Even though they had stopped to take a break, only Eriri seemed to truly relax. Meanwhile, Natsukawa Kanade sat there, restless. His mind wandered, but he wasn't alone in that. If he didn't say something soon, there was a good chance Eriri's thoughts would spiral off into the distant future—possibly all the way to naming their hypothetical great-grandchildren.
"Have you rested enough, Eriri?" Kanade finally spoke up, breaking the silence.
He was growing antsy. Sure, they were supposed to be "keeping watch" on their surroundings, but that mostly just meant looking around every now and then. It didn't exactly require a great deal of effort, and the stillness was getting to him. Plus, they couldn't just sit here forever. If they wasted too much time, dealing with Machida would become a hassle.
Sensing her hesitation, Kanade added, "Actually, there won't be much walking in the rest of the test of courage, so you don't have to worry about that."
"..." Eriri nodded lightly before sighing. "Alright, fine. Let's go."
To be honest, she wasn't really interested in this whole courage test from the start. The reason she had invited Kanade was entirely for a different purpose—her carefully planned heart-pounding operation!
This strategy, which she had meticulously researched through the wisdom of all-knowing netizens, was based on the famous suspension bridge effect. Supposedly, if you experienced a thrilling or scary situation with someone, your accelerated heartbeat might trick your brain into mistaking that excitement for romantic feelings toward the person beside you.
Eriri had found the idea plausible, and since the test of courage provided the perfect setting, she had invited Kanade immediately. But now… she was having second thoughts.
After all, wasn't her real goal just to spend more time with Kanade and win him over with her sheer, undeniable charm? In that case, the courage test itself didn't really matter. She could spend time with him in plenty of other ways.
In fact, now that she thought about it more, the courage test might actually backfire on her! She suddenly remembered their trip to the haunted house. Kanade had shown no fear whatsoever, even navigating through the terrifying maze-like structure to find her when she got lost.
If that happened again, wouldn't she just look weak by comparison? And if Kanade saw her being all scared and pathetic, what if he started to see her as fragile or annoying? That would completely ruin her plan!
Realizing this, Eriri swiftly came up with a way out.
"My foot… I think I twisted it earlier," she suddenly announced, looking down and feigning a slight wince. "I can't walk properly anymore..."
As soon as she spoke, Eriri felt her face heat up. She was lying through her teeth, and she knew it. But what choice did she have? The important thing was making sure she didn't embarrass herself in front of Kanade!
Luckily, it was dark enough that he couldn't see the guilty blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Huh? You injured your foot too?" Kanade's reaction was immediate.
"Too?" Eriri's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait, is there someone else… who also got hurt?"
"Yeah," Kanade nodded, completely oblivious to the sudden shift in her tone. "A friend of mine got a foot injury not too long ago, so I was just surprised for a second."
"…I see." Eriri hummed thoughtfully, though in her mind, she was already jumping to conclusions.
With a girl's intuition, she was convinced there was something suspicious about this so-called "friend." If this mysterious individual had faked an injury just like she had, then the only logical conclusion was that she had ulterior motives. And if that was the case… she was definitely a girl!
A scheming girl!
Just imagining it made Eriri fume. How dare some unknown girl try to win Kanade's sympathy with such a lowly tactic? Completely shameless!
But then again… wasn't she doing the exact same thing?
She quickly shook her head. No, this was different! Her situation was totally different! Probably! Besides, she was the one with Kanade right now. That meant she was already winning!
With that thought, her mood instantly improved. If she hadn't invited Kanade to this test of courage first, who knows what kind of stray cat might have tried to snatch him away? She had to be vigilant!
"Ahem." Eriri coughed lightly, quickly shifting her focus back to the situation at hand. "Anyway, since my foot is injured, that means I can't continue with the test of courage, right? So…"
"…So… wait, you're not expecting me to carry you through the rest of this, are you?" Kanade's face turned pale at the thought.
He wasn't some superhuman protagonist with infinite stamina. He was just a regular high schooler—one who happened to be in decent shape, sure, but still! Carrying a girl for an entire test of courage? That was basically asking him to carry dead weight through an ultra-long endurance race!
Even with his training, that was a recipe for disaster.
"Eh? Is that an option?" Eriri blinked, genuinely considering it for a moment.
Kanade groaned. Why did I even say that out loud…?
After all, this was a perfectly legitimate opportunity for closeness, and Kanade even brought it up himself. Eriri really wanted to agree without hesitation. At worst, she could just close her eyes the entire time he was carrying her—just basking in his presence, feeling his warmth, and maybe even catching the faint scent of his shampoo. That alone would be enough, right?
But then, she remembered how he almost tripped at the entrance earlier, clearly exhausted from overworking himself with student council duties. Asking him to carry her on top of everything else would just be too selfish, even if Kanade himself had been the one to suggest it.
Sure, he could push himself all he wanted, but she couldn't just stand by and watch him do that.
Because love was mutual. A one-sided effort wouldn't last—both people had to care for each other equally.
Maybe in the past, she hadn't always thought this way. But from now on, she wanted to be different. No—she would be different! She had to start now!
"Let's not," Eriri said after a pause, shaking her head with determination. She took extra care in choosing her words. "You'd just get exhausted, Kanade. You finally got a break from all that student council work, so you should take it easy for once. Don't push yourself so hard."
She hesitated slightly, her fingers curling into fists at her sides before she continued in a softer voice. "Besides… for me, just… just being with you, walking and talking, is enough. It doesn't matter whether we go through with the test of courage or not."
Her face flushed, but she held her ground.
In the past, she might have kept those feelings to herself, but not anymore. She had learned the hard way that unspoken emotions led to misunderstandings. She had already lost someone dear to her once because of that, and she refused to make the same mistake again.
Even if it was embarrassing, even if her pride screamed at her to stay silent—she had vowed to change. And this time, she meant it.
"Phew, that's a relief…" Kanade let out a small breath, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Just as he was about to speak again, a faint rustling noise interrupted him.
The moment the sound reached their ears, the atmosphere shifted.
"..."
"..."
Their gazes met in silent understanding. In the next instant, both of them stood up in unison, facing the direction the noise had come from.
The sound of shifting leaves and breaking twigs grew clearer, steadily approaching them from within the dense foliage. Something—someone?—was getting closer.
Kanade's grip tightened around a fallen branch he had picked up, his mind racing through possible scenarios. Was it just an animal? A prankster from another group? Or—
"You, stay behind me," he whispered, his voice low but firm. "Move slowly, don't make any sudden movements. Try to put some distance between us, but don't run."
Eriri swallowed and nodded, her usual sharp tongue nowhere to be found. She understood. This wasn't a time for jokes or bravado.
Kanade wanted to grab her hand and lead her away, but considering her injured foot, he knew running wasn't an option. If they tried to flee without knowing what they were up against, they could end up in even more danger.
It was better to stay put and assess the situation.
The rustling continued, growing louder by the second. A shadow shifted in the undergrowth.
Both of them held their breath.
Then—
A figure emerged.