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 - 7

Chapter 7: I’m So Shocked I Feel Like My Heart’s Going to Stop

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On the first floor in the living room, I ended up having dinner with Murase-san and her mother.

“I had Mio start idol activities because I wanted her to make friends.”

“I see…”

“She’s always been unfriendly and quiet since she was little, so she couldn’t make friends.”

Dinner was laid out in a neat row: ginger pork, salad, miso soup, pickles, rolled omelet, and more. She must have hurried to prepare all of this.

“I thought that if she became an idol, she’d start smiling more.”

“…”

The person in question sat silently beside her mother, steadily eating her meal. The fact that she wasn’t saying anything was actually scarier! It felt like she was silently pressuring me: “Don’t say anything unnecessary.”

“She’s always had trouble showing her emotions, so I’ve been worried sick…”

“I-I see.”

“When I heard she’d been invited to the class test of courage this time, I was so happy I almost cried.”

I had suddenly shown up at Murase-san’s house, and I had wondered if I’d been too pushy. But after hearing that, I felt like my actions hadn’t been wrong! In a place where her family was, I absolutely wouldn’t let anyone hurt Murase-san.

“Please keep getting along with Mio from now on.”

“Of course! I’ll definitely guide Murase-san to her happy ending!”

“?”

I had declared that loudly to her mother. After taking a quick shower, I returned to Murase-san’s room. I borrowed her father’s oversized sweatpants and sweatshirt, but the sleeves were so long they covered my fingertips.

“I-I’ll go take a bath too.”

Moving stiffly like a robot, Murase-san switched places with me and went to the bath. I had suddenly ended up staying at a girl’s house. But right now, the nervousness about whether something would happen outweighed any boy-girl excitement.

First, I had to check if the house was safe. I knocked on the walls of the room. Solid. With this, there was no way the house would collapse like yesterday. I looked outside through the window near the bed. A neatly trimmed hedge was directly below. If the worst happened and we needed to escape, jumping from here might work… maybe.

“Murase-san… I wonder if she’s okay in the bath alone.”

A horror movie I’d seen long ago crossed my mind. Hair tangling around someone while they washed it, blood coming out of the faucet…

“I-I can’t stay calm.”

I hoped Murase-san wasn’t experiencing anything scary.

“…I’m just standing guard.”

Fidgeting, I stood up, and before I knew it, I had come to stand in front of the dressing room. From the bathroom, I heard the sound of the shower and felt relieved. It didn’t seem like a horror scenario was happening inside there.

Timidly, I called out to Murase-san in the bath.

“Murase-saaaan.”

“Eek!”

“I’m right outside the door, so call me if anything happens.”

“W-why!?”

“Because I’m worried…”

“Aren’t you just being a pervert?”

“Guh…!”

A razor-sharp retort flew out from someone who usually had a blank expression! Judging by my actions alone, she wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t argue!

“Don’t suddenly call out like that… I’m so shocked I feel like my heart’s going to stop…”

“Seriously, don’t say that.”

That wasn’t funny at all! Right now, there was nothing more chilling than those words!

“Sorry. I’ve been acting weird since yesterday, haven’t I?”

I apologized honestly. But I didn’t regret my actions. It was fine if she found me annoying. It was fine if she hated me. As long as Murase-san was safe, that was enough.

“Don’t apologize.”

“But…”

“I can kind of tell that Ueno-kun is trying to protect me.”

The sound of the shower stopped. I faintly heard the sound of someone sinking into the bathwater.

“After that, none of the other classmates talked to me. You’re the only one who’s worried about me, Ueno-kun.”

Murase-san said that. After the rescue, the test of courage had naturally dissolved. I understood everyone had gone through something difficult, but it still left a bitter feeling. Murase-san had participated because she wanted to fit in with the class.

“…I’m looking forward to going out with you, Murase-san.”

“Huh?”

“We’re already friends, right?”

From beyond the white dressing room door, I heard the water ripple softly. I didn’t really know the definition of friendship, but after talking this much, I thought it counted as one. I wanted to be friends with Murase-san too.

“This might be the first time I’ve ever made a friend…”

“R-really!?”

“…Even though I’m ‘Air-chan,’ who’s hard to find, unfriendly, and gives cold responses…”

“That’s harsh…”

“My fans say that about me a lot.”

“Are those people really your fans?”

“I’m not really sure either.”

I couldn’t see her face, but I felt like she was probably smiling.

“Summer vacation’s almost over.”

“I kind of want it to end soon…”

“Usually people don’t want it to end.”

“Usually.”

I’d had enough of a summer vacation that wouldn’t end. I wanted to go back to a normal life.

“Ueno-kun, you’re not normal.”

“Maybe not…”

“Hehe, I see.”

I sensed Murase-san smiling again. After her bath, we returned to her room. In the end, none of the supernatural phenomena I had worried about happened. I had basically become a suspicious guy waiting for a female classmate to finish her bath.

“Fwaaah… I might go to sleep.”

“I’m exhausted too…”

If we’d been in perfect condition, I probably would have been hyper-aware of Murase-san’s white T-shirt, gray shorts, and slightly damp hair after her bath. But today, we were both at our limit. Relaxing in the bath had pushed our sleepiness to its peak.

If I fall asleep, I’ll die… If I fall asleep, I’ll die…

I pinched my cheek to force myself awake. Why had I come here? This was where it really started.

“Ueno-kun, I’m going to sleep now.”

“Okay.”

“Then go ahead.”

Murase-san naturally lay down on the futon she had spread on the floor. The bed was left empty.

“Normally, wouldn’t that be my spot?”

“You’re a guest, Ueno-kun. Please use the bed.”

“Isn’t that kind of strange…”

I didn’t even have the energy to retort and staggered over to lean against Murase-san’s bed. It smelled sweet and nice. Ugh, I was sleepy. If I lay down, I’d fall asleep instantly.

“…Ueno-kun, can we hold hands?”

As she said that, Murase-san reached out her hand toward me.

“That’s fine, but why?”

“Didn’t you say we shouldn’t separate by even a millimeter?”

I leaned forward slightly and gently wrapped my hand around hers. I hadn’t noticed yesterday, but her hand was small and soft. Completely different from mine. Her hand was delicate, unmistakably a girl’s hand.

“Zzz… zzz…”

After a little while, I heard Murase-san’s peaceful breathing. Her hand was still tightly gripping mine. Ugh, she fell asleep in such an awkward position.

“Thirty minutes until midnight…”

Normally, thirty minutes would pass in the blink of an eye, but today it felt endlessly long.

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T/N: Murase thinking she’s in a romcom novel… She doesn’t know she’s in a horror game genre (╥﹏╥)