>>9543
The hair fell naturally as Ozaki had opened the door.

>>9544
I enter the room and check out the situation.

>>9545
"Ozaki-sensei... Did you find them?"

Marie, Michiru, Tomoko, and Hikaru are all visibly present in the room, where Ozaki had seen them last. He had hardly been gone.

>>9546
I inform them of what happened.

>>9547
Everyone but Hikaru shows sadness, as he laughs. "That's what they get! I totally saw it coming! This is just proof that we're all gonna die!"

Michiru then speaks up. "...So we are the only ones left alive... If we want to survive, we will have to fight back against the Youkai. The Guardian Spirit should be able to protect us, even as a last resort."

>>9548
"Guardian Spirit?"

>>9550
"In the back of the school, there is a shrine for the Guardian Spirit. It is a spirit supposedly even stronger than the Youkai... Our only hope might be to ask it for help in defeating them."

Hikaru: "You mean the shrine near the rabbit pen?"

Michiru: "Yes, that's the one. Haven't you all heard of it?"

The other three nod their heads in agreement.

>>9551
"Sure lets go check that out."

I let her lead us.

>>9553
The group leaves the library and goes to the back door of the school. Upon leaving they immediately see a giant wall staring at them.

Marie: "The school gates... It seems there is a back exit in the gate, too."

Unfortunately, the exit is locked, and the group keeps moving.

>>9554
The group then sees the rabbit pen. Hikaru approaches it out of curiosity, noticing that there are no rabbits inside.

Michiru then speaks. "We should be close to the shrine now. But it's difficult to see in the dark... is there a way we could get more light?"

>>9555
"I have a flashlight"

I take it out and turn it on.

>>9556
"Ah, thank you, Sensei!"

The flashlight reveals a small house-like object sitting near some trees. This must be the shrine.

"There it is! Now, I just need to prepare the summoning ritual, and we can call it for help. It will take some time, though..."

>>9557
"What exactly does this entail?"

>>9558
"Well, to be honest, this would work better with more people... The more strongly we believe in the Guardian Spirit, the stronger it will get. This isn't like my other rituals. But since the Guardian Spirit is so powerful, it will longer than normal for me to channel our energy to it."

>>9559
"Alright well lets just wait here then. Lets give her a bit of space."

I take the remaining students making sure we are all together in front of the rabbit pen as I keep and eye on Michiru.

"So I have to ask. Where any of your associated with Ushiromiya Maria when she was a student here? The events happening now may very well be related to that incident. So any information would be helpful."

>>9560
Tomoko: "Hmm, I don't remember seeing her."

Michiru: "I don't either."

Hikaru: "She wasn't in my class."

Marie: "I also never knew her."

>>9561
"I see so not much then.
Do any of you know who she talked to or maybe what her personality was like? Maybe any of her friends maybe?"

>>9562
"...She never had any friends. That's what I heard from some bullies, anyway. If I had known her, I would have definitely been her friend."

"We would too!" Michiru and Tomoko say in unison. Hikaru closes his eyes and stays silent.

>>9563
"I thought as much.
So does that mean any of you were friends with that Reiko girl? Or are their different circumstances for her?"

>>9564
"I didn't know her very well. I think she was a transfer student, so she kept to herself a lot, and the bullies always picked on her. Yukari-san always tried to step in... I think those two were close friends."

Hikaru again remains silent. Michiru and Marie also say that they didn't know Reiko well.

>>9565
"Michiru, do you have an estimate to how much longer this will take?

>>9566
Marie: "Yes, I was also wondering that."

Michiru: "...It may take another 20 to 30 minutes. Why?"

Marie: "Umm... I really have to go to the bathroom... But I don't think I should go alone. Ozaki-sensei...?"

>>9568
"Alright I'm come with you."

I tell the kids not to leave the area as I take Marie to the bathroom.

>>9569
The three kids agree to stay where they are.

Ozaki and Marie arrive at the first-floor bathrooms. Marie tries to enter the girls' room.

Marie: "Ozaki-sensei... The door is locked. Can you open it with your key?"

>>9570
"Hmm... Those bathrooms are rather filthily Marie. Lets go to the second floor."

I take her there instead.

>>9571
The two of them arrive at the second-floor bathrooms. These doors seem unlocked.

Marie: "Alright... I won't take long. Please wait out here for me!"

She enters the room, and the door closes.

>>9572
I stand guard outside.

>>9573
A few minutes pass, and Marie soon exits the bathroom.

"Ah, I feel much better now! Thanks, Ozaki-sensei. Let's quickly head back."

>>9574
"Alright"

I then take her back to the shine.

>>9575
"............"
The three students silently stood near the shrine of the guardian spirit.

Hikaru: "We should just give up. I bet Ozaki and Marie already have! There is no guardian spirit that could possibly save us!"

Tomoko: "Stop sending negative energy! We only need to wait a little longer..."

Michiru: "Believe me! My sixth sense is working this time...! I can feel something's presence...!"

She turns around and sees... the guardian spirit?

>>9576
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX0YZb2baaw ]

"Hello. My name is Hameln. But I think you already know of me, Hikaru-kun."

Hikaru: "Ah, the youkai of the music room! But how can you appear here?!"

Hameln: "Look closely! Do you see that sign attached to the side of the shrine? It clearly says 'Music Room', does it not?!"

Hikaru: "...So you used that trick after all."

Hameln: "That's right! This shrine is my new haunting place! I would turn you all into small animals right now, but Hikaru, you have done well by telling others about me! So I'll reward you."

Hikaru: "How so?"

Hameln: "I will spare you. These two idiots will be the ones claimed by my castanets!"

The youkai takes out some castanets and claps them together...

Before the two of them can even scream, they notice they have been turned into small rabbits. Hikaru picks both of them up and places them inside of the rabbit pen.

...No, 'place' isn't the right word. He violently kicks them into the rabbit pen's gate, again and again until they just happen to fall into their cage.

"Ahahaha, you stupid idiots! I should have joined the Youkai from the start! Then I wouldn't have to worry about dying! And now I can torture you all I want, you fools!!!"

>>9577

[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fwNnXbpOo0 ]

"Uryu~! Please stop, you two! It's not nice to do that!"

Out of the shrine pops a small yellow creature.

Hikaru: "Hah! Is this supposed to be the guardian spirit?! It looks like a stuffed animal come to life!"

Hameln: "Indeed it does. What a laughably pathetic creature! Ahahaha!!!"
The Youkai and his human laugh together.

"Uryu... I don't think I'm any guardian spirit... But I am the king of animals! Sakunoshin is my name! And I don't like it when you hurt animals!"

The lion casts a magic spell, sending a shockwave toward the two... who easily dodge it.

"You missed!"

"...I wasn't aiming for either of you blockheads! Uryu~!"

The magical spell instead connects with the two rabbits inside the rabbit pen. The animals suddenly teleport to Sakunoshin, and glow a bright golden color.

>>9578

[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ksK1dudxDw ]

...The gold color fades, and the true humanoid forms of these rabbits come to life. ...Well, they're still part rabbit, but...

"Uryu! Human/rabbit hybrids! Siestas! Teach those two a lesson!"

The two rabbits nod. They put their hands together, and a golden bow forms between them.

Hikaru: "What?! Hameln, do something!"

Hameln: "Me?! I've already turned them into rabbits! It's all I can do!"

Before they can say another word, the golden bow shoots an arrow, quickly wrapping itself around Hameln, crushing him to pieces. The arrow is quickly redirected toward Hikaru, driving into his stomach and coming out his skull. It then lands on top of the "Music Room" sign, destroying it.

"There we go!" the lion cheers. "Thank you for your help! I'm sure we will be great friends! Uryu~!"

The three of them wrap themselves in a golden light and vanish into the night sky...

>>9579
Ozaki and Marie arrive outside the shrine.

...There, they find the corpse of Hikaru. Alongside it are two small rabbits... in place of both Michiru and Tomoko... and the world freezes.

>>9580
I survey the area as well as the corpse and the rabbits.

>>9582
The area consists of both the shrine and the rabbit pen opposite each other. The rabbit pen is alongside the wall of the school, while the shrine goes into the trees. The corpse and rabbits were found in between the two locations.

The corpse of Hikaru has a hole in his stomach. His head is also destroyed in the same way as the other corpses had been previously.

The rabbits are still alive. However, one's knees seem to be wounded, and the other's legs are wounded too.

There is a patch of blood alongside a wall near the corpse. Aside from that, no other blood can be found.

>>9583
Search the inside of the rabbit pen and shine.

>>9585
Inside the rabbit pen is a mixture of grass and leaves alongside scattered pellets of rabbit food. There is also a tiny shelter for rabbits to hide in.

The shrine has a small pocket an arm can reach through, but it contains nothing. There are no other holes in the shrine.

>>9586
Use the armpit trick. I then check his person for anything.

>>9587
The armpit trick indicates death.

There is nothing in his pockets or on his person.

>>9589
I examine the blood on the wall thoroughly. I then check the blood splatter around the corpse to determine from where he was attacked from. I also examine the number of distinct footprints left in the dirt.

>>9590
The blood on the wall looks like it splashed onto the wall without care. It is only a few feet high. There is also a large amount of blood splatter from the wall to his corpse, as well as on the ground, spread out.

There seem to be only five distinct footprints.

>>9591
I since I knew where they were standing I check the footprints of Michiru and Tomoko and try to see if I can find which direction they ran off to.

>>9592
The footprints lead up to the back gate, which is locked.

>>9593
>footprints go this far through the grounds
"Whatever I'm not complaining."

I survey this gate. It is just like the front? Not possible to climb by yourself? I examine the footprints to make sure they didn't back track on their own footprints. I make sure there if nothing surrounding the area that would allow one to remove themselves from the ground.

>>9594
The gate appears to be the same on all sides. It is several stories high, even taller than the school. In addition, it looks like barbed wire trails across the top of the wall just in case anyone tries to scale it.

The footprints don't seem to backtrack. Nor is there any sort of way to 'remove oneself from the ground'.

>>9595
"Well I guess they escaped unless their corpses are found."

I end my investigation.

>>9596
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av_xaxaqRFU ]

...Only Ozaki and Marie remained.

The girl began to cry the moment she saw Hikaru's corpse... and realized there was no longer any hope.

>>9597

"Im sorry... I couldn't save anyone.

[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlZddhshK0U ]

How terrible that only at the end everything is solved.

Marie there is only one way to survive this now. Follow me"

I head to the library taking her with me.

>>9598
Ozaki turns to look at Marie.

After only saying the first part of that sentence, Ozaki feels a large force pressed against the back of his head, sending him falling.

As he falls, Marie wears a shocked expression, and Ozaki's eyes close...

Fourth thread:
https://archive.seacats.net/gameboard/res/9600.html