I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 248 Test
When night falls.

At this time, haunted houses are actually quite popular attractions.

While waiting in line, Asagiri Rin's nervousness was already clearly visible.

Gen Tsukino hadn't expected that after all these years, these were still the things this girl feared.

High and ghost.

This was something he had known for a long time; the girl had told him about it when they were in the orphanage.

Even though she always played alone back then, it seemed like she had no other companions besides herself.

So while waiting in line, Tsukino Gen still moved closer to the girl and whispered something.

"If it really doesn't work, I'll tell Sakura that we're not playing this anymore."

"You look down on me too?"

Asagiri Rin looked at Tsukino Gen with displeasure. Although she was indeed nervous, she disliked even more that this boy treated her like a weak girl.

Gen Tsukino understood what she meant; he simply didn't want her to force herself to do things she didn't like.

"It's not that I look down on you, it's that I feel sorry for you. There are many ways to prove your courage, and some haunted houses don't use clever tricks to scare people, just like some bad horror movies that only know how to keep showing their faces."

Hearing Tsukino Gen's words, the young lady's expression softened considerably.

She was silent for a moment, then answered in a low voice.

"I've never tried a roller coaster or a haunted house in my life. Today I experienced the roller coaster, and I'll experience the haunted house as well."

Gen Tsukino was somewhat surprised.

"You're Miss Asagiri."

"What? Does Miss really have to play with this kind of thing?"

Tsukino Gen seemed to remember something. He smiled and leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear, making it slightly ticklish.

"Is it because I'm not with you that you feel it's not fun to play these games?"

"Stop being so vain." She retorted instinctively, but quickly turned her head and stared intently at Tsukino Gen. "What would you do if that were the case?"

Gen Tsukino casually reached out and hooked her reluctant finger with his little finger.

Then I held her soft, delicate hand tightly.

"I am deeply honored and will protect you well, so that when the world ends, you will know who is the safest to stay with."

"Pfft."

This level of narcissism is truly unbearable.

Asagiri Rin laughed and shook off the other person's hand.

"I may not need your protection. I'm already prepared."

"Really? That's good."

To ensure a better experience, the queue to enter the haunted house is divided into batches.

Too many people at once ruins the atmosphere.

Three people entered from the back, along with another couple, making a group of five.

The school theme naturally features many classrooms, arranged across three floors.

To be honest, the dark environment and the faintly eerie background music actually created a pretty good atmosphere.

Their main mission is to investigate the truth behind the school's strange events and obtain 'Student Number One's student ID' in order to succeed.

The five people are now walking through the corridor on the first floor.

There seemed to be nothing eerie on the first floor. Several classrooms appeared dim and gloomy, and through the windows, one could see desks and chairs that were not arranged neatly. It was unclear whether this was intentional or simply because the previous mess had not been tidied up in time.

Just as the atmosphere was gradually building...

The couple in front started talking.

The girl said, "By the way, Jian, have you heard? Something happened in this haunted house before, right?"

The boy, referred to as A-Jian, replied, "I know this. It seems like it was just last year when a group of people went in and claimed that they really saw ghosts, not staff members, and they were terrified. That incident caused quite a bit of public opinion, which led to the haunted house being closed for several months for rectification."

"Then you still want to play this? It's terrifying."

"It's okay, I'll protect you. Besides, there aren't any real ghosts in this world, so don't be afraid."

I overheard the conversation ahead.

Kazama Sakura also seemed a little nervous, glancing around as she spoke in a low voice.

"Is it really true? It can't be that bad. If it were really haunted, why would they build a haunted house? What if something happens?"

Asagiri Rin forced herself to remain calm and said, "It's just a marketing tactic. When a haunted house's design isn't that great, they use this kind of low-class method to increase its appeal. It's all too common."

Just as Asagiri Rin finished speaking.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a dark shadow darted past them.

Rin Asagiri and Sakura Kazama were both startled, letting out a genuine scream before moving closer to Gen Tsukino.

"What was that?!"

"Hmm, it looks like a person."

Sakura Kazama's voice trembled slightly.

Gen Tsukino pointed to the slightly ajar door of the classroom in front of him. "It looks like someone ran in."

"Hey! Come and see!"

A couple in front of them suddenly shouted.

The three looked at each other and then followed.

They discovered that there was an iron gate at the entrance to the stairwell next to the last classroom, but the iron gate was locked.

"It seems like there's no road here."

The boy said.

Gen Tsukino looked at the lock and replied, "This part is probably about finding the key to open the door in the classroom on the first floor."

Sakura Kazama immediately realized, "Doesn't that mean the haunted house has something designed in these classrooms?"

"You can say that."

So their attention quickly fell on the classroom door closest to the iron gate, the same door where Tsukino Gen had just seen a dark figure run inside.

With his sharp eyesight, he could clearly see that it was a staff member wearing a black robe.

Of course, he didn't mention that he had special abilities or was very bold, but there was no need to ruin the atmosphere. After all, they were there to have fun, not to cause trouble.

"Hey, there are words on the door!"

There was a piece of white paper on the door, with a few lines written on it in a color that looked like fresh blood.

【The cursed classroom 104.】

【rule.】

Only one person can enter at a time to find the key to survival.

[Note 1: There is only one real key.]

[Note 2: Each person can only take one key and cannot be the same person twice.]

[Note 3: Violating any rule will result in something quite terrible.]

"The design is quite convincing. It's just scary. I'm going in first!"

The boy named A-Jian took the lead, and the girl looked at him with considerable concern, saying, "Be careful, don't be reckless!"

"Don't worry, I'll succeed on my first try!"

Ah Jian entered it.

However, Tsukino Gen clearly saw that before entering, Ken honestly and forcefully slid his Adam's apple.

As soon as he went inside, Sakura Kazama immediately noticed, "Look, the glass here is different."

Asagiri Rin noticed it too, "This glass doesn't block the view inside. It must have been designed that way on purpose, to prevent others from seeing what's inside."

"what!!!"

The voice just fell.

Then Ah Jian's scream came from inside.

The girl immediately tensed up, but thankfully, after a short while, Ah Jian, whose face had turned quite pale, rushed out.

He seemed terrified, but forced himself to remain calm and said, "N-nothing! There was just someone hiding under the table! I found the key, let's try it."

"Is it fake?"

Unfortunately, this key is fake.

Ah Jian looked at everyone and asked, "So, should we switch people in?"

Now he seems to have become a staunch advocate of the rules, remembering them perfectly.

The girl next to him immediately grabbed his arm, saying, "I'm a little scared."

"That"

He naturally looked at the remaining boy among the five, namely Tsukino Gen.

But unexpectedly, it was Kazama Sakura who raised her hand.

"I'll try it!"

"Shouldn't I go in first?"

Gen Tsukino asked with a smile.

Sakura Kazama shook her head. "I want to try it myself. You're not afraid anyway."

"it is good."

Gen Tsukino agreed.

The couple was also impressed by the pretty girl's courage and encouraged her, "Go for it, miss!"

"Don't worry!" Kazama Sakura took a deep breath and entered as well.

Soon, several screams rang out from inside, but there was no real danger.

The girl still came out.

She also got the key, and she remembered sharing it with her 'teammate'.

"You all need to be careful from now on. There's someone hiding not only under the podium, but also in the cabinet behind. It gave me quite a fright."

"Let me see your keys first."

"Yes."

I tried it, and Kazama Sakura's key was also fake.

Obviously, the design was not that simple.

"Is your luck so bad?"

Ah Jian said with some dissatisfaction.

Gen Tsukino laughed and said, "It's probably a deliberate design. They won't put the real key in until a few people go in. In other words, the people who went in first were just setting up a trap."

"Then, doesn't that mean that the scariest thing might actually be the end result?"

Ah Jian's girlfriend immediately turned pale.

Gen Tsukino nodded. "Very likely."

"Then I'll go in!"

At this point, the girl became brave and didn't wait for Asagiri Rin to express her opinion.

He flung open the door and rushed inside.

But when a bloodcurdling scream rang out from inside, the girl ran out in a panic, pale face.

"This is terrifying! Someone is chasing me! I didn't get the key."

"This"

Ah Jian didn't even have time to comfort his girlfriend.

Fortunately, Tsukino Gen comforted her, "Don't worry, the mission will definitely be completed. As long as this many people go in, it doesn't matter whether they can all get it."

Then he looked at Asagiri Rin.

"You go first, or should I go first?"

The characters' performances, along with the increasingly heavy and eerie background music, brought the atmosphere to a new level.

She did feel nervous.

Asagiri Rin took a deep breath.

"I'll go in."

"it is good."

Asagiri Rin went inside, and this time it didn't last long; the screams weren't shrill, and there were only a few. This young lady's mental fortitude seems to be much stronger than expected.

When she came out, her face wasn't so pale.

However, his hand trembled slightly as he took out the key.

"It's alright. As long as I had some ideas and was mentally prepared beforehand, everything was fine."

"Try your key first."

"Ah."

It still won't open.

Gen shrugged. "Looks like we really will have to go in everyone."

Ah Jian looked at the relaxed boy, seemingly annoyed that the boy was the most relaxed, since his own performance wasn't exactly respectable either.

He kindly reminded you, "You should also be careful; there's definitely a big trap at the very end."

Gen Tsukino smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the reminder."

The boy went inside.

The door is closed.

Even in such an extremely dark environment, he could clearly see the furnishings inside.

The tables, chairs, and benches were in disarray.

There were also some words scrawled on the blackboard in the color of fresh blood.

'Go to hell!'

Why are you forcing me?!

'You all forced me to this.'

'Serves them right! They all deserve it!'

He could also see the restless figures hiding under the podium.

The boy followed the rules, searching from near to far.

During this time, several staff members suddenly appeared in front of him, but Tsukino Gen remained calm and was not frightened, since he was able to see their movements in advance.

Until we reached the last table by the window.

There were obvious 'bloodstains' on it, making it look different from the other tables.

If you look, you'll see that there are many bloodstains carved on this tabletop, as if someone had used their fingernails to carve out words.

It looked ferocious and terrifying.

I was forced into it.

I didn't want to hurt you either.

Why are you bothering me?

We're best friends.

【Nadeshiko, I've come to keep you company.】

Just as Tsukino Gen was carefully examining these words...

"bass!"

suddenly.

The curtains against the wall were suddenly flung open.

He looked up and was surprised to find that behind him was a window, not a wall.

But behind the window, it seemed to be completely dark with nothing in sight.

There was nothing inside the table.

He only saw obvious bloodstains on the windowsill, a blood-red handprint.

It seems someone desperately tried to escape from here, leaving behind traces.

Does that mean the clue is here?
Perhaps it's a reminder.

So Gen Tsukino stood up, went to the window, and reached out to feel around.

The instant his hand reached out of the window.

"Snapped!"

suddenly.

He felt his palm being gripped tightly.

Simultaneously.

"what!"

A dark figure stood up outside the window!
With disheveled hair, a face covered in blood, and a figure that appeared to be that of a girl, she stood before Tsukino Gen.

She opened her bloodshot eyes wide and growled at Tsukino Gen.

"I don't want to die!"

"I don't want to die!!"

This is the last design for this classroom.

This is also one of the tricks of this haunted house; here, this staff member has scared countless tourists.

Even the bravest person will instinctively and honestly back away, or let out a scream.

But this time, none of the expected events occurred.

The incredibly handsome young man in front of them seemed to have lost all ability to feel fear; he didn't even try to pull his hand back.

He was even smiling at himself.

"Can I have the key?"

"."

The staff couldn't figure it out.

She was even a little embarrassed.

In this design, it seems that I only have this one sentence, without any dialogue.

She probably scared the person, then immediately left through the hidden passage, and the shaken tourist would then find the key again from there, or simply run out of the classroom.
"Uh"

"I don't want to die!"

The staff member, whose brain had somewhat malfunctioned, shouted, and then the heat on his face disappeared directly from Tsukino Gen's eyes.

Gen Tsukino did not give chase.

Because he saw the key on the outside of the windowsill.

……

(End of this chapter)