After lunch break was over, students started to take their respective seats.

Ike: Phew, that break was longer than I thought.

Shinohara: Really? It felt like the usual to me.

Kushida: Are you feeling alright, Mii-chan, Kokoro-chan?

Inogashira: I-I think so.

Mii-chan: Chabashira-sensei said I could skip this part, b-but I am also a bit curious about what happens next.

Kushida: So you are the type who gets scared easily, but still watches horror movies.

Mii-chan: Hehe...I-I guess..

Ryuen: Was it a good idea to bring so many snacks?

Ishizaki: Yeah, why?

Ryuen: I dunno, what if someone gets their frontal lobes chewed off?

"IYAAAA!!"

"Dammit Ryuen, stop scaring the girls!"

"I hope your ass gets smacked by those robots instead!"

"Yeah, specially after what you did to Chica-chan!"

Katsuragi: I just arrived in the hall and already hear people insulting you.

Ryuen: Nah, they love me.

Chiaki: Well, I don't think they would show something that violent on screen, but maybe we should keep our tummies empty, just in case.

Kei: Yeah, good call.

Soon everyone was properly seated, as the screen begin to light up.

???: Without further ado, let's continue from where we left off.

.

.

Time: 10:00 a.m.

In the cafeteria of the hotel, Kiyotaka sat alone at a table as he peacefully ate his breakfast. After signing off from the pizzeria this morning, he had taken a short nap in his room.

They were supposed to have a briefing at 2 o'clock after lunch. So Kiyotaka decided to have a nap until then with a full stomach.

"Oh, it's Ayanokoji-kun."

"Good morning, Ayanokoji-kun!"

Kiyotaka didn't need to look back to see who the voices belonged to. He was planning to avoid meeting anyone if possible. The girls came and sat on either side of him without even asking for his permission. He felt like they were getting bolder in their approach around him these days, or it could just be his imagination.

Kiyotaka: It just started and I am already getting glares.

Suzune: I don't know about Ichinose-san, but is there a reason for Kushida-san to be so mushy with you?

It surprised Kiyotaka and some of their classmates that Suzune had confronted him directly. And if he wasn’t mistaken--

Maezono: Is it me or Horikita-san sounded a bit jealous?

Sato: Huh? Really!?

Ichihashi: It seemed normal to me.

Azuma: It was really subtle. Then again, I don't know them enough to make such an assumption.

Sato: Oh no. Ichinose-san aside, Horikita-san could be a dangerous opponent if that was really the case!

They were whispering among themselves.

Suzune: Well?

Kiyotaka: I have no clue. Maybe she has started to notice my charm?

Almost everyone in the class including Kushida stared at him. He tried to make a joke, but it seemed his tone has betrayed him once more.

Inogashira: Is that really--

Kushida: N-no! Stop joking, Ayanokoji-kun!

Kei: It sounds serious when you say it.

Kiyotaka: Yeah, my bad. But there is nothing like that between us.

Suzune: hm..

She nodded and looked away from him.

"It's weird seeing so many people in the hotel. I thought it would be a ghost town," Kushida muttered as she gazed around.

"Haha I get what you mean. But it's probably just because we are in special circumstances," Ichinose guessed.

Both of them ordered their food and chatted freely in a relaxed mood.

Kanzaki: It doesn’t seem like they are aware of that restaurant.

Hamaguchi: I can guess it was kept under wraps for some reason.

Honami: If weird rumors sprout surrounding the restaurant, I am sure it would be bad for the businesses in the vicinity.

Kiyotaka didn't understand why he was sitting between them even though he wasn't participating in their conversation. It seems he was still quite inexperienced when it came to girls' behavior and their subtle postures.

Times like this, he wished he had someone like Kouenji as an advisor.

Kouenji: You are not quite there yet Ayanokoji-boy, but I would be happy to enlighten a fellow 'colleague' hahaha!

Kei: Colleague? What does he mean?

Kiyotaka: Just how far is 'there'?

"By the way, I had something to ask Honami-chan," Kushida suddenly spoke inquisitively, which didn't go unnoticed by Ichinose.

"What is it?"

"Are you and Ayanokoji-kun secretly dating or something?"

"....."

'Damn you, Kushida,' Kiyotaka thought, while keeping his face neutral. She just asked a very bothersome question. He decided to let Ichinose handle it.

Many paid attention to this detail.

"Hmm~ dating huh? Are we, Ayanokoji-kun?"

Contrary to his expectations, Ichinose passed the baton to him instead. This time, both of the girls were looking at him with intense expressions.

Kiyotaka silently sipped his black coffee before giving an answer.

"We are not. Though, the possibility does fascinate me."

Kushida was surprised and Ichinose blushed from the unexpected reply.

Kei: Hoooh~ Does it now?

Suzune: How fascinating, Ayanokoji-kun.

Kiyotaka: I was joking here too, if in case you misunderstand again.

Suzune: I know. Can't you see that I'm laughing at your deplorable jokes?

Chiaki: That's a glare, Horikita-san. And quite a jealous one at that too.

"Ahaha... I am flattered Ayanokoji-kun. But it's a shame you're already taken," composing herself quickly, Ichinose replied in a joking tone.

Amikura: Honami-chan...

Ninomiya: You’ve been caught lacking so many times now, that we can't even defend you anymore.

Honami: I-I just...

Kobashi: Really like him, huh? Guess I can respect that at least.

Amikura: It's not a crime to feel that way, I just hope she doesn’t cross the line.

Kushida analyzed their behaviour for a moment, before sighing in distress.

"Got it, got it. You can stop pulling my leg now. I was just curious."

"Haha it's fine, Kikyo-chan. We are just really close."

Kushida interpreted it as that, without realizing how close she was from touching the depth of their relation.

After finishing his breakfast first, Kiyotaka decided to head back after saying his goodbyes.

.

.

Night 4:

Time: 11:45 p.m.

The group had stationed themselves early tonight at the pizzeria in order to make the necessary preparations.

Ryuen: Finally! Stupid rom-coms.

Arisu: How sad, Ryuen-kun. I hope you too, can find a woman who can deal with your abrasiveness.

Ryuen: You’re the last person I want prying into my love life. Shut up and let me watch.

Tsube: Oh, Ryuen did have a plan in motion, didn’t he?

Ichika: Oooh~ I'm looking forward to seeing Ryuen-senpai's plan!

Nagumo: Since it's ultimately a confined space, there isn’t much they can do in the first place. Though, stalling time would be the best strategy against those animatronics.

Katsuragi: I'm looking forward to see what he'd do too.

"Are you sure breaking those bulbs was a good idea?"

"Ryuen said he will be willing take the penalty. So don't worry about it."

Just for tonight, Ryuen was playing the 'commander' while the rest of them would be his pieces.

"Kuku! That's right, Hamaguchi. Just focus on the damn task."

The voice from their walkie-talkie spoke.

Kaneda: He broke the bulbs? For what reason I wonder?

Kiyotaka: Is he planning to take advantage by blocking their eyesight? In the first place, can they even see? Do they lunge at their opponent with just spiritual sense, or whatever it is called? Then there is a chance this may fail.

Tsubaki: Quite the gamble he is taking. Though, he is infamous for that trait.

From all their previous night's experiences, Ryuen could predict the path the animatronics might take while coming towards the office to a certain extent. For instance, Bonnie and Chica might seem rash, but they had always followed a certain route until now. They knew how to trigger Foxy, so he could be avoided to a certain extent. Freddy was the only variable in this case.

If everything went well, they could easily throw them off guard. Part of him still wished he could blow them off, but that wasn't a viable option now.

Manabu: So he has noticed that.

Keisei: I wasn’t really paying attention to it, but now that I think about it-

Suzune: They really have been following a certain route till now. Almost as if they are following some sort of rules.

Ryuen: Kuku how intriguing. That rabbit always attacked from the west hall, while the chicken stayed on the east side.

Morishita: Foxy tried to barge in the from the west too. But unlike the others, we still haven’t seen him roaming around the restaurant.

Arisu: If you checked the cameras regularly, I'm sure the pattern would be visible after a few nights.

Hirata: So, Ryuen-kun plans to take advantage of them.

Sakagami: I am glad he's using his head instead of blowing stuff up.

Hiyori: As expected of him. But there are still quite a few variables in place.

Kiyotaka: Let's see how this plays out.

.

.

Time: 12:04 a.m.

.

RIIIIIINNNGGG

.

RIIIIIINNNGGG

.

*CLICK*

"Hello, hello! Hey! Hey wow, day four...I knew you could do it. Hey, listen....I might not be around to send you a message tomorrow (BANG BANG BANG). It's-It's been a bad night here. (BANG BANG BANG) For me. Umm...I-I'm kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you... *clears throat* er, when I did. H-hey, do me a favor: (BANG BANG BANG) maybe sometime, eh, you could check inside those suits, in-in the back room? (BANG BANG BANG) I'ma try to hold out...until someone...checks. Maybe it won't be so bad. (BANG BANG BANG) I-I-I always wondered what was in those empty heads...back there- 🎶🎶🎶🎶

The sound of constant door banging in the background suddenly stopped, as a chyme started playing instead. A tune that sounded awfully familiar and not at the same time.

🎶🎶-You know....*awkheegg*...Oh no- KHYSGAAASZXXZ!!!"

.

The screech was so sudden and loud that some of them held their ears in pain.

The recording stopped right there.

.

"....."

"....."

A few seconds of silence lingered, before someone broke it.

Hosen: So he finally kicked the bucket.

Nanase: Thank you for your service, Mr. Phone person.

Ichika: F

Kikuchi: You were right, Professor. Buddy didn’t even make it to the last night.

Mii-chan: Aaa..wa...aaa.!

Hirata: H-hang in there.

Kushida: Are you really gonna be okay?

Hiyori: Now it's upto the main characters to solve the mystery!

Nishino: She is more excited instead of scared. What a weird one.

Ibuki: Fuck. I can't do this anymore!

Asahina: T-that was awful. What do you think might have happened?

Nagumo: I am guessing the power ran out before 6 a.m. He realised it, but still left a message behind. He had guts.

Ryuen: Guts, my ass! He never stopped being useless till the end.

Yabu: H-harsh..!

Nishikawa: Didn’t he say something about checking the suits in the back ro--

Ryuen: I would be crazy to take advice from the dead.

Morishita: Honestly, I am with him on this one.

Nishikawa: I-I see...

Kiyotaka: From what I see, the phone guy just happened to be unfortunate. But we should be grateful since he still did his best to warn us.

"W-wasn't he supposed to die at the last night...if..if we follow the cliche..?"

"It looks like he didn't even survive the fourth. I wonder what will happen to us..."

"C-come on now, don't say that!"

"Did he...happen to run out of power?"

"That seems likely."

"Is it really game over if we do?"

"I don't think I want to find out."

With an intense, nerving atmosphere and a feeling of unease in their minds, the 2nd year students of ANHS began their fourth night as security guards.

Sato: My nerves are getting nervous.

Kei: What? Ah, well, mine too I guess.

Time: 1:19 a.m.

"So the animatronics are starting to get quirky, huh?" Ryuen smirked while checking the cameras with a glint in his eyes.

"Ryuen-san. I am finished here."

Ishizaki's voice came from the walkie-talkie which Ryuen had placed on the table, just like he did on that island exam.

Suzune: pff- *cough* ahem!

Sudo: What's wrong, Suzune?

Suzune: I-it's nothing. Just a bad throat.

Kiyotaka: Ryuen didn’t seem to notice it because of the excitement.

Hiyori: Island exam?

"Alright. Take the thing I gave you and wait for my signal. Make sure they can see you."

"Hey Ryuen. I am right in front of the kitchen."

"I know you are, you little snake."

Before Hashimoto could argue back, Ryuen cut the connection.

Hashimoto: Why did he have to do me like that?

"What am I supposed to do?" Morishita who was sitting beside him, inquired. They were the only ones in the security office.

"Keep an eye on the monitor. Report to me immediately if you see any variables."

This girl from Sakayanagi's class was pretty sharp. He hadn't heard of her before, but he judged she would be best for this task while he gave out commands. He would keep an eye too, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an insurance.

Arisu: How rare, Ryuen-kun. So you do acknowledge our class, fufu.

Ryuen: Did your ears become useless like your legs? I clearly just said only about her. The rest is full of clowns and a snake.

Hashimoto: Dammit, stop adding me as a suffix everytime.

Morishita: Is he being shy?... No, what an uncanny thought.

"Got it," she replied, before gluing herself to the screen. As she did so, she immediately noticed something.

"Bonnie is approaching the west hall."

Ryuen grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Get ready, Ishizaki."

On the other side, after receiving the command, Ishizaki held the item Ryuen had given him before entering here with both hands.

It was a red and black guitar.

"Now wait for my signal."

Ishizaki nodded with a gulp. He wasn't the smartest, but even he could tell things would go terribly wrong for him if he messed this up.

This confused everyone who were watching.

Kanzaki: Why a guitar?

Hamaguchi: I didn’t expect that.

Watanabe: Is he planning to sing or something?

Yamashita: I thought so too, but Ishizaki's the one holding it.

Nishino: Yeah. The only guitar he can play with is his--

Ishizaki: Please, shut your mouth!

Kiyotaka: A guitar? Is it their property?

Ryuen: Kuku let's just watch.

A few seconds passed before the rabbit appeared in his sight. As Ishizaki was standing under the only light source, Bonnie immediately noticed him.

"Now!"

"I am sorry!!!"

Yelling with a loud voice, Ishizaki smashed the guiter on the ground with all his strength. The old piece of equipment broke apart instantly. The pieces flew apart from each other with its strings completely entangled.

Bonnie was frozen, as he saw his favorite guitar brutally smashed right in front of him.

"Get back to the office, Ishizaki."

Up until now, this was his most favorite command, as Ishizaki dashed for the security office without looking back.

"Oh no..."

"He didn’t just-"

"Not the guitar..."

"Poor Bonnie..."

Even Ishizaki felt bad for it, while his boss was laughing like an insane person.

Bonnie was enraged. His mind went blank as he immediately chased after the killer who broke his equipment.

He acted just like Ryuen thought he would.

The moment he stepped into the entrance of the west hall, Bonnie slipped on the frictionless floor and fell with a loud metallic clang.

The surprise attack managed to disperse his rage momentarily. Shaking his head, as Bonnie tried to get up, he slipped once again onto the hard floor. He suddenly had a shocking realization.

The entire place was covered with grease.

"Kukuku! Good for nothing, stupid rabbit!"

Ryuen maniacally laughed, as he watched the animatronic struggling to stand from the camera.

Kiyotaka: Lure and trap. A Classic, but effective strategy from Ryuen.

Katsuragi: You engaged such a dangerous threat quite easily.

Kaneda: Now it won't be able to mess with the network.

Honami: With addition to its incredible body weight, it will be down there for a while.

Nagumo: Not bad, Ryuen.

Ryuen: Kukuku

Shibata: No, stop praising him. Don't you guys even feel remotely bad for Bonnie? You are so heartless!!

Kito: I agree. The poor guitar didn’t deserve that. But it was a necessary sacrifice.

Machida: Indeed.

Shibata: It's not just about the guitar. Just look at Bonnie! He is devastated!!

Amikura: C-calm down, Shibata-kun. You are making us feel bad too.

Hirata: It seems that scene resurfaced some bad memories for him.

Kei: Poor guy.

Sudo: You guys need to stop feeling bad! That thing is fully capable of ripping their heads off if it wanted too!

Sotomura: You are right, don't be blinded by it's appearance-

Mori: No...it's not like it has a cute appearance either.

Azuma: Yeah. If anything, it looks hideous.

Asahina: See, this is the reason why ghosts are not seen in modern days.

Morishita gave him a questionable glance, before going back to her task.

"Ryuen Kakeru, Chica is approaching the kitchen."

"Hoh? Alright snake, it's your turn."

"Yeah I know. And stop calling me that!"

Hashimoto hid in the kitchen after seeing the animatronic coming to this direction. He was supposed to trap her inside by acting as a bait. It was quite simple yet hard to pull off. His heart was beating against his chest as he heard the footsteps getting closer.

Hashimoto: Shit. Why did you have to send me alone!?

Kamuro: You have to be useful somehow.

Ryuen: I doubt I'd send his useless ass alone.

Sanada: You got this, Hashimoto-kun!

Hashimoto cautiously took a peek. Surprisingly, there seemed to be no sign of Chica. Instead, he saw something very unusual.

"Is that...a cupcake?"

It was dim, but that thing was undeniably a cupcake, which appeared almost out of thin air. Or maybe he didn't notice it