Ch.215Epilogue. Training Camp (9)

Umm…

I don’t dislike it. Of course I don’t dislike it. Rather, I think I like it.

Mako is, well, the first friend I made after entering school.

Usually, don’t people hate it when teachers say things like “get along with that kid”? It hasn’t happened much, but at this age, it’s natural to feel rebellious when told to do something.

How would you feel if someone forced you into making friends, something that should be a matter of personal freedom?

Usually, the person you’re told to “befriend” is likely someone unusual. It means they have some reason why they can’t naturally make friends—not even one or two.

It sounds nice to say “befriend them,” but it’s really saying “you take care of them.”

Of course, Ms. Suzuki must have had her reasons. She was a first-time homeroom teacher, and not long after being appointed—and not long after meeting students who had just enrolled—she entrusted the task to the most reliable student. The teacher herself tried to look after me too.

That’s why Mako is kind.

She accepted those words purely and truly became my friend.

So I don’t dislike it. I like it.

I do like it, but…

The problem is that I still haven’t shaken my suspicions about that abandoned house.

It could be a moth or bird caught in the photo, but in a world where ghosts might actually exist, one can’t be careless.

“You, you don’t need to worry too much, Kotone.”

Mako said.

“We’re going in together anyway, and even though it’s abandoned, it’s just an ordinary two-story house.”

She seems to be trembling.

It’s summer now. Midsummer, in fact.

Naturally, midsummer nights are hot too. Plus, this is a small island. Being literally in the middle of the ocean, even the air feels muggy.

The fact that she’s trembling despite this means she must be quite scared.

“Yeah, I’m not worried.”

So that’s how I answered.

Still, it was a bit better than having no countermeasures at all. Yuka gave me talismans. Three of them, no less.

I folded them neatly and put them in my pants pocket.

So I could take them out whenever needed.

Fortunately, we weren’t going first.

“Wow!”

Koko, someone who would make even a ghost scratch its head and leave.

“Uh, uhhh…”

And beside Koko was Tsuneda, who had just joined the literature club.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Koko patted Tsuneda’s back while saying that. She seemed to be imitating what she’d seen other kids do.

Koko apparently didn’t understand at all “why” this situation was scary. Well, if it were Koko, she’d probably just tilt her head and go “huh?” even if a ghost appeared. And if it attacked, she’d definitely slice it up with her hair.

Attacks probably wouldn’t work on ghosts, but would a ghost’s attack even work on someone with such a bright attitude? I heard they usually target people with weak energy.

“Y-yes, I suppose so?”

Koko’s attitude seemed to help, as Tsuneda appeared to regain some courage.

“Hmm, hmm. Good.”

Kaoru nodded and said.

“What you need to do inside is simple. I’ve hidden flags like this throughout the house.”

Kaoru held up a small flag. It was green.

“You’ll each take a flashlight and go in. Once inside, find just one flag and you’ve succeeded. If you can’t find one, or if you’re too scared and think you might get lost, just call on your phone or shout. We’ll be waiting at the entrance.”

When Kaoru pointed to Izumi, she nodded.

“Yes. Since we’re the most senior, we should look after our juniors.”

That’s… somewhat reassuring. At least there will be people nearby.

Besides, the atmosphere around here wasn’t entirely frightening. Though it was called an abandoned house and surrounded only by forest, getting lost here wouldn’t easily lead to being stranded. The reason was simple: the island was so small.

If you walked for about an hour toward any light, you’d just reach the village. Plus, even though the house was abandoned, the path here was brightly lit by streetlights.

Still, going into the forest at midnight would be problematic. Being an island, falling into the sea or off a rock could be fatal.

“Besides, the rest of the kids will all be waiting outside, so don’t worry too much. Though we plan to turn off the lights.”

The plan was this:

Pairs of two would enter the house one team at a time.

Izumi and Kaoru would wait at the entrance, while other club members who hadn’t gone in yet would wait outside the gate. Among those waiting was even the lady who owned this house.

During that time, we’d enter the not-so-large house and bring back one hidden flag.

Compared to how nervous I’d been, it didn’t seem that difficult.

It was truly just a minor courage test that students could enjoy among themselves.

“Alright, everyone understand? Good.”

Kaoru nodded and turned toward Koko and Tsuneda.

“Then, you two come with us. We’ll wait outside until you come out, so don’t be too scared.”

Koko took the hand of Tsuneda, who was gulping nervously.

The two followed Izumi and Kaoru through the gate.

…It should be fine, right?

*

“I’ve never heard any ghost stories about it.”

That’s what the lady said while we were waiting and chatting.

“As you can see, our island isn’t that big. If there really was a house haunted by ghosts, do you think the locals would just let it be?”

True, since the house was right behind the village on the mountain, people would have been quite anxious if such stories existed.

“But why did you leave such a house empty?”

Harumi asked curiously.

“It’s scary, isn’t it? All the villagers live at the foot of the mountain, but this house was built halfway up. There’s a resort at the very top, but there’s nothing else around here, and living here would just be inconvenient.”

That’s… true. It might be a place deliberately chosen by an eccentric who dislikes noise, but…

“I thought about converting it into a hotel, but hmm…”

The lady pondered for a moment, then shrugged and said.

“After all, someone did die in the house, so it feels a bit unsettling to rent it out to people. It’s just been abandoned. It won’t sell either, which is a big problem.”

The children’s faces stiffened at that story.

“Someone died?”

When I asked, the lady smiled a bit bitterly and said.

“Yes. About 30 years ago, when I was still young, my uncle passed away. It was bad luck. He slipped on the stairs.”

…Well, if someone had died of old age, it wouldn’t have been a big issue. That’s just something that commonly happens.

But… if someone died while still young…

Gulp.

One of the waiting children swallowed.

“Oh my, perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned this?”

Only the lady muttered awkwardly under our gaze.

*

Still, the claim that no ghosts appeared seemed to be true.

The children safely brought back flags from inside, one team after another.

And the strategy devised by Izumi and Kaoru clearly worked, as team members who might have been awkward with each other seemed to have bonded quite well.

Harumi and Shii, Yuu and Yuka. These were combinations that could be considered unusual.

…I thought there were ten of us, but when we paired up, our turn came quickly. Even though we were last.

“Don’t worry too much. The house is just ordinary. It’s a bit smaller than where we live.”

Harumi smiled and told us.

“And the flags aren’t in any strange places.”

Apparently, Harumi and Shii deliberately went for the one in the deepest part. They went up to the second floor. It seems they also saw flags placed along the way.

The reason they went to the deepest part was because their interests aligned.

Harumi wanted more excitement, and Shii had seen that Mako and I, who were left for last, were a bit scared. It was a combination of adventurousness and kindness.

Those two, if they formed an adventurer party, wouldn’t they be incredibly good?

“It was a bit eerie, but not terribly scary. Right?”

“Yes!”

Shii exclaimed happily.

If Shii is like that, I can’t be scared.

“Well then, shall we go? Are you ready?”

Kaoru asked, looking at Mako and me.

We looked at each other and nodded.

No matter what, we couldn’t be the only ones to back out when everyone else had gone.

*

“Eek.”

Despite what the others had said about it being nothing special, the inside of the house was quite scary.

It wasn’t that the flashlights were dim. They were those heavy flashlights that use large rectangular batteries. If anything, they might have been unnecessarily bright.

With one per person, two in total, the entire living room was illuminated.

However, due to the flashlight’s characteristic low-seeming brightness despite being bright, it felt eerier. Even though the area in front of me was bright, the thought that everything else was dark made me keep turning the flashlight around.

“The, they said it’s on the way to the second floor…”

“…Yeah.”

I deliberately walked in front.

Actually, Mako seemed to want me behind her, but she apparently couldn’t move her feet.

We stuck close together and slowly entered deeper.

Outside, there had been quite a lot of noise, but once inside, it suddenly felt cut off from the world, with sounds abruptly stopping.

The island was quite large, with many people, so there had been cheers, playful sounds, and singing.

We climbed the stairs one step at a time.

Mako was holding onto the hem of my clothes from behind. I could hear her tense breathing.

That actually made me feel more at ease. The feeling that I wasn’t alone.

There was quite a bit of dust inside the house, but the areas where the three previous teams had passed had relatively less dust. It had been moved by their footsteps.

As soon as we reached the second floor, I could see a small flag standing at the end of the corridor.

Though I knew Kaoru had placed it there, seeing it like this honestly felt very “occult.” If I hadn’t known someone had placed it, I would have been terrified upon coming up.

“I see it.”

“Y-you see it?”

“Yeah. At the end there.”

Mako, who was gripping my clothes tightly, continued to follow me as I moved forward little by little.

We safely reached the end, and I bent slightly to pick up the flag.

“…Phew.”

Halfway done now.

Still, I was less tense than when we first entered.

We just need to go back the way we came.

Thinking that, I was about to turn around—

Mako’s hand gripping my clothes tightened.

“Ko, Ko, Kotone…”

Mako’s voice trembled. I could even hear her teeth chattering.

Goosebumps ran down my back as soon as I heard her.

…No way?

“I, I see it.”

“Y-you, you s-see what?”

“Y-yeah. I see it…”

What?

What on earth?

I didn’t want to look back.

If possible, I wanted to just back away and leave the house—

But I couldn’t leave Mako to watch our backs alone.

I slowly turned around.

Mako was already looking behind us, shining her flashlight.

At the end of it—

The stairs.

Ah, right.

The lady had said it.

Her uncle had died on the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, a human face was slightly visible.

Short black hair could be seen, and below that, eyes.

Below that wasn’t visible because it was down the stairs, but it was clear those two eyes were looking at us.

Was it because of the flashlight?

That face looked unusually white.

Without blinking, without making any sound, two eyes opened so wide they were bloodshot, staring at us.

“…”

Seeing it directly, I couldn’t even speak.

Still, I tried to quickly move forward to shield Mako—

But Mako stopped me.

And said in a trembling voice.

“Th-this time, I won’t leave you alone.”

Mako blocked me with her arm and said.

“Huh?”

“I won’t go ahead of you.”

Mako said that in a trembling voice.