"I'm outta heeeeere!" Kurumi's shriek bounced off the haunted house's walls.
"Huh? Awww, what? Why?" Miiko asked cheerfully, swinging around to watch her friend run away. The chainsaw in her hands was still roaring and rumbling away heartily. Miiko was having an absolute BLAST! But as she watched Kurumi flee, just a bit of sorrow crept into her heart.
Kurumi was Miiko's very best friend in the whole wide world! No, the whole wide universe! She was more than Miiko could've ever asked for! She was kind, smart, funny, and always inviting Miiko to have some fun with her. She opened up so many doors for Miiko that would've otherwise remained locked. Most people thought she was weird, scary, it wasn't normal for such a cute little girl to like such evil, horrific things.
Even some of Miiko's other friends couldn't always reconcile it in their minds. She remembered one incident with Noa, where Noa asked to do cute, fun stuff with her since she usually did cute, fun stuff with Kurumi. Delighted by the prospect of spending more time with another very dear friend, Miiko instantly rattled off some of her favorite things in the world, all of which fell under the umbrella of horror. Poor Noa seemed on the verge of splitting clean in half, torn between the kawaii-ness of Miiko enjoying herself, and the kowai-ness of what she enjoyed.
And then one time in Bible studies class, Miiko did a presentation on what Biblically accurate angels probably looked like, and some of the more soft-hearted students cried at the scarier depictions. She received a fierce tongue-lashing from Haruna and the nuns later.
Miiko just doesn't get it! Scary stuff is cool stuff! She personally thought the Biblically accurate angels looked AWESOME! Besides, just because something looks scary, doesn't mean it IS scary! That was what she would've expected of the angels. No matter how scary they looked to a mortal eye, they still did the Lord's work, so surely they couldn't be that bad. What was it that they always said to the humans they met? "Be not afraid!"
Some Mr. and Ms. Monsters that Miiko has met have actually been very nice! She thought back to just several minutes and rooms ago, when Kurumi was still with her. One of the rooms contained a masked killer hidden behind a chair. He jumped out at them, brandishing a bloody knife. Kurumi shrieked and jumped back, grabbing Miiko's arm and trying to tug her away. In classic Miiko style, however, Miiko stayed put.
"Woah! Cool mask, Mister!" she gushed up at the towering figure. For a moment, he didn't move. Behind her, Kurumi was frantic.
"Miiko! C'mon! Get away from him!"
"What? I just wanted to say something nice to him first!" Miiko was still smiling up at the killer. At last, he lowered his knife. What… exactly was he supposed to do with a guest like this? He'd seen countless Kurumis in just one day alone, but this chick?
"RAH!" He jolted forward suddenly and raised his arms. Kurumi shrieked again and jumped even further back, but Miiko only laughed.
"Wow, you sure are scary!" she complimented him, clapping. The man lowered his arms again. Seriously! What was he supposed to do now?! In the end, he only sighed and shook his head and gestured for the girls to carry on to the next room.
"Thank you, Mr. Mask! I hope you have a lovely day!" Miiko waved as he let her pass by. Kurumi's eye twitched. For a moment, she kept her distance, giving the masked man a very wide berth, but then Miiko turned her cheerful smile towards Kurumi.
"C'mon, Kurumi! We got more rooms to explore!" She extended a hand to the other girl. Kurumi hesitated for a moment more, but then it occurred to her that if she did not join Miiko now, she would be left behind. That was more than enough to spur her forward. She kept her eyes down until she felt Miiko's hand in her own. And that was exactly why Kurumi was Miiko's very best friend. Even when she was scared, she still went with Miiko just because it was Miiko. Miiko loved her for it.
And Miiko knows Kurumi loves her too! After all, Kurumi had been one of the first and only people to find Miiko's obsession with horror intriguing rather than disturbing. Her clever mind was quick to put a positive spin on it and figure out how she could use it to her own advantage.
"So you like surprises and scares too, huh?" Kurumi asked, looking Miiko up and down, intrigued and impressed. And the rest was history. It was a match made in Heaven! Kurumi was a master of making pranks and Miiko was a master of taking them. Sometimes, the pranks caught her off guard, but Miiko never screamed with fright, only delight. It was everyone else that reacted poorly to Kurumi's tricks.
That's what makes us so special! Miiko thought happily. She and Kurumi understood one another in a way not many others did. But then it suddenly occurred to Miiko once again, Kurumi wasn't here anymore. She finally cracked, went running back out of the haunted house… Miiko's shoulders slumped, and she lowered the chainsaw slightly.
Guess it was a little too scary, though, even for her… Miiko personally didn't see a reason why. Nothing had harmed them so far, so what was there to fear? Exactly as she expected, just being nice to the masked man was enough to allow them to pass onto the next room, so why was Kurumi so afraid? And the chainsaw, Miiko only picked it up because she thought it would make Kurumi feel safer. Now they were armed! But if anything, seeing Miiko wielding the bloody chainsaw was the last straw.
Miiko was gonna protect you, Kurumi… Miiko sighed and pouted slightly, scuffing a foot on the floor. That was another reason Miiko enjoyed horror. It wasn't just fascination with things that the rest of the world typically wrote off as inappropriate. It was usually in horror stories where the greatest examples of love and raw passion and human emotion could be shown. That wasn't to say other media couldn't be emotional, but because of the inherent intensity of horror, the subsequent displays of humanity and monstrosity were equally powerful.
In scenes right before death, or when characters were fleeing a deadly force, true bonds and loyalties were tested and shown. Who would fight and who would flee? Who would die to defend and who was a coward? When the monster showed its horrifying visage, which characters would try to protect which other characters? Who would make a dying declaration of love, and what would they say? Hearts, literal and metaphorical, were often laid bare in horror stories, and that was just one of the many reasons why Miiko loved them so very much.
Miiko knows I would've done anything to keep Kurumi safe if we actually ran into any real danger…
But of course, Miiko would never have said that Kurumi was a coward just because the haunted house was too much for her. Even if Miiko didn't find it scary, only exciting, she knew that she was an anomaly in that regard.
Oh well, Miiko sighed. S'pose there's nothing Miiko can do except finish the house myself and meet Kurumi outside. She squared her shoulders and readjusted her grip on her chainsaw before moving down the darkened hallway and onto the next room.
ooo
Outside, Kurumi was having an existential crisis. This time, though, it wasn't about the haunted house.
I LEFT MIIKO IN THERE! ALONE! Oh, man! Oh, man! Why did I do that?! What was I even thinking?! She beat the sides of her head with the heels of her hands as she paced back and forth outside the house. Did she dare go back inside? I mean… It'll be fine!… Right? It's not like anything ACTUALLY bad is gonna happen to her, right? She'll just… finish the house and be out any time now! Any… time… now…
Was it the anxiety, or was Miiko genuinely taking longer than expected? Sure, Kurumi knew she had a habit of taking her sweet time to fully appreciate the things she saw on her many, many adventures, but was this one of those times? There was no way for her to be sure… And then Kurumi couldn't help but wonder, what would happen if Miiko somehow failed the haunted house? Were there any rooms that required multiple people to pass? Had Kurumi really just abandoned her best friend when said friend might still need her?
Kurumi bit her nails furiously in shame and worry. She kept trying to tell herself that everything would be fine, and that nothing in the house was real, but her imagination still ran wild. What if Miiko got lost? What if she got hurt? Accidents could always happen. Or, even worse, what if there were bad people in the house? People who would be all too glad to play harmful pranks on someone they would perceive as an easy target… Would anyone be there to help if Miiko got herself into real trouble? Was there anyone on the inside that Kurumi could trust?
They were questions to which she had no answers, but if there was one person she knew for sure would have Miiko's best interests at heart, it was… Me! Kurumi was still afraid, but this time for Miiko rather than herself. Kurumi shook her head at herself again. I'm a member of Lyrical Lily! We don't leave one another behind! And even if I wasn't a member, Miiko is still my best friend!
Without another thought, she put her head down and went sprinting back inside the haunted house. She jumped and shrieked at every spook, scare, and surprise, but she refused to stop, or even slow down, even for a single second. Hang on, Miiko, I'm coming back for ya!
ooo
Hmm? What's that? Miiko turned around, hearing the sound of feet pounding against the creaky wood floors. She felt her heart jump into her throat, not from fear, but excitement! A chase scene! A game of horror tag! This was sure to be fun! But then she realized who her pursuer was…
"Kurumi?!"
"Miiko!" Kurumi finally raised her head when she heard Miiko's voice. She cried out in relief. I knew it was a smart idea to follow the sound of a chainsaw! She briefly worried that she would wind up chasing the wrong chainsaw and run into some other horror maniac, but luck was smiling upon Kurumi. She skidded to a stop inches in front of the fake blade.
"Kurumi! What are you doing here?" Miiko asked, pleasantly surprised. "Are you working for the house now too?"
"Wha-? No!" Kurumi panted, doubling over, hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. "I was looking for you!"
"Wh-what?" Miiko lowered her chainsaw, excited expression turning into one of softness and surprise.
"I was looking for you!" Kurumi repeated, gasping. "I… I… I'm sorry I ran out on you like that!" I never meant to leave my best friend behind… There was genuine repentance in her eyes as Miiko placed a hand over her heart.
This was exactly what Miiko was thinking about earlier! She came back! She really, really came back! She was so worried about me that she was willing to run all the way through the haunted house alone just to find me again, just in case I needed her…
"Oh, Kurumi!" The chainsaw hit the floor with a loud thud as Miiko lunged at her best friend and wrapped her up in a crushing hug.
"Ooof!" The wind was knocked out of Kurumi again, but feeling Miiko press her little body against her own triggered a natural reflex in Kurumi to return the embrace. As exasperated as she was to find that Miiko was perfectly fine after all, exactly as her logical brain tried to tell her earlier, the other half was just relieved that everything was ok.
Kurumi patted Miiko's back and shook her head at both of them while Miiko nuzzled Kurumi gratefully and affectionately.
"You're the absolutely best, Kurumi!" she gushed. Thank you for being my friend!
"Keep the compliments coming," Kurumi joked weakly. "Now… how do we get out of here?"
"Are you sure you want to keep going?" Miiko asked, pulling herself out of Kurumi's arms to look her in the eyes, her own wide.
"Just… bring the chainsaw, and I think I'll be fine," Kurumi joked weakly again.
Miiko's wide eyes narrowed as she started grinning from ear to ear. She picked up the chainsaw in one hand and squeezed Kurumi's with the other. No words were spoken, but their minds ran the exact same track.
So long as I have you, my best very friend, by my side, I can get through anything!
And so, onto the next room they went, Miiko protecting Kurumi from the front and Kurumi supporting from behind. It was a match made in Heaven, and together, they could survive anything this Hell-house threw at them!