落とし穴９３堀：避けられぬ運命 (Part2)
Rurua, Milly, Tori, Riel, Kaya, Ria, Jessica, Cleena, Samantha, Dressa, Vilia, and Hiiro were already asleep, exhausted from their recent busyness.
Simply put, the timing was just terrible.
"Everyone is just so busy lately."
"Why? Isn't this an emergency?"
"No, if it's just a haunted house like Luna says, I don't think many people would sacrifice their sleep to participate."
"But it's realistic!?"
"That's exactly why the timid members aren't participating."
"Come to think of it, Labyris is gone, isn't she?"
"She's the biggest scaredy-cat of them all. You have to consider that. Not everyone is okay with ghosts, you know."
"Nghhh. How troublesome. Couldn't you have made the Japanese horror a bit milder?"
"Don't ask for 'mild' when it comes to ghosts, that's unreasonable. Anyway, it's fine if we go in, but how do we clear it?"
"Ah, um... the rule is that since you can't get out once you enter the school, you have to find the entrance key to escape."
"Classic."
What kind of horror game setting is this?
"But isn't it quite unreasonable to search for an entrance key in this massive school? I feel like it's going to be morning by the time we finish..."
As Taiki said, it feels like dawn will break before we find a single key in a school this large.
"I have work tomorrow, so I'd rather not pull an all-nighter."
"Um, Lady Luna. Taizo-san and I also have work in the Holy Kingdom..."
Taizo and Hifii’s points were valid.
Even we members of Weed have work tomorrow.
I don't want to waste my stamina and sleep on a mere test of courage.
But if someone doesn't go inside, who knows what will happen to the people—or ghosts—within?
As I was pondering these complex thoughts, Luna spoke up with confidence.
"That part is fine!! Time doesn't pass inside the school. Unless you open the door and enter together, there's almost no overlap with others. Since time is frozen, it becomes an isolated space. How about that? Isn't it an ideal haunted house? A grand amusement where you attempt to escape within the field of this vast school!"
"Who are you, a project planner? And if time doesn't pass, what happens if someone gives up? Won't they just go into cardiac arrest from fear?"
"Ah, that's fine too. The moment someone faints, they are automatically transported to the outside, right in front of the entrance. Since time is stopped inside, from our perspective, they'll return in an instant."
"No, surely making fainting the condition for exit is bad. Don't you have an item for voluntary escape? What if someone gets injured, or has a sudden illness and can't move?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, I suppose so. Fine, I'll make an amulet for escape, as is tradition."
With that, Luna immediately manifested an amulet in her hand.
The inscription read: "Escape Prayer." How cryptic.
Well, I get it, but couldn't you have written it differently?
"Hold this with both hands and say 'Escape' to get out. Don't say 'I want to get out'—that's too easy to slip out accidentally. It's important to do it calmly."
"No, won't you be unable to say it if you're panicking?"
"If it comes to that, you'll just have to faint, won't you? Then you'll be carried to the entrance."
"Ah, I see."
"If there's a sudden cardiac arrest, the amulet will detect the abnormality and force an escape. As for injuries, you'll be treated in the school infirmary. Earth's medical technology is higher than this world's, and spiritual healing is on par with healing magic."
"No, getting treated in a school infirmary like this sounds like the final nail in the coffin."
Being treated by a tattered nurse or a blood-stained doctor sounds like it would make you sicker. Honestly, I'd just faint.
"And the most important thing: what exactly is in there, and how many of them are there?"
Yes, I had to ask that.
"Eh? Isn't that something you should look forward to experiencing once you go in?"
"Don't be stupid, I'm practically the employer here. Give me the roster! And tell me the details of their abilities—there aren't any instant-kill types, are there!?"
"That's fine, I tell you. Besides, in your case, if I gave you the roster, you'd probably go home right then and there. Fine, if you manage to escape on your own, I'll give you the roster as a success reward."
Tch.
As I clicked my tongue inwardly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Seraria and the rest of my wives who were participating in this haunted house.
"Come now, it's fine. Time doesn't pass, and it's a form of entertainment, isn't it? It'll be alright."
"Yes, Yuki-san. There's no danger to our lives, and I would like to see the monsters of Japan."
"That's right. I want to experience what a 'haunted house' is. This might lead to a nice profit this summer."
"Hey, hey, Big Brother. I want to see a Zashiki-warashi."
"That's right. We want to meet the yokai that brings happiness to everyone!!"
No, Firia. That's not a yokai that brings happiness to everyone; it's a symbol of a house's prosperity and decline...
"I, for one, am interested in the monsters from the homelands of Yuki-kun, Taizo-san, and Taiki-kun."
"Same here. This might lead to a different approach regarding magic power."
Even Comet and Zargis were eager.
...These people don't get it.
They truly don't know the power of Japanese horror.
But in this situation, complaining would make me look like I can't read the room...
"Sigh, fine. But don't push yourselves. Inside, you're just ordinary people who can't use magic or skills. If you get scared, come out immediately."
"It's okay. I'll just defeat any ghosts that appear."
Seraria said that with a lovely smile.
...If it were that simple, no one would be afraid.
"Alright, it's settled!! Now, form teams of three and let's go!!"
At Luna's signal, the team division began.
Ah, there's no turning back now.
The moment I looked up at the sky, I saw a pale, blue-white face peering down from the third floor of the school, smiling at us...
...Can I go home now?
I don't have a single good memory of a school during a test of courage...
In the end, entering was unavoidable.
Come now, for Yuki and Taiki, it's a nostalgic school ghost story!!
What kind of ghost stories did your school have?