Chapter 148: Only One (4)

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In an instant, the two returned to the fourth floor of the building and back to the Sugar Mill, locked the door, and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Their ears still stung, a faint ringing lingering in them.

“Ugh… I’m dying… But… at least we got the ear…”

“Five left…”

“This gives us… some idea. The principle of how the test sheet reveals the questions…”

Still panting, Sugar pulled the test sheet from her cloak’s inner pocket and examined it.

Under “1-1. Enjoy the music,” question “1-2” had appeared—though its contents remained blank for now.

Most likely, the question would fully materialize once they reached a location tied to the next body part.

By following its instructions, they’d retrieve it.

“Enjoy the music.”

In other words, stay there until the music ends.

And when the deafening timpani finally faded, the ear had been there.

A simple task—though the sheer intensity of the noise had been a drawback.

“Will the rest be like this?”

“Probably… They won’t make it easy.”

Riley answered as he pushed himself up, wiping sweat off with his left sleeve before straightening his posture.

“Let’s decide our next destination. First, let’s list places associated with each remaining part.”

“Ah! The tongue’s probably in the cafeteria. Almost guaranteed.”

“The eyes are predictable, too. Like I said before—the library or an exhibition hall. Places where ‘seeing’ is the main focus.”

“Then there’s the nose, vocal cords, and skin left… The vocal cords might be in the choir club room?”

“Highly likely.”

“That leaves the nose and skin… Hmm…”

Were there places in the school tied to those? A hospital would make sense, but this was a school—harder to guess.

“Nose. Smell. Scent. Fragrance…”

“Perfume? Flowers? The greenhouse?”

“That… actually fits.”

At the plausible answer, Sugar nodded. Immediately, Riley continued.

“I have a guess for the skin, too.”

When asked where, he answered with unsettling cheerfulness.

“The underground dungeon.”

Ah.

She vaguely remembered it having torture devices—the perfect place to test touch.

With a rough plan in place, they felt better than wandering aimlessly.

For now, though, they had to move stealthily toward the Main Building, as the area was swarming with enraged people.

The Main Building had diverse locations: an exhibition hall on the top floor, the library on the east side of the second floor, the cafeteria on the west side, and the dungeon underground.

The choir club room was in the West Building—Sugar knew because she’d been invited a few times.

The greenhouse, near the East Building, would be last.

“The problem is how we get out of here…”

They pressed their ears against the door. The sound of frantic footsteps echoed outside—clearly, a search was underway but no one seemed to think of entering here.

Perhaps it was due to the barrier Riley had layered over this place in reality. Even in the dream, it held, creating a safe zone.

“Too many people outside. But we can’t stay here forever…”

“Only way out is the window.”

The moment he said it, the two moved toward the curtains as if they’d planned it. With magically enhanced bodies, a four-story drop would’ve been easy—but without that strength now, preparations were needed.

Before that, Sugar took the ear from her pocket and attached it to the doll. A perfect fit.

Next, escape prep. They tore down the curtains, cutting them into long strips—using their trusty garden shears.

“Didn’t know you had a gardening hobby, Sugar.”

“…I do.”

“Then why are these so rusty? They barely cut.”

“…They’re old.”

They worked silently, knotting the strips into a long rope.

It was a shame to ruin the curtains, but they were fine in reality.

“It might be a little short, though…”

“I’ll go down first and catch you. Jump.”

“Huh?”

Riley said it so matter-of-factly as he finished the rope. Sugar stared blankly before her cheeks slowly reddened.

“Why does he say things like that out of nowhere…”

Snapping back to focus, she headed to the window. The curtain rope stretched far below, tied securely to the rod—a decent escape tool.

“When you climb down, don’t look below. Just keep your eyes up.”

With those words, Riley fluidly descended. Sugar watched, mouth slightly agape, until he landed with a soft thud and waved up at her.

Now her turn, the height was more daunting than expected. Without the courage of magic, she gulped.

But what choice did she have? She gripped the rope.

“Agh—Whoa—Too fast—Huh? Already the end?!”

In her frantic descent, she realized the rope ended far above the ground. The distance felt longer than it looked.

Terrified, she squeezed her eyes shut and let gravity take over—only to be caught mid-air.

“I told you not to look down.”

Her dream companion chided lightly. His firm arms and familiar scent were comforting.

“I got curious…”

Sugar laughed awkwardly. He smiled back.

She wriggled out of his hold.

“Alright, subordinate. To the Main Building—quickly.”

Despite her confident stride, she hunched low, darting forward fearfully. Riley followed with an amused smirk.

***************

Main Building

Having entered through the east, the library was closest and so they decided to start there.

Though part of the Main Building, it felt like an annex—its entrance on the second floor’s east side.

After passing a quiet staircase, the scent of old books greeted them.

Just as the smell grew stronger and the library’s interior came into view—

Click.

Darkness swallowed everything, as if someone had flipped a switch.

“…Jackpot.”

Still holding hands, they knew each other’s positions. Back-to-back, they stood ready.

Sugar quickly pulled out the test sheet.

Faintly glowing letters had formed—considerate of them, for readability.

* * * * *

1-2. Borrow a book.

* * * * *

Yet the instruction was baffling.

“What book are we supposed to borrow…?”

“What’s it say?”

“Just ‘Borrow a book.’ No specifics.”

They had no choice but to proceed. Hand in hand, they stepped forward. The floor shifting from hard marble to soft carpet.

“It’s too dark.”

Even with windows, the blackness was absolute. Only a step ahead was visible, as if deliberately designed.

Bringing a light would’ve been pointless.

“Is there even a librarian here?”

“Before it went dark, I saw someone at the desk over there.”

“They’re still calm in this situation? I’d have screamed—”

“Silence.”

“Eek!”

Sugar shrieked.

A woman with round eyes had appeared inches from her face—only now visible in the narrow sightline.

Round glasses with even rounder eyes beneath. Smooth as polished black stone, unnervingly inhuman.

“First warning.”

Her attire and tone marked her as the librarian.

After speaking, she melted back into the dark.

“…”

Sugar clutched her pounding chest with one hand and Riley’s with the other, steadying herself.

The rules were clear:

Borrow a book in this darkness all without making a sound.

She didn’t want to know what happened if warnings piled up.

With their goal set, they moved carefully. Sugar felt ahead for obstacles while Riley followed.

‘Bookshelves on the left.’

‘Got it.’

They communicated by tracing letters on each other’s hands, inching forward silently—

Until Sugar’s foot plunged into a hole.

Why does a library have a person-sized pit?!

Sugar stifled a yelp and steadied herself. Beside her, Riley silently helped her regain balance.

“Hah…”

She exhaled quietly, stepping back. Crisis averted—

—Squelch.

Or so she thought.

Why was there another squishy thing underfoot?

“Love you~♡”

“…”

In the deathly silent library, an adorable love confession echoed.

Upon inspection, it was a teddy bear plush—the kind that made noises when hugged.

As a chill ran down her spine, the librarian popped into view again.

“Second warning. The third will incur penalties.”

Sugar gritted her teeth. At this point, it wasn’t just about penalties—she was getting competitive.

She dragged her foot stubbornly across the floor, step by step.

Forward.

Stop.

Forward.

Stop.

A battle of wills against the unseen traps.

And traps there were: slimes clinging to her ankles, slimes dropping from above to smother her face, even a sopping-wet slime coating the book she finally grabbed from the shelf.

‘No more slimes!!’

She suppressed the urge to scream. Riley’s hand trembled in hers—probably from stifled laughter—which only pissed her off more.

But she held it in.

If only she could see, none of this would’ve happened, the darkness was merciless.

With a (mostly) intact book in hand, Sugar groped her way to the checkout desk. Having mapped the shelves, she could roughly guess its location.

Her fingers brushed polished wood, then a delicate woman’s hand. She quietly placed the book and her student ID on the desk. The hand took them away, followed by the sound of scribbling—likely logging the loan.

Soon, the items were returned. Halfway cleared.

Now, all that remained was leaving the Library—quietly.

Quietly.

Sugar grinned. The mischievous smirk of a troublemaker.

She shuffled carefully until she found the pit again. Turning back, she gauged the distance to the checkout desk, then to the exit.

‘The pit’s close enough to the entrance.’

Satisfied, she tapped  Riley and retrieved what she’d entrusted to him earlier—the squishy bear plush she’d picked up.

Without hesitation, she hurled it toward the checkout desk and bolted.

—Thud.

“Love you~♡”

A second love confession.

Simultaneously, the oppressive atmosphere in the Library surged uncontrollably.

Boom! Boom!

Bookshelves toppled, vibrations shaking the floor. A cacophony of crashing books—the third warning in action.

But Sugar had no time to care. She sprinted, dragging Riley, focusing only on reaching the exit.

“Hey!! What’s the librarian gonna do, huh?! We’re leaving anyway!!”

She even taunted at the top of her lungs, venting her earlier frustrations as she ran.

“SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY—!!”

The librarian’s shrieked warning sent a frosty presence chasing them. Sharp fingers grazed Sugar’s hair—

—Tap.

The floor texture changed. Smooth marble.

Blinking against sudden brightness, they found themselves in a sunlit hallway. They’d escaped.

Compared to the Library, the slightly eerie quiet here felt peaceful.

Sugar glanced back. Only impenetrable darkness stared back.

Yet she felt it—something in that void, glaring at them.

So she stuck out her tongue.

“…Late fees are prohibited,”

A low, gritted voice hissed from the abyss.