Takashina Kai was all too familiar with "Rule Horror"—a genre once popular on Chinese internet forums that blended logic puzzles with supernatural horror.
[Note: Bear with me, The Chinese is strong in this one]
From the viral "ZOO" to successors like "Mount Daluo," "Level-2 Academy," and "City of Espedro," these stories relied on strict rules and twisted logic to terrify readers and make them think. He had once been obsessed with them himself.
And because he knew what they were like, he knew how much he didn't want to be in one.
This was suffering! Why him!?
Mental breakdowns and cognitive pollution were the least of it—these stories involved warped realities, time loops, even multiple dimensions. The masterminds were often unknowable, invincible beings like the Great Old Ones or Chaos gods beyond reason.
He wasn't some legendary investigator. He was just a bottom-rung webnovel author. Why make him suffer like this?
Would killing himself and reincarnating be a better option?
Then again, in some Rule Horror stories, suicide didn't even mean death—it meant worse torture.
Dammit, couldn't Rule Horror authors be a little kinder? Haven't they ever thought about how miserable someone would be if they actually got isekai'd into one of their messed-up worlds?
Can't they pity poor protagonists like me a little?
"House rules, huh?"
As Takashina Kai's mind spiraled, Shinomiya Kaguya frowned faintly.
The so-called rules were bizarre in every way. She had never believed in supernatural things—but the eerie voice earlier, and the sensation of her body being paralyzed—had already shaken her worldview.
Now with this weird "guidelines sheet," she couldn't help but grow more uneasy.
"If this isn't a prank... Wait, where's the clock in this room?"
Takashina Kai remembered the "absolutely accurate" clock mentioned in the rules and immediately looked around for it.
Then he looked down—and noticed something on his left wrist.
A watch?
When did I put on a watch?
It was plain black, no visible brand, no decorations. Until now, he hadn't even felt its presence.
He raised his hand and inspected it closely.
Cracked glass. Only a minute hand pointing directly at the 12 mark. No hour hand. No second hand. No buttons, no knobs.
What the hell is this?
Is this my cheat ability as the protagonist?
Takashina Kai clung to that thought desperately. With the hell that likely awaited him, it was his only sliver of comfort.
Then—
"Ahhh—!!"
A shrill female scream rang out from the room next door.
What now? A classic opening horror scene scream to advance the plot?
Next thing you know, they'll walk in and find a corpse, everyone will shout wild theories, and then a kid pops up from behind a couch and declares the killer's name or something, right?
Actually... That would be way better than being stuck in Rule Horror.
"Should we go check it out? We're probably not the only ones trapped here."
Takashina Kai cleared his throat and looked at Shinomiya Kaguya across the table.
She was already holding the printed rules sheet, flipping it over and inspecting both sides like she was searching for hidden messages.
She took it without making a sound. When did she grab it? I didn't hear a thing. Are anime girls always this overpowered?
"Let's go check. Take this with you—I don't have any pockets to hold it."
Apparently satisfied there was nothing hidden, Kaguya returned the sheet to the table and calmly spoke.
She didn't move though. Clearly, she was waiting for Takashina Kai to lead the way.
He folded the paper, slipped it into his pocket, and scanned the room. No clock here. His gaze turned toward the single wooden door and the kitchen opening.
Then he walked toward the door with a hole in it and grabbed the handle.
Screeeak—
The hinges were so rusted it was practically locked in place. He had to force it open.
Outside the door, there was a narrow hallway and a small wall clock nearby. It was about 8:30 am. The daylight through the window seemed to confirm that it was daytime—or at least before 9:00 pm.
He stepped out.
The hallway was dark and narrow. It turned at a sharp angle, then extended into another narrow corridor.
A rusty squat toilet was nearby. Next to it, the front door—a heavy iron one—stood slightly ajar, badly rusted.
Takashina Kai mentally mapped the room:
Toilet on the right when entering. Left turn down the hall, then a sharp turn. Then a small living room-bedroom combo. Kitchen on the side.
What kind of deranged layout is this? Was the architect out of his mind?
He grabbed the door handle—
The door opened easily.
"The lock's broken."
Looking down, he saw the lock mechanism was destroyed. The latch couldn't engage. It wouldn't even stay shut.
Bad news.
He stepped into the corridor outside.
Narrower than inside. Cabinets lined the walls—two meters tall, screwed into the walls with barely enough room to lie on top. Fluorescent lights cast a pale glow on cracked, peeling walls and ceilings. Red, rusted doorplates lined the hallway.
The door he had exited bore a red plate reading [204].
A perfect horror movie filming location.
Takashina Kai's sense of dread deepened.
Several people were already in the hallway: a Black man with a buzz cut, an overweight Asian man in a disheveled suit, a tall white man with thorn tattoos, a plain-faced Asian man with a gentle expression, and a schoolgirl in the same uniform as Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Your classmate?"
Takashina Kai glanced at Kaguya.
She recognized the girl instantly—and vice versa. But neither made a move to speak. Their eyes met and exchanged messages silently.
You're here too, Maki?
Auntie, you're here too?
Looks like whoever's behind this has serious reach—to target both the Shinomiya and Shijo families...
So their goal isn't ransom. Auntie, got any ideas?
We're the same age! Can you stop calling me auntie?
That's still your generation gap! Can't change it.
Somehow, with just their eyes, the two communicated a whole silent conversation.
At the same time, Takashina Kai finally remembered the girl's name.
Shijo Maki.
The most tragic character in the original story. Endlessly suffering. Not even a love triangle—just a one-sided pining while her best friend dated her crush. Knocked up at 17. Forced into marriage.
And now she's here too?
If this were a game or story, the author must be deranged. Who would put such a kind girl through this nightmare?
Thoughts swirled in his head, but he kept a straight face.
He and the others were now all staring at Room 205.
The room that had just emitted that piercing scream.