— — — — — —
"It's starting, right? It's starting!"
Excitement filled Utaha's eyes. She looked like she was ready to go all out.
She had invited Eriri to try this haunted house several times before, but every time she'd been refused.
Now, she finally got her wish.
"Yeah, looks like it's begun. Let's head out."
Oikawa nodded and reached for Utaha's hand, intending to lead her out of the room.
But almost immediately, the first obstacle appeared.
The door… was locked. No matter how hard they tried, it wouldn't budge.
"Looks like we're supposed to find a key in the room."
Utaha frowned in confusion. "But there are only a few things here. Where would they hide it?"
The lighting in the room was dim. Oikawa instinctively reached for his phone to use the flashlight, only to remember that before entering, the staff had forced both of them to power their phones off.
"Then we'll just search in the dark."
"There aren't many places to check anyway. Shouldn't be too hard."
Utaha began feeling around in the darkness, and Oikawa started searching as well.
As time passed, eerie music suddenly filled the room.
Utaha lost the calm she'd shown at the start. The creepy sound sent goosebumps crawling across her skin.
"Oikawa-senpai, did you find the key?"
"Oikawa-senpai?"
She turned around, only to realize Oikawa had somehow disappeared.
Panic rose in her chest.
The next second, she felt a hand on her back. It moved as if it were alive, slowly, slowly climbing up toward her shoulder, inching toward her cheek.
"Ah!"
"What is that? I'll kill you! I'll beat you to death!"
Utaha lashed out wildly. A moment later, she heard someone begging for mercy.
"D-don't hit me, don't hit me, it's me…"
Luckily, Oikawa reacted quickly and protected his face. Otherwise, he would've ended up with several scratches.
"Y-you… why were you trying to scare me!"
Utaha's voice sounded aggrieved, with a faint hint of tears. She'd clearly been genuinely frightened.
"Weren't you the one saying you weren't scared?"
"W-who's scared!" Utaha shot back stubbornly. "That was just a reflex."
"Alright, alright. Whatever you say."
Oikawa grabbed her arm and continued, "Let's go. Next area."
"You found the key?"
"Didn't we get the key from the start?"
Utaha looked puzzled. Oikawa shook the remote control in his hand and smiled. "The key's inside the remote."
"How did you know?"
"It's a classic escape-room trick. There's barely anything in this room. The TV's built into the wall, so the only place left to hide it is inside the remote."
As he spoke, Oikawa smashed the remote on the floor. A key dropped out.
"Let's go!"
After unlocking the door, a dim, narrow corridor stretched out before them.
After what had just happened, Utaha realized she might not be as brave as she thought. She no longer dared let Oikawa leave her sight.
They walked one behind the other toward the end of the hallway.
Soon, another dark little room came into view.
The walls were covered with black-and-white photographs. Family portraits, couples, single individuals.
"Are these the guests who died in this room?" Utaha asked.
"Probably."
Oikawa glanced around. "There are two chairs placed in front of a camera. Looks like they want us to take a commemorative photo."
"This haunted house is actually kind of interesting."
Oikawa sat down first. After hesitating, Utaha sat beside him.
Click.
A bright white flash burst from behind them. A photo of Oikawa and Utaha appeared in the camera.
Then, a staff member's voice echoed through the room.
"Now, there is something only the two of you can accomplish."
"The owner of this house was named Yoruko. After her death, she has continued to wander within this house. Your task is to free her soul."
"Please press the doorbell on the stone pillar beside you and say: 'I'm home.'"
"Warm reminder: before entering the house, please remove your shoes. Yoruko was a woman who loved cleanliness."
After the voice ended, Utaha looked at Oikawa. "Should we take off our shoes like she said?"
"Of course. Otherwise we can't continue."
Oikawa had already formed a guess. Taking off shoes probably meant something would emerge from beneath the tatami.
After removing their shoes, Oikawa excitedly pressed the doorbell on the stone pillar.
"I'm home."
Utaha followed and repeated the line.
The curtain before them slowly drew open. A bloodstained shovel appeared in front of them. Beside it was a set of women's undergarments, also soaked in blood.
"Is this where that Yoruko was buried?"
Utaha quickly circled to Oikawa's other side, trying to stay as far away as possible.
"What are you scared of? It's not like there's a real corpse."
"I… I'm not scared."
Utaha still tried to sound tough, but the tremor in her voice completely gave her away.
At the very back, there was another wooden door.
When they opened it, they found all kinds of butterfly specimens inside. The eerie music returned.
This time the sound was much clearer than before. It resembled a low, strained growl, like something forcing its voice through clenched teeth. It made the skin crawl on a very physical level.
Utaha clung tightly to Oikawa's arm before daring to peek at the specimens.
"Keep going?" Oikawa asked.
"Y-yeah… let's… keep going."
"I'm… not scared at all. Not even a little."
A faintly amused smile appeared on Oikawa's face as he dragged the "burden" attached to his arm deeper inside.
At the innermost part, a passage blocked by a hanging curtain came into view.
"I'm opening it."
"O-okay."
As the music grew more unsettling, Utaha buried most of her head behind Oikawa's shoulder, leaving herself only a narrow sliver of vision.
Oikawa pulled the curtain aside and stepped in.
A woman in white appeared before them, her back facing them. She hung from the ceiling, swaying slowly.
Soon, her face turned toward them.
The upper half of her face was covered by a terrifying mask. The lower half looked disfigured, scarred and ruined.
At that moment—
The tatami beneath their feet suddenly split open. A woman's hand, covered in dirt and wounds, burst out and slowly crawled onto Utaha's foot.
Utaha felt her soul nearly leave her body. She screamed and jumped.
Then she launched herself straight into Oikawa's arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck. Her long, fair, strikingly shapely legs clamped around his waist.
Not only that, she buried her entire face into his chest, pressing closer and closer as if searching for a warm harbor.
Oikawa didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The more arrogant she had been at the start, the more pitiful she looked now.
.
.
.