Vol. 2 Chapter 70 – The Irregular Double Date (4)

To execute Plan Z, Taiju and Ichiru headed towards the haunted house.

We, the two in the rear guard, continued to follow them without being noticed—

Labyrinth of Shivers Ritsuai General Hospital

We arrived in front of a building with those ominous words written on it.

“This is… more intense than I expected…” (Reiya)

“Yeah, I thought it was a real abandoned hospital…” (Hikaru)

The building we looked up at was eerie enough to be mistaken for a genuinely cursed, abandoned hospital if not for the attraction sign.

Inside, it was a walk-through type haunted house themed around a hospital, with a total walking distance of nearly one kilometer.

Just as advertised as one of its main attractions, the fear and scream levels were set to maximum, just like the roller coasters.

“Is he going to be okay… Taiju-san…” (Reiya)

“Hmm… He’ll be fine! Probably!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru declared with an incredibly bright voice.

For today at least, this extreme positivity of hers couldn’t help but make me anxious.

As I was thinking that while watching the two of them enter—

“Well, shall we go too?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru pulled my hand and started walking towards the haunted house where the other two had gone.

“Eh?! A-are we going too?” (Reiya)

“Of course, otherwise we can’t see what’s happening… Besides, since we came all the way to an amusement park, don’t you want to enjoy at least one attraction?” (Hikaru)

“Well, that’s true, but…” (Reiya)

“Ah, could it be… you’re scared of haunted houses?” (Hikaru)

Under her mask, her lips curled into a grin as she peered into my face.

“No, I’m not particularly scared, but…” (Reiya)

“Reallyyy…?” (Hikaru)

“Really, really. I’ve played most of the horror games that become popular.” (Reiya)

“Aww, man… I wanted to see you scared, Reiya-kun…” (Hikaru)

Deciding my words weren’t just bravado, Hikaru looked openly disappointed.

“What about you, Hikaru? Are you okay with scary stuff?” (Reiya)

“Me too, I’m totally fi—… No! Actually, I’m super scared!!” (Hikaru)

Swallowing the words she was about to say midway, Hikaru suddenly started acting exaggeratedly frightened.

“R-really…?” (Reiya)

“Yeah! I’m so scared, so scared, my hands and feet are already trembling like crazy!” (Hikaru)

Contrary to her words, she was tugging me along forcefully, as if she couldn’t wait to go in.

That strength was by no means that of someone whose limbs were shaking from fear.

“If you’re that scared, should we skip it? This one looks incredibly scary…” (Reiya)

“No! We’re going! It’s true, I’m super scared, but… I have a duty to see those two through! I’m really, really scared! Ahh… scary, scary, so scary…” (Hikaru)

Led by Hikaru, whose tone was incredibly insincere, I followed the other two into the building.

Being a main attraction, it wasn’t just the exterior that was elaborate.

The inside was also made to look like a real abandoned hospital, and despite it being a summer afternoon, the atmosphere alone sent a strange chill down my spine.

Upon entering, we were first led to a waiting room-like area.

We were told that hats and sunglasses were not allowed inside, so we took them off, returning to our bare faces.

Still, in this darkness, we probably wouldn’t be noticed unless we got too close.

We sat in seats a little apart from the other two and received instructions from a staff member.

Once that was over, a video about the lore of this abandoned hospital began to play on a monitor.

It was a common, cliché story: once a large general hospital, strange phenomena began to occur one after another at some point…

From the surroundings, I could already hear the voices of children starting to whimper and the conversations of couples trying to laugh it off but whose voices were trembling.

As for me, I was more impressed, thinking, ‘They’ve done a good job making this as entertainment.’

Perhaps due to my involvement in game development, albeit on a small scale, I tended to focus more on analyzing it as a work rather than enjoying it straightforwardly.

“Could it be that you’re really not scared at all…?” (Hikaru)

As I was thinking about such things, Hikaru peered at me from the side with a suspicious, fixed stare.

“Yeah, seems like it. Rather than scary, it feels more like, ‘Wow, this is well-made,’ you know?” (Reiya)

“Hmm…” (Hikaru)

She pouted slightly, somewhat dissatisfied, perhaps because some expectation of hers had been missed.

As we waited while watching the video, our group’s turn came.

The people who had been lined up in front of us were sent off into the depths of the corridor, each holding a flashlight emitting a faint light.

“Please proceed, watch your step.” (Staff)

Our turn reached the front, and Taiju and Ichiru stood up.

In addition to the dimness, their backs were turned to us, so I couldn’t see their expressions.

However, just before they disappeared into the darkness of the corridor, I thought I saw, for just a fleeting moment, Ichiru anxiously clutching the hem of Taiju’s shirt… or so it seemed.

While I was pondering what that might mean, our turn arrived.

“Well, shall we go?” (Reiya)

“Yeah!” (Hikaru)

Receiving a cheerful reply unsuited to this situation, I took her hand.

Flashlight in one hand, I stepped into the darkness.

Once we rounded the first corner, all signs of people vanished, and a silence fell where only our own footsteps could be heard.

Naturally, our vision was almost completely stolen by the darkness, and our only guides were the flashlight in hand and small guide lights.

Even if I wasn’t scared per se, a little tension arose from wondering what might pop out.

“Are we going over there?” (Hikaru)

“Probably. It’s faintly lit.” (Reiya)

Walking along the designated path, we arrived at what seemed to be the first location.

Above an open doorway, a sign reading ‘Specimen Storage Room’ glowed faintly.

Alright, what’s going to come out?

With a feeling that was half nervousness and half excitement, I passed through the doorway and entered.

Inside, as the sign indicated, it seemed to be a room for storing various specimens.

When I shone the flashlight around, I saw jars containing organs and strange insects lined up on shelves.

“Ugh… Gross… These aren’t real, are they?” (Hikaru)

“Of course not. But they’re well-made down to the details. Maybe they put some machinery inside, they’re twitching and stuff… Hey, what’s with that look…?” (Reiya)

“Nothing really… Just thinking you’re really not scared at all…” (Hikaru)

Saying that, she narrowed her eyes at me again with that fixed stare.

“Well, if that’s the case, I have my ways…” (Hikaru)

While tilting my head at Hikaru, who muttered something incomprehensible, we walked further in.

It was immediately after that I learned firsthand the meaning of her suspiciousness.

We were walking along the path created by the shelves, and just as we reached the middle of the room—

—THWACK!!

A burlap sack on a nearby desk, just about large enough to hold a person, jumped.

My body tried to tremble in a physiological reaction to that blatant jump scare, but—

“Kyaa!! So scary!!” (Hikaru)

Before that could happen, Hikaru leaped onto me with the force of a Raccoon City dog.

She held onto me with all her might, her arms wrapped around me, and something soft and squishy pressed against my side.

That action and sensation blew away any remaining fear and tension from my mind.

“So scaaary, scary scary… It’s so scaaary…” (Hikaru)

And what was left instead was just a feeling of bewilderment.

I-it’s so obviously fake, I don’t know how to react…