Morning practice ended, lunch was eaten, afternoon practice ended, and dinner was finished. (Let’s speed things up!)
With that, all the training camp participants were gathered in the plaza, just like the firework display yesterday.
I was standing quietly at the very back, in the farthest corner.
“Has everyone from the Rock Club gathered?”
“““Ye-es!”””
However, there was one difference from yesterday.
“Is everyone from the Instrumental Music Club here?”
“““Yes!!”””
The ones giving the orders in front of everyone were Ichikawa and Otomo-kun.
Wait, what happened to President Azuma...?
“Now, everyone, the moment you’ve been waiting for: the courage test!”
As President Ichikawa spoke energetically,
“That’s scary,” “Ehh, what should I do?” “Heh, I’m not scared at all,” “Erina, this is my first courage test! Sakochi, have you done one before?” “With Takuto in elementary school,” “Hmm... did you hold hands?” “...Shut up.”
While they were acting scared, there was a relaxed atmosphere among them. Except for one person.
“No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no...”
Scary!!
I hadn't noticed, but a girl with a deathly pale face was standing quite close to me, her shoulders trembling.
“Uh... Azuma-san?”
“Scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary scary...”
You’re the scariest one here... You look like something out of a horror movie...
Apparently, and unexpectedly, Azuma-neesan is quite bad with this kind of thing.
Otomo-kun, unable to bear watching the trembling Azuma, must have stepped up to lead in her place.
“The rules are simple! We’ll have you draw lots, and you’ll enter the woods over there with your paired partner!”
Whether she knew her poetic friend was in this state or not, the carefree Rock Club President explained the rules cheerfully.
“There’s a small shrine past the woods, so please bring back a glowing stone placed there! I left them under the sun all day to charge up the phosphorescence!”
Glowing stones... like the ones sold at firework festival stalls or souvenir shops on school trips. I remember someone used to buy those... wait, I always walked alone during school trips, so it was probably me who bought them. I wonder if I still have it at home...
After a while, the bag containing the lots was passed around to us at the very back.
I drew one and handed the bag to Azuma.
“O-Onuma... d-draw mine for me...!! I-I can’t move...”
No, seriously, stop it, you’re scaring me.
I remember one night long ago after Yuzu watched a horror movie, she came to my room with a flashlight.
‘Onii-chan, can I sleep with you...?’
When she acted spoiled like that, I answered kindly,
‘A-Ah, sure... but only if Yuzu sleeps on the floor...’
She then shouted, ‘Take this—!!!!’ while shining the flashlight from under her face and rolling her eyes back. I was so startled I hit my head on the corner of the bed frame and got a slight concussion. (That was a long flashback.)
Thinking back, I should have realized the moment Yuzu, who always calls me ‘Takkun,’ called me ‘Onii-chan.’ Of course, she got scolded terribly afterward.
“Please...!!”
Having no choice, I drew a lot for Azuma, who had turned into a land-bound spirit.
And then.
“Eh, seriously...?”
Azuma and I had the same number. Looking around, it seemed many people ended up paired with those standing nearby. It seems the lots weren't mixed very well. Was Otomo-kun in charge of making them?
By the way, the number was ‘49.’
Wait, are there 98 people at this camp? No way. Are there ghost members? In both senses of the word...
“Konuma, don’t think about weird things.”
“O-Oh, sorry...”
It seems Azuma-neesan had returned from being a spirit to her normal state and used her ‘Mind Reading’ skill to call out my monologue.
I don't mind you peeking into my heart, but please just don’t turn back into a land-bound spirit. (It’s hard to understand.)
Anyway.
The pairs departed at one-minute intervals, and since we were apparently the last ones, we waited leisurely for our turn.
“I mean, Azuma. If you’re that bad with it, couldn't you have used your position as President to cancel the courage test and replace it with practice or a campfire or something?”
When I asked, Azuma let out a long sigh.
“Well, I could have, but the courage test is a traditional event for the music clubs' joint training camp. There’s even a jinx that the two people who go together will end up together... I couldn't let my selfishness crush everyone’s youth.”
“I guess that’s how it is...”
Yeah, well, that’s a very Azuma-like reason.
...Wait!?
“Huh!? End up together!?”
“Hyaah!!”
Azuma let out an uncharacteristically high-pitched squeak and cowered.
“A-Azuma...?”
When I called her name, she slowly glared up at me with teary eyes.
“Don’t suddenly raise your voice...!”
“S-Sorry...”
But you said end up together...
“...Apparently, about ten years ago, a man and woman who were paired in this courage test got married. It’s been a jinx, or a superstition, ever since.”
Heh, what an interesting superstition.
“For a superstition, it hasn't been around that long...”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
Oops, I swapped my monologue with my spoken words again.
“No, it’s nothing...”
I shrugged my shoulders and decided to stay quiet.
Just then, we were called from the entrance of the woods.
“Pair number 49, move forward.”
It was Otomo-kun’s voice.
Apparently, Otomo-kun had been standing there the whole time to give instructions and guide everyone.
“Hey, Azuma, if you took Otomo-kun’s position, you wouldn't have had to participate in the courage test, right...?”
“That position turns into the ghost role to scare the people coming back later, so you have to hide in the dark. Do you think I, who am this scared, could do that?”
“No, I think you from a moment ago would have been perfect for the ghost role...”
“Aah!?”
No, that’s scary in a different direction, Neesan... Also, Sako is in charge of scaring people, so don’t take her job.
As I entered the woods with Azuma,
“...The one who has it and the one who wants it aren't always the same person, huh?”
I felt like I heard a voice filled with resentment.
...No, that’s because you didn’t mix the lots properly!