After passing through a long corridor, there was a fork at the end of the road.
The door on the left says "Morgue" and the door on the right says "Operating Room".
"It looks like we have to split up."
Ichinose Honami stopped and looked at the rules description on Signpost.
In order to increase the experience, the team must be split into two groups, explore different areas separately, and finally meet at the exit.
"Eh? No, don't..."
Shiranami Chihiro almost cried, "If we separate... it's absolutely not possible! I want to be with Honami!"
"But that's the rule."
Ichinose Honami was a little confused and glanced at the five people present.
There must be two groups.
Two and three.
Her eyes wandered around several people, and finally she seemed to have made some kind of decision.
"In that case..."
Ichinose Honami suddenly smiled, and she gently "picked off" the Shiranami Chihiro hanging on her body.
"Chihiro-chan, you want to be a team with Kazehara-kun."
"Huh?"
This exclamation did not come from Kazehara Tetsu, but from Shiranami Chihiro himself.
"Why?! Honami... Don't you want me anymore?"
"How could that happen?"
Ichinose Honami raised a finger and analyzed seriously, "If this place is divided into two groups, there must be boys to protect the girls, right? But we only have one boy here."
"Besides, Chihiro-chan, if you are so scared, it should be the safest to follow Kazehara-kun. After all, Kazehara-kun doesn't seem to be afraid of these things at all. With him leading the way, you can walk the entire distance with your eyes closed, no problem."
"Shiina, Yamamura, and I are in a team. Although we are not very courageous, if the three of us encourage each other, we can barely pass."
"This is also the best solution for all of us to successfully pass the level!"
"I don't..."
Shiranami Chihiro was about to refuse, but when you saw Ichinose Honami's eyes full of trust and encouragement, the words of refusal were stuck in your throat.
She couldn't refuse Honami.
"Then... okay."
Shiranami Chihiro lowered his head and reluctantly moved to Kazehara Tetsu's side, but still maintained a "safe distance" of at least half a meter.
Shiina Hiyori let go of Kazehara Tetsu's hand with some regret, waved slightly towards him, and then followed Ichinose and Yamamura Miki to the "morgue" on the left.
"Then, let's go."
Kazehara Tetsu didn't say much, put one hand in his pocket, and took the lead in walking towards "Operating Room" on the right.
It was different from the noisy scream before.
This passage leading to "Operating Room" is unexpectedly quiet.
The floor was covered with hospital-specific white tiles, and a few blood-stained white coats were occasionally hung on the walls on both sides. There was only the echo of the two people's footsteps in the air.
There are no ghosts that suddenly jump out, nor any harsh sound effects.
This kind of calm before the storm made Shiranami Chihiro even more nervous.
She hugged her arms tightly, not daring to look around, and could only stare at Kazehara Tetsu's back.
Silence spreads.
This kind of space with only two people is more embarrassing and difficult for Shiranami Chihiro than meeting a ghost.
"That..."
Finally, under the pressure of this weird atmosphere, Shiranami Chihiro couldn't help but speak.
"Huh?" Kazehara Tetsu didn't look back.
"Kazehara-kun... Have you ever talked to Honami about dating again?"
Once you get started, the rest becomes much smoother.
This was a question she had always hidden in her heart, like a thorn in her heart.
Kazehara Tetsu's footsteps did not stop.
So that's it.
The relationship between the two is now too good, and they even often study and hang out together. This makes Shiranami Chihiro have to wonder if this man is still stalking her, or if Honami's attitude has changed.
"No."
Kazehara Tetsu's answer was very straightforward, and there was no emotion called "regret" in his voice.
"After that rejection, I never mentioned dating again."
"Eh?"
Shiranami Chihiro was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect to get this answer.
"Then... then why are you still..."
"Why can we still get along like friends?"
Kazehara Tetsu completed the second half of the sentence for her.
He turned his head and glanced at the short-haired girl behind him with a tangled face.
"The reason is very simple."
"Because it's 'Ichinose Honami'."
"Even if he rejects someone else's confession, he will be gentle and don't want the other person to get hurt, and will even take the initiative to show goodwill to maintain the relationship. The reason why we are still in contact now is entirely because of Ichinose's excessive enthusiasm, right?"
"I'm not the kind of person who will stalk her. As long as she doesn't take the initiative, I'm happy to keep this pure 'Study Partner' distance."
This statement is half true and half false.
But for Shiranami Chihiro, it is extremely convincing.
Indeed, this fits Honami's character very well.
"Yes, yes..."
Shiranami Chihiro breathed a sigh of relief, and the big stone in his heart seemed to fall.
As long as Kazehara Tetsu doesn't have that kind of thought about Honami anymore...
But then, another more private question came to mind.
Now that the topic has been opened, and since there are only two people here...
Shiranami Chihiro bit his lip, mustered up the greatest courage in his life, and asked the question that had been circulating in school forums and private gossip among girls for a long time.
"Well... there's one more thing."
"I have also heard some rumors about Kazehara-kun..."
"Everyone says...Kazehara-kun has had scandals with many women."
"Not only Classmate Sakayanagi and Morishita Ai who are in the same class, but even Horikita who is Class D..."
"Are those... real?"
This is an extremely offensive question.
If you were an ordinary boy, he would probably turn your back immediately or deny it in a hurry upon hearing this kind of question.
But Kazehara Tetsu stopped.
He turned around and faced Shiranami Chihiro.
"Although some things are exaggerated by boring people..."
"But, it's true."
Shiranami Chihiro I originally expected to hear denial, even if it was just sophistry.
But this man actually admitted it?
And he admitted it so openly and without any shame?
"How, how could..."
Shiranami Chihiro's eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly, and he was too shocked to speak.
Is it true?
In other words, is this man a scumbag with many interests?
"Then... those girls..."
Her thinking began to become a little confusing, and her outlook on life was greatly impacted.
"Those girls who have a relationship with you... do they all know about it?"
"They... don't seem to object to your behavior?"
This was what she couldn't understand the most.
Whether it's Sakayanagi Arisu, Morishita Ai, or even Horikita Suzune who always has a cold face.
Why?
Why would they tolerate the existence of such a man?
Why do they acquiesce to this ridiculous relationship?
Shiranami Chihiro lowered his head and fell into deep self-doubt and thinking.
Just when Shiranami Chihiro's attention was completely immersed in thinking.
"Careful ahead."
"Eh?"
Shiranami Chihiro raised his head subconsciously.
Because she had been looking down and thinking just now, she didn't notice that they had reached a scene similar to Morgue Cold Storage Matoba.
And the moment she looked up.
It was less than fifty centimeters away from her.
Something suddenly fell from the originally empty ceiling.
It was a human-shaped object wrapped in a pale white shroud.
It had no facial features, only a head stained red with blood.
The "bloodstains" on it were extremely realistic, and there was even viscous liquid dripping down.
What's even more frightening is that the thing is hanging directly upside down. The faceless face is hanging right in front of Shiranami Chihiro's eyes, swaying slightly with inertia, as if it will pounce on her face in the next second.
"!"
At that moment, Shiranami Chihiro's mind went blank.
"Ahhhh..."
A scream that could penetrate the floor erupted from her throat.
She didn't think about it at all, her body instinctively made the only survival response, looking for the only support around her.
She suddenly jumped to the side.
"Boom!"
Like a frightened ostrich, the whole person jumped into Kazehara Tetsu's arms.
Her face was buried tightly in Kazehara Tetsu's chest, and her hands tightly hugged his waist as if grasping a life-saving straw.
"No! Don't come here! Wuwu..."
Kazehara Tetsu looked down at Shiranami Chihiro in his arms.