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

Chapter 53: Countdown to the End

In a gloomy voice, Takakai suddenly lifted his head.

The hazy figure beside him had vanished.

Instead, there was the overwhelming sensation of being stared at by something terrifying, as though an utterly catastrophic event was about to unfold in the next moment.

"Who's speaking?"

Mameir looked around in astonishment but couldn't locate the source of the voice.

"Has something happened? Should we turn the clock?"

Startled, Green immediately glanced at Maeda Miwa, who was cowering in fear in the corner. He swallowed hard, seemingly ready to force her to turn the clock.

"What's the rush? Wait!"

But Takakai's sudden shout stopped Green from acting impulsively.

The clock couldn't be turned back just yet.

At least not now—it wasn't the right time.

Enduring the sensation of rising heat on his clothes and the increasingly damp feeling, doing his best to ignore the intensifying stare within the room, Takakai frowned. Through the vision of the doll, he monitored Shijo Maki and Shinomiya Kaguya as they fled at full speed.

The blood puppets, their bodies replaced with wooden joints, clung tightly to the woman's head, preventing it from crawling under the bed.

Creak—creak—

The wooden joints were cracking more and more.

One minute—no, 30 seconds—perhaps even 20 seconds wouldn't suffice. The Obsession obstructing the actions of that grotesque creature was about to completely collapse.

Was the level difference too great?

"Oba-sama, let's split up. One of us finds the item, the other tears the calendar!"

Shijo Maki shouted as she ran.

"I'll tear the calendar, you search for the item."

Not even half a second later, Shinomiya Kaguya shot out like an arrow from a bow, darting from one side of the bed.

Without hesitation, Shijo Maki began to run swiftly through the dark space beneath the bed.

The time they could take advantage of was extremely short.

The abnormalities in Room 304 had begun to notice them and were gradually taking effect. Even with Obsession temporarily hindering them, it couldn't buy much more time. They had to find the "precious item" before time ran out.

From Takakai's experience exploring the first floor, objects of significant importance would not disappear when the wall clock rewound time, provided they were found and held securely. Therefore, as long as they located the item, grasped it firmly, and then turned back time, they could take it with them!

"You must manage the time well, Kai-kun."

Shijo Maki bowed her head and whispered to the doll on her shoulder.

Where could that item be?

A precious item beloved by children, something they wouldn't part with—could it be a toy?

Considering her current size and the magnification effect in this place, the item must be highly conspicuous. She had to search quickly, as fast as possible!

With this thought, Shijo Maki swiftly scanned her surroundings.

On the other side, Shinomiya Kaguya had already emerged from under the bed. She bent down abruptly, picking up a rubber band that had fallen to the floor along with the woman's head when it dropped, then hurried to the dividing area between the bedroom and the living room.

The calendar was hung near the kitchen door in the living room.

The bedroom and living room of this house had no separating door, only a door frame.

After rushing outside, Kaguya, with incredible speed, shoved one end of the rubber band—something that, at her current size, was equivalent to a thick rope—into the gap of the bedroom doorframe and pulled hard. Her entire body leaned backward as she stretched the rubber band taut like a longbow.

On the rubber band, a sharp surgical knife imbued with Obsession was held firmly by Kaguya, its hilt secured on the band.

Her mind calmed.

In an instant, all noise was pushed out of her consciousness as she focused solely on the rubber band in her hands and the blade poised to be launched.

Hitting her target was a simple matter for Kaguya.

Ever since she was a child, she had once shot an arrow that lived in her mind as the ideal—a perfect arrow. From that moment on, hitting a target became second nature to her, almost instinctual.

Whoosh—

The blade shot out in an instant, severing the thin string that hung the calendar on the nail.

The calendar fell, landing with a "thud" as it hit the floor. But before the man sitting at the desk could turn his head, Kaguya had already dashed forward, swiftly grabbing the edge of the calendar.

[Day 15]

That was the date written on the calendar page.

"Rip—"

Without hesitation, Kaguya tore off one corner, separating the page to reveal [Day 16] beneath it. Then, she quickly began tearing off page after page.

According to Sanchez's final message, the critical phase wouldn't arrive until Day 17.

So, she had to tear all the way to the last page!

"There really is a rat in the house..."

The man had turned his head, his gaze locking onto Kaguya.

At that moment, the young woman neither turned to look at him nor met his eyes.

However, even without looking, the moment she was noticed, she could distinctly feel the overwhelming sense of being watched by something horrifying. Her movements slowed unconsciously, and even her thoughts began to fragment.

No... I have to...

"There really is a rat in the house... Rats will dig tunnels... Rats will find out... they'll find out..."

The muttering voice descended from above her.

The man stood over Kaguya, lifting his foot high, ready to stomp her into the ground.

Meanwhile, Shijo Maki had stopped in front of a toy doll.

"Is this it...?"

Maki stared at the tattered doll before her. It was missing an arm, one leg was broken, and its clothes were so filthy they were almost indescribable.

It was truly pitiful.

In Shijo Maki's memory, she had never seen a doll in such a state.

Could this really be the precious item for that child?

The doll Takakai perched on Maki's shoulder gave a slight nod.

Takakai could see the memory.

He saw a filthy child with envious eyes staring at a clean neighbor child holding a beautiful doll.

Of course, her parents would never buy her something like that.

But eventually, the girl got her own doll, found in a trash heap. Though it was ragged, it was a small doll she could hold in her arms.

It was the only toy she had ever owned from childhood to death.

Clack clack—clack clack—

Amid the sound of breaking wood, the woman's head forcibly shoved itself under the bed, revealing a blood-filled mouth aimed directly at Maki.

It was indeed a mouth full of blood, as it tore open at the sides, almost splitting to a full 180 degrees. It was an utterly inhuman sight, as if a nightmare had come to life.

And despite the mouth stretching that wide, the creature's voice screamed, almost as if it were shouting:

"If you don't listen—"

Maki's hand touched the tattered doll, nearly the same size as her.

In the living room, Shinomiya Kaguya bit down hard on her tongue. Her mouth filled with blood as she used the searing pain to force herself to stay conscious. Bending forward, she reached out and tore another calendar page from the oversized calendar in front of her.

Beneath it appeared a deep crimson number: 17.

The wall clock in the room stopped at that precise moment.

One second, two seconds, several minutes—or less than a second?

Time seemed to stretch endlessly, only to collapse instantly into a fleeting moment.

Room 304 rapidly descended into darkness. Everything became chaotic and began to collapse.

Inside the room, the man and the woman started transforming into something profoundly bizarre.

Click—

In the next moment, Shinomiya Kaguya and Shijo Maki found themselves back in the room on the second floor, completely unharmed.

Maeda Miwa, adjusting a clock, let out a terrified scream upon seeing the wall clock in Takakai's hands. She stumbled backward, nearly fainting on the spot.

Sun Dajun, who had failed for the second time, scratched his head in frustration, sighed deeply, and prepared to repair the doors to Room 204 for the third time.

Kaguya touched her lips, confirming that the wound she had bitten into was gone, and exhaled in relief.

Meanwhile, Maki looked down with a complicated expression at the small doll in her hands. It was a filthy doll, its appearance resembling a young girl in deep slumber.

"At least we both returned safely; that's all that matters."

Takahashi Takakai in the living room sighed with relief. At some point, he had removed his soaked coat and was now wearing only a tank top. On his arms were a few small burns, but his condition was neither too good nor too bad.

"If Sanchez's words are true, our next task is to bring that doll to Room 309."

After regaining her composure, Shijo Maki sighed and looked at the doll in her hands, speaking slowly:

"To be precise, we have to bring it to Room 309 within the next two days."

Takakai, sitting across from Maki on the floor, also stared at "the doll" in her hands and calmly responded:

"Once the night falls and the day breaks the first time, then the second time, we'll have to move. Before the third sunrise, we must deliver the doll to Room 309. If we fail, I don't think we'll get another chance. That means the outcome of this round depends entirely on this opportunity. Success or failure—there's no third option."

As he spoke, Takakai noticed "the doll" in Maki's hands slightly tilt its head, as if attempting to look at him. He quickly averted his gaze.

"If that's the case, then we still have some time to prepare."

Maki nodded slightly, her tone equally serious.

Beside them, Shinomiya Kaguya inspected the Obsessions she carried. After confirming that her blood puppet and surgical knife had returned to her possession, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Time? Honestly, I'm not sure we have enough left."

Takakai placed the wall clock in front of them.

The second hand spun wildly, the minute hand moved at a dizzying pace, and the hour hand ticked forward visibly fast.

"This is..."

Both Maki and Kaguya immediately understood the problem.

Time on the clock was accelerating.

Currently, the second hand took just ten seconds to complete a full rotation, and the hour hand completed a full day in only four hours.

Calculating the time left, they realized there were fewer than six real-time hours before the "third day" arrived, the point where they had to act.

In the crucial "third day," there would only be about two hours of daylight. If they couldn't finish during that period, they would have to operate at night—when the dangers would undoubtedly multiply.

"Time is truly tight. I assume this clock can't be adjusted anymore, right?"

Kaguya brushed the dust off her clothes as she spoke and stood up.

"Exactly. To end this and achieve a 'perfect completion,' our one and only chance has begun to count down."

With that, Takakai placed the clock face-down on the table in the room and turned toward the sealed window, watching as the light outside shifted noticeably.

Everything, at this moment, began to accelerate.

Would they succeed?

After two agonizing deaths, he had finally reached this point. Could he escape this cursed place in this round?

Unconsciously, Takakai's gaze shifted toward Maki, who was discussing with Kaguya the best way to place the doll.

When Maki noticed Takakai looking over, she smiled at him before returning to her serious discussion with Kaguya.

Takakai took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and solidified his resolve.

This time, they had to succeed.

In this round, everything would come to an end.