Nagasaki Sose sent a message

"You could have solved it this way all along, couldn't you?" Riki said.

"Huh?"

Riki grabbed Shiina Riki's hand and ran back to the takoyaki stall from earlier. To the girl, he said, "Rikki just ate the takoyaki you made, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. Could we have another serving?"

"Hey, I never said anything like that..." Shiina Riki hurriedly protested.

"Really, Rikki?" the girl asked in delight. "I thought you didn't like this kind of thing. And your expression always looks so scary. I never expected you to like this sort of food. These takoyaki got messed up when I was making them earlier. They don't look very good, but they're still delicious, so feel free to take them."

Shiina Riki hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you."

"No problem."

Riki took another serving of takoyaki and ate it. It really was delicious.

It was stomp-your-feet delicious.

But it was still a little short of the level where he would inhale it in a frenzy.

"Why would you just say something like that? I never said any of it." After they walked away from the stall, Shiina Riki complained.

Still... it didn't feel that bad.

"The best way to solve interpersonal problems is to say what's really on your mind." Riki smiled.

"You seem pretty good at getting along with people." Shiina Riki suddenly spoke up.

"I'm all right, I guess. Just average."

Not at all.

What ordinary person would bother with someone like her? Not to mention that I often put pressure on people.

I'm probably just one of the friends he's helped. Shiina Riki thought as she looked at Riki.

Although Riki was just as good at composing music as Sakiko and her sister, perhaps because he was a boy, or perhaps because he was so approachable, being around him did not make her feel inferior. Instead... she admired him.

Could I become like him someday?

"Why are you smiling so happily?" Riki turned around and asked in confusion when he saw Shiina Riki suddenly break into a radiant smile.

Rikki, you're secretly laughing at me, aren't you?

You can't even be a good person these days without getting laughed at.

Don't sleep too soundly tonight.

"Why do you think?" Shiina Riki replied with a mysterious smile.

Fine, fine. So that's how you want to play it?

Then I'll have to raise the stakes.

I'll make sure Akari doesn't sleep too soundly tonight.

Riki and Shiina Riki entered the school building. There were class-organized activities inside as well, and Riki asked curiously, "What activity is your class running?"

"Hmm, a haunted house." Shiina Riki thought for a moment before answering.

A common choice in anime. Pretty much on par with a maid cafe.

Riki had just reached the third floor when his expression suddenly changed.

There's a Kayako on the third floor. I'm not kidding.

"That's someone from our class in costume. Do you want to look around?" Shiina Riki smiled. "Anyone who makes it through the haunted house can enter a lottery to win a pair of matching rings, though they're only made of copper."

That's normal. If high school students could afford to make gold rings, I'd have to wonder whether the principal was running some kind of side business.

Something involving Magical Girls, maybe.

"Rings? That sounds pretty interesting." Riki nodded. He couldn't use them right now, but they might come in handy with Sakiko later.

Riki also saw two students emerge from the haunted house with pale faces. After failing to win anything in the lottery, they let out a howl of despair and looked utterly miserable.

Hmph. You entered a lottery and still expected to win? Did you think you were entitled to every good thing?

Riki walked into the haunted house and only then realized what he had done.

He had never been very good with horror movies and the like...

Should I turn around and leave right now?

But when he saw Shiina Riki walking ahead through the dark haunted house, he didn't want to lose face. He followed her with gritted teeth, then suddenly felt something under his foot.

A bloody hand.

What a relief. The props these students bought aren't very realistic... Riki relaxed, only to suddenly feel someone clutching his arm tightly.

Riki turned around and saw Shiina Riki clinging tightly to his arm, her face deathly pale and her eyes brimming with fear.

"W-wait for me. My legs are a little weak." Shiina Riki's voice trembled.

Rikki, I never expected you to be afraid of this kind of thing.

Shiina Riki suddenly felt something blow a chill against the back of her neck. She screamed and hugged Riki even tighter.

Riki: "?"

Chapter 42: Nagasaki Sose sent a message

In the gloomy haunted house, where low, ominous sounds echoed through the darkness, Riki and Shiina Riki moved forward slowly.

"This is your class's haunted house. How are you still getting scared?"

"...Because I wasn't assigned a task."

Riki was stunned.

Miss Rikki is kindhearted. She can't stand seeing someone work too hard.

So you went outside to wander around instead?

Riki walked in front while Shiina Riki held his hand and followed behind, glancing left and right in case something suddenly jumped out.

"Clatter."

Another bloody hand fell from the ceiling, and Shiina Riki froze in terror.

Riki froze too. Shiina Riki was gripping his wrist so tightly that, with the strength of a drummer, he thought she might crush it.

"It's terrifying. Why would they make something like this?" Shiina Riki asked in disbelief.

Riki stared thoughtfully at the curtain beside the haunted house. He and Shiina Riki lifted it and hid behind it. Darkness filled their vision, and the only sound was their breathing.

"I'll avenge you." Riki whispered. "It'd be too much if they scared you so badly that your legs went weak."

"My legs aren't weak!" Shiina Riki snapped angrily.

They just can't exert any strength.

Shiina Riki could feel Riki's breath against her ear, making it itch.

"Wait here," Riki said. After a while, he finally saw two people in monster costumes pass by through a gap in the curtain. They were whispering to each other.

"Senpai, do we really have to scare people that badly? I don't want to frighten our classmates."

"Natsuko, the student council's budget was taken by our class committee, who used it to enter a lottery on the shopping street. They wanted to surprise everyone, but lost everything. We can't let anyone know, so we absolutely can't let anyone make it through the haunted house."

"But, Senpai, we only ate two biscuits. We didn't spend that much money."

"Idiot! I wasn't talking about the biscuits. The realistic props for the haunted house cost too much, which is why we have no prizes left! Listen carefully—we absolutely can't let anyone know."

All right. I won't tell anyone.

Riki nodded. Everyone knows I'm the best at keeping secrets.

These two Japanese girls are kind of hilarious. Their intentions were good—they wanted to give their classmates more benefits, but the class committee ruined everything.

They originally wanted to surprise everyone, but then those loathsome working adults outside tricked them badly with a lottery. Clinging to the belief that those who had been caught in the rain should tear away other people's umbrellas, they decided to fall into depravity and become evil working adults in training.

No wonder the person at the entrance didn't win anything.

Are you running an underground lottery here?

Shiina Riki was stunned too. She had only wanted to hide and surprise her classmate, but she had unexpectedly stumbled into the scene of her classmates' moral downfall.

Still, they were only high school students, so the extent of their depravity was simply spending too much money on props. No wonder these things looked so realistic.

"But why haven't we found Rikki and her boyfriend?"

"Did they hide somewhere to make out?"

Japanese girls, mind your own business!

Riki's face darkened. Beside him, Shiina Riki's eyes widened in shock. When did Riki become my boyfriend?!

Riki couldn't tolerate it any longer. Otherwise, the next rumor spreading through Hanasakigawa would be that Miss Rikki wanted him to confess to her. He had to act—right now, right here!

He reached out with lightning speed, as fast as a porridge pal, and grabbed the two girls by the feet.

The air fell silent for a moment. Then two terrified screams, loud enough to pierce the heavens, rang out.

Riki stepped out from behind the curtain and looked at the two Japanese girls, whose faces had gone pale. "I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said just now. Don't let working adults trick you again. Lotteries are all scams. Those '16,666 biscuits' and the like are just legends."

Shiina Riki also came over and hurriedly clarified, "He really isn't my boyfriend!"

Miss Rikki, you're awfully eager to clear that up. That hurts a little.

The two Japanese girls nodded repeatedly. They had tears at the corners of their eyes after that scare.

Riki and Shiina Riki continued forward. There were far fewer frightening props farther in, and Riki guessed that they had run out of budget. The two of them successfully made it out of the haunted house.

"Congratulations on clearing the haunted house..." The student outside stared at the two of them and suddenly froze. Why did everyone else come out with pale faces, while one of these two looked perfectly normal and the other was blushing?

"Please come over here for the lottery." The Japanese student guided them over.

Riki looked into her eyes. "Are there really any prizes?"

"There are." The student answered firmly.

"Really?"

"...There are." Her voice lacked a little confidence.

"Really?"

"...Probably?" Sweat appeared on the student's forehead as she answered guiltily.

Those rings are our entire facade. If someone takes them, we won't have any prizes left!

Under Riki's gaze, the student obediently brought over the prize. With a sigh, she said, "Since you saw through us, I guess there's nothing we can do. Ehehe!"

The student winked with one eye and stuck out her tongue with a smile.

Are you trying to act cute, you brat?

If I hadn't seen through you, I would have only gotten a consolation prize after coming out.

"Here, these are your prizes. We engraved both your names on them, so now you can remain together forever!" the Japanese student said with a smile.

"What if we aren't a couple?" Riki asked.

The student froze for a moment, then hesitantly replied, "Then you're blood-brother allies?"

She suddenly realized something. "You two aren't a couple?"

"Of course not!" Shiina Riki hurriedly explained.

"Then why did you come to challenge the haunted house?" the Japanese student asked in surprise.

Riki asked in return, "Then why did you go to the shopping street and lose all your money in a lottery?"

No... Are you always this aggressive?

The Japanese student felt a little guilty and gave an awkward smile. "Have a good day, Onii-chan. Enjoy the school festival."

You're calling me Onii-chan?

Fine. I forgive you.

One of my life goals: being called Onii-chan by a pretty Japanese girl. Complete.