"Ahem... Am I really that scary?"
Yukinoshita Yukino asked with a gloomy face.
Seeing the lights of the first group reach the second floor, Takahashi Ryosuke signaled Takahashi Keisuke and Nakatomi Tsuyoshi of the second group to start.
"Hmph, why on earth am I participating in this kind of activity anyway?"
Nakatomi Tsuyoshi grumbled incessantly while rummaging through his pockets.
Takahashi Keisuke heard him and said, "We didn't ask you to come. You only insisted on joining after hearing Fujiwara Takumi say you had to participate to race him, didn't you?"
"Takahashi Keisuke, don't get ahead of yourself. Our race hasn't even started yet. My GTR might have lost to the NSX, but it definitely won't lose to your FD... Also, who's that old guy? I've never heard of him."
Nakatomi Tsuyoshi and Takahashi Keisuke entered the old school building, walking through the eerie corridors without a hint of fear, looking left and right.
"Old guy? What old guy? Is there an old guy in our team?"
Takahashi Keisuke frowned, asking in confusion.
Nakatomi Tsuyoshi said, "The one with the bandana driving the EVO. He's clearly in his mid-forties, dark and skinny."
At that moment, they had just reached the girls' restroom on the designated route on the first floor. However, they weren't particularly concerned with the eerie atmosphere, instead remaining preoccupied with cars and drivers.
"You mean Sudo Kyoichi? That's quite rude of you. He's the leader of Emperor, a team from Mount Iroha. He's only 24. If he heard you, there'd definitely be a fight."
Takahashi Keisuke was a bit taken aback and reminded him.
Nakatomi Tsuyoshi asked with a bewildered look, "What did you say? He's only 24? How can a 24-year-old look so old?"
Just as Nakatomi Tsuyoshi was complaining, an eerie and terrifying voice came from above the restroom stall: [I'm old? No matter how you look at it, you look older than me.]
Immediately, a bone-chilling cold swept over them. Takahashi Keisuke and Nakatomi Tsuyoshi suddenly looked up and saw Sudo Kyoichi poking his head out from the adjacent stall, staring at them with a hideous, aged expression.
"Aaahhhhh!!!"
The two were so frightened that they fell to the ground and scrambled out on all fours.
Screams echoed one after another from the old school building, surprising those waiting outside.
"Impressive. It's already this scary right at the start. Those Classmates are quite capable; they're much stronger than the boys in my university."
Shizuka Hiratsuka was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but praise them.
Takahashi Ryosuke hadn't expected even the brave Keisuke to scream. It was beyond his expectations. Initially, he thought Takumi and the others' dressing-up would have a mediocre effect, but he didn't realize they had such a talent for scaring people.
"Third group, Goto, you have to do your best."
Shizuka Hiratsuka patted Goto Hitori's shoulder, but at the touch, Goto Hitori's shoulders stiffened like a startled cat, and she immediately backed away.
"Um... Mmm..." She turned back guiltily and nodded to the bewildered Shizuka Hiratsuka and the others.
"Alright, I'm actually looking forward to Takumi and the others' performance. Goto, let's head out."
Chen Yao turned back and said to Goto Hitori.
"Uh, okay."
Goto Hitori's reaction was relatively normal this time, but she still seemed a bit cautious.
Chen Yao and Goto Hitori began to walk into the old school building. Shizuka Hiratsuka watched them and whispered, "She clearly has a happy family, no one bullies her at school, and she's cute. Why hasn't she grown into a child who attracts attention..."
Takahashi Ryosuke said thoughtfully, "I suspect... it's related to her nature. That girl has a gentle and introverted personality, but she's somewhat similar to my younger brother. The more dull a person seems, the more powerful their emotions can explode sometimes. She isn't always that quiet. If she were to break out, she'd likely be a star that shines brightly for everyone."
"...Is that so?" Hachiman Hikigaya and Shizuka Hiratsuka looked at the girl in confusion, finding it hard to imagine.
~·~·~·~·~·
The two entered the old school building and began to follow the instructions. It had to be said, this abandoned building was truly creepy. Chen Yao's reaction was flat, but Goto Hitori seemed a bit scared.
"Master Chen Yao, aren't you afraid?" Goto Hitori asked curiously.
Chen Yao looked around, silenced for a moment, and said, "How should I put it... the environment here is actually not as terrifying as some of the places I've explored before..."
"Eh?" Goto Hitori realized something was off. The places Master Chen Yao explored before were even more terrifying than this? What kind of scary places had he explored?
Just as the two were passing the stairs on the first floor, a huge rat ran past their feet, scaring Goto Hitori so much that she immediately grabbed Chen Yao's arm tightly, leaning against him like a piece of compressed biscuit.
"Aaahhh!"
Even Goto Hitori's frightened expression looked like a meme.
"...You're grabbing too tightly."
Chen Yao looked at Goto Hitori helplessly. It had to be said, Goto Hitori had a cute, youthful face and soft pink long hair. Up close, she had the clear, translucent feel of a Western beauty. Most importantly, it wasn't obvious while she was wearing a tracksuit, but the pressure made him realize she was at least a D-cup.
Thinking back to how those Witches used to take Undead as apprentices to challenge the Lords of Cinder, or become Pontiffs to overthrow the world, here he was, taking a socially anxious moe girl as his disciple... Goto Hitori realized her behavior seemed a bit weak. She immediately let go, coughed a few times to indicate that it was just a mistake, and that she needed to appear more independent and strong in front of her master. She forced herself to be calm and said, "Master Chen Yao, about the... previous topic. After taking the first step, what do I need to do... to become like you?"
Chen Yao was stunned for a moment, then replied, "After the first step is taken, it's endless persistence."
"Eh, is there nothing else?" Goto Hitori asked curiously.
"Actually, no. This is already the ultimate subject. Because you will experience failure and setbacks, but you will also succeed and reap huge rewards. Every time you are beaten down and can't get up, you must encourage yourself, climb back up, and keep going. It sounds easy, but the vast majority of people can't reach the end for various reasons..."
Chen Yao led Goto Hitori through these ruins, as if leading a newcomer through that dim continent.
The path to success is always about never giving up hope and fighting to the end. That was the secret to his success.
"...But I'm not a person who is good at... good at persisting."
Goto Hitori lowered her head a bit dejectedly and said sincerely.
"Of course, not everyone knows how to persist from the start. Initially, persisting in something is just about gritting your teeth to get through it. But after tasting the sweetness, you gradually understand the value of persistence, and that's when you start learning it. However, the more you overcome difficult obstacles, the harder it is to persist. Whether you're mocked or despised, you have to get up and keep walking on your own. By then, you'll have actually gone much further than others, and you cannot let those who fall behind interfere with your progress. Goto, you care too much about the gaze of others."
Chen Yao explained.
Hearing this, Goto Hitori felt as if something had been hit home. She looked at Chen Yao, that upright figure who was always like a banner, and felt a sense of loss in her heart.
—[Why doesn't everyone talk to me?]
—[Is it because I'm not good enough? Elementary school is almost over...]
—[I brought my guitar today. Why still does no one talk to me?]
Elementary school Goto Hitori sitting in her seat with her head down, middle school Goto Hitori sitting in her seat with her head down, and now high school Goto Hitori sitting in the last row with no one paying attention to her, still with her head down... until that deafening whistle. On the green field, she saw that figure who didn't need anyone to pay attention to him but gained the focus of the entire crowd... In this contrast, she didn't want to appear so weak in front of Chen Yao.
"Master, actually... actually, I'm not completely useless. I... I've taught myself the guitar well and have persisted for several years. Now, playing online... I have nearly thirty thousand followers. Does this kind of persistence count?"
Goto Hitori lowered her head and asked with a lack of confidence.
Soon, Chen Yao stopped walking. Goto Hitori didn't hear Chen Yao's footsteps and thought she had bragged too much. She hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, Master Chen Yao, I didn't mean anything else..."
"Goto, you can play the guitar? And you have thirty thousand followers?"
But Chen Yao was stunned for a moment and asked.
And thirty thousand followers—it was said that having thirty thousand followers on a music channel meant one was already quite capable.
"Uh... mmm, yes."
Goto Hitori nodded in a daze.
Chen Yao directly broke into a smile and praised her without hesitation, "Aren't you amazing, Goto?"
"..."
"..."
Goto Hitori was stunned for a long while, looking at the smile before her. In over ten years, he was the first—the very first person to praise her to her face and say she was amazing, and he was a senior she respected immensely.
"Really..."
Goto Hitori asked blankly.
"Yes, it's true. Very few people can persist in practicing the guitar for so long and become so proficient. Since you play the guitar so well, you should join a band or perform on the streets. That would better suit the honing of your worldview..."
As Chen Yao spoke, he began to form the idea of her joining a performance or a band.
"Heehee... Joining a band or something... I haven't thought it through..."
Goto Hitori felt itchy all over from the praise. Now she suddenly felt like she could do anything. She scratched her head awkwardly, her smile soft and incredibly cute.
"It's no problem. After this activity is over, I'll have the Service Club Classmates help plan a concert for you—the most wonderful concert!"
Chen Yao had already made up his mind to push Goto in the direction of music. If everything went smoothly, she would surely become a confident mainstay of a band.
Just then, suddenly, thump, thump, thump. As they were walking toward the entrance of the school building's stairs, a ball suddenly dropped from above... Right, they were still in the haunted old school building for the Test of Courage... Chapter 037: Goto Hitori's Interesting Group Activity (6k)
[Thump, thump, thump], a worn-out ball dropped from the stairs, bringing Chen Yao and Goto Hitori back to reality.
"..."
Hearing it, Goto Hitori used her flashlight to shine toward the staircase at the end not far away and said with some admiration, "Master, your friends' scaring skills are indeed very impressive. It feels like they know how to scare people even better than the professionals in haunted houses. That scene just now should have scared quite a few people."
The place was already eerie to begin with, and that commotion just now indeed felt a bit chilling even to Chen Yao. Logically, Takumi and the others shouldn't have designed a scare that was too terrifying.
"Goto, aren't you afraid?" Chen Yao turned his head to look at the girl who remained unfazed.
"No, I... I'm only afraid of living people, not ghosts. Because when I watch horror movies, I feel like I should have been one of them in the first place. Actually, living here would be fine too..."
Goto Hitori was stunned for a moment, then spoke self-deprecatingly in a very normal tone, smiling as if introducing herself.
Chen Yao looked at her angelic smile helplessly and said, "Don't put yourself down so naturally..."
Speaking of which, this elementary school had been abandoned for fifteen years. Walking in, one could still feel the time of past school life. Although many windows and wooden chairs were broken or destroyed, it could still provide shelter from the wind and rain. The wooden floorboards underfoot felt solid, giving an indescribable psychological hint.
Chen Yao then remembered what Teacher Hiratsuka had said. While the speaker was casual, the listener was attentive. After some thought, for safety reasons, he asked, "Do you want to hide in the closet? I'll go check the stairs. Once it's safe, I'll come back for you?"
"Uh... mmm..." Goto Hitori nodded ignorantly. Although she didn't understand why she had to hide, she followed Chen Yao to a clean cupboard and clumsily hid inside. After Chen Yao closed the closet, he went to explore the direction of the stairs himself.
However, when he used his flashlight to probe the darkness above the second floor, it was empty; not a single figure was there.
He began to walk up step by step. When he reached the second floor, he found it deserted. He scanned the surroundings curiously, feeling puzzled. If someone had thrown the ball, there should have been the sound of footsteps on the wooden boards at the very least, but he hadn't heard anyone walking away the entire time.
"Strange. It wasn't Takumi, and it wasn't Itsuki. It's even less likely to be a scaring job that the man with the bandana could pull off. Who could do it so quietly?"
Chen Yao pondered.
But just as he was about to go back and get Goto Hitori to continue the game, he suddenly saw a girl's figure flit across the second-floor corridor. She didn't look like Yukino or Yui Yuigahama in costume. Could it be that Classmate Kagaribi no Kiriue was here?
"Oh no, is that girl flying? If the explorers see her, they'll be scared to death. No, I have to hurry and warn her."
Chen Yao was startled and immediately chased after the girl's shadow.
On the other side, Shizuka Hiratsuka and Hachiman Hikigaya of the fourth group finally set out. The two of them were composed and relaxed, likely the most composed of all the teams.
"Teacher, did you come here for an adventure with friends a long time ago?"
Hachiman Hikigaya still wore that dead-fish-eyed look as he looked ahead and asked.
"That's right. I came here once during university. After all, this is my childhood alma mater. However, it closed down right after I graduated because there weren't enough students. But it's great, isn't it? Coming back here as a teacher to play a Test of Courage with my students has a special flavor."
Shizuka Hiratsuka said with a smile.
Hachiman Hikigaya said, "This elementary school has been closed for fifteen years, right? Then Teacher's current age..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka grabbed Hachiman Hikigaya's neck with her arm and ground her fist into the top of his head, saying crossly, "If you try to calculate my age in front of me again, I'll give you a proper wake-up call, understood?"
"Sorry, sorry, I won't do it again!!"
Hachiman Hikigaya struggled for a while before Shizuka Hiratsuka let him go.
According to the route, they were supposed to go to the girls' restroom first, then the School Office. But when they went to the restroom, Sudo Kyoichi had already gone to chase Nakatomi Tsuyoshi for bad-mouthing him, so they didn't encounter any scares.
"Strange. I clearly heard a boy's scream from the first floor. I thought there would be staff lying in wait to scare people here."
Shizuka Hiratsuka said in confusion.
"Isn't it a good thing there are no scares?"
Hachiman Hikigaya probed each restroom stall with his flashlight and grumbled.
Then the two continued to the Infirmary, only to find it unremarkable as well. The old plastic skeleton had long since been thrown who-knows-where, so it just looked like a normal white room.
"There don't seem to be any scaring staff on the first floor. Let's head to the second floor and see."
Hachiman Hikigaya asked Shizuka Hiratsuka.