Chapter 13: Symmetrical Adjustment
FftA book that kills you if you read it?PBLS
2KILY2Just hearing the name was already suspicious. I had no idea how absurd it could actually be.puYUr
n9jThe message popped up immediately:3EFXcG
HLvZlj[Book That Kills You If You Read It]tjalV2x
F4CRQg【Red-covered book. If you read it, you die.】UYRZ
76Z4g‘What kind of ridiculous item is this?’h2jgv
Yuqy0It was even more baffling than the “Jin Dayeon’s Prize” I had received earlier.j46
dH1Se“This says it kills you if you read it.”yjZ
A7Wuf“Seriously?”pPrOiC
6XWw72Dayeon looked at the book with interest. She seemed curious to see what would happen if someone like her, who couldn’t die, read it.X0aK8z
3mYwv“Wanna read it?”PfJ
2lb9I offered the book through the hole, but Dayeon crossed her arms in an X and refused.dVk
ZhwT“It wouldn’t affect me, but if I end up dead, you won’t be able to escape.”41vpo
tPofKIc“I guess that’s true.”uS7XO
meKDgpiThough, honestly, I didn’t really care. Even if I died from reading it, I’d just return to my last save point. But I had no intention of telling Dayeon that.sz7
7Gh‘There’s no advantage in revealing I can go back in time.’t8JRm
vl6r8It could easily be used against me. So I put the book away without saying anything more.cLm
LsEra“So, do you know how to escape yet?”xRiOi
VbgtDayeon asked, lounging in her chair rather than sitting. She showed no sign of wanting to escape at all.CKoaD
3YsXVE“And what do you think?”Sk9KM
IYp“I don’t know… Maybe the fact that there are two separate libraries is a key clue. Or not.”e7P3h
MrqDespite everything, it seemed her promise to help me escape wasn’t completely empty.TAc
7LK“A clue, huh…?”XBRW0r
1y9F4jmI recalled the situation.Ctz9w6
849KH2ETwo libraries separated by a glass wall. One was clean and organized. The other, messy and chaotic.XnQgvR
P3k8T5And a vague message:UbUY
KFV6tjW[Face each other.]FCi19
HGY8What did it all mean?m9CN
6A36nThe answer came quickly.J3g
ZgD“Symmetry.”xfDX46R
1V7w“Symmetry?”MCOyEZ0
jTCmbKSDayeon tilted her head, waiting for an explanation. I considered not telling her, but she probably wouldn’t help otherwise.dfro4G
F7gB“It means we have to make both libraries look the same.”tkvnVq
6JKPuzzles in RPG Maker games tend to follow similar patterns. It’s due to limitations in the game engine and camera angle.nwm71
axGFI’d seen this kind of puzzle before in horror games like The Witch’s House and Mad Father.NKp
2C4RYlI carefully examined the secret library. The glass wall stood in the center, dividing the space into two.fl8LHg
D5KkWmThe furniture was arranged similarly—only my side was a complete mess.yzSf9
bonsMFIt was designed so you wouldn’t notice the symmetry unless you looked closely.8E6CcUY
xvzxn1P“So this was…”I4NQ
UFTiHcgAnd if that was the case, then the solution was also obvious. I needed to organize my side of the library to mirror Dayeon’s.syVU
a3csVX3Symmetrically.RFT
Xvf“Come over here. Let’s clean this up together.”K4IGI
RJIqI motioned to Dayeon, who looked fused to her chair. My side was a total disaster.X7Yk
yaBJust cleaning it would take forever. But if we worked together, it’d go much faster.pfBb
6YIGd3bDayeon reluctantly got up.fjEHQw
LL7“What a pain… How long will it take?”Y8WKC2e
vzu1ya“No idea. Depends on how much you help.”iOLaXin
PEGnShe walked toward the door to the secret library… but didn’t enter.kuhZ6M
NqtMWa“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”QnkUjI
fHuxUC“The door’s locked.”YXJTckJ
7azO“…What?”VSL
bwxY35I ran to the door in disbelief.fP8bR6
Aazu7OGClack clack.6ivH
0fHKIt wouldn’t open. I never locked it, but it was completely sealed.xKLKeD9
f7yz0“Looks like it closed by itself when we entered.”Uuv
XSbThe moment I stepped in, the exit had sealed shut. We were trapped.qE57N
aJ2LrGIt seemed the only way to open it was by solving the puzzle.PZy
6GWO8‘Wait… it only opens if we solve it?’dLiFT
8p8kADayeon slowly returned to her chair and looked at me blankly. Then she murmured with a smile:Q2ODbd
IPTWJ“Good luck. Call me when you’re done.”Qvj
UhlhP“…”QNoyQ6
B3VVI couldn’t blame her. I was the one who came in here on my own.NaX5
ei0Swallowing my frustration, I started organizing the library.nci6
xxFD“Done yet?”mLZ
R4n“No.”yTs8
NQYlO3j“Done now?”LduHssk
DPNBO“…No.”ckCX
aGoqDayeon swung her legs from the chair. Instead of staying quiet, she kept talking to me.u18
i8B5UN“If you’re tired, you should take a break.”GFu
uxCp0J“No time. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”ccF
5fPaNY“Do you hate this school that much?”3Nl
AdRzu6“What do you think? If I stay here any longer, I’ll go insane like you.”jDUqZ0
DQpoOzI continued stacking scattered books. Dayeon walked over to the glass wall.1DPZk
wfMN“What are you doing now?”K2n
YbfMe9“I was bored. Just watching.”dCO
MbtH1“You’re in the way. Go back.”OQWU
3ppa“Nope.”uxY
FWlrDayeon wasn’t someone you could reason with. Talking to her was just draining.JPw6zz
AgJMigI ignored her and kept working.oCG0g
hhG7“When you escape this school, what’s the first thing you want to do?”WvMSH7
CfJdY“I don’t know… lock myself in my room and sleep as much as I can. Why do you ask?”XHNlhPN
s689Q“I see. I’ll remember that. By the way, aren’t you going to ask me what I want to do?”SMEBNAg
cDS0J5C“…You’re bold.”iHn
3h0MShe hadn’t even answered my question, yet now she demanded I ask her one.cxUphN
Sb8Y2I knew if I ignored her, she’d just keep nagging me, so I sighed and reluctantly asked:RW641K
0sxdnyL“What do you want to do when we get out of here?”qDXT
ysKBPA forced question, but even I felt a bit curious. After all, this girl had been trapped in this school for ten years, unable to die.u0k
yvgI wondered what she’d say. Dayeon touched a finger to her lips and closed one eye.OIzaaE
eDY“It’s a secret.”vGPAr
xngv“Oh, come on…”aGDIYjM
grGSI was speechless, completely dumbfounded. I seriously wanted to crack her head open and see what the hell was inside.Fqbs1o
p3N1cy5“I’m almost done tidying up, so get ready to start matching everything.”FXj
nR0YW1W“Alright.”bx2zyx
istAE0XCleaning the library had taken longer than expected. Thanks to Dayeon’s constant interruptions, the task dragged on even more.a7t
IF2dTONow, we had to solve the puzzle as soon as possible.rhu
8UYnAy“What items are on your side? Take a look.”JHO
TEUs“Chairs, shelves… a desk, a flowerpot, a painting, and other stuff. Lots of it.”oq2BvFi
lmKQuoVMy side looked the same. The room’s layout was practically symmetrical compared to Dayeon’s side.QsXO
KVpjl“Then we just have to match everything one by one. How about we start with the books?”oILq
77SvuomDayeon chatted away without lifting a finger. Normally, that would’ve driven me crazy, but I was used to it by now.gyq
aGGCI checked the shelf on Dayeon’s side and began placing books in the same order. I also put the vase on the desk and hung the painting to match the other side.S2E
EvzuJoBoth sides were starting to look identical. But then, a difference appeared.D4Oge
dxde[You’ve obtained a bouquet of roses.]xxhJ
7nZdwIt was the bouquet of roses. Dayeon’s vase only had a single rose, while mine had a full, lush bouquet.UEjV4
hfKKqC3‘Should I divide it equally?’gZHc1
6F64npI counted the roses in the bouquet—nineteen. Adding the single rose from the other side made twenty. Perfect.uC4iF8
OGruCareful not to prick myself on the thorns, I split the bouquet in two: ten and nine.7sKopJw
FLYqA[You’ve obtained a bouquet of 10 roses.]BIB9vav
LzIRS[You’ve obtained a bouquet of 9 roses.]JbaMX
dPCQmhThen I placed the 10 roses into the empty vase on my desk. The rest were for Dayeon.GryZ0qM
YHCTQQF“Here, this is for you.”QKWNXD
NQVpbv“What’s this?”2ClQ
Ls52O“What do you think? It’s a bouquet.”w9Q
sLE0I handed it to her through the hole. Dayeon stared at the bouquet intently.vOSh
GlQub“Is this… a proposal?”DcWRn
jP0C“What nonsense are you on about now?”laPPE
khx6“Isn’t it a bit soon? We barely know each other.”99RhM8U
KbAK“I’m telling you—”gVLNr4
EQkrXpMBefore I could finish, Dayeon had already accepted the bouquet.IkWCgJ
2dko“Well, I’ll accept it for the sentiment.”vF9sb
K9B“Don’t be ridiculous. Just put it in the vase.”KSO
1JkyKr“Yes, I wouldn’t want our memories to wither.”hHpMO
4gllkw“…”wHZX
NyrDayeon walked cheerfully over to the vase and placed the bouquet inside. Including the rose that was already there, it now held ten.sDw0A
KwJEx‘That’s it for the vase.’kR5BeU
Potjo5QI checked for any remaining differences. Looking closely, I noticed the desk wasn’t in the same position. I carefully moved it so the vase wouldn’t tip over.j9d
uF7o“Looks like that’s everything.”e8nk
VAXiQcI compared both sides, shifting my gaze back and forth. The book arrangement, desk placement, shelves, vases… everything matched.mwVO
EFJn6JBut the door was still shut.13mD
xSf5Krc“What’s wrong now?”iFSOs0
u3NIOI asked Dayeon. But she was still staring at the bouquet, almost entranced.bKcX4R
41Y“Is there something weird about the flower? Why are you looking at it like that?”KIS
G9Lv“I don’t know… it’s beautiful.”9UB
NFKsBShe brought the bouquet close to her nose to sniff.UUyI
gE06p“…Just as I thought, no scent.”F13Go2
tvkj“Then why’d you smell it?”e79dr
pGuZldI“I was curious. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen real flowers.”Wg2
QbwhaGDayeon said something unexpected. Her expression was as indifferent as always, but her tone was a little softer.ye2
x3V“In these ten years, I’ve only seen flowers in pictures.”yDi
NdaxXZ“…I see.”hiheq7
LiATQy“Thanks, for letting me experience this too.”M8ZHo
RCMIShe quickly returned to her usual tone. Maybe she hadn’t completely lost her emotions after all. Something was still there.8SYzLVL
1FBJYMb“Anyway, do you know why the door isn’t opening?”LW510
ZTSXd3“Because it’s not symmetrical.”48q
ag1VEC“I know that. I mean the exact positioning.”Qr1a
jJf0Sc“You really didn’t notice?”qIpo
vgLurDayeon raised her hand to her mouth and opened her eyes wide in exaggerated surprise. She was trying to act shocked, but without emotion, it looked like a broken doll.dCspDSv
bB9“…So where is it?”YU5c
lenDaSwallowing my pride, I asked. Dayeon tapped the wall lazily.oYoXeN
xIVU“The wall?”bLS
6aczT“That’s as much of a hint as I’ll give. Look carefully.”xa5kV
lPWMIGgI ran my hand along the wall. The only thing there was a large painting hung right in the center.Hru2ivZ
iFAlqFt“You mean this?”am2j
kzl“Don’t ask me. Think for yourself.”5vTrE
6e0cjcHIt was as big as a person’s torso. Inside was a painting that looked like it came straight from the art room.e5YquJW
DVLA landscape. A vast field with a red sunset in the background.6qFs
jEWG‘A field…?’EAv
BO2R74I got a bad feeling. I rushed to check the painting on the other side of the library.4nC6k
QMMRsyIt also had a red sunset, but in one corner of the field stood a lone tree.M2yeD2d
efI“Found it.”w6xkEU3
gzTQT“Took you long enough. You must have tunnel vision. Broaden your perspective.”W1FSV
SqTr“Shut up.”x783
w3OSHThe difference between the two paintings was that single tree.3xC
TfJ3“The question is: how do I make them match?”P60
8npDrawing a tree onto the field was nearly impossible. No brushes, no paint, no crayons—nothing. And I couldn’t erase the tree on the other one either. I didn’t even have an eraser.FImJGY
eisv‘Is there another way?’NOewJ
MPs3As I racked my brain trying to think of how to make the paintings match, Dayeon spoke quietly.aye
j18Zg8“What if you don’t have to make them match?”SVw
XyK3zY“Of course you do. It has to be symmetrical.”I3Qj
AIRtwfWhen she heard my response, Dayeon tilted her head at a 45-degree angle.rPhprsX
wL4I“But for both rooms to be symmetrical, do they really need to have the same painting?”i2CuJm
lEc“Well…”Llof
75WYnMy tongue stopped just before replying.fVQkQKh
4SimW0a‘Wait a minute.’f2L
AYjhb3The essence of the library wasn’t the painting—it was the room itself. The painting was just a means to achieve symmetry.xtiru1N
dxZdQbbSo all that was needed was to change that means appropriately.4uW1isk
KCsOnX“Now you get it?”XsmAAjN
QEA“…More or less.”Yh81nIx
FWlNegI took down the painting, holding it carefully so it wouldn’t fall. I turned it over gently.Dyx
4U8I“If the painting prevents symmetry, then we just get rid of it. A change in perspective, right?”qArl40u
AAkIdU“You could’ve just said that earlier.”NxDmN
sKKhgW“If I had, it wouldn’t be any fun.”NbiSp
C7UUFI flipped the painting over. This time, something new appeared.38hZ
DrULC8“…It’s a mirror.”pozY9T5
fTCLThe back of the painting clearly reflected my face. And with that, the solution to the puzzle began to reveal itself.FDHB9C7
09dLr‘So that was it.’oJGPx
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