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The most difficult choice, Kotone realized, was deciding how to spend her very limited time on what seemed to be a near-unlimited number of options in the festival.
Food? Well, she could spot a makeshift takoyaki stand in one of the corridors, another one selling rice popcorn, and a suspiciously large amount of students with taiyaki near the corner. Entertainment? Don’t even get her started on that one – everyone really let their creativity run wild this year. Kotone tapped her feet and huffed impatiently as she waited for the universe to give her a sign on what she should start with.
Thankfully, the universe replied in the face of a very uncertain-looking Mitsuru, who appeared to be just as deeply in thought.
There’s my answer!
“Mitsuru! Oh, thank you, you have no idea what you just saved me from.” Kotone waved her hand, beckoning Mitsuru over. “A lifetime of indecision, to be precise. But it’s all behind us now!”
Her words seemed to have quite the effect on Mitsuru, causing the latter’s brows to crease in confusion even further.
“Lass, maybe you should tone the theatrics down.”
Never!
“Pardon me?” Mitsuru replied, blinking in confusion. “I’m happy to help, of course, but I don’t quite understand what it is that I’m helping you with.”
“You and I, Mitsuru, are going on an adventure.” Kotone decided with a smile. Moving forward, she looked around all the attractions, trying to find something that would catch her eye. “One full of mysteries and discoveries, of, uh…” Her eyes eventually settled on an incredibly shoddy skeleton from the anatomy lab dressed to resemble a zombie. “...thrills and chills?”
Yeah, maybe not this one. Judging by a very sad-looking student hanging out near the entrance, the so-called ‘house of thrills’ was not the most popular or well-put-together part of the festival.
Mitsuru, however, had a different idea. “Curious. I admit I have seen some of these around, but I never had any any particular reason to indulge in visiting them.” She half-turned towards Kotone with a smile. “An adventure, you say? Well then, shall we?”
She is going to be so disappointed.
“Aye, lass.”
Nevertheless, Kotone didn’t have the heart to deny Mitsuru, and in they went. The student at the entrance, who was half asleep, suddenly stood straight with a jolt. She looked nervously at the duo.
“K-Kirijo-senpai? I swear we didn’t break any rules! A-and this was all Eri’s idea anyway, so-”
“Calm down. I’m here to visit and see what your… ‘house of thrills’ has to offer.” Mitsuru replied.
All Kotone did to supplement Mitsuru’s words was a bright smile and a thumbs up.
“O-oh. I see. Well, in that case, welcome to our Terrifying and Tremendous house of Thrills!” The student, having recovered from the shock surprisingly fast, introduced the duo to their work. “All you have to do is reach the end, and that’s it. If you win, you get a plate of takoyaki that is definitely better and absolutely not the same as the ones in the hallway. Enjoy!”
The student helpfully opened the door and motioned for Kotone and Mitsuru to go inside.
“For all that introduction, this really isn’t that impressive.” Kotone said as she took in the scenery in front of her. A flashing ceiling light greeted them, briefly illuminating fake cobwebs and a locked door. All in all, this was a typical classroom – three rows of desks, a whiteboard, and a bookshelf with some cleaning supplies nearby. Did the organizers forget those here? “But I can see the vision! This is just two connected classrooms, right? So we only have to find a way to open this door.” She motioned at the locked door ahead of them.
Mitsuru hummed in affirmation. “Indeed. This is all so fascinating – look at the lights, for example. How exactly did they find a malfunctioning light bulb to emulate an abandoned classroom? And these fake cobwebs. Did they craft them by hand? If so, this shows incredible dedication to the atmosphere. I’m impressed.”
If Kotone knew Mitsuru was this easy to impress, she simply would have taken her to one of those rigged games where one had to knock down stacked bottles with a ball to earn prizes. She even knew all the tricks!
Her line of thought was interrupted by Mitsuru grabbing a random book off the shelf and finding a key under it. “Just as I thought. A classic.”
What do you mean, a classic? She solved the puzzle already?!
“How did you know that would even be there?” Kotone asked. “I-I mean, not that I didn’t notice it either, I just, uh, thought, you know, since you were unfamiliar with…” She waved her hands around, as if to show ‘this’ and to conclude her sentence.
“Well, it was quite simple. A cliché, even. We are expected to find a key, are we not? It would not be particularly fun if one were to hide it under a desk or in one of the cobwebs.” Mitsuru started her explanation. “And the bookcase is the only other piece of furniture here. This book had much less dust on it than the others, meaning that it was moved recently. It was just a chain of logic, really.”
Wow. Kotone added a mental note for herself that Mitsuru was scarily good at puzzles. Something that they probably could use in palaces to their advantage. Now, however, was not the time to think about that. Mitsuru victoriously approached the locked door and inserted the key.
Almost instantly, the door flew open, and a student wearing a black curtain stumbled out of it with the most unholy screech Kotone’s ever heard in her life.
The scary part isn’t even the ghost costume!
Mitsuru jumped backwards in alarm. “A shadow? Here? Kotone, prepare yourself!” She grabbed the first object her eyes landed on, which, unfortunately for the now-panicking ghost, was a very long mop. “En garde!”
The shadow was felled in one strike, and a ruffled student emerged from under the covers. “Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing you-” She suddenly paused mid-speech with her mouth hanging open. “Kirijo-senpai?!”
What followed was a long, unintelligible, apologetic-sounding string of words and a hastily handed takoyaki before the girl ran out of the room and closed the door with a loud bang.
“Wow, Mitsuru. Attacking a student and having her say sorry to you? Teach me your tricks, please!” Kotone said, barely holding in her laughter at the utterly lost look Mitsuru sent her, and popping one cold takoyaki in her mouth. “How long do you think she stayed in there to scare someone?”
A deep sigh was Mitsuru’s only response. “Forgive me for that outburst. I’ll have to apologize to that poor girl the next time I see her, too…”
She will probably faint if you approach her after this.
Kotone wisely withheld her words and offered the box of takoyaki to Mitsuru with a smile.