DNLYHS Chapter 2 (Part 3)
by Brie“It means we’re not actually students. We’re more like you. I was assigned the role of Disciplinary Committee Member, and he was assigned the role of Librarian Teacher. We both have Codes of Conduct we have to follow.”
“…I see.”
“I think there are more people like us in this school. The person who just made that broadcast, for example, or the janitor wandering somewhere in the building. Since we all seem to be in the same situation, please don’t attack us.”
Yeonseo hunched his shoulders and awkwardly hid his face behind his temporary student ID. Yeongwon’s assigned role at least fit within the category of “student,” but he himself was absolutely not one. He couldn’t complain if the cook treated him as a threat.
Thankfully, the cook didn’t look like he intended to attack him at all.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. And that guy… judging from the student ID, his name is Yeongwon?”
“It’s a temporary name we made for each other. We don’t know our original names.”
“That’s fine. Mind if I call you that, too? Anyway, if what Yeongwon says is true, and you’re treated or judged, as students, then I have no reason to attack you. Why would I harm the people who saved me?”
That was a relief.
Now the only remaining problem was whether they were going to eat the food this friendly cook had prepared…
After thinking it over, Yeonseo picked up his spoon and started eating.
Yeongwon instinctively grabbed his shoulder, horrified.
“Wait a moment, Yeonseo! No matter how hungry you are, this is porridge made from ground-up monsters!”
“I think it’s fine. As long as we forget what the original ingredients were.”
Really, wasn’t this the only place in the school where they could get food? There didn’t seem to be any better source of ingredients. Trying not to remember the masses of eyes he had seen the day before, Yeonseo chewed the dark red porridge.
It really did taste similar to red bean porridge.
Nutty overall, with a bit of sweetness and salt that balanced the flavor. It was ground finely, so there wasn’t any strange texture. If there had been, he probably would have thrown up.
“The taste is fine. Just like normal porridge.”
“Even so, what if you get sick?”
“Isn’t it better than starving? And besides… it looks like the cook ate it too.”
Yeonseo glanced at the cook’s mouth. The dried reddish stain around his lips wasn’t blood or slime. It was clearly from eating this porridge.
The cook blinked, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
If the cook was the same kind of person they were, and he had eaten it without any trouble, then surely they could too.
That was the logic Yeonseo settled on.
“Well, we can’t do anything about it now. You started eating already.”
Grumbling, reluctantly, Yeongwon began to eat with him.
As they shoveled food into their mouths, Yeonseo realized just how hungry he had been. They hadn’t eaten anything in almost two days. In normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have even been able to walk.
“Here, drink some water. I filled these cups from the purifier, so it should be fine.”
The cook handed them stainless steel cups filled with water. Yeonseo worried for a moment about whether even the purifier was safe, but the water tasted normal enough.
For better or worse, it seemed the food provided here was safe to consume.
Like people who’d been starving for over a day, they devoured the porridge and drained the water. Even Yeongwon, who had been hesitant at first, seemed to recover his appetite once he started.
It took them less than ten minutes to empty the trays.
“Good. Looks like you two enjoyed it.”
“It’s tasty enough that I can forget where it came from… thank you for the meal.”
Yeongwon set down his spoon.
Yeonseo, without meaning to, glanced toward the kitchen, wondering if there might be more.
The cook noticed immediately and spoke.
“Thinking about taking some with you?”
“Huh? Is… is that possible?”
“My Code said so. I can’t leave the cafeteria, but I’m allowed to pack meals for people who can’t come here. There’s a limit, though. I can only prepare up to seven servings a day.”
Seven servings?
At that, Yeonseo and Yeongwon exchanged looks.
“Wait. Does that mean there are seven people in this school right now?”
“Uh? I, maybe? Hold on. Sorry, I didn’t read the whole Code carefully. I’ll go check today’s section.”
He hurried into the kitchen again.
He didn’t come back for a while, so he was probably reading the notebook inside.
Meanwhile, Yeonseo and Yeongwon finally had a moment to talk.
“He doesn’t bring his Code notebook outside.”
“…He must feel he shouldn’t. Just like I told you I can’t share everything written in mine.”
“Oh.”
Maybe everyone with a role in this school had secrets they couldn’t reveal. Yeonseo nodded, accepting the thought.
Then Yeongwon muttered with a serious expression.
“Still, we learned more than I expected. I thought this place was just somewhere to pick up food.”
“Oh, definitely. Knowing that seven people are trapped in this school is huge.”
If there are fewer than seven people, the question of where the leftover food goes becomes a problem. If there are more than seven, that means someone doesn’t need to eat, and it’s doubtful whether such a being should even be considered human. For now, it was best not to think too hard about it and simply assume the total number was seven.
“And… the fact that each person may have woken up at completely different times is important too.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“This is assuming that he told the truth from beginning to end… but I think he woke up much later than we did. Maybe around the time the end-of-day broadcast started.”
“…Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense! He said the eye-monsters attacked not long after he woke up!”
Yeongwon was right. If the cook had woken up at the same time as Yeonseo and Yeongwon, he wouldn’t have said “not long after,” but something like “after quite a while.” And he had also said he “hadn’t finished reading the Code of Conduct yet,” which meant the monsters attacked so quickly he hadn’t even had time to read it.
“With the speaker broken, it’s hard to be certain, but… he probably didn’t hear the morning broadcast when he woke up, unlike us.”
“Uh, I didn’t hear the morning broadcast either. When I woke up, it was quiet outside.”
“…You didn’t? You sure you weren’t just groggy and missed it?”
“Hey, can’t you just consider the possibility that the library speaker was broken, like what happened to the cook?”
This guy really enjoys teasing people, doesn’t he… He’d mocked him earlier, too, calling him round-faced and all that. Yeonseo pouted and glared at him, but Yeongwon just smirked and smoothly changed the subject.
“Well, there’s no way to know exactly when you woke up… What matters is that there’s someone moving around after the end-of-day broadcast. If that’s true, then it makes sense I didn’t find anyone except you yesterday.”
“Isn’t that just because you two missed each other?”
“Come on, Yeonseo. With two stairways blocked, this school is practically a straight hallway. If you keep going up and down from the first floor to the third, you’re bound to run into someone at least once. But the only person I met yesterday was you. Does that make sense?”
“Now that you say it, I guess not… So it’s one of two things. Either the others trapped in this school are stuck somewhere like the cook was, or their active hours are different.”
Either option was troublesome. If it was the former, the only hope was that the person with the “janitor” job would open the doors for them, and while today’s timing had been perfect, there was no promise it would happen again.
And with a title like “janitor,” it practically screamed that he moved around only after the end-of-day broadcast. If their schedules didn’t match, finding him would be extremely difficult.
“What if we’re able to walk around after the broadcast too? Maybe the Code just doesn’t mention it…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. What guarantee do we have that we can handle those monsters? Besides, that cook is definitely not normal. He has to face monsters every night, and he gets torn apart by those black students the moment they swarm him, yet his escape chance is ridiculously high. And in this bizarre situation, he grabbed a cleaver and hacked monsters to death. He’s probably physically built differently from us.”
As the two talked, the kitchen door opened and the cook staggered out. His expression looked like he had found the answer he wanted, yet he also seemed strangely uneasy.
His Code of Conduct must have been extremely incomplete, so incomplete that even reading it wouldn’t give him certainty. While Yeonseo guessed at this, the cook finally spoke.
“…Yes. There are seven beings who eat. That much seems certain.”
At first glance, it sounded obvious, but something about it left Yeonseo uneasy. He was about to press him for the meaning behind it, but someone else beat him to it.
[Ah, ah. We will now begin the end-of-day broadcast.]
End-of-day broadcast? Already? Tension and anxiety filled everyone’s faces.
From the ceiling speaker, a broadcast similar yet subtly different from yesterday’s echoed through the room.
[Your daily schedule has ended. As before, if you have completed all your tasks, please enter your hideout. Those who cannot enter a hideout… wait, there are people like that? Uh, anyway, please prepare for the night! But weren’t there monsters outside? Is it really safe?]
The voice sounded like it was reading from a script, yet also startled by unfamiliar information. It was exactly the same voice that had driven off the students earlier, and the cook visibly relaxed.
…No, was that really why he relaxed? Or was he relieved he wouldn’t be questioned further? Shoving down the uneasy thought, Yeonseo quickly stood up.
“Uh, sorry, but we need to go now! Unlike you, it says we’re in danger if we’re outside the hideout at night!”
“Is that so? Then let’s talk more tomorrow. And sorry, but I can’t pack anything for you. According to the Code, the food spoils immediately once a day passes.”
“I see… Then we’ll come back tomorrow to get our portion!”
“Yes. Make sure you come eat once a day. It’s not great food, but skipping meals isn’t good.”
The cook said this while picking up the cleaver that had fallen on the floor. He was probably preparing to face the incoming monsters, but with the cleaver in hand, he gave off an eerie impression impossible to describe.
Yeonseo and Yeongwon clasped hands and sprinted outside. Just like yesterday, the bright moonlight and the sluggishly rising monsters spread out before them.
“Let’s go to the first floor today. The other hideout, the equipment storage room, should be open!”
On the map, it was said to be closer than the third-floor art prep room. Since they would have to come back to the cafeteria as soon as they woke up tomorrow anyway, it seemed like a good choice. Yeonseo nodded at Yeongwon’s words and followed right behind him.
It didn’t take long to reach the storage room. A steel door with an old door lock, almost identical to the one at the art prep room, was waiting for them.
The only difference was the flashlight holder mounted beside the door. On the surface of the white box, where a small green light blinked, bright red letters spelled out “Emergency Flashlights.”
Before entering, Yeongwon opened the holder first. It looked like it was originally meant to store three flashlights, but now there were only two.
“Finally, we’ve got an extra flashlight. Sharing one between the two of us was… inconvenient.”
He reached in to take both flashlights, but after seeing the words [Take only one] written inside the box, he left the other where it was. Seeing that, something clicked in Yeonseo’s mind. Come to think of it, he still hadn’t finished today’s task…
“That’s enough. Let’s go inside.”
“Wait a second, Yeongwon. Hand me the mirror and go in first, please.”
“What? Why, all of a sudden?”
“I need to check something. I’ll be right behind you, just go! We’re short on time!”
Though he shot him a suspicious glare, Yeongwon handed over the mirror and stepped into the storage room.
The moment Yeonseo confirmed he was inside, he pulled a permanent marker from his pocket. One hand held up the mirror to keep the monsters away, and the other quickly scribbled in the flashlight slot. He had to move fast.
When meeting students, no talk about death.
Once he finished writing, he moved the remaining flashlight so that the fresh writing would be hidden behind it. This way, no one would see the message unless they took out the flashlight first.
‘…Task for today, complete.’
If he hadn’t written this, he wouldn’t have been able to enter the storage room, or any hideout, at all. That certainty settled sharply into his thoughts, as if someone had planted it there.
Yeonseo quickly opened the steel door and dashed inside. Yeongwon closed it at once and began breaking the lock, all the while shooting him sideways glances full of suspicion.
“What exactly were you doing out there?”
“I told you, I needed to check something.”
“And specifically, what?”
“…That holder was supposed to have three flashlights, but it only had two. That means someone took one, doesn’t it?”
Because the Code prevented him from talking about “recording,” he made up a quick excuse. It wasn’t completely false, so his conscience didn’t sting. As expected, Yeongwon frowned in confusion.
“You didn’t take one yourself?”
“My flashlight came from the library. See? It doesn’t even look the same.”
Where Yeongwon’s flashlight was tiny and plastered with stickers like any emergency flashlight, Yeonseo’s was black, bigger, and heavier. Only then did Yeongwon’s expression tighten.
“We should consider the possibility there were only two to begin with… but as you said, someone else could’ve taken one.”
“Right? That’s why it bothered me. I wanted to check if there were any other traces.”
“And? Were there?”
“No, nothing.”
“Then you just wasted your time.”
Yeongwon said that and gave a small snort. It was a bit annoying, but since he seemed to have bought the excuse, Yeonseo felt relieved.
He turned his head and looked around the inside of the equipment storage room. A sweep of his flashlight revealed a space much larger than he expected.
The old smell of dust drifted through the air. There weren’t any windows on any of the walls, making it obvious that ventilation was never considered when this place was built, but thinking about it, the art prep room had been the same. Maybe a place needed to be completely windowless to qualify as a “hideout.”
And in the far corner, various pieces of equipment used in gym class were piled up.
“Look, Yeongwon. There are gym mats here! They won’t be bad for spending a night on!”
“Good thing we came here after all. This is much better than the art prep room.”
The two of them began spreading out the gym mats piled in the corner. They were stiff compared to mattresses and had a faint musty smell, but it was still far better than sleeping on concrete or slumping over a desk. After barely sleeping the previous night, they might finally get some proper rest.
“Hey, why are you spreading the mats like that? You should lay them wide, not stacked.”
“But if we only put down one layer, the cold from the floor might seep through. And it won’t be soft either. If we’re going to sleep anyway, can’t we sleep comfortably?”
“But if you stack them like this, we’ll have to sleep right next to each other…”
“So? That a problem? It’s cold enough without blankets; being a little closer won’t kill you.”
Yeongwon shot him a look as though staring at a lunatic, but Yeonseo stubbornly continued stacking the mats. It wasn’t that he wanted skinship with Yeongwon; he simply wanted to maximize efficiency. If they were going to sleep, it might as well be warm and cushioned. That way, they could move around energetically the next day.
“…Do as you want.”
In the end, Yeonseo arranged the mats exactly as he wanted and plopped down on top. Yeongwon stared at him for a moment, then walked around to the opposite side and sat back-to-back with him, an odd posture, unclear whether he wanted to avoid facing him or quietly share body heat.
But Yeongwon had his own reasons.
“Let’s read the Code and sleep. Like I said yesterday, don’t peek at mine.”
“Ah, so that’s why you insisted on sitting like this… Alright. If there’s anything worth sharing, we’ll talk about it.”
Accepting that, Yeonseo opened his notebook. Even if their posture was meant to block information, the warmth from behind kept him from feeling too uneasy.
With a calm mind, he read the Code for the next day.
[Day 3 Code of Conduct]
[If you complete your tasks and successfully finish your meal, your current chance of escaping is 16%.]
So the chances were going up little by little. That pleased him somewhat. Even so, he couldn’t relax entirely. Two days were already gone. That meant about twelve days left. If the pace kept increasing at 4–5% per day, even on the last day the probability would barely reach sixty-something percent. Feeling safe with odds just above half was not easy.
‘Well… who knows how things will change, so don’t get too anxious yet. Let’s see…’
Maybe from tomorrow onward, they should search for others with “roles” like themselves, just like how they met the cook today.
Judging from the Code, perhaps meeting the cook and eating his meal was the reason his escape probability had risen. If so, meeting other role-holders and cooperating might raise it even more.
The first person they should find was likely the janitor. Based on everything so far, he was the one who “opened the door,” which allowed the cafeteria, something that didn’t exist the day before, to appear. If they joined up with him, they could access locations currently out of reach.
Of course, judging from today, the janitor might continue wandering around opening doors on his own. But in that case, shouldn’t he be opening places everyone needs?
‘Like… the exit that leads out of the school.’
Right now, the building had no exit. But a building with no exit shouldn’t exist. Maybe, like the cafeteria, the exit could only appear if the janitor opened it. Or maybe he could open the annex pathway that was locked today and reveal a new location…
He prayed that tomorrow’s Code would include something about the janitor. And just as he read the next line, Yeonseo’s eyes widened. Behind him, Yeongwon also flinched.
“Um… Yeongwon. Does your Code mention anything about the janitor…?”
“It does. Yours too?”
“Yes. And… it doesn’t make much sense.”
[1. If you fail to rescue the janitor before the Day 3 end-of-day broadcast begins, do not leave behind any records related to food from that day onward.]
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Yeonseo struggled to decide how to interpret it, and how to explain it to Yeongwon. He had to hide anything related to “records,” yet also deliver the meaning without twisting it too much…
For now, he asked first.
“Can you tell me what yours says?”
“To a certain extent. Basically… it seems best to rescue the janitor before tomorrow’s end-of-day broadcast. But the Code doesn’t say what happens if we don’t. It just says, ‘If you fail to rescue him, don’t perform certain actions from then on.’”
“Oh, mine is almost exactly the same! But what does this even mean?”
They closed their notebooks and exchanged looks. Wasn’t the janitor supposed to be roaming freely? He had opened the cafeteria door, after all… Then why were they suddenly told to “rescue” him?
[Your occupation is .]
[You have 14 days (2 weeks) remaining until escape.]
[Trust the Code of Conduct. It is something that must be followed absolutely.]
[Your current probability of escape is 80%. Secure ingredients. Cook the ingredients you secure and distribute them.]
[The rules you are reading now apply to Day 1. The rules for the next day will be revealed after the end-of-day broadcast.]
[Common rules that apply to all weeks: Reveal your occupation to others. Share food with those in the same situation as you. Treat them the same as the other beings here. But you must know who they are.]
[Day 1 Code of Conduct]
[1. You always begin at the end of the day. The day’s work has already ended without your knowledge, but it will not cause serious problems.]
[2. Monsters will pour in. Kill them and use them as ingredients. Endure until the morning broadcast begins. You will be able to cook.]
[3. The meal you prepare is seven portions. You have already eaten one portion, and the remaining six will be distributed to the others.]
[3-1. If no matter how long you wait, you cannot hear the morning broadcast, consider closing your eyes and counting to ten. The choice, however, is yours.]
…….
…….
…….
[Day 2 Code of Conduct]
[If you survived, your escape probability is now 81%.]
[1. Beginning today, the cafeteria door may open. However, you cannot leave. You are bound here.]
[2. If someone comes, distribute food. You only need to give meals to those with a student ID. You cannot distribute meals to those without one. This is an unavoidable measure. You lack the ability to distinguish school members from outsiders.]
[2-1. Sometimes students may come wanting not the meal, but your blood and flesh. However, you must never harm a student. You likely will not be able to anyway. Pray that you do not die.]
[3. If someone requests a packed portion, comply. It is for those who cannot come all the way here.]
[4. Dispose of all leftover food. It spoils after a day. This applies even if no one comes before the end-of-day broadcast. Inform those who ask for packed meals as well.]
[4-1. Do not eat more than your share just because throwing away food feels wasteful. If you feel an abnormal surge of appetite, recall what the ingredients originally were.]
[5. At most, three individuals will come to receive food today. The others are not yet able to reach this place.]
[5-1. And remember this. Of the three, two are human, but the other one is something that is not human and seeks to hinder your escape.]
[Distribute food fairly to the nonhuman one as well. But you must know which one isn’t human. Pay close attention to their occupation. Do not confuse them.]
…….
…….
…….
[Day 3 Code of Conduct]
[1. If you successfully distributed food as normal yesterday, your escape probability is 82%. If you failed to distribute food, it is 40%.]
[2. If the cafeteria door does not open by the time today’s end-of-day broadcast begins, it means something has happened to the janitor. Calmly close your eyes and count to ten in your mind.]
[3. If, after today’s end-of-day broadcast, the janitor comes running toward the cafeteria at full speed, it means the librarian made a mistake. Immediately close your eyes and count to ten quickly in your mind. You must finish before the pain arrives.]
[4. If the one conducting today’s end-of-day broadcast has gone mad]
Just when the cook reached that line, he heard the cafeteria windows shatter and the sound of heaving masses of flesh pushing their way inside. He sighed, closed the notebook, and walked out of the kitchen area. The unfinished lines nagged at him, but surely he would have time to read them later.
He thought about the “occupations” of the two young men he had just met. So far, including himself, four roles had been revealed. Going through them one by one, it wasn’t too hard to guess which one seemed strangely out of place. But…
‘It’s too early to judge. The real problem might be someone I haven’t met yet.’
He didn’t want to doubt the ones who had saved him. Emptying his thoughts just as he had the night before, he swung his cleaver at the approaching monsters.