Chapter 357: Jumpscare
"What are we going to do about tomorrow's cooking class?"
In the student council room, Shirogane Miyuki wore a pensive expression and turned to ask his close friend — Sakurai Saki.
Although Shuchiin places great importance on academic performance, there are still home economics lessons intended to give students some basic life skills.
Shirogane Miyuki has quite a few weaknesses —
He's no good at music, and even art isn't his strong suit.
But in compensation, having lived in poverty for many years, his cooking skills are pretty good.
Therefore, it was puzzling that someone who prepares a bento by hand every day like Shirogane would ask this question.
"Cooking?" Sakurai Saki found it strange too.
In his eyes, Shirogane may be clumsy, but once he learns a skill through effort, he never forgets it.
"'Class, next period we'll learn knife techniques, we'll buy fresh fish from outside and bring it in.'" Shirogane imitated the teacher's voice from today, repeating it exactly.
That's right, live fish!
Shirogane couldn't touch a living fish. In fact, among high school students in Japan — no, even worldwide — the number of people who had handled live fish was probably less than 0.000001%.
"Are you afraid of fish?"
Sakurai Saki looked at him with an expression as if comforting a child.
Having taught Shirogane volleyball, singing, and swimming… he recalled some unpleasant memories.
"Sakurai, even though I like sashimi and grilled fish…" Shirogane leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, "but slippery, slimy creatures like this I really can't stand."
"If it's a dead fish, I could probably cut it up and cook it."
"But that's a live fish!"
Shirogane's voice was full of despair: "Just thinking about a living creature dying in my hands… makes me feel like I'm bearing a sin…"
"...You're overreacting a bit." Sakurai Saki lifted his coffee cup and took a sip.
It's just killing a fish.
What's so hard about that?
"Actually, if I ignore the slimy, slippery feeling, I can still manage it. But when the knife goes in, and the blood comes out…" Shirogane Miyuki tried to prove he wasn't that weak.
Kids these days can't handle the sight of blood; just getting pricked by a needle, they immediately disinfect it and slap on a bandage.
"So you're afraid of blood?"
Sakurai Saki rubbed his forehead, then stood up.
He walked over to the student council's storage cabinet, rummaged around for a while, and took out a DVD.
"This is a zombie horror movie I brought last time. Since it's a B-grade film, there are plenty of bloody scenes. There are even some jumpscares. I don't have a part-time shift today, so let's watch it."
If you're scared, you need to train yourself to overcome it.
Shirogane Miyuki: "Why do I feel like you've been preparing this in advance?"
"I thought Chika would like this kind of movie, so I brought a copy."
Before he could finish, that chaotic creature appeared.
･°˖✧٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧˖°.
Fujiwara Chika pushed open the door. Seeing the two of them holding a DVD, she asked, "You guys are watching a movie? Let me join!"
"Perfect timing, Shirogane invited me to— mmm~"
Sakurai's mouth was suddenly covered. Shirogane Miyuki whispered, "If Fujiwara finds out I'm afraid of fish, she'll definitely bring a live one to tease me!"
At first, Sakurai thought he was exaggerating, but remembering Fujiwara Chika's mischievous nature… yeah, that was entirely possible.
"What's going on?" Chika sat down next to them.
Sakurai pried Shirogane's hand off and said, "Shirogane said he wants to challenge himself with a horror movie. Whoever gets scared has to treat everyone to a meal."
"Really?" Fujiwara Chika's clear eyes sparkled.
She didn't care much about the meal — she cared more about whether someone would scream in fright.
"...Umu." Shirogane nodded slightly.
Recently, he'd managed to save quite a bit of money, so treating them once wasn't a big deal.
Ever since his father became a streamer, the household income had increased significantly — something he still wasn't used to.
Meanwhile, his sister, Shirogane Kei, had picked up a strange habit.
Every time Kei passed by while their father was streaming, the screen would instantly flood with gifts and donations.
That was easy to understand — compared to an unemployed middle-aged man, the viewers obviously preferred a cute young girl.
[Aniki, we're rich now!]
Looking at his sister's delighted face, Shirogane Miyuki only felt uneasy. In Japan, there were perverts everywhere — even living in a high-class harbor district couldn't guarantee safety.
"Awesome!"
Fujiwara Chika excitedly plopped down on the sofa while Sakurai Saki stood up, closed the curtains, and put the disc into the player.
Shirogane Miyuki swallowed hard.
In truth… he was scared.
...
A dozen minutes later, Shirogane Miyuki had his eyes tightly shut.
"Cheating isn't good, Shirogane-kun! Why are you closing your eyes? Then what's the point of watching?" Fujiwara Chika — who was hiding behind Sakurai Saki and cautiously peeking at the TV — immediately tattled.
It was truly a case of the pot calling the kettle black — neither was any better.
"Shirogane, if you close your eyes, what's the point of watching?"
Sakurai Saki's words carried two meanings.
He was hinting that Shirogane needed to face his fear of blood.
But in Chika's ears, it sounded like it was about the bet.
"Yeah, Shirogane-kun, open your eyes already!"
She was clearly hoping to see Shirogane embarrassed — Sakurai was certain of it.
Fujiwara Chika really was the type of girl with that wickedly playful personality, even though she herself often got payback for it.
"..." Shirogane Miyuki slowly opened his eyes. "A little horror like this is nothing—"
Before he could finish, a zombie suddenly lunged straight at the screen, its mouth wide open, gushing with blood and thick pus.
(っ҂ཀ•)っ Σ(°△°ꪱꪱꪱ)Σ(°△°ꪱꪱꪱ)
"AAAAHHHH!!!" Chika screamed, clinging tightly to Sakurai Saki's neck, her shrill cry no different from a baby Godzilla's screech.
Sakurai didn't think much of it — after all, he'd encountered real zombies half a year ago, so he no longer felt any fear.
Just… his ears were a little uncomfortable.
He was fine, but the other person wasn't.
Opening his eyes right into that scene, Shirogane Miyuki's eyes rolled back, foam nearly forming at his mouth.
"..."
He was so terrified he couldn't say a word — that jumpscare must have been truly brutal. If Shirogane didn't train his body regularly, he might've ended up hospitalized.
Soon, the movie's plot shifted to the male lead — a muscular man wielding a machete, searching for survivors in a city overrun with zombies.
"Shirogane-kun… you're really not scared?" Fujiwara Chika sneakily peeked at him.
"Cough, it's fine." Shirogane Miyuki lied out of pride.
In truth, he was scared to death.
But even though he survived that one scene, the following parts still made him scream several more times.
In the end, the only one who didn't get scared was Sakurai Saki.
According to the rules, Sakurai won this round and got two bottles of soda.
Though he technically "won," of course he didn't plan to actually make Shirogane or Chika pay.
"Hmph!"
As the ending theme played, Fujiwara Chika placed her hands on her hips, huffed proudly, and declared:
"Next round, let's start again!"
Sakurai Saki & Shirogane Miyuki: ∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?
In the end, the most enthusiastic person turned out to be Fujiwara Chika — something neither of the two guys had expected.