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[-Continuation-]
[-After a while-]
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[Hachiman's POV]
"Wow, this is so creepy and beautiful~!" Ebina's hushed voice resonated through the still forest air, her tone thick with awe and excitement.
Unsurprisingly, until that very moment, the notion of 'creepy' and 'beautiful' coexisting in the description of a single entity had never occurred to me.
Yet, there stood Ebina, her words shattering that preconception with an incomprehensible interpretation only she could conjure.
As the spooky phrases left her lips, Ebina's delicate features twisted into a freakish expression, one that is impossible to characterize in a verbal description.
Her eyes, wide and unblinking, remained locked upon the dark expanse of the forest as she carefully positioned what appeared to be a 'doll' against the gnarled bark of a nearby tree.
The sun began its descent, casting an eerie darkness over the woodland, intensifying the already unsettling atmosphere that had enveloped us.
The gentle rustling of leaves seemed to carry whispers from the afterlife, and the wind carried a chill that felt like ghostly fingers tracing invisible patterns across exposed skin.
This was the sort of atmosphere we were thrown into as we scouted the course for the upcoming test of courage, developing plans for the night ahead.
Overall, if I may say so, the forest is already creepy in itself with the evening dim light.
But this chick still manages to give me extra chills…
"What do you say, Miura!?" Ebina asked with a proud look, her eyes still not leaving the 'doll' as she awaited her friend's assessment.
Yeah, had I not mentioned it yet? As it may be the world shattering truth, the bitchy queen is also here - a fact I had deliberately neglected to mention until now.
"...umm, it's okay, I guess." Miura responded with a sigh, her voice sounding resigned, as if she had long since become accustomed to Ebina's eccentricities and learned to accept them without question.
To finish things off, we decorated a Stevenson screen to look like a shrine and added some straw paper talismans. These were meant for the elementary schoolers to retrieve as part of their challenge.
"What do you say, Hikigaya? Isn't it bewitching!?" Ebina's gaze shifted towards me, her grin filled with an unsettling craziness as she eagerly awaited my opinion on her handiwork.
"No comments, please." I responded almost instinctively, without giving it much thought.
The object in question, dubbed 'bewitching' and 'cute' by Ebina, was none other than a doll.
But not just any doll…
A really creepy looking one with missing parts - a hand, an eye, some fingers - yet dressed in a meticulously crafted, colourful skirt that seemed out of place against the doll's unsettling features.
However, guess something creepier than that?
For some reason, my instinct tells me that the doll is male.
….now, why am I even here?
Well, it's simple, it is related to preparing for the [Test of Courage].
Our task is to place talismans around the eastern edge of the forest and, ultimately, to position this peculiar 'doll' at the end of the 'test of courage' trial.
But why had I agreed to undertake this task with these particular individuals?
Well, as painstakingly it may be, that's a story in itself, but to sum it up.
I was forced into it….
And judging by Miura's sour demeanour, I wasn't the only one who felt this way.
"Shall we head back now that we are done?" I proposed, eager to leave the unsettling atmosphere of the forest behind us.
"Let's just move." Miura said as if declaring she agreed, not because of my suggestion but because she also felt like returning.
Or maybe I am just reading too much into it…
Either way, we started walking towards the camp.
Simultaneously, as we were making our way back through the final point to the beginning of the whole course, I decided to conduct one final inspection, just to be safe, even though we had already thoroughly examined the course from top to bottom.
Not anything serious, just a few quick scans here and there.
Although what I did now was only a minute task and could be considered the last one, before this we had done a good amount of the work with other groups.
We checked the dangerous spots so that the elementary schoolers wouldn't stray off the path and get lost.
We put down coloured cones to mark where we would take up our monster roles. Still, as a safety measure, we would also walk back and forth occasionally to prevent the kids from passing through.
The work was carefully divided amongst us through thorough conversations, and admittedly, I never participated in the conversation, seeing as it was a [Conversation] and all.
However, I think that was also the reason why I ended up in my current situation.
But I did map out the whole event thoroughly in my head to avoid causing any problems on my part.
"Why are you being so stiff?" Ebina inquired as we walked.
"He must be scared out of his wits." Miura chimed in, a hint of amusement in her voice.
She is usually the type that doesn't pay much attention to me, so why is she trying to get under my skin today…?
And those occasional death stares she shot my way didn't help from the beginning of our task.
Is there something I am missing here?
"Why wouldn't I be scared, walking side by side with a 'blond-haired ghost'?" I snapped back, unable to contain the irritation creeping into my voice.
Miura's steps faltered, and she turned to fix me with a piercing gaze, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "..."
I met her challenging stare unflinchingly. "You're scaring no one with that."
Without waiting for a response, I quickened my pace, creating a deliberate gap between us.
It was time to make a swift exit.
….
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We are currently in the process of finishing the final steps of the event, which includes some of us dressing up in costumes to play the role of monsters along the course.
Yeah, everyone is pretty much occupied with the final touches of their outfits.
Going into details, there is Toutska in a witch outfit with a mantle and cloak, while Yuigahama has gone for an imp costume that's, well, let's just say it's definitely attention-grabbing. Komichi put on cat ears and a tail, but I am not sure whether to refer to it as a 'monster'.
Overall, by the end of my observation, I was left scratching my head.
Aren't they going a tad overboard?
Sure, they stood out, but wasn't there a limit to this sort of thing?
This was bordering on Halloween.
According to Ms. Hiratsuka, an elementary school teacher was assigned to prepare the props this time. Yet, no matter what angle you thought about it, you could only conclude that he wanted to see high school girls in cosplay outfits.
Anyway, as I silently observed everything, I made my way back to the standby area where Yukinoshita and Komichi were already waiting.
Right, though I cursed the perverted thoughts of the one who made these outfits while also partially admiring his commitment to grab the chance when presented, I was in the end grateful to them.
Because the only thing that matters to me is that the Yukinoshita outfit is not particularly obscene or strange. Her outfit is a ghost outfit, which consists of a blue sky-blue yukata, and that's it. Nothing more.
When I moved towards them, Yukinoshita was examining Komichi's outfit... rather curiously, I may add.
But I chose not to comment. In fact, I didn't even speak up. I simply did my job as a self-assigned 'overseer', and trust me, I took my role seriously and made sure to pay close attention to her outfit.
….
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Welcome to RRM(:Rumi Rescue Mission) - strategic meeting that is currently being held in this humble abode.
And the participants are as presented - Hayama, Miura, Yuigahama, Ebina, Ryota, Tobi, Totsuka.
Finally, Yukino Yukinoshita and Me - Hikigaya Hachiman.
And yep, the atmosphere here is as thick and heavy as it needed to be, the only thing that changed is their outfits, which, if I may add, feel completely out of place.
Yukinoshita spoke up, her voice breaking through the silence like a cold winter wind. "So then, what shall be done?"
What shall be done obviously has nothing to do with the test of courage. She asked how we were going to save Tsurumi Rumi from her fate.
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[To be continued….]
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