"Gulp… We didn't come to the wrong place, right…?"
Standing in front of the eerily gloomy school building, Kamishiro Shiro swallowed hard. He knew those upperclassmen were up to no good!
But someone please explain why a perfectly normal school building suddenly looks like a haunted house?!
This had to be Asuza-neesan's idea—definitely targeting him on purpose!
How did a bonfire party suddenly turn into a test of courage? He bought those items for self-defense, not for navigating haunted obstacle courses!
Shiro was panicking. In a horror movie, this was textbook "asking to die" behavior.
"Um, is Afro Senpai still…?"
He turned to look for the senior who had picked them up earlier, but there was no sign of anyone—not even the car was there anymore…
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Wait—what the hell, Afro-senpai! You just drove off?! My stuff's still in the car! Let me get my props, dammit!!"
The only answer he got was… silence.
(.;゜;::;゜;.)
Feeling the cold wind whip past, Shiro visibly paled.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go—what kind of scenario starts by confiscating all your tools?!
Now he only had:
One head of garlic
A bag of glutinous rice
A cross necklace
A protective charm
A small wood sword
A stack of talismans
Prayer beads
A wizard hat
And two kids by his side to "produce" urine on demand for magical purposes…
He felt completely unprotected!!!
(?????)
But he had no choice. Shiro could only silently assemble his gear with what he had left.
When Iori and the others finished comforting Aina—who had just lost her youth photo album again—they turned to see…
A college guy in a wizard hat, a cross necklace, prayer beads on his left hand, holding a garlic-wrapped wood sword in his right, a bag of rice at his waist, talismans stuffed in his pants pocket…
(???)
Even Aina forgot her heartbreak for a second—this outfit would be legendary even in the cursed cosplay community.
Iori nearly wanted to hand him a handwritten Bible on the spot.
Kouhei considered making a broom out of his own hair to give him…
"You… what the hell are you wearing?"
"This is my homemade anti-ghost kit! If Afro-senpai hadn't driven off with the car, I'd have even more gear! Outrageous!" Shiro declared indignantly, completely unaware of how ridiculous he looked. In fact, he wanted even more equipment.
Then he eyed them warily. "Don't get any ideas. This is my survival gear. Yours is still in the car!"
"…Thanks, I guess?"
Everyone mentally groaned. Just how scared of ghosts was this guy? He basically wore every ghost-repelling item from every known tradition.
They were honestly curious what else was in that car—Buddha statues? A Superman costume?
Iori shook his head. He'd never met anyone this terrified of ghosts. But…
Perfect.
Out of sight from the others, a sinister grin crept onto his face. Finally, he had a weakness on Shiro to exploit.
This test of courage? He was going to make Shiro suffer!
He'd get back every single IOU that guy had written.
No—wait!
He'd also wring every last ounce of luck and charm gear off him. That way, he could finally cover his living expenses. He was a genius!
Kukukuku～
In such a great mood, even this "haunted house" looked cozy to Iori now. This wasn't a haunted house—this was his money tree!
"Figures this is the upperclassmen's doing," Kouhei muttered, having found a note and flashlight left by the seniors.
"Come to the rooftop. —PAB members"
"AAAAAHHH!!! My youth photo album!!!"
Aina wailed once again. Why was it so hard just to have a normal memory book of her youth?!
"Let it go. Naked dudes and ghost stories are part of youth, too."
"Who wants that kind of youth album?!"
Even before Aina could speak, Shiro shouted in protest. Forget youth albums—he didn't even dare bring out his precious camera right now.
Taking photos in this environment? That's practically begging to die!
"C-Can I… just wait here?"
Staring at the gate that looked like it led straight to hell, Shiro, fully geared as he was, still felt terrified. He must have the right to refuse, right?
"G-Gulp… I think I'll wait here too," Aina echoed.
Both of them chose to stay put, thinking it would be safer than going in.
Unfortunately, that was just a fantasy—reality was much crueler.
Chisa mercilessly crushed their hopes. "You could stay… but if you thought of that, you can bet the seniors did too. And… don't you think staying put might actually be more dangerous?"
!!!
Her words shattered the last threads of their resolve. Shiro and Aina looked at each other—
Then immediately looked away in disgust.
Weakling! ×2
"..."
The other three twitched in disbelief. How were these two still judging each other?
"It'll be fine. This is probably just a prank. No way they'd organize a full test of courage—too absurd."
Kouhei waved it off. Surely the seniors were just up on the roof partying.
"Ehhhh, they might be serious," Chisa said, holding up another note.
"Addendum: No one is allowed to drink alcohol until the event ends!"
"..."
Shiro's soul left his body. This was it. They were definitely serious—just as serious as they were about diving!
With no other options, the five of them had no choice but to face the trial.
They stepped into hell.
What awaited them was…
Two routes!
"You girls… go this way," Iori said, pointing to the one marked:
"Girls' Route"
"Hmm…"
"Then we're going…"
Shiro's trio looked at the other route:
"Idiot Route Only"
"This is weird. This isn't even my route," Iori said, rubbing his chin. Clearly this was meant for Shiro and Kouhei.
"Give it up. It's totally your route too," Chisa sighed.
"Well then, Kouhei and I will wait outside for you two—"
"Enough. The three of you, get moving. It's clearly meant for you," Chisa interrupted. The seniors' assessment of these three was disturbingly accurate.
She and Aina disappeared into the darkness—she couldn't stand being around idiots for too long.
"Gulp… So… we go in?"
Shiro still hesitated, feeling like some great horror awaited.
"You scared?"
"O-Of course not!"
"Relax, it's just some old pranks. Nothing scary." Kouhei reassured him.
"…Okay."
Taking a deep breath, Shiro stepped forward into the shadows. He had his gear. He'd be fine!
But what he didn't notice was…
The two behind him were grinning menacingly.
Kukukuku～
BZZZZZZZZZ～
Shortly after Shiro and the others entered the haunted school building…
Two more guests arrived—both girls.
"You sure this is the place? You're not joking?"
Busujima eyed the horror movie-worthy school and couldn't help suspecting that Kiyoko planned to murder her here.
"It's definitely the place! Also—why the hell did you tag along, you green tea b*tch?!"
Kiyoko got out of the car in a foul mood. In the end, her sneaky plan had been discovered, and she even ended up as the driver. Unforgivable!
"Because someone clearly planned to sneak off for a club activity" Busujima said with a disdainful glance. Gotta keep a close eye on shameless tomboys.
"It's perfectly normal for a girlfriend to come find her boyfriend, okay?!"
"Oh? When did Shiro ever admit you were his girlfriend?"
"He did! Last time at the Tiger-Dragon Love Hotel!"
"Pfft. Give it up. That scumbag calls himself Ultraman in bed. Not a single honest word comes out of that guy."
Busujima flipped her hair and headed toward the school building. Nothing a man says in bed can be trusted.
"Damn it!"
Kiyoko Kamio stomped her foot in frustration. Worst of all… she couldn't even refute her.
Because it was true…
That damn scumbag!!!
At the school entrance…
The two girls stared at the note left by the PAB upperclassmen with weird expressions.
"Test of Courage?"
As some of the people closest to Kamashiro Shirou, they naturally knew about his fear of ghosts. It was hard to imagine he'd actually participate in such an event.
"I just thought of something really fun~"
A mischievous smile spread across Kiyoko's face. After everything that guy Kamashiro Shirou had done to bully her before, it wasn't too much to get a little payback, was it?
(;￣Д￣)
Her "good bestie," Busujima, immediately saw through her plan and reminded her, "You know, their club came for a training retreat, and we kind of crashed it. Isn't it a bit much to just join in like this?"
"What's the big deal! We're consumers too, okay? This elementary school isn't exclusive to one club!"
"..."
Hard to argue with that—Busujima was left speechless.
Now, there was just one question...
Since when did I form a club with you?! This tomboy was getting more and more outrageous!
"So, you're seriously not afraid at all?"
Looking at the excited Kiyoko, Busujima was a bit skeptical. The haunted house was actually pretty well done—at least Busujima felt a little uneasy.
"You're not scared, are you? If you are, feel free to head back now~"
(?ò?ó)
A mere tomboy—who are you looking down on?!
"Like I'd be scared! But you, if I recall, were super afraid of ghosts in high school."
Kiyoko blushed a little at that—that was ages ago! Why did this green tea girl remember it so clearly?!
"Hmph, I've got a secret weapon!"
"Secret weapon?"
"Of course! Just picture Kamashiro Shirou, that scumbag, getting all lovey-dovey with another woman in front of you—and the other woman even giving you a disdainful look."
(?°Д°)
Perfect. Say no more. I'm already mad. Time to go bash that jerk's head in!
Kiyoko Kamio and Busujima Sakurako officially join the battlefield!
Step, step, step~
Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the abandoned elementary school, as if it had come back to life. Many slumbering beings were awakened.
For example...
A poor little spider that had just woken up—and was immediately squashed by Kamashiro Shirou.
Pity the evil god—resurrected only to be crushed again. Worse, the person who stepped on it didn't even notice, too busy avoiding potential traps.
Of course, our evil god was quite tenacious—it could survive two more such attacks!
SMACK
CRUNCH!
It didn't learn its lesson. The evil god perished.
Cause of death: death by triple stomp combo.
Congratulations! Kamashiro Shirou's trio unknowingly saved the world.
Cough cough—back to the main story.
Kamashiro Shirou's trio was participating in the Courage Test Tournament, organized by their seniors!
Kamashiro Shirou boldly led the charge!
Of course...
Mainly because he was too afraid to take the rear—everyone knows in horror movies, the safest place is at the front. Just don't look back, and no ghost can hurt you!
Behind him, his two most "trusted" companions were conspiring.
"So, how should we scare him later?"
Kohei was intrigued. He and Iori had been oppressed by Kamashiro Shirou for a long time. Now, they finally had a chance to fight back!
"No rush," Iori waved nonchalantly. He'd just checked out the setup—the seniors had crafted a great atmosphere. Even the most basic haunted house props should be enough to scare that guy.
"But won't that make our revenge feel kind of... distant?"
Kohei was puzzled. Sure, watching Kamashiro Shirou get scared was fun—but it didn't feel satisfying enough.
"Hehehe, that's not all I planned!" Iori grinned evilly and pulled out a secret weapon from behind.
Dun dun dun dun~
Chisa's beloved camera!
!!!
"You mean..."
The moment he saw the camera, Kohei's face twisted with excitement. As true bros, some things just clicked instantly.
(｡ì _ í｡)
"Exactly what you're thinking!"
Iori nodded smugly. Just watching Kamashiro Shirou's scared face wasn't enough—they were going to immortalize it. Either the footage goes viral online—or Kamashiro Shirou coughs up some hush money!
Tsk tsk tsk, what a bad, bad boy.
?(≧∀≦)? He gave himself a mental high-five.
Then he suddenly looked at Kohei with surprise.
"By the way, I thought you'd be afraid of this stuff too."
(′｀;)?
Kohei looked confused. "Why would I be?"
"That scumbag up front is scared because of his wild imagination. I thought you otaku types were all like that."
"Don't lump us together! I'm a firm materialist!"
(;￣Д￣)
"A materialist who believes in magical girls, huh..."
"I already told you—magical girls operate under science! Anyway, I'm more scared of meeting new people than ghosts."
"..."
Right, Iori had almost forgotten—this guy was a social anxiety case.
But seriously, can someone with social anxiety really show up to class half-naked or in a Rarako shirt every day?!
Deciding to let that paradox slide, Iori focused on more important matters—like capturing Kamashiro Shirou's panic on camera.
"I wonder what the seniors planned—"
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Before Iori could finish, a girl's scream echoed nearby. Judging by the voice, it was probably that Makeup Zombie.
!!!
BANG!
"GHOSTS!!!!"
Before Iori and Kohei could react, Kamashiro Shirou suddenly panicked.
Startled by Aina, Kamashiro Shirou swung his wood sword with such force that he snapped it clean in half!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Holy crap.
Dude just sliced a wood sword in midair?!
Iori and Kohei were stunned. Truly, in moments of extreme fear, humans can do anything except math problems.
SMACK
Aina's scream didn't last long. With the sword shattered and the chaos over, things quieted down.
Kamashiro Shirou, pale-faced, looked at Iori and Kohei and forced a twisted smile. "Uh... how about we stick together from now on?"
Clearly, this isn't the time to act tough—safety in numbers!
Unfortunately...
After witnessing that scene, Iori and Kohei frantically shook their heads.
No way. They had no intention of becoming the next broken sword.
(;￣Д￣)
"That was just an accident..."
Too bad. They weren't buying it—they trusted their eyes more than his words.
"So what exactly did the zombie girl see?"
Now calm, Iori started scanning the area. Logically, both groups should've been progressing at the same pace.
"Probably that figure over there."
Kamashiro Shirou pointed at a suspended figure in front of them.
"That?"
The other two turned their attention toward it.
And the next second—
"KYAAAAAAA!! NOOOOOOOO!!!"
A scream even louder than Aina's exploded.
Meanwhile...
Chisa and Aina, who had just calmed down, flinched again. That scream sounded way worse than their earlier panic!
"That... that was Imamura's voice..."
"Judging by the sound, he must've seen something truly terrible..."
The two girls gulped nervously, suddenly feeling lucky that all they saw was a French doll.