This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 437 - 294: The Courage Trial Conference (4000 Words)_2

Chapter 437: Chapter 294: The Courage Trial Conference (4000 Words)_2

Beichuan Si was one of the ghost actors that Qianhe Kagura had set her sights on.

After all, Beichuan Si always had an icy, dead expression that chilled people to the bone; he seemed like the perfect fit to play a vengeful spirit.

Originally, Beichuan Si had planned to refuse because it seemed like too much of a hassle.

But when he was about to refuse, he thought of Nishijou Kurenai—

He had brought Nishijou Kurenai over for the training camp but hadn’t really found the time to entertain her. This opportunity seemed perfect for letting the child loosen up a bit, which would be beneficial for her growth.

With this thought in mind, Beichuan Si reluctantly accepted the commission.

But since he had taken on the job, he intended to do it to the best of his ability.

He felt that once he had promised something, he had to complete it perfectly.

Assisted by Shenzhu Shihui and Nishijou Kurenai, Beichuan Si believed this courage test event would not bore the adolescent male and female students.

Of course, the main thing was for Nishijou Kurenai to have fun.

Seeing the little tyke become lively again, Beichuan Si’s expression softened slightly as he poked her cheek with his finger.

...

The next day passed by quietly.

On the afternoon of the third day, Qianhe Kagura announced the courage test event to everyone.

In groups of three, each group would be led by a teacher on a shortcut down the mountain after reaching the observation deck.

The announcement garnered mixed reactions: there were those who were thrilled and those who were not.

Not everyone looked forward to outdoor activities. The displeasure of some came partly from their dislike of such activities and partly from their belief that the teachers’ courage test wouldn’t be as interesting as a haunted house—plus it was more time-consuming, naturally causing their dissatisfaction.

Ikegami Keito and Seki Naoya thought so.

"How could a school-organized courage test possibly have any atmosphere? We’re not kids anymore." They sneered, looking disdainful.

The two of them had been to Mirror Apartment and seen real vengeful spirits—how could they possibly be scared of anything the school arranged?

Unless you have the Beichuan Demon King personally show up, we might feel a little scared, but just with this setup, you expect us to look frightened?

That’s underestimating us too much.

Many others shared their sentiments, some even holding their phones with mocking smiles, clearly showing their disdain for the courage test.

"Please line up!"

The voice of Shen Gu Mirai called out from ahead.

Like Beichuan Si, she had been approached by the teachers and assigned the role of a narrator.

Shen Gu Mirai’s specific task was to organize the order at the scene while telling ghost stories about the mountain to each ascending group in order to set the atmosphere.

Organizing the crowd was no easy feat; even Shen Gu Mirai took five minutes to get the nonchalant students lined up in three columns.

The seniors from the third grade were in front.

As upperclassmen, they were naturally the first to set off. Their reactions would be used to adjust the scare points along the way, so as not to frighten the following students too much.

But judging from the nonchalant expressions on their faces...

Shen Gu Mirai narrowed her eyes, signaling the first group to start their climb. Holding a megaphone in hand, her voice was chilling as she began to recount the mountain’s hauntings with a steady and eerily even tone:

"I’m sure all of you have heard rumors of the ’Female Bathhouse Curse Doll,’ haven’t you?"

"It’s said that a blood-soaked curse doll, coming from nowhere, appeared in the bathhouse. No matter how you try to dispose of her, you can’t escape from her clutches."

"From the moment you see that doll for the first time, you’re caught in a bloody, brutal curse."

Shen Gu Mirai paused, maintaining the flat tone as she continued the tale:

"Don’t you want to know who the owner of that cursed doll is? The secret lies in the mountains behind me! The crimson fire axe... the wailing of the white-clad vengeful spirit... the stalking of the cursed doll—"

She drew out her intonation slightly, her narrow eyes tightening like the edge of a blade as she swept over the faces of all the students below:

"Hope you return safely."

Gulp.

Some of the more timid students swallowed nervously, thinking about backing out.

The ghost stories that Shen Gu Mirai told were not particularly terrifying because she embedded many things in her words. What truly scared them was Shen Gu Mirai’s earnest and compelling expression of narration.

It was as if there truly were an axe-wielding maniac, white-clad vengeful spirits, and cursed dolls in the mountain behind her.

These kinds of people are the most frightening.

Just telling a story could draw others in.

The listeners felt a tingling sensation on their scalps, while Shen Gu Mirai was in a good mood herself.

The task she was supposed to do was done; the rest was up to the ghost actors.

Ah, I heard that Mr. Temple will attend as a ghost actor. It’s such a shame that I can’t participate in this courage test.

Shen Gu Mirai sighed.

Under her sigh, the first group—Naoya Seki, Kazuki Ikegami, and an unfamiliar boy—finally started climbing the mountain.

...

The mountain path was smooth, and the opposite side could be seen at a glance.

On both sides were dense thickets, dark and bottomless.

Naoya Seki, along with Kazuki Ikegami and an unfamiliar boy, were chatting while marching towards the lookout with flashlights in their hands.

Although the story told by Mirai Shinkai was scary, they had been walking for over ten minutes now and had only encountered some spooky trifles.

Like plastic human heads set up on the path, or plastic hands that unexpectedly fell as they passed...

These things, instead of making them tense, actually made them less nervous after being frightened by Mirai Shinkai’s story.

Naoya Seki and Keito Ikegami could even point and laugh at the actors dressed as ghosts who suddenly jumped out to scare them.

"What the— I thought it would be as terrifying as she said, but for a school level, those setups were already pretty good," Naoya Seki chuckled to the two beside him.

Keito Ikegami also shrugged, "Pretty normal. The stuff we’ve seen isn’t something these teachers could think of. Frankly, I feel like even if the Beichuan Demon King showed up now, I wouldn’t be scared at all."

While the two of them were discussing, the boy next to them who had been quiet suddenly spoke up:

"Umm...sorry, do you guys hear crying?"

Crying?

Keito Ikegami and Naoya Seki were stunned, then both perked up their ears, listening closely.

There really was crying.

It was a resentful, wailing, deep cry.

Sometime, the crying grew louder and louder, engulfing the three of them.

Ssssshhhhh—

A chilly breeze blew through the tree branches.

Silence—

Quiet.

Still.

Dead silence!!!!

Apart from the thin wail, it seemed that nothing else could be heard.

"It’s definitely another setup by the teachers."

Keito Ikegami’s heart was racing, but his mouth was still loose, jokingly saying.

"But...it’s strange...this crying...it seems to be coming from the right, and then from the left...at times I feel like it’s coming from above us."

The boy next to them muttered softly.

"It’s definitely a tape recorder. There are a lot of them placed around, that’s why it has this effect."

"Is that so?"

This explanation was barely acceptable, the boy nodded, and didn’t press on further.

The three continued to walk upward.

But the further they went, the more frantic the crying became, from in front to beside them, from beside them to whispering in their ears...

"It’s the recorders! All from the recorders!" Naoya Seki shouted.

His face was streaked with cold sweat, as if he didn’t quite believe his own words anymore.

After saying this, the three of them walked silently for a while.

The crying seemed to have also faded away; the wailing tone that screamed in their ears just now couldn’t be heard at all.

The surroundings fell back into a state of dead silence.

The quiet atmosphere was making Naoya Seki uncomfortable. With a laugh, he stretched out his hand and placed it on Kazuki Ikegami’s shoulder beside him, turned his head, and cheerfully said to the two people lagging behind:

"See, it was indeed the tape recorders. The spirits of this world aren’t so simple that we could just bump... into..."

Wait a second.

Kazuki Ikegami and the other boy were behind.

Then whose shoulder was he touching...?

Naoya Seki turned his head back.

Something eerie was beside him.

It was a woman with her head and neck bent at a ninety-degree angle.

Extremely pale and lengthy arms were resting on his shoulder.

Firmly resting—

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