Chapter 15 - Hayashi House
Day 182 - 410 students remaining.
Around midday, Shuji begins to head to Hayashi house. He is still in disbelief about yesterday’s events as he is unable to think straight, fearing what might happen to Kanna.
‘I can’t think about that now. The quicker I can save Ichika, the sooner I can get Kanna out of there.”
When he is nearing Hayashi house, Shuji bumps into a girl who falls over.
“I’m so sorry.”
Shuji extends his hand to the girl as she brushes dirt off of her clothes. The girl grabs his hand and Shuji pulls her up off of the ground. The girl then bows her head.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve looked where I was going.”
Shuji waves his hand.
“No, it was my fault. Actually, can I ask you something?”
Shuji proceeds to point at a large building that appears to be a small hotel.
“Is that building over there the one known as Hayashi House.”
The girl instantly has a look of panic as she quickly scans the premises and notices that nobody is around.
“Don’t go there. I don’t know what you’ve heard but its not like they say. Run away while you still can.”
The girl begins to hurry away.
Shuji begins to question the encounter and the strangeness of it. Shuji decides to brush it off and head into Hayashi House.
He is greeted by a very friendly receptionist.
“Hello! Welcome to Hayashi House! Will you be staying with us?”
Shuji is confused as the atmosphere of this place is the complete opposite of the eastern side of the city. Happiness radiates through the corridors. Shuji begins to get inquisitive.
“What’s the catch?”
The receptionist begins to look puzzled.
“There is no catch. We supply food, a bed and shelter to those who have nowhere to go.”
Shuji begins to get even more suspicious.
“So, are you in charge of this place?”
The receptionist shakes her head with a smile.
“No. Misa Hayashi is the owner of this place.”
Shuji begins to speak as he remains suspicious.
“Is it possible to meet Misa?”
The receptionist suddenly seems uneasy.
“Misa isn’t seeing visitors right now. Maybe I can squeeze you in for an appointment tomorrow but it isn’t guaranteed.”
Shuji smiles.
“Then I’d like to stay here, for tonight at least.”
The receptionist smiles uneasily and hands Shuji the keys to a room.
“You’ll be staying in room 32.”
Shuji walks away and begins to look around the property. He starts to think to himself.
‘I need to look out for anything suspicious. I’ll start with the dining area.’
Shuji heads to the dining area inside Hayashi House. Once he arrives, he begins to look around. There are only a few people present. They all appear to look quite happy. Shuji finds this odd as there isn’t a single smile present in the rest of the eastern side of the city.
‘Something feels off about this place. Maybe they’ll know something.’
Shuji walks over to the group of people in the room.
“Excuse me.”
One of the girls turn to face Shuji.
“Hey. Can I help you?”
Shuji begins to question the girl.
“I hope this doesn’t come across as rude but you all seem really happy.”
The girl smiles at Shuji before continuing.
“Of course I’m happy. I have a home, I get free food and the Downers don’t bother us here. It’s all thanks to Lady Misa and Hayashi House.”
Shuji nods his head in agreement.
“Can I ask how long you’ve been here?”
The girl thinks to herself for a moment.
“I’ve been here for around a week now.”
Shuji continues his inquisition as he knows he needs to get information.
“Did you ever notice anything suspicious here?”
The girl suddenly becomes defensive and possesses a closed off attitude.
“What? No. Of course not. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
The girl turns her back to Shuji and continues to talk to her friends. Shuji can’t help but wonder about the atmosphere of this place.
‘Something’s wrong. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Something about this place feels evil.’
Shuji gives up on his inquisition and begins to head back to his room. On the way back, he walks past someone in the hallway and begins to think to himself.
‘Wait a minute. She looks familiar.’
Shuji recalls his day today. The girl walking through the corridor is the one who he bumped into outside.
“Hey! You there.”
The girl freezes in fear but puts on a fake smile and turns to face Shuji.
“Hello there, sir. What can I do for you?”
Shuji begins to get inquisitive.
“What are you doing here? Are you living here?”
The girl responds politely whilst continuing to hold a false smile.
“Of course. I’m honoured to live in such an amazing place.”
Shuji begins to get annoyed.
“Then what the hell did you mean earlier? Why did you tell me…”
Before Shuji could finish his sentence, the girl puts her hand on his mouth to stop him from talking. She then signals with her eyes that somebody is down the hallway.
“Honey, if you want to talk about our relationship then please come to room 18 at 8pm. That is where I am staying now, after all.”
Shuji nods his head as the girl begins to walk away. Shuji begins to think to himself.
‘8pm. Maybe I’ll finally get some answers.’
Shuji waits in his room until 8pm. When the time comes, he leaves his room and heads to room 18. He knocks on the door. A voice speaks from the other side.
“Is that you, darling? Come in.”
The girl opens the door and looks down either side of the hallway to make sure that nobody is there before quickly dragging Shuji into her room and locking the door. Once the door has been closed, the girl begins to get angry with Shuji.
“You idiot. What were you thinking earlier? Are you trying to get us both killed?”
Shuji seems confused.
“I just wanted some answers.”
The girl sighs as she proceeds to talk to Shuji.
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
Shuji begins to inquire about the mysterious girl’s identity.
“Who are you?”
The girl looks confused.
“That’s what you want to know? My name is Tsubaki. I’ve been living here for a short while. Who are you?”
Shuji contemplates using a fake name but decides against it.
“My name is Shuji. I’m the city detective.”
Tsubaki stops for a moment and is frozen. Shuji wonders what’s wrong.
“Are you feeling ok?”
Tsubaki looks at Shuji suspiciously.
“I know about you. You’re the one who stopped the boogieman, right?”
Shuji nods. Tsubaki then begins to smile and cry.
“Then, we might actually have a chance at this.”
Shuji looks on, still unaware of the full situation. Shuji knows that he needs answers.
“Why was you so afraid earlier?”
Tsubaki holds back her tears as she decides to explain the situation to Shuji.
“Because, if any of the staff hear us talking about the true nature of this place, we’ll be taken in the night.”
Shuji is in shock.
“If this place is so terrifying, then why don’t you leave?”
Tsubaki shakes her head.
“You’ve seen how the eastern side of the city is. The people here have all heard the rumours about Hayashi House and the kidnappings but living under Kenro is a lot worse.”
Shuji looks uneasy. However, Shuji shakes off his uneasiness as he continues to gather information.
“What do you know about the kidnappings? Who are behind them?”
Tsubaki is almost paralysed with fear as she answers.
“Nobody knows for sure. But one thing is certain, Misa Hayashi is involved.”
The room remains silent for a moment before Tsubaki speaks again. She clenches her fist.
“She’s the worst of them all. Everyone pretends that she is some saviour because she gives us food and ‘safety’ but it’s all a farce. Behind closed doors, I’ve heard that she’s incredibly cruel. The rumours say that she has a deal with the kidnappers and they sell people into some type of slavery.”
Shuji is surprised. After their conversation, Shuji heads back to his room and feels incredibly uneasy as he lays in bed. He begins to think to himself.
‘Tomorrow I will get answers. Ichika is waiting. Tomorrow, I’ll confront Misa Hayashi.’
In another part of the building, the silhouette of Misa Hayashi sits in her office as a male figure enters the door.
“Misa. I have some pressing information from my boss.”
Misa sounds interested as she looks at the man.
“Oh, really?”
The man continues to speak.
“A hostile force has infiltrated Hayashi House.”
