Chapter 266: Despair in perfection [1]
Loop 1.
I began to log everything in a diary.
"This will be the first loop since I’ll try to hypnotize myself."
I looked at the clown, and the clown looked at me. Then, with a simple nod, I watched as the clown slowly rolled a red ball onto the floor. The moment I caught sight of the ball, I felt something within my mind stir.
However, it was only for a brief moment before it faded.
Picking up the ball, I squished it a couple of times before it faded completely from my sight.
’I guess I won’t be able to use it from this point forward.’
I only had two tries. I had already used one in the past, and with this one used as well, I could no longer hypnotize anyone else.
This was fine, however.
If it helped me accomplish my goal...
"Let’s get started."
I sat down at the piano and began playing the notes again.
Dang—!
There was no change from the previous round.
Every few notes, I’d make a mistake. The piece was simply not an easy one.
Nonetheless, I didn’t care and just continued to play.
I continued like this until the loop reset.
Loop 2.
This loop wasn’t much different from the first one.
Click!
The door locked a few seconds after I reappeared.
Aside from that, almost everything else was the same.
The only thing that changed was the item that Mr. Jingles showed me.
It was a pair of white gloves.
"...Let’s try again."
I sat on the chair and began playing the keyboard.
Dang, Dang—!
Dong!
Loop 3.
Each loop lasted from ten minutes to an hour.
Click!
I didn’t even waste a second. Setting up the keyboard, I began playing the keyboard. Right as I began setting it up, however, my gaze paused on a certain red button as I tossed it to the side and began playing.
I played while facing the door.
And yet, staring at it, I couldn’t help but grow less and less confident about my strategy.
Did anyone truly hear my music? No—in the first place, was the other side soundproof?
’No, don’t think about it.’
I shifted my attention towards the keyboard and began playing once again.
Even though I planned on hypnotizing myself to play perfectly, I still wanted to practice and get familiar with the keyboard.
That would also help with the hypnotization.
"Again."
Dang, Dang—
I continued to practice like this, waiting for someone to come.
For some sort of sign that my method was working.
But—
Loop 7
Even as the seventh loop arrived, there was no change at all. In fact, unlike the last time, nobody came to my door. From the moment it was locked, nobody started bothering me anymore.
I grew anxious.
But at the same time, I remained focused.
’Just bide your time. Keep practicing and bide your time.’
Dang!
I focused my entire attention on the piano sheet.
Loop 8, Loop 9, Loop 10, Loop 11, Loop 12.
No change occurred.
I began to lose track of time.
I had now wired myself to continue practicing the piano.
Dang, Dang—!
The piano was all I did.
Because of the loops, I didn’t even feel tired. I’d be reset to a point where all my weariness and tiredness would disappear.
Mentally, however, I started to become drained.
But—
Dang!
I continued.
Loop 31.
I had now fully lost track of time.
I didn’t know how long I had been stuck in the gate. I could feel myself growing numb to the concept of time. It was just a cycle at this point.
A cycle that I didn’t try to stop.
Picking up the keyboard, I set it up again and began playing.
The door remained silent.
Nobody came to it. Nobody tried to open it.
It was just me.
Dang, Dang!
Me and the piano.
Loop 48.
"....."
I had now reached a point where I wasn’t making that many mistakes.
And yet—
The play was still far from perfect.
Something felt missing. I couldn’t quite tell what it was, but I was certain that something was missing.
What I was playing was simply not good enough.
I stopped and stared at the keyboard and then at my hands.
This was the first time.
The first time, I started to question whether what I was doing was correct or not.
Loop 73.
Dang, Dang, Dang—
It was the first time that I didn’t make any mistakes.
I played the piece without any mistakes. However, it was still far from perfect. The tempo wasn’t perfect, and the notes sometimes were softer than intended, breaking the entire piece from what was deemed as ’perfect.’
I started to scratch the side of my neck.
"More. I need to practice more."
I had long forgotten about time and my original mission.
All I was thinking about was the keyboard in front of me.
DANG!
Loop 157.
Click!
I watched as the door clicked and locked.
I stood up from my seat and reached for the keyboard.
The same routine.
The same notes.
Dang, Dang, Dang—
By now, I didn’t even need to look at the keyboard to play the notes correctly. It was ingrained in my mind.
And yet—
The music was still far from perfect.
It was still missing a lot.
Anxiety started to gnaw at my chest.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but it almost felt like forever. How much time did I have left before the trial? What would happen when the time came? Would I be able to clear it?
The answer was obvious.
At my current skills, it was impossible.
’Damn it. Damn it.’
I clenched my teeth and focused on the keyboard in front of me.
"Again."
Loop 244.
Dang, Dang, Dang—
Daaa—
Dong! Dang—
Ting!
Deeeeng!
Da! Da! Da! Da! Da! Da! Da!
DANG!
DANG! DANG!
DA!
Loop 271.
BANG—!
I tossed the keyboard towards the door.
The keyboard shattered into pieces. But I wasn’t done. I picked the keyboard again and tossed it at the door again, smacking it over and over again. I wanted to break the door.
"Why!? Why!?"
Anger had started to consume my mind.
I couldn’t understand. Why was it that despite everything I was doing, something was missing?
BANG!
I tossed the keyboard again.
The remaining pieces shattered on the door as I took deep and heavy breaths.
It took a few moments for my mind to calm down.
And when it did, a certain panel appeared in front of me.
[Seth Thorne: 98%]
[Do you wish to send Mr. Jingles?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
I paused the moment I stared at the panel. Before I knew it, I had reached a point where I could hypnotize myself.
I looked around the room and settled my gaze on the remains of the keyboard.
’No, not this round.’
I stepped back and looked at the door.
It had been 271 loops since I had started playing the keyboard. The entire time, nobody had come directly to my door. It became clear to me that something was off with the situation.
Either the entity that kept me locked was preventing anyone from entering, or there was something else at play.
’In any case, it doesn’t look like anyone can hear me from behind the door. I need to find a way to go out and play the keyboard.’
I walked towards the door and grabbed the handle.
I pulled it down a couple of times and tried to push the door open; however, the door refused to budge under the weight of my grip.
Giving up, I took a step back and enhanced my foot using [Trait Transfer], coating my entire foot with a black film before kicking the door.
Bang—
The door budged , but it didn’t break.
I tried again.
Bang, bang—
It still refused to break.
’This is not a normal door. I can’t break it.’
It was obvious to me that the door was different from the one in my office. It looked to be purposely designed so that it couldn’t be broken through brute force. At the very least, this was what I believed, since I was certain the door would break on any normal occasion if I tried.
Narrowing my eyes, I thought about trying again when—
Loop 272.
The next loop began.
I found myself standing in the middle of the room again.
The keyboard was no longer broken and was sitting by the side of the room. Turning my attention towards it, I walked towards it and started to set it up.
The panel appeared in front of me again.
[Seth Thorne: 98%]
[Do you wish to send Mr. Jingles?]
▶ [Yes] ▷ [No]
My finger hovered over the [Yes] button, and I got myself ready to press it, when...
"...."
I turned my eyes in the direction of the door.
I suddenly realized something as I looked at it.
The click that usually came at the start.
Where was it?