Chapter 78: Black Shadow

Chapter 78: Black Shadow

8:00 PM sharp.

The courage test finally began.

I was stationed at the last of four surprise points along the straight course, just before the turning point.

Start Turning Point

Given the nature of this section, where participants pass by twice in quick succession, the plan was to let them pass the first time and then surprise them on their return after they had turned around at the tree marked with a handkerchief, the designated turning point.

During the day, it was merely a short 15-minute stroll back and forth, but now, in the middle of the night, its deep in a forest alive with the sounds of insects.

Naturally, the pace of those walking would slow.

A paira boy and a girlwalked along the forest path, guided by a single flashlight.

The shaky bridge effect made hearts race, and when the boy showed a brave side rarely seen, the girl would be charmed

Ah, it was like watching a whole rom-com unfold.

Anyway, it seemed there were still about 10 minutes before the first group would arrive, so I hid behind a tree and turned on my smartphone.

[What are you doing, Senior?]

[Youre not ignoring your cute juniors message while having fun with other friends at the school trip, are you?]

[Senior?]

[Senior?]

[Senior?]

Despite being a busy actor, Minato, who sent messages every 10 minutes, received my reply.

[Currently performing a ghost role in the courage test.]

And then I sent a photo of myself wearing the oni mask.

Then, the continuous flow of messages suddenly stopped, followed by a completely different message.

[Senior, are you okay? And what about the people from your class?]

Surprised that she was more worried about the other kids in my class than me, I asked,

[Is it that scary?]

[Yes. Imagine a giant wearing a red oni mask suddenly appearing in the dark forest at night.]

Now that I think about it, it does seem a bit scary, doesnt it?

I realized why the kids from other classes had been so frightened earlier.

If I was scary enough in the light, I became even more terrifying when I suddenly appeared in the dark.

Realizing the impact of my appearance, I thanked Minato for sharing her thoughts.

[Senior please, go easy.]

[Okay.]

After replying, I put my smartphone, which I had been intently looking at, back into my pocket.

This was because I could hear footsteps approaching from a distance.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Hiding in the tree, I lowered the red oni mask that was askew on my head.

It was time to welcome the nights first guests.

Akagi Shun was number 2 in Class 2-B.

Since his name started with A, he had always been at the front of the roll call since elementary school.

Actually, having a front number usually comes with more disadvantages than advantages.

In most school events or classes, being a front number meant you were often the first to be called upon.

But today, he was thankful for that fact.

The courage test at the school trip.

Most boys hope to go through the courage test with someone they like.

And Akagi Shun, thanks to the merit of being at the front of the roll call, had the privilege to choose first, and against the odds of 1 in 12, proudly became partners with Aizawa Minami.

Shaking uncontrollably

Hands and feet trembling on their own.

Aizawa, her face pale, unable to scream, stared at the masked figure with trembling eyes.

They say you cant make a sound when youre too shocked, and it seemed that was exactly the case now.

Thud!

Footsteps that seemed unusually loud to the ears.

A man wearing traditional wooden shoes stepped forward and said,

Give me your neck.

Akagi couldnt take it anymore.

Im sorryyyyy!

So, he ran away.

Without looking back.

Having sprinted about 500 meters down the path like a madman, Akagi was about to ask Aizawa if she was okay when he belatedly realized something.

He had left Aizawa behind and run away alone.

Ah

Later, Aizawa Minami, sniffling and alone, returned without making eye contact with him and headed towards the group of girls who hadnt departed yet.

It was quite obvious that Akagis reputation among the girls had plummeted.

Did I go too far?

He felt uneasy about possibly causing a couple to break up unintentionally because he had been too aggressive with a grand opening customer.

He explained the situation to Aizawa, who was too scared and had collapsed on the ground, after removing his mask, and somehow managed to send her back.

She seemed to regress to a childlike state when scared, sniffling yet nodding earnestly before relying on her phones light to make her way back along the path.

After reflecting, he only scared the pairs who thought they were done after turning at the returning point by suddenly jumping out of the darkness.

Though there were still those who ran away in terror, making cleanup a bit difficult, at least there was no one crying inconsolably like Aizawa, so he was able to safely send back any student who ended up alone.

After doing this repeatedly, he got the hang of it, and from the sixth pair onwards, he hid his presence, uttered, Cursed be this, and then appeared after a delay, giving them time to prepare.

Doing so resulted in less shock than expected.

Of course, those who were inherently scared still panicked and ran away, even with prior warning.

After sending off the seventh pair, he was waiting for the next one.

Its about time for some familiar faces to show up.

As he fiddled with his smartphone, waiting for Satoru, Sasha, Rika, and others who hadnt arrived yet, he quickly got up at the sound of footsteps from afar.

Aaaaaaaaah!

But something was different.

The distance between the third surprise point and the returning point was quite far, so there was nothing to cause such screaming and running.

Yet, unmistakably, a voice filled with terror was rapidly approaching.

Curious, he shone his flashlight beyond the path.

Then, a black figure running from afar, having spotted him, sprinted at full speed.

Yuseongaaaa!

They were familiar faces.

One was Satoru, and the other was the Class President.

The two were running desperately towards me, their faces pale as if they had seen a ghost.

At first, it was too dark to see clearly, but I belatedly realized that a bulky black shape was chasing them.

Roooaaaarr!

The roar echoed through the darkness, perhaps disturbed by the sudden appearance of light.

The large shadow fiercely pursuing Satoru and the Class President turned out to be a wild bear.

???????

Why is there a bear here?