Paimon and Yuna turned their heads in confusion, just in time to see Ei walking toward them.
"Ah, Ei?!"
"Oh, it's you guys. Yae Miko told me they were holding a Test of Courage here and suggested I come to clear my head."
Paimon stared at the small cake Ei was holding, asking skeptically, "Is that... really all you're doing, clearing your head?"
Ei: "I suppose I'm participating in the Test of Courage too, though I haven't sensed anything truly terrifying. In fact, some of the contestants became quite nervous when they saw me."
Ei glanced down at the cake in her hand.
"These rewards are quite appealing. It's a shame I only found five."
Lumine, Paimon, and Yuna exchanged embarrassed glances. Ei's expression genuinely seemed to convey regret, but... five cakes already?
Paimon coughed a few times, then ventured a guess: "Could it be that Yae Miko deliberately sent Ei here to scare people?"
Yuna nodded in agreement. This kind of scheme was exactly the sort of thing Yae Miko would pull.
Paimon: "But if that's the case, Ei wouldn't experience anything herself!"
Ei: "On the contrary, the little cakes Yuna sponsored are quite appealing. Even if this was all Yae Miko's plan, these cakes make it absolutely worth it for me."
"Moreover, since coming here, I've sensed a familiar, nostalgic presence."
"A familiar presence?" Paimon stroked her smooth chin.
Ei explained that she had seen a game called the "Akitsu Game" on the beach below, which seemed to have evolved from the "Akitsu Feather Game." Her sister, Makoto, had loved this game, and Ei found herself reminiscing about many past memories.
Back then, the Hundred Demons still roamed, and Inazuma's nights were far more lively than they are now.
After chatting for a while, Ei prepared to return to the tenshukaku. After all, she had searched the area thoroughly, and there were likely no more unclaimed cakes left in Chinju Forest.
"Yae Miko mentioned that the Test of Courage has three rounds. I hope you two can endure until the end. Or rather, if it's you, I'm certain you'll make it all the way."
Paimon: "W-well, of course we will, right?"
Lumine nodded gently.
Ei: "I believe in you."
Before leaving, Ei nodded to Yuna, who smiled and waved back.
Come to think of it, the day she had promised to cook for Ei was only a few days away. She should invite Lumine and Paimon along too.
After Ei left, the three retraced their steps, only to find Itto behind a large boulder.
The Oni was still buzzing from his recent scare, and the moment he saw Lumine and the others approach, he couldn't contain his urge to share:
"Hahahaha! What do you think? My scaring skills are pretty impressive, right?"
As Itto finished laughing, he realized Yuna had crept up beside him, her small hand already gripping the soft flesh of his waist.
"Y-Yuna, what are you doing?"
"What do you think?" Yuna grinned mischievously at Itto. You're the one who smeared mud all over my face, aren't you?
Yuna pinched hard and twisted her small hand sharply.
"Aow~!"
Yuna released her grip after just one twist, and Itto clutched his waist, hiding behind Lumine and Paimon.
"Heh heh, Itto, you've finally met your match."
"It was an accident, all an accident!" Itto protested. "That mud must have been Ushi's doing. I didn't throw it at Yuna on purpose!"
This little pinch was nothing to Itto; he was used to far worse. He quickly changed the subject: "Hey, you still haven't answered my question. What did you think of my scare technique?"
Paimon scratched her head, unable to even recall when Itto had tried to scare anyone. To avoid hurting his feelings, she asked Lumine to give her feedback instead.
Lumine acknowledged Itto's ability to scare people, which delighted him to no end.
"Ha ha! This great lord thinks so too! Every time I strike, my opponents cower in fear and flee like rats. Even I never realized I possessed such innate talent... But that's perfect! This time, I'll show my underlings exactly what I'm capable of!"
"I've already scouted their return route. We'll ambush them midway and give them the scare of their lives!"
"Ha ha ha! Just thinking about it makes me excited! How about you? Ready to go?"
Yuna's eyes lit up. Scare Mamoru and the others? Heh heh, count me in!
Lumine and Paimon didn't object, finding the idea quite amusing.
The group followed Itto to the spot he had mentioned and hid behind a tree.
Paimon: "Itto, how are you planning to scare them?"
Itto replied matter-of-factly: "Simple! We wait for them to approach, then jump out together, shouting loudly to give them the fright of their lives!"
Paimon: "..."
Yuna: "Such a childish plan, Boss! Didn't you say you were experienced?"
Itto: "Don't underestimate me! Sure, the method's simple, but I've already calculated their psychology. Those guys are definitely muttering things like, 'This is so boring,' 'Let's hurry back,' and 'I miss Yuna's cooking' as they walk back."
"Right now, they're completely off guard. With the dim light here, if three living people suddenly burst out of the bushes, they'll be terrified! Before they can react, we'll bolt, then set up another ambush!"
Lumine: "That... actually makes sense."
After waiting a short while, faint footsteps approached from ahead. The trio quickly fell silent.
Itto whispered, "I'll count to three. We jump out together! Three, two, one—now!"
Paimon was both nervous and excited.
Itto leaped into the middle of the path first, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Haaah!" The others were startled, including Yuna and the rest of their group.
Next was Lumine, clenching her fists and shouting, "Waaah!"
Yuna: "Yaah!"
Paimon: "Waaah!"
-
Live Stream Chat:
[Wahahaha, I came here specifically to see that expression on their faces. Mission accomplished!]
[Lumine, Yuna, and Paimon all have the same expression and pose. So uniform, so adorable!]
[Haha, looks like they're all enjoying themselves.]
[Silent scares are the creepiest.]
[They are so cute!]
[Even when the Traveler tries to be scary, she's still silent~]
[Whoa, from tallest to shortest, they look like a WiFi signal!]
-
Chinju Forest.
Itto stared at the three figures ahead, bewildered. They weren't his underlings...
All three wore masks, their designs unsettlingly eerie.
"C-could it be... ghosts?!" Paimon blurted out, quickly reaching a conclusion. One of the masked figures echoed the cry: "Ghosts!"
Both sides immediately bolted in opposite directions at full speed.
After running for a while, Itto stopped. "Wait, hold on. Stop running!"
Paimon, still shaken, exclaimed, "Lumine, Yuna, did you see that? Those guys were definitely not human! The eerie legends from the Test of Courage are actually happening... What do we do? Are we being haunted?"
"Ha ha, Paimon, I didn't realize you were such a scaredy-cat," Itto's maniacal laughter cut through the lingering fear.