Open-Book Test!

"Hahaha! This is interesting!"

Bai Yuze clapped and laughed. At last, he understood what Yukino had been thinking.

"Well? Surely you believe me now? If you still don't, you can go check for yourself and see whether I'm telling the truth."

"Y-you didn't take our clothes off while we were unconscious, did you...?"

Yukino stubbornly tried to deny what Bai Yuze had said, but she didn't even believe her own words. Her clothes were still neat, and the thought of him seeing her naked was somehow even more terrifying than being trapped in this bizarre world.

"Oh? I'm not that bored. You showed me yourselves. We're very close, after all!"

Watching Yukino's haughty, stubborn expression, Bai Yuze felt like teasing her.

"Close? How close?"

"Ahem. Your panties were..."

"Stop! Don't say another word! I believe you!"

Bai Yuze's words were the last straw for Yukino. She should have figured it out earlier. If he knew what had happened to their bodies, then it was obvious what kind of relationship they had.

She never expected to run into the guy who had gotten her body here. What a stroke of luck... Not!!!

Seeing that Yukino was about to break down, Bai Yuze knew he'd gone too far, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Yukino's refusal to believe him made their escape plan unlikely to succeed. So he'd had to coax her along, making her think the three of them were in that kind of relationship so she'd believe him.

As for the color of their panties... Bai Yuze had no idea. He'd only pretended he did.

Since they knew each other inside and out, the loop had to be real too!

Tuanzi blushed when she heard Bai Yuze. She hadn't expected that in previous loops she'd been so open, giving herself to him right here... Still, she was quite satisfied with Bai Yuze's looks.

Tuanzi trusted her own judgment. Since she'd chosen Bai Yuze before, she might as well go with the flow.

But the thought of sharing him with Yukino... That was still hard to accept. No one wanted to share someone they loved.

"Bai Yuze!"

"Hmm?"

"Please take good care of us from now on!"

Seeing how solemn Tuanzi looked, Bai Yuze quickly explained.

"You're getting the wrong idea. We haven't gotten to that point!"

"Really?"

Hope flared in Yukino's eyes.

"Really! I only took a look at your panties, that's all!"

"...Go to hell!!!"

For the sake of keeping the team together, Bai Yuze had chosen to tell a little lie amid all his big ones. But one lie took countless others to cover it up—and as he kept doing that, it became true!

"So what's your plan now?"

Now that they'd chosen to trust Bai Yuze, getting out of this residence was the only thing that mattered.

"This residence has four floors. We didn't find a way out in the previous loops, so I think the way out is in the basement. I just haven't figured out how to get in yet."

"Are we going to the second and third floors, then?"

"Yes. There are items we need up there. Oh, right—we still haven't taken the clock in the hallway."

Bai Yuze slapped his forehead and hurried outside. He remembered clearly what had happened in the previous loop.

When he reached the clock, he immediately set it to nine o'clock.

Then he hurried back to Room 102 and announced,

"It's nighttime outside now. We each need to return to our own rooms and rest. We can come out once it's morning outside."

"Huh? You mean I have to stay in a room with that corpse? I don't want to do that!"

Tuanzi looked thoroughly unwilling, so Bai Yuze reassured her.

"We have no choice. That's how the first night goes. But I promise you only have to stay with it for one night! Remember, no matter what happens, don't panic."

"...Fine..."

Though Tuanzi was very reluctant, she relented for the team's safety. Of course, a little personal consideration played a part in her decision, too.

"Okay, good night. Keep an eye on the time, and come find us at seven in the morning."

Bai Yuze slipped the scalpel back into the Male Corpse's neck, wished Tuanzi good night, then returned to Room 104 with Yukino.

The instant they entered the room, all the hallway lights went out.

"Have things changed because we've been through too many loops?"

Bai Yuze murmured to himself. He gestured for Yukino to be quiet, then sat down against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.

Yukino crouched in a corner. With nothing else to do, she could only stare at the clock beside Bai Yuze and watch the second hand move.

Before long, there was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of "Tuanzi" crying outside.

Since Bai Yuze had explained the situation beforehand, Yukino didn't look surprised or panic.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to distract herself so she wouldn't focus on what was happening outside.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuze wondered to himself whether what he was doing counted as "looking up a walkthrough in advance" or "taking an open-book test."

Time passed quickly. Just like before, someone kicked Room 104's wooden door open with a bang, and Tuanzi, tears in her eyes, sobbed to Yukino about what she'd seen.

"Stay here for now. I'll go find the front desk."

Seeing Tuanzi cry, Bai Yuze could only sigh helplessly. She needed time to come to terms with it. Knowing what to expect in theory was one thing, but reality would still overwhelm you no matter how well prepared you were.

Bai Yuze patted Tuanzi's head to comfort her, then walked out without looking back.

He stopped in front of Room 108 and knocked. After hearing some movement inside, he took two steps back.

A moment later, Room 108's wooden door opened. The front desk attendant wore the same strange outfit as before, and his voice was just as deep.

"What is it?"

"My room's gotten a little dirty. I'd like some cleaning supplies."

"The cleaning supplies are in Room 107. I'll find you the key."

The attendant searched through the key rack, selected a key, and held it out to Bai Yuze. But Bai Yuze didn't take it.

"Look, I'm a pretty lazy person. I suddenly don't feel like cleaning my room. Can I switch rooms instead?"

"You want to switch rooms now? Why didn't you say so when you arrived?"

The attendant's voice was muffled, and Bai Yuze couldn't make out his mood. But he knew that if the attendant wasn't refusing, there was room to negotiate.

"Who could've guessed the rooms on the first floor would be so filthy? And someone's been playing pranks in the middle of the night. I can't sleep with all that noise."

"Hmm... People do need plenty of rest. I can give you a key to the second floor, but the residents up there have bad tempers. I'll need to check whether your mind is sound."

"What kind of check?"

Bai Yuze was a little confused. Why had the attendant started talking in riddles? Though, to be fair, his outfit was already mysterious enough...

"I'll ask you a question. If you answer correctly, I'll give you the key to the second floor."

"And what if I get it wrong?"

"Simple. Leave an arm behind as an apology. Then, if you get into a fight with the ones upstairs, I can use it to save you!"