…
"The way they strung that thing up would definitely damage the neck. No doubt about it."
Just like Chisa suspected, Kohei had indeed seen something horrifying.
But only horrifying to him.
A poor, beautifully crafted figurine—strung up and abused.
That scream?
Pure anguish over a mistreated figure.
"Let's just go. That idiot's a lost cause."
Iori couldn't bear to watch anymore—only that moron would fall for something like that. But still...
"You're not scared?"
He looked at Kamishiro Shiro in surprise. Wasn't this guy terrified of ghosts?
"I told you, I'm not scared of ghosts. Besides, that thing wasn't even a ghost. It was way too detailed."
"..."
Right.
Iori finally got it—the upperclassmen had set this up specifically to mess with them. And this particular trap was clearly aimed at Kohei.
"So what's next?"
He was genuinely curious. After all, he didn't really fear anything in particular.
"Probably nothing worse than that."
Kamishiro shrugged. After seeing that figure just now, his fear of the haunted house had mostly faded. As long as—
"Aaaaahhh!! Take my charm!"
Just as Kamishiro finished his smug line, a Japanese doll suddenly appeared in front of them.
Japanese dolls… For some reason, they always gave off a super creepy vibe.
With remarkable accuracy, Kamishiro selected the corresponding prop and hurled it at the doll.
The scene left Iori and Kohei stunned behind him. How could someone scream in fear and still throw the right prop at the same time?
A worthy subject of academic study, truly.
But with Japanese dolls…
"Watch out!"
"I know. These are usually distractions meant to lure your attention forward."
SPLAT—
As expected, right after Iori said that, he felt something soft hit the back of his head.
"AAAHHHHHH!"
Cue Kamishiro's scream, now in stereo. Iori happily snapped another photo for his growing collection.
"Hahaha, you really got scared by something like that."
"Kamishiro, you're such a coward."
The two laughed heartily. To think a routine setup that even elementary school kids could see through managed to spook a twenty-year-old man—hilarious.
"...I suggest you guys take a closer look. Σ_(ﾟДﾟ;)ノ vomiting..."
Kamishiro was shaking. His stomach churned violently. It wasn't the scare that got to him—he knew the setup—it was…
"What the hell... Isn't this just konjac?"
"Though it does seem to still be... body... temperature..."
The moment Iori and Kohei picked up the konjac from behind them, their smiles froze.
The konjac had a vertical slit cut down the middle—and a little note beneath it that read:
"Used~"
At that moment, both Iori and Kohei deeply regretted everything they'd eaten earlier.
BLEHH!!
Mental trauma warning!
"Those bastards! This isn't a test of courage anymore!"
"It's just disgusting!"
"From a certain point of view, confronting something like th—"
"SHUT UP!"
"BLEHH!"
Iori and Kohei stopped Kamishiro from saying another word. They didn't want to recall the horror of that cursed item.
"Phew, guess it's not that bad after all." After the earlier fiasco, Kamishiro wasn't as scared anymore.
Mainly because he realized nothing supernatural had happened—it was all man-made. That, he could handle.
"And you weren't just scared a minute ago?"
"Psh, that was just for effect. You think something this childish could scare me?"
"Really? Then how about that?"
Kamishiro looked in the direction Iori pointed—and saw a white-clad, long-haired figure flash by.
!!!
"GOODBYE!" He turned and bolted. He'd just seen this plotline in a show a few days ago—the group followed the ghost and all got wiped out!
If you don't run now, when do you run?!
"If you run, you might find more of them over there."
"And then you'll be all alone."
!!!
Kamishiro stopped dead in his tracks, face pale.
Thanks for the "help," guys!
His mouth twitched. They'd just blocked his only escape route.
That left him just one option.
He looked at the wall beside him and made a bold choice—
He started strangling himself with his own hands.
"..."
This unexpected move made Iori pull out his prized camera instantly.
"What the hell is he doing?"
"Looks like he's trying to knock himself out."
"…Impressive."
After snapping a few pictures, Iori got bored. This wasn't nearly as entertaining as those choking scenes in adult videos.
"So that earlier thing—was that the legendary female ghost?"
"Could be."
"Let's go check it out then."
As a firm believer in materialism, Iori didn't believe in ghosts. And if they did exist, he was more curious about how they were constructed.
"Wait a sec!"
Kohei yanked Iori back just in time.
"What, you scared? You can go back and join Kamishiro then."
Iori tilted his head. Kamishiro was already blushing furiously, probably imagining being the lead actress in a certain genre of video by the time they got back.
"If it's a real ghost, no big deal. But if it's fake... then it's likely one of those guys pretending!!!"
Their minds immediately flashed back to the ghost from earlier—and the warm konjac.
"URRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!"
Iori finally realized the horror. That was way worse than a real ghost.
The two quickly decided to take a different route upstairs.
However...
Someone clearly didn't want to let them off that easily~
That white-clad figure reappeared not far from them.
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Kamishiro didn't even bother trying to knock himself out anymore. He just took off running in the opposite direction, with Kohei not far behind.
At times like this, it didn't matter if they got lost or stumbled into other traps—just run!
"Hey, wait! What if it's Azusa-senpai? Even if it's not her, if the ghost is... a w-w-w-woman…"
Iori's voice trailed off.
Because...
He saw it.
That muscular calf.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! WAIT FOR ME YOU GUYS!!!"
It was already clear—the truth was right in front of him. Iori didn't hesitate to follow Kamishiro and Kohei.
Just as he ran, the muscle-bound ghost woman started moving.
In that moment, Kamishiro honestly thought there was an earthquake.
"AAAAAHHHH!!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
"Ahhh~"
"…Huh?"
"Busujima, did you hear that weird noise just now?"
"Yeah. Probably Kamishiro's screams. Gotta say, this haunted house is pretty realistic."
Kiyoko looked around curiously. Most of the traps had already been triggered by Kamishiro's group, making it easier for her and Busujima—just a bit spooky.
"Sure sounds like screaming, but... why does it sound like it's getting closer?"
Busujima frowned. The sound was odd... almost like it was right in front of them?
"You must've misheard. It's just louder than usual. That coward Kamishiro screams like that all the time."
Kiyoko dismissed it and walked toward the corridor. She was already itching to scare the hell out of Kamishiro herself~
WHOOSH!
Just as she reached the corner, three figures zoomed past her, the resulting wind almost flipping her skirt.
(O_O)
Kiyoko blinked. If she wasn't seeing things, one of them was definitely Kamishiro. No matter how distorted his face was, she recognized it.
Definitely Kamishiro.
So that meant...
"What the hell is chasing them?"
Curious, Kiyoko Kamio and Busujima turned to look behind them.
And then—
They saw a muscle-bound female ghost charging straight at them like a raging boar!
The scariest part? That ghost seemed to have noticed them!
∑(ﾟДﾟlll)
"MOMMMYYY!!!"
"Don't come any closer!!!"
Kiyoko Kamio and Sakurako, who had wanted to join the battlefield, instead successfully joined the retreating squad!