Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 17: Midnight Escape from the East Campus - Bonus Epilogue

Episode 17: Midnight Escape from the East Campus – Bonus Epilogue

“Huh…? Where am I?”

The surface beneath my back felt strangely hard. I was sure I had been sleeping in my bed earlier.

“Finally awake, huh, Ugana-kun?”

“Y-you’re…!”

The faint green glow of an emergency exit sign illuminated the face of the person next to me.

“Keyama!? Why are you in my room!?”

“Calm down and take a good look around, Ugana-kun.”

Ugh, so irritating. Why do I have to be lectured by a traitor of all people…

“What the heck?! Where am I?!”

The scene around me was unfamiliar. Emergency stair markers glowed faintly, and a soot-stained sliding door marked a long hallway.

Could this place really be…

“This is the East Campus.”

“You’re kidding me!!”

I instinctively pulled out my smartphone from my pocket.

The time displayed was…

“One o’clock… in the middle of the night?!”

Naturally, there were no more buses or trains running at this hour.

Which left me with only one option to get home.

“You’re telling me I have to walk?!”

Home was likely around fifty kilometers away.

“Well, this is what you get, isn’t it?”

“For you, maybe!”

I had no clue why I had been brought here. Not even the faintest idea. Except… oh no.

If this was the handiwork of the club president, it actually made a lot of sense.

“Looks like you’ve finally realized just how bad this situation is, huh?”

“Yeah. If this really is the East Campus…”

A dull thud suddenly came from the hallway window, as though something had slammed into the glass.

“Wha–!? What was that?!”

Two red eyes and a sharp yellow beak pressed against the thin pane of glass, glaring at us.

“Damn it!! It’s a kankodori!!”

The rumored monster of the East Campus. Stories say it constantly targets students, stalking and attacking them. Though, now that I think about it, I’ve never actually heard of it eating anyone.

“For now, we run!”

“W-wait for me!”

We bolted down the stairs and ducked into a classroom with a door that was miraculously unlocked.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have survived here alone.

“Keyama, any plans? I’ll forget you’re a traitor for now.”

“T-that’s cruel! I didn’t betray you because I wanted to, you know!”

“Like I care! You still betrayed us! You even made an error as the third liner in the last round!”

“Well, uh… that was just a regular mistake…”

Was that true? I honestly couldn’t tell.

“…Fine. I’ll accept that for now. Keyama, do you know a way out of this campus?”

The guy had been sent here by the president before, so he should know something useful.

“Heh, who do you think I am?”

“Ooh!”

Honestly, I still thought of him as a side character, but now I had some hope.

“This is likely the second floor of the East Building. The escape route is to go down to the first floor, cross the connecting corridor to the West Building, and exit through the main entrance. Then we run to the gate.”

“What?! That’s a huge detour!”

“According to my calculations, that’s the only viable escape route. If we try anything else, we’ll just get caught by… them.”

“Them?”

Was there more than just the kankodori to worry about?

“Yes. The most terrifying monster on this campus is…”

My phone suddenly rang in my pocket.

“Ugana-kun! Turn it off immediately!”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because they’ll–! Wait, what’s that noise!?”

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, drawing closer.

It was obvious. Something was coming toward us.

“That’s the most dreaded being of the East Campus: the Lecture Fiend, Aramaki the Security Guard.”

“Uh… lecture?”

If it’s just getting scolded, that doesn’t sound so–

“You underestimate him too much, Ugana-kun.”

Keyama suddenly took off running, and I followed suit instinctively.

“Hey, why are we running?! Can’t we just explain the situation to him?”

“Naive! You’re too naive! More naive than putting powdered sugar on mitarashi dango!”

“What do you mean?!”

“His lectures last over three hours!”

“Okay, running sounds good!”

I take back what I said. A three-hour lecture is practically a form of torture.

We darted into a restroom to hide, but the footsteps continued to follow us.

“Is someone there?”

A man’s voice echoed through the hallway.

“Keyama, what do we do?!”

“Quiet! His hearing isn’t great. If we stay silent, we can avoid him.”

The footsteps passed by our stall.

Just like Keyama said, we might be able to…

“Found you!”

“Wha–?!”

You’ve got to be kidding me. Is he seriously checking every single stall?!

“Not here? Then what about this one?”

He was moving one stall closer.

“This isn’t good. Keyama, we’re going to have to run for it!”

“Got it!”

Fortunately, we were in the stall closest to the entrance.

“Wait for my signal. The moment he checks the next stall, we bolt!”

“Roger!”

The hinges creaked.

“Now!”

“Go!”

We dashed out simultaneously. The timing was perfect.

“Alright! I think we made it!”

“Yes, we did!”

Somehow, we managed to reach the West Building’s main entrance. I pulled out my phone to call my senior.

“Hello? Senpai?”

“Rei-kun! Where are you right now?!”

She sounded frantic, almost panicked.

“I’m, uh… at the East Campus for some reason.”

“…Mari did this, didn’t she? Unforgivable.”

Whoa, she sounded genuinely furious.

“I’m coming to get you. Even if I have to run there.”

“No, it’s too dangerous for you at this hour!”

“It doesn’t matter. If you’re in trouble, it’s my duty as your fiancée to help you.”

She meant it. I could feel her determination through the phone.

But still…

“Senpai, please wait for me at home. I’ll probably be starving by the time I get back, so… maybe you could cook something for me?”

“…Rei-kun. But…”

“I’m sure getting back from here will be tough. It’ll be a long, dangerous journey. But if I know you’re waiting for me, I can make it.”

“…Alright. But can I ask for one thing?”

“Of course.”

“Can you… confirm our promise?”

Ah, the promise. The one she asked for after the sports tournament.

“Yes, I remember. …Shion-senpai.”

“…!!! …Thank you, Rei-kun. I’ll be waiting for you. Come home soon.”

The call ended, and with it, my resolve solidified.

“Keyama, let’s get out of here.”

“Of course, Ugana-kun.”

The saying “yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend” had never felt truer.

We gathered our strength and prepared to face the final challenge: the kankodori outside. Armed with a bag of black bean bread, we threw pieces to distract them, finally making our way to the gate.

But as we ran, Keyama suddenly stopped.

“Keyama! What are you doing?!”

“Go on without me, Ugana-kun. I’ll buy you time.”

“Don’t be stupid!”

“Birds love shiny things, you know. So…”

He held up his glasses, drawing the flock’s attention.

“Stay safe, Ugana-kun. Goodbye.”

“Damn it, Keyama!!”

I ran, tears streaming down my face, vowing to never forget his sacrifice.

Finally reaching the gate, I found Mari waiting in her car.

“You’re late, Rei. Get in.”

“…Thank you, Mari.”

As the car drove off, a familiar scream echoed through the night.

Keyama’s valiant cry, I told myself. Probably.