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 - 2

Chapter 2: In a Game I Knew Nothing About, I Told Her “Don’t Move a Millimeter” and She Blushed Bright Red

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

I grabbed Murase-san’s hand and started running. Murase-san had completely stopped resisting my forcefulness.

“First, we need to get away from that dangerous area…”

I dashed down the stone steps, trying to distance us from the torii, but along the way, Murase-san stumbled on something and nearly lost her balance.

“Wah…!”

She wobbled, her body tilting dangerously, and almost tumbled down the stairs.

“Watch out!”

Reflexively, I wrapped my other arm around Murase-san’s waist. The combined impact of both of us hit the landing with a thud. I dropped to one knee, and she collapsed against my chest, clinging to me.

“Hah… hah…”

Her warm, breathy exhalation brushed against my ear. That was close. If she had fallen here, she could have been seriously injured. Worst-case scenario, if she landed wrong…. The thought sent shivers down my spine.

“A-are you okay!?”

“Y-yeah…”

Murase-san’s soft hair brushed my cheek. Her warmth transferred through her thin shirt. I didn’t know much about girls’ clothes, but she was wearing a frilly black sleeveless top and a pale blue long skirt. Even here, in this abandoned place, she looked cute.

“Doesn’t that outfit make it hard to move?”

“Huh?”

“No, I just thought…Even here, in this ruin, you’re really stylish…”

“…”

I asked something ridiculous in the middle of this mess. Why the hell was I asking about clothes now?

“I-… I was happy to be invited… after such a long time…”

“Happy?”

“Well, everyone calls me ‘Air-chan.’”

“You’ve been saying that ‘Air-chan’ thing nonstop. What’s that about?”

“I’m average in grades, average in sports… Nothing about me really stands out. People call me that… they say even if I talk, my voice is too soft, like air…”

“Huh.”

I thought she looked cute enough, at least. But I couldn’t immediately point out what made her especially noticeable either.

“Anyway, watch your step.”

Even while thinking about something rude like that, we carefully adjusted our positions.

“Right now, Murase-san seems really unstable.”

“Yeah… I think so too.”

We had to descend these stairs cautiously… Actually, letting Murase-san walk down on her own might be too dangerous.

“Murase-san, here.”

“Huh?”

I turned my back to her. If she had the risk of slipping, I could just physically lift her.

“W-what are you doing?”

“I’m giving you a piggyback. Get on my back quickly.”

“W-why!?”

Her thin eyebrows furrowed in an inverted V. Ah, her expression broke slightly again.

“You could slip, right?”

“I’m not injured or anything though!”

“Just get on!”

Murase-san protested strongly, but I shoved aside her complaints with full force. This was a matter of life and death. No arguments allowed.

“Ugh…”

Pressured by my determination, Murase-san hesitantly let herself onto my back.

“W-why did it come to this?”

“I’d like to know too.”

“Today, Ueno-kun is acting kinda weird…”

“I think so too.”

Through my arms, I felt something unexpectedly soft. When I lifted her thighs with both arms, she stiffened briefly. Warm. Soft. The girl who looked like a doll just moments ago now truly existed on my back with life. My heart thumped harder than before.

“We’re going down the stairs now.”

“Y-yeah…”

Carefully… carefully… we descended. If I slipped here, Murase-san could get hurt. Her shallow, quick breaths reached me from her back.

“…Ueno-kun. Thanks for inviting me today.”

“Huh? I invited you?”

“Yes. It’s my first time joining an event like this. Back in middle school, I often missed out because of work.”

Work in middle school…? Great, now I have even more questions.

“Um…”

Hearing that gave me a strange sense of responsibility. Even though I barely remember, I wanted her to feel better. My mouth moved on its own.

“I don’t fully understand what’s happening either, but there’s one thing I get perfectly.”

“One thing you get perfectly?”

“I’d die without ‘air.’”

“Fufu…”

Murase-san laughed quietly on my back. I couldn’t see her face, but I heard it. She didn’t seem emotionless at all, just quiet.

“So, you don’t need to worry too much. Nicknames are random anyway.”

“Maybe… yeah.”

Her small voice made her weight feel slightly heavier on my back. I couldn’t let Murase Mio die now, not after this.

“So… how did we get here again?”

“Huh? You forgot? We came by taxi, all of us.”

“Wait… it’s not walking distance from home?”

“Impossible, I think.”

Great. No walking home… I looked up at the night sky. An unnaturally large full moon hung above the mountains.

“By the way, how were you all planning to get back from this test of courage?”

“They said a taxi would come tomorrow morning.”

“You mean… You planned to stay here all night!?”

“Apparently, after the test, everyone was going to camp here overnight.”

“But… The test isn’t even over yet…?”

Terrifying. What a ridiculous plan. Why did I even agree to this? And why did I invite Murase-san? Descending the stairs and searching for the village exit, I noticed the next abnormality.

“…The bridge… It’s broken.”

The river’s sound echoed through the countryside like laughter. The wooden bridge outside the village had snapped cleanly in two.

“You could cross it before, right!?”

“Y-yeah…”

Impossible. Something was definitely off. Slipping on stairs? Maybe. But the tree and this bridge? Too deliberate. It was as if someone was saying, “No escaping.” Or worse—“Murase Mio must—”

“Murase-san, don’t move a millimeter away from me.”

I called out to her. Going alone would be dangerous. I had ignored the previous choice screen, but maybe we should reunite with our classmates soon.

“W-what are you saying?”

Her body on my back felt like it heated up suddenly.

Plururu—

While we were talking, I suddenly heard the sound of a smartphone ringing from somewhere.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー