Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094471724561/episodes/822139837998802308
Yes, I definitely cheated. Of course I did—it’d be weird not to in a situation like this where cheating is practically encouraged. Plus, no one noticed, and even if they called me out, I could just play dumb.
“……”
I could feel Hisada-chan’s gaze fixed on my profile. Damn, she caught me. But if I looked away or panicked now, everyone else would notice too. I had to stay calm.
I absolutely want to do this ghost hunt with this team.
Right now, Fumi-senpai has the lowest favorability rating with Saotome, so I wanted to pair those two up. It turned out lucky that they ended up alone together.
“Then let’s go somewhere spooky!”
“Ooh!”
Saotome, I’m really glad you’re here.
Oh, and the rain stopped, by the way. It really was just rain to keep me from showing my swimsuit. Even if everyone else forgives it, I absolutely won’t.
Okay, we found a place that fits the bill. A long tunnel.
“This place is a famous haunted spot~”
“Ehh~. Let’s just skip it, okay?”
Niiro gave me a perfect 100-point reaction. This instantly made the fear level skyrocket.
“I looked it up earlier. Apparently, you can hear the voice of a woman who died in an accident.”
“Eek…”
I looked it up a bit earlier. It’s just a long tunnel. Not a haunted spot. No accidents happened here. Just a tunnel.
Night, tunnel—just those two things are scary enough, so I picked this spot. If something happens here, it’ll just be a random weird occurrence, not a ghostly phenomenon.
…Though I kinda think random weird things happening is what ghostly phenomena are all about, but whatever.
“Then you guys go ahead.”
“Go ahead, go ahead,” I said, letting the Fumi-chan pair go first. You wanna watch those two flirting from behind, right?
Maybe they’ll pretend to be scared and cling together? And then Niiro and Hisada-chan, who are with me, will get jealous and push between them?
“You’re too close!”
“…Move away.”
And then I’ll separate, and they’ll end up walking together as four? This is totally a smirk-worthy situation.
Why is heroine jealousy so damn cute? Has anyone written a book about this? Info wanted.
…Huh? But then I’d be left alone! Me against the four of them! Ugh! That’s the thing about being the best friend role! And I’d just be watching them, twiddling my thumbs… Pathetic.
While I was moping, Saotome and Fumi-senpai had already walked far ahead.
“Well, we should go too. If it gets really scary, you can stick close to us.”
Swish!
The two of them positioned themselves on either side of me and tugged hard on my T-shirt.
I meant it as a joke, so having them cling to me like that is kind of embarrassing. So this is what they mean by “having the best of both worlds.”
Hisada-chan was scared too. I think the gap is cute, but honestly, Hisada-chan scares me more. Hisada-chan scared of ghosts? Come on! I kinda wanted to tease her about that.
“……”
Kiiii!
Shit, she caught me thinking something rude.
I was just thinking something a little rude, okay? If she finds out about this, I won’t be able to think about anything else.
“Should we go slowly?”
I know this is just a normal tunnel, nothing special, so I’m not scared at all. That’s probably why the two of them find me so reassuring. Maybe, just for this moment, I look cooler than Saotome.
“You’re going too fast!”
“I’m not going fast.”
We’re walking pretty slowly. I mean, we haven’t moved at all from the starting point.
“More importantly, who’s that person behind Sarasa-chan?”
“Huh? Who? Is there someone behind me!?”
Since Niiro can’t see behind her, she closes her eyes tight, looks down, and shivers.
“Ah, I must have seen wrong.”
“Stop lying in a situation like this!”
She looks at me with eyes that look like they’re about to cry. When she says it like that, I feel guilty. But she’s also kind of cute, so it’s a problem.
So, what’s up with Hisada-chan? I think she’s scared because she’s clinging to me, but she’s expressionless. Is she possessed or something? This isn’t a haunted spot, though?
“Haruka-chan smells nice. I wanna use the same fabric softener, so tell me later, okay?”
“…You’re seriously creepy no matter what. Just sew your mouth shut already.”
“I’m not good at tying knots, so I’ll need your help then.”
“…I’ll make sure it can never be undone.”
Phew, thank goodness. It’s just the usual Hisada-chan. “Sew your mouth shut” is something you just can’t say to a normal person.
But more importantly, Saotome and Fumi-senpai are watching from afar. They’re not flirting. Opportunities like this to flirt are rare!
This is where I shine. Creating flirting opportunities like this is my job.
“Waaah!!”
“Bii!”
My plan: suddenly yell loudly to startle them, causing Saotome to instinctively clinged. I need an excuse for the cling, so this gives me a reason to keep doing it.
My sudden yell startled Niiro, who was next to me.
“Hm~”
“I’m really sorry.”
Niiro glared at me, tears welling in her eyes as she trembled. Seeing her teary eyes made me feel guilty, so I apologized right away.
Saotome and Fumi-senpai just glanced back at me. Then, as if nothing had happened, they started walking again. …Couldn’t you at least say something?
Fumi-senpai didn’t react the way I expected, and I made Niiro cry. I shouldn’t have done that.
…Bam!
Right! Niiro iro wasn’t the only one next to me—Hisada-chan was there too! I didn’t even need to look to know she was definitely angry.
“…?”
When I looked at Hisada-chan, she just stared blankly.
Huh? She’s not… angry. She’d definitely be angry normally… I already checked she wasn’t possessed earlier, so maybe she’s just in a good mood?
Well, safe for now, I guess.
“Aren’t you scared, Mizuno?”
“I’m fine with this kind of thing.”
Forget that this is just a tunnel—I suddenly overcame it. When I was little, I was scared to sleep alone and would sleep with my grandma, but I got used to it as I got older.
“Ah, but I can’t watch horror movies.”
That’s different. The people making those movies are seriously trying to scare you, so of course you get startled, scared, and sometimes it’s gross—I don’t watch them myself.
“Relax, you two. I’ll switch pairs next time.”
The pair with Fumi-senpai and Saotome didn’t work out so well, so I’ll at least change the pairs to boost these two’s favorability.
“?”
“…?”
Even if you look all cute and confused like that, I know you two like Saotome. It’s obvious, so it’s pointless.
You two think you’re not caught? You’re really cute.
What I don’t want you to misunderstand is that Saotome’s high likability isn’t just his own doing. It’s because I’m creepy that Saotome’s coolness stands out.
The fact that it’s the two of you is key. Even if you don’t intend to compare, because I’m creepy, whatever Saotome does ends up looking cool. With three people, it’d just be average, average, creepy, so it wouldn’t work as well. With two, it’s creepy, creepy, then the opposite—cool. That’s why my creepiness is absolutely essential.
I’m gonna keep going full throttle with the creepiness!
“Both of you, relax and just follow me.”
“Creepy.”
“…Creepy.”
“Ah, I’m not creepy yet.”
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