made pretty good progress on my own.

I looked at the key in my hand. It looked plastic, like a toy. And once I get all four, what then? The list only says I have to get four keys. It's different from "complete the King's ritual" or "visit Mr. Kitty."

At the back of the room, there were several party machines. One that launches a ball, another a stuffed animal machine with a claw. One in particular caught my eye: it was a machine that "exchanges keys for prizes." Curious, I inserted the key I had into the machine, and it activated. A small sign lit up on the glass.

"YOU NEED 3 MORE KEYS TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE =)"

Despite losing the key, the arcade's list of objectives remained unchanged. Maybe I need to get that damn prize to complete this goal.

On the right side of the party room, there was a hallway with a fairly detailed drawing of one of those yellow guys on the wall. He was holding a balloon and it said, "YOU MUST BE THIS TALL TO PASS =)"

What obsession do these creatures have with happy faces? Every time I see anything related to them, there's a happy face. I sighed, trying to calm myself, and entered that room.

The first room was quite small. It was empty, save for a few signs detailing the rules of the place, and a lectern with a suggestion book. The book was stained with blood.

WELCOME TO THE PLAYROOMS

IT IS PROHIBITED TO:
- SHOUT
- RUN
- LIE
- ENTER IF YOU ARE UNDER 5 OR OVER 14

I wanted to turn around after reading the last rule, but the door behind me seemed to disappear. I had no choice but to keep moving forward.

Some very colorful doors opened in front of me, revealing a colossal room. In the center, there was a huge white pillar with some blue, orange, and light blue circles, and the walls were white with blue borders. It didn't feel like a party room, more like a game room.

There were many passageways in the room, many of them closed off but with strange names. "Bouncy Zone," "Trampoline," etc.

I swear I could hear a voice calling me from the darkest hallway. A familiar voice, but one I couldn't quite recognize. Was I going crazy?

"Green key in the maze," the voice said. I hesitated to listen. What if it was a trap? What if I was headed back to the guests from earlier?

I decided I couldn't just stay in that room forever. The only accessible area seemed to be the "Maze Game," even if the dark hallway and the voice seemed to be traps.

I walked in the dark for a while, maybe hours. I saw a dim light at the end, but something seemed to catch me before I left the hallway. I had gotten tangled up in some streamers placed as a door. When I came out, the floor was quite soft, like rubber. The entire place, except for the ceiling, seemed to be made of inflatable rubber.

This place really was a maze. I don't know how far I went, but each hallway was identical to the next, which didn't help me find my way around.

I started hearing children's laughter through the hallways. Children's laughter, and Saki's. I held my head again, trying to cover my ears. This place wants to drive me crazy. There's no way I'm-

"Icchan!"

This time it was clearer. And I even saw Saki at the end of the hallway.

"Saki?" No, she's not Saki. It's... this place wants to drive me crazy. It wants me to transform into whatever it is people become when they go crazy.

I felt the floor start to shake beneath my feet. The lights started flickering, and my foot caught on something. I looked down at the floor and saw one of the yellow guys literally pop out of the floor and grab my foot.

Somehow, I managed to shake him off and started running down the hallway. I had nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him. It was very uncomfortable running through this room, with the inflatable floor.

I came to an intersection and decided to turn left. I took advantage of a somewhat dark area to hide while the monster walked around, looking for me.

After a while, I stopped hearing its growls, so I peeked around the corner. It was clear, so I stood up, sighing in relief, and continued on my way. The hallway was getting darker and darker, so I grabbed my flashlight and turned it on. But it wasn't working.

"You've got to be kidding..."

I walked forward in the dark for a few seconds, until I saw a faint glow on one of the walls. On a table, there were several glow sticks of various colors. They did glow, though barely at all compared to my flashlight.

I grabbed one and walked back through the darkness, now feeling a little safer thanks to the green stick I'd picked up.

This hallway wasn't that narrow before, was it?

The further I walked, the narrower the hallway became. I stopped for a moment and tried to touch the wall with my hand. When I felt a slight pressure on my hand, I knew what was happening. I ran with all my might toward the end of the hallway before the walls crushed me completely.

I jumped when I finally reached a wider area. The hallway behind me finally closed in completely, crushing whatever had been there.

I dusted myself off before trying to illuminate the area with my glow stick. There were several pictures on the wall that glowed in the light. A rainbow, a star, a square with sparkles.

There was another table in the center, and something shiny there. I walked over and saw a green key on the table. I picked it up and put it in my backpack. I looked at the list again, trying to see if this was what I needed.

2 OF 4 KEYS COLLECTED

I heard the sound of a door opening on the other side of the wall, and lively music was coming from it. I cautiously approached to see what was there.

...it was another party room.

Unlike the first room, this one was much darker. It had more muted tones and less bright lights, but there were spotlights illuminating various parts at random, as if it were a nighttime party. There were bright stickers all over the walls, but no one seemed to be there.

My head started to hurt again, and for some reason the lights seemed to change color. All the colors seemed to brighten, and I felt incredibly watched. I heard a door open, and just in case, I hid under one of the tables.

Several of the guests entered the room carrying bright red balloons. They entered for a moment, as if following someone, and then left. I moved stealthily between the tables until I reached the door they came out of. There was a sign that said "FUN ZONE, DO NOT ENTER =)" in front of it.

For a moment, I wanted to go in and see what was going on. But I remembered that it was from there that those monsters came out. There's probably a nest or something like that there, and I don't think I'm welcome.

"...Ichika..."

A voice called out of nowhere. I looked around, but no one was there. However, the voice seemed to be coming from a door at the top of the room. Just as I was about to leave the table, the guys in yellow came back. They circled around a few times, then returned to the room they came from.

I quickly went upstairs and came to a purple door with a balloon drawn on it. I opened it and found myself in an area filled with inflatable games.

I hid under one of the tables when I heard another door open. When I stepped outside, I saw a shadow standing on top of one of the bouncy castles in the room.

"...this way..."

I decided to follow it, just like I had followed the voice in the maze earlier. With care and well-calculated movements, I managed to successfully avoid all the guests who occasionally came and went from the room. I opened a door, and again I found a party room.

I was starting to get bored with all the tables, balloons, and party supplies everywhere.

I don't know why, but I started counting the fingers on my hand. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized I still had 10 fingers. I was convinced I'd lost one in the previous room.

But as I walked through the rooms, the balloons on the walls began to pop on their own. I was afraid the sound would alert the monsters, but nothing happened.

I came to a small room, too small, with a single door. Next to it, next to an abacus, was a small piece of paper asking how many chairs there were in the room. I started counting them one by one.

I moved the abacus so it showed 6 chairs, but nothing happened. I looked at the tables again, but now there were fewer chairs. I swore I'd counted 6 chairs, but now there are 4.

I'm not crazy.

I finally entered the correct number, and the door opened. I entered a room with even more inflatable games, but the floor was littered with plastic balls and multi-colored pipes. Colors that seemed to change abruptly every time I blinked.

…No, I'm not crazy. It's this place that…

If Saki were here, she'd most likely laugh at me for the things I say.

“Go have FUN, Ichika.” The voice had returned.

“No.”

“Do it. Have FUN. LET ALL YOUR STRESS OUT!”

“Shut up! Leave me alone!”

I argued with the voice. Even though no one was with me, I felt the need to respond. I thought I was losing my voice.

“If you don't have FUN, you'll go crazy.”

My head started to hurt again. I fell to the floor, my vision throbbing and dark. I began to hear a murmur in the room. Voices mingling with each other, unrecognizable. I could see the doors opening, but no one came out. They just remained open.

I took a sip of the almond water in my backpack, and everything seemed to return to normal. I think so. My head was still throbbing, but the doors had closed.

“...no, I have to stay sane,” I told myself, feeling a small burning sensation on my skin. “I have to do this for Saki.”

The burning began to subside when I thought about what I would do once I escaped the Backrooms. That when I returned to the arcade, I would finally be able to relax.

I opened one last door and entered a huge room. It was almost as big as the room I first appeared in, only the ceiling was lower.

Although it was filled with those yellow monsters everywhere. The shadow I'd been following had disappeared, so I didn't know what else to do. On one of the tables, I saw a small note written by someone else.

“Don't touch the party bowl.” Followed by a fairly detailed drawing of the room. I had a feeling that maybe that bowl held the key I was missing.

I crept through the room, moving between the tables in the room to avoid being seen by the guests. Some were dancing, others were pacing, and others just stood still, humming the awful song playing in the background.

Finally, I reached the central area of ​​the party room. There was a huge table, with many neatly arranged chairs, and in the center, a bowl filled with candy. I slipped under it, and while no one was looking, I slipped out and reached into the bowl. I grabbed the key, which was a pale red color, and tried to sneak back into the table.

The music abruptly stopped, and all the guests turned to look at me.

“Uh… Yeah, let's keep celebrating!”

My legs reacted for me as the guys started running toward me. I ran all over the room, dodging the tables and trying to stay as close to the wall as possible, looking for an exit. I could sense those things were nearing me as I heard their heavy footsteps getting closer, but I couldn't stop.

Suddenly, a human hand seemed to emerge from nowhere through a wall with "NO MORE FUN =(" graffiti on it. I didn't have time to hesitate, and this might have been the only way out.

I grabbed the hand that was on the wall, and we noclipped through it. We fell into a dark area, very quiet, but seemingly safe.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said, breathing heavily. "Wait a minute..."

"What's wrong?"

I've heard that voice before... once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was able to recognize the one who saved me.

"Shiho?"

“If you're going to Fun, be careful. I think there's an entrance to the safe part of the level. You can noclip in front of it's door in The Hub, and it'll take you to the Remnants. That part is safe, but if your friend came through the door in The Hub, you'll have to go into the dangerous part to rescue her.”

============================================================================================================

“What are you doing here?”

“I ask you the same thing,” Shiho said coldly.

I sighed.

“Thank you, for saving me.”

“Don’t be thankful. I only did it because I don’t want you to die.”

“I was doing fine without you.”

“Sure,” Shiho said in a wry tone. “How many keys do you need?”

“Just one. I managed to escape the—”

“You were lucky. Seriously, how could you enter this level directly from The Hub? Didn’t you see the signs?”

“And what else could I do, Shiho?”

“I don’t know. Find another way in that wouldn’t involve confronting the Partygoers so directly. Seriously, you’re very lucky they didn’t turn you into a cake.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now, what are you doing here?”

Shiho sighed.

“I decided to stay in the Backrooms. You told me yourself you wouldn't get in my way, but…” Shiho closed her eyes, staring at the floor. “I realized I'd rather you make it out alive. Not because I want you far away, but because I wouldn't bear it if something happened to you.”

“Well, I was doing pretty well.”

“And you still have two more objectives left. Which means exploring two more levels. I don't want to risk you dying here and feeling guilty about it.”

“And what place is this? It looks… old.”

“It's the safe zone of the Fun level. The receptionist told me that a few years ago there was a war around here, and that this area is what's left of the old Fun level.”

“A war….”

We walked through the hallways, our footsteps echoing off the walls of the place. It was exactly the same as the Fun level I explored before: birthday tables, balloons, party banners, and streamers. But everything had a darker, older feel.

The tables were covered in dust, some balloons were deflated, and the tablecloths had faded. It really seemed like whatever happened here had rendered the place uninhabitable.

“How did you get here?”

“Through The Hub, if you no-clipped next to the door, you'd enter this area of ​​the Fun Zone. That's what they told me at the arcade, and apparently it worked.”

“Yeah. And how are you sure there's nothing there?”

“…I'm not sure about that. But at least it feels safer than the Fun Zone you explored.”

We passed through a dimly lit but empty room. The ceiling had collapsed a bit, and natural light from who knows where was seeping in. There were remnants of candy, confetti, and wood on the floor, along with some ceiling panels.

In the distance, we could hear things falling. Maybe remnants of the ceiling, or tables that finally gave way over time. Even the party signs were peeling or faded.

“Theoretically, the 4th key should be here,” Shiho said.

“How do you know?”

“It's just a hunch.”

We walked and walked for what seemed like hours through the shattered halls.

“You know, Shiho? This place gives me a really bad feeling.” But Shiho wasn't there. “Shiho?”

Shiho walked back from the shadows.

“Are you okay? You were talking to yourself.”

“Huh? But you where-” There was nothing beside me. “Forget it. Let's just keep walking.”

I hit my head gently.

“Come on, snap out of it. Shiho's real. She's by your side. There's no reason to freak out now.”

A beam fell from the ceiling and interrupted our walk.

“Come on. We can go around this way.”

And so we continued walking through the vast place. It was so desolate, so cold… so abandoned.

“What's that?” I asked when, as I turned a corner, there was a strange figure on the floor.

“I don't know, but it's best to ignore it.”

My curiosity got the better of me. I stepped away from Shiho for a moment, only to see the figure lying on the ground.

It was a dead person, or so it seemed. He was wearing a black sweatshirt, blue jeans, and matching sneakers. Over his face was a dark blue mask with holes in it that resembled a sad little face.

I shook it, trying to get a response, but there was nothing. It was definitely dead.

I returned to Shiho, and we entered a room that was considerably larger than the previous ones. Although its damage was impressive. The most striking thing was a blue graffiti on the wall that read “NO MORE PARTIES =(“ and an arrow pointing right.

There was a table right below the graffiti, where the last missing key was. It was a dull gray color and appeared to be metal, unlike the other keys, which seemed more like plastic.

4 OF 4 KEYS COLLECTED

The list of objectives read.

“Now what?”

“We have to go back. We have to put the 3 keys in a machine and—”

“No way. I’m not going to risk going to the Fun Center just to play a machine.”

“Then leave by yourself. You should know the way out. So if you want, go and head to Tom’s Diner. I appreciate the help, but I won’t get in your way.”

A sound of breaking glass emerged from the shadows. We both looked down the dark hallway to our right, and a A dim light shone faintly in the darkness. A dark hand emerged from the hallway, beckoning us to follow it.

“Let’s go down that hallway then,” Shiho said. “If whatever was there was hostile, we’d be dead by now.”

Shiho disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. I sighed and decided to follow her down the hall.

I'll try to get us back to the arcade together. The last thing I want is for her to die here before I can get back to level 1.

Chapter Text

We walked down the hallway that hand had called us down. Maybe whatever wanted to see us disappeared into the darkness.

Could we really trust that? If there is something I learned the hard way, it is that we cannot trust anyone, even if they look human. That Skinstealer that chased us before we got to Tom's Dinner... God, what if they imitate one of us?

I looked at Ichika, making sure she followed me too. After exploring that pink house, I don't know what I got myself into when I clicked on that DreamSleep app on that laptop, but... it made me see too many things.

I realized that no matter how hard I try, I still care about her. But I'd rather help her complete the objectives so she can return home alone, than leave her alone and die horribly. I simply couldn't bear the idea that I could do something to prevent it, if something very bad happened to him.

“This looks like a school.”

Ichika said.

“I think it is.”

And indeed, we went from what was a party room, with all the things abandoned, to a long school hallway. Little by little we began to see more details that confirmed it: lockers, typical school ceramic floors, doors that led to classrooms, etc.

When we came to a T intersection, we decided to go right this time. We saw several school club posters on the walls, and others that were not from a school club.

“Silence in the library”, “Be happy =)”, “Stop the parties =(“

This area definitely seemed to be part of that war they mentioned in the arcade.

Suddenly, we arrived at what seemed to be the entrance to the school. It was a larger area, with a closed door marked “Entrance,” and a few benches to sit on, with what appeared to be a casino on the other side.

“Shiho, there's another one of those guys over there.”

Ichika said, seeing another guy on a bench. He wasn't sitting, but rather… lying down. I went to see him too.

"He's dead. I think."

“What could have killed them?”

“Let's just keep moving forward.”

Behind the guy, there was graffiti that said “WE WON THE WAR =)” in blue letters. Surely on the winning side of this war.

One of the doors on the sides was open, so Ichika and I decided to go in and see. It was an ordinary classroom, but full of confetti. More dead guys were in the room, some sitting at desks and others on the floor.

We continued moving through the hallways, entering classrooms that led to more hallways. On the walls, more graffiti and posters about this war that happened. We entered another room full of confetti.  For a moment, I thought there was no one alive here.

But then, we saw movement at the end of the hallway.

“Ichika, stay behind me.” I said, putting my arm in front of him. Slowly, I took out a can from my backpack, ready to hit the guy who was slowly approaching us…

But he stopped. He looked at us, turning his head, and nodded. He then made a gesture of “Come with me.”

"What are you doing?"

…I didn't know whether to trust. Not after everything we saw at the Fun. But Ichika was already walking towards him, and if something happened to him, how could he…?

I sighed and followed her.

We advance through more corridors, following him, until we reach a new illuminated room. Above the door, there was a sign that said “Boredom Room,” but below it was a small sign, crossed out, that said “Principal.” Perhaps these guys took the director's room as their base.

The headmaster's room was smaller than the classrooms, but it was more varied. It had several shelves full of books that I couldn't identify, some pictures of a person, diplomas, and a small desk where I assume whoever the director of this school is sat.

Although the room was full of party things. Confetti, deflated balloons, garlands hanging from the ceiling. It's as if they had an impromptu party in the living room, but they forgot to organize everything.

The guy who guided us asked us to take a seat, before taking a small piece of paper and writing something on it.

“What were you doing at Fun?”

The paper said. It seems like it's the only way they communicate.

“I was-”

“I'm looking for some keys, and they told me they were in Fun.” Ichika interrupted me.

The guy nodded, and looked at me.

"I... I only came to help her. I entered through another area, through the old Fun, to rescue her."

“Do you want to get out of here?”

I nodded, but Ichika didn't.

“I need to go back to Fun. There was a machine that I had to activate with those keys.”

“Fun is very dangerous.”

"I know, and I barely made it out of there alive. But I just want to go back to where that machine is and leave."

“Follow me, but you must do everything I do if you want to return unharmed.”

I looked at Ichika, and then at the guy.

"Ichika, no. I won't risk you returning to the Fun, much less alone."

"Why not?"

I looked to the side, before answering.

“I don't want you to die.”

"Now don't you want something to happen to me? After confessing that I'm a nuisance to me?"

"You still are. You're really annoying, but I can't leave you alone." I said, sighing and trying to calm down. “I won't let you die, and going back to Fun is a death sentence,”

"Then leave me alone, just like we did before. I did well by myself in Fun."

“Yes, so good that they almost turned you into a cake.”

Ichika stood up, sighing.

"Shiho, just leave me alone. I promised not to be a hindrance to you, and that's what I'll do. If you don't want to go back to Fun, don't."

Then Ichika stood up, and nodded at the guy in the chair.

"I'll accompany you. But once you manage to activate that machine, we'll return immediately." I looked at the guy in front of us. “How dangerous is it to go back?”

“If you do what I do, it will be safe.”

We followed the guy around the school, looking for an entrance to the Fun. Along the way, he gave us several notes that told more about him and what happened here.

Apparently, there was a war between the Partygoers and the Partypoopers on this level. As the Partypooper explained to me, they were against what the Partygoers did at their parties, and they started fighting.

But they lost. That would explain why we've only seen a single Partypooper in this level. The Partygoers won that “war.”

…A Fun War. While the Partypoopers wanted them to end, the Partygoers wanted to keep the parties going. And that culminated in Partypoopers almost becoming extinct.

We moved down a dark hallway, following the glow stick that our guide had in his hand. It was too dark to see anything, but the noises and laughter around us told us that this place is definitely not safe without a guide.

When we reached a lighted hallway, we knew where those laughs were coming from. In some rooms, surrounding the bodies of some Partypoopers and some things that clearly belonged to other people as if they were watching them, there were some Partygoers hanging around the rooms. They came and went as if nothing had happened, laughing, while our guide stood still.

The Partygoers rooms had signs outside indicating that they were there: “Party Room 1”, “Fun Room”, “No Partypoopers Allowed”, etc.

Finally, we reached a larger hallway with a large glass door at the end, and some stairs to the right of the hallway.

“Upwards you can go back to the Fun. There you can look for the machine.”

“Aren't you coming with us?” Ichika asked.

"I can't go. But I'll make sure they don't come in here."

We went up the stairs, reaching another small hallway. At the end, there was a closed door from where lights could be seen and very lively music could be heard. Without a doubt, a trap.

I opened the door, and we entered a small room full of posters that talked about the Fun War.

“JOIN US TO MAKE THE PARTY LAST =)”, “DON’T LET THE PARTYPOOPERS RUIN THE PARTY”, “THERE WILL BE FREE CAKE IF WE WIN =)”

The music was loud, almost deafening, and the floor was full of rubber balls.

"Alright, Ichika. We're here. Where's the machine?"

Ichika looked around, before pointing to a door in the right corner.

“I haven't seen this room, but I have a feeling it's over there.”

“...it better not be a trap.”

We opened the door and entered a huge party room with several birthday tables, very long and decorated with balloons and birthday hats. As if they were waiting for the guests to arrive.

“There it is.” Ichika said, and guided me towards a corner where a strange machine was. She put in the 3 keys that we had, and after playing a little, she managed to activate it.

The machine began to ring happily, with a sign on that said “YOU WON THE PRIZE :)”. Immediately, a grate opened, releasing a small package wrapped in colorful paper.

Ichika opened it, and sighed in frustration.

“It's just almond water.”

I sighed. “Of course… you almost died just from a can of water.”

Ichika got up from the ground, putting the can in his backpack. We look at the list of objectives.

3 OF 5 OBJECTIVES COMPLETED

“Okay, activate the button and let's go back to the Arcade.” She said, looking at me. “Shiho?”

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, the button." I started searching in my backpack, but couldn't find the button. “It must be around here…”

“Shiho, the button.”

“Calm down, almost-” I emptied my entire backpack, but the button was gone. “It's not there.”

"What?"

“I’m telling you it’s not there.”

“So you lost it.”

"I don't remember where I left it. It's something different."

Ichika snorted.

"Great. Maybe you left it at Kitty's House?"

God, it was so obvious. I remember leaving the button there, right before Kitty sent me back to the Arcade. In the kitchen of his house, when I opened the refrigerator. Right after, I went to the room where I used that strange laptop and left.

"Now that I remember, yes. Looks like I left it in the kitchen." Ichika pushed me hard, causing me to fall and hit one of the tables in the place, knocking several glasses and hats off the table. “What the-?”

“How could you miss the button that gets us out of here?!”

"Well, sorry for forgetting! This wouldn't have happened if we had stayed with Aiko!" I said, standing up and rubbing my head.

“Are you still insisting on that?!” Ichika sighed. "I already told you that I won't stay here. Unlike you, I do care about Saki and Honami!"

"You think I don't?! Of course I care about them, but nothing will be like before. Saki is in the hospital and Honami is in another city, damn it! Do you think anything will change if we go back?!"

Ichika turned around. "No. But unlike you, I won't abandon them."

I sighed, approaching Ichika.

"...it's okay. As I promised, I'll help you get back. But promise me that-"

The happy, childish music around us stopped abruptly, when a Partygoer entered the room.

"IT'S SHE! THE PARTYPOOPER!"

The Partygoer seemed to shout. Immediately, the floor began to shake with the loud and fast footsteps of the Partygoers.

"Run!"

I yelled at Ichika, opening the door we entered through. We quickly went down the stairs, while the Partygoers behind struggled with the door to catch us.

Back on the first floor, I opened the door leading back to the school hallway, and with a lot of effort we managed to put a nearby table in front of it.

We slowly backed away from the door, trying to catch our breath as the Partygoers continued to struggle.

“...it won't last long.” I said, turning to look at Ichika.

“Let's go back to the Partypooper from before.”

We returned to the principal's office, and the Partypooper who helped us was sitting down. When he saw us, he nodded and left a small note.

"Youcame back alive. I'm glad."

Ichika looked at him a little annoyed.

“You were supposed to guard the entrance.”

"I thought you wouldn't come back. Your friend said something about a button that brings you home."

“The stupid lost the button on another level.”

"Hey! I know where the button is, we just need to get back to Kitty's." I snorted before continuing. "And be thankful that I decided to help you get back to the real world. Otherwise, you'd be dead."

"I never asked you to come back for me. In fact, I remember telling you that I wouldn't stand in your way." Ichika pointed at me. “You wanted to help me.”

“And you don't appreciate it.”

The tone of her voice rose, and so did mine. At some point, I stopped listening to what she was saying; I only saw her twitching expression, her contained rage. Then, suddenly, she doubled over. She fell to the ground, convulsing and turning red. Then she just laid there, on the ground, motionless.

“Ichika?!” I approached her nervously, and felt her pulse. She was still alive, thank God. “Hey, wake up!”

The partypooper approached, and after looking at Ichika a little, he told me to sit her on one of the sofas in the living room.

"Her sanity is low. The Fun must have affected her mentally."

"Sanity?"

“If a human loses his mind in the Backrooms, he transforms into a Wrench,” The partypooper took a transparent bottle, and sprayed it on Ichika. "The fact that she wandered alone in Fun affected her a lot. Luckily, with almond water you can slow the transformation."

I just stood there, watching as Ichika slowly woke up. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it might burst. Wrench? If Ichika went crazy, then… I would really lose her.

“Ugh…what…what happened?”

"How do you feel?"

“Dizzy…”

“Do you remember what happened to you?”

"...I was telling you something, when... I saw a very bright smile in the window. And then everywhere. Then it just went black."

God, it's more serious than it seemed. I headed to the Partypooper after making sure Ichika came back to her senses.

“If Ichika… transforms, can she go back to how she was before?”

The partypooper shook his head.

"Before the Fun War, we had a small colony staying in the cafeteria. One of them had transformed, and the one who seemed to be the leader of the group was desperate. He said that maybe Concentrated Almond Water would help, but then the war broke out and we didn't hear from him again."

So maybe it's irreversible... I'll have to make sure that doesn't happen to Ichika. At least until we reach the exit.

Once Ichika regained consciousness, we sat down with the Partypooper.

“Without the return button, we have no way to return to the Arcade.” I told him. “And this place doesn't seem safe enough for us to stay here.”

"The Partygoers already know you're here. Normally, they leave any human who enters Boring territory alone, but your friend managed to escape from them on the Fun level. They must be looking for you."

“Yes, maybe… but we don't have a way to get back to the Arcade.”

The Partypooper nodded, before leaving the office for a few moments.

"There is a way out. Before, humans entered this place through a huge city that, according to some, connects almost all of the Backrooms. I don't know the situation of that exit now, or if it is even safe to travel there."

I looked at Ichika again. She seemed completely recovered.

“I think you owe us a favor.” She said seriously. “For leaving us alone there.”

"Very well. I will guide you. But, as before, I cannot assure you anything."

We look at each other in silence. Ichika took a deep breath.

“...if there is even the slightest chance, take us.”

We moved through the school hallways once again, this time hoping to reach an exit. Even though we were in the “Boring Zone”, there were still Partygoers hanging around the place. Some did it just out of routine, and others were clearly looking for us.

The Partypoopers definitely lost. Unfortunately.

“Drop down.” Our guide told us with his hands, every time we passed by a room with partygoers inside.

Thus, we advance through the corridors, slowly but surely avoiding the Partygoers. Each hallway was stranger than the last, still filled with the remains of the Fun War.

“THE PARTIES NEED YOU =)”, “IF WE WIN THERE WILL BE CAKE FOR EVERYONE”, “DEFEND YOUR FELLOW HUMANS”, “WITHOUT MUSIC THERE IS NO PARTY =(“, said some of the various propaganda posters on the walls of the hallway.

The smell of burning confetti was evident, and several deflated balloons, birthday cups, and party supplies were scattered throughout the hallways.

“Stop.” The guide told us. We stuck to one of the lockers, when a goer came out of one of the classrooms. He walked at a slow pace, without looking in our direction.

“...how come he didn't see us?” I whispered to the Partypooper, once the danger was over.

"They have poor eyesight. The Boring Zone is too dark for them, and it's hard for them to see us."

Finally, it seemed like we arrived at a school library. The partypooper looked out of the room, before returning to us.

"The Library is the limit of the Boring Zone. Once outside, we will enter the Fun Zone of the school. You have to be quick and careful."

Ichika and I nodded.

“How long until departure?” Ichika asked, now recovered.

Even if ours is merely functional, my presence seems to help her a lot. I assume that the psychological toll, or whatever Backrooms do on someone's mind, is less if you have someone by your side. Even if it's someone you have no ties to.

Or someone with whom you no longer want to form real bonds.

"About 3 more hallways, and we'll be safe. From there, the exit to the city will be close."

I sighed, and approached what seemed to be the entrance to the Fun Zone. I could hear happy music on the other side, but somewhat distorted. I didn't know if they were coming from the hallway speakers, or if the Partygoers transformed some classrooms into their party rooms.

“Ready, Ichika?”

I asked, adjusting my backpack.

“Just come on, Shiho.” She answered me coldly. I nodded, and gave way to the guide.

Unlike the boring and silent corridors before, the atmosphere here was very vivid. The floor was littered with confetti and garlands, and several typical school signs were replaced with handmade signs about having fun. I even saw a very poorly done drawing of a dog decorating one of the lockers.

We walked through the hallways quickly, wanting to get to the safe area as soon as possible. Here we couldn't just stop or move slowly. Partygoers plagued this area, and any wrong move would mean our death.

We passed a classroom, and the party music became even louder and louder. The door frames were poorly decorated with red and glitter balloons, and each one said “PARTY ROOM =)” above the door. Our guide moved incredibly quickly through them, trying to be exposed for as little time as possible. We did the same, and luckily for us the goers didn't detect us.

We continued with the same strategy for what seemed like hours. My legs were starting to hurt, and my back was killing me from squatting for so long. But it was necessary, I don't want to risk ending up as a birthday cake for the next poor explorer to consume.

Out of pure curiosity, I peeked slightly through one of the doors, wanting to see what it was like inside the “Party Rooms”. The partygoers were just in there, static, but dancing to the rhythm of the horrendous and sickening song in the background. They had replaced the school desks with small round plastic tables, also decorated with balloons and party hats. And the teacher's desk became the snack table. On the green boards, they only wrote things related to the Fun War or the fun they were having.

I think I even saw one of the goers take the body of a partypooper, sit it on one of the individual tables, and put a party hat on it with a piece of cake.

“Ah!”

Ichika, out of nowhere, pushed me to the ground again. I fell against the cold surface, and quickly got up.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

"React! The guide has already moved."

Ichika was right, these were not times to stop even for a second.

Our guide ushered us into a small cleaning closet when a partygoer emerged from one of the rooms to walk down the hallway.

“Has he left?”

"I think so-"

I turned to look at Ichika, only to see that behind her a partygoer growled at the top of his lungs.

They had found us.

PAF!

The thud of the door hitting the wall echoed through the hallway, despite the loud music, drawing the attention of all the partygoers in the area.

“DAMN IT, RUN, HELLS!” I screamed at myself when I felt like my legs were betraying me. We ran at top speed down the hallway, following the partypooper who was leading us out, while dozens, if not hundreds, of goers chased us. Their footsteps echoed throughout the place, while the annoying party music faded away in each party room.

"TO THE RIGHT!" Ichika shouted at me, behind me. The partypooper ran ahead of us, making sure to mark the way to the exit while indicating with his hands where we should go.

I had the bad idea to look back at an intersection. From the darkness of another hallway, even more partygoers appeared. Without a doubt, they would destroy us as soon as they touched each other.

“REACT, DAMN IT!” I screamed at my legs, with the last of my strength. I felt like I was running out of air the more we ran.

“WHERE?!” Ichika shouted. We continued straight through a cross intersection, and even more partygoers joined the chase. We could hear them destroying everything, judging by the metallic noises that I assume were because they were destroying the lockers in the hallways.

Finally, we came to a double door, made of metal. The partypooper waited for us outside, asking us to hurry up. Ichika arrived before me, and entered the other area while I was still running.

“WAIT FOR ME-!” I fell to the ground when a Partygoer appeared out of nowhere, pushing me away and causing me to hit the locker on the wall. “ACK!!” I exclaimed in pain, feeling the tremendous impact. I tried to get up, but I couldn't.

“SHIHO!”

I threw my flashlight at the goer who was stalking me, trying to scare him away. It didn't work. I tried to crawl towards the door, but it was no use. The horde was about to catch me.

“Damn… Honami, I swear I will haunt your house if I come back as a ghost.” I said, trying to accept my fate.

But nothing happened. Actually, our guide took me by the hand and helped me up. With a kick he pushed me towards the door while he stood between the horde and the door.

“SHIHO, QUICK!”

I gathered all my strength to get up and open the door. Ichika helped me in, and the door seemed to close tightly. I looked out the door window at what happened to the partypooper.

He just looked in our direction, raising his thumb and a small note that said “Good luck with your trip.”

…The Partygoers destroyed it in seconds. His body practically disappeared among the yellow pile of the horde.

Although if it hadn't been for him deigning to help me, I wouldn't have been able to reach the safe zone alive. The partygoers struggled against the door, threw things, tried everything to break it and get in, but they couldn't. The door remained there, firm, and after trying for a few minutes, they simply left back into the darkness of the hallways.

“I…I did it…” I said, before fainting.

I woke up suddenly when Ichika dumped almond water on me.

!!!

I stood up and looked at her intently.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“You weren't waking up, and I thought this would make you do it.” Ichika said, clearly enjoying the moment.

“You're so-” I sigh. "Thank you, anyway. For helping me up."

"I need you alive, Shiho. Although I can continue with the list alone, with your help I will be able to progress faster."

I smiled a little, before ruffling my hair. I noticed that Ichika had bandaged my leg with a piece of her sweater.

“You ripped your sweater just for this.”

“I can get another one when I get back to the Arcade.”

We walked back to the metal door, and looked through it. A faint light could be seen in the darkness, and that annoying party music could be heard very distant.

Although that partypooper who guided us through this level was still lying there. Dead.

“It's a shame he died…” Ichika said. “He really did helped us.”

I nodded, still looking at the body of our guide.

“Maybe he was the last of them.” Sigh. “I guess right now, this level is owned by partygoers.”

“Then we will never come back.”

"Nope. Never."

We walked down the hallway, following the fluorescent lights overhead. Unlike the rest of the level, the walls were completely empty. No signs, lockers or doors. Just a huge hallway, with a white light in the background and the noise of what seemed to be cars in the distance.

“Ha… I guess it was true.” I said when we got to the school lobby. In front of us, a glass door with some flower pots on its sides.

On the other side, a huge city loomed over us.

OBJECTIVE 4

VISIT RADIO BACKROOMS

Chapter Text

For the first time in days, I could feel the sun beating down on me. The brightness seemed blinding at first, but I quickly adjusted after a couple of blinks.

It seemed like we'd arrived at the perfect spot. Again.

"This is huge..." Ichika said, as we looked at the enormous building in front of us.

"Yes. It is."

We took a step forward, leaving the school. We walked along the sidewalk for a few minutes, until we came to an intersection with a few traffic lights.

"Maybe there's something here that will tell us how to get back to the Arcade..." I said, while looking at a map hanging on a bus stop across the street.

It was strange. This city, though clearly made for cars and the like, was empty. There were no vehicles of any kind, although there were parking lots, bus stops, and the sound of a road and horns in the distance.

When I looked at the map, I knew why it seemed like we were alone. We were in the downtown district. But the city was… indescribably huge. It seemed almost endless. The location map covered only a small portion, and even then I felt lost among so many addresses and points of interest.

“Radio Backrooms… Apparently it’s on this level,” I said to Ichika, who was sitting there drinking something.

“Great. Let’s go straight there, then.”

“What about the Arcade? You were the one who insisted on going back to the Arcade.”

“We can go back to the Arcade once we’re done here. Besides, if you really want to help me, you should go back to the Arcade too.”

I nodded, and sat down with Ichika to eat something.

We just sat there, eating something and looking at the horizon. Not talking. Just… enjoying the calm of the endless city.

“Radio Backrooms is in an office building, apparently. Near 11th Avenue.”

“And where are we?”

“We're still close to the school. I think… we have a long way to go.”

When we regained our energy, we resumed our walk. We walked through the deserted streets, looking for the famous 11th Avenue. We came across many commercial buildings nearby. There was a candy store, a restaurant, a coffee shop, everything. At times, it felt like the buildings were even repeating themselves. As if someone had copied and pasted the same block several times. But even so, everything felt very familiar.

It's like we've come home, but at the same time, we haven't.

We crossed a bridge and looked at the river below us while leaning on the railing.

“Shiho… do you still want to stay at the Backrooms?”

I didn't know what to say to her. I stared at the sun's reflection in the water, trying not to meet her eyes.

"...yes. Although I'm not sure where. I mean, look at this place. I can easily find a house and stay there. Or maybe there are more people and I can stay with them. Or, if I find a way, go back to level 1 and stay at Tom's Diner."

Ichika nodded slowly.

"I see... I... I do want to go back. But I won't get in your way."

"You've said it many times."

"I know. But it seems like I'm still in your way. I thank you for saving me on the Fun, and accompanying me here and all, but I want you to go your own way. It's to avoid more trouble."

"Like what?"

"...your natural stupidity. You act like a real idiot sometimes, and you're really cold to me from time to time. Besides, I feel like I'm really in your way."

“Yes, you're still in my way. But… I still want you to come home. Believe me, I've asked myself several times at school, and on the way back to the city, if I really should be with you. If it's really worth risking my life to help you get back to the real world. But there's something stopping me. It makes me feel guilty every time something happens to you.”

We resumed our walk, reaching the other side of the bridge. There, we saw a couple of guys having dinner in a restaurant. I thought I'd never see humans again, but there they were. Eating, laughing, and talking happily, as if everything was normal.

“Oh, excuse me.”

“Yes?”

One of them turned around. Thank God he was human.

“Uh… excuse me, we're looking for 11th Avenue, and I think we're lost. Do you know where to go?”

“Are you going to Radio Backrooms?”

“Yes.”

“This way, at the end of the street, is the Level 4, Office Complex.”

“Okay, thanks.”

We were just leaving when one of the waiters stopped us. It was another faceless guy, one of the same guys who worked at the Arcade.

“Can I get you something?”

The sun began to set as we finished dinner. I thought the day/night cycle didn't exist here, but thankfully I was wrong. Although we were told this level was completely safe, I didn't want to take any chances. I walked with Ichika to a new building where we could spend the night and, perhaps, get some sleep.

It was something like an indoor observatory. The receptionist, also a Faceling, welcomed us and said we could spend the night as long as we didn't cause any trouble.

What trouble could we cause? We were just two girls, lost in the Backrooms, looking for a place to spend the night.

There were several very wide seats in the auditorium, perfect for a decent night's sleep. They weren't the most comfortable in the world, but at least they were better than sleeping on the floor.

Then the lights went out. Several more people entered the auditorium, apparently wanting to see the show. Great, more humans. I needed to see more people, or I'd start to go crazy.

The show had begun at the observatory, and a giant dome opened, revealing the starry sky.

It looked fake, but... comforting.

Ichika and I just stood there, staring at the sky while trying to fall asleep.

"Hey, Shiho."

"Hm?"

"This reminds me a lot of when we used to stargaze together, the four of us. When we were younger."

I nodded, still staring at the stars.

"Yeah... I remember."

----

"Look, a shooting star!"

"That looks more like a satellite than a shooting star."

"Don't be a spoilsport, Shi-chan!"

“Hehe! Sorry!”

“Let’s make a wish!”

“Saki-chan, that’s not a shooting star.”

“Don’t you start it too, Hona-chan!”

“Even if it’s not a shooting star… it doesn’t hurt to make a wish.”

“See? Icchan’s on my side too!”

“If you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true, Saki.”

“Shiho-chan’s right, Saki-chan.”

“Oops! You guys are such party poopers!”

----
“...we were really happy that day, weren’t we?”

Ichika said.

“...we were.”

We continued staring at the ceiling for several more minutes, watching the stars swirl around us. I even thought I saw the same shooting star Saki said she saw that day.

"...I wish Ichika could come home. Safe and sound."

I whispered, staring at the shooting star, which then disappeared over the horizon.

The next day, a heavy rain invaded the city. I was truly surprised that something like this was possible in the Backrooms. Sure, there were peaceful levels like Kitty's house, or Level 94 back in the day. But… I've only ever seen it in this city that it truly felt like we were home.

It didn't feel like we were still in the Backrooms.

"This umbrella is big enough for both of us," I said to Ichika, opening my umbrella as I waited for her outside.

"I can bring my own umbrella."

"If you say so."

We walked along the wet sidewalk, listening to the raindrops hitting the concrete and our umbrellas constantly. We were lucky there weren't any working cars, or we would have gotten wet a couple of times.

Finally, we arrived at 11th Avenue. Nearby, there was another map, but it seemed like someone else had created it. More like a map of entrances and exits than a map of tourist spots. It also had some warnings about other levels, I think.

“Terror Hotel - Beverly Lounge closed”
“Suburbs - New access via Wheat Field”
“Infinite Mall - New area discovered”

“Which way now?”

“This map doesn't tell much,” I said, skimming over it quickly. I stopped when I saw an entry mentioning Level 1. “Level 1?”

“You're thinking of leaving without me again, aren't you?”

I sighed and turned to Ichika.

“I won't. Until I see all the objectives there completed, I won't leave your side.”
“And why? Are you doing it for me, or for you?”

“I-”

Ichika was right. Although I've accompanied her again since we parted ways at the Fun… I've done it for me. For fear of feeling guilty if something happens to Ichika.

“...let's keep walking.”

We walked for miles and miles into the city, following 11th Avenue. Radio Backrooms was supposed to be in an office, what those guys called “Level 4,” but there was no sign.

I knew we hadn't missed it because every important building had a special name. The school hallways, where we'd escaped the Partygoers, said “M. David High School,” and the shops where we'd stopped to eat and rest simply had no names, except for that observatory, which only had a handmade sign hanging outside.

And this city is also colossal. Soon, we went from a more central area, full of buildings, to a more… normal area. More residential. Even the pavement looked older and more broken than the one in the downtown area.

“I think we got lost,” I said, as I looked at the buildings around me.

“It's your fault we got lost.”

“My fault? It's not my fault this city is huge, and we're literally looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“You said the map was clear.”

“It was, but I never expected it to be so difficult to find your way around.”

“That's what I get for going with you…” Ichika said, clenching her fists. “Maybe I should try it alone. After all, I'm the one who's interested in getting home.”

“No way,” I said, raising my voice. “I won't let you go off on your own again. You'll almost go crazy without me, and I won't let you turn into a Wrench. So forget about going there alone.”

“And with that again… are you really worried about me? Or are you just accompanying me because you can't bear for something to happen to me?”

“I…” I was silent for a while. I didn't really know how to respond. I wasn't sure why I accompanied Ichika. We were doing pretty well separated, and to be honest, I quite enjoyed not having her in the way. But on the other hand…

“…let's rest a little, shall we?”

“Yes. My legs are killing me.”

We stayed there, sitting on a bench for a while. Just resting after walking for hours and hours.

“Shiho, have you thought about what you'll do once we complete this arcade checklist?”

“I've already told you. I'll stay here. Maybe I'll go back to level 1, but only if you've already managed to escape the Backrooms.”

“And what will you do then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you really stand being alone on level 1? With no one you know, in such a monotonous place.”

“Well…”

I'd never thought about that before. While the Backrooms are generally very spacious… each level gets monotonous after a while. Unless I help Aiko explore other levels for supplies, I'll get bored quickly. And I don't want to risk going to deadly levels either.

“...I haven't thought about it, Ichika. But I guess I'll get used to it in no time.”

I said, looking at Ichika. She wouldn't meet my eyes for a moment, and she was clenching her fists tightly.

“I understand.”

“And what will you do once you get home? Will you go see Saki?”

Ichika nodded. “I know Tsukasa must be taking good care of her in the hospital. But I know he's also busy with his group. Saki will feel very lonely if Tsukasa doesn't go see her, and if she's ever released… I want her to know I'm with her.” Ichika turned to look at me. “And maybe we can visit Honami. Or she can visit us.”

I nodded slowly, sighing.

The rain stopped a little when we returned to the downtown area.

“Look, Ichika. The rain washed away some of the writing.” I took the map in my hand and dried it a little. “Level 4… here it is.”

“Office Complex - Radio Backrooms 3rd Floor.”

“But it doesn't say where it is.”

I nodded, looking around at the building.

“Could that be it?” Ichika asked.

I looked at the building in front of us. It was light gray, with a huge antenna on its roof.

“It can't hurt to try.”

I said, trying to convince myself that this had to be the right place. I didn't want to walk straight into the lion's den, but we couldn't wander around forever in this city either.

It was a necessary risk.

We were lucky to be in the right place. As soon as we entered, we met some residents of the level. They told us that the city was the largest Hub in the Backrooms, obviously, and that there were too many levels for us to enter. Although they also told us that most dangerous levels usually have markings on them.

I wondered if they knew about the school hallways. If they did, was it really safe? I assumed that maybe we couldn't return the same way we left the school. It would be logical, after the Fun War.

We activated an elevator and arrived at the third floor. Like the other floors on this level, it was quite large. With wet carpet, white walls and ceilings... similar to Level 0, if I can compare it to any other level. Only white, and without that annoying buzzing sound we left quite some time ago.

We entered an office marked "Radio Backrooms" at its entrance. Inside, there was a small cafe table, a sofa, and a vending machine.

“This is…”

“Disappointing,” Ichika finished for me. At that, someone else opened the door.

“Oh, what are you doing here?” a rather elderly man asked us.

“We’re looking for Radio Backrooms, but… I think we’re wrong.”

“No, no. You’re in the right place. Follow me.”

Immediately, the man walked through one of the walls. Ichika and I looked at each other, puzzled, before clicking through that wall. We arrived at another fairly large room, like an ordinary radio station. Next to the large window overlooking the city streets was the audio panel used by whoever runs this radio. On the other side, there was a small soundproof room, I assume for explorers who want to play music on the radio.

“Sit down. Coffee?”

“No, thank you.”

We sat on another small couch, and the guy sat across from us.

“Tell me, what do you need here?”

Ichika got there first. “We think we can return to the real world from the Arcade, but we were told we had to complete certain objectives.”

“Return to the Frontrooms? That sounds like nonsense."

“We won’t know until we manage to complete those objectives,” I replied, raising my voice a little. “We have nothing to lose by trying.”

The guy nodded. “Ah… these girls and their imaginations. Well, never mind.” The man stood up and spread his arms. “Welcome to Radio Backrooms! We’re the #1 station in all of the Backrooms. The only one, actually, heh…” The guy sat back down. “We’re still working on broadcasting to more levels. For now, we only have coverage in the city, in the office complex, and a weak signal at the Skating Rink.”

“Wow, that's… impressive,” Ichika said.

“It took a while, but we did it. We spend our time accompanying veteran and new explorers, giving them information about the different levels.”

I looked at the soundproofed room in the back.

“I imagine they also broadcast music?”

The guy nodded. “That's right. With music, we help keep the explorers from getting bored or going crazy on their hikes.”

I looked at the list of objectives, hoping to see if anything had changed.

OBJECTIVE COMPLETED

4/5 OBJECTIVES

“Uh… well, thanks for the hospitality. But I think it might be time for us to go.”

I said, standing up.

“Wait a minute. Would you guys like to play something? If you want, we just record it. We don't always play live.”

I looked at Ichika, and she nodded.

“Okay.”

“Let's see... what's over here?” Ichika said as she looked through some records in the booth. Meanwhile, I was tuning the bass guitar inside.

It felt strange playing music on a different bass. It's still the same instrument, really. It's just... it doesn't feel the same. The way you hold it, the strings, each bass is different, unique.

“What did you choose?”

“Glow. It's one of my favorite Miku songs. Her songs even exist here!”

I sighed, frustrated.

“You and your damn obsession with Miku.”

“At least Miku has never abandoned me, Shiho. She doesn't say hurtful things to me and then just walks away like nothing happened.”

“Are you ready?” the manager asked.

“Yes, we're ready,” Ichika said, before turning around. “Look, I know neither of us really wants to be here. But at least make the effort and let's play well for once.”

“Okay,” I replied tersely.

The instrumental started playing on the speakers inside our room. It was modified, with only the drums and keyboard, leaving room for us to play the bass and guitar.

And Ichika's voice.

At first, we played pretty poorly. We struggled to coordinate, and Ichika seemed to have lost her ability to sing. But as time went on, Ichika was finally able to adapt to my rhythm.

===============================================================================
The cold rain that fell melted the blue wounds.
One day, I saw someone laughing in a corner of the twilight sky.

“Come on, come on! The observatory is closing soon!”
“Don’t run, Saki! You’ll fall!”
“Icchan, let’s have a race!”
“Good!”

Before I knew it, I had become an adult and could tell beautiful lies.
I’ve experienced all kinds of pain, but it still hurts.

“You’re really annoying, Ichika. An annoyance that won’t leave me.”
“And you… you’re a horrible person, Shiho. You’re always so cold. Do you even have feelings?”

The red color that makes my eyes fill with tears at dusk melts the you inside me.

“Let's make a band! Together!”
“And what name will we give it?”

I can't go on because my body is covered in your scars.
Hey, go away, erase it, that's what I was hoping for.

“Leonidas.”
“Huh?”
“That's the constellation that always appears around here at night, isn't it?”

Your voice turns distant, a red that seems swallowed up.
I'm sure I'll melt you like this and become the night.

“Shiho-chan, you look pale.”
“No… I'm not sick, Honami.”

The red that seems to spill over your pale fingertips.
It takes you away from me.

“From now on, I won’t bother you anymore. If you want to stay in the Backrooms, do so.”

Tears spilling from the broken clouds
I held on tightly to you as you slowly faded away.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Ichika. Not you, not Saki, not Honami. Sometimes, I wonder if I really want to stay.”
===============================================================

We finished playing the song, but I stood there, stunned.

“Shiho, we're done.”

“Ah, yeah. Right.”

I said, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. I looked at the floor below me and tried to hide the traces of tears left there.

“Great song, girls! It seems you two have great chemistry.”

“It's not like that, actually. We wanted to form a band with two other friends, but there were certain… problems that prevented us from doing so,” Ichika said, in a somewhat nostalgic tone. “But at least I have—no, I had a friend I used to practice with sometimes.”

We left Radio Backrooms and got something to eat at a nearby convenience store. Ichika ordered ice cream, and I ordered something to drink. Luckily, it wasn't almond water.

“You… sang pretty well, Ichika. Seriously,” I said, without looking at Ichika.

“You didn't do badly either. Considering you've been without music for so long.”

“Yeah, I think so.” I sighed, finally able to look her in the eye. “And… I think we did pretty well for our first time in a long time.”

Ichika nodded slowly.

“I really miss those days… just the four of us, doing whatever silly things together.” She laughed a little. “With Saki and me doing whatever silly childish things we did, you were always there for us, weren't you? You and Honami, making sure nothing happened to us.” I sighed. “I don't think that's changed.”

“No. It hasn't. Although it's not like it used to be.”

A comfortable silence, interrupted only by the light wind, fell over us.

“Hey, Shiho. I… I think we should talk. About what happened with the Animated King and… everything else.”

“Yeah, I think we should.”

“Listen, I… I'm sorry for saying those things. I didn't mean to hurt you, but the pressure was too much.” I sighed. “Although it's true that you're cold. But you know what? I realized I was also wrong. I never realized how selfish I was with you, dragging you into things you didn't like. I took advantage of your friendship.” Ichika looked down. “It bothered me that you didn't care about seeing Saki, but I never understood why.”

“It's not that I'm worried about her. It's just that I don't like seeing her like that.” I sighed, taking a sip of my drink. “I'm used to seeing Saki radiant, full of energy. Seeing her so sick makes me feel bad… like I don't recognize the person in front of me.”

“I understand.”

“But… I was wrong too, Ichika. I've never been very good at showing concern and all that. I know it bothers you, a lot. And you have reason to be. The truth is, I came back to you, then and now, because… I felt lonely. When Saki fell ill, and Honami moved away, I felt empty. Alone. Even though I had the opportunity to progress in my dream of becoming a professional bassist, it's not the same without you by my side. Without Saki and Honami, I just didn't have the motivation to keep going.”

“So you came back because…”

I nodded. “Yes. I don't feel complete without you. And honestly, I've always appreciated you more than anyone else, Ichika.”

“How so?”

“It’s… hard to explain. But I admire your motivation. I mean, anyone else, in our same situation, would have either gone crazy or decided to stay at a safe level. You’re really driven to get out there. And… you were always there for me. When I couldn’t sleep, when I had a problem… I knew I could count on you.”

“I think the same about you. You're very stubborn, too determined, but that's okay. I like knowing that you always try to take care of me. Even if you're a little cold at showing it.”

We laughed a little between our conversations, before looking at each other intently.

“So… I just want to apologize. For everything, Ichika. For abandoning you when Saki got sick. For… for telling you you're a nuisance when you're not.”

“And I'm sorry for being selfish with you. Sometimes, I didn't think about what you really wanted. Even if you don't say it, I think it was wrong of me to get angry with you for that.”

We both nodded and hugged warmly. The hug lasted several minutes, and that's okay. I was starting to miss the warmth of a hug. Especially if it comes from Ichika.

Especially from her.

“So… friends again?”

“We never stopped being friends, Shiho.” Ichika said in a somewhat mocking tone. “But yes. Friends again.”

I smiled at Ichika's confirmation and sighed in relief.

“Oh, right. I just wanted to tell you that I still want to stay here. It's not that I don't want to be with you, but… I think I can get used to being in the Backrooms.”

Ichika nodded. “I won't stop you. As long as you join me, it's fine.”

We finished eating when Ichika asked me about the next and final objective on the list.

“Let me see…”

“I don't think it'll be that complicated, right? We already had a hard enough time on level 94 with the Animated King and the Partygoers.”

My eyes widened at the sight of the next objective.

“Uh… no. I don't think so. It's… gosh, is this even possible?”

“What is it?” Ichika snatched the list from my hands. “What?”

“See? I wonder if it’s even possible to do this.”

“Well, I guess? Although it sounds impossible.”

“Maybe it is.”

I stuffed the list into my backpack, and we both considered what to do next.

“First, we need to find a way to get back to the Arcade. If we somehow accomplish that last objective, I assume it’ll just be opening the glass door and that’s it,” Ichika said. “And we also need to find a way to get to a level where we can complete it.”

Suddenly, an idea struck me.

“I have an idea. At Tom’s Diner, Aiko told us they had mapped several levels of the Backrooms.”

“Do you think we can get to level 1 from here?”

“I’m not sure. There are hundreds of underground parking garages here, and I don’t want to risk spawning in an area full of Smilers or Skinstealers, or the Followers of Jerry again. Or worse.”

“Hmm… right. Wait a minute. On that level map you saw, did you see something like a lobby?”

We immediately walked through the city streets, until we reached a huge underground tunnel illuminated by yellow lights. A threatening sound of fans came from within, as well as the sound of cars traveling through it.

"From The Hub, there's an entrance to the Arcade. We could look for the entrance and equip ourselves properly there."

"And maybe we'll find a spare return button."

"Maybe," I replied to Ichika.

With a firm step, we entered The Hub, looking for the door that would take us back to the Arcade. Or perhaps, it would take us back to Aiko. Either option is beneficial.

After all, it won't be very easy to kill an entity.

OBJETIVE 5

KILL AN ARANEA MEMBRI