episode_0078

[Tower of Desire 15th Floor – Mo Elementary School]

The elementary school on this level seems to follow the same schedule as the elementary schools I know.

It seems like they are following the schedule of a Korean elementary school outside the Tower.

Each elementary school has a different layout, with some having swimming pools or large courts.

It feels like they have applied the atmosphere of specialized high schools or universities to elementary schools, and many children are happily living their lives.

“It’s a scene with a strong nostalgic scent, really.”

First, there’s a stationery store and a snack bar in front of the school.

There are also beauty salons and bookstores, as well as convenience stores and food establishments that cater to the latest trends.

However, there are no PC rooms and very few academies.

Especially in academies, the focus is not on studying, but on specific talents like playing the piano.

“It’s a well-controlled atmosphere.”

It’s a world I know, yet slightly different.

It was an artificial change.

“I have to infiltrate the elementary school in this state-”

Just as my tension was rising, the loud sound of a police car siren rang out from somewhere.

Since there were many people searching floors 11 to 15, someone among the hunters must have caused an incident.

“What would happen if I get caught by the police here? They probably have TVs here, so would they arrest a mid-20s man with scars all over his body for infiltrating an elementary school during class?”

The moment I get caught, there will definitely be a breaking news headline and I’ll appear on the news.

“I won’t get caught even if it kills me.”

Taking a deep breath, I heightened my awareness and scanned my surroundings.

At the entrance, Emma, who looked like a physical education teacher, was looking around in her tracksuit.

I had no choice but to turn back and lean against the wall, listening intently with my ear to the ground, scanning the surroundings like a wave.

“No one’s here-”

The only thing I could hear was the flat voices of the teachers.

It’s currently 9:25 AM.

It was a safe time as the first period was in full swing.

“Even right in front of me.”

Honestly, I thought there would be an incident, but I found nothing amiss.

I immediately hid, locked the door, and turned on the computer.

It looked like an old square-shaped educational computer… as expected.

“It’s faster than I thought?”

It really only seemed that way on the surface. I thought the booting process would take a long time, but it was faster than I expected.

Beyond the content being decent, it was at the level of an ordinary household computer.

There were games installed by the kids, and there was a bag-shaped icon in the corner.

This is what the child referred to as “Kids World.”

[Caution]

[This website is only for children to use]

[※Do not tell outsiders!]

[Username: ]

[Password: ]

A very simple-looking website for children has appeared.

Literally, this is a website that can only be used in the Tower of Desire.

The web address is there, but the child said it can’t be used outside.

“They even gave me the username and password. Maybe because they grew up in a place like this, they don’t know how to suspect people.”

[Username: SANS123]

[Password: 456456]

Login successful.

Immediately after logging in, there were boards for photos, game recruitment, and more that children were excited about.

This is the children’s website used by the kids on the 15th floor.

First, I checked the most active free board…

[Show Off] [Went to the amusement park with mom today~!]

[Show Off] [Made dumplings with mom~!]

[Question] [What does ‘jajinda’ mean?]

[Information] [New toys arrived in front of our elementary school]

[Question] [Do you know the name of the manga we were reading last night?]

[Recruitment] [Looking for someone to play games on our server!]

[Children’s Police] [Today, some bad men from outside did something bad in front of the school, so I reported them]

[Show Off] [Mom bought me a new toy~!]

[SOS] [Can someone help me with this math homework?]

[Question] [Who’s participating in the spinning top competition tomorrow?]

[Information] [10 items that would make a great birthday gift for mom]

[Information] [They say they will air SSS-level sex education hunter at 5 PM today]

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [A new friend transferred to ■■ Elementary School~]

“Let’s see something wholesome.”

There is no vulgar language.

If it were a modern-day elementary student, they would probably use rougher language, but there is not a hint of that here.

I’m actually surprised by the innocence level, almost like that of a kindergarten student.

“Is this the influence of the education they receive here?”

Even on the photo board, more than half of the pictures are of the students living with their parents, acting as if they were the parents themselves.

There are pictures taken during sports day, field trips, and even when the school went on a trip as a whole unit.

“Maybe they are isolating them to control what they see on the internet since they can’t control what’s outside.”

There are no online games installed.

They do have popular single-player games or server-based multiplayer games, but they are carefully monitored to ensure that they have fun but are strictly controlled from the outside world.

“I’ll look into this later.”

First, I need to find out more about Leia, the daughter of the nun.

When I search for the keyword [transfer student], a list of related posts comes up.

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [Transferred to ■■ Elementary School on ■■ Year ■■ Month ■■ Day]

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [Transferred to ■■ Elementary School ■ people]

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [More students transferred to ■■ Elementary School]

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [■■ Year ■■ Month ■■ Day ■■ Elementary School ■■ students!]

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [We also transferred to ■■ Elementary School on ■■ Month ■■ Day~]

Even though this is a kids’ board, it seems to have its own set of rules.

When a new friend transfers, they write down the date and the name of the elementary school, along with a picture taken together.

“I can tell that the nun is involved.”

Since the child is probably not managing the website, the administrator is likely the nun.

The “New Transfer Student Introduction” banner at the top, as well as the effort to normalize the transfer culture, is evident.

“The problem is whether Leia will show up in the search results or not…”

I texted the nun.

– [Nun, it’s Changki]

– [When was she kidnapped?]

– [Even if you can’t give me the exact date, just the year]

– Ring!

– [It was when the Tower was blocked, so it was 3 years ago]

– [Did you not hear from the others?]

– [I remember that the Tower Lord got really mad and set a 5-year time limit]

– [I was going to ask how many years were left when we were drinking, but]

– [I thought everyone would get depressed if I asked, so I didn’t]

– [It’s our fault for not even telling them the obvious]

– [Don’t forget, remember]

– [2 more years to go!]

As I said that, I remembered the story I heard at the top of the Tower when I arrived.

More precisely, it was a warning from the Tower Lord to them.

“5 years from now.”

“Those who mock my Tower and fail to conquer it, be prepared.”

“Turn the surface into a wasteland.”

…That’s how the warning went.

Since 3 years have passed, there are 2 years left.

But in the midst of all this, someone important has been kidnapped, so it’s understandable that the guild leaders are either scolding me or praising me.

– [But why all of a sudden?]

– [What’s going on?]

– [I think I found Leia’s footsteps]

– [?]

– [????]

– [??]

– [It’s not certain, but]

– [Anyway, I’ll contact you if I find her]

– [Wait!]

– [Junior!?]

– [Reply!!]

– [Don’t patronize me, lady!!!!]

The messages kept coming.

It’s strange that there is communication even inside the Tower.

“It was 3 years ago.”

I fixed the “New Transfer Student Introduction” banner and searched for “Leia.”

Since they seem to introduce themselves by their real names here, I didn’t think it would show up, but I did find relevant information.

Even though there are quite a few cases of names overlapping, when I narrowed it down to 3 years ago, there was only one person that came up.

[New Transfer Student Introduction] [Transferred to Sunflower Elementary School on ■■ Year ■■ Month ■■ Day!]

[Name: Leia]

[Age: 9 years old]

[3rd grade at Sunflower Elementary School]

[Attached Photo]

[A new friend who transferred schools after a long time~!]

[Looks really angry with that chubby face]

[They say things are bad between them and their mom, that’s why they ran away and moved here]

[They got mad easily, but surprisingly became friends quickly]

[They’re good at studying and are like the class president, so everyone asks for their help a lot]

………?

I compared the photo I received from the guild with the attached photo.

The face is so similar, it’s almost like looking at myself.

‘Running away?’

What does it mean that things are bad between them and their mom?

Luckily, I was able to identify the school, so this time I searched for [Sunflower Elementary School Lea].

[Announcement] [Vice Class President Elected!]

[Today is the election day for the vice class president of Sunflower Elementary School 3-2]

[I worked hard on my promises and became the vice class president~!]

[The class president is Lea]

[I am the vice class president]

[We will lead Class 2 harmoniously~!]

…Hmm.

I found an account of a student who was in the same class at the time.

They seemed to have posted a lot of stories about the class here.

‘Oh, there are a lot of pictures with their friend. Should I send this to them?’

There were several connectors left over on the adjacent seat, probably for transferring games to the school computer or charging a phone, so I connected my phone to them.

As I searched, I immediately transferred the photos that came up.

[Diary] [Seems like our class president is not getting along well with their new mom]

[They didn’t come with their mom to the sports day event and came alone]

[Later, their mom came running and crying, asking why they didn’t tell her, and they fought]

[Lea is not a bad kid..]

[How can I help with this?]

In the midst of it all, there was a story about Lea.

The heartfelt concern for their friend in the same class was clearly conveyed in the content.

[Diary] [The class president ran away and came to my house]

[They said they felt burdened by their new mom and came to me for advice]

[Why did they run away here if they were going to run away again?]

[Anyway, they looked tired, so I comforted them along with my mom]

[Luckily, they made up with their new mom and went back]

[The class president seemed smart, just like us, their peers]

There were a few attached photos.

There were so many photos of Lea, who was the class president at the time, and it seemed like they were really close, judging by the pictures they took together.

The little Lea in the photos indeed had a very determined expression on their face, just as described by my friend.

“Sunflower Elementary School, huh.”

I searched for the location of the elementary school, input it into the map I had, and checked it.

I was intrigued by the circumstances involving Lea, so I was about to do more research, but I stood up as soon as I heard footsteps approaching.

‘School hasn’t ended yet.’

The footsteps were quite loud for a kid, so there might be a ghost wandering around.

It’s not good to get involved here.

I immediately turned off the computer and retrieved my phone, jumping out the window.

At that moment, I heard a female voice behind me.

“Weird. I smell a male scent here.”

By a hair’s breadth, I missed being caught by a ghost, even though it was just one step away.