Chapter 369: From Ant to Dragon |
Bzzzt—
The game on his phone was suddenly replaced by an incoming call screen. Sitting in his car with the air conditioner blasting, Hoshino Gen clicked his tongue when he saw the caller ID.
However, when he answered, no one spoke on the other end of the line.
Hoshino Gen raised an eyebrow and asked flatly, "What is it?"
"Nothing much. I just learned a neat little trick and wanted to test it out—" Asaba Shinichi said on the other end, suddenly snapping his fingers with a chuckle. "Okay, hanging up now."
Beep, beep, beep.
What a baffling phone call. Just as Hoshino Gen was about to switch back to his game, his phone vibrated twice more. Sen-chan poked her head out from the edge of the screen, a speech bubble popping up above her: "Just now, this phone's location was tracked~"
"...Got it."
Now Hoshino Gen knew exactly what little trick Asaba Shinichi was talking about.
......
The early autumn evening breeze swept through the abandoned school campus, sending ripples through the overgrown weeds in the sprawling courtyard.
The setting sun stretched the shadows of the dilapidated buildings across the grounds. Walking among the group toward the main school building, Shimizu Yu looked at the sight before her. She could not shake the feeling that the dark windows and doors of those structures resembled pitch-black eye sockets and gaping mouths...
"It really is desolate!" Suzuki Sawami marveled, looking around. "I didn't think much of it when I watched other people livestreaming online, but experiencing it in person is completely different!"
Ikegami Shinichi, who was leading the way, glanced back with a bright smile. "Of course it is! Just like playing a video game, watching someone else play and actually doing it yourself are two totally different feelings!"
Walking with her hands behind her back next to Kurushima Misugi, the round-faced Yukawa Miri giggled. "For girls like us who don't really like video games, it doesn't make much of a difference anyway~"
Ikegami Shinichi let out a hearty laugh, brushing it off. "As long as you get the point!"
Chatting and laughing, the group stepped into the school building. Unlike the relatively fresh air in the courtyard, the atmosphere inside felt damp and stale, carrying the unmistakable scent of an abandoned property.
Their voices echoed off the walls. While the empty, dead silence was somewhat unsettling, having companions by their side meant there was nothing to truly be afraid of.
"By the way, where are we going first? Should we head to the music room to find the piano that grants wishes, or go to Class 2-B to try out that blackboard?"
Sakurajima Yui's voice echoed through the corridor. The handsome Fumino Haruki pushed up his glasses. "The whole reason we came here together is because we all saw that video online, right? A person with no drawing skills touched the blackboard with a piece of moldy chalk and supposedly automatically drew a portrait of the person they were thinking about. Even though there is a high probability—or rather, absolute certainty—that it was staged for entertainment, it still makes you curious, doesn't it?"
Ikegami Shinichi turned around and spread his hands with a smile. "Exactly, let's go check out that magical blackboard first. If it really does have that kind of miraculous effect, I wouldn't mind having a chat with my late grandfather~"
Although he said it in a joking tone, no one laughed.
After all, the topic of deceased relatives was always a heavy one.
Realizing he had killed the mood, Ikegami Shinichi quickly changed the subject. "Oh, right! Speaking of which, aside from us Outdoor Adventure Club members, Shimizu-san and the rest of you are all from Class A!"
"Class A is really famous. Not just within the school, but even students from other schools know that Segawa Private's First-Year Class A has an unusual amount of beautiful girls!"
"Especially you, Shimizu-san. After the kendo tournament during summer vacation, several of my friends from other schools asked if I knew you, hoping to get your contact info through me!"
He paused for a moment before striking his palm with his fist, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right! Even though we've met, we don't have each other's contact information. How about we all add each other on LINE first?"
By 'each other,' he naturally meant the members of the Outdoor Adventure Club and the girls from Class A.
"I think that's a great idea." The Outdoor Adventure Club captain, Yukawa Miri, was the first to respond, pulling out her phone and smiling at the Class A girls.
Suzuki Sawami, Oguri Aino, and Sakurajima Yui readily agreed as well. Seeing the situation, Ito Saki and Shimizu Yu hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance, and then took out their own phones.
When Ikegami Shinichi came over to add Shimizu Yu, he casually asked her about Hoshino Gen. After all, when it came to fame in Class A at Segawa Private Academy, even the internet sensation Shimizu Yu, known as the 'strongest and most beautiful girl kendo fighter,' could not compare to Hoshino Gen, the guy who had allegedly 'killed someone.'
And compared to Shimizu Yu, whose tournament videos were all over the internet, Hoshino Gen, who seemed shrouded in mystery, was obviously much more intriguing—
"I heard that you're quite close with Hoshino from your class, Shimizu-san. Rumor has it that he doesn't join any clubs, ignores everyone who tries to talk to him at school, and skips classes all the time. He feels really mysterious. What kind of person is he, anyway?"
"..."
......
"What kind of person?"
"Yeah, that childhood friend of yours that you're always talking about." Outside the gates of the abandoned school, a blue and pink Bugatti was parked.
Two figures, who added a great deal of color to the entire scene, stepped out of the vehicle. Carol waved her hand, storing the car back into her [Inventory], while casually asking Shirayanagi Ayaha the question.
"Why ask this all of a sudden?" Shirayanagi Ayaha asked, a bit puzzled. "Aren't you uninterested? Aside from when we first met, every time I brought him up later, you'd get so annoyed you'd cover your ears..."
Carol strode through the gate entrance of the abandoned school, which had long lost its doors, and shrugged. "I have no choice. No matter how uninterested I am, and no matter how much I don't want to hear about him, haven't you already reunited with your precious little childhood friend?"
"So, even if I don't want to, I have to figure out what kind of person he is." Carol grinned playfully at Shirayanagi Ayaha. "If he turns out to be a piece of trash, I'll quietly get rid of him, even if it makes you cry~"
"..." Shirayanagi Ayaha froze for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Didn't you say it's highly likely he's a Transcendent too? I've confirmed it—he definitely is. Since you're both Transcendents, what makes you so sure you can beat him?"
"Hahaha!" Carol burst into laughter as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. "My dear Ayaha-chan, in the world of the Mystic Side, the gap in power between Transcendents is even greater than the difference between an ant and a dragon~"