(I'll be fine once we're inside...)

(No one should try to talk to me.)

(But what about the person at reception...?)

“Escape From Kamiyama High School”... Is this it?

Oh, yeah...! Here we are!

I like how just the name of it already sets the mood.

Hehe. It's good, right?
Anyway, let's head in and...

Akiyama.

...!

Toya!
Were you scheduled to work reception at this time?

No, I had a slightly later shift, but someone asked me to switch...

I see. I didn't know...

Hello.
It's been a little while.

Yes, it has.
I didn't realize that you'd all be here today...

I hope you enjoy our escape room since I helped come up with a few of the riddles.

Hehe. We will.

As far as I can see, your classroom's all covered in black curtains... What's waiting for us inside...?

You'll have to go in to find out.
Oh...

Since you're here, Akiyama, why don't you be the guide? Solving the riddles probably won't be very interesting since you already know all the answers.

Yeah, okay!

Then, I'll help you all navigate our escape room♪ So, let's go visit a world of riddles!

It's pretty dark in here...

Are escape rooms supposed to be this creepy?

I don't know...

Alright, everyone!
Welcome to “Escape From Kamiyama High School”!

Wait, what's going on?!

I think we're getting the introduction.

While you were all diligently setting up for the school festival, somebody has trapped you inside your classroom!

Unless you find a way to escape within the next fifteen minutes, your teacher will surely come and scold you all for staying too late...!

So, your goal will be to escape by solving the riddles the perp left behind!

This seems kinda unfair...

Even though we're the ones who are trapped, we're going to get scolded...?

Details, details!
Anyway, you all need to start solving the riddles!

Umm... Where are they?

Could the paper on that chair be one of them...?

Hey, you're right. What does it say?

“Look to the box which has never seen rust”...?

A box that's never seen rust? What does that mean?

Heh heh heh!
Toya came up with that one!
Can you figure it out?

By the way, this is the easiest one. If you can't solve this, then the others are gonna be impossible.

Uhh... Wait, gimme a second...

I think I know the answer...

Huh?!

What?! Already?!

So, what's the answer...?

I think it's telling us to look in the broom locker.

Huh?
How'd you land on that?

Being resistant to rust is one of the key characteristics of stainless steel...

Oh, I see...

Most of these kinds of lockers are made of regular steel, but this one must be stainless steel...

Yeah, this one's a lot shinier than the ones you see in other classrooms...!

Then, I'll try opening it.
Oh...

Yes, here's the next riddle.

Grr!
You figured it out so fast!

But there's plenty more where that came from! You gotta keep solving them before time runs out!

“If △〇△ is something red and ◆×◆ represents a nice gentleman, then what comes next?”

Hehe. This one's my riddle!
Can you guess the answer?

△〇△ is something red...?

Oh...
I think I know the answer.

Huh?

You mentioned the other day that you saw a riddle like this on a quiz program. So, the red thing must be...

What?!
No, why'd you have to remember that?!

“The animals which call this land home are birds, deer, bears and...?”

I think it's telling us to look at the horse that's on display over there...

Wait, why?!

You did say that you're good at geography, Mizuki.

What did geography have to do with that riddle?

She's right. The next riddle's on the other side of this horse drawing...

Nooo! You might actually solve them all!

Seriously, what did geography have to do with that last one?!

Alright, the next one is the final riddle!

Toya and I worked really hard on it!
So, let's see if you can solve it!

I need to get this one right... Wait, we only have three minutes?!

Let's see... It looks like a crossword puzzle... We just need to solve this?

Heh heh heh. Since you're short on time, here's a little hint! You can solve this crossword puzzle using all the answers that have come up until now!

However, you have to use that solution to find the key to the classroom, so you'll need to hurr—

Ugh, there's no way we're gonna be able to solve this crossword puzzle in time!

Uhh...
Oh!

Hey, do you think the key's hidden around here?

Huh?
Where those plushies are...?

I know it goes against the spirit of the game, but this is just my guess knowing Mizuki's personality...

There's no way the key is hidden somewhere normal or obvious like a treasure chest, right?

But something tells me it wouldn't be under a desk or behind a curtain or anything like that either.

What makes you say that...?

Because it'd be hiding in plain sight. Mizuki has a talent for squeezing out the biggest reaction from someone, you know? Just think about our music videos. We're always talking about where it's gonna climax.

Oh, good point...

Again, this is a complete guess...
But I have a feeling that the key is hidden somewhere amongst these plushies.

We're down to two minutes...

Then, let's look.

Oh...

Aha! There's something rigid in this one...!

Wait, really?

Yes!
It has a zipper on its back! I think we can open it!

Hehe. And I can finally say that I got one of these darn riddles... Wait, huh?

It says, “Swing and a miss...”

What?! No way!

And!
Time!

Noooo!

Man, you were so close!
You actually were on the right track!

Wait, so...!
What was the answer?

You were right about the plushies, but you didn't look up! Up!

Oh...
There's a plushie hanging from the ceiling. I didn't notice because it was so dark...!

If you'd actually solved the crossword puzzle, then you would've learned the final keyword. Which was “ceiling”. The idea was to get you to look up and find the key inside it.

I see...

Argh...!
I was so close!

But all you did was take a stab in the dark.

Shut up!

Haha! Thanks for playing!
Head back to reception to receive a lovely consolation prize♪

(But...)

(Technically, she was right.)

(My original plan was to hide the key in one of the plushies sitting on that desk.)

(But Toya said right at the end that we should add an extra layer of intrigue.)

(They all know me really well.
They get me.)

(They remember all the things I say during our conversations and understand my thought process when it comes to our videos.)

(I can't help but smile whenever we're all together.)

(In other words, whenever I'm with them, I feel...)

(I want us to keep hanging out, but I also want them to know...)

(So...)