I Saved the First Victim of the Horror Game (The Idol in My Class), and She Became the Ultimate Sweet Heroine Who Smiles Only at Me

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Chapter 15: Completion Objective ①: Prevent the Horror Route and Turn It into a Romantic Comedy

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Yamamoto’s scream tore through the deathly silent night forest.

“Yamamoto!?”

Without thinking, I grabbed Murase-san’s wrist. I wasn’t going to let go for even a second.

“Ueno-kun, that hurts…!”

“Sorry, but don’t let go! Hoshino-san, Tanaka! Over here!”

As if responding to my call, Tanaka came running from the opposite side, his face pale.

“That idiot Yamamoto went over to those bushes and then suddenly…!”

We rushed toward the direction of Yamamoto’s scream, stopping right at the edge where the campfire’s light barely reached. There, Yamamoto was on the ground, legs giving out beneath him, trembling violently as he pointed at something.

“A-a-aah… ah…”

At the end of Yamamoto’s shaking finger, between the dark trees… It was there.

“…A torii?”

Hoshino-san gasped. An old, dark crimson torii stood there, as if deliberately putting itself on display.

“H-hiii…! It appeared! It did! Some guy in weird clothes walked right through it…!”

Yamamoto babbled in a full-blown panic. A guy in weird clothes? That meant there was someone here besides us? At that moment, a terrible premonition crossed my mind.

Wait… what about Nanase-san, who’s alone in the tent!?

“Nanase-san! Nanase-san, answer me!”

I turned toward the tent and shouted. But there was no response from the girls-only tent. Hoshino-san’s face went completely white as she rushed over and violently yanked open the zipper at the entrance.

“Nanase!? Cut it out, Nanase!”

Her voice was almost a scream. When we peered inside… It was empty. She had gone in just minutes ago saying she was going to sleep, yet she had vanished as if she were smoke. We had all been within sight of each other. If she had left the tent, someone should have seen her!

“U-Ueno-kun.”

Murase-san’s voice beside me sounded strangely cold. When I looked at her, instead of squeezing my hand back, her fingers had gone ice-cold.

“…There’s someone standing there.”

Murase-san pointed directly beneath the torii. Before we knew it, a lone figure was standing there.

“S-Sato-kun…?”

Sato-kun, who had barely stood out all night, was standing there. In his hand, reflecting the fading glow of the campfire, was something large and darkly gleaming, like a massive blade.

“Uwaaaah!”

Yamamoto let out another short scream and bolted deeper into the forest like a rabbit fleeing for its life. This was bad, he was panicking so badly he hadn’t even realized it was Sato-kun!

“Wait! Don’t run off alone—!”

Ignoring my attempt to stop him, Yamamoto disappeared toward the abandoned village, swallowed by fear.

Wait—wait! We’re getting more and more scattered!

“Sato, what are you doing?”

Still calm, Tanaka-kun called out to Sato-kun like usual. There was no response. Tanaka slowly approached Sato-kun. Whether he was putting on a brave front or desperately wanting to believe in his friend, his back looked painfully vulnerable.

“Hey, answer me, Sato. What’s with that dangerous thing…? Did you find it somewhere?”

Sato didn’t move. Half-melted into the shadow of the torii, he kept his head lowered. But the thing in his hand wasn’t some cute little camping knife. It was rusted, heavy-looking, like a warped cleaver or hatchet meant for cutting meat.

“Tanaka-kun, don’t go!”

At the same time I shouted, Sato-kun’s head jerked to the side at an unnatural angle.

“…Ah… ah…”

What leaked from Sato-kun’s mouth wasn’t words but a wet, scraping sound, like something clawing at the back of his throat. When he slowly raised his face, his eyes had rolled back white, and some viscous substance dripped from the corners of his mouth.

“—Uwaaaah!”

Seeing that face up close, Tanaka screamed and leapt backward. At that instant, Sato-kun’s body snapped forward with beastlike speed, and he brought the blade down.

GIIIIIIN!

A sharp metallic clang rang through the forest. By a hair’s breadth, Tanaka had reflexively raised the campfire tongs, and the blade bit into them. Sparks flew, and Tanaka’s arm shook violently from the impact.

“Sato…!? What the hell are you doing!? Are you out of your mind?!”

Sato-kun didn’t answer. Like a marionette, his joints creaked grotesquely as he scanned for his next prey. And then, those murky eyes locked onto Murase-san, trembling beside me.

This is bad. Sato-kun’s target really is…!

“Murase-san, run! Not toward the tent, but head for an open area!”

I grabbed her hand and kicked off the ground desperately. Behind us, I heard Tanaka shout, “Wait, Sato!” followed by the violent sound of something striking the ground.

“Haa, haa… Ueno-kun, look…!”

Murase-san pointed ahead. There was Yamamoto, who should have fled toward the abandoned village. But something was wrong. He wasn’t heading into the village. He was frantically pounding at empty space, as if striking an invisible wall.

“Yamamoto! What are you doing?!”

At my voice, Yamamoto turned toward me, his face a mess of tears and snot.

“I can’t get out! There’s a transparent wall! I can’t leave! I can’t go back!”

Hearing his scream sent a chill down my spine like someone had jammed ice into it.

“Ueno-kun, behind you!”

Hoshino-san’s voice rang out from somewhere. Right behind me was Sato-kun. And the blade swung toward Murase-san…

“Watch out!”

I threw myself between Murase-san and Sato-kun.

◇

“—Ueno-kun. Wake up, Ueno-kun.”

Murase-san’s voice stirred me awake.

“Hah…!”