落とし穴９４堀：知らないのか？ 物理は無効だ (Part1)
Pitfall 94: Don't You Know? Physical Attacks Are Useless
Side: Seraria
After calling Luna for dinner, we ended up binding her in a straw mat, but things have turned out quite interesting.
The haunted house that my husband and the others built last summer has been completely renovated, expanded even further based on a school building.
Furthermore, according to Luna:
"I've gathered up Japanese ghosts and yokai."
It’s a good opportunity to see what one might call Japan’s unique monsters.
Besides, safety is guaranteed; the only ways to be removed from the "battlefield" are fainting from fear or getting injured in an accident, so I’d say it would be strange if one couldn't clear it.
I’ve seen creepy-looking ghosts in spirit-themed features before, but if they aren't actually harmful, then there’s no problem, right?
As Luna said, it’s a form of amusement.
For some reason, my husband and the others are frowning, though.
Well, as my husband mentioned, it would be troublesome if there were things like Basilisks that turn you to stone if you meet their gaze, but since there aren't any, we should just relax and enjoy ourselves.
If we can gain the cooperation of these Japanese monsters, it seems we could further strengthen Weed, so perhaps we shouldn't blame Luna too much for her selfish actions.
Besides, she is a High God; isn't this what they call a divine favor?
Anyway, setting that aside, we’ve decided to explore this abandoned school—a test of courage.
It comes with the perk that time doesn't pass, and since the last few months have been busy, I welcome this kind of entertainment.
Therefore, we joined this test of courage without any particular objections.
"So, who’s going in first..."
"We’ll go."
"Oh, Seraria, Eris, and Ratz, huh? Well, that’s a stable group. Alright, go in through that entrance. Once you close the door, it begins. Good luck. Uhyahyahya..."
She’s surely looking forward to us being scared, but there’s no way we’d faint just from being a little frightened.
Well, I don't intend to deny Luna her fun, so I won't say it out loud, but it seems I won't be able to meet her expectations.
"Let's go, you two."
"Yes."
"I'm ready whenever you are."
I called out to Eris and Ratz, and we opened the door to the abandoned school and stepped inside.
True to the name "abandoned school," unlike the school in Weed, it was clear that a significant amount of time had passed since it was left to rot.
The entrance was covered in spiderwebs, and the floor was white with dust.
What must have been houseplants were withered, brown, and collapsed.
"It feels like it's been a long time since people were here."
"Yes. It's quite dirty."
"Is there room for improvement here? Having to take a bath after a test of courage is a hassle... or maybe not? If we utilized this and attached a bathhouse, couldn't we make a profit there?"
"Ratz. No business talk for now."
"Oh, my apologies. First, it's escaping from this school, isn't it?"
"So, where shall we go?"
Eris’s work mode seemed to have slipped, and she switched to the casual tone she uses at home.
She still uses near-honorifics with my husband, so I imagine he’s making a somewhat difficult face.
It’s both a strength and a weakness of Eris, I suppose.
Ratz seems to use honorifics by default, and her drawn-out way of speaking is unique to her.
That in itself is quite cute, so perhaps I should think of something for myself as well?
Though, I can't really talk, considering Ratz.
Now, where to head...
"For now... a place where a key might be. The staff room, perhaps?"
"I see. That seems likely."
"Then, let's go to the staff room."
With that, we moved forward and found a map posted on a bulletin board on the wall at the end of the entrance hall.
"That saves us the trouble of checking every room."
"Well, it is a school. You need a map like this for guidance, don't you?"
"Let's see... the staff room is right here on the first floor, to the right."
"That's close."
"Well, isn't that the case for most schools? Teachers are the ones welcoming guests, so they can't respond if the staff room isn't nearby."
"But it doesn't seem like they'd leave a key so close by."
As Eris said, there’s no way the key to the entrance—the condition for clearing the test—would be so close.
That would make this a wasted effort, but...
"For now, let's check the staff room. There should be some kind of hint. It is a test of courage, and it was built with the premise of escaping."
"That's true."
"And since the map was right in front of us, it seems plausible."
So, without changing our plans, we headed to the staff room right next door.
"Actually, there's a sign in front of the room."
A plate reading "Staff Room" was protruding above the door.
"That's it. It's the same as the government buildings and the school, isn't it?"
"Since it's a building from Yuki-san's place, I think that kind of easy-to-understand design is consistent."
"He's meticulous, isn't he? It’s easy to understand and I’m grateful, but..."
Saying that, I paused for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
"Did something happen?"
"No, I've experienced schools in Weed, but... how should I put it, the lack of people is lonely, or rather, eerie."
The hallway I was looking down stretched into the darkness, completely empty.
It was nothing like the school I know.
There were no children's voices echoing, no sounds of lessons.
No one.
It’s an abandoned school, so that’s only natural, but it’s so far removed from the school I know that the dissonance makes it feel eerie.
"That's true. Even at night, adults come to study at the school in Weed, after all."
"Indeed, a school with absolutely no one here, as Seraria says, feels lonely and eerie."
Our voices echoed down the hallway and were swallowed up.
...Without being drowned out by any noise, it was driven home that we were the only ones in this abandoned school.
"But, even though there should be ghosts and yokai, I don't feel any presence at all."
As I said that, I slid open the staff room door, and there...
"..."
A woman with disheveled hair was standing right in front of the door.
I met eyes with her lifeless gaze, peeking slightly through the gaps in her bangs.
In that instant, the hair on my entire body stood on end, and I instinctively recoiled from the door.
"Eh? What on earth is wrong?"
"Did you see something?"
"...There was a person right on the other side of the door."
"There's no one here, though?"
"I don't feel any presence either. Isn't it just your imagination?"
The two of them said that, opening the partially ajar door completely to look inside, but apparently, there was no one there, and they tilted their heads in confusion.
"...Right. It must be my imagination."
"Well, if they're ghosts or yokai from Onii-san's homeland, I don't know if we'd be able to sense their presence."
"They're just there to surprise us, and they aren't harmful, so shouldn't you not worry about it too much?"
"...For now, let's look for something."
That’s right.
As Eris said, they’re supposed to just be for surprises.
Luna said so, too.
But those eyes... how should I put it, I felt a sense of danger.
No, let's calm down.
That was just my imagination.
Right now, finding a hint for our escape is the priority.
Most of the desks were neatly cleared, with only the occasional textbook left behind, perhaps intentionally.
"There's nothing of note on the desks. Then, let's check inside."
I reached for a drawer.
An unremarkable drawer.
I opened the long, narrow drawer meant for writing utensils, documents, and small items, and...
"..."
The head of the woman with disheveled hair I had seen in front of the door earlier was somehow inside, staring intently at me.
*SLAM!!*
I instinctively slammed the drawer shut.
"What's wrong?"
"Did something happen?"
Since we were in the same room, Ratz and Eris heard the sound of me slamming the drawer shut and gathered around.
"...The head of the woman I saw at the door earlier was inside this drawer."
"Excuse me?"