Introduction 3: Sucked into the Mirror

1. punishment cleaning and feelings of three people

Leo, Naoki, and Souta arrived at the old school building after school with a slightly somber air. Perhaps because they had been too conspicuous during the last cleaning, they were told by their homeroom teacher, Mr. Murata, to "finish the cleaning properly today. However, for the three of them, this "punishment" is also a chance to investigate the Seven Wonders of the old school building in earnest. In other words, today they can, in a sense, "officially" explore the old school building.

The hallway was still dusty and the windows still had large cracks in them. A contractor was scheduled to come, but it appeared that he had not yet gotten around to it. Leo looked at the cracks a little apologetically and clicked his tongue lightly. If I hadn't hit him at the time, this might not have happened, but it was also true that I had created the situation that allowed me to enter the old school building like this.

The three of them split up to do the dusting and sweep up the fallen leaves on the floor. However, they are not working that diligently. They found themselves looking at old posters and graffiti scattered here and there, and their curiosity was aroused as they whispered, "I wonder when this desk is from," or "The poster here might be from the early Heisei era.

2. gap without a teacher

Soon after, Murata-sensei went out of the school building once to organize his belongings, and the three of them looked at each other. It was natural for them to wonder where they could go to explore in the absence of Mr. Murata. Naoki called out to Leo with a slightly worried look on his face.

'Leo, if you go off on your own again, the teacher will find out. What are you going to do?"

Leo placed the rag on the floor as if to throw it out and smiled as he looked around. Souta immediately looked anxious, but still somewhat expectant.

You know I'm going to put you in there, right?　If there are any more teachers in there, we won't be able to go all the way in. I think we should just get on with it and look for him.

'That's true, but ....... If I make too many fancy moves, they get mad at me like they did before."

Naoki agrees somewhat modestly, pushing up his glasses. Souta watches their exchange with a wry smile, mop in hand. As for him, he doesn't want to get involved in anything too scary. But it is true that with the two of them, he feels a certain degree of security.

3. graffiti on the landing

I'll go to "...... okay. Let's go take a look around the dance floor. I'm curious about the sign that says "Beware of Mirror Knives" before.

When Naoki suggested this, Leo immediately got on board. Souta, too, eventually had no choice but to join in, "That's it!" and had no choice but to join their voices together. The three of them quietly made their way to the stairs at the end of the hallway, trying not to make a sound with their footsteps. Unlike before noon, the dim evening light eerily illuminated the wooden walls and ceiling. A slight breeze blew in from somewhere, and occasionally a dry sound reached their ears, as if sweeping the floor.

As we approached the landing, the graffiti we saw last time came into view. However, there seemed to be additional writing on it that I did not recognize. Naoki took out his flashlight and shined it on it.

"'Kagami wo kurasunasuna' ......?"

Right next to the words "Beware of Kagamini" that I found before, there were letters written as if they were overwritten. The letters were distorted, and I wondered if someone had written them as a joke. It looks like faint chalk marks or paint. However, I have no idea who wrote this, when, or with what intention.

"If you're saying that mirrors wo break ......, then there was a mirror on this dance floor. But now I can't see it anywhere, maybe they moved it."

When Leo mutters this, Souta shrugs his head.

Maybe the mirror has been moved to a warehouse or ...... around the music room?"

Naoki looked around the dance floor with a thoughtful face. There were traces of what might have been hanging on the wall, but the dust had made it difficult to see after it had been removed. The three of them searched the landing carefully for a while, but could not find a mirror that looked like it.

4. underfloor cavity

Eventually, I went straight up the stairs from the landing and looked around the hallway. The door to the music room I looked in last time is closed, and there might be something left in the other classrooms - just as I think that, I hear a creak on the floor under my feet. I feel a cold wind blowing in from there. Thinking something was strange, I stepped on the floor and found that a part of it seemed to be slightly floating.

When Souta fearfully stepped back on the part, there seemed to be a gap under the board, and he heard a clattering sound. Leo's curiosity was aroused, and he raised a small voice.

Hey, don't you think we could take this off ......?"

If you break it without permission, the teacher will be angry with you again."

Naoki is impatient, but Leo does not listen. Sure enough, he gently tried to lift the planks with force. Then, with a mishap, the floorboard floated slightly. It is unclear whether the boards were rotten to begin with, or whether they had been on the verge of coming loose, but it seems certain that there is at least a gap here.

"Wow, under ......, is it hollow?"

When I pointed my flashlight at it, I couldn't see anything but dust. We don't even know how deep it is. All three of us looked at each other hesitantly. The moment Naoki's curiosity got the better of him and he tried to flip the board a little.

Suddenly, there was a sound as if a wind was blowing in from the dance floor. The three of them turned their heads at the same time at the sound of a "whoosh. It was as if "something" was breathing in the air.

"What is ......, now?"

When Souta's voice trembled with anxiety, Leo gulped down a mouthful of spit and returned to the dance floor with gusto. Naoki, who was about to lift the board, reluctantly released it and followed. The dance floor was supposed to be empty, but there was indeed a strange silence in the air.

5. the mysterious mirror and the three people sucked into it

As the three of us stood there, the window on the corridor side suddenly rattled and shook, and we heard a noise in the distance. It was as if the entire building was shaking. Leo looks around as if to say, "Something is calling to me.

It was then that a "large mirror" that was not supposed to be on the wall of the landing appeared. A "large mirror" that was not supposed to be on the wall of the landing seemed to appear there before I knew it. At first I thought it was an illusion. It was just a dim reflection of light on the dusty wall. However, to the eyes of the three, what appeared to be a mirror seemed to be shimmering.

Hey ...... this wasn't here earlier."

Leo's voice trails off. Naoki, too, says, "You must be looking at it wrong." but he can't hide his surprise behind his glasses. Souta involuntarily backs away and gulps, stifling his voice. On the wall, a faint frame-like shape emerges, which appears to be the edge of a mirror. However, upon closer inspection, the frame itself is also covered in dust and blurred.

As the three of us approached fearfully, there was a distinct glass surface. Although they did not touch it, they could feel a cold presence in their palms. For a moment, Naoki's head spun to see if there was a logical explanation, but the sight was so strange that even that thought stopped.

...... this is the Mirror of the Seven Wonders?"

Souta muttered, his voice trembling. Leo fearfully reaches out with his fingertip. His heart was pounding as if the warning "Do not break the mirror" was coming true. As soon as his fingertip touched the surface of the mirror, he felt a cool sensation, and at the same time, a wind started to blow from somewhere.

Wow, what's that ......?"

The air in the hallway billowed. The surface of the mirror began to ripple like the surface of water. Leo quickly tried to pull his hand away, but this time he felt as if the mirror would not let go of his hand. He felt a sudden jerk, and as soon as he put all his strength into it, his arm was almost pulled back in with an unexpected force.

Leo!　Wait a minute, what are you doing!"

Naoki rushes to him, but Leo is unable to resist and is almost swallowed by his arm as it is. Souta also rushes to grab Leo's shoulder. However, the mirror tries to envelop them as if they were living creatures. The more the three of them struggle, the stronger the ripples of the glass become, engulfing them with a sound like sticky water.

"Wait, you're kidding me. ...... this is impossible. ......!"

Naoki's shrieking cry was in vain, and the surface of the mirror was writhing more and more, trying to pull all three of them in at the same time. Leo felt his body sink halfway into the mirror and his mind went blank. Souta desperately tries to hold his ground, but he even feels as if a large hand is reaching out from behind the mirror.

I'm like, "Oh, no!　Help me ......!"

Even though Souta shouted, he was no longer sure if his voice even reached the outside. If someone were in the hallway, they would surely notice this strange phenomenon, but Dr. Murata has not returned yet. It was as if, for this one moment, I was cut off from the world.

"Leo, Leo ......, Naoki ......, Ore ......, I'm scared ......!"

Souta's voice was getting shakier and shakier, but both Leo and Naoki were too confused to speak. The inside of the glass feels like a cold liquid, and they cannot breathe. As their consciousness fades, each of the three makes a last, faint sound.

That's ......, ......!"

As soon as the strange password was uttered, the surroundings were at once enveloped in a white light. The three bodies were completely sucked into the interior of the mirror. I don't know how much time passed. After an intense floating sensation and a cold touch, the vision slowly returned.

6. awakening in the mirror world

The three of us found ourselves lying on the floor. It was a dance floor ...... that should have looked familiar, but the atmosphere was different. The light seemed to be inverted, the colors were generally muted, and the air was still.

"Where am I ......?"

Naoki got up weakly and looked around. Leo is still breathing on his shoulder, and Souta is trying to stand up with his hands on the wall with a frightened look on his face. There is indeed some graffiti on the wall of the landing, but the letters are reversed and unreadable. On the contrary, there is an illusion that even the position of the windows and the direction of the corridor are reversed.

"No, no, you're lying. ......, what's this ......?"

Leo almost panics, but Souta grabs his arm to calm him down. Naoki, looking terribly pale, peers down the stairs and looks further up. The building looks distorted no matter how far up it goes, and the light from outside is strangely dim, even though it is supposed to be time to leave for school. An eerie silence reigned, as if the hands of a clock had stopped.

The three finally realize that they have wandered into what they can only call the "mirror world. It seemed that they had wandered into what could only be called the "mirror world. One of the rumors of the Seven Wonders is that the mirror on the dance floor reflects things that are not supposed to be reflected in it, but they never thought they would be sucked into the mirror itself.

Souta is shaking with tears in his eyes. Naoki, too, stands there, not knowing how to explain this phenomenon in a logical way. Leo is the first to try to regain his composure and raises his voice to inspire them.

Naoki, Naoki, and Souta ...... should calm down anyway. The three of us did 'itna' together, so we should be fine, right ......?"

Although he said so, it was probably Leo himself who felt the most crushed by his own anxiety. However, he has never been averse to such "exciting but scary situations. That is why he dares to be strong.

Naoki saw this and his expression softened a little. Souta also nodded his head and said, "The three of us can manage, right ......?" Souta murmured quietly, "The three of us can make it work. At the end of the corridor, there should be doors leading to the music room and science lab, but it is so quiet that it is hard to believe that this is the same place as the world we were in earlier.

The three of them looked at each other as they stepped out. The watchword naturally came to their minds, and they tried to keep their voices together as usual. However, their voices only rang out in their minds. The empty, inverted school building - I don't even know how the hell I'm going to get back from here.

Thus begins the real adventure of the Solenatrio. Unbeknownst to them, the Seven Wonders exist in this world, and only by solving them can they find their way back home. What kind of scenery will the three of them witness next when they are sucked into the mirror? Will they be able to find a way to return to their own world? The boys' hearts were filled with a mixture of fear and excitement.