Once Professor Hiratsuka had calmed down somewhat, we decided to resume our conversation.
A woman in her late twenties being comforted by high school and middle school students...
"Okay, Komachi will go next!"
"Okay, good luck, little sister."
④ Komachi Hikigaya.
"This is a story that Komachi actually experienced when she was in elementary school..."
Oh, the gloomy expression really adds to the atmosphere. Good job.
...Mr. Hiratsuka is still a bit spaced out...sad.
"One afternoon as summer vacation was approaching, Komachi decided to play with students from other grades. The place they played was a fairly large park along the route she took to and from school."
Hmm, hmm. ...Huh, Yukinoshita, are you already scared? That's quick. It's still very early in the game.
...Are we getting a little closer?
"The day before, I was watching a TV program I watched often at the time called 'Midsummer Ghost Special,' which featured coverage of haunted places and introductions to paranormal photographs. Perhaps because of what I saw, as the sun began to set in the park, I felt a strange sense of unease and anxiety that I hadn't felt during the day."
Oh, that's great! ...But who did he play with?
Oh, Yukinoshita's gotten closer than before... Hmm, is she sulking about something? Why? Her puffed-out cheeks are cute.
But why is he sulking so much?
...Kawasaki on the left, Yuigahama on the right☆
No, no, no, why am I suddenly the only one people can turn to today? I know it's scary, but can't we all try to be a little calmer?
I feel a soft sensation on my upper arm, and there's no doubt about it, the softness is different on the left and right, what an idiot, why am I adding internal commentary? Is it okay? Yes, it's fine!
…not good.
Why is Yukinoshita glaring at me in this situation? Shouldn't she be glaring at the twin boobs sitting on either side of me? Am I that jealous?
"The game we played that day was hide-and-seek. One boy was chosen to be 'it,' and he began counting in a timid voice under a tree."
Although the park was large, there weren't many good places to hide, so I thought, "Everyone will probably be found right away," and decided to hide in the bushes as far away from the person who was "it."
Yukinoshita is being persistent. If she's trembling that much, she should just come over here. It's fine, you know? Even a cutting board would be fine, you know?
...Before I knew it, Ms. Hiratsuka was hugging me from behind. Wait a minute, Ms. Hiratsuka, you're too voluptuous! You have such mature charm! The allure of a woman in her late twenties!! Stop looking like you're about to cry, the contrast is so cute!!
...It's soft...
"I thought to myself, 'I found you, [name]!' I'm sure I'll hear that soon."
But even after the demon stopped counting, five minutes passed, then ten minutes, and there was no sound.
"...That's strange..." That's all you can hear.
I was finally found about 15 minutes later.
"I found you, Komachi!" he said in a slightly tired but gentle voice, and Komachi stood up, scratching her head. "Oh, by the way, I'd heard that this kind of gesture is popular with guys, so I'd been doing it ever since."
Wait, what? Was she that cunning even back then? Girls are scary.
"I asked two questions: why it took so long to find Komachi, and whether the others were found. Regarding the latter, I thought it might simply be because the demon's voice was too quiet."
Then the person said:
"...Ah, no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find anyone anywhere, so I kept going, thinking maybe I wasn't searching properly. That's why it took so long to get here."
"...In the end, we could only find Komachi."
When Komachi heard those words, she felt a chill run down her spine, even though it was summer.
A gasp was heard... from all four of us except me and Komachi.
Yukinoshita, you don't have to be so stubborn... You're trembling while sitting in seiza position.
...Hmm, after hearing all this, it certainly sounds scary, but there's something off about it...
...I feel like I've forgotten something...
"...So, what happened to the people who weren't found? Could it be a mass disappearance case... or something?"
Yuigahama tightened her grip on my arm (breast pressure) and asked Komachi in a soft voice, "It's soft."
...I'm impressed you even knew the term "missing person case"! That's great!
"...To tell the truth about this incident, we must first explain who this demon was..."
After saying that, Komachi slowly closed her eyes, as if to create a sense of suspense and heighten the sense of fear.
The other four, and I, watched with bated breath.
Eventually, he suddenly opened his closed eyes wide.
"...The name of the person who was a demon was Hachiman Hikigaya."
…yeah?
"The reason the others weren't found wasn't because they had disappeared or anything like that; it was simply because they had gone home while my brother was counting them..."
...Hmm?
I could hear sobs of grief and voices trying to suppress laughter from all around me.
Hey Yukinoshita, you bastard, don't laugh at me. You were totally terrified just 15 seconds ago.
"...Hey Komachi, is that perhaps a story from when you were in fourth grade and played with sixth graders?"
"That's right! You remember well, big brother!"
"That was a really big shock... I mean, why are you turning my trauma into such a nicely scary story? Are you an idiot?"
With feelings of anger, reprimand, and hatred, I flicked Komachi's beautiful forehead.
She let out a really cute little "Pugya!" She's so cute, I think I'll try flicking her forehead again sometime when it's completely unrelated. I'll probably get punched though.
"...Hehe, thanks to you, Komachi, I'm able to relax quite a bit. The fact that I can come up with topics for conversation so easily is all thanks to Hikigaya-kun's dark past, or rather, his dark life."
"Calling it a 'dark past' is fine, but calling it a 'dark life' is like denying everything I've done up until now, so can you please stop? Is everything black in front of me? Did I lose to another trainer?"
"Oh, I thought you were like a dweller in the shadows, living a quiet, gloomy, and scornful life, out of sight of others... Was I wrong?"
"What, the opening theme for Nube? Bari Bari Saikyo No.1? I wonder if there was ever a time when I had a little bit of recognition... Hmm, maybe not."
It's sad because it was just as they said.
So, it's Yukinoshita's turn now.
⑤ Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Ahem. Let's begin now."
"...That was shortly after we formed the Service Club at Ms. Hiratsuka's suggestion."
Wow, I can feel the air around me have dropped by about 2 degrees. As expected of the Snow Woman.
Huh? Why are you glaring at me? Are you a psychic?
"Even though I say I made it, as you all know, I don't usually have anything to do, so I spent my after-school hours reading books."
Ms. Hiratsuka comes in occasionally, but she's never actually dealt with any visitors before.
...One afternoon after school. It was still early spring, and quite chilly. The corridor of the special building was even colder than usual.
Even though I'm used to going into the clubroom knowing no one is there, that day I hesitated a little... For some reason, I didn't want to step into the classroom. I had a strange feeling of unease.
Oh, Yuigahama and Komachi are jiggling.
Kawasaki and Professor Hiratsuka are also trembling.
...Why is everyone clinging to me? I thought it was great because they're so soft and Komachi is so cute, but every time they tighten their hugs, I feel like my body temperature drops by about 2 degrees under Yukinoshita's gaze. Are those eyes evil eyes or something?
"That day, as I was reading a book in the clubroom as usual, I heard the sound of the door opening with a clatter."
It was Ms. Hiratsuka. I knew it right away because she opened the door without knocking. Up to that point, it was the same scene I'd seen many times before.
...But something felt different that time. There was nothing unusual about Ms. Hiratsuka, but when I vaguely looked around her, I felt a chill run down my spine for some reason.
"...What's different? What's happening? My mind raced with thoughts in an instant."
Why does this guy suit ghost stories so well...?
Professor Hiratsuka tilted his head. He probably didn't remember. That only fueled my fear and anxiety.
Yuigahama-san, please don't press that melon against my right upper arm so much. It's changing shape and it's not good.
Sometimes I notice it, blush, and pull away, but then I get scared again and we start all over again, and that whole cycle is just too much for my heart, so please stop. I don't even know what dialect it is anymore.
"...I don't know what's going on anymore. It's scary. But I have to find out what this is. That's what I thought."
And then, I mustered up the courage to look intently towards Professor Hiratsuka."
Everyone held their breath.
"...The person who came in was a rotten-looking person with dull, lifeless eyes..."
Just seeing the negative aura emanating from her body made me feel like I was being polluted from the depths of my being."
Yuigahama let out a small "Eeek!" and her body jumped.
No, why?
"Hey, that's me, right? First Komachi, and now this, why do you just casually cast me as the main character in your ghost stories? Hey? I'll count the number of plates."
Also, was your first impression of me really that bad? You're exaggerating for this story, aren't you?
"Oh, there are still plenty more stories in the Hikigaya Hyakumonogatari series, you know? And by the way, I'm not exaggerating this story."
My mind was read. And I wasn't exaggerating. It's tough.
"What's Hyakumonogatari? There are so many, so many!"
"What, you're going to turn all my horrific experiences into ghost stories? Do you like me?"
I added it at the end as a joke, but the moment Yukinoshita heard it, her cheeks suddenly turned bright red. Huh? What?
"...Ahem. Well, things look a little better now compared to back then..."
He cleared his throat lightly, as if to hide the change in his expression, and glanced at me.
Wait, what's with this tsundere range? Using ghost stories like that is way too technical, isn't it?
I mean, I've realized this story isn't scary anymore... so please let go, Big Boobs Triple and Angel.
I'll say it again: it's soft.
To be continued.