Eiri didn't even scream this time. Instead, her pupils shook violently, and her whole body jolted as if struck by electricity. She sprang up, wrapping both arms tightly around Minamoto Senya's neck, her legs locking firmly around his waist. Her small body curled into a trembling ball, shivering uncontrollably.
When the shock hit, she didn't think at all—it was pure instinct, her body reacting before her mind caught up.
"Eiri—too tight, too tight!" Senya coughed, patting her arm. Startled out of her wits, she was squeezing his neck with surprising strength, to the point he could barely breathe.
"Run! Run, run, run!!" Eiri's face was buried in his chest, eyes shut tight. She couldn't even hear what Senya was saying.
Left with no choice, Senya pried her arms loose with one hand, while his other hand supported her soft little butt as he rushed out of the room.
"It's fine, it's fine—it's over now," he soothed her gently, patting her back after making it back into the hallway. The "crisis" seemed to have passed—for now.
Eiri slowly started calming down, realizing how humiliating her panicked reaction had been. Her cheeks flushed red, and she was just about to climb down from him when—
From the ceiling, another monster suddenly dropped down—its mouth wide open, a blood-red tongue dangling down like a noose!
And it just so happened to land right in front of Eiri's barely-open eyes, face-to-face!
"Kyaaaahhhh—!!"
Senya's expression twisted—but not from fear. No, it was from Eiri's scream, which was so high-pitched it could've blown the roof right off the haunted house.
The situation had reset to square one. With Eiri still clinging tightly to him, Senya scooped her up by her butt again and bolted.
Now, staff members dressed in horror costumes were deliberately chasing after them.
Senya darted about in a frenzy, running faster and faster in sync with Eiri's escalating shrieks. Every trap and puzzle along the way fell entirely on him to solve, since Eiri refused to open her eyes.
Terrified out of her mind, she latched onto him like an octopus, refusing to let go—muttering under her breath like a charm.
Listening closely, Senya almost laughed despite himself. That familiar melody… she was singing the Doraemon theme song. Slightly off-key, probably from sheer terror.
The haunted house itself was actually quite chilly inside, but with Eiri clinging to him so tightly, her weight in his arms, and the constant sprinting back and forth, Senya was already feeling overheated.
Of course, his stamina was exceptional, so it wasn't too much strain. The real issue… was something else entirely.
"Eiri, seriously—it's fine now. You can open your eyes," Senya said, ducking into the space under a staircase to hide.
Normally, the point of a haunted house was to enjoy the spooky atmosphere, so when they'd entered, he had even switched off the special "God's Eye" view that hovered in his vision 24/7.
But at this point, he was nearly ready to cheat his way out—those relentless NPCs were too much.
And with it being summer, everyone was dressed in light, thin clothes. Naturally, that included both him and Eiri.
From the very beginning, she had been glued to him, her body pressing against his as he carried her, his hand firmly under her butt.
With every stride, the motion caused their bodies to rub against each other in the front.
Eiri probably didn't realize how noticeable it was, but Senya was painfully aware. After all, he was a healthy teenage boy whose mornings were already… difficult enough. Add to that the fact that Eiri was wearing a skirt today, and when his hand slipped earlier—not onto the outer fabric, but directly beneath it—he had immediately realized she wasn't wearing safety shorts.
Thankfully, Eiri was too panicked to notice any of this.
But Senya couldn't take it anymore. One more slip, and he'd explode.
"W-we're out, right?" Eiri whispered, sweat beading on her forehead. She peeked up nervously, then quickly shut her eyes again and buried herself against his chest. "No, no, we're still inside! Senya, hurry, I don't want to stay here anymore!"
She clutched him tighter, squirming as if to urge him forward.
Senya, however, let his hands slip away from her backside and drew in a deep, steadying breath.
"No, Eiri. From here, you'll have to walk on your own."
"B-but… I'm scared…"
"Then at least come down. I'll carry you on my back instead."
The environment was momentarily calm—no new monsters jumped out. In that stillness, Eiri finally noticed how heavy Senya's breathing had become, and how oddly strained his tone sounded.
He had carried her for so long, of course he was exhausted.
But the hard, uncomfortable pressure she had felt against her lower stomach made her realize something else—something far more embarrassing.
W-wait… does this mean…?
"Eiri?" Senya prompted softly, when she didn't respond.
"A-ah!"
In that instant, her complicated mix of emotions easily overwhelmed her fear. She quickly let go of him, sliding down to her feet.
"Haaah—" Senya exhaled in relief, freed at last.
Eiri, now acutely aware of what had been happening, lowered her head, her face burning red.
Senya, on the other hand, forced himself to think of his sleazy friend Haruhara Youhei's grinning face—a mental trick that worked surprisingly well.
"Come on." Senya crouched slightly with his back to her. "I'll give you a piggyback ride instead."
"N-no, it's fine!" Eiri blurted out, refusing immediately.
Now that she knew what her panic had caused… how could she possibly climb back onto him like that again? Her thoughts were a tangled mess, her heart racing. She couldn't figure out how to face him after such close contact.
It wasn't that she disliked it—in fact, if she admitted it to herself, she… kind of liked it. But right now, she couldn't get past the embarrassment.
"Then… how about holding hands?" Senya offered, reaching out to her.
This time, Eiri bit her lip, but didn't shake her head.
"Th-thank you…"
"No need to thank me. If you're scared, don't overthink it. Just lower your head and follow behind me."
"…Mm."
Hand in hand, the two of them continued deeper into the haunted house.
Whatever else happened after that, Eiri couldn't quite remember. The oppressive atmosphere of the haunted house faded.
The only thing burned into her memory was the warmth of Senya's hand—and the lingering sensation in her stomach from that earlier… pressure.
Her head was spinning.
By the time they reunited with Rikka and the others, she was still dazed. She barely registered what anyone said or how they reacted.
Only once they finally stepped out of the haunted house, sunlight washing over them, did she snap out of it—thanks to Rikka shaking her shoulders face-to-face.
"Eiri, come on! Get a grip!"
"…!"
Like waking from a long dream, Eiri's eyes cleared. Looking around, she saw Rikka, Yukino, Haruno—and Senya—all watching her with concern.
"…Rikka, everyone."
"Geez, you scared me half to death, Eiri! I thought that haunted house broke you for good."
It did break her—but not only because of the haunted house…
"I-I'm fine now!" she insisted.
But Yukino still pressed a hand to Eiri's forehead, just to be sure. Once she confirmed Eiri wasn't feverish, everyone finally relaxed.
"That's good," Haruno said, checking her phone. "It's about time for lunch anyway."
Everyone nodded.
🍴 Lunch at the Amusement Park 🍴
They ate at a simple cafeteria inside the park. The food was mediocre, overpriced, and the crowds made the experience unpleasant.
Only Yukino seemed delighted—her eyes sparkling at the Mr. Panda-themed plates.
For everyone else, lunch was nothing special.
Because of the blazing afternoon sun, they spent the rest of the day on indoor attractions. The mood shifted back to the lighthearted, childlike fun from that morning, with Yukino leading the way.
Haruno, though, was clearly more sluggish in the afternoon. Senya even caught her stifling a yawn or two.
He figured the Yukinoshita heiress probably had a habit of taking afternoon naps at home.
Still, the second half of the day passed peacefully—no more surprises.
By four o'clock, the group, tired but satisfied, said their goodbyes and headed home.
Senya took the train back with his sister, while Eiri rode with the Yukinoshita sisters in their car.
At her doorstep, she thanked them and went inside.
"Welcome home, Eiri! Did you have fun today?" her mother called cheerfully.
"…Mm."
Lost in thought, Eiri gave only vague replies before retreating straight to the bathroom.
She sank into the bathtub, the water covered in a thick layer of white bubbles.
Biting her lip, her innocent, pretty face warmed as she replayed what had happened with Senya in the haunted house—especially the physical closeness between them.
The more vividly she recalled it, the more her large, watery eyes glimmered with a strangely alluring light.
Her delicate fingertips spread open, tracing out that undeniable sensation, measuring it in her hands.
One palm, two, three…
Counting silently, her face grew hotter and hotter.
She couldn't forget it. Not at all.
Even so, she pressed her hand against her stomach, gently pulling the skin before letting it go. Over and over.
As a doujinshi artist who specialized in risqué works, Eiri had always thought some of the more exaggerated scenarios only belonged in fiction.
But today—her worldview had been shaken.
Maybe not all guys were like that, but Minamoto Senya… who only seemed to grow taller and more handsome with each passing day… and her own petite frame…
If—just if—things between them ever went that far…
She'd probably end up like one of the heroines in her own drawings. Hands forming a shaky "V," eyes rolling back, fainting on the spot.
But Senya was gentle, so maybe it wouldn't come to that.
Still, just in case, maybe she should prepare ahead of time…
Her palm hovered in the air, clenching and unclenching before pressing lightly to her lips. Her face was scarlet.
"Eiri, are you still not done? It's been forty minutes! Don't pass out in there!"
Plop!
"What was that noise?"
"N-nothing!"
Just the family's cylindrical bottle of face wash, slipping out from between Eiri's smooth, dainty feet.
Meanwhile, Senya had already forgotten about the haunted house incident.
But a certain doujinshi artist was replaying it again and again, deepening the memory, expanding on it in her imagination, and using it as… creative fuel.
When it came to that, women's imaginations could outpace men's by a mile—especially someone as renowned in the scene as Kashiwagi Eiri-sensei.
"I'm home! Red Eyes Black Dragon!!"
Rikka slammed the door open with full chuuni energy.
A black-winged bird with red eyes—her pet—staggered over happily at her voice, letting her fuss over it.
Senya, meanwhile, headed straight to the kitchen to start dinner.
"Senya, you didn't rush to shower first?!" Rikka gasped from the doorway, clutching the bird. "Don't tell me something from that haunted house possessed you!"
"I'll wash later. I need to head out again."
"Huh? Where?"
"To bring dinner to Toka at the school gym. I can't let her live off nothing but convenience store bread and rice balls."
"Ohhh!"
"Want to come with me?"
"I'll stay home and guard the house~"
By 5:30, Senya had changed clothes, packed up a bento, and left.
Around six, inside the gym, Toka was practicing her rhythmic gymnastics routine with focus when her excited teammate nudged her.
"Toka—hey, isn't that your little brother at the door?"