Mirei Shinohara and her companion's terrified expressions once again drew the curiosity of the students still queuing outside.
If only one or two people had been scared like that, it could be brushed off as them being timid. But now, even the haunted house staff had run out in fright. That naturally made everyone's curiosity about the haunted house shoot up several levels.
So, over the next stretch of time, groups of students and even people from outside the school entered one after another, only to come running out in tears a few minutes later.
Normally, if something like this happened, the students who had gone in would tell their friends exactly what they'd experienced inside. Before long, the news that "there's a real monster in Class 2-3's haunted house" would spread through the whole school.
This was a supernatural event—like UFOs, which most people don't believe in, yet can't help feeling fascinated by.
But—
If the rumor was false, then it was no problem at all. At most, it would just draw a bigger crowd.
However, the haunted house really did have something genuine inside. Anyone who went in would face truly terrifying events.
That meant the matter would soon escalate to the school administration. As the saying goes, "Three men make a tiger." Even if the school didn't believe in the supernatural, if everyone who went in said the same thing, it wouldn't matter whether they believed it or not. Just to calm the frightened students and visitors, they would come investigate—and wouldn't hesitate to shut the haunted house down.
Yet, even after more than an hour, no real information about what was inside leaked out. All that came out were vague comments from curious visitors about how "real" and "scary" it was, along with half-hearted warnings not to go in.
The reason was, of course, Eriri's doing. She wasn't about to let her fun be ruined so soon. At the very least, she intended to play until she was satisfied. So, she had planted a suggestion in everyone who entered, making them bury what they'd seen deep in their hearts.
This worked only on the timid; those who prided themselves on their courage became even more eager to go in.
Only Mirei Shinohara was unaffected by the suggestion—hence why she had blurted everything to Eriri afterward. Others nearby had heard her too, but no one believed her.
On average, each group lasted only two or three minutes inside. In just over an hour, more than thirty groups had gone in and come back out.
By now, Eriri had pretty much seen enough. Wakaba Hiiro, for her part, had lost interest an hour ago and was focused only on her novel and chatting with Eriri. Watching the visitors' frantic escapes had been amusing at first, but the novelty wore off quickly.
So, Eriri decided to pull Wakaba along to wander around the rest of the school—with Mirei tagging behind like a shadow.
Since her fright, Mirei refused to play a ghost again, or even linger near the classroom. If Eriri hadn't been there, she would have fled far away like Ami and Reiko.
By the time Eriri left, the genuine horrors and eerie scenes she had placed in the haunted house had vanished. That meant the visitors who went in afterward were no longer "lucky" enough to enjoy the truly chilling experience.
Of course, it was finally time for Class 2-3's students to showcase their own work—and Eriri was confident they wouldn't disappoint the next round of guests.
And so, by two in the afternoon, the four-hour-long cultural festival finally came to an end. All outside visitors left the school, and each class began cleaning up their respective venues.
As for these wrap-up tasks, they had nothing to do with Eriri.
...
Another half month quickly passed, and it was now November.
One afternoon, in the Class 2-2 classroom, Okazaki Kanami stood at the podium, chalk in hand, carefully writing key points on the blackboard. As usual, Eriri sat leisurely in her seat, chin resting on her right hand, gazing past Wakaba Hiiro toward the window.
Today was another beautifully sunny day.
Just then, Eriri's eyes suddenly lit up. A blinding flash instantly filled the classroom—the dimensional magic of a previous Hero and Demon King from another world exploded in the room.
The blast's shockwave instantly swept away every living being and object in the classroom—except Wakaba Hiiro and Eriri.
When the light faded, the now-empty classroom contained only the two of them, completely unharmed.
"Oh my, I was careless. I didn't expect such an accident to happen~"
Wakaba closed the novel in her hands—also untouched by the blast—her exquisitely beautiful face showing not the slightest ripple of emotion.
But soon, she noticed that Eriri showed neither shock nor fear at what had just happened. That finally brought a faint change to Wakaba's otherwise calm expression.
"Eriri, aren't you even a little surprised?" she asked curiously.
"Surprised about what? Surprised that there was an explosion in the classroom, or surprised that we didn't die in such a sudden blast?"
Eriri smiled at Wakaba, her eyes full of satisfaction and affection.
When the explosion occurred, she had felt an invisible force envelop her. The source of that power was obvious.
She had suspected before that Wakaba might protect her in such an incident—but having that guess confirmed now made her feelings toward Wakaba rise even higher.
In the original story, in order to conceal herself from a certain person's probing, Wakaba had gone to great lengths, even disguising the reincarnated soul of Kumoko's past life to replace her in another world so her "human" soul's flow would appear normal.
But now, Wakaba had used power exceeding that of a mid-tier god to shield Eriri.
Revealing divine power of this magnitude would certainly draw that person's attention, leading to her being taken back to resume her work—thus losing her current free and easy life.
So, this time, Wakaba had chosen Eriri over her own freedom.
How could Eriri's affection for her not skyrocket?
"Seems I went to unnecessary trouble. Eriri, you're not an ordinary human, are you? I thought so—how could a normal human have such beauty?" Wakaba said, her gaze unwavering.
"How could it be unnecessary? I'm very happy you protected me like this, especially in a way that let me stay on Earth. I thought you'd choose another method to protect me~"
"Another method?"
"Mm… like what you did for Mirei and the others—transfer my soul to another world, give me a bunch of overpowered abilities, then quietly bring me back after I've made a name for myself there. That way you'd save me and avoid being noticed. Something like that?"
"..."
Wakaba fell silent at Eriri's words. Several seconds passed before she raised her right hand to her forehead, regret flashing in her eyes.
"Ah… that's right, there was that method too. Why didn't I think of it? I really… This time I truly was careless!"
Eriri blinked, then quickly understood.
"So it was an instinctive act, huh? Which means protecting me has already become second nature to you?"
Her smile grew even brighter. Without hesitation, she opened her arms and dove into Wakaba's embrace.
"Well done, my dear Hiiro-chan. Looks like I'm really important to you~"
As she spoke, she affectionately rubbed her cheek against Wakaba's.
When Eriri had rushed into her arms, Wakaba had instinctively hugged her back. She felt no aversion to Eriri's closeness.
"This isn't important. What matters now is talking about you. I didn't expect you to know everything I just did so clearly— even about Underworld—and to have hidden it from my probing so I thought you were an ordinary human. How did you do it?"
"That's a long story. Let's change the setting before we talk."
Without waiting for a reply, Eriri snapped her fingers.
In the next instant, they were in their gaming base—Wakaba's room.
...
Once there, Eriri didn't rush to explain. Instead, she casually booted up Wakaba's computer and game console. She picked up two of the three controllers lying on the desk, then flopped down onto the beanbag chair in front of the monitor.
She handed one controller to Wakaba.
"Come on, Hiiro-chan, let's talk while we play."
Wakaba silently accepted the controller and sat right beside her.
"Before I talk about myself, let's discuss someone else—like that Meido who keeps trying to drag you back to work."
"You know Meido?" Wakaba turned toward her, curiosity in her eyes.
"I've never met her, so I wouldn't say I know her. I just have a little bit of information~"
Eriri made a tiny gesture with her thumb and forefinger, then began navigating the game menu.
"She's a top-tier god who likes dressing up as a maid, right? Maybe I'll grant her wish and make her a real maid~"
"That's not a wish—it's just her twisted hobby."
"If I say it is, then it is!" Eriri declared confidently, starting the game.
"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you—her strength is no joke. In raw attack power alone, I'm far below her. Still, if you could actually pull that off, I'd be thrilled. I could enjoy my free life without a care~"
"Heh, Hiiro-chan, it seems you still don't realize how strong I am. In that case… let me show you now."
As her words fell, a beautiful figure in a maid outfit suddenly appeared behind them.
She had long black hair, a face as beautiful as Wakaba's, and a gentle, demure air that perfectly fit the image of a Yamato Nadeshiko. Yet at this moment, she was staring straight at Wakaba, an unsettling smile on her refined face.
"D, I've been looking for you for a long time."
"Oh, Meido, you're only arriving now? I've been waiting quite a while. Looks like your senses have dulled."
Wakaba showed no surprise at her arrival—she'd been prepared for this. Only the fact that she came later than expected puzzled her.
Meido ignored the question and got straight to the point.
"You lack the awareness befitting a top-tier god. Your little runaway ends here. Come with me—there's a mountain of work in the underworld waiting for you."
"I don't want to go back. I don't want to work. I just want to relax and play for the rest of my life!"
"Please don't be so willful. If you don't work, who will manage the underworld?"
"You, of course."
Without even looking back, Wakaba pointed behind her at Meido like a complete scoundrel.
At her words, the ever-present smile on Meido's face twitched several times.
—
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