Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Chapter 19: But Everyone Knows, Art is...

The dust was slowly settling.

Warm, damp breaths began to spread, seeping into the body.

Takahashi Takakai opened his eyes.

He saw flames raging, spreading across a pile of trash not far away.

The fire originated from the torch Shinomiya Kaguya—or rather, the thing that had taken her form—dropped when Old Guo shot her. Now, the flames had engulfed the entire apartment building, making it appear impossible to extinguish.

Old Guo's anguished screams still hadn't stopped.

Despite his cries of pain, he didn't seem to have completely lost his strength. He was still struggling to escape the grasp of that thing.

"Shapeless monsters, with only the sound of their footsteps, silently killing; door-knocking monsters that can read minds, driving people insane with just words; monsters that hide in corpses, stalking survivors and attacking when they try to leave; and corporeal monsters, taking the form of survivors but revealing their inhuman nature when mortally wounded..."

Just the ones they had encountered so far numbered at least four distinct types.

Who knew what more terrifying things might appear next?

This was too much. If only they could save progress like in a game and retry, how wonderful that would be.

"Ugh…"

The girl lying on top of him let out a painful groan.

Understanding what had happened, Takakai lowered his head, helping Shijo Maki sit up amid the trash, his gaze stopping at her abdomen. There, a dark red stain was slowly spreading. When they fell together, a lot of her blood had soaked onto him, staining his clothes bright red.

"Things don't look good."

Takakai stared at the blood on Maki's stomach for a moment before sighing and speaking.

"I know... things aren't good... you don't need to tell me..."

Shijo Maki took a deep breath, trying to sit up with Takakai's help. Her small body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Now's not the time to be stubborn. Overdoing the tsundere act isn't cute at all."

Takakai shook his head, teasing her, before carefully scanning their surroundings.

For now, nothing had approached them yet, though the smell of smoke and dust was growing stronger. Overall, the situation could still be considered relatively safe.

Perhaps Old Guo, being attacked by the Fake Kaguya, had drawn most of the attention away. If that was the case, they had to act quickly. No one knew how long the veteran player could hold out.

"Leave me here... Right now, I'm just a burden, and I'll only slow you down."

Shijo Maki, having recovered slightly, spoke in a soft voice while clutching her abdominal wound.

Her expression made it clear she had made a serious decision.

"Yeah, I know."

As Takakai spoke, he reached for the hem of his T-shirt and, with a "rip," tore off a piece. Naturally, he avoided the parts stained with red and white blotches. He thought to himself that his brain matter probably wouldn't help Maki recover any faster.

"What are you doing? Didn't I say to leave me here? Finding the new watch is the most important thing right now; this isn't the time for this kind of stuff. Besides, you clearly didn't choose to save me earlier. Aren't you supposed to be a rational person? Why are you doing this now?"

Realizing what Takakai intended, Shijo Maki struggled, but due to the pain and exhaustion from her wound, she couldn't escape his grasp. She angrily demanded an explanation.

She remembered that earlier, the reason she was dragged into this twisted world was because she had read the information and interacted with Lin Wenfu's journal. At that time, Takakai acted. But instead of saving her, he took the backpack she was carrying. Only because he didn't have time to retreat did he end up falling into this place with her.

Saying she wasn't upset would be a lie. But Maki understood that it had been the best choice Takakai could have made at the time. That decision wasn't wrong. If given the chance to do it again, she would still support that course of action.

So why not do the same now?

In a dangerous and uncertain situation like this, saving someone severely injured, almost entirely incapable of moving, was just asking for trouble.

Clearly, he should have been more rational.

"Let me ask you this—haven't you questioned yourself about the same thing? How long have we even known each other? Ten hours yet? Maybe three or four at most. To be blunt, you and I are just two strangers forced to cooperate because of the situation we're in. You risked getting shot to save a stranger like me. Have you ever thought about how foolish that was? Rationally speaking, you should've left me behind and run, right?"

Faced with Maki's question, Takakai responded calmly while quickly using the torn fabric from his T-shirt to tightly bandage her waist. His makeshift first-aid attempt was far from professional—just enough to temporarily stop the bleeding but painfully rough. Even though she trembled in pain, cold sweat covering her forehead, Maki gritted her teeth and endured it without uttering a sound.

"I've told you before, I'm not like you. I'm the eldest daughter of the Shijo family, raised with the most excellent and comprehensive education. I was born to lead others. How could I allow someone under my protection to die so easily? I just miscalculated this time… And by the way, what's tsundere? I feel like it's not a nice word."

Even on the verge of tears from pain, Shijo Maki refused to appear weak and struggled even harder to assert herself.

"That's exactly why I'm telling you, in a situation like this, don't act so tsundere, Oujou-sama. I'm not a good person, but I can't abandon someone who saved my life. Now listen to me. I'm going to carry you. You'll watch our rear and sides while I keep an eye on the front. Let's hurry and find the watch or a way out of here. Don't forget, I can't adjust the watch anymore. Even as someone who just supports adjusting it, I need to keep you alive."

Looking at Maki, Takakai sighed, then flicked her forehead lightly with his finger, speaking bluntly.

What even was this situation?

A horror-romance slice-of-life anime for youth? Where were 8man, Yukinon, and Yahallo?

If possible, could someone remove the "horror" and "gore" parts?

"Gr-grr, you… You dared flick my forehead! What do you think you're doing? Just because you're two years older than me, you think you can act like an adult in front of me...? Ugh… Don't regret it—I really am just a burden now, dragging you down…"

Maki's angry complaints didn't last long. They were cut off by a jolt of pain as Takakai roughly lifted her and hoisted her onto his back.

She knew the man had already made up his mind, so she only murmured softly, then awkwardly draped her arms over his shoulders and neck, pressing her upper body against his back.

Being carried by a man other than her father… This was her first time.

Admittedly, she had hoped it would be a romantic experience. Instead, it was in some hellish place like this, with a man she'd only known for a few hours, and a bullet still lodged in her stomach.

Too bad…

Truly, it was just too bad…

"Whatever unpleasant emotions you're feeling, set them aside for now."

Standing amid the trash, Takakai had no idea what Shijo Maki was thinking. He could only guess she might feel unwilling, frustrated, and perhaps a little humiliated? Although he had finished reading the original story, understanding a girl's emotions directly was still quite difficult.

In any case, his current mood wasn't much better.

"If we run into a situation we can't escape from later, I won't hesitate to leave you behind as bait—that's the limit of my kindness. So, before that happens, please make yourself useful and act as a proper lookout. Show the spirit of a real Oujou-sama."

He deliberately mimicked a cool, slightly aloof tone from anime, trying to lighten the grim atmosphere.

Takakai picked up a charred wooden stick, fashioned it into a torch, handed it to Maki, and stepped forward. He moved out from the heap of trash, entering the chaotic, distorted hallway.

"This… hmpf, don't treat me like a fool. I don't need you to tell me," he muttered.

Perhaps Maki found his comment slightly irritating, as she let out a few grumbles before turning her attention to their surroundings.

No matter what, this man had decided to carry someone who had lost her mobility—a burden, in every sense.

Because of that, until true despair struck, she couldn't afford to make him regret his choice.

Maki's face became stern as she steeled her resolve.

At the same time, Takakai, carrying her forward, felt a surge of strange exhilaration.

His thoughts at that moment were simple:

Wow, these legs are so soft, warm, and smooth. I could probably get stepped on by them for a whole year and not get bored.

Shijo Maki, accustomed to wearing white socks and a school-uniform-style dress, had her thighs, knees, and part of her calves exposed. As Takakai carried her, his hands had to support her thighs.

Of course, thoughts like these only lingered briefly in Takakai's mind. He quickly snapped back to focus, picked up the pace, and began maneuvering through the distorted hallway.

It was impossible to tell what floor they were on—or rather, whether the concept of "floors" still had any meaning in this warped space.

But their immediate goal remained unchanged: find the wall clock and figure out how to restore everything.

As long as they could find that clock together, there was still hope to turn things back to normal.

Ha… that's all there is to believe in now.

Step…

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the warped hallway.

And at that moment, a sudden wave of searing heat surged from behind.

Sensing something amiss, Takakai immediately twisted his body to evade, repositioning himself mid-air to shield Maki. The two of them landed on a tilted double bed.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted behind them, flames roaring and spreading, causing parts of the surrounding structure to collapse. Chunks of floor and ceiling came crashing down.

The torn backpack of "Old Guo" was flung high into the air before falling to the ground. Inside, several makeshift bombs were exposed—unactivated, but already destroyed by the intense heat.

Amid the cascade of debris from the collapsing ground, a blood-red door faintly glowing in the darkness suddenly emerged.

The door stood eerily, like a gateway to hell.

On the door was a rusted, grimy house number plate:

304

--------------------------------------------

If you like this story, please leave me a comment, review, collection and power stones if you can, that really help me a lot

If you're looking for good fanfics, try reading my other books, you won't be disappointed, promise.

If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and support me to have more motivation to continue as a translator, here is my p.a.t.r.e.o.n pa treon.com/curse_heian_chef

Thanks you, Have a nice day (｡◕‿‿◕｡)