Chapter 129, "Daily Life"

After causing damage to the wall that was absolutely impossible to restore by human hands in just one night, all three of them saw through the damaged parts a long, narrow road leading to a large door at the end of the road.

When exactly was this thing built?

"Eh... I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this door is a glaring trap."

After seeing the scene clearly, none of the three who had been traveling together took the initiative to step onto that road.

Wang Ma Xiaoji thoughtfully examined the door: "If we push open that door, what bad things might happen? For example, what if we suddenly get caught up in a random school trip, and the school trip on the southern island suddenly turns into a murder mystery game!"

Tsukino and Chiya: "Ohma, you could just say Hinata's name."

Are you sure you want to go straight there?

Miya Higashigo did not participate in the two's inappropriate and tense conversation.

She didn't look at the other two people beside her, but stared at the door at the end of the road, her expression unusually serious.

"Behind that... there's definitely something very ominous."

"You need to be prepared."

*******

Tsukino and Chiya suddenly opened their eyes.

Then, the familiar ceiling came into view.

Today was just another day like any other.

As ordinary students, Tsukino and Chiya's daily routine consisted of nothing more than going to school, attending classes, meeting classmates, participating in club activities, and returning to their dormitories.

Then the next day, I went to school again... This cycle repeated itself until the weekend or other holidays, when I experienced the same mundane routine for a few days, and after the holidays ended, I continued with the same generally unchanged process.

For students, this is pretty much how everyone spends their days, right? You should be used to it to some extent by now.

Tsukino and Chiya tilted their heads slightly.

So the scene in his field of vision changed with his movements... but no matter how it changed, it was still just an ordinary scene in an ordinary dormitory.

The mattress, the pillow, a section of her long, loose black hair, and...

Tsukino and Chiya reached for the phone that was placed next to their pillows, skillfully pressed the power button, and subconsciously squinted because the suddenly lit screen was a bit too bright.

Adjusting the phone screen brightness only takes a few seconds. Soon, the screen brightness returned to a level that wouldn't cause eye discomfort. And Tsukino and Chiya were able to see the time as they had hoped.

Sure enough, it wasn't the alarm clock that was the problem; he had simply woken up before the alarm went off.

The sleep schedule that I unconsciously developed because I had to get up early for school is, in a sense, a result of suffering.

So, even though something happened last night that caused me to stay up late, I woke up earlier than usual after falling asleep feeling extremely tired?

It was as if my body was subtly warning me that I couldn't sleep any longer... In a campus like this, on such ordinary days, there shouldn't be any accidents happening, right?

Oh, speaking of last night...

Completely awake, Tsukino and Chiya slowly sat up, instinctively reaching out a hand to support their aching forehead.

What exactly happened last night?

Tsukino and Chiya's still somewhat dazed minds began to work slowly, as they tried to search for memories related to the previous night.

Yesterday... ah.

He found the relevant memory.

Yesterday was a classmate's birthday.

Tsukino and Chiya's relationships with most of their classmates were only so-so. The only one they could truly call a friend was probably Hinata Hajime, who had chosen his preferred seat at the start of the semester.

Besides, if you want to find someone in the class who is on a relatively good relationship with Tsukino and Chiya... you might have to look among the teachers, yes, I'm talking about that Mr. Higashigo.

However, as for that teacher, it's more accurate to say they were just acquaintances rather than having a good relationship.

Even so, he still received an invitation from a classmate celebrating their birthday last night... After all, his relationship with his classmates was only so-so, far from being hostile. When there weren't enough people to hang out with, others were happy to invite him to make up the numbers and add to the fun.

After a brief consideration, Tsukino and Chiya agreed.

Even in a life that is generally unchanging, there will always be some interesting little moments. Otherwise, if life were truly too boring and had nothing to look forward to, fewer people would continue living with some hope in their hearts.

However, it's understandable that not many people joined their group's suggestion to celebrate a birthday.

Because no one knows who started it, a group of people who were on good terms with the birthday boy suddenly came up with a crazy suggestion: "How about we go on an adventure tonight? I know a place that's supposedly haunted!" This suggestion was enough to be the opening scene of a horror movie, and they successfully persuaded the birthday boy to agree.

Some people refuse to participate because of the thought, "What if something really happens?" But there are always some people who are not afraid of these things. Some people agree to participate because they are half-believing and half-doubting, thinking that it should be okay if they don't go alone, or because they want to prove their courage.

Hajime Hinata also participated.

Last night, their group went to an abandoned shrine. There wasn't anything particularly special about it, just that it had been abandoned for some time and appeared dilapidated, its eerie atmosphere amplified by the darkness of night. Then, in this atmosphere, a series of self-inflicted dangers occurred… but overall, although some people were frightened, they didn't encounter anything truly bizarre.

And now...

He should get up, wash up, and eat breakfast before going to school.

*******

Upon arriving at the classroom, Tsukino and Chiya saw that Hyuga Hajime, who sat next to them, was looking down at his phone, seemingly browsing something on the screen.

Before Tsukino and Chiya could even approach and take their seats, Hinata Hajime had already noticed his arrival.

As the brown-haired boy put away his phone, he looked up at Tsukino and Chiya, who were walking in through the back door, and gave them a knowing, helpless smile: "Tsukino, you're here too."

"Mm." Tsukino and Chiya nodded to their only classmate they could currently call a friend. "Good morning, Hinata."

His gaze lingered on Hyuga Hajime's eyes for a moment, but he looked away before it became impolite.

People with heterochromia are indeed rare in reality. Before meeting Hinata Hajime, Tsukino and Chiya had never encountered this kind of setting in real life, which they had only seen in novels or anime.

But no matter how rare it was, in his memory he had seen it for more than a semester.

Tsukino and Chiya pulled out chairs and sat down in their seats.

Everything that followed unfolded exactly as expected.

The last class this morning belonged to Mr. Higashi, who was fairly familiar with Tsukino and Chiya. This new young teacher obviously didn't have the habit of going overtime; after the school bell rang, he quickly stopped what he hadn't finished teaching, said "we'll talk about it in the next class," and hurriedly dismissed the class.

It was just an ordinary, everyday thing. And so, a harmonious morning passed by.

But Tsukino and Chiya felt like something was missing.

However, this subtle feeling quickly disappeared.

Because he saw someone.

The bell had only rung for a dozen seconds, and Mr. Higashi had just left the classroom. Tsukino and Chiya were still sitting in their seats and hadn't had time to leave when they heard someone calling their names.

It was a purple-haired boy who was in the corridor, peering into the classroom through the window. After Tsukino and Chiya looked over and met his gaze, the boy—who was none other than Ouma Kokichi—smiled with satisfaction.

To be honest, this person's class was some distance away from Chiyo's class, so it was a bit suspicious how he had appeared here so soon after the bell rang. However, Tsukino and Chiyo didn't care about that.

After all, this is Oma Kokichi.

After confirming that Tsukino and Chiya had seen him, Ohma Kokichi walked into their classroom openly and headed straight for Chiya's seat.

"Kozuki, it's been a morning since I last saw you. I—well, actually, I didn't miss you that much. Maybe I shouldn't say anything too cheesy? Although it's actually quite interesting to say it like that?"

My hand suddenly felt a slightly cool temperature.

Tsukino and Chiya blinked as one of their hands was suddenly grabbed.

Before he could react in any other way, the purple-haired boy had already naturally used his strength to pull him out, muttering something as they walked: "You guys went to that shrine last night? That's great—although trying to be brave and going on an adventure sounds a bit silly, it would be fun to have some fun... ah, I mean, to play with new friends!"

"Hey, Kozuki, can you tell me about your experiences last night? Did anything funny happen?"

An ordinary school life.

Classmates with whom I have a decent relationship, and friends with whom I get along well.

And her boyfriend, with whom she has been dating for some time.

Isn't this... his daily routine all along, as he remembers it?

Feeling the warmth from her hand, Tsukino and Chiya didn't hesitate and returned the handshake.

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Author's note: Now I can finally live a peaceful life (?)