Nana, Maiko, and Mea sat on the bench together, next to each other, turned ashen as if they had burnt out. Still, their expression was serene, and they welcomed their defeat since it was already impossible for them to continue.

“Can you not do something stupid?” Mai said speechlessly, looking at the three girls worriedly.

“Here’s the water. Drink some,” Shishio said.

“Feed me…” Nana said while looking at Shishio beggingly. Her head was dizzy, and she felt she could throw out anytime.

Shishi opened the bottle and fed Nana slowly with the water.

As if someone had walked under the desert for many hours without water, Nana sipped the water slowly before she started to gulp them.

Watching her drinking the water, Shishio suddenly reminded of something, but this something shouldn’t be said in this situation.

Mai and Ritsu also helped Mea and Maiko, who were too exhausted to move, drinking some water to recover.

On the other hand, Shiina and Miu unexpectedly wanted to play the roller coaster again.

“It’s more fun than I thought,” Miu said with a gentle smile.

Saki, who was dead with just one ride, looked at Miu speechlessly.

Everyone was lost when they saw Shiina and Miu wanted to ride on the roller coaster again.

However, Shishio quickly stopped them and said, “Wait! Wait! Why don’t we try something else?”

“Oh?” Shiina looked at Shishio curiously.

“How about we enter the haunted house? I have heard this place is famous for having the scariest haunted house in the country,” Shishio said while glancing at Usa.

Usa quickly noticed Shishio’s eyes, and his eyes shone brightly before he nodded. “Yeah, let’s enter the haunted house!”

Shishio could only slap his forehead when he heard Usa’s words since this guy was obvious, right?

As expected, when they heard Usa’s words, they became hesitant.

“It’s scary, right? I don’t really want to enter one,” Rui said without hesitation. She didn’t really like to see something scary, and it was better not to join.

On the other hand, Saki quickly hid behind Shishio, silently, without saying anything, as if trying to erase her presence.

However, a group of brave heroes suddenly stood up from their stupor.

“Hehehe… this is a good chance for us to determine who is the winner among us,” Nana said while standing up slowly.

“That’s what I want to hear. I won’t go home until we determine the winner among us,” Maiko said.

“This time, I’ll show you that I am the winner!” Mea also said.

However, the legs of the three heroes seemed quite weak and shaking crazily. Still, the three looked at Shishio at the same time, which made him sigh, wondering what was wrong with those three girls.

“So, who is going to join?” Shishio asked while looking at everyone.

They hesitated, after all, that the horror of the scariest haunted house wasn’t something to be scoffed off, and they would be lying if they didn’t feel scared. Even if they dared to enter, it might be because of their self-esteem and fake bravery.

Hikigaya didn’t plan to enter the haunted house. Instead, he just wanted to play safely in this place. But who would expect his hand to be lifted by Usa?

“We’re going too!” Usa said without hesitation while lifting Hikigaya’s hand.

“…” Hikigaya.

“Senpai, please…” Usa looked at Hikigaya with a begging expression.

Hikigaya could only let out a long sigh.

On the other hand, Yukino**a and Yui wondered how the relationship between Usa and Hikigaya could be so close. ‘Do they have that kind of relationship?’ They weren’t sure, but one thing was sure, they had to watch over them.

With that said, only a few people decided to enter the haunted house.

Shiina, Shishio, Nana, Mea, Maiko, Hikigaya, Usa, and Ritsu.

Only eight people decided to enter, and the rest decided to wait outside.

Still, as the scariest and the longest haunted house in the country, it would take a while for them to go out, so the rest who didn’t enter decided to wait in the food court area since they were quite hungry.

The eight people, on the other hand, stood in front of the haunted house. They watched the large abandoned hospital in front of them and knew instantly that the theme of the haunted house was probably a hospital. Somehow even if they hadn’t entered, they could tell how scary it was, and it made their hearts thump.

They knew a ghost shouldn’t exist, but the element of surprise and how gloomy the location caused their tension to be high.

“Are-Are you ready?” Nana asked her best friends nervously.

“Oh-Oh! I-I am ready!” Maiko nodded nervously.

Mea hesitated for a moment before she said, “I-I am scared. Sorry.”

“….” Nana and Maiko.

“I won’t enter,” Mae said with a cry.

“Th-Then, me too! I-I am scared too!” Maiko said without hesitation since Mea dared to admit she was scared.

Nana hesitated, but when she saw two girls who honestly admitted they were scared, she made up her mind and said, “I am sorry. I am scared too.”

If the haunted house was just 10 minutes or something, they wouldn’t be scared, but they had heard they had to enter the haunted house for more than half an hour or more!

This fact wasn’t a joke!

Ritsu also wanted to join Nana and the rest, but who would expect Shiina would hold her tightly.

“Mashiro…” Ritsu wanted to cry.

“Ritsu, accompany me,” Shiina said while staring at Ritsu.

Ritsu looked at Shiina for a while and wondered whether all this girl did was all deliberately. However, she just couldn’t fight against Shiina’s cuteness. “O-Okay.”

Shiina nodded while showing a bright smile.

Eight brave people turned into five people. Shishio looked at the five and asked, “So you’re all ready, right?”

Shiina, Ritsu, and Usa nodded.

However, Hikigaya could only nod reluctantly. He didn’t really want to enter, but who would expect Usa would hold his hand so tightly?

‘Can you not hold my hand so tightly?’ Hikigaya felt weird, especially when Usa’s hand was warm and slightly wet. He felt it was wrong, yet he couldn’t say anything, which made him helpless.

The five made up their minds and entered the haunted house together.

As for the rest, they watched the five enter the haunted house with a sigh, thinking they were fearless.

“Well, should we wait for him in the nearby food court?” Mai said.

They agreed and walked to the nearby food court since it was quite hot, considering it was almost summer and the sun was quite intense. Also, while they were scared, they would be lying if they didn’t feel curious about the haunted house, so if possible, they wanted to hear their story as soon as possible.

Still, as for the five heroes who dared to challenge the trial, they entered the haunted house. They were in their own position.

Hikigaya was on edge, with Usa on his side.

Ritsu was in the middle, between Shishio and Usa.

On the other hand, Shiina was on Shishio’s side, right on edge. But unlike the rest, her eyes gleamed in excitement, ready to enter anytime. “Shishio.”

Shishio nodded and looked at everyone. “Ready?”

Usa, Hikigaya, and Ritsu reluctantly nodded.

The large door was opened, and a large hall welcomed them.

Still, they didn’t feel scared until the door was closed automatically, and everything turned silent.

“….”

Shishio must admit this haunted house was really well-made.

Not only was it really like an abandoned hospital, but there was this disinfectant smell remaining in the hospital.

“Ooooahh…”

Suddenly a strange moan sounded, causing the scenery around them to become even eery.

While Shiina was curious, Ritsu held Shishio’s arm tightly and closed her eyes.

On the other hand, Hikigaya and Usa were frightened by this haunted house.

“Let’s go.”

With how big this haunted house was, it would take a while to walk around, so it was better to walk instead of wasting their time standing in a place.

While Hikigaya and Usa were scared, they nodded since they didn’t want to appear cowardly.

Still, his plan was to create a chance for Usa and Ritsu to become close through the suspension bridge effect. When their fear was at the limit, they would start to have feelings for each other. But who would expect Usa would get scared too?

His plan was perfect, but Usa’s condition messed up everyone.

Or had he expected this?

Probably.

However, Shishio also gave a chance to Usa since he had thought of him as his competitor. He knew that Usa had a lot of disadvantages compared to him since Usa’s time to meet Ritsu was short, and they could only meet each other in the clubroom.

On the other hand, Shishio could meet Ritsu almost every day on the Sakurasou. He was kind enough to give a chance for Usa, but who would expect this boy would bomb his chance?

Then suddenly, a patient rose from the stretcher, screaming, giving the five of them a scare!

“UWAAAAAA!!!” Usa ran away without hesitation.

“Wa-Wait, Usa!” Hikigaya was dumbfounded, but his legs trembled, and he couldn’t move.

“Ugh…!” Ritsu was on the verge of crying and hugged Shishio tightly since she was so scared, especially when she heard the scream of the ghost. Still, suddenly she felt her head being patted, and hearing this voice, she felt slightly better.

“Calm down, Senpai. I am here. I won’t run away, so let’s finish this haunted house calmly.”

“Yo-You won’t run away, right?” Ritsu said with tears in her eyes.

“I won’t. Just hold my hand, and if you’re scared, you can close your eyes.” Shishio must admit when Ritsu was scared and in tears, she was so cute that he wanted to tease her more. On the other hand, Shiina didn’t seem afraid and even touched the ghost, who suddenly rose from its slumber curiously.

“Mashiro?”

“Um.” Shiina nodded while holding Shishio’s hand, wondering whether there was something more interesting.

Shishio was lost for words before he looked at Hikigaya, who used all of his strength to stand up. “Hikigaya-senpai, are you alright?”

“Ah, um, I am alright.” Hikigaya tried to appear strong when he was asked by Shishio.

“So, is it alright if I leave you alone?”

“No! Don’t do that!” Hikigaya thought Shishio was a devil!

“Well, it’s impossible for you to hold my hands, but you can hold the hem of my t-shirt if you want,” Shishio said.

“Eh?!” Hikigaya was dumbfounded, and a blush appeared on his face.

“Come on, Senpai. I am going to leave you,” Shishio said.

“Wa-Wait!”

Hikigaya quickly followed the three from behind before he gently grabbed the hem of his t-shirt. He wasn’t sure why he felt this feeling, but one thing was for sure, he must admit this guy was so handsome.

As for Usa, he screamed, showing a scared expression.

If Shiina saw his face at this moment, without a doubt, she would say she had seen the “scream” from Edvard.