Chapter 4
The next day.
Mogumogu...~
Ugh… Niki-han, how are you even able to eat crepes after eating so many pancakes…The more I look at it, the more my heart burns.
Oh no, what're you saying, Kohaku-chan? Didn't you know? Crepes are the very definition of "sweets are for a separate stomach"[1], they're a groundbreaking sweet treat.
Hm?
Take a peek at this crepe. Look how thin it is.
It could totally fit as much space as possible in a stomach that just seems full. Mogumogu...~
What's with that explanation? It makes way too much sense.
Oh, Niki. A bug just landed on your crepe. I'll shoo it off for you, so just give it here.
Eh? I couldn't catch sight of anything, so is that true? Uuuun, I don't see any bugs…
Nono. Niki, you just aren't looking right. I asked you to give it to me because there's a little trick to finding them.
Eh? Well, if you're really insisting that much—here.
Whereeee is it~?
Here~? Mogumogu…
Ah! What are you doing?!
Mogumogu… gulp—what is it, Niki? I'm working really hard to find these bugs for you right now.
Nn…I might've been wrong when I thought I saw a bug land on it, so I'll give it back now. This is really good.
My crepe! How dare you, how dare you, how dare you, how dare you, how dare you, how dare you…![2]
It's fiiine, it was just a bite. Don't get so worked up over something so small, Niki.
It's like you always say, "Good food tastes good alone but tastes even better with others". You got to share your food with me in the end, so you should be happy.
You say that, but you took a huge bite! If you wanted to take a bite so badly then why didn't you just say so to begin with?!
Nooope~! I was just looking for bugs!
What are you, an elementary schooler!? How dare you tell a lie like that?!
…Haa, you're on your own.
—Eh? Come to think of it, HiMERU-han's been gone for a while now…?
Ah, he's behind there. He escaped because those two were making a racket didn't he? Smart move.
HiMERU-han. Isn't it cruel to escape by yourself?
—Ah, Oukawa. Apologies, HiMERU couldn't stand being seen with those two anymore…
What, so it's fine if I'm seen with them?
That's not it…Understood. From now on, Oukawa can join and we'll evacuate together.
Right, right. Honesty is always the best policy.
Anyway, HiMERU-han, you look like you bought a whole bunch of cookies from that cafe earlier.
Is that what you wanted to get so badly? And yesterday you mentioned something about circumstances?
Ah, these? They're meant to be a gift of gratitude for someone that assisted HiMERU with work. Aside from the pancakes, the pastries were also very popular, so he thought they'd suffice.
Of gratitude? If you wanted to give them that kind of gift, then they didn't have to be from that cafe, did they? You can get sweets from anywhere.
No, it's because they can be found anywhere that these small things make a difference in testing one's sense of style.
By sending a meaningful gift, one will leave a lasting impression and the gift receiver will enjoy it more.
It may seem like something small, but it's the accumulation of such small things that will form the impression HiMERU makes. It's because of this that he can't afford to make any errors.
Hm. I get it now. HiMERU-han is always so perfect, I should learn a thing or two from you—
Hey! Kohaku-chan, HiMERU-kun, I don't want you two leaving me! I mean, don't leave me here with this tyrant!
Gyahaha! Niki-kyuuun, I won't let you gooo~
Me and you are inseeeeperable, aren't we~?
Gyah! Don't jump on me! You're heavy, so I'll be crushed~!
Help me, Kohaku-chan, HiMERU-kun!
Even though we're trying to avoid Rinne-han and Niki-han, they're still coming at us at high speed. What are we gonna do, HiMERU-han?
—Haaa…HiMERU really regrets being here now.
Chapter 5
C'mon, pick up the pace~. We're almost there.
Aren't we, like, super behind schedule? Seriously, why is it taking so long for us to get there?
If you don't know who's the number one reason for that, then HiMERU would be impressed.
Amagi, you kept taking detours and fooling around with HiMERU and the others, so that was likely what caused the delay.
What a pain. The distance from the cafe to the arcade really isn’t that far.
Ah. Speaking of, I think I saw the building with the arcade.
Nn? By the way, I haven't seen any signs of Kohaku-chan for a while?
.....
Whoops. He was right behind me~ He was being so quiet I didn't even realize it.
.........
Kohaku-chan? Can you hear me?
! A-ah… sorry, I was just a little spaced out.
Umm… Kohaku-chan, I don't know what's wrong but… are you alright?
We're almost at the arcade. If you don't want to do this—
Niki-han, what are you talking about? I'm fine. I'm the same as I've always been.
Yupyup. My heart's always as calm as the wind. That's how it's always been, and today's not any different. Koh-koh-koh~
Uuun. If you say so, Kohaku-chan, then it's fine…but you seriously don't have to push yourself too hard.
It's just one of Rinne-kun's ideas after all. He wants our attention, so he's been trying to pull us into his plans.
Exactly. Like I said, I'm not pushing myself.
Aah! I'm really excited for it! C'mon, let's go!
…Here it is. That's the haunted house…
Ohh~… It's more serious than I'd thought it'd be. Since it's in an arcade, I thought it'd be more kids-sized.
It's said that the haunted house is small, but they were aiming for realism. They even asked a famous haunted house producer to work on it.
! J-Just now, did you hear a scream coming from inside there?
Ah, there it is again!
A lot of screams can be heard from inside.
Ohhh. Their reputation is the real deal, that's great. I took time to come all the way out here on my day off. It'd be boring if a haunted house wasn't scary.
Everyone got their tickets~? C'mon, c'mon. Let's go ♪
—Understood. Please don't push, Amagi. Finding solid footing is uncertain since it’s so dark.
I know that a lot of these haunted houses have jumpscares and stuff~
I'm not scared, but I don't want to get jumpscared and use up energy. I'll just get hungry again.
Ah. H-hang on a sec—
(What's with those guys...! Aren't they scared at all?! Are their hearts made of steel?! So that's why they don't have any sense of tact! I get it now!)
(Everyone's already gone in so fast, I need to catch up… it's okay. We'll be in and out in a flash! It'll only take a second, and then it'll be over. I'll beeee fiiiiiiine!)
(Augh… it's pitch black! I've never heard of anything like this before. It's much darker than I expected! Even the zashikirou I was in was way better than this!?)
Scaaaary! It's pitch black. If a ghost was to pop out of a place like this, Rinne-kun would be soooo frightened~!
You say that…but Rinne-kun, you don't look scared one bit.
Shiina doesn't look that scared either.
I'm more scared of going hungry than ghosts.
Ah, actually, ghosts don't look like they have anywhere to eat, so that part is kinda scary.
Unbelievable. Shiina, are you going to eat the ghosts too?
......
(Wh-what's going on… it's true that it's really dark. But everyone's acting like normal, so I'm starting to feel a lot calmer now.)
(My eyes are getting used to the dark too. I'll make it to the end in no time. I think I was just a little nervous because it's a foreign place for me, but I wasn't scared. This is a so-called haunted house, but this is nothing~)
Chapter 6
—......
......
........
......Ummm.
HiMERU thought he'd lose his lunch…
I somehow found myself sticking out of the floorboards too…
…Augh. My body, it feels like it's bent at an angle it shouldn't be. Can anyone see it?
E-everyone, sorry… I just got a liiiiitle surprised~…
It can't be. The cause of shock wasn’t the ghosts inside, but Oukawa right beside us… We were blindsided.
Kohaku-chan's fists would be thrown whenever he was jumpscared by a ghost~ Even a skilled fighter would turn pale, that was a crazy barrage.
That was…um…that was an accident…
That's no good, that's just no good! At this rate, our "ES Halloween" attendance is seriously gonna be in danger!
You're not wrong. If he was to go bonkers every time he's jumpscared then there's a chance he'd just do that theday of the event too~
—Also, at this rate, the live performance may be impeded.
This year the event is supposed to be made with attention to realistic details, after all. HiMERU doesn't suppose our costumes will be an exception to that.
There's no way you're expecting me to react like that at the live…
Really? What's to say our costumes aren't gonna be like the ones in the haunted house?
Are you gonna be able to keep a cool head when you're surrounded by a bunch of ghosts? Can you promise that you're gonna perform like normal?
Th-that's…well…
Alright! In that case, we'll do some special training! No matter what motif or stage comes our way, we're gonna help you out, Kohaku-chan!
Hah?! Special training...?!
Jeez… why was I pulled into this mess…
Not only that, I don’t care if you call it training, but staying at ES to tell stories is ridiculous! This is all for Rinne-han’s amusement, so why do I have to be put through all this…?!
You think so too, right, Niki-han?!
Unn…Uuuunnnn…
Hey, are you even listening to me Niki-han?
Ah, just wait a sec! I’m trying to seriously think of what kind of snacks I wanna bring with me here.
Ummumumum…this is such a life or death matter~
What’s with you and your worrying. If you really can’t choose, then isn’t it okay to choose both?
Aren’t you a genius, Kohaku-chan?! You’re right! When in doubt, I can just take it all!
You were wondering which of these two to pick from, but why exactly did you need to bring all this?
Even if I picked from these two, I was still gonna struggle with picking which sweets to bring. But, if I take everything with me, then I'm not gonna have that issue anymore!
So! What's up? Didn't you want to say something earlier?
As I was saying…I don't get why we're getting pulled along Rinne-han's whims so easily.
Nyaha, that's true. Well, Rinne-kun offered me dinner so that's why I went with it~.
He said that he'd feed you, but Niki-han, aren't you the one that makes the food anyways? That's just being competent.
Nono, the issue is the cost of everything, not the fact that I'm making the food. Rinne-kun said he'd cover that for me!
I'm sure he's just gonna use "Crazy:B"s funds or whatever else he can get his hands on to cover that.
If I can eat a big full meal for free, then I'll follow you anywhere, no matter what it takes~
Niki-han… Don't go being lured away now, ok? And don't go following some stranger either.
Nyaha. Don't expect me to be that greedy~ I would never, Kohaku-chan.
That's not very convincing…
Now then, since you've got all of your snacks and stuff ready, let's go to the practice room. I'm pretty sure Rinne-han and HiMERU-han are getting it ready.
Actually, how did we get permission to stay here at ES anyway? It's unusual.
Rinne-kun went and talked to the Vice President and got special permission. I have no idea how he managed to convince him, but now that we have the permission, can't we sit and train for "ES Halloween"?
Fuu~un. I'm amazed at the fact that Rinne-han managed to convince the Vice President.
Actually, why are we even training to begin with! I told him tons of times, I'm not scared. If I'm caught a little off guard, then a defensive instinct kicks up and my fists lash out. It's just a natural reaction.
Kohaku-chan, why are you so scared of monsters—I mean… why do you have that defensive instinct?
I'm actually surprised… I didn't think you'd be bothered by that kind of thing.
......
It's not that I'm scared, but maybe I'm so hypersensitive because of the time I spent in the zashikirou.
Zashikirou? Well, just hearing about it does make it seem kind of scary.
That's not it. It's not the place itself.
When I was in my zashikirou, my only way to connect to the outside world was the internet. So I was always surfing the net.
One day, I'd wandered onto a popular occult forum. All the threads there were full of disturbing faces…my instincts just knew I was in the wrong place…but then a huge tragedy happened.
Tr-tragedy…?
All my instincts told me to close the browser, but I couldn’t really help but look around.
Then, there it was, a bunch of horrifying stories.
Ohhh, so that's what you meant by "tragedy". So you saw it and got scared?
Arrgh. Niki-han, don't you think it’s bad?! You idiot! All of these ghost stories take place in old-style Japanese houses or the countryside!
Niki-han, do you even understand what it's like to read those kinds of stories in such a low light place?! You just don't get it!
That's…
(If it was that scary, then you really didn't have to see it…that's what I think…is this what they mean when they say "curiosity killed the cat"?)
This talk. If Rinne-han was to find out about it, there's no way he wouldn't make fun of me. So keep it hush.
Nyaha. I won't say anything~. It's gonna be me and Kohaku-chan's secret!
Translation Notes
(1): I think Niki is talking about when people say they have “dessert stomachs”, which is like basically having extra room for dessert.
(2): In some cases “yokumo” is used as an adverb to describe a feeling of shock but here I think it’s used as a demand here which is why I decided to translate it that way
(3): Kohaku here I think is talking about “Hachishakusama”, a Japanese horror myth about an 8ft tall ghost woman dressed in a white hat and dress that abducts children. It’s a little confusing because I’m not sure if 2-meters=8ft but it’s the closest thing I could think of off the top of my head.
(4): What Kohaku is talking about here is more familiar to me. He’s talking about “Hitori Kakurenbo”, literally meaning “Lone Hide-n-Seek”. The general idea of it is that it’s a ritual set up involving a ghost possessing a doll/stuffed animal, and you play hide-n-seek with that spirit.
(5): May be referencing “Kisaragi Eki”, a basic horror legend that surfaced in 2005(?) about a woman that takes a train and arrives at an empty train station (Kisaragi Station) with no known activity and had no record of its existence.