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Chapter 5 – Horror
The weather is good today.
The clear blue sky spreads out beyond the window.
Sure enough, today…
It seems like I can finally have a pleasant trip to school. Should I take some detours? I open the front door with such thoughts on my mind.
“G’morning, Kii.”
“… Not again? You really don’t learn your lesson, do you?”
Perhaps I should hire an exorcist.
Should I look for one in the yellow pages?
Good grief, is this guy a M?
There’s no doubt he’s some sort of pervert.
For him to be able to show up all fine and dandy despite how we parted ways yesterday, something in him is broken.
“I’d love to spend the whole day with you today.”
“‘Whole’? … It’s Wednesday today, you know?”
I look at him while suppressing the surfacing gooseb.u.mps.
Is it okay for you to not go to the character whose favourability rating raises easily today?
Sheesh, can it be that it’s already MAXed so there’s no need to go?
“Didn’t you tell me yesterday? I thought I understood you, but that wasn’t the case. I want to get to know you. Can’t we start over? From our first meeting, when that feather was picked up…”
“…”
When that feather was picked up――.
I was happy.
That I was able to find the rumoured Feather of Destiny with this person.
As though it was telling me that this person was my destined one.
Now that I think of it, I might have fallen in love that very first instance I saw him.
However, it had been nothing but『lies』.
“That’s… obviously impossible!”
Perhaps even the feelings of love I have are created by the『system』.
I don’t even know what’s『real』anymore.
Nah, such a thing doesn’t matter.
Be it truth or lie, it won’t hurt as long as I don’t get involved.
My chest doesn’t have to feel all p.r.i.c.kly.
“Don’t bother with me!”
I ran away.
Enough is enough; don’t unsettle me anymore!
※※※
()
I head to school in a quick pace and as fatigue plague me both physically and mentally, the lesson for the first period ends.
Although there isn’t much time till the next lesson, my friends and I leave the cla.s.sroom and head to the corridor where we chat while looking at the scenery outside the window…
“Kii.”
“Yikes!”
I believe it can’t be helped that I let out a scream.
It’s scary.
From the flow of events yesterday and this morning, how is he able to appear as per usual!?
Are your nerves connected normally!
How do I get rid of you?
Seriously, what the heck…
“Kii, senpai is calling you!”
My friend hit my shoulder with what seems like excitement.
Don’t worry, I can see him. Unfortunately.
If he’s a ghost…it’d great if he’s a ghost bound to the school…
Gross-man, with his handsome features, is also popular with the general students.
Even my friends applied pressure by telling me ‘Don’t make senpai wait!’.
“I’ll be going to the restroom.”
“Eh? What about senpai!?”
Leaving that guy and my friends behind, I escaped to the toilet.
The toilet is really the greatest ‘safe area’ where there’s no encounters to be had, huh.
Aah, this really gives me a peace of mind.
I waited for the chime that indicates the start of lessons before I returned to the cla.s.sroom.
I was chased around for the subsequent break times too and finally started to sense the danger.
Gross-man’s face appearing before my eyes when I wake up in the morning…KYAAAAH! The aforementioned seems so likely to happen that it’s frightening.
The genre of ‘Destinied Gakuen’[1] isn’t romance, but horror, right?
“Hm?”
Somehow managing give gross-man the slip, I returned to the cla.s.sroom only to be surrounded by friends I’m on good terms with.
“Hey, Kii. That’s rude to Aoi-senpai.”
“That’s right. Do you know how envious everyone is? How disagreeable!”
“Eh…”
Although they aren’t truly enraged, their expressions are unamused.
Even the girls watching from a distance are giving out the same feeling.
What on earth’s with this event…
Dammit, making allies out of the girls…!
The cla.s.sroom is completely transformed into the opposing team’s turf.
… It feels uncomfortable.
To take away even the place I belong, I can’t forgive you more and more, Kagurazaka Aoi!
Without any allies, I can only struggle on my own.
Don’t lose, me!
“Kii!”
Persistent! So noisy, going ‘Kii’, ‘Kii’!
Why is he so unrelenting, I wonder.
How tenacious.
This stickiness is at a level where it’ll shock even a natto yuru-chara.
I feel annoyed everytime I think about how the criticism towards me piles up while the favourability rating towards gross-man increases when more female students spot us as I fled.
The world is unreasonable.
I hasten my pace, wanting to give him the slip this time too.
Gross-man, too, pursued in order to not be given the slip.
As I moved while looking for a place to hide, a hand stretched out from a cla.s.sroom I pa.s.sed by and pulled my arm.
What’s going on!? I panicked, but the one who pulled me wasn’t gross-man but he, the supreme background character.
“Kii-chan!”
“Ah, A… I mean, Ei-kun!”
“This way!”
I enter the cla.s.sroom with my arm still being pulled. It’s the first-years’ cla.s.sroom.
Something is written on the blackboard.
Apparently the committee Ei-kun is in had a meeting.
Moreover, it seems to have ended not long ago and everyone else had left.
“Thank you. But, why…?”
“I saw Kagurazaka-senpai looking for you just now, so I wondered if you were fleeing.”
For a cla.s.smate whom I’m not on particularly close terms with to figure out the situation… it sure hurts my stomach.
“Kii-chan!”
My thoughts were about to sink in the sea of defeat but having my hands suddenly grasped brought my consciousness back.
My two hands were enveloped and held tightly.
Eh? What’s happening?
“All of us guys believe Kii-chan! We believe that Kii-chan will be the last fortress!”
“…?”
What is he talking about?
I don’t quite get it, but he appears to have some kind of expectation.
He’s staring at me with shining eyes.
“A-also… I promised not to steal a march but… I…!”
Although I completely don’t understand what’s going on, Ei-kun’s growing increasingly pa.s.sionate.
The strength he put in his hands also continue to increase.
“Um… my hands hurt.”
“Ah, sorry.”
I feel bad for doing this when he’s getting fired up, but I cannot remain all laidback here.
“Sorry, I’ll be going, okay. Thanks!”
“Ah, wait a moment, I still haven’t…!”
He seems to have something to say, but let’s leave it till next time.
As I open the door and step forward… I slam into something in front.
… It’s a person.
“Kii.”
“YIKESSS!
I’ll likely be dead if it really is a horror game.
Nonetheless, my heart’s beating so rapidly it’s probably enough to kill me.
I returned to the cla.s.sroom in a panic and hid behind Ei-kun.
Save me, background character-kun!
Erohim Essaim![3]
“You are…”
When I peeked out as I hid behind the shield that is Ei-kun, I saw that he[4] had a grim expression on.
Rather than grim… it’s scary.
It’s quite intense when such an expression is made with a well-chiselled face.
Even Ei-kun faltered.
Don’t lose, background character-kun!
“Ki-kii-chan does not like it! Please do not chase her around!”
“Scram.”
“Uu.”
Why are you throwing in the towel from a single word? Do your best!
My eyes met with Ei-kun who appears like he wants to run away, so I shot him a ‘Save me!’ gaze.
You are the true ‘last fortress’!
Perhaps my feelings got through; Ei-kun’s face reddened and he prepped himself, drawing close to that guy.
“I-I don’t want to!”
… He’s doing his best!
What a nice person!
Even though I’m using you as bait and biding my time!
“Such a plain… guy like the previous me…”
The sc.u.m’s muttering about something.
He seems to be acting weird somehow.
The furrow between his brows deepen and the glint in his eyes grows sharper.
I can almost see a black aura.
“Ei-kun, sorry!”
“Kii-chan!?”
I will not waste your valuable sacrifice!
Seeing a good opportunity, I dash out and escape from the door on the opposite side.
My feet did not stop although I saw the two’s shocked expressions.
Ei-kun, it’s regrettable losing you…
… Let’s apologise next time.
[1] Shortened version of the game’s t.i.tle, ‘Hanazono Gakuen ～The Destinied Encounter～’.
[2] Yuru-chara: a type of j.a.panese mascot character. Natto: Sticky fermented soybeans. Type of food.
[3] Link. This chant appeared in Ak.u.ma-kun as a spell to summon demons and in Shigatsu Kimi no Uso before a character before her concours.
[4] Aoi.