"Cat ears, a tail... a white kimono... a witch's hat, a long robe, a cloak... What's this? A succubus set?" Mori Shinra's expression grew increasingly strange as he sifted through the costumes for tonight's test of courage.
What kind of courage are these supposed to be testing? The courage to be lewd?
"It's a 'little devil' set!" Yuigahama corrected him.
This was the outfit she would be wearing for the test of courage tonight.
Mori Shinra looked at the heart-shaped cutout on the chest of the "little devil" top and the long, thin, heart-tipped tail on the back of the pants.
Is this a 'proper' little devil?
In comparison, Ebina's miko (shrine maiden) outfit and Kawasaki Saki's samurai armor seemed much more normal.
But then again, are these really costumes for a test of courage?
Why does this feel more like a scene from a major anime convention?
"And what are you supposed to be?"
Mori Shinra looked at Hikigaya Komachi, who was standing next to Yuigahama.
She was wearing two giant cat-paw gloves, a tan-colored short-sleeved shirt with fuzzy trim at the cuffs, and matching shorts with a thick, large cat tail sewn onto the back.
"A kitty cat, of course~" Komachi struck a classic cat pose, which completely mesmerized Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita immediately began to pet her.
"Um... Yukino-oneechan?"
Komachi felt a ticklish sensation as Yukinoshita grabbed her tail and kneaded it, as if she really had a tail that was being grabbed.
She was really getting into character.
Now that's what you call professional.
"...The workmanship is very nice. It suits you well." Yukinoshita reluctantly let go of the fluffy tail.
She glanced at the cat ears on Komachi's head, a flicker of interest in her eyes.
But seeing Komachi's embarrassed expression, she ultimately decided against it.
"Th-thank you?" Komachi scratched her head with a cat paw.
She wondered, 'Does Yukino-oneechan really like cats that much?'
"Speaking of which, Yukino-oneechan's outfit is supposed to be a Yuki-onna (Snow Woman), right?"
Yukinoshita was wearing the white kimono with snowflake patterns that Mori Shinra had seen earlier, with a blue-purple sash tied around her waist.
It had to be said, Yukinoshita looked truly stunning in a kimono.
It not only concealed the "regrettable" aspects of her figure but also greatly accentuated her cool, high-class lady aura.
The overall visual effect was breathtaking.
The term "kimono beauty" was perfectly embodied in her.
In Japanese mythology, Yuki-onna are typically described as exceptionally beautiful, cold-hearted, and with skin like snow.
They often appear in the snow wearing a kimono.
It could be said that, aside from the "cold-hearted" part being slightly different from Yukinoshita's actual personality, the rest was a perfect match.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a "Congenital Yuki-onna Saint."
Even her name has "yuki" (snow) in it.
"I... suppose so? I'm not really sure. Compared to the other outfits, this one just seemed more normal," Yukinoshita said, looking down at her kimono.
She didn't feel any particular connection to Komachi's "Yuki-onna" comment.
After all, the only reason she chose this outfit was that, among all the costumes, this kimono was relatively normal.
The others were either incredibly ugly or far too revealing.
She had no idea what the camp organizers were thinking. Why would a test of courage need a maid outfit?
But it had to be said, the quality of these costumes was quite good.
The details were well-handled, and they had all been cleaned beforehand.
There was no strange smell or dirt on the clothes.
You could tell effort had been put into them.
"I think this one is pretty normal too," Mori Shinra said, holding up a maid outfit, his voice filled with regret.
The kimono is nice, but the maid outfit isn't bad either. Especially since this one comes with ultra-thin black stockings, maybe 6 denier by the looks of it. If those were on Yukinoshita's slender, well-proportioned legs... hiss.
Eep. I'm good.
Hearing Mori Shinra's words, Yukinoshita's gaze instinctively fell on the stockings in his hand.
After recognizing them as part of the maid set, her face immediately darkened.
She said in a hostile tone:
"Is that so? In that case, why don't you try it on?"
"Yuki-onna-san, dresses are for women to wear. That's common sense, you know."
"Stockings were originally for men, and now they're a common accessory for women. By the same logic, you can certainly wear a maid outfit. It might even suit you."
As she spoke, Yukinoshita even looked him up and down, as if assessing the feasibility of him in a maid outfit.
"Ahem. I'm in charge of security tonight. Changing costumes is clearly outside my job description."
"Hmph!"
Yukinoshita snorted, but didn't press the issue.
She looked at the time.
It was already getting dark outside, and the sounds of elementary schoolers playing could be heard outside the warehouse.
As the campfires were lit one by one, their bonfire party officially began.
The warehouse they were in was in a corner of the camp.
It had two floors.
Looking out the second-floor window, you had a clear, unobstructed view of the camp.
"It's just as I thought."
Through the window, Yukinoshita Yukino saw Tsurumi Rumi still excluded from her small group.
The other four were dancing and chatting merrily around the fire, led by the staff.
Tsurumi Rumi was off to the side, silently fiddling with her camera.
Due to the distance and the darkness, Yukinoshita couldn't see her expression, but she imagined it wasn't good.
The girl retracted her gaze and turned to ask Mori Shinra, "So, what do you plan to do? Put her in a different group?"
Mori Shinra shook his head. "I thought about that, but I found out I can't."
Mori Shinra admitted he had underestimated the exclusivity of Japanese school cliques. Thanks to Hayama, Mori Shinra had indeed found several small groups that would have been suitable for Tsurumi Rumi, but they had all, without exception, refused to accept her. Even Tsurumi Rumi herself didn't want to join a new group.
"As expected."
As someone who had been through it, Yukinoshita knew from the start that his plan wouldn't work.
"Since the original plan is a no-go, I'll have to use the backup plan," Mori Shinra said, his tone sounding somewhat regretful.
But Yukinoshita had a strange feeling that he was actually eager to try it, as if this "backup plan" was what he had wanted to do all along.
"What backup plan?" Yukinoshita asked.
"Heaven's secrets must not be revealed," Mori Shinra replied, earning him an eye-roll from Yukinoshita.
...
The sun had completely set.
The only light source in the camp was the central bonfire.
The fire crackled as it consumed the wood, making the atmosphere of the test of courage seem especially eerie and terrifying.
However, because there were a lot of people, the elementary schoolers, while nervous, were not particularly scared.
To ease the tension, they would deliberately tell jokes or use taunts on their friends to show how brave they were.
Of course, not every team's atmosphere was this good.
Among the lively groups, Tsurumi Rumi's team was noticeably quiet.
Aside from Tsurumi Rumi, who was excluded as usual, the other four weren't talking much, as if they were in a spat.
Tsurumi Rumi was confused by her team's silent atmosphere.
Based on her understanding of the other four, this should have been the time when they were chatting most happily.
After all, the more lively they were, the more pitiful she would look. They would never pass up such a perfect opportunity to mock her. Could it be that they had a fight during their free time?
But even if they had, it didn't have much to do with her. Tsurumi Rumi already realized her situation was different from theirs. Even if they fought, they would make up after a while. Her situation, on the other hand, probably wouldn't get better even by graduation. Thinking of this, Tsurumi Rumi lowered her head again, flipping through the photos she had taken today, praying that tonight's test of courage would end quickly.
"Okay~ Next up is this team!"
The host, Komachi, held the microphone.
Every time she called the next team, the elementary schoolers would let out a dramatic "Eek~~~" of feigned terror.
The team that was called would then, amidst the rising and falling shrieks and giggles, walk to the starting point of the test of courage.
This pattern continued for nearly thirty minutes.
Seventy percent of the teams in the camp had already gone.
Seeing the crowd around them dwindling, the remaining teams became noticeably nervous.
At first, they were worried they would be next.
But as time went on, they started to wonder why it wasn't their turn yet.
Soon, only Tsurumi Rumi's team was left.
After Komachi called their name, the four members of the team finally began to interact.
Tsurumi Rumi, seeing this, became even more certain of her earlier thought.
They had been fighting, and now they were making up.
And in a corner Rumi couldn't see, Mori Shinra was leaning against a tree, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
Seriously? Are these four brats really that unwilling to talk to Rumi?
Earlier, he had used 'One Leaf Blocks the Eye' to cut the four of them off from each other, making them all invisible to one another. The only person they could see was Tsurumi Rumi. But even in that situation, during the thirty-minute roll call, they would rather say nothing than attempt to talk to her. It was as if talking to Tsurumi Rumi would trigger some kind of horror-movie rule.
"Last team, let's go!"
At Komachi's command, Rumi's team began to move.
Mori Shinra, however, had already moved on, deciding to set up an ambush on their path.
Along the way, Mori Shinra saw Yuigahama, dressed as a devil, jump out from the trees.
She yelled "Roar I'm gonna eat you~" in a completely non-threatening voice, and, amidst the laughter of the elementary schoolers, sulkily hid back in the shadows.
In contrast, Hikigaya Hachiman, who was patrolling to ensure the kids didn't stray from the path, was scaring the daylights out of any kids he accidentally ran into.
Every one of them, upon seeing him, looked as if they had seen a ghost, pushing and shoving each other to get away from him.
This... this might be his natural talent.
Leaving behind a witty "You should consider working in a haunted house in the future," Mori Shinra ignored Hikigaya's murderous glare and continued towards his goal.
Soon, he arrived at an "altar."
According to the test of courage's backstory, the elementary schoolers needed to place the "talismans" they had painstakingly collected in the center of the altar.
After completing the Yuki-onna's three trials (which was really just answering three questions), they would activate the altar and begin the final trial.
Although it was unclear why a Yuki-onna was asking the questions, that's just how the story was set.
Watching Yukinoshita earnestly ask the elementary schoolers "What is Chiba's specialty product?", only to receive a series of off-the-wall answers like "Sis-cons" and "Disneyland," and then having to keep a straight face while telling them the correct answer... Mori Shinra, watching from the shadows, laughed unethically.
After sending off another group, Yukinoshita let out a long sigh.
But before she could relax, she heard faint laughter from her surroundings.
The woods around the altar were dense and dark.
Even though it was summer, the air was cool.
She hadn't felt it when the kids were around, but now that she was alone, a sense of terror welled up from her heart.
Yukinoshita Yukino tensed up.
Although she didn't believe in ghosts, once the atmosphere was set, even the most steadfast person would become paranoid.
Suddenly, as if sensing a gaze behind her, Yukinoshita spun around.
Her eyes met Mori Shinra's.
Both of them were startled by the other.
Yukinoshita hadn't expected to actually see someone.
Mori Shinra hadn't expected her to suddenly turn around and look right at him.
"Mori... Shinra?"
Yukinoshita blinked several times, as if trying to release the tension that had built up.
"Good work," Mori Shinra said, walking out of the woods, looking as if he were just there to check on her.
"Was that you laughing just now?" Yukinoshita didn't care if he was checking on her.
She asked, her tone unfriendly.
"Uh... I couldn't help it, I couldn't help it..." Mori Shinra scratched his head, trying to bluff his way through.
Who wouldn't laugh at that scene? And you clearly cracked a smile when you heard 'sis-cons' too, alright? The pot shouldn't call the kettle black!
After eating one of Yukinoshita's iron fists, Mori Shinra pretended to rub his arm in pain.
It didn't hurt at all, in fact, it was kind of nice.
A 'delinquent's thrill-punch', so to speak.
"So, what brings you here?" Yukinoshita asked, ignoring his hammy acting.
Her expression relaxed.
For some reason, after seeing it was Mori Shinra, the fear that had been building from her surroundings quickly vanished, replaced by a strange sense of peace.
"I actually have a favor to ask you," Mori Shinra replied.
After seeing the Q&A session between Yukinoshita and the elementary schoolers, he had suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.
An idea that could maximize the effectiveness of 'One Leaf Blocks the Eye'.
Although Yukinoshita looked puzzled, she still agreed.
"First, tell me what it is."
"It's like this..."