In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

After waiting until around 7 PM, the excitement quickly cooled down, and for more than ten minutes no one took the initiative to challenge it.

The teacher at the entrance, who was in charge of registering and distributing prop lanterns, had already started yawning out of boredom.

On the edge of the campsite, in the shadows of the side of the row of cabins, the light of the campfire could hardly reach.

Kaguya Shinomiya and Ayaka Hayasaka were squatting on the ground, their heads close together, whispering and having a secret conversation.

"In the first half of the test of courage route, there will be terrifying dolls that suddenly fall from trees, green will-o'-the-wisps drifting through the forest, and skull models illuminated from below by green lights... In the second half, two paths will appear, the one on the left will..."

Hayasaka Ai had already experienced the test of courage at the very beginning and was now reporting her findings in detail to her young mistress.

This was so that the young lady, who pretended to be nonchalant but was actually quite afraid of the supernatural and ghostly, would be aware of the situation and not be so frightened that she would lose her composure.

Listening to Hayasaka Ai's clear and organized narration, Kaguya nodded repeatedly, while silently repeating the key points on her fingers: "The doll that suddenly fell down... the will-o'-the-wisp drifting in the forest... the glowing skull... the left side of the fork in the road..."

After a moment, she nodded: "Okay, thank you, Hayasaka, I'll remember that."

Hayasaka Ai stood up: "Then I wish you all the best, Miss."

She made a move to leave.

Kaguya Shinomiya quickly called out to her, "Wait a minute, Hayasaka! You haven't told us what we'll encounter on the other road at the fork in the road?"

Hayasaka Ai didn't even turn her head, just waved her hand and said, "It's okay, right? When the time comes, Miss, you can just speak first and decide to take the left path."

That's true...

Kaguya Shinomiya composed herself, then without hesitation, found Chiyo Minamoto's location, approached her, and extended an invitation.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Oh? I didn't expect the two guild leaders to come together for the challenge."

At the entrance to the test of courage event, the teacher in charge of registration saw Chiya Minamoto and Kaguya Shinomiya walking side by side and gave them a friendly, teasing smile.

He handed them a handheld prop lantern that emitted a faint green glow: "Have fun, both of you. The mountain paths are not easy to walk on, so please watch your step."

After saying that, he stepped aside to make way for the entrance to the Courage Path.

After thanking them, Kaguya carried the lantern, and the two walked side by side into the depths of the path.

According to the rules, starting from the entrance, you should walk straight along this simply arranged path for about two hundred meters to reach the innermost end. After receiving the voucher from the teacher waiting there, you should return the way you came to complete the challenge and receive the limited edition postcards.

However, the two people traveling together at this moment clearly had no interest in the so-called prize.

One person is preoccupied with how to see the awkwardness that the person next to them might show in a terrifying scene, in order to satisfy their own vanity and practice their so-called spiritual victory.

The other person was thinking about how to finish the play as quickly as possible so that their maid, who was caught in the middle and working so hard, could have an easier time and get some reward for her efforts.

The atmosphere was fairly relaxed for the first part of the journey together.

Kaguya could even find topics to chat about interesting things that happened during the training camp, and Chiya would respond accordingly, making it seem as if it were just an ordinary nighttime walk.

But as they went deeper, the noise and sounds of the camp behind them gradually faded into the distance and became blurred, replaced by the rustling of the trees and the sound of the wind.

The warm glow of the campfire was completely left behind, and only the pitiful green light of the lantern in my hand could barely illuminate the small patch of ground in front of me.

The night wind whistled through the bare branches, making a mournful sound, and causing the withered leaves on the ground to swirl and dance.

The shadows of the trees, illuminated by the green light, appeared menacing and distorted.

A sense of natural fear stemming from darkness and the unknown began to quietly spread.

Even though Kaguya Shinomiya knew the location of most of the mechanisms beforehand, her heart still raced, and the fingers gripping the lantern's handle tightened slightly.

But more than her own discomfort, she was concerned about the reaction of the person next to her, Yuan Qianye.

She was very satisfied with the other party's reaction; in fact, she was pleasantly surprised!

From his initial composure, Yuan Qianye gradually became taciturn, and his pace seemed to slow down.

When the first mechanism was triggered, a tattered doll covered in pale paint and with disheveled hair suddenly crashed down from a tree branch in front of them, almost grazing their noses. Kaguya Shinomiya clearly felt Chiya Minamoto's entire body stiffen instantly!

Although he didn't shout out, the moment he held his breath and suddenly stopped walking was enough to tell the story!

"Ah!" Kaguya exclaimed in unison, then "kindly" pointed out, "President Gen, look over there, in the woods... isn't there something floating around?"

Yuan Qianye looked in the direction she was pointing, and his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably.

He even subconsciously moved closer to her.

As they reached the corner of the road, the skull model with its empty eye sockets illuminated from below by green spotlights suddenly came into view, and Kaguya Shinomiya even caught a glimpse of Chiya Minamoto out of the corner of her eye and stopped in her tracks!

He stiffly turned his gaze to the other side, deliberately avoiding looking at the skull. The lines of his profile were taut, and his body seemed to be trying its best to suppress a slight tremor!

Great success!

Kaguya's long-suppressed competitive spirit was finally satisfied and exhilarated like never before!

It was a near-orgasmic feeling of pleasure that made her almost want to burst out laughing without caring about her image.

What kendo genius? A leading figure in literature of the new era?

Isn't this the side of us that shows when we encounter things we're not good at? It's so cute!

"Ah, we've reached a fork in the road, President Gen." Kaguya stopped, pointing to two increasingly secluded paths ahead. She turned her head, trying to make her voice sound innocent yet subtly bewildered: "Which way should we go?"

Yuan Qianye's voice interrupted, his gaze wandering: "I... am fine with anything."

“Then let’s go to the left,” Kaguya Shinomiya readily agreed, her tone “thoughtful”: “The road looks smoother here, it should be easier to walk.”

"Hmm." Yuan Qianye responded softly, which was taken as agreement.

all the best.

Things went a little too smoothly!

Her steps quickened, and the unease she felt due to the darkness faded to almost nothing.

According to the information Hayasaka had given in advance, they would soon encounter a small mechanism where sticky water balls covered in lubricant would fall from in front of them.

Given their current positions, she only needs to crouch down to perfectly avoid them, while President Yuan behind her probably won't be so lucky.

I wonder how he would react then?

Kaguya secretly looked forward to it, and even began to imagine the even more interesting expression that Minamoto Chiyo might have at that moment.

Soon, Kaguya, using the green light of her lantern, saw a wooden sign lying on the roadside ahead that read, "Warning! Ghosts are lurking here!!!"

This is somewhat different from what Hayasaka said; according to her, the wooden sign should have been tied to a tree.

Another point is that, not far from the wooden sign, behind a clump of low bushes, there is a clearly visible crouching figure, its shadow deeper than the bushes' shadow.

This is different from what Hayasaka said; there should only be a wooden sign here, without any other additional steps.

Could it be that something changed along the way?

Kaguya didn't take it to heart, assuming it was just a scary element added on the spot by the teacher or student in charge of the preparation.

After all, it's a test of courage, so some changes are normal.

She was planning to invite Gen Chiya to continue their journey.

Yuan Qianye, who had been behaving timidly, suddenly stepped forward and gripped her wrist tightly.

Kaguya was startled by his sudden action.

The force on her wrist made her heart skip a beat; instinctively, she assumed the other person was seeking comfort out of fear.

Although she could understand, she was still a little embarrassed. After all, no matter how scared she was, she had to be mindful of the difference between men and women and couldn't just suddenly grab a lady's wrist like that!

“President Yuan, you…” She frowned, about to speak.

"Don't speak!"

Gen Chiyo's clear yet deliberately lowered, steady voice made Kaguya realize that something was wrong.

"Slowly, just keep backing away like this."

Yuan Qianye issued another order, his tone tense as if facing a formidable enemy.

"!"

Kaguya tensed up as well, her relaxed nerves suddenly tightening.

She looked in the direction that Yuan Qianye was staring at, and suddenly straightened up. She had just noticed the dark figure that she thought was a typical scary prop set up in the test of courage competition.

Jet-black fur, sharp claws, and gleaming white teeth peeking out from between its half-open claws! And it even emitted scorching white steam in the cold, dark night!

That was a bear as big as a calf!

Kaguya's legs began to tremble, and the lantern she was holding in her other hand fell to the ground. This was the instinctive reaction of a human when suddenly encountering a wild beast without any warning!

Chiya noticed Kaguya's situation, but didn't dare to turn her head to look at her.

He maintained his position facing the bear, and instead of holding Kaguya's wrist, he wrapped his arms around her waist, slowly pulling her away.

Things did not go as he had hoped.

The next moment, the bear landed on all fours and charged straight at him like a tank!

"Ghost Brain" activated!

At the critical moment of life and death, Yuan Qianye held nothing back, and his mind instantly entered that profound and mysterious state!

His focus and reaction time have greatly improved, and everything around him seems to slow down several times over in his eyes.

In a flash, Gen Chiya suddenly exerted force with his arm, shoving the completely limp Shinomiya Kaguya in the opposite direction! At the same time, he twisted his waist sharply, dodging to the other side!

"call--!"

A dark shadow, carrying a foul stench, pounced through the gap between the two! Its sharp claws even tore through the cuff of Yuan Qianye's coat! The two narrowly escaped death!

"Roar--!"

The bear missed its target and its massive body crashed into a nearby tree trunk with a dull thud.

It was clearly enraged, and quickly turned around, its deep roar echoing through the silent forest, full of ferocity!

It didn't stare at Gen Chiya, who was standing ready and holding a piece of dead tree trunk tightly in his hand, but instead looked at Shinomiya Kaguya, who had fallen to the ground and hadn't had time to stand up due to excessive fear.

His beastly instincts made him open his blood-red maw and charge straight at the weaker Kaguya!

Kaguya's pupils contracted sharply, and her scream was stuck in her throat. She could only close her eyes in despair.

That beast!

Yuan Qianye cursed under his breath, and without further hesitation, he launched himself forward like a cannonball.