Vol. 2 Chapter 71 – The Irregular Double Date (5)

“Ughh… So scary… Reiya-kuun…” (Hikaru)

Once again, Hikaru’s voice trembled (deliberately) as she hugged me tightly.

Although it was pitch black, at this distance, I could see her face clearly.

She was trying hard to make her eyes watery, but there wasn’t a single tear in sight.

If anything, the corners of her mouth were slightly turned up, and she wasn’t hiding her smirk at all.

“Uh, um…” (Reiya)

While the burlap sack continued to twitch and thrash beside me, I searched for words.

“If you’re scared, apparently you can retire midway through…” (Reiya)

We had been explained beforehand that this haunted house had emergency exits in each section for people who got too scared to continue.

So, even though I was 99.99% sure she was acting, I asked just in case—

“No way! I’m not doing that!” (Hikaru)

She answered instantly, without even a 0.01-second pause.

“So, that means you’re okay…?” (Reiya)

“Nope! I’m super, super scared, I can’t help it, but if I cling to your arm like thiiiis… then I’ll be okay!!” (Hikaru)

She said it in such a clear, bright voice that it felt as if the pitch-black room had momentarily brightened.

“…In that case, we should get going. The group behind us will catch up.” (Reiya)

“Okay!” (Hikaru)

Resigning myself, I offered my arm as a sacrifice, and just as declared, she hugged it tightly.

Plan Z… Could it be that this was her goal from the very beginning…?

With such suspicions floating in my mind, we started walking again.

We passed through the Specimen Storage Room where the burlap sack was thrashing about and went out into the corridor again.

“It’s dark and scary~” (Hikaru)

“You’ll be fine if you watch your step.” (Reiya)

While soothing Hikaru, who was continuing her incredibly bad acting beside me, I looked ahead at the path.

It was a long, straight corridor, probably about 20 meters.

There was no way it was empty.

There had to be some kind of scare tactic hidden somewhere.

If this were a game and I were the designer, how would I place the horror…?

Inside one of the obviously placed overturned lockers?

Or perhaps from that blatantly fragile-looking door on the left?

Feeling like I was solving a puzzle, I advanced step by step down the corridor.

And so, just as I reached the midpoint, I noticed a mark on the window to my right.

I see… The next moment—

—FLAP FLAP FLAP!!

Countless hands reached out from under the window frame and began to bang on the glass.

“Ugh…” (Reiya)

I was a little startled, but this probably wasn’t the main event.

If it were me, once I’d focused their attention to the right, I’d then attack from the left rear—

“AAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!” (Zombie)

As expected, a zombie (an actor in costume) burst through the blatantly fragile-looking door.

“Look out, Hikaru! Run for it—” (Reiya)

Paying respect to their convincing performance, I tried to fully commit to the act as well, but…

“Mmm… I’m too scared to move, so can you carry me?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru held out her arms, her voice sweet and unfitting for this urgent situation.

“C-carry you…?” (Reiya)

“Mmm… Carry me…” (Hikaru)

She pleaded with eyes like a calf being led to slaughter.

“AAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!” (Zombie)

Meanwhile, the zombie was closing in on us.

“I-I’ll do it later… Look, we have to hurry and escape now.” (Reiya)

“I want it now, or not at all.” (Hikaru)

She had completely entered stubborn child mode.

I knew better than anyone that once she got like this, neither a lever nor a zombie could move her.

“Aghh… ah… ahh…” (Zombie)

The zombie couldn’t just catch up to us as we stood still, so it drastically slowed its pace about 5 meters away.

“Ah… ah, ahh?” (Zombie)

While maintaining its act, it seemed to inquire, ‘Is something wrong?’

I sent an eye-contact message: ‘It’s nothing, please continue.’

It began to stomp its feet in place, looking troubled.

Hikaru, on the other hand, showed no signs of giving up and still had her arms outstretched.

You carried a stranger’s kid you just met, but you won’t carry me.

That silent pressure was far scarier than the zombie.

“Alright, I’ll try until that corner, so please forgive me with that…” (Reiya)

“A princess carry, okay?” (Hikaru)

“…Yes.” (Reiya)

The moment I conceded to her first small request, she immediately pushed through with the next, bigger one.

Truly, the door-in-the-face technique 2.0.

If she’d gone into sales, she probably would have conquered the world…

Thinking such thoughts, I got down on one knee.

“Hold on tight, okay? Otherwise, I might drop you.” (Reiya)

“Moo~… If you say so, Reiya-kun, I guess I have no choice~…” (Hikaru)

As if she’d obtained a noble cause, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

Confirming that Hikaru was securely on my raised knee, I then put my arm under the back of her knees.

All the while, behind us, the zombie continued to make appropriate groaning sounds, ‘Ahh… Aaghh…’ so as not to break character.

“Okay, I’m lifting… Hup!” (Reiya)

Putting all my strength into my legs, I stood up straight and smoothly.

I-I did it… This is a princess carry…!

Was it the power of love, or perhaps superhuman strength in a crisis?

My spirits soared at having been able to lift my girlfriend with my own strength, but—

S-so heavy…

At this point, both my arms and knees were already screaming.

But naturally, I couldn’t utter such words even if it killed me.

It wasn’t that Hikaru was heavy; I was just too weak.

First off, I wanted praise just for managing to get into this position.

Still, honestly, I couldn’t take another step from here.

If I recklessly tried and dropped her, causing an injury, it would be a disaster.

It was the moment I was about to beg her forgiveness, asking her to be content with just being lifted this time.

…Huh? Did something get lighter…?

The tremendous load on my entire body suddenly lightened by a degree.

Wondering what on earth had happened, I turned around—

“Uuugh… Aaargh…” (Zombie)

The zombie was supporting my body from behind.

Determined not to break character no matter what, nothing but groans still came from its mouth.

But I clearly heard a voice say, ‘Don’t look back… Go!’

Receiving strong support both physically and mentally, I advanced step by step towards the end of the corridor.

Hikaru, while verbally saying, “Scary, scary,” was happily swaying her body.

And so, I somehow managed to carry her to the end of the corridor.

“Aww… It’s over…” (Hikaru)

Next to me, as I panted heavily, Hikaru said with genuine disappointment.

“W-we have to round the corner… and escape quickly…” (Reiya)

To show respect to the zombie who had accompanied us this far, I also maintained the act.

We managed to turn the corner just as we were about to be caught.

The zombie, on the other hand, continued with its momentum and burst through the door at the front of the corridor.

I watched its retreating figure, respecting its professional spirit.

“That was really scary, wasn’t it~. Well, shall we go to the next one?” (Hikaru)

Oblivious to the mysterious bond that had formed between me and the zombie, Hikaru held out her hand with a completely unconcerned expression.

I took it, and we proceeded along the path once more.

After that, Hikaru feigned terror many more times (deliberately), making various demands each time.

“If you pat me gently, maybe I won’t be scared…” (Hikaru)

“If you hug me tightly from the front for 10 seconds, maybe my legs will stop shaking…” (Hikaru)

“I’m tired from being scared, so give me a piggyback ride~…” (Hikaru)

Continuing through the labyrinth that had now transformed into a different kind of attraction for twenty minutes—

After passing the tenth checkpoint, I put Hikaru down from the piggyback ride.

The current operating room had multiple actors, and the production was quite elaborate.

I sensed that this long haunted house experience was finally nearing its end.

I had to get outside quickly and end Hikaru’s stubborn child mode, or I wouldn’t last much longer.

Thinking that, I tried to take her hand and move forward, but—

“Hm…?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru remained standing still, staring intently at my face.

“What’s wrong? Come on, we have to go quickly.” (Reiya)

I said that and pulled her hand again, but she didn’t move, as if nailed to the spot.

If anything, it looked like she was digging her heels in to resist my pull.

“…Can’t move anymore?” (Reiya)

“Because you’re scared? Or tired?” (Hikaru)

“Nope, this is probably that… a curse! A curse that makes me unable to move!” (Hikaru)

“A-a curse…?” (Reiya)

“Yeah… I think this was probably a real cursed hospital…! Because we were having fun in such a place, we got cursed by a vengeful spirit filled with resentment…!” (Hikaru)

I was bewildered by her, who was explaining this suddenly sprouted, mysterious setting with a dead-serious tone.

“…So, what am I supposed to do?” (Reiya)

“Well… throughout all ages and cultures, there’s only one way to break a curse, right?!” (Hikaru)

“Dispel Magic? A 1d20 roll to break the curse?” (Reiya)

“Wroong!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction at my joke.

“Then, what should I do?” (Reiya)

“…Mm!” (Hikaru)

Leaning her supposedly immobile body forward, she silently puckered her lips.

“…So, what does that mean?” (Reiya)

“I’m saying… when it comes to breaking a curse, there’s nothing but a prince’s kiss, right…?” (Hikaru)

As Hikaru narrowed her eyes at me as if to say, ‘You’re slow on the uptake, aren’t you…’ all I could do was retort in my mind, ‘This isn’t that kind of fairytale world, is it?’