CH ss - 8

SS 8: The Girlfriend Who Ended Up Doing a Courage Test Despite Fearing the School’s Seven Mysteries

Translated by: chocolalaEdited by: Seiryuu

“Phew, we advanced quite a lot. Shall we stop here?”

In the literature club room as usual. The RPG that Yuzu and I had been playing had advanced to just a nice place to take a break, so I stretched my body and suggested that to Yuzu.

“Yup. It’s getting darker too. Let’s call it a day.” Yuzu, who was sitting on a pipe chair while holding the controller, agreed as she viewed the dusk glow from the window. Both of us tidied up the game console and then reached out to our bags that were left on the table.

“Ah…. I forgot my math textbook in the classroom. I have to use that to do the homework… I need to take it back.” At that moment, Yuzu murmured with a sullen face as she looked into her bag.

“Shall I accompany you?”

“Nope. It’s just a textbook, Yamato-kun, you can return home first.”

“Um, I’ll wait.” I would feel a bit guilty if I were to let Yuzu return home alone, and the daytime was getting shorter lately.

“Thanks.” Yuzu joyfully smiled in response to my words.

I turned shy from that and looked outside the window, and the sunset view entered my eyes.

“…….By the way, this is right around the time when the school’s Seven Mysteries appear.” The red glow of the setting sun made me recall the rumours I heard somewhere before.

“Seven Mysteries? Wow, our school even has that.” Apparently, it was Yuzu’s first time hearing this, so she was a little surprised.

“Yeah. In our school’s academic building, there are only four storeys, right? However, only during twilight when the stairs are bathed in a red glow, you can go up to the phantom fifth floor. Well, it’s unknown whether you can return once you go up though.”

“Ph-phantom fifth floor?”

“Yep, by the way, even if you notice it halfway up and try to go back down, you won’t reach the first floor no matter how long you go. Once you start going up the stairway, it’s like you’ve entered a different realm…something like that.”

Well, this was pure rumours like you can find anywhere else. Nevertheless, it was out of season to be telling a ghost story1. Let’s stop the talk about the school’s Seven Mysteries here.

“I-I can’t. Now I can’t go to the classroom anymore.” Suddenly Yuzu retracted what she just said before.

“What’s wrong so suddenly? Yuzu who even put her life at stake just to keep a beautiful facade actually intends to skip doing homeworks?”

“How can I go now! Just why did you tell me such stories just before I was about to go to the classroom! Now I cannot go there alone! I’m also scared to return home alone, so you have to send me to my house!” When I looked closely, Yuzu’s face was pale. So she was really scared about the school’s Seven Mysteries.

“I’m sorry. I never thought you’d be scared to that point. I got it, I’ll accompany you as I planned before.”

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“Wuuuu….. Make sure you don’t go far away from me, okay?” Yuzu clutched on the hem of my shirt tightly.

We left the literature club room in that condition and walked through the corridor.

“The sunset glows red…. Very eerie…. Yamato-kun, please make it daytime again.”

“Finally your request has gone beyond human means. That’s impossible no matter how, I’m sorry for being such an incompetent boyfriend.”

I matched Yuzu’s pace that had slowed due to the fright, so we moved quite slow and eventually reached the stairway in the story.

“We-we have to go up here….”

“Do you think you can do it?” I glanced at her face out of worry, and I saw her shaking her head sideways repeatedly.

“I don’t think I can! Let’s change the plan! Let’s go to the rooftop using a helicopter, and then use a rope to go down to the classroom, how about that!?”

“You think you’re a rescue team?! If you can spend that much money, just buy a new textbook already!” When I thought about it again, there was no need for me to bring Yuzu along, was there?

“Um, if you’re that scared, how about you just wait here? I’ll go take it.” I suggested that, but Yuzu teared up on the spot.

“Eh, no! Don’t leave me here! Just stay beside me forever! I can’t live without Yamato-kun!”

“Now you suddenly blurted out things like a super needy woman! If people happen to overhear that, they would think we’re having a breakup talk here, so please quit it, okay!?” I looked over here and there, and fortunately, I didn’t see any other students.

‘Phew…. We’re safe.’

“I-I got it. Let’s go together.” It was quite dangerous to have my hem being pulled while going up the stairs, so I grabbed Yuzu’s hand and we started to go up together.

At that instant, Yuzu’s cold palm gripped my hand tighter in return.

“Wuuu… Have we entered a different realm? I don’t bring my passport or whatever, is this considered as an illegal entry?”

“I don’t think so…..”

“If we can’t return, would we permanently stay in the different realm….. If that’s so, our last academic achievement is only middle school, you know? Can we even find a job…. What should we do if the different realm prioritises academic backgrounds….”

“We’ll surely find it if we search….”

“Really….. Ah, how do we transfer our residence records…. And it’s difficult for minors to rent houses too…..”

“Just what are you worrying about since just now! You, you’re actually not that scared, are you!?”

Yuzu was this kind of peculiar person at the strangest things. As we talked about this and that, we finally reached the classroom.

“It has finally gotten totally dark… You see, it has passed twilight, so you can rest easy now.”

“O-okay.” I watched Yuzu as she walked to her desk, and I just had a glimpse at the windows. Because we slowly walked following the pace of the scared Yuzu, the sun had fully set, and the outside was already dark.

“Ah, the time for the Seven Mysteries is already over. There’s no fear of getting dragged to a different realm now.”

“I-I’m so relieved…..” Yuzu held the textbook and released a long sigh of relief. Or so I thought, suddenly she puffed out her chest.

“Well, I don’t believe it from the start after all! Such superstitious!”

Hey, you changed attitudes so fast there.

“You sure talk big while being such a scaredy-cat before.” I guess I already had enough of her BS so I retorted, but it didn’t affect her at all.

“Well, you see, that was me trying to please you by playing a cute, scared girl! How was it? Did that itch your protective desire over me?” She was making a smug face like never before.

I was slightly annoyed, so I flashed the brightest smile I could and decided to use my trump card.

“Hmmm, so that was only an act. There’s one of the Seven Mysteries that happens in the classroom at night, but I kept silent about it to avoid frightening you, then is it okay to tell you now?”

“Wh-what did you say…..!?” Yuzu was obviously flustered, maybe she didn’t expect me to attack.

However, I gave her no mercy. Before she could return her composure, I started telling the story.

“In this school, when students stay until late in the classroom-“

“Wa-wait~~~” Yuzu hurriedly cut in to stop me from talking, and it was at that instant.

It should be a coincidence, but the closed door to the classroom suddenly opened with a bang.

“Uwaaa.” It opened at such perfect timing, I raised my voice in awe.

“Eh, there are still students here.” When I looked behind me, there was a guard who was doing a patrol round.

“We’re sorry, we’ll go home soon.”

“Alright. It’s already dark, so be careful going home.” The guard friendly greeted us, and he went to another classroom for his round.

“So…” I shifted my gaze away from the door and looked at the most beloved girlfriend.

Perhaps due to overwhelming fear, she ended up silently slumping down on the floor.

“What’s wrong? For you to sit down there.”

“Ca-can’t stand….” When I asked, she answered with a falsetto voice. Seemed like she was rendered to be unable to stand.

“Oh, by the way, back to the story just now, when students stayed back in the classroom until late at night, a lady dyed in blood will enter from the back door, and drag those students to somewhere not in this world, as the rumour said.”

“Why are you mentioning that at this time!?” My horrible additional blow made her tear up.

“No, because you said you weren’t scared so it should be okay to tell you that. Well then, let’s return home. You see, Yuzu, if you don’t stand up, I’ll just leave you here.”

“Wait!? As you can see, I cannot stand up! Wait a minute!”

“Haha, are you joking? Yuzu-chan who doesn’t believe the Seven Mysteries from the beginning can never get scared to the point that you can’t stand up just by hearing those.”

“I was rude just now! I lied! I, am sooo scared!” Yuzu instantly retracted her words back then, and I again showed her my best smile.

“Hey, hey, is that another lie to trigger my protective desire? I won’t be deceived for the second time around.”

“This is just like the boy and the wolf!”

“If you can spout such cunning lies, you’re okay by yourself I guess. Well then, I’ll go first.” I left Yuzu where she was, and trudged to the exit.

“Waaaait!? It was my fault! I really apologize from the bottom of my heart! So please! Don’t leave me alone!”

“Thanks for today-“

“Yamato-kuuun!?”

Afterwards, I bade my time until Yuzu seemed to fully reflect on her actions and then went to collect her before carrying her on my back on the way home, but that’s another story.

Footnotes

In Japan, it’s widely practiced to tell ghost stories during summer, a theory says that’ll cause you to sweat so you can cool down on hot nights.