Sion's body, its head severed.
Yeonwoo placed a hand on the chest of Sion, who had collapsed with a thud.
"...The heart has stopped, though."
Saying so, Yeonwoo shifted her gaze to the pierced side.
A black liquid oozed out, writhing like tentacles before beginning to patch up the wound.
"Disgusting......."
A human who should have died was not dying, but coming back to life.
No matter how much of a monster it was, it acted no differently from a person, so Yeonwoo felt nauseous.
Once fully recovered, Sion's body raised its upper half and stared blankly at Yeonwoo, despite having no head.
"...Attach it. It's disgusting to look at. Bring my junior."
Yeonwoo commanded in a tone far colder than when Sion had been Sion.
At this, the limply drooping body let out something like a sigh and groped across the floor like someone who had lost their glasses.
Then it poked Sion's soft cheek a few times before gleefully picking the head up and pressing it to its own neck.
-Squelch...
The head attached itself with an extremely revolting sound.
Combined with that grotesque sight and the out-of-tune piano music, Yeonwoo felt as though she might go mad.
Paying no heed, Sion lay back down in a comfortable position.
Yeonwoo, who had been staring blankly at such a Sion, rose from her spot.
"...First, shall we move to Class 1-3?"
She hadn't been able to completely dispose of the monster.
It would be nice if she could at least figure out its aberration.
The only thing she could rely on was the sword Yeonwoo held.
A weapon capable of dealing meaningful damage to a monster whose aberration was unknown.
Gripping that sword—which was itself a type of monster—tightly, Yeonwoo lifted the lying Sion in a princess carry.
"...Light. As if hollow."
Sion's body was light, as if empty.
Even though she wanted to perceive it as human, she recalled that this was still a monster, and hastened her steps toward Class 1-3.
* * *
The Watcher and Sohun hurriedly arrived in front of the school and surveyed the surroundings.
"Watcher, how is it now?"
"...Tch. It didn't die."
The Watcher sighed, disappointed.
Sohun let out a breath of relief seeing the Watcher like that, loaded bullets into his pistol, and ordered the Watcher to enter first.
"Go in first. I'll follow behind."
"Do as you will; this one shall do as this one sees fit."
"...Cheeky."
Hearing Sohun's voice, the Watcher giggled and entered the school.
And Sohun followed the Watcher inside.
-Rip...!
With the sound of tearing paper, the two beings saw the sky dye red in an instant.
"Why, it seems redder than last time."
"...Has a barrier been erected? What an impertinent brat in many ways."
"Where are Sion and Yeonwoo?"
"The newbie and the damnable wench are...."
Murmuring so, the Watcher closed both eyes, opened the two eyes on her palm, and reached toward the school.
Then, expressionless, the Watcher spoke as if disappointed.
"They are over there. Follow me."
"...We shall conceal ourselves. Meaning there are still monsters."
"Understood."
Letting out a sigh, the Watcher exhaled black smoke from her mouth.
The two beings, having concealed their presence in an instant, slowly walked across the sports ground.
"What is this bizarre sound?"
Halting briefly, the Watcher asked.
At this, Sohun, who had been tilting his head, also detected the piano sound coming from somewhere.
"...Piano music?"
Out-of-tune piano music slowly echoing throughout the entire school.
They had definitely killed the performer, so why was this sound echoing?
Sohun did not know.
For now, the two beings continued walking.
However, no matter how much they walked, they could not reach the end of the sports ground.
It felt as if they were circling the same spot.
Literally, they had been trapped on the sports ground.
"...Watcher, stand there for a moment."
"Understood."
The Watcher stood still, only waving her hand up and down.
Sohun slowly began to walk backward, retreating step by step.
And he discovered something strange.
"...Fifteen."
On exactly the fifteenth step, he felt as if he had moved one step forward.
Even when he took one step back again.
"...!!"
The same.
He could not go back more than fourteen steps.
He could not take the fifteenth step.
A situation where he could not move more than a certain distance from the Watcher.
The piano without a player still maintained its melody even now.
A bizarre, bizarre song that no one would want to hear.
"......."
"......."
Sohun slowly walked until he stood before the Watcher.
"Watcher, what are the probabilities of us getting out of here?"
"......."
The Watcher scattered black smoke around her, closed all her eyes, and began calculating.
And in all those futures, they could not escape.
"...We cannot get out."
"......."
"It seems we cannot get out."
The Watcher giggled as if amused.
Sohun, who had been sighing as he looked at such a Watcher, noticed something and immediately aimed his pistol.
"...Watcher, have we ever dispelled our concealment?"
"Never. This one's concealment is perfect."
"Then what is that? Those two approaching while waving their hands."
"......."
Without turning her body at Sohun's question, the Watcher turned only her head backward.
Then she let out a single sigh.
"Ah."
The Watcher burst into a mad laugh.
"What a cute prank."
"...Firing."
-Bang!!!
The moment the gunshot rang out, Yeonwoo's head burst open precisely.
* * *
-Bang!!!
A sudden loud sound.
Startled, I opened my eyes to see a red-colored classroom.
"...!!"
I was still trapped in the school.
The thought that it wasn't a dream made my heart pound wildly, but I hurriedly checked the side that had been pierced earlier.
"Th-thank goodness......."
Fortunately, the hole had completely regenerated.
No matter how much I pressed, I only felt soft skin on my stomach.
Relieved by this, I let out a sigh, only to sense an overwhelming presence from behind.
"Hey."
"...!!"
"Finished regenerating?"
It was Senior Yeonwoo, wearing the gentlest smile in the world with dead eyes.
There was something inhuman, something lacking, in her kindly asking voice.
Raising my guard and stepping back, the senior sighed and said she wasn't a monster.
"I'm not a monster."
"...R-really?"
"Yeah."
"......."
"Want me to cut you again?"
Seeing the senior draw her sword from its scabbard while saying that, I shook my head violently and flattened myself against the floor.
"S-sorry...! I don't want to die, it's scary... ugh... it's horrible."
"...Yeah, you wouldn't want to die either."
"......."
"Still, if I'm in danger, you have to die in my place, right? Since you'll revive anyway."
The senior smirked, looking down on me.
But I couldn't refute her at all.
Because it was explicitly stated in the pet monster contract.
"Stop whining and get up. We need to get out."
"H-here? But the monsters."
"It seems the Chief came personally. We have to go support them. Even if you die, they'll revive you."
Senior Yeonwoo looked at me as if I were pathetic.
I was too scared to go.
I tried to open my mouth to ask her to wait a moment, but.
-Smack!
"Ow...!"
"Stop whining."
"Ah, I didn't even say anything yet."
"You revive anyway. If the Chief dies, it's over."
"......."
"...Sorry. Get up."
Saying so, the senior handed me her scabbard, perhaps not wanting to touch my hand.
I stared blankly at it, then grabbed it and rose, not wanting to get hit again.
"You got a bruise. Like an idiot."
"...You h-hit me, Senior."
"Does it hurt? Want to get better? Want me to cut you?"
Seeing the senior put her hand on the sword hilt while saying that, I quickly shook my head.
Being dragged outside like that, I turned my head back.
I saw something stuck to the window.
"...!!"
We made eye contact, but I pretended not to be surprised.
Because I felt like I would die if I reacted.
Past the central staircase, the central entrance hall.
And until we headed toward the assembly platform, I couldn't say a word.
* * *
The sports ground viewed from the assembly platform was truly a shocking sight.
"...What in the world."
"It is shocking indeed......."
The wide sports ground.
And the black figures filling it.
The Watcher and the Chief fighting the monsters that were slowly narrowing the remaining space.
They seemed to be holding out somehow, but.
-Bang!!!
That gunshot, which made me flinch the moment I heard it, was the last.
Only now did I seem to understand.
"The monsters are......."
"They seem to be slowly increasing, one by one as companions."
Slowly increasing monsters.
Starting with our homeroom teacher, the entire class.
And the entire school had been devoured.
"We have to find the main body."
"...!!"
"Those things won't die. They're just imitating appearances."
The senior told me not to listen to the piano sound and covered my ears.
Then she put earphones and earplugs in my ears.
["Can you hear my voice?"]
The senior's voice came through the earphones.
"Y-yes...! I can hear you."
["If you hear the piano sound, you'll hallucinate."]
"......."
Those hallucinations make the black liquid's duplicates look like humans.
["We have to find the main body that actually devoured humans."]
"Um... I think I saw it."
And I had seen a monster that had a distinctly human form even though it wasn't a hallucination.
"Earlier... our h-homeroom teacher was st-stuck to the classroom wall."
["Not a hallucination? Are you sure?"]
"I d-died and came back to life, so I don't think I would fall for hallucinations that quickly."
"......."
I had definitely seen it.
Our homeroom teacher stuck to the wall like a gecko.
The homeroom teacher with long hair hanging down and a torn mouth grinning from ear to ear.
["We're finding that."]
"Y-you're not going to blame me...?"
["...For not saying anything?"]
"Y-yes......."
["I'd rather not die while blaming you for that. Get ready to be hit when we get back."]
The senior said we should split into two.
At this, I nodded while trembling violently.