"Making a deal is fine, but do you really know what happened with the monster on the first floor?"
"Of course. Yuan Xing never lies."
"You don't have any other names, do you? Like Zhang San, Li Si, Er Gou, or Er Dan?"
Yuan Xing: ...
"I promise you, this is my only name, and I'm not playing word games. I'm not interested in that sort of thing."
Bai Yuze thought for a while, then took the key ring from behind him. He removed a key and handed it to Yuan Xing.
"Good choice. You can take this knife."
Yuan Xing casually tossed it, and the knife stuck into the floor.
Bai Yuze pulled the knife out. It was quite heavy, and felt powerful in his grip.
"I can't leave right now, so I won't see you out. It's been a pleasure working with you."
With a creak, the tightly shut iron door opened.
Because of the rules, Yuan Xing couldn't leave the room at this time. Bai Yuze nodded to show he understood.
He and Yukino stepped out. By the light in the hallway, he could make out the knife's shape: a kukri, also known as a "big white dog-leg."
Yukino was about to speak, but Bai Yuze cut her off.
"Let's talk when we get back."
The two returned to Room 202. Yukino looked troubled as she asked,
"What do we do? The thing isn't here."
"We've already got what we came for."
"Got it? You mean this knife?"
"Of course. There was never any 'thing.' I never said what 'that thing' looked like. I only said it to Yuan Xing on purpose."
Bai Yuze's words left Yukino confused. She couldn't understand how Yuan Xing had known the three of them were coming, or what they wanted.
"Do you remember the staircase? Tell me what you thought of it."
Bai Yuze pulled a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and idly doodled on it.
"Um... sticky, slippery, damp, and pitch-black... You mean 'pitch-black'? Was Yuan Xing's eye hiding there at the time?"
Yukino suddenly understood. The three of them had only discussed looking for the "thing" in the stairwell. The residents on the second and first floors were active at opposite times, and that had been a time when Yuan Xing could move freely. So it made sense that he had used his eyeball as a surveillance device.
"Then why did Yuan Xing help us stop Zhu Daqiang? We would've died if he hadn't stepped in."
When the three of them went upstairs, it had been the time when the strange residents were active. It was no different from walking into a tiger's den.
"Because he wants to leave, too. The strange residents here can be thought of as fragments of these people's souls from when they were alive. They've retained some of their awareness and intelligence."
"We've already got the weapon. Can they still leave this place?"
Yukino tensed up. As she asked, she didn't look at Bai Yuze, but stared at a cloud of vapor near the ceiling.
"There's one other way: the two strange residents can fight to the death, and only one of them can survive. But I don't think they'll fight. Rivals can still appreciate each other, after all. Unfortunately, they'll be stuck here for the rest of their lives."
"Why can only one of them survive? Is there no other way?"
"No. Strictly speaking, each floor can only hold one strange resident. But there are two on this floor, which has put them in a state of mutual restraint."
Bai Yuze turned his head away, keeping his attention off Yukino.
Just then, the vapor near the ceiling slowly dissipated.
"Hahaha! You two idiots really think I, Zhu Daqiang, am as weak as that loser? My ability works day and night!"
In Room 207, Zhu Daqiang withdrew the cloud of vapor and danced around in delight. He'd had enough of this lousy place, but he'd never been able to find a way out.
But now it was different. He knew his chance had come!
"Rivals appreciating each other? Bullshit! Just seeing that guy makes me sick. But I really should thank him. So I've decided to give my 'beloved' rival a grand gift!"
"The winner will be me! Me alone!"
--
In Room 202, Bai Yuze and Yukino exchanged a glance, then gave each other a knowing wink.
The night continued. After a while, Tuanzi hurriedly pushed the door open and came in.
Seeing Tuanzi panting, Bai Yuze quickly made room for her to sit.
"Huff, huff... I brought what you asked for."
"Thank you so much. Are you hurt?"
Bai Yuze instinctively took Tuanzi's arm and carefully checked it for cuts and other injuries.
"Ah... n-no, it's okay! I tossed the sugar at that monster, and it really stopped chasing me!"
Embarrassed, Tuanzi pulled her arm back and told Bai Yuze what had happened on the first floor.
After hearing her story, Bai Yuze finally relaxed.
But just to be safe, he reached into Tuanzi's pocket. The granulated white sugar he'd deliberately put there was still inside.
"Good. You're the real Yuigahama Yui."
"What the heck! I barely made it out alive, and you only believe me now!"
Tuanzi was a little angry. She understood why Bai Yuze had done it, but she was still upset.
I was down on the first floor, outsmarting a monster. What were you two doing upstairs, going on a date?
"There was no other way. Only you could complete this task. It was something Yukino and I couldn't do."
Bai Yuze looked at Tuanzi with sincerity. He meant every word.
"R-really?"
Tuanzi's mood brightened. Realizing that even someone as weak as her had helped the two people she cared about, she started to feel wonderful.
"Of course!"
After all, who would pay attention to where a little dummy had gone?
Naturally, Bai Yuze didn't say that out loud.
"But Yukino's pretty ruthless... I mean, impressive. She came up with this plan."
Bai Yuze wiped at his nonexistent sweat. He figured he'd better stop teasing Yukino from now on, or he might end up paying for it!
"I'll take that as a compliment. When dealing with enemies, you should strike like lightning. Besides, people who cause trouble for others even after they're dead don't deserve an ounce of pity!"
Yukino brushed back her hair, instantly radiating a heroic air.
Looking at the materials for making Molotov cocktails, Bai Yuze's thoughts returned to what had happened earlier.
"I have a plan!"
"Let's hear it."
Bai Yuze was curious about Yukino's plan.
"Hah. People who cause trouble for others even after they're dead aren't worth pitying. They should all be called trash, and trash is meant to be burned."
"You mean we should burn them to death with Molotov cocktails?"
Bai Yuze was stunned. Although the requirement for clearing this floor was to kill the two strange residents, he hadn't expected to burn them alive.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. For people who block your way, either make them move or make sure they can never block anyone else's way again."
"Good idea. But earlier, you said it was cruel..."
"That was just setting them up before bringing them down."
Watching Yukino calmly lay out her plan, Bai Yuze suddenly thought of that saying:
"The Yukinoshita Family has no girls who get dumped, only wives who are widowed."
Before you continue