Tokyo's Most Affectionate - Chapter 49

Since We’re Here

Inside the haunted house, the lighting was dim, and a cold wind blew, making people feel uneasy. Combined with various sound effects, it was enough to evoke fear from the depths of one’s heart.

Although it was like this, the one walking at the front, Itsuragi, wasn’t scared at all. It wasn’t because she wasn’t afraid of ghosts but because she was in a good mood.

She had already sensed that the two behind her were sticking closely together, linking their arms as they walked.

I need to find an opportunity to slip away and give them enough space. Itsuragi calculated in her mind.

She sneakily glanced back and then quietly quickened her pace.

It was a subtle movement, and if one wasn’t continuously watching her, they might not even notice how fast she was walking.

Kurosawa, you better give it your all.

A few minutes later, Itsuragi looked back into the darkness. It was empty, and she breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to herself.

After a day of preparation and significant assistance, it was finally accomplished.

As for the relationship between Kurosawa and Ninomiya after this haunted house journey, she didn’t care about it. She had done her best anyway.

With that thought, she didn’t stop but continued to walk briskly, wanting to further increase the distance and eliminate any possibility of being caught up.

However, the Jikyu General Hospital, known as the world’s scariest haunted house, was not just an empty reputation.

“Ah…”

As Itsuragi advanced alone, an instinctive exclamation accompanied her, directly lifting the veil of mystery surrounding the place.

The sound was eerie, resembling the moans of a patient lying on a bed, tortured by illness.

And the location of this patient was right in front of the not-too-distant door, an unavoidable path, even an impassable one.

Hearing this sound, Itsuragi suddenly snapped back to reality, looked around, and realized she was facing the scariest haunted house all by herself.

“The haunted house staff are all actors, everything is fake.”

Armed with the experience of organizing a haunted house during high school cultural festivals, Itsuragi muttered to herself, comforting herself, and continued walking forward.

Unafraid, she walked boldly into the room.

As expected, the room contained three beds in disarray, with curtains that were long past their prime, displaying patches and stains. And there was a person.

“Gurgle!”

Even though she was convincing herself that it was all fake, Itsuragi subconsciously glanced over, and her body involuntarily stiffened.

On the hospital bed lay a man whose face had been disfigured by flames, with scars of burns covering at least seventy percent of his body. He was wrapped in bandages oozing blood, and both his hands were connected to intravenous drips hanging in the air.

Fortunately, the patient remained motionless, showing no signs of movement. Although he looked quite frightening, there was no real danger.

“Amazing makeup skills.”

Itsuragi forced a smile, giving him a thumbs up to show encouragement and to comfort herself.

“Dadadada!”

At that moment, footsteps suddenly echoed from behind, the sound of high heels briskly approaching.

“!” 

Startled by this unexpected visitor, Itsuragi turned to look. In the darkness, it seemed like someone was walking towards them, sending shivers down her spine. She quickly lifted her feet and ran forward.

The horror of haunted houses is difficult to convey in words because the design is intended to frighten people. It’s not just about visuals; it’s a comprehensive experience that involves the environment, lighting, sounds, characters, and situations. 

In other words, unless someone is devoid of fear, there is always a way to scare them.

……

In the darkness, Kurosawa and Ninomiya were walking together.

Their footsteps were slow, proceeding at a leisurely pace, leaving one footprint after another.

Ninomiya remained silent, holding onto Kurosawa’s arm tightly and not letting go. She nervously looked around, fearing that a ghost might suddenly emerge from the dark corners.

In contrast to her fear, Kurosawa was feeling quite pleased.

In fact, he was also afraid of ghosts. 

After all, despite having a system, he lacked superpowers and was ultimately a mortal. Faced with such a dark and eerie environment, he instinctively felt fear and discomfort.

However, most of his fears are numbed by the warmth felt in his arms.

The two of them were almost close together, and the hospital’s stimulating disinfectant scent had faded, being replaced by a refreshing fragrance and the scent of perfume.

This is so comfortable, too comfortable.

This was not only a physical pleasure but also a spiritual one.

Because he found that after entering the haunted house, he didn’t need to do anything; Ninomiya was already holding onto his arms and not letting go.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the five-minute task was completed.

In addition, he felt that Ninomiya, after removing her toughness and composure, looked really cute and pitiable while trembling like a fragile woman.

Perhaps the clues were visible during the roller coaster ride, but now it was the complete picture.

“Kurosawa, where’s Runa?”

After walking for a while, Ninomiya suddenly realized something.

“Oh, yeah, where’s Miss Runa?”

Kurosawa had long noticed that Itsuragi had walked away, but in response to the question, he pretended to just notice it.

“Runa, Runa.” Ninomiya, who was already scared and conscious of her missing best friend, suddenly panicked and hastily called out several times.

The calls echoed in the empty and eerie corridor, receiving no response.

“What should we do? Runa’s missing. Is it possible that she’s in danger?”

Ninomiya, who was initially concerned about her own safety, now began to worry about the well-being of her best friend.

“It should be fine. This is a haunted house, not a haunted dwelling. Maybe she’s hiding somewhere and enjoying the show.” Kurosawa shook his head and tried to reassure her.

“But I heard that strange things happened in this haunted house… There might really be ghosts here.”

Ninomiya didn’t share Kurosawa’s optimistic view. She looked around again, her heart pounding uncontrollably. It wasn’t excitement; it was fear induced by her own words.

Because she had plans to visit Fuji-Q Highland last night, she had specifically looked up information about the amusement park online.

Among the information, what concerned her the most was the haunted house that had experienced paranormal events.

“We’ve come this far; let’s tough it out even if we have to force ourselves.” Kurosawa could feel her trembling, so he redirected her attention from comfort and tried to console her.

“Mm-hm.” Ninomiya nodded with determination.

Although they proceeded with bated breath, after walking for a while, everything remained perfectly safe—nothing untoward occurred.

For Kurosawa, there was another piece of good news: the task progress had been updated, and the goal of holding onto the arms was achieved.

“Ah…”

However, at that moment, a groan emanated from ahead.

This sound instantly drew the attention of both individuals, prompting them to look forward.

In the darkness, they could vaguely make out an open door blocking their path.

The room beyond had a faint light, making it conspicuous in the darkness.

“Kurosawa, how about we turn back?”

Realizing that they had no choice but to enter that room, Ninomiya, who had just mustered her courage, clung even tighter to his arms, signaling a retreat.