As the three of them entered the haunted house, perhaps due to the eerie atmosphere, Soyo instinctively hugged Kamijou Mutsuki's arm.
Mutsumi, standing beside them, frowned slightly at the sight, but didn't say anything.
"Mutsuki-kun…"
Soyo quickly realized how intimate her action looked, her cheeks flushing red as she spoke: "It's so dark… and scary…"
Although Soyo usually had a naturally cutesy tone, Mutsumi had to admit—this was the most exaggerated she had ever heard. It was practically suffocating.
And besides… hadn't they just entered?
Was Soyo really this timid?
"Mutsuki-kun, you have to protect me properly, okay~?"
Meanwhile, Soyo kept going—after all, according to what her friend had told her, this was how it was supposed to go.
"Soyo, don't worry."
At this point, even Mutsumi couldn't hold back anymore.
"I'll protect you."
As she said this, she also glanced at Kamijou Mutsuki.
"And Mutsuki too!"
A declaration from the Cucumber Sword Princess!
"…That's really reassuring, Mutsumi."
However, Soyo didn't seem particularly happy about it.
As for Kamijou Mutsuki, his attention was focused elsewhere.
After all, even though both girls were holding onto his arm, the feeling was completely different.
On Mutsumi's side, it was still like a "kids' bus."
On Soyo's side… it was already at a level that wouldn't pass censorship.
One could only say—Mrs. Nagasaki truly lived up to her reputation as a capable urban career woman. The "nutrition" she provided Soyo was indeed abundant.
Even though they were in a haunted house, the atmosphere somehow turned… rather suggestive.
Perhaps even the haunted house staff couldn't stand it anymore—one "female ghost" suddenly leapt out from the side, baring her fangs and claws.
"..."
And then… nothing happened.
The three of them looked at the suddenly appearing ghost without any reaction at all, leaving the "ghost" girl visibly awkward.
Could you at least cooperate a little? This is really embarrassing for her!
"Ah! (flat tone)"
At that moment, Soyo finally reacted and let out a very perfunctory scream.
It would've been better if she hadn't said anything—once she did, the atmosphere became even more awkward.
Seeing this, the girls acting as NPCs in the haunted house seemed to get annoyed. In an instant, a whole swarm of monsters and ghosts rushed out.
For a moment, it was complete chaos—demons dancing wildly, "blood" splattering everywhere.
"Ahhh!!!"
Soyo instinctively clung tightly to Kamijou Mutsuki's arm, burying herself into his chest as she said timidly:
"Mutsuki-kun, s-so scary~"
Although it was still that overly cutesy tone, at least this time it had more sincerity than her earlier completely expressionless act.
However, Soyo's reaction only seemed to further provoke the "ghosts" behind them.
And so, the three of them ended up being chased through the haunted house by a crowd of monsters.
Fortunately, the young ladies of Tsukinomori had gone all out—the haunted house was ridiculously spacious.
If it were a typical school festival haunted house, this kind of chase scene wouldn't even be possible.
As they ran, a faint smile curled up on Soyo's lips.
Everything was going according to plan!
Then, as they reached a fork in the path, Soyo suddenly pulled Kamijou Mutsuki forward and accelerated, darting straight into one of the side passages.
Mutsumi hadn't expected Soyo's sudden move and failed to grab onto Kamijou Mutsuki in time.
Just like that, through a "coincidental" turn of events, the three of them were split into two groups by the pursuing "ghosts."
Sorry, Mutsumi—just let me borrow Mutsuki-kun for a little while!
Having achieved her goal, Soyo loosened her grip slightly, now holding Kamijou Mutsuki's hand instead, even slowing down her pace.
After all, Kamijou Mutsuki already had Mutsumi—and that Sayaka girl…
Even if she added herself to the mix—No, that's not what she meant!
She wasn't planning to join them or anything!
Just borrowing him for a bit shouldn't be too much, right?
Mutsumi was with Kamijou Mutsuki all the time anyway, living together and already occupying so much of his time.
She had finally gotten such a rare opportunity and carefully planned everything—was she really supposed to let it all become someone else's wedding dress?
At the very least, borrowing a little bit of time for herself shouldn't be a problem, right?
Even though only one person was missing now, Soyo's mood had completely changed.
Even the way she held his hand changed—from simply holding hands to interlocking their fingers.
Next, she just needed to follow the haunted house atmosphere and win over Kamijou Mutsuki. So far, everything in her plan had been going perfectly.
The only annoying part was the NPCs chasing behind them. Although that friend of hers who read tons of romance manga had said that a scary atmosphere was necessary—
If they kept getting chased like this, she wouldn't have any room to make a move!
So Soyo sped up, planning to shake off the ghosts first.
"Soyo…"
At that moment, Kamijou Mutsuki's voice suddenly came from beside her.
But Soyo misunderstood his intention.
"Don't worry, Mutsuki-kun, I—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she slammed straight into a wall.
Of course, the walls inside the haunted house were made of special board material—very flexible, so it didn't hurt.
The only problem was that Soyo had accidentally triggered a hidden door and crashed right through it.
"Huh?"
She clearly hadn't expected this sudden turn of events, and the strong momentum caused their interlocked hands to separate.
At that moment, the group of "ghosts" behind them also caught up.
In short, the scene became complete chaos.
By the time Kamijou Mutsuki came back to his senses, there was no one around him anymore.
Hmm, now this finally feels like a proper haunted house experience!
Looking at the gloomy, even slightly "bloody" decorations around him, he thought to himself.
As for getting separated, Kamijou Mutsuki didn't feel much about it.
After all, this was just a school festival haunted house—what was there to worry about?
If anything, going solo gave a more complete experience.
However, that thought didn't last long.
"Mutsuki…"
He hadn't been scared by the haunted house—but he was startled by Mutsumi, who had appeared behind him at some unknown time.
Seriously, Mutsumi—why are you always appearing out of nowhere? Did you train under Megumi or something?
"…Are you okay?"
Mutsumi didn't think much of it. She stepped forward and asked with concern.
"…I'm fine."
What could even happen inside a haunted house?
However, after hearing his answer, Mutsumi continued:
"Soyo… she didn't do anything to you, right?"
It seemed that, in Mutsumi's eyes, the most dangerous thing in this haunted house… was Soyo.
"…What does Mutsumi want Soyo to do to me?"
"…Mutsuki, you're mean~"
Although Kamijou Mutsuki didn't give a direct answer, Mutsumi had already gotten what she needed to know.
.........................