The Rules and the Hints

"What? Fake? How could that be? How could the rules be fake?"

Yuigahama Yui looked utterly incredulous. She had never imagined that the rules could be fake.

If the rules were fake, then what else was real? Was there anything in this residence they could trust?

"The rules aren't fake, but the note you saw wasn't the rules."

Bai Yuze corrected Yuigahama Yui.

"What do you mean?"

Yuigahama Yui was baffled. How was Bai Yuze's explanation getting more and more confusing?

"First, you need to understand something. The 'rules' you saw were written under the name 'Yang Peng.' That means their authenticity depends entirely on the conscience of whoever wrote them. They aren't absolutely reliable."

Bai Yuze's words suddenly made everything click. Only then did Yuigahama Yui realize something was wrong.

The note had been written under Yang Peng's name. At best, it was a suggestion, not a set of rules to be followed as fact.

"Second, you said you and Yukino saw doors in three colors: red, yellow, and green. Could it be that these three doors represent how strongly the paranormal entities affect the two of you?

"For example, red might mean they can directly harm you, yellow might mean they affect your perception, and green might mean they're harmless—and could even lead to a way out?"

"Impossible! If the green door was a way out, then what was the door I went through?"

Yuigahama Yui had personally gone through the basement exit. She clearly remembered that the door had been colorless.

"But the rules never said there was only one way out. Remember what they said? There's no basement here. If you find a staircase leading underground, ignore it.

"So, logically, the way out should be a staircase leading upstairs. You simply walked through a door and ended up upstairs. That doesn't fit the hint in the rules."

Bai Yuze's words struck Yuigahama Yui like a heavy hammer.

That was right. The rules explicitly said to ignore any staircase leading underground. That indirectly suggested what the route from the basement to the upper floor should look like. Yet neither Yuigahama Yui nor Yukino had thought of that.

"There's one more thing. I told you before that the rules Yang Peng left behind would become corrupted, and could last for no more than four cycles. That's why I made a copy of the note Yang Peng left.

"But I never went into the basement. So... who wrote the note down there? My handwriting should be easy to recognize, shouldn't it?"

Yuigahama Yui:!

Only then did Yuigahama Yui remember that the handwriting on the note differed from Bai Yuze's. His handwriting was neat, while the basement note was a little messy, as if it had been written in a hurry.

"And... if the basement really was the first floor, why did the note tell you that the Seal-Suppressing Ghost Artifact sealing the Male Corpse on the second floor was that Scalpel? How did a clue from the first floor make its way to the second? It was almost as if someone were urging you to hurry along. Didn't you find that strange?"

Yuigahama Yui:!!

"One last question. You said the basement was dark and damp, and that moss had grown on the walls. So why does this photo you brought back look brand-new?

"And why did the room you entered happen to contain a group photo of Yang Peng and the others? Don't you find that strange? It's as if an invisible hand were pulling the strings."

Bai Yuze fidgeted with the photo in his hand. It was still clean and clear, as if it had just been taken.

Yuigahama Yui:!!!

"But you can't really blame yourselves. This fits perfectly with that line in the poem."

[What you see with your own eyes may not be true]

"But we still need to go to the basement. Yukino and the Male Corpse are still there. We have to bring them both back, along with the Seal-Suppressing Ghost Artifact."

Bai Yuze rolled his wrists and ankles, preparing to head to room 108 and ask the front desk for the key to the basement.

"I'm coming with you!"

Yuigahama Yui answered firmly.

"No. You stay here. That rule may be fake, but there are probably some real parts mixed in—for example, 'one person can only go once.'"

"I don't care if I have to risk my life! Xiaoxue gave me her only chance to survive. I can't just abandon her!"

Yuigahama Yui's gaze was resolute. She looked as if she were about to raise both hands and shout her loyalty.

"There's no point in you coming. Your story has already given me certain preconceptions about the basement, so I have to go alone. That also fits the second half of the hint."

[What you hear with your own ears is no match for seeing it yourself]

"Oh, right. Take this clock. I've frozen the time on it. If the second day comes and I still haven't brought Yukino back, smash it. You remember how to tell when the second day starts, right? It's when the food refreshes."

Bai Yuze handed the clock to Yuigahama Yui, then traded her his phone and its lock-screen password.

"All right, get some rest here. I'll be back soon."

Bai Yuze smiled at Yuigahama Yui, then dragged Yamauchi Haruki's incomplete corpse out of room 104.

Yuigahama Yui prayed in her heart that the two of them would return safely. As for the corpse Bai Yuze was dragging... it had nothing to do with her!

Bai Yuze skillfully chopped off one of Yamauchi Haruki's arms and tossed it to the monster before him. Once the monster got what it wanted, it stopped giving Bai Yuze a hard time.

It knew the difference between one full meal and a steady supply of food. It definitely wasn't afraid of the gleaming kitchen knife in Bai Yuze's hand.

Bai Yuze dragged Yamauchi Haruki's corpse to room 108.

Knock, knock, knock.

Bai Yuze knocked on the door. As usual, he heard movement inside.

He stepped back and waited quietly for the front desk attendant to open the door. Before long, it opened. The attendant's tall frame filled the entire doorway, blocking the view of the room behind him.

"What is it?"

"I accidentally dropped something in the basement. I'd like to go down and get it."

"The basement isn't a place you should go."

"I know, but I'm capable of taking the risk. Besides, I'm worried that if I wait too long, it'll attract flies."

The front desk attendant looked down and saw Bai Yuze holding a kitchen knife in his right hand and a corpse in his left.

"...You certainly are capable."

"You're too kind. Here, this delicacy is yours."

Bai Yuze stepped back and tossed Yamauchi Haruki's corpse in front of the front desk attendant.

The front desk attendant stared at Yamauchi Haruki's corpse for a while, then slowly uttered a single word.

"Fine."