Whisper (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whisperscrawls) wrote2023-05-05 04:00 am
whisperscrawls) wrote2023-05-05 04:00 am
Entry tags:
Shuuen no Shiori 4: Chapter 1 Part 3
Our Days III —Smiling Summit—
Some time passed.
In the end, after we tried over and over again, whether it was because we wore our opponents out or from a series of lucky shots, we managed to win.
We were happy that we could beat it together, but, well, honestly, by the latter half of our attempts, I think I was the only one actually trying.
But I saw how incredibly happy A-no was, and I know how much she loves games, so I decided not to say that out loud.
After we finished playing, I parted ways with A-no and returned to wandering around the school.
There were a ton of class exhibits in this area.
Each of the showcases, cafes and all that, were lined up along the halls.
I suddenly remembered, then: Oh, I wonder what my class ended up doing; I pretty much didn’t help out at all, huh.
Well, y’know, I was busy with filming...
Maybe I should stop by later for a visit, though? I thought.
I then found myself stopping before a certain classroom, picking up on its strange energy as I approached.
“A haunted... house?”
I heard an unusually high amount of screams coming from within.
Isn’t that like... too many?
“Oh? Might that be you, E-ki-san?”
I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
With her glasses giving off a serious impression, her bangs cut straight, and other visual traits; no matter where you look, there’s the look of a stereotypical class president type! Or at least someone with a good head on their shoulders! But in reality, her grades aren’t the best, and she’ll read any magazine about her interests that she can get her hands on; she’s a total geek.
“Hey, C-na!”
“Are you interested in the haunted house?”
“Uh, y-yeah, I guess...!”
“Hehe, you have good taste.”
C-na smiled as she said that.
I feel like the longer we worked on filming the movie, the more often I saw C-na’s smile.
“Shall we walk through it together, then?”
“Y-Yeah! Let’s do it...!”
Of course our conversation would lead to this, huh? After everything that’s happened today, I’ve just started to accept it.
This could be good reference material for the movie sequel we’re going to film after this; though, honestly, what kind of quality can you expect from a high school festival...? I-It can’t be that scary!
With a flicker of anxiety in my chest, we got everything settled at the reception desk and entered the haunted house without delay.
“...Wailcome in...”
Wait a sec. Isn’t the receptionist saying that like she means something else!?
I had no time to even verbally retort before C-na pulled me along.
As we entered the haunted house, I noticed that it was, as I’d suspected, pretty well-made.
I could see pretty much nothing.
We were given a single flashlight to use, and its light was the only thing guiding our path.
But, seriously, how on earth did they make the inside of a classroom this dark!?
They put way too much effort into this!
“C-na, I know you’d probably rather not, but it’s seriously dark in here, so could you hold onto my sleeve...?”
...Grip.
C-na calmly took hold of my sleeve.
I was the one who suggested it, but it still made me jittery.
It was so dark that I couldn’t tell for sure, but she probably had an expression on her face like, “What’s the problem?”
It’s obviously embarrassing for me, though...
“T-This is pretty elaborate, huh~?”
“Is it? As of yet, all they’ve done is instill the fear of being in the dark, so it feels like they’re going a bit slow, doesn’t it?”
This is already pretty scary on its own, though!
My heart’s pounding already; if you aren’t super careful with each step, you’ll have no idea if something will come at you from above or below...!
“...W-Well, that’s true. If you compare it to our film—”
—Thump!
“Eeeeep!!”
The sudden noise startled a shriek from my throat.
Before my eyes dangled what seemed to be an actual flesh-and-blood human, hung by their neck.
“Waugh!? S-Someone’s hanging!?”
“...I see. Though they seem to be using something like a transparent stand, it was quite the surprising spectacle. Hm, this may be good to use in our next film, E-ki-san.”
“Ah? Huh? Oh, uh, y-yeah, okay!”
“...? Is there a problem?”
“!? N-Not at all!? Maaan, that really startled me! Yep, sure did!”
Forget afraid, C-na didn’t even look the least bit surprised.
“I wasn’t scared either, just startled~”—That’s the kind of reply I gave.
Wait, hold up, was that just the beginning!?
What’s gonna happen to us moving forward!?
After that, the haunted house came alive with the sounds of screams so agonized that one could compare it to Hell.
I was responsible for most... no, really, all of the screams.
“E-ki-san...”
“Wheeze... gasp... W-What is it...?”
“...Are you... bad with horror?”
C-na tilted her head as she asked.
Well, you’d assume that, right?
I hadn’t told anyone, but no matter how you slice it, the supernatural freaks me out.
But just because it freaks me out doesn’t mean I hate it.
You could say that I’ve always been curious about scary things; I naturally have an interest in horror, and I’ve always wanted to make something that involved it.
And I can say that, more than anything else, I can’t stand haunted houses.
This haunted house was way too intense already, but when I was just a lil’ kid, I got separated from my family in a haunted house and got lost, and I was a bit traumatized by the experience.
It was so long ago that I thought I’d gotten over it by now, but looks like I didn’t.
“...T-That’s not true... I’m fine...”
It was obvious that I wasn’t fine, but I still tried my very best to answer with a smile.
“...”
Suddenly, C-na let go of my sleeve and grasped my hand.
“―!?”
“Let’s exit as soon as we can.”
Oh man, t-this is so embarrassing.
I’m definitely blushing right now.
I’m still feeling the fear of being in a haunted house, but overwhelming that is the feeling of holding hands with a girl my age...!
“Hey, C-na... Um...!”
“It’s okay.”
It was so dark that I couldn’t see her face, but her voice was gentle.
I felt myself relax, just a little bit.
It felt like we were nearing the end of the haunted house, too.
I could see light coming from outside.
L-Looks like I’m safe~
But the moment I thought that...
Bang!!
From the walls on either side of us sprung hands, hands, hands, hands!!!!
“Wauaaaaagh!!!”
I reflexively clung onto C-na.
“Hey, st— Wah!”
Suddenly being clung to had unbalanced C-na, and as she stumbled, we fell through the curtain covering the exit.
Squish.
When I came to my senses, C-na and I were in the hallway.
I felt something soft against my hand.
And C-na was lying on the floor beneath me.
There were whispers all around.
In the hallway, at the center of a sea of stares coming from the students around us, I was squishing C-na’s chest.
“...Are you planning on getting up any time soon?”
Her smile had an edge to it.
I’d thought earlier that she’d started smiling more recently, but now I’ve learned, for the first time, what it looks like when she’s angry.
“...I-I didn’t mean tooooooo!”
Realizing the kind of position we were in, I lept to my feet, flustered, and anxiously looked at the floor.
The whispered voices of the students around us felt like knives stabbing into my chest.
If A-no and B-ka had been here, there’s no doubt that they would’ve punched me...
I honestly feel like I would’ve preferred that to the whispers, though.
“Aaaauugh...”
A groan that could’ve been a mimicry of Mr. W’s escaped from my throat, and I heard an unexpected response from somewhere above my lowered head.
“...Heh.”
“...Eh?”
Raising my head, I saw C-na unable to hold back her laughter.
“E-ki-san... You panicked so much... Haha!”
“Uh, huh?”
In any case, it seemed like she wasn’t angry at all.
I feel like, with the combination of relief and whatever else I was feeling, I probably had some weird expression on my face.
After that, we got some juice boxes from a nearby vending machine and took a break together to drink them.
I already expected that C-na would keep her cool, but she also had a lot of thoughts on what we could use for our film.
You were analyzing it that deeply while we were walking through the darkness... You’re so cool it makes me shiver, C-na.
But what made me shiver even more were those final words she said to me before heading off on her own.
“I’ve learned two of your weaknesses today, E-ki-san.”
One would be the disgrace I made of myself in the haunted house. The other one would be, well, that...
When on earth would you be able to make use of those!? The thought made me quiver in fear, but I thought the sadistic smile on C-na’s face was pretty charming, too.
<-- Chapter 1 Part 2 || Chapter 1 Part 4 -->
Some time passed.
In the end, after we tried over and over again, whether it was because we wore our opponents out or from a series of lucky shots, we managed to win.
We were happy that we could beat it together, but, well, honestly, by the latter half of our attempts, I think I was the only one actually trying.
But I saw how incredibly happy A-no was, and I know how much she loves games, so I decided not to say that out loud.
After we finished playing, I parted ways with A-no and returned to wandering around the school.
There were a ton of class exhibits in this area.
Each of the showcases, cafes and all that, were lined up along the halls.
I suddenly remembered, then: Oh, I wonder what my class ended up doing; I pretty much didn’t help out at all, huh.
Well, y’know, I was busy with filming...
Maybe I should stop by later for a visit, though? I thought.
I then found myself stopping before a certain classroom, picking up on its strange energy as I approached.
“A haunted... house?”
I heard an unusually high amount of screams coming from within.
Isn’t that like... too many?
“Oh? Might that be you, E-ki-san?”
I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
With her glasses giving off a serious impression, her bangs cut straight, and other visual traits; no matter where you look, there’s the look of a stereotypical class president type! Or at least someone with a good head on their shoulders! But in reality, her grades aren’t the best, and she’ll read any magazine about her interests that she can get her hands on; she’s a total geek.
“Hey, C-na!”
“Are you interested in the haunted house?”
“Uh, y-yeah, I guess...!”
“Hehe, you have good taste.”
C-na smiled as she said that.
I feel like the longer we worked on filming the movie, the more often I saw C-na’s smile.
“Shall we walk through it together, then?”
“Y-Yeah! Let’s do it...!”
Of course our conversation would lead to this, huh? After everything that’s happened today, I’ve just started to accept it.
This could be good reference material for the movie sequel we’re going to film after this; though, honestly, what kind of quality can you expect from a high school festival...? I-It can’t be that scary!
With a flicker of anxiety in my chest, we got everything settled at the reception desk and entered the haunted house without delay.
“...Wailcome in...”
Wait a sec. Isn’t the receptionist saying that like she means something else!?
I had no time to even verbally retort before C-na pulled me along.
As we entered the haunted house, I noticed that it was, as I’d suspected, pretty well-made.
I could see pretty much nothing.
We were given a single flashlight to use, and its light was the only thing guiding our path.
But, seriously, how on earth did they make the inside of a classroom this dark!?
They put way too much effort into this!
“C-na, I know you’d probably rather not, but it’s seriously dark in here, so could you hold onto my sleeve...?”
...Grip.
C-na calmly took hold of my sleeve.
I was the one who suggested it, but it still made me jittery.
It was so dark that I couldn’t tell for sure, but she probably had an expression on her face like, “What’s the problem?”
It’s obviously embarrassing for me, though...
“T-This is pretty elaborate, huh~?”
“Is it? As of yet, all they’ve done is instill the fear of being in the dark, so it feels like they’re going a bit slow, doesn’t it?”
This is already pretty scary on its own, though!
My heart’s pounding already; if you aren’t super careful with each step, you’ll have no idea if something will come at you from above or below...!
“...W-Well, that’s true. If you compare it to our film—”
—Thump!
“Eeeeep!!”
The sudden noise startled a shriek from my throat.
Before my eyes dangled what seemed to be an actual flesh-and-blood human, hung by their neck.
“Waugh!? S-Someone’s hanging!?”
“...I see. Though they seem to be using something like a transparent stand, it was quite the surprising spectacle. Hm, this may be good to use in our next film, E-ki-san.”
“Ah? Huh? Oh, uh, y-yeah, okay!”
“...? Is there a problem?”
“!? N-Not at all!? Maaan, that really startled me! Yep, sure did!”
Forget afraid, C-na didn’t even look the least bit surprised.
“I wasn’t scared either, just startled~”—That’s the kind of reply I gave.
Wait, hold up, was that just the beginning!?
What’s gonna happen to us moving forward!?
After that, the haunted house came alive with the sounds of screams so agonized that one could compare it to Hell.
I was responsible for most... no, really, all of the screams.
“E-ki-san...”
“Wheeze... gasp... W-What is it...?”
“...Are you... bad with horror?”
C-na tilted her head as she asked.
Well, you’d assume that, right?
I hadn’t told anyone, but no matter how you slice it, the supernatural freaks me out.
But just because it freaks me out doesn’t mean I hate it.
You could say that I’ve always been curious about scary things; I naturally have an interest in horror, and I’ve always wanted to make something that involved it.
And I can say that, more than anything else, I can’t stand haunted houses.
This haunted house was way too intense already, but when I was just a lil’ kid, I got separated from my family in a haunted house and got lost, and I was a bit traumatized by the experience.
It was so long ago that I thought I’d gotten over it by now, but looks like I didn’t.
“...T-That’s not true... I’m fine...”
It was obvious that I wasn’t fine, but I still tried my very best to answer with a smile.
“...”
Suddenly, C-na let go of my sleeve and grasped my hand.
“―!?”
“Let’s exit as soon as we can.”
Oh man, t-this is so embarrassing.
I’m definitely blushing right now.
I’m still feeling the fear of being in a haunted house, but overwhelming that is the feeling of holding hands with a girl my age...!
“Hey, C-na... Um...!”
“It’s okay.”
It was so dark that I couldn’t see her face, but her voice was gentle.
I felt myself relax, just a little bit.
It felt like we were nearing the end of the haunted house, too.
I could see light coming from outside.
L-Looks like I’m safe~
But the moment I thought that...
Bang!!
From the walls on either side of us sprung hands, hands, hands, hands!!!!
“Wauaaaaagh!!!”
I reflexively clung onto C-na.
“Hey, st— Wah!”
Suddenly being clung to had unbalanced C-na, and as she stumbled, we fell through the curtain covering the exit.
Squish.
When I came to my senses, C-na and I were in the hallway.
I felt something soft against my hand.
And C-na was lying on the floor beneath me.
There were whispers all around.
In the hallway, at the center of a sea of stares coming from the students around us, I was squishing C-na’s chest.
“...Are you planning on getting up any time soon?”
Her smile had an edge to it.
I’d thought earlier that she’d started smiling more recently, but now I’ve learned, for the first time, what it looks like when she’s angry.
“...I-I didn’t mean tooooooo!”
Realizing the kind of position we were in, I lept to my feet, flustered, and anxiously looked at the floor.
The whispered voices of the students around us felt like knives stabbing into my chest.
If A-no and B-ka had been here, there’s no doubt that they would’ve punched me...
I honestly feel like I would’ve preferred that to the whispers, though.
“Aaaauugh...”
A groan that could’ve been a mimicry of Mr. W’s escaped from my throat, and I heard an unexpected response from somewhere above my lowered head.
“...Heh.”
“...Eh?”
Raising my head, I saw C-na unable to hold back her laughter.
“E-ki-san... You panicked so much... Haha!”
“Uh, huh?”
In any case, it seemed like she wasn’t angry at all.
I feel like, with the combination of relief and whatever else I was feeling, I probably had some weird expression on my face.
After that, we got some juice boxes from a nearby vending machine and took a break together to drink them.
I already expected that C-na would keep her cool, but she also had a lot of thoughts on what we could use for our film.
You were analyzing it that deeply while we were walking through the darkness... You’re so cool it makes me shiver, C-na.
But what made me shiver even more were those final words she said to me before heading off on her own.
“I’ve learned two of your weaknesses today, E-ki-san.”
One would be the disgrace I made of myself in the haunted house. The other one would be, well, that...
When on earth would you be able to make use of those!? The thought made me quiver in fear, but I thought the sadistic smile on C-na’s face was pretty charming, too.