After School Anomaly Commission Guide in NTE (Neverness to Everness)

TL;DR

After School is an Anomaly Commission in Bridge Crossings District, located behind the red building next to MR.BROWN’s store on Coastal Highway Z42.
Interact with a TV to enter an Anomalous Realm — a haunted school where you must find two Shiny Little Keys and turn off a TV to escape.
The main threat is the Shadow Man — a silhouette that only moves when you are NOT looking at it. Keep your camera on it at all times.
Key 1 is hidden in a flower pot in the first-floor hallway. Key 2 is taken from a second shadow on the second floor.
To finish, enter the office on the second floor, find the hidden door between two lockers, and turn off the TV — press only the power button.
Rewards include Hunter Level EXP ×200, Annulith ×30, Fons ×10,000, U-00NE ×20, Beetle Coin ×5,000, Anomaly Material Selection Box I ×4, and the Red Light, Green Light achievement.

Table of Contents

What Is the After School Anomaly Commission?

After School is one of the Anomaly Commissions found in the Bridge Crossings District of Hethereau in Neverness to Everness. Unlike combat-focused commissions, After School is a stealth and puzzle commission set inside a haunted school Anomalous Realm. It blends horror-style tension with simple key-hunting gameplay — and it is one of the more memorable and atmospheric missions in the game.

The whole thing revolves around a unique enemy mechanic: the Shadow Man only chases you when you stop looking at it. The moment it leaves your camera frame, it moves fast. This creates a tense back-and-forth where you have to keep your camera pointed at the shadow while also navigating the school to find what you need. Once you understand this mechanic, the commission becomes very manageable — but rushing in blind will have you getting reset to the start over and over.

After School Location in NTE

The After School Anomaly Commission is located in Bridge Crossings District. Here is exactly how to find it:

Open your map and navigate toward the area between Coastal Highway Z42 and White Parrot Street in Bridge Crossings.
Look for the MR.BROWN store — it is the red building along this stretch of road.
From the Security Office on Coastal Highway Z42, follow the side road that leads behind the red MR.BROWN building.
You will find a TV propped up in an alley behind the building. The screen shows the interior of a school.
Alternatively, open the Anomaly Commission menu from the World Map, find After School in the Bridge Crossings section, and press Track Anomaly to set a navigation line directly to it.

Note: You need to unlock the Bridge Crossings Wertheimer Tower first for this commission to appear on the map. You likely already did this early in the game since it is the first district. If you need help with map unlocks, check our guide on how to unlock all map areas in NTE.

How the Shadow Man Works

Before jumping into the walkthrough, it is essential to understand the main mechanic. The Shadow Man is a dark humanoid silhouette that appears in the school. It follows a simple but unnerving rule:

When your camera is pointed at the Shadow Man — it stays still or moves slowly. It is essentially frozen as long as you are watching it.
When you turn your camera away or lose sight of it — it moves quickly toward you. The moment it leaves your screen, it charges.
If the Shadow Man catches you — you are sent back to the starting point of the Anomalous Realm. You do not lose progress or items you have collected so far, but you do have to walk back to wherever you were.

There is also a second shadow on the second floor that behaves the same way. The school has a second entity later in the commission that holds the second key around its neck, and the same rules apply.

The best strategy overall is to move in short bursts. Take a few steps forward, check where the shadow is, take a few more steps, check again. Never make a long run that takes your camera completely off the shadow for more than a second or two. You will feel the rhythm quickly.

How to Complete After School – Full Walkthrough

Step 1 – Enter the Anomalous Realm

Approach the TV in the alley behind MR.BROWN.
Interact with it and select “Look inside”.
You will be transported into the Anomalous Realm — an empty school building that feels dim and unsettling. This is the After School commission world.

Step 2 – Get the First Shiny Little Key (First Floor)

You spawn in the school building. Move forward into the first hallway.
As you enter the hallway, you will spot the Shadow Man. Keep your camera pointed directly at it as you move.
While keeping the shadow in view, slowly make your way down the hallway. On one side of the corridor, you will see a shelf with a flower pot on it.
Interact with the flower pot to collect the first Shiny Little Key. Pick it up quickly and immediately reorient your camera back toward the Shadow Man after grabbing it.
With the first key in hand, use it to open the nearby locked classroom door. This unlocks access deeper into the school.

Step 3 – Reach the Second Floor

Enter the classroom you just unlocked. Walk straight through it.
At the far end of the classroom, turn right and you will find the stairs leading up to the second floor.
Head up the stairs while keeping an eye on the Shadow Man below or around you. On the second floor, a second shadow entity will be present.

Step 4 – Get the Second Shiny Little Key (Second Floor)

Once you are on the second floor, locate the second shadow. This one is different — the key is hanging around its neck.
You need to approach this shadow and get close enough to interact with it. Keep your camera on it the entire time and move slowly and deliberately.
When close enough, interact with the shadow to take the second Shiny Little Key from around its neck.
Back away immediately after collecting it and keep the shadow in your field of view.

Step 5 – Navigate to the Office

With both keys in hand, move through the second floor corridor. Watch for the shadow’s movements as you go.
Look for the office door — it is along the corridor on the second floor. You can identify the correct room because you will see a shadow figure standing in the middle of it. That shadow marks the path you need to take.
Open the office door using the second key and enter the room. Walk to the back of the office.
Inside, look for a door hidden between two lockers. This is easy to miss if you are rushing. Take a moment to scan the back wall carefully.
Open the hidden door and enter the storage room behind it.

Step 6 – Turn Off the TV and Complete the Commission

Inside the storage room, there is another small room at the back. Walk toward it.
On a table inside, you will find a TV. Interact with it and select “Look inside”.
On the TV interface, find the power button at the bottom right of the screen and press it to turn the TV off.
Important: Only press the power button. There are other buttons on the TV interface. Pressing any other button resets the commission and sends you back to the start. Be deliberate with your button selection.
After pressing the power button, the TV shuts off and you are returned to the real world. The After School Anomaly Commission is complete.

After School Anomaly Commission Rewards

Completing After School gives you the following one-time rewards:

Hunter Level EXP ×200
Annulith ×30
Fons ×10,000
Silver Carrota ×40
U-00NE ×20
Beetle Coin ×5,000
Anomaly Material Selection Box I ×4
Red Light, Green Light Achievement

The Silver Carrota drop is particularly valuable since it is used for Normal difficulty Rewind pulls to get better Modules for your characters. If you are still building up your gear, the Carrota from this commission goes directly toward that. For more on how Modules work, check our Cartridges and Modules guide.

Tips for Completing After School Without Getting Reset

Never break camera line of sight for more than a second. The moment the Shadow Man is completely off screen it accelerates. Keep your camera on it constantly, even if it means awkward movement angles. Rotate the camera behind you while running if needed.
Move in short bursts, not long sprints. Take a few steps, check the shadow, take a few more steps. This rhythm keeps you safe and significantly reduces the number of resets.
Bait the shadow to a predictable position before grabbing the key. Before picking up the first key from the flower pot, maneuver so the Shadow Man is positioned where you can keep it in view while you grab the key and quickly reorient. Do not try to grab it while the shadow is right next to you.
On the second floor, approach the shadow from the front. The second shadow with the key around its neck is best approached head-on with your camera centered on it. Side approaches make it harder to keep in frame.
Remember the hidden door between the lockers. This is the most common point where players get confused. After entering the office, walk to the back wall and look carefully between the lockers. The door is there but not immediately obvious.
On the TV — only the power button. It sounds simple but under the pressure of the commission environment, players sometimes accidentally press the wrong button. Take a breath before interacting and look carefully at the interface before pressing anything.

After School vs Other Horror Anomaly Commissions in NTE

NTE has several horror-themed Anomaly Commissions alongside After School, and it is worth knowing how they compare in difficulty and style:

After School (Bridge Crossings) — Stealth mechanic with camera-based enemy movement. Two keys, one TV. Short and manageable once the mechanic clicks. Good for early-game players.
Nameless Hospital / Nightmare-Bound (Illusion Town) — Much longer and more complex. Has four separate endings and a fully explorable multi-floor hospital with an unkillable monster. Read our full guide on all Nameless Hospital endings in NTE when you are ready for that one.
Change Your Perspective (New Herland) — Puzzle-based with no enemies or stealth. Shifts between 2D and 3D views. Completely different tone. Read the Change Your Perspective guide for that commission.

After School is a great warm-up for the Nameless Hospital since both use the concept of an unkillable pursuer with a special mechanic. Practicing camera discipline here makes the hospital much easier later.

More NTE Guides

Here are more guides to help you explore and progress in Neverness to Everness:

NTE is available on PC, PS5, Android, and iOS. Download it now on the Google Play Store or on the PlayStation Store.