Kaguya finished tying the red ribbon into a perfectly symmetrical bow. "There. All done."
Natsuki looked at the girl in front of him, feeling something was slightly off. She was still Kaguya, but... why did he suddenly think of her as a "disaster"?
"Not bad," Natsuki said, glancing away. The dim lighting made it hard to see clearly. "Let's head out."
Clang.
Just as they reached the door, a strange sound caught their attention.
Kaguya's expression shifted. "That noise..."
"Sounds like it came from the mirror," Natsuki muttered.
In an instant, Kaguya's hand shot out, grabbing the edge of Natsuki's shirt nervously.
Is it normal to hear creepy noises in a haunted house? Once bitten, twice shy!
"You know, facing our fears is how we overcome them," Natsuki suggested. "Want to go back and check it out?"
"No way," Kaguya said, biting her lip. "Let's get out of here fast."
She didn't want to spend another second in a room with a mirror. If mirrors weren't necessary for daily life, Hayasaka would've removed the one in her bathroom ages ago!
"Alright, we're leaving," Natsuki said, seeing Kaguya had no interest in confronting her fear. As for the weird noise... well, strange sounds were par for the course in a haunted house. No need to investigate further.
They stepped out into the corridor, which was just as dark and eerie as before. A light mist hung in the air, making it hard to see.
Natsuki looked around, getting his bearings. "The way we came is back there. I told your mom we'd meet up at the original intersection if we found anyone."
Kaguya nodded. "Let's go, then."
Natsuki had an excellent sense of direction and rarely got lost on a path he'd walked before. He led the way, and soon they reached the intersection where they'd separated earlier.
"I think that's Kitagawa," Natsuki said, squinting at a figure standing there.
Long hair down to the waist. About the right height too. The dim light made it hard to make out the person's face clearly.
Natsuki was about to approach the figure when a cold hand suddenly grasped his right hand.
So cold. Her hands are freezing. People might mistake her for a ghost if she doesn't warm up!
"Don't go over there," Kaguya whispered, frowning slightly. "That can't be Kitagawa."
"There's no collar around her neck."
Of course. Umi Kitagawa loves her collar accessories. No way she'd take it off in a haunted house.
Just then, a girl's scream echoed through the corridor. Several female players ran over, huddling together in fear.
This time, Natsuki was prepared. He pulled Kaguya against the wall to avoid being separated again.
The screaming players ran right through the suspected Kitagawa's body without any contact.
Definitely a ghost. How many spirits are hiding in this small haunted house? It's ridiculous!
After the players passed, Natsuki let go of Kaguya's hand and whispered, "Looks like there's something scary that way. Probably a staff member. There should be clues to get through the haunted house..."
He trailed off, noticing Kaguya's silence. Turning, he saw her pressing her left fist against her chest, head lowered. Her black hair obscured her face.
Oh no! I just touched Natsuki's hand!
"It feels... strange," Kaguya thought, her heart racing. In sixteen years, this was the first time she'd held a boy's hand. It was so warm... Her heart wouldn't stop pounding. What should she do?
"You okay?" Natsuki asked warily, taking a half-step back.
"I'm fine," Kaguya replied, her tone resentful.
Seeing this, Natsuki took another half-step back. The fear he'd once felt from yandere Kaguya surged up again.
"Why are you backing away?" Kaguya tilted her head, looking at him.
Of course, he's afraid she might suddenly pull out a knife. You can ward off ghosts, but not a girl who's gone dark.
"Just stretching," Natsuki said, maintaining a cautious distance. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"Just..." Kaguya pursed her pink lips. How could she admit the truth about her racing heart?
"Kaguya?" A hesitant voice suddenly called out in the corridor.
Natsuki felt his pinky finger being shaken rapidly.
"It's us," he answered, returning the pinky signal.
Quick footsteps approached, and a pink-haired girl rushed over. Seeing Kaguya, she cheered and hugged her, rubbing her cheek against Kaguya's:
"Finally found you!"
Though it's unclear who was actually looking for whom.
Natsuki glanced behind the pink-haired girl to see Kaguya's mother approaching quietly.
"I've accomplished my mission, Natsuki," Kaguya's mother said, making a scissors gesture. "I found Chika."
"Where's Kitagawa?" Natsuki looked around, not seeing the blonde girl.
"No idea," Mrs. Shinomiya shook her head. "I only saw Chika, not Umi."
"We just ran into some ghosts. Couldn't tell if they were staff or actual spirits," Chika said pitifully. "Let's find Umi quickly and get out, okay? She must be so scared all alone."
"Hopefully we can find her," Natsuki said meaningfully.
"What if we can't?" Chika suddenly grew nervous. "Could she have vanished?"
Natsuki sighed. "If we can't find her, we'll just have to leave first."
"No way! Umi would never abandon us and run off," Chika protested.
Kaguya crossed her arms. "Don't have expectations before seeing the truth. It's perfectly normal for Kitagawa to leave on her own."
A moment later, they successfully found the blonde girl.
While Kaguya's judgment was off, Umi hadn't fled the scene. However, Chika wasn't entirely right either. The blonde wasn't trembling in fear or crouching defensively. Instead, she was mingling with other haunted house visitors, having a great time and showing no fear at all.
After reuniting, Chika lost interest in scaring people. The group followed other players, cleared all the levels, and finally exited the haunted house.
"We're out," Natsuki breathed, looking at the horizon. The sun was setting, painting the clouds a brilliant golden-red.
"Haha, that was so fun!" Umi put her hands on her hips, facing the sunset with a bright smile. "Let's scream together, no need to worry about ghosts recognizing us... Chika, want to go again?"
"I'm done," Chika shook her head. "It's getting dark, and we'd have to queue again... Huh? Hey, hey!"
The pink-haired girl's eyes suddenly went wide in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Natsuki turned to look.
"...Fun mission completed!"
"Is it really finished?" Natsuki looked over in surprise.
"Absolutely," Chika showed the task list, where "Completed" appeared next to the fun task. "But how? It suddenly completed when we weren't doing anything."
"If you do nothing, the mission won't complete itself," Kaguya said calmly, crossing her arms. "You must have done something to meet the requirements."
Natsuki continued, "The place to complete the task was probably in the haunted house."
"The time... was after we separated," Kaguya looked thoughtfully at Chika. "What did you do while you were alone?"
"Nothing!" Chika shook her head vigorously. "The staff couldn't tell ghosts from visitors, so they didn't dare scare anyone."
"The truth is," Natsuki analyzed, "if there was no active action, then it must have been a passive behavior that scared the haunted house staff."
Natsuki and Kaguya exchanged glances, then looked at Mrs. Shinomiya.
"Why are you looking at me?" Mrs. Shinomiya blinked innocently. "I didn't do anything either."
You don't need to do anything, just speak up!
"Did you talk to Chika when you met her?" Natsuki asked the pink-haired girl.