The door to the classroom had been covered in black construction paper with red yarn making its way down like small streams of blood. Despite being a rather mild decoration, it still gave the door a sinister feeling.
Standing outside was a student dressed in a witch costume, holding a broom in one hand and nestling a black cat in the crook of her other arm. She wore a black dress that was shredded at the bottom and a plain black hat with a point that drooped slightly.
She looked rather bored until she saw Kano and Kido approaching. She instantly snapped into character, lowering the brim of her hat so it cast a shadow over her eyes. In a low, ominous-sounding voice, she said, "Welcome to the house of horrors. Are you two going in together?"
Kido instantly shrank back. Kano intended to go in alone and let her invisibly hide outside, but his plan was interrupted by a certain couple walking out the other door.
"Shuuya! Tsubomi!" Ayano exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of them. She ran over, dragging Shintarou behind her as usual. "You guys have to go in! It's really cool!" She was completely oblivious to Kido's paralyzing fear of haunted anything. She walked up behind them and gave both of them a small nudge towards the door, which had opened up to reveal the darkened classroom.
Beside him, Kano felt Kido shiver, despite the heat coming from beyond the door. As the two stepped forward, Kano slipped his hand into Kido's, wrapping his fingers around her shaking palm.
The wooden door closed slowly behind them, creaking to accentuate the sinister aura.
Muffled giggles echoed around the room. The rustling of fabric could be heard as the actors got in their places.
"L-Let's just get this over with quickly." she said, trying to hide her shaking voice. "I-I'm tired and I want to go home anyways." He could tell she was pretending not to be scared.
"Alright." Kano said, glad that she couldn't see the small smile playing on his lips. She'd punch him if she knew he found her bravado amusing.
Giving her shaky hand a small, reassuring squeeze, he took a step forward. On his right, he could feel the thin oak walls the class had constructed. He knew that someone could pop out from behind one at any moment.
Kido followed close behind him for the first few feet. She began to shake harder and harder with each step, the anticipation sending chills down her arms. She secretly feared that whatever jumped out at her would attack, like a rabid dog. Her eyes desperately searched the darkness for any signs of monsters or danger. Seeing nothing, her fears intensified. The unknown was always worst because you can never see the attack coming.
The first scare was a half-assed version of a ghost. The student, one of the female lower class men, was dressed in sheets with a "creepy" mask where her head should be. She jumped out from behind one of the poorly constructed walls and yelled "BOO!"
Beside him, Kano felt Kido stiffen. The hand that gripped his tightened to the point where his fingers immediately went numb. A sharp pain climbed up his arm, stopping at his elbow. This was worse than when she punched him.
At the next scare, Kido clenched her teeth to keep stray screams from escaping. She squeezed Kano's hand again, but not as hard this time. She was in a slight haze, like a soldier on a battlefield. The loud pounding of her heart drowned out any other sounds.
She kept walking, slowly, forcing one foot in front of the other. The adrenaline refused to let her pass out. A horned devil appeared in front of her, only to receive a reflexive punch to the stomach. Kano apologized multiple times in her stead, and winced as the devil crumpled to the floor. He understood that pain all too well.
The final scare was shrouded in artificial fog. Two students waited at the sides, one on the left, one on the right. Both of them simultaneously screamed and reached forward, closing their long, cold fingers around the ankles of their two victims.
Knowing Kido's reflex to attack whatever surprised her, Kano pulled Kido towards him, forcing her foot to remain off the ground long enough for the person's hand to slither back into the fog. He held on to her for a moment longer than necessary, his arms wrapped tight around her torso, until she elbowed his stomach. He bent over, but recovered quickly this time. He was getting WAY too used to her attacks.
The door was only a few feet ahead of them. As Kido reached for the doorknob, Kano felt the urge to whisper in her ear, "See you tonight,"in a low, creepy voice. He earned another elbow to the stomach for that, but it was worth it. He walked out behind her, grinning stupidly.
Ayano eyed him suspiciously as he appeared behind Kido, who sidestepped and turned to glare at him. Before Ayano could question their silent exchanged, Shintarou walked away, heading down the hallway Kano and Kido had just come from.
"Where are you going?" Ayano called after him.
"Game." he mumbled, barely loud enough for her to hear. He was already halfway down the hallway, staring down at his phone.
With one final, questioning glance at her two siblings, Ayano ran after him. "See you two at home!" she called back as she caught up with Shintarou.
As the two shrinking figures disappeared around the corner, Kido sank to the ground with a shaky sigh. Her heart was still pounding extremely fast.
Kano sat beside her, silently taking her limp hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze while wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder for a brief moment before suddenly sitting up, blushing as red as a tomato. She pulled her hand away and jumped to her feet, tugging her hood down and turning away from him.
"L-Let's go home." she said, trying to hide the embarrassment in her voice as she hurried down the hall.
Kano smiled and stood, watching her for a few seconds before shoving his hands in his pockets and leisurely following the hooded figure.