Late in the summer vacation, Ichika and I were on a date at an amusement park.

After riding the roller coaster, our next stop was the ghost house.

Well, it wasn’t exactly large-scale.

It was originally a modified tenant space—a small, indoor haunted house... supposedly. “...”

Ichika’s face had turned deathly pale, and she was trembling. “Let’s not go in.” “I-I’m totally fine...!”

“You look anything but composed?”

“I-it’s okay... compared to the West Roland Gorillas, ghosts are weak.”

Has she ever actually fought a gorilla? I decided to hold back that critique; it would have been too much.

“So, they say ghost houses are perfect for dates,” Sanjo had said. “It’s the perfect chance,” he’d claimed. “Chance? For what?”

Her face flushed red—kaah—and she stammered in a fluster.

“Anyway, we’re going! We are going!”

The exterior of the haunted house was... well, let’s just say it was cheap.

At the entrance of this Japanese-style estate, a ghost in white burial clothes is depicted. "Ehh…"

Just looking at it made Ichika let out a scream.

We haven't even gone inside yet, and...

"G-Ghosts aren't scary at all! Let's go!" "Ah, y-yes..."

Feeling uneasy, I took Ichika's hand and stepped inside. It seemed we had to change our shoes to enter.

Inside, tatami mats were laid out on the floor, presumably to recreate the atmosphere of a traditional house.

The lights were dimmed as we moved through the interior. "Ah, ah, ah, ahhhhhhh!"

Ichika squeezed tightly against my arm. Her large breasts pressed against me... "Ow, ow, ow, it hurts!"

Ichika used her vice-like grip to cling desperately to my arm.

"M-Mitsuhiko? Are you there? Don't let go, okay?"

"I'm not letting go, but please loosen up, it's hurting!" Creak! creak!

"Yikes! Did you hear that creaking sound just now?"

"My arms are creaking under the strain, so let go of me!" I stood there at the entrance for a while.

Ika seemed to have calmed down, and I moved forward with her into the interior.

"Apparently, this mansion is under a moth curse."

"Moth... c-curse? B-but even if you bring up such unscientific concepts..." Ika was trembling violently. It seemed she actually believed it...

"Ika. Looks like we're doing something here." We emerged into a slightly open space. "S-someone's sleeping in there!" "Calm down, it's just a doll."

A female doll was lying on a futon.

I read the text displayed on the wallpaper.

"Apparently, due to the moth curse, that person's face has melted away. It says here to use the puff over there to apply medicine to her face."

A puff was placed near the doll.

Of course, it was an artifact. There was no actual medicine attached. "M-Mitsuhiko... please go ahead." "Is that okay?"

"That doll is definitely going to move! I can tell!"

"Then you'll just have to wait here alone." "I'm coming with you!"

Ichika clings tightly to me as she follows.

It's kind of cute, like a little kid following their parent so they don't get lost.

I picked up the powder and pressed it against the doll's face. "C-could you... move?" "Seems unlikely."

Ichika let out a breath of relief.

I thought I might need to leave, but apparently that wasn't necessary. "Let's go home," I said. "Yeah."

I put the powder back and tried to leave the room. Creak!

"Mmphghaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Guueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!" Ichika screamed.

I joined in on the screaming... but. "G-ghoosts! Gho-guest ghosts!"

"It hurts! I'm gonna die, like seriously!"

The reason I was screaming was because Ichika had strangled my neck with even more force than before.

"I-Ikusa... di-dying..."

「Phew! I-I'm sorry...」

Pant, pant... Man, I seriously thought I was gonna die.

"Are you okay, Kouhei-kun..."?

Ichika asked, her voice laced with concern.

It wasn't that she had any malicious intent; she was probably just startled. "I'm fine. Let's move." "Y-Yeah..."

After that, the paintings on the walls started moving and wrap-around sounds played, startling the visitors over and over again.

Each time, I ended up receiving a physical attack from Ichika.

"Kouhei-kun... You're amazing. The haunted house doesn't seem to affect you at all."

Trembling, Ichika followed right behind me.

She never left my side for a moment, keeping her arms wrapped around me the whole time. "W-Well..."

I swallowed the words: After all, it's just an illusion.

The people who built this set were also creators, genuinely trying to entertain their audience with full commitment.

I’m not a writer, but I respect them.

Well, given how terrified the customers were, the creators must be thrilled. “Hikohiko... that was cool...”

Ichika looked at me with a blank, stunned expression. “Ichika...” “Yes...”

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at me. “There’s a moth on your hair.”

“Fffffffffff!” It was just a toy moth.

Ichika went into a frenzy, thrashing about wildly.

She was trying to break the set, so I stopped her with all my might. After a while... “Is this where it ends...?” “I suppose it is...” We arrived at the innermost room.

With a hiss... something emerged from the wall. “Is that a... moth monster?”

Near the entrance, a female doll transformed into a monster with moth wings, appearing along with some smoke. As for Ichika...? “Ha...” She wore a look of casual ease.

“Oh? Is it not scary for you, Ichika?”

I’ve gotten used to this stuff by now. Besides, this is a bit too far into fantasy territory; it’s not scary at all.”

Ichika swept her ponytail back with a swipe of her hand. “Come on, let's go, Hikohiko.” “Right.”

Stepping out of the moth monster's room, I was greeted by a long corridor.

With a sign pointing this way that read "Exit," I figured that was it… just as I was thinking that—

"Oooo-oooooo-oooooo-"

Letting out a strange, gurgling shriek, something came rushing toward us from behind.

A staff member, swathed in traditional white ritual robes, sprinted past.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Ichika let out a shriek that was strictly off-limits for females and then made a full-speed dash away from the scene.

She tore through the hallway in the blink of an eye, sprinting straight toward the entrance.

"……uh, excuse me."

I apologized to the staff member who had just terrorized us.

Honestly, making that much noise would be a nuisance, wouldn't it?

The staff member shook his head and said "No need, no need" before returning to his post.

Well, if they got that scared, the staff are probably over the moon. I followed Ichika.

She had slumped down in a heap right in front of the entrance.

"Aba... abababa... ahya... aba..."

Ichika was hugging herself, her body trembling violently.

When our eyes met, she launched into me for a hug. "I-i-it was so scary~..."

Seeing the usually stoic and strong Ichika clinging to me like this... it was...

Extremely fresh. A surge of protective instinct rose in me. I felt I had to protect her. "There, there, you were scared, huh?"

"Mm-hmm... mm-hmm... it was really... scary..."

I hugged Ichika from the front and patted her back gently.

We stayed like that, embracing each other, until her trembling finally stopped.