落とし穴７０堀：夏の夜の納涼 肝試し編 (Part2)
He must have been scared.
It was clear he was pushing himself too hard.
I should finish what I came to do and leave quickly.
"Well then, Hifi-san. I know this isn't the best place, but let's take a commemorative photo."
"Y-yes."
I used the digital camera I brought to take pictures of us as instructed.
*Click!*
*Thud...*
"H-huh!?"
A sound like that echoed with the shutter click, and Hifi-dono let out a scream. She immediately clung to my arm, and I held her close.
"...What was that?"
Since Hifi-san was clinging to me, I couldn't move, so I decided to look for the source of the sound. I was sure it came from over there...
When I looked in that direction, I saw a doll lying on the floor. I was certain it hadn't been there a moment ago, so this must have been the source of the sound.
"Hifi-san. It's alright. It seems a doll just fell off its stand."
"I-is that so...?"
Though she had calmed down somewhat, I could tell she was still frightened.
...Further investigation can wait. As I thought earlier, perhaps we should just leave quickly.
"Let's go home then. A doll falling is quite common, I'm sure. Many people have been in and out already; it just happened to fall when we were here."
"O-okay."
Hifi-san, still clinging to me, left the room.
At that moment...
*Rustle...*
A faint sound, as if something had moved, reached my ears, but with Hifi-san by my side, I couldn't linger any longer and left the room. It was probably just an insect or something. Given how dilapidated the place was, it was entirely possible for insects to get in. I had recorded it, so I could just check it later.
"Yahoo! Welcome back, Hifi! My, my, things are getting heated, aren't they?"
"Comet? No, that's not it at all!?"
"No, don't deny it. You're a married couple, so this much isn't a problem, is it? Yuki-kun and Taiki-kun do it all the time. What? Do you dislike Taizo-san?"
"Of course not!! He's protected me all this way!! Oh, goodness..."
Back at the inn, Comet-dono had arrived and was teasing Hifi-san. Normally, I would step in to help, but it's rare to see Hifi-san so embarrassed, so I decided to observe.
"Ah, I'm sorry. She's such a daughter."
"No, to me, she's a lovely wife."
"Please continue to look after Hifi."
Hearing this conversation, Hifi-san seemed to realize she was being teased by Comet and her flustered state turned to anger.
"Comet—!? It was you, wasn't it!! You were the one doing those strange things to scare me!! No wonder you didn't answer my calls and only showed up at a time like this!!"
I see. So the doll earlier was Comet-dono's prank. It was entirely plausible. I hadn't told Comet-dono about this test of courage, but if Hifi-san had called out, it wouldn't be strange for her to have asked Yuki-kun or Taiki-kun and secretly set something up.
That's what I thought, but Comet-dono's reply was unexpected.
"Huh? What's that?"
She answered with a blank expression, as if she knew nothing.
"Eh? But the doll fell..."
"I've been playing a game until just now. Yuki-kun called me, saying there was something interesting to see, and I just arrived."
"Eh? Eh?"
"Let's calm down, Hifi-san. Did anyone else do anything?"
I asked those around us, but they all replied that they hadn't done anything like that. Well, no one would deliberately want to touch that doll, I suppose.
In the meantime, Comet-dono seemed to have heard the situation from Hifi-san and came over with a look on her face as if she had found something interesting.
"So, in other words. Even though the environment was strictly controlled and limited, an inexplicable phenomenon might have occurred?"
"That seems to be the case."
She truly is a researcher. Hifi-san was pale at this fact, but Comet-dono looked thoroughly amused.
"It means a real one might have appeared."
"T-that's impossible, right!?"
"You might be cursed~. A god getting cursed is so incredibly amusing!! *Pfft*!!"
"C-cursed!? H-how could a god be...?"
"But~, it only happened when Hifi was there~."
"Well, Comet-dono. First, let's confirm the facts. It could have just been an accidental fall."
Yes, first, we must confirm the facts. That's why I took recordings for situations like this.
However, I never thought it would lead to an actual experiment to determine the presence or absence of ghosts... It's like those common paranormal TV shows where they infiltrate the demon world.
Oh, it wasn't written in the main story, but:
*Filming is done with special permission.
Therefore, please note that trespassing in public places currently in use, such as parks, tunnels, and dams, is a crime. Always obtain permission before conducting a test of courage.
Also, just in case, when doing a test of courage, inform a family member or friend who isn't coming with you of the start and end times, and ensure arrangements are made for immediate rescue if needed.