For Asuna, the forest at night was nothing unfamiliar.
After all, when Fang Zheng had first put them through special training, they had basically rested in the forest's safe zone every night. Back then, though, everyone had been together, so Asuna had been able to bear it. But now...
"B-Black Cat, you're beside me, right? Say something."
Clutching Black Cat's hand tightly, Asuna looked around nervously and spoke in a low voice. She did not dare look at Black Cat, because Black Cat was currently wearing a white mask covered in strange painted patterns. Normally, Asuna would have simply dismissed it as Black Cat's chuunibyou acting up and laughed it off.
But now...
"Clang, clang, clang..."
"Black Cat, can't you put your weapon away?"
Hearing the sound of Black Cat's scythe clanking against the ground, Asuna could not help complaining. Black Cat merely giggled at her complaint.
"Doesn't it add to the atmosphere? A lot of horror movies have scenes like this. Don't those killers always drag chainsaws or chains along the ground before they kill someone...?"
"Ahhhhhhh!! Stop it, stop it, stop it---!!"
At that, Asuna finally could not take it anymore. She flung away Black Cat's hand, crouched on the ground, and held her head in both hands. Black Cat grinned at her, then seemed to think of something and deliberately lowered her voice.
"But speaking of which, Asuna, do you know one of the tricks horror movies often use?"
"W-What?"
Asuna instinctively did not want to answer Black Cat's question, but she would be even more frightened if Black Cat stopped talking. So she curled herself into a trembling ball and asked uneasily. Black Cat looked at the shivering Asuna and continued.
"It goes like this: a group of people goes exploring, looking for ghosts. But what