Part 7: The Library’s Labyrinth

Story Two:

Toma became aware of the fact that during Suyashi’s death, the news claimed to have found words etched on the door of the second bathroom stall which recalled the events occurring beforehand in clear detail. The most interesting analysis of the writing was that it had hangman blanks over one of Suyashi’s friends.

From reading it on the screen, Toma could tell it was him.

The only problem was that this would lead to him being interrogated by the school. This time around, they were on his side after viewing the security cameras which proved his innocence throughout the entire matter. He was instead asked to help them solve who the possible suspect may be. Their leads were already set on Wata Nozori because his parents couldn’t find him after the incident happened.

According to staff, they did not have security cameras set in the bathrooms based on the enacted Bathroom Privacy Policy from the school’s code of conduct. This limited their ability to see what took place behind those doors. Toma had a hunch that the only way anyone could have seen it was to have been in the second bathroom stall while she was being murdered.

Another perspective being considered was that Suyashi and Toma were being tracked before any of these events played out the way they did. Upon doing a thorough search of Toma’s uniform for anything suspicious, one was found.

Whoever it was had clipped nano-tracking devices onto their uniforms. How? They were unsure at the time. The school sent the detectives to Wata’s house to further investigate. They found nothing else out of the ordinary besides seven balled-up loose-leaf sheets of paper lying in a small trash bin next to his bed. Finding it unusual, they began to read its contents:

My name is Wata Nozori. If you’re reading this, I have killed myself to no one’s surprise. All of this time I have spent days trying to make everyone happy the best way I know how. I see now that I am never going to be enough for anyone when I’m alive. So… I will try to help you while I’m dead. Junie-chan… Hosato-kun… I am truly sorry. I know you never wanted this. I didn’t either. This game and whoever made it is the problem. Somehow they’ve created something viral and secretly dangerous without disclosing their real names to probably avoid responsibility for what would later occur. All I have to go off of is their studio called SourSplash Games which can’t be found using any online maps.

The only way I can otherwise show you what’s going on is to tell you not to play that game, Candiere’s Cafe. There is a secret that allows you to roam through the entire world of Tartropolatté freely like it is a real place. At night, you will always have to close up the cafe by yourself. When I go through the 45th door on the ninth floor (which is where most of the staff reside) there is one room that is always locked. It is known as the Cafe Catalog. The way I enter into it is for you to find out if you choose but, I can tell you what happens once you enter.

An abandoned hallway full of dim incandescent light bulbs placed randomly across the walls has two entrances on either side. If you go left, there is a boarded-up door you can’t break into. If you go right, it leads you straight to a labyrinth of tall red empty bookshelves that hit the ceiling and this carpet pattern of vanilla flowers. If you’re lucky, you will find a vacant space where I suppose the lobby of a library used to be.

A large wooden table sits in the middle of the lobby. If you sit down in one of the chairs, it will seem like someone has already been there. You’ll usually see one to three books spread out on the table with a desk lamp shining over them. The game switches to first person so you can have the experience of reading it. Unfortunately, you are better off doing that than putting it down and looking around at the dark parts of the library’s maze-infested trappings. You just get this sense of subliminal loneliness knowing everyone is gone. Or if you’re more of a people person, then it’s going to be whatever is hiding there with you.

Anyway, these books have left me feeling out of touch with myself recently. I don’t think I was ever safe after uncovering what I did. There it was. Two books were laid out on the table with my name and Suyashi’s stating the exact date of our deaths. Furthermore, it shows an illustration and a descriptive nursery rhyme of what would happen. I read more pages before feeling this dampness on my skin. Anxiety has gotten to me.

Nabira

Ogato

Nachi

Tachigo

Aia

Kibe

Edahoshi

Shinobuki

Hanakawa

I…

The detectives showed Toma the papers, asking if he could play the game to help them uncover who was behind SourSplash Games. After all, it seemed like this was the first case where this specific game was causing mayhem. That was because according to the seventh balled up paper in the trash bin.

The developer was a mysterious individual who had died 32 years ago before the game’s release.