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814th Chapter – Room 303, Cursed Room – ‘Time Machine’ (3)

— Kim Ari

“Attention passengers, we will now conduct a ticket inspection.”

— Clatter! Clatter!

“S-sempai! Did you hear that sound?”

— Clatter!

“… They’re saying there’s a ticket inspection? Do you have a ticket?”

“Of course not!”

I’ve never even heard of a ticket office on this train.

Just as I was panicking, the aisle door opened.

— Creak! Bang!

A man dressed in a tunic resembling the night sky approached.

He looked to be in his mid-50s, towering over 180 cm.

He didn’t seem to have any special weapons.

At first glance, he looked like an ordinary human.

“Guests, could you please show your tickets?”

I took a cautious step back and summoned the irregular polyhedron.

I was ready to throw down if need be.

At that moment, the man smiled gently.

“Everyone, why don’t you check your pockets or bags?”

“… What do you mean?”

“I mean to take out your tickets.”

His tone suggested I must have a ticket; why else wouldn’t I pull it out?

While pondering this, a shocked voice came from beside me.

“Wait, there really is one?”

An employee who looked like a human man said matter-of-factly.

“If you boarded the train, you must have a ticket. It’s only natural. How about the lady guest?”

Just to check, I dug into my pocket and, sure enough, I found a crisp piece of paper inside my jacket pocket.

I hadn’t felt the texture of this paper, even after tussling with Aleph earlier.

“…”

“Ma’am, please unfold it.”

Feeling possessed, I opened the paper to reveal the following content.

「Parinirvana Train Ticket

Departure: Pioneer Hotel

Arrival:

Passenger: Kim Ari」

The phrase ‘Departure: Pioneer Hotel’ caught my eye.

It felt like the entity running the train was warning me, “I know you are a participant from the hotel.”

Though it sent shivers down my spine, I wasn’t entirely surprised.

The moment I realized Aleph was on this train, it hit me.

The Galaxy Train — no, the ‘Parinirvana Train’ can transcend loops.

Only a Great Being can cause such miracles, so the prisoner of Room 303 must be connected to the Parinirvana Train.

Naturally, the prisoner should know about the hotel.

Thus, issuing a warning in this manner seemed entirely plausible.

As I was lost in thought, a voice interrupted.

“Guest, your destination is empty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

The employee didn’t seem to care about the fact that my departure point was the hotel.

He was only concerned about the blank space for the destination.

“It’s a serious problem. Guests must have a destination.”

“…”

“Those without a destination tend to wander the train and lose everything.”

“Lose everything?”

“Didn’t you see for yourself?”

“…”

I had seen quite a few passengers muttering incoherently, their minds seemingly shattered.

According to the employee, those were the ‘guests without a destination.’

“Guest, will you decide on your destination now?”

This was confusing.

What kind of train is this, anyway?

If only Gain had her scenario understanding right now—

“Hey!”

As Aleph raised his hand, the employee turned to look at him.

“Please, speak.”

“Um, do I need to decide on a destination too?”

“You already have a destination. So, there’s no problem. However…”

“However?”

“Right now, it’s difficult to reach your destination.”

“… So, um, can I return to where I started?”

“That’s difficult too.”

“I can’t go to my destination and I can’t go back to my starting station either? Can I hear the reason?”

The employee bowed slightly as if apologizing and replied.

“Currently, there’s an anomaly with the train’s functions. We cannot cross the ‘wall’ at this time.”

“Pardon? Wall?”

“The staff are doing their best to repair it, but it will take time.”

— Whoooo…!

A horn sounded, reminiscent of a steam locomotive.

Then, the employee ignored Aleph and turned back to me.

“Have you decided on your destination?”

“…”

“If you cannot decide, I recommend getting off at the next station.”

“Do I have to get off for sure?”

“Not at all. It’s just a recommendation; the choice is yours.”

With those parting words, the employee vanished somewhere.

*

A moment of silence.

Summoning the irregular polyhedron, there was no battle as I had feared, but my doubts grew.

Aleph carefully asked,

“Why is it that only you don’t have a destination?”

“Well, I was thinking the opposite.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you think it’s only natural that I have no destination?”

Aleph tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly nodded as if he realized something.

“I see. You didn’t board the train to go anywhere, did you?”

“Exactly. My destination is technically the train itself.”

“So you boarded the train not to go somewhere but to solve the mystery of the train itself?”

“Yep.”

“… That seems a bit odd when you think about it.”

“Hmm?”

“By that logic, shouldn’t I also have no destination?”

The reason why my destination was left blank on the ticket is that the train itself is the destination.

Using that logic, Aleph should also have no destination on his ticket.

He, too, should be a participant dispatched to solve the train’s mystery.

“Show me your ticket.”

As I said this, I suddenly flinched.

Will he actually show it if I ask?

What if Aleph doesn’t comply?

What if he runs away without showing the ticket?

“Sure.”

“…”

The young man displayed his ticket with a bright smile.

As if saying that my suspicion was a futile waste of time.

「Parinirvana Train Ticket

Departure: Anomaly Response Bureau

Arrival: Land of Beginning

Passenger: Aleph」

Anomaly Response Bureau.

This seems to be the name of the similar agency where Director Aleph worked.

It would be more accurate to say that the Response Bureau is a kind of auxiliary agency to the Management Bureau, if we are being technical about it.

I could guess the departure point, but the word written as the arrival point was puzzling.

“Land of Beginning? What is that?”

“Hmmm, don’t you know, Sempai?”

“…”

“I thought you might know since it’s a word I’ve never come across before.”

Hearing that he doesn’t know either began to raise my suspicions about Aleph once more.

He claims to be a second-year newcomer.

His attitude suggests he’s just an underling following orders to board and knows nothing.

And his answer about not knowing the meaning of the destination on his ticket.

Could it all be a lie?

Perhaps it’s time for an interrogation rather than a casual conversation.

Hypnosis, suggestion, reasonable physical pain.

There are plenty of methods to draw out the truth.

Only one problem…

I don’t think I would have interrogated Aleph in the past.

After all, 90% of my suspicion towards him is just because of his name, Aleph, right?

This suspicious behavior itself is, so to speak, an ‘Participant Behavior.’

“Phew…”

“Are you alright? You suddenly looked at me a bit frighteningly…”

“It’s nothing serious.”

“Hmm, the employee said something weird too. Wall? What does that mean?”

“Well, I don’t know either.”

Sorry, Aleph, but I understood that part.

Based on the circumstances, the ‘wall’ the employee spoke of likely refers to something between loops.

In other words, the employee replied that there’s currently an issue with the train, making ‘loop travel’ impossible.

“…”

If the employee is right, it’s naturally impossible to return to Aleph’s departure point.

His departure point is an ancient loop that transcends imagination.

Following the same reasoning…

What is he doing right now?

“Why are you staring at my face?”

“Haha! It’s just that your beauty is so exceptional, it’s like a painting—”

“…”

“…”

“Ah, I thought you seemed deep in thought about something since a while ago.”

Aleph’s destination — the Land of Beginning is also a different loop.

Just as I reached that thought.

— Clatter!

“The train will be stopping soon.”

With the announcement, my ticket began to shine, and Aleph cautiously spoke.

“Sempai, are you going to get off here?”

“Why?”

“They recommended getting off. Your ticket is shining.”

“Why should I follow the employee’s advice? I don’t even know what kind of chaos this train is.”

“True…”

“I have no intention to get off—oh wait?”

At that moment, I saw someone standing up from the train.

“Sempai?”

“…”

“Why are you acting like that? Do you know that person?”

“It feels like I’ve seen them long ago.”

“Where have you seen them?”

“… At a wedding?”

*

— Observatory

After Gain, Eunsol, who had been observing Room 303, lifted her head.

“Is it now?”

An uncertain time without any special events.

At times like these, it’s good to take a breather, jot down observations in a notebook to inform the next person, and prepare for a shift.

“Sis, have a sip of coffee.”

“Thank you.”

“How about the shift?”

“It’s still okay. It hasn’t even been an hour.”

This time, Eunsol chose a brief break.

It wasn’t quite time for a shift just yet.

“Is there anything noteworthy?”

At Gain’s question, Eunsol nodded.

“There’s been an important change. I don’t think Ari knows about it.”

Ari may not know, but Eunsol at the observatory has noticed the change.

“What is it?”

“The train suggested to Ari that she might want to get off here, and the train actually stopped for a moment.”

“Hmmm…”

“The important thing is that Ari herself doesn’t know the meaning of the current station where the train has stopped.”

“Haha, I still don’t know either.”

“Listen more closely. Just a moment ago, it became possible to observe Grandfather. He’s still asleep, though. What do you think?”

Soon, Gain nodded.

“The time-traveling train has arrived at the time zone where Grandfather exists.”

“That’s it. You’re quick on the uptake as always.”

Eunsol smiled here.

However, Gain’s explanation wasn’t finished yet.

“In short, the train employee suggested to Ari, saying this is the time zone where your companions are. Why not get off and help?”

“… I was actually going to mention that part.”

“Ari didn’t understand this intention. Of course, it’s a difficult suggestion for the person involved to comprehend.”

Gain considers that the train employee’s suggestion looks like something only the observatory companions could understand.

Ari has no information that Kim Muk-seong’s observation became possible just recently.

“Also, I can feel one thing from how you reacted just now, Sis.”

“…”

“The train employee suggested something to Ari. From the expression, the train doesn’t seem to directly oppose Ari or Aleph.”

“That’s right. There’s no atmosphere of Ari fighting against the train. The employee’s demeanor felt somewhat familiar… What can I say?”

“Hotel staff?”

“Oh wow, that’s exactly right.”

“The train must be related to the prisoners, yet it doesn’t seem to oppose the participants…”

Lost in thought, Gain.

At that moment, Eunsol, slightly pale, mumbled.

“They are so very different.”

“Huh?”

“This Gain has moments where she is disturbingly smart.”

“Disturbingly smart?”

Eunsol thought that the word ‘disturbing’ couldn’t quite express her feelings.

The explanations Gain had given earlier, Eunsol had realized only after observing for over ten minutes.

And what about the being beyond the telescope?

“I still don’t know about that side. I don’t feel like they are transcendently smart.”

“Sis, come on, if that thing is smart, shouldn’t they already be a second-year newcomer, as they claimed? What are you expecting?”

“They say a whale weighs 3 tons since it’s born. I was expecting a 3-ton baby Gain.”

“…”

“Ah, thanks for the coffee. I’ll resume my observations.”

“Okay.”

Just before returning to the telescope, Eunsol suddenly cracked a smile.

“In some way, that’s pretty remarkable.”

“Really?”

“Gain, saying that I want to live for you, one should at least serve ten years before making such a declaration!”

“… I’ve never said that.”

 

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