Chapter 27: A College Student’s Adventure — The Elevator Game
A being formed from condensed resentment was somehow drawn into a coin.
It did not understand what had happened.
Only one thing mattered.
Someone was asking it questions and it only needed to answer.
Answering seemed to bring it something in return.
So it began to respond carefully to every question.
Some answers it could derive through its own strange cognition.
Some it could not understand at all.
But that was fine.
The people asking seemed happy.
That alone was enough.
Until that question appeared—
“Then… when we’re in danger, will she come to save us?”
For the first time, it invoked a deeper level of power—attempting to simulate.
To observe whether the being being referred to would respond.
—At that very instant.
Far away, Xia Jiuwei suddenly stopped moving.
She felt it.
A faint but rule-like “gaze.”
Not a gaze in any visual sense—just the sense of being observed by something itself.
She lifted her head and traced that “line of sight” backward.
Her perception pierced through distance and space.
And finally landed on—
a negligible fragment of resentment.
“….”
She glanced at it once.
Losing interest almost immediately.
Then she looked away.
And casually resumed what she was doing—scooping up snow and tossing it at Lu Nian’an.
But that single moment of mutual awareness—
for the being inside the coin—
was like an abyss opening its eyes.
It was directly and unmaskedly observed by something incomparably higher.
Fear exploded instantly.
It couldn’t even comprehend what it had seen.
It only knew one thing—
Don’t touch it.
Absolutely do not touch it.
ふ、れ、て、は、な、ら、ぬ。
The coin trembled, slowly forming the words.
Inside the classroom.
Ling Cheng stared at the phrase, his expression shifting slightly.
He looked at the others.
They clearly could not read it.
“What does it mean?” Xiaoyue asked curiously.
Ling Cheng was silent for a moment.
“…Do not touch it.”
His tone was low and serious.
He did not know who “Maiden J” was.
But he understood one thing clearly—
that was not something meant to be approached.
At that moment, even Kokkuri-san itself suddenly felt less dangerous in comparison.
“End the ritual immediately.”
He spoke at once.
“Kokkuri-san, please return.”
At his words, the coin suddenly moved—violently, almost as if fleeing.
It shot toward “Yes,” then slid across the torii symbol.
Then—
it stopped.
Completely still.
“…That was kind of interesting, right?”
Xiaoyue smiled as if nothing had happened.
But Ling Cheng did not respond.
He stood up.
“I’m leaving first.”
“Thanks for the… hospitality.”
His tone was polite—but clearly distant.
Without waiting for a reply, he left the room.
“Wow, Ling Cheng is such a coward.”
“Don’t worry, Xiaoyue, I’ll stay with you until the end.”
Xiaoyue watched his back disappear, her mood slightly soured.
But she quickly lifted her head again.
“It’s fine. Let’s continue the urban legend challenge.”
After completing several more urban legend games, the group of seven arrived at the final location.
An old building over ten floors tall.
“The last one—elevator game.”
Xiaoyue’s voice was excited, as if trying to cover up something missing inside.
They entered the elevator.
Pressed:
4, 2, 6, 2, 10, 5.
Finally, Xiaoyue pressed “1F.”
According to the legend, a mysterious woman would appear on one of the floors.
But nothing happened.
The elevator descended in silence.
Until—
Xiaoyue suddenly noticed something and froze.
“…Huh?”
The “1F” button was no longer lit.
Is it broken?
The next moment—
the elevator began to rise.
Upward.
tenth floor.
Ding—
A retro elevator chime echoed.
The doors slowly opened.
Outside was not a floor.
But an open rooftop.
The sky was an unnatural gray-white, like a world stripped of color.
Neither night nor day.
Xiaoyue immediately turned to press the button again—
but froze.
“…It’s gone.”
A wave of whispers broke out immediately.
Some stepped back. Some froze in place.
But eventually—
they still stepped out.
Behind them, the elevator had changed.
No longer a metal box.
But a narrow concrete compartment.
“Should we go down and check?”
The three boys stood at the iron ladder leading downward.
“Are you sure this is stable?”
“It’s the only way down.”
“Then you go first?”
“…Should we ask the girls?”
They turned back.
Only silence answered them.
After a moment—
“…I’ll go.”
Xiaoyue stepped forward, her voice slightly trembling.
“But I’m kind of scared…”
She looked at them with hesitant eyes.
One boy immediately stepped forward.
“…I’ll try.”
A faint sense of pride rose in him—as if he was the hero of the moment.
He reached the edge of the ladder.
Looked down.
Six or seven stories high.
His stomach tightened.
But he didn’t retreat.
He stepped down, one step at a time, until finally—
his feet touched the ground.
He immediately looked up and shouted:
“It’s fine! The ladder is safe!”
“Alright, I’m going too.”
Another boy followed.
The remaining boy called up:
“Are you coming down too?”
“…Well…”
The girls exchanged glances.
“I think we’ll stay here.”
Xiaoyue spoke suddenly.
“Maybe… this is the only safe place.”
Her tone was uncertain.
But it sounded reasonable.
The boy hesitated.
Looked at the girl with twin tails.
She smiled at him.
He immediately relaxed.
“Alright, we’ll go check below first.”
And they descended.
On the ground.
The three boys regrouped.
“Why didn’t they come down?”
“They said they’re guarding the safe point.”
The others sighed.
“Whatever. Let’s check over there first.”
They walked toward the ruins in the distance.
Rooftop
Silence lingered.
Then—
Xiaoyue smiled.
“I told you.”
“As long as you act a little, those guys will help you on their own.”
Her tone was casual, like it was completely normal.
No one laughed.
“But—”
the long-haired girl spoke.
Her voice was cold.
“Who exactly brought us here this time?”
Xiaoyue’s expression stiffened slightly.
“…Weren’t you all the ones who wanted to play?”
Her tone turned irritated.
“Then who told you to do that stupid elevator game at the end?!”
The twin-tailed girl raised her voice.
Finally snapping.
“Everything was fine before that!”
“Seriously?”
Xiaoyue frowned.
“I’ve helped you guys plenty before. One accident and now this?”
“You’re just good at seducing boys.”
The long-haired girl replied coldly.
The air instantly tightened.
Something tore open in the air.
“….”
Xiaoyue said nothing.
Her gaze turned cold.
“Alright, alright.”
The twin-tailed girl quickly intervened.
“Stop fighting.”
“As long as those boys keep searching, we’ll definitely get out.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
The others echoed.
The atmosphere relaxed again.
As if nothing had happened.
Not far away.
Xia Jiuwei and Lu Nian’an quietly watched.
Lu Nian’an sighed softly.
“Let’s not save them yet.”
Her tone was calm.
“Let them stay a bit longer.”
Xia Jiuwei glanced at her.
Paused briefly.
“…Alright.”
The next instant—
their figures disappeared.