Corpse Party Part #42 - Chapter 5, Part 6

Part 42: Chapter 5, Part 6

We've done quite a bit with Satoshi's group, so we're switching back to Ayumi and Yoshiki for awhile.

We start by heading west.

At the far west end of the first floor, we find a piece of paper and...another pentagram, ten seconds away from the one we were just at.

Things have taken a truly frightful turn, dear readers! I stand now at the brink of a new age for the occult world. Nothing will ever be the same again. I wonder if it will even be possible to convey in words the significance of where I'm standing at this very moment... Prepare yourselves for a report unlike any other, for I am presently within the accursed school building -- inside Heavenly Host Elementary!

She has the ability to commune with spirits, and it's through these connections that a way has been devised -- A means of accessing this sacred ground. Together with my faithful cameraman, Taguchi, I have made use of this method to see these cursed halls with my own eyes. I have set foot into a school building that should no longer exist...a forbidden land of the dead...

In addition to this article, Taguchi and I will also be capturing ample video footage. We have no clear plan of attack, so we'll simply explore and record. What will become of us in these dilapidated halls? What secrets will we uncover? Will we be able to learn the truth of what happened here?

It may seem odd in such macabre surroundings, but I can't help feeling excited about what awaits us. Surely, dear readers, you can relate! I sincerely hope you will be anticipating my next installment with bated breath. For now, however, I must put down my pen. There is work to be done. I must gather evidence of this remarkable excursion, for soon I shall be regarded as a living witness to the dead!

Kou Kibiki. Investigative reporter -- inasmuch as you can call someone that at a spook mag, anyway. Guess he's in here somewhere too... Don't want to speak ill of him, but he always seemed to think of Naho as his cash cow. He obviously came here solely to get his hands on a big scoop. That man would wake the dead, if he could write about it afterward...

She said it, Yoshiki. You were there. You asked her about it. How did you not realize this???

Kibiki's choice of words in this article suggests he came here of his own volition. Naho made it sound the same way for her, too. Then there's that first blue ghost we spoke with. He said we were all trapped here by the curse of the children... But the little girl...Yuki...She said she wasn't responsible.

The sole reason we're all being put through this hell...is because we angered Sachiko!

If only we'd performed the charm successfully...

Shinozaki...

I... I just... I just thought...that we could be friends forever... How was I supposed to know something this horrible would happen if we failed?! What the hell kind of charm has a risk like that, anyway?! In all my time dealing with this stuff... I've never...

*hic* God... You're supposed to be my friends... I'm... I'm so sorry, everyone... Suzumoto... Shinohara... *sob* It's... It's all my fault... It's because of...me... *sob* *wail*

Shinozaki...

As usual, we can't get through this door. There's nothing else on the west end, so we turn around and head south.

Kyousuke Himonya Age: 17
Tendo Senior High School, Class II-C

Caught in trap and ripped arm from body; bled out.

Yet another character from Corpse Party Zero.

We can't continue east beyond this sign, since that's Satoshi's half of the building.

We head into the entranceway next.

Music: None

I'm starting to notice a theme with these signs.

Yes
No

Uh... I-Is this...?! I'd recognize that signature anywhere... This is Naho's!

Sound Effect: Item

"Findings," it says... I don't mean to pry, but I'm really curious!

Ayumi flips open the notebook, only to find it's more like a miniaturized three-ring binder. A few papers are still inside, covered with hastily-scribbled words -- but there's space for many more.

[Naho's Notes]
1/5

This may be related to Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient, which takes place in a hospital. Or it might just be some random thing. It's not important to this game, at least.

Method of ingress: Obtained. (Requires two or more participants.)
Method of egress: Obtained. (Will need to gather more information and plan very carefully, but it can be done.)

Encountered fierce spiritual resistance while simply researching the Shinozaki estate. Right side of body paralyzed. Left eardrum ringing. Orbs visible in photographs. Influence confirmed. Severe dizziness, nausea and bloody BM experienced. Symptoms persist for weeks. Significant danger is clearly present. Next investigation will place others at risk.

Seems he returned empty-handed again today. How many times has that happened with this publisher? He writes such interesting pieces, but never receives due credit. They're too daft. They don't appreciate him. Poor guy can't catch a break... But all that will change once his next serial is published.

...Naho would frequently post these "Examinations of Sacred Spaces" on her blog. This must be some of the data she collected for that. Never thought I'd be reading her next update like this, though... I wish I could've met her under normal circumstances and...made friends with her, or something...and had her pass me this book so I could read over the next updates with her blessing, instead of just...finding it...

We're finished in the entranceway, so we head back out.

Music: Chapter 5's Theme

Alright, I get it already, jeez.

We continue west and head upstairs.

We head north past the classroom Ayumi and Yoshiki started in, and find another note.

I had a final exam today, so I went to school for the first time in quite a while. Seems while I was gone, Kibiki came here to Heavenly Host without me. "It's too dangerous! We don't have enough data!" he said, trying to justify why he'd skulk into this sacred ground behind my back. His assistant, Taguchi, most likely put him up to it. I did give him all the details on how to return home from here, and it's a fairly simple process...but I can't help worrying about him nonetheless.

At any rate, the blog's been updated. And I do feel bad about dragging my friend Sayaka into this...but it's time to dive headfirst into these trenches, and really feel out what this place is all about...

Naho... What could have happened to her before she died here...?

We continue north, and cross the bridge we built with Satoshi's party awhile ago.

Yuuya Kizami Age: 17
Byakudan Senior High School, Class 2-4

Beaten to death with blunt instrument. Whereabouts of body unknown.

RIP, buddy.

The door by Kizami's name tag is locked, so we head south down this hallway.

And we reach a staircase.

For how similar the first floor looks to the previous chapters, this floor couldn't be more different.

Takuji Mizuno Age: 13
Hakuro #3 Junior High School, Class I-4

Died in sleep alongside beloved.

I shouldn't be alone. I shouldn't be alone. We are not the first to come here, it seems. There have been many before us. And every one of them has either died or been swallowed up by the school itself. I'm not using the word "swallowed" for dramatic effect, either. It is, regrettably, an apt description.

There's a massive curse encompassing this entire building. It's like an entity unto itself, and it slowly devours the souls of men. It chips away at a person's core -- sanity, reason, even identity -- eventually destroying him. Nothing that made him who he is is left behind. Once it's gripped your heart, you'll quickly succumb to despair and loneliness. The essence of what makes you human is literally eaten away, as if by worms.

And whosoever succumbs to the darkening becomes an inseparable part of the school itself. In rare instances, one may be able to avoid the full act of darkening, instead fated to be seared unbearably by intense, violent thoughts and emotions. But most of the time, his soul will be rooted here, and he will be cursed to wander these halls for eternity with no hope of passing or exorcise. Thus, my use of the word "swallowed." This school swallows us whole, growing fatter with tortured souls every day.

It makes me shudder just thinking about it. The means by which I've come here...the Sachiko charm... If its particulars ever got out into the mainstream, this school would never go hungry again. To any who may be reading this fourth installment -- and soon the fifth -- It's clear that you're a victim trapped within this hellish place, just as I am. The least I can do is give you some advice to help keep you alive as long as possible.

I hope you'll be looking forward to part five.

My assistant, Taguchi, has disappeared somewhere... Now that I'm by myself, I can no longer go home. So I'm just going to keep writing. It's my one true calling, after all. No matter what happens...as long as there's life left in me...as long as my hands can still move... I will never stop writing.