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 - 21

Chapter 21: Dere Bug Detected (Cure: Unknown)

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“—Zero!”

With the merciless countdown, the sliding fusuma doors were flung open with a violent bang.

“(Hyaaahhh!!)”

Murase-san’s scream never made it into words. Overwhelmed by embarrassment and panic, she clung to my neck and buried her face into my chest with all her strength. Meanwhile, my nose and mouth were still covered by Murase-san’s small hand as I stumbled forward out of the closet as if collapsing….

“Uwaaaahhh!? It came outtt!!”

But the one standing there was not the murderer (from last time) hunting his prey. It was just Sato-kun, a total scaredy-cat, who had lost strength in his legs and fallen onto his backside.

Thud!

Obeying gravity, Murase-san and I dove forward while still tangled together. We landed at Sato-kun’s feet with Murase-san still in my arms. Amid the distinctive dust swirling from the closet, the flashlight beam illuminated our intertwined figures with almost cruel clarity.

“Huh? What? Ueno? And, uh… Air, no, I mean—Murase-chan?”

Sato-kun stared at us in a daze.

“Aren’t you two a little too close…? ”

From above came Nanase-san’s cool voice, yet tinged with the unmistakable delight of a mischievous troublemaker who had found her prey.

“Close!? N-no, it’s not like that! This was unavoidable—!”

I desperately tried to explain. But the situation was the worst! My hands were still firmly holding Murase-san’s shoulders, and as for Murase-san, she was so mortified that she had frozen in place with her head shoved into my chest, using my shirt as a curtain to hide her face.

“What do you mean unavoidable? That’s quite the passionate test of courage.”

Nanase-san deliberately aimed the flashlight at our faces and smirked. As for Sato-kun, the fear had drained from his face, replaced with a disturbed expression as he edged backward.

“W-wait, Sato, what’s that!?”

I noticed what he was gripping in his hand. At my near-scream of a question, Sato-kun looked down at his hand. Clutched there was a massive blade, gleaming with the dull shine of rusted metal. There was no doubt, it was the weapon that had attacked us last time!

“This? It was lying at my feet when I opened the veranda sash earlier. I thought I’d keep it for self-defense since it’s scary. Why are you freaking out so much, Ueno?”

“Just drop it right now!!”

At my shout, Sato-kun’s shoulders jumped.

“W-what’s with you all of a sudden? It’s just an old blade, right…?”

“You can’t hold that! It’s cursed.”

“Geh.”

Doing exactly as I said, he casually tossed the blade away.

Clatter…!

The blade hit the tatami with a dry sound and rolled. Sato-kun shook his hand in disgust and vigorously wiped his palm on the hem of his clothes.

“Cursed? Seriously… Don’t start saying occult stuff out of nowhere. That’s scary. Right, Nanase?”

Sato-kun turned to Nanase-san for agreement. But she remained completely still, staring intently at the blade on the floor.

“…Hey, Sato-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“When someone tells you to ‘throw it away,’ you really do throw it away… Even though it went to all the trouble of choosing you.”

It felt like Nanase-san’s voice had dropped an octave. Backlit by the flashlight, I couldn’t read her expression. I could only see the corners of her mouth curling upward like a crescent moon.

“N-Nanase-san…?”

My voice trembled on its own. My lips dried rapidly. Still holding Murase-san tightly, I frantically tried to steady myself.

“Oh my, did I scare you?”

Nanase-san giggled, like bells rolling, yet her voice carried absolutely no warmth. We slowly scooted backward across the floor, still sitting.

“C-could it be… Nanase-san is the real culprit?”

“Hey, aren’t the three of you overreacting? It was a joke.”

“A joke…?”

“I just tried making the mood heavier. It’s a test of courage. A joke at this level is fine, right?”

Nanase-san wore a perfectly calm expression, back to her usual composed self. The crescent grin had softened into nothing more than a slightly teasing smile.

“…S-seriously? Nanase, you’re way too good at acting. I thought my heart was going to stop…”

“Sato, you’re seriously too jumpy.”

Sato-kun trembled in the corner of the room. The tension that had gripped me suddenly dissolved, and cold sweat poured out all at once.

A joke…? Was all of that just Nanase-san acting…? The gap was so extreme that my mind couldn’t keep up. But it was true that Nanase-san had disappeared midway last time. I still didn’t understand what she was thinking.

“…Ueno-kun… I… can’t breathe…”

Murase-san’s faint voice made me realize I was still hugging her with all my strength.

“Ah, sorry! Are you okay?”

“Gah… I thought I was going to die from both embarrassment and suffocation…”

“That doesn’t sound like a joke, so please stop.”

Her face was bright red as she tried to fix her messy hair… Then she seemed to give up halfway and instead gripped the hem of my shirt tightly again.

“Fuhahaha, shall I curse you two?”

“That doesn’t sound like a joke either, so please stop!”

“Then I’ll celebrate you instead.”

Nanase-shi had entered full joking mode. 

No, seriously—I still don’t understand your true intentions, so please stop!

“Celebrate what, exactly…!?”

When I snapped back half-desperately, Nanase-san deliberately aimed the flashlight at our joined hands.

“Isn’t it obvious? You two were pressed together in the closet, nurturing your love.”

Even Sato-kun started grinning. The fear of the blade and Nanase-san’s eerie aura were instantly overwritten by full-scale teasing from our classmates.

“Come on, stop crawling around on the floor forever and let’s go already. Yamamoto and the others are worried.”

Humming to herself, Nanase-san turned on her heel and briskly left into the hallway. Sato-kun followed after her lightly, calling out, “Congrats, you two—!” We finally stood up as well while watching their backs.

Silence settled like a storm had passed. The “blade” lying in the corner of the room caught the fading beam of the flashlight and seemed to glint ominously for just a moment.

“U-ugh… Ueno-kun… I seriously want to die now…”

Murase-san’s face was as red as a boiled octopus as she shrank behind my back.

“To be seen flirting like that… I’m unfit to be an idol…”

Murase-san had bugged out from sheer embarrassment. 

I mean, we weren’t even flirting…

And just as I was thinking that—

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Will you pick up the blade?

＞【Yes】

＞【No】

❖＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿◢

The second choice appeared before my eyes.

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