Ever since I confessed, she has been acting strange. - CHAPTER 4: THE DUEL BETWEEN THE YOUNG LADY AND THE SINGER

Episode 20: First Step – Hanehira Otoha (2)

…This was unexpected.

According to the information I researched beforehand, this horror attraction is very popular among couples. …And apparently there are many stories of people becoming a couple because of this attraction.

Besides, in a haunted house, I could naturally hold on to Eito while pretending to be scared. It was the perfect plan… or so I thought.

However, I soon realized that there was a fatal flaw in the plan I, Hanehira Otoha, had devised.

(…Come to think of it, I’m not afraid of such things at all.)

An old Western-style mansion with an eerie atmosphere, puppets that tremble and make noises by themselves, and even that skeletal monster that just appeared… None of them frighten me at all. Because I’m not scared, I can’t find the right time to act scared. At this rate, I won’t be able to create the perfect moment with Eito.

(…It’s too early to give up.)

First of all, I have to admit that I overlooked something in my plan. But that doesn’t mean I can’t change things.

This haunted house is still in its infancy. The deeper we go, the more elaborate and terrifying the scares will be.

(…First, I’m going to wait for a big scare. When it comes, I’ll scream, ‘Kyaa! Perfect.)

With my revised plan in mind, I continue to move forward with Eito through the haunted house. …My eyes get used to the darkness. Since I have some knowledge of how these kinds of attractions work, I can kind of tell where the scares are going to pop up.

(Now all I need is a big one… Something so terrifying that I will naturally cling to Eito in fear. Once that happens, everything will be perfect…!)

…A bl00d soaked dog with exposed bones. Nope. Next.

…A zombie with knives sticking out all over his body. Meh. Next.

…A tasteless sculpture made of human bones. Not enough impact. Next.

“Phew… We’ve come pretty far. We’ve reached the upper floor, so we must be nearing the end, right?”

“…!?!”

No way. While I was busy analyzing the scares and waiting for the perfect timing, we had somehow made it to the final stage…!

“Otoha-san?”

“It’s nothing.”

I never expected such a highly rated haunted house to be so underwhelming.

If Hoshine was involved in the design, they should have made some real improvements. At this rate, I’ll just end up enjoying the attraction normally with Eito and… huh?

Would that really be so bad…?

(…No. For now, no matter what comes next, I’ll make sure to act scared!)

Steeling myself, I move forward, hoping for a real scare.

…Okay. There are still a few scares left. If I open this door, something is bound to appear.

Praying that it’s something really scary, I slowly push the door open.

“This place is…”

Beyond the door was a room covered in thread-like strands that stretched in all directions.

Hanging from the strings were… human figures (or at least mannequins made to resemble them).

Scattered across the floor were human bones (again, fake ones).

And at the far end of the room –

A massive spider (also fake), its bl00d-red eyes glowing menacingly. Covered in fur-like skin, it twitched its multiple legs in an eerie, unsettling motion as if to welcome us.

“…Haaah.”

I was disappointed.

Why a giant spider? It feels like they just took the easy way out and relied too much on the “dark western mansion” setting. They could have done better. If it’s a mansion, a vampire would have made more sense… No, that’s not the point.

This is probably the last scare. There’s nothing better coming. I have no choice but to make do with this giant spider.

“K-Kyaa. So scary~”.

Now I just have to hold on to Eito-no, wait. That didn’t work. If I do it now, it won’t have much effect. This room only has the spider… I have to sell the fear more.

Making a split-second decision, I turn and run out of the room as if running away from the giant spider.

“O-Otoha-san!?”

I ignore Eito’s surprised reaction and continue running through the dimly lit mansion. Running, running, running-

And then…

“…I’m lost.”

The moment I find myself alone, I remember something important. It’s not that I don’t have a sense of direction… I just have a unique way of perceiving it.

“…What am I even doing?”

I take a deep breath, suddenly feeling strangely calm.

Somehow, everything I’ve done today feels like it’s completely backfiring.

I didn’t want to admit it. But at this point, I had no choice.

It was clear – my plan had failed.

Or rather, I had overlooked something fundamental from the beginning.

(…Maybe I was too desperate.)

Ever since I transferred in, I couldn’t help but notice how close Hoshine and Eito were – whether or not their feelings actually reached each other was another matter.

And then came this sports tournament prize.

I saw it as an opportunity…and maybe I got a little carried away.

No. It was just logic. A convenient excuse.

Deep down I already knew the truth.

I got caught up in it-my very first feelings of love.

I couldn’t control myself. I lost sight of everything, got carried away, and kept screwing up… It was all new to me.

I never knew that love could change me so much.

“Otoha-san.”

“Eito.”

“Why did you suddenly run away like that? I was looking for you.”

“…”

Even if he asked me why, I had no way to explain it.

Especially not to Eito himself. That was impossible.

“Uh… it’s nothing.”

I had no choice but to avoid the question. There was no way I could tell him the truth.

“I can at least tell that you’re lying.”

“Ugh…”

I thought so.

No matter how stupid Eito might be, even he would notice that something wasn’t right with the way I was acting.

“…A-Anyway, we should move on.”

Even if he saw through my excuse, there was nothing I could do.

I couldn’t explain what I couldn’t put into words.

I tried to move past it, hoping that moving forward would somehow make it all go away.

But then – a thud.

Eito’s arm slammed into the wall, blocking my way.

“E-Eito…?”

“You made me worry and now you try to avoid the question?” His voice was calm but firm. “That’s not okay, Otoha-san.”

Eito smiled as usual – but something about it felt different this time.

As if he sensed my hesitation, I instinctively turned my face away.

But he didn’t let me.

Gently, his hand cupped my cheek and guided me back to him.

“What are you looking at?”

“Ah, um… uh…”

“You’re talking to me right now,” he said quietly. “So look at me properly.”

“…Ah…”

My breath caught.

Eito’s hand rested gently on my cheek, but he refused to let me turn away.

“Running around in a dimly lit mansion like this, you could get hurt. Besides, you have no sense of direction.”

“T-That’s not… I…”

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yes…”

I couldn’t argue.

“…In that case, isn’t there something you should say?”

“Eh?”

“To me – the person you made worry.”

“…”

Eito felt different today.

It was subtle, but there was something slightly teasing in his tone, something more assertive than usual.

And yet… I didn’t hate it. Not at all.

If anything… my heart was racing.

“If I say it… will you forgive me?”

“That depends on you, Otoha-san.”

Eito chuckled softly. His smile, his movements – there was something mesmerizing about them, something subtly seductive.

“…I’m sorry…!”

His hand gently stroked my cheek, slow and deliberate.

The touch was light, almost ticklish, yet soothing.

It was as if he was savoring my reaction, letting his fingers trace my skin just to see how I would react.

“Nn…..”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… I-it tickles…”

“I can’t hear you if you don’t say it right.”

“Eito, you’re being mean…”

“That’s right.”

He didn’t deny it.

And yet, even though he was teasing me… a part of me couldn’t help but feel my heart racing because of him.

“I’m being mean right now. But that’s only because Otoha-san made me worry so much and then tried to brush it off.”

I should have been upset, maybe even frustrated.

But instead…

I wanted him to touch me more.

I wanted to hear his voice more.

I wanted this moment to last.

“…Could it be that Otoha-san actually likes being teased?”

“Why do you say that…?”

“You’ve been making such a needy face all this time.”

“Th-That’s not true!”

His words startled me, and before I knew it, my hands flew to my face.

If there had been a mirror nearby, I probably would have checked it right away.

“I’m just kidding.”

“Ah…ugh…”

…Thank God it was so dark in here.

Because I was sure my face was burning red.

“Come on,” he said softly. “Say it – I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Eito’s request seemed impossibly difficult.

My heart was beating too fast. My tongue felt tied.

I had to say it. I had to apologize.

After all, I had really caused him trouble. That much was true.

(…No.)

It wasn’t that.

I realized it almost immediately.

That was just an excuse.

(The truth is… I’m actually… expecting it…)

If I apologized, would Eito tease me again?

Would he touch me more? Whisper to me more?

“…S-Sorry… nya…”

I didn’t know if my tongue had just slipped –

Or if that was what I had wanted to say.

Even I wasn’t sure.

“Good job.”

“Ah…!”

His voice was warm, gentle-

And just a little too close.

When Eito’s hand left my cheek, I felt no relief – only a strange sense of loss.

I should have been happy that he wasn’t teasing me anymore.

But instead, I found myself wishing for something more.

“…Well then, shall we hurry on? We’re almost at the exit.”

“Y-Yeah…”

His voice had returned to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened.

Hand in hand, he led me forward through the dimly lit mansion.

And before I knew it, we had safely reached the exit.

Looking back, I realized

Not a single part of my plan had gone the way I wanted it to.

(…If anything, I was the one who got completely screwed).

I thought I was the one making the moves.

But somehow, I had ended up on the receiving end instead.

(…Am I weird?)

This pounding in my chest-

It didn’t just feel like love.

(…Maybe I don’t mind that Eito is a little mean to me.)