"Strange, wasn't that first floor very boring? I'll have to give them a good talking to when we get back..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka looked regretful, feeling that those boys' work wasn't up to par.
Just as the two were about to leave, suddenly, the cabinet made a slight thumping sound, catching their attention.
"Eh?"
Both shone their flashlights over, only to find the closet quiet again.
Suddenly, an uneasy premonition swept over them. Shizuka Hiratsuka quickly poked Hachiman Hikigaya, signaling him to open the closet, but Hachiman said with a look of disgust, "Eh? No way, you want me to open it?"
"Are you planning to let your beloved and cute teacher open it? Come on, boys should be brave. Go open it and see; it's probably those boys playing tricks."
Shizuka Hiratsuka urged him. Hachiman couldn't do anything about Teacher Hiratsuka, so he could only quietly reach out his hand and then pull open the closet.
Meanwhile, Goto Hitori, who was hiding in the closet to pass the time by looking at her phone, looked up in surprise when she heard the closet door open and asked, "Did you come to find me...?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka and Hachiman Hikigaya saw a girl in the cabinet with a glowing face (lit by her phone), while what Goto Hitori saw was not Chen Yao, but two gray, unfamiliar humans with terrifying expressions.
"Aaaaaah!!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka was so scared she lost her footing and fell onto Hachiman, and the two fell silent. Goto Hitori in the closet also rolled her eyes in fear and lay unconscious in the closet... Yukinoshita Yukino and Yui Yuigahama, who had already explored to the third floor, heard the screams from downstairs. They were a bit puzzled; at least their first group hadn't encountered any scary scenes from start to finish. It was either Itsuki's Human-faced dog, or Fujiwara Takumi sticking his head out from under the table in the Art room to pretend to be a severed head, but why were the groups behind them so terrified?
"Let's start heading downstairs."
Yukinoshita Yukino, who had taken the wooden plaque, said to Yui Yuigahama.
The two girls walked together, but Yukinoshita Yukino stepped into a hole in a rotten wooden board, her foot falling through. Since she happened to be wearing shoes with slightly high heels, her ankle got twisted when she fell.
"Are you okay, Yukino-chan?"
Yui Yuigahama stepped forward in surprise to support her. But Yukinoshita felt she couldn't stand up and shook her head at her, saying, "No, I've twisted my left ankle a bit..."
"This is trouble. I'll carry you down."
Yui Yuigahama said immediately.
But when Yui Yuigahama tried to carry Yukinoshita, she hadn't gone a few steps before she ran out of strength and couldn't carry her anymore.
"Whew, whew... I didn't think Yukino-chan was heavy, but after just a few steps, I feel my stamina draining fast..." Yui Yuigahama sat on the wooden floor in a duck pose, a bit annoyed at herself for not exercising more.
"Yuihama student, why don't you go down and call the others for help? I'll rub my knee and heel first. But remember, you must not let anyone other than Teacher Hiratsuka know, or the teacher will be held accountable."
Yukinoshita Yukino tried to call Teacher Hiratsuka, but the call went unanswered, so she reminded Yuihama and sat leaning against the wall.
"Then aren't you afraid to be here alone...?"
Yui Yuigahama felt this third floor was very dark and asked worriedly.
Yukinoshita Yukino smiled and said, "It's okay, I'll take care of myself. When you go downstairs, just be careful not to trip like I did."
Yui Yuigahama hesitated for a moment, nodded, and then started heading toward the stairs with her flashlight to find someone.
"Sigh... it hurts a bit."
Yukinoshita Yukino checked her knee and ankle. Her knee was bruised, but her ankle was a bit red and swollen, seemingly sprained. It would probably take a few days to recover; she hoped no one would notice.
But soon, she heard footsteps from around the corner of the long corridor, the wooden boards creaking. She was actually still a bit scared and quickly shone her flashlight over, only to catch the figure of Chen Yao coming around the corner.
"Hmm!?"
Chen Yao was a bit startled and looked over.
He saw Yukinoshita Yukino looking at him with a frosty expression. She asked gloomily, "Do you also think I'm particularly scary?"
"Uh... why are you here? What are you doing sitting on the floor?"
Chen Yao was momentarily speechless, but he soon noticed something was wrong with Yukinoshita's situation and walked over curiously to ask.
Yukinoshita was silent for a moment before saying, "I just fell and can't really walk. Yuihama student went to call the teacher. Classmate Chen Yao, you mustn't tell anyone else about this."
Chen Yao was stunned for a moment, understanding she didn't want Teacher Hiratsuka to be blamed. He nodded. He originally wanted to help Yukinoshita check her injury, but he figured this cold-natured girl wouldn't like someone looking at her foot.
"...Can I take a look at your injury?"
Chen Yao asked seriously.
Yukinoshita looked at him with a frown, which seemed to match Chen Yao's expectation, but after thinking it over, she still extended her leg and pointed to her ankle, saying, "It might be a bit sprained..."
Seeing this, Chen Yao touched the wound with his hand. Yukinoshita noticed his technique looked like bone-setting and was somewhat surprised. She asked, "Do you know how to treat a sprain?"
"The family I'm boarding with runs a Kampo shop. My uncle taught me some examination and bone-setting techniques... Your foot isn't broken; it'll be fine in two or three days. I'll bring you some Medicated oil when we get back."
Chen Yao explained and then stood up, speaking to her.
Yukinoshita Yukino was silent for a moment and sighed in relief, but when she tried to stand up, she found that no matter how she supported herself against the wall, she couldn't muster any strength.
Chen Yao watched Yukinoshita Yukino stubbornly trying to stand up and failing. He asked with concern, "Shall I carry you down?"
"No need, if there's a branch or a cane..."
Yukinoshita had a very strong personality. After trying a few times, she suddenly started to fall backward again.
As a result, her waist was supported by a strong hand. She stared blankly at Chen Yao, and the boy rebuked her somewhat crossly: "If you fall again, it'll be a fracture. Weren't you worried about Teacher Hiratsuka being held accountable? It's not strange for a Classmate to carry you."
"..."
Being told this, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't argue. After some thought, she finally nodded and let Chen Yao carry her downstairs.
Yukinoshita texted Yui Yuigahama to inform her. Chen Yao also tried to call Goto Hitori, but Goto didn't answer either. He wasn't sure about Goto Hitori's situation, but he figured he'd go pick her up in two minutes anyway.
Yukinoshita Yukino cautiously leaned on Chen Yao's back, and the two began to head down via a non-route on the other side.
To avoid being discovered and reach the vehicles safely, she specifically adjusted the flashlight to its dimmest setting, only able to see roughly ahead.
Under the dim light, Yukinoshita was carried by Chen Yao. It was her first time being carried by someone, and it felt incredible. She had to stay close. In the somewhat dark corridor, she just quietly watched this boy who had troubled her for over a year in the darkness.
He was a boy who was casual to the extreme, yet his grades always suppressed hers; no matter how hard she studied, she couldn't surpass him. He was clearly a super troublesome boy who never listened to advice and went his own way, but she had to admit that she couldn't help but envy his independence and persistence... "Mr. Chen Yao, although you aren't a member of the Service Club, you seem to have participated in every Service Club request lately."
Yukinoshita grabbed Chen Yao's shoulders with both hands and said with some emotion.
"That's because the recent requests have more or less had something to do with me."
Chen Yao explained.
Rustle, rustle... Outside the window, the sound of wind blowing through the leaves made the night even more tranquil. The old school building seemed to have brightened up a bit.
"Actually, not just Goto, I also feel a bit..."
Yukinoshita Yukino closed her eyes and whispered as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't say it.
Chen Yao asked in confusion, "What do you want to say?"
"No, nothing. This Saturday is the top 16 of the Summer High School Baseball Tournament. Please do your best."
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at him with a smile and said.
"Thanks for your concern. But for the next game, I can only pray we don't encounter a strong team; otherwise, it'll be hard to support the whole game relying on me alone."
Chen Yao spoke helplessly about the team's difficulties. They would advance as far as they could.
"By the way, about Goto..."
Chen Yao remembered Goto Hitori's matter, but for some reason, he suddenly felt the temperature drop a bit. But soon, Yukinoshita asked, "What did you say about Goto?"
"Uh... Goto is probably very good at playing the guitar. I think Teacher's courage test this time was somewhat effective, but we could consider letting her participate in performances or a band or something. People can only build enough confidence in the fields they are good at."
Chen Yao felt the temperature return. He didn't know if it was his imagination, and then he spoke his thoughts.
"...You really seem to have become her master; you seem very dedicated, Master Chen Yao."
On his back, Yukinoshita Yukino looked at Chen Yao with some surprise, calling him Master repeatedly.
"Don't mock me yet. Do you think this method will work?"
Since Goto Hitori had currently commissioned the Service Club to overcome her social anxiety, Chen Yao still needed the Service Club's support and approval.
"...It's not impossible. Although I can also play the guitar, I don't know any bands. I'll ask around later to see if any bands need a guitarist."
Yukinoshita Yukino thought it over carefully and replied.
Just as the two were about to walk out of the school gate, Yukinoshita suddenly saw a girl with white hair wearing black clothes standing at the gate. Her hair was disheveled, her face was obscured, and she looked quite creepy.
"Who is that person?"
Yukinoshita Yukino asked with a frown.
Chen Yao glanced at the white-haired girl, was slightly stunned for a moment, and then explained: "That's Classmate Kagami. Isn't she also here to be responsible for scaring people? I met her on the second floor just now; she was working hard at scaring people too."
For some reason, Yukinoshita felt this girl was slightly different from Kagaribi no Kiriue. However, since Chen Yao had confirmed it with her, she didn't say anything more. After the two walked out of the old school building, Yukinoshita was first sent to the car to rest.
"Mr. Chen Yao, is that Classmate okay?"
Takahashi Ryosuke, who was responsible for receiving the returning personnel at the gate, asked.
Chen Yao kept in mind Yukinoshita Yukino's request not to let others know and replied, "She's fine, she just got scared. I still have another Classmate to pick up. Thank you very much for today, Mr. Takahashi."
"It's fine, after all, I owe you a favor. But Mr. Chen Yao, your driving skills are superb. If you want to continue studying driving techniques, you can find me anytime. I welcome you and Takumi anytime."
Takahashi Ryosuke said with a smile.
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind."
Chen Yao nodded and re-entered the old school building.
As it turned out, just as he walked into the old school building, everyone participating in the courage test was already about to walk out, including Goto Hitori, who had been scared out of her wits.
"Oh, did you go out?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka asked in surprise.
"...I went out for a bit just now. But what happened to you all? You look like you're in bad shape. Goto, how did you get so scared too?"
Chen Yao asked them back in confusion.
"...Hahaha."
Goto Hitori, Hachiman Hikigaya, and the others could only give awkward smiles, not daring to speak of such an embarrassing thing.
"Uh... let's not mention it. It seems I underestimated the students' abilities tonight. Anyway, it's time to go back. It was still very enjoyable today; it will more or less become a memory for all of us."
Shizuka Hiratsuka said with a smile.
"In any case, I'm not participating in any more courage tests. Tonight was quite enough..."
Sudo Kyoichi said with a serious expression. He had hidden in the toilet all night, only to hear Nakatomi Tsuyoshi say he looked old, which scared those two into the non-route area. Out of his perfect principle of caution, he had spent quite some effort finding them and bringing them back.
"Master, um... can we go back now?"
Goto Hitori's face was haggard, and she asked in a low voice.
"Yes, we can go back."
Chen Yao nodded, but he was a bit curious. He had only left Goto Hitori for a few minutes; how did it seem like they had all encountered something terrifying?
As they were all about to leave, everyone noticed that Classmate Kagami, who was responsible at the gate, was still standing there motionless. Shizuka Hiratsuka asked curiously, "Classmate Kagami, we're leaving. Aren't you going to leave with us?"
While everyone was wondering, suddenly, Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka's phone rang.
She took out her phone and saw it was a call from Kagaribi no Kiriue. She looked somewhat confusedly at the figure of Kagaribi no Kiriue still at the gate of the abandoned school, wondering why she was calling from so close.
"Hello, Kagurazuki, why are you..."
——[Teacher, I've been waiting at the school for a long time. Why haven't I seen any of you? Didn't you say you were going to hold a courage test?]
Kagaribi no Kiriue on the phone seemed to have waited impatiently and asked angrily.
"What are you saying? Haven't you already..."
As Shizuka Hiratsuka spoke, she suddenly felt a chill all over. She seemed to have thought of something.
"I say, Kagurazuki, where are you right now?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka asked with one hand on her hip and the other holding her phone, appearing very calm and composed.
——[Ha? I'm at our school. Didn't you say the courage test would be at the school...]
The expressions of the group standing at the gate of the abandoned school changed one after another. Everyone turned back to look at the school gate, and that white-haired loli was gone... "Phew..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka let out a breath, and then she showed an expression of extreme terror and shouted, "We need to run away quickly!"