Chapter 179

The countryside nights are especially tranquil, particularly in the woods where the trees are bathed in silvery light under the moonlight, with only the chirping of insects echoing through the air.

　　That’s how it should have been, but now a blonde girl has appeared in the quiet forest, and the girl’s mood is clearly not good.

　　”Honestly, they’re all like this. Are they deliberately trying to annoy me?” Under a big tree, the blonde girl muttered to herself as she gently kicked the tree trunk with her small feet, which were clad in silver-white canvas shoes.

　　”Ahem.” Suddenly, a deliberately made sound came from behind.

　　”Who!?” The blonde girl immediately turned around. A rustling sound came from the bushes, and a figure gradually approached. The blonde girl clenched her small fist with one hand and quietly reached for her phone with the other.

　　”Who angered Queen Miura? Tell me, and I’ll stand up for her. It’s not good to take your anger out on these innocent trees.” With that, I stepped out from behind the bushes.

　　”I just gave it a very light kick, and don’t call me Queen Miura.” Upon realizing it was me, Miura Yumiko’s tense emotions eased, and her clenched fists and the hand reaching for the phone relaxed.

　　”It seems Yumiko prefers me to call you that so affectionately.” I said as I approached Yumiko Miura, sizing up the blonde beauty.

　　She wore a sky-blue short-sleeved shirt with white speckles on it, had long golden hair, emerald green eyes, thin cherry lips, and her sideburns had slightly spiraled ends.

　　The collar and hem of her shirt had snow-white patterns, adding a touch of cuteness to the blonde girl. She wore a black knee-length skirt, revealing her slender, snow-white calves, and silver-white canvas shoes.

　　”Stop flattering yourself. I told you to call me Miura, but you wouldn’t listen.” Miura Yumiko pouted, crossed her arms, and looked at me disdainfully, as if to say, “Don’t you know how thick-skinned you are?”

　　”It’s too formal to call your own sister-in-law by her surname.” As I spoke, I had already come to Yumiko Miura’s side. To my statement, Yumiko Miura just snorted lightly, neither refuting nor agreeing.

　　”By the way, Yumiko, you still haven’t told me who made you angry. Let me see who’s bullying my sister-in-law.”

　　”Who else could it be but you? And you’re talking about my brother-in-law? Don’t think I didn’t see you two being all lovey-dovey while you were dancing with Hiratsuka-sensei. The other two disappeared afterward. It’s Yukino and Hiratsuka-sensei, there are two of them among my acquaintances alone.” I should have just kept quiet, because as soon as I brought it up, Miura Yumiko immediately gave me a rather sharp look.

　　“That guy named Hayama made you angry at noon, Yumiko. After all, your face turned a bit cold then.” I wasn’t surprised to see Yumiko Miura’s intimate behavior with Shizuka Hiratsuka at the bonfire party. After all, Yumiko Miura was one of the few girls I hadn’t interfered with.

　　”Huh? That guy is really annoying. I wanted to refute that vague and unfounded rumor first, but he beat me to it and immediately said that he has someone he likes, making me feel like I’m inferior to others.”

　　“But… compared to you, that guy named Hayama is far inferior.” Miura Yumiko raised her eyebrows. There were quite a few people chatting with her at the time, and I didn’t expect to have noticed the change in her expression. But I still had to say what I had to say. Compared to someone as insignificant as Hayama, my matter was obviously much more infuriating.

　　”Really? It seems that kid Ye Shan really needs to be taught a lesson.” I stroked my chin and said seriously.

　　”Huh? Are you even listening to me?” Miura Yumiko didn’t object to me teaching Hayama Hayato a lesson, but it seemed like he was selectively ignoring the main point she was making.

　　”Yes, Yumiko, you said you care about me more than others.” I nodded with a smile. Whether Yumiko was genuinely angry about me being with other women or from her own perspective, it wasn’t a bad thing in my opinion.

　　”I…I didn’t mean that!” Miura Yumiko was speechless for a moment. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that she hadn’t made herself clear at the end. Just now, she seemed to be afraid of being misunderstood as having feelings for Hayama Hayato, so she added that sentence without thinking. No, why should she be afraid of being misunderstood by this guy?

　　”I understand, I understand.” I continued to smile and nod to show that I understood. Miura Yumiko stared at me speechlessly. You understand what?

　　”Actually, when I heard at noon that Hayama Hayato and Yumiko had nothing to do with each other, and then Yumiko’s performance just now, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.” Suddenly, I changed the subject and returned to the topic we were just discussing.

　　”Huh? Shouldn’t you have known this already?” Miura Yumiko looked at me with disbelief. It was just a rumor from the school. Having had quite a few interactions with her, there was no way I hadn’t noticed it.

　　“Indeed, but hearing someone deny it in person feels different.” I bent down and got close to Miura Yumiko, and I could clearly see her emerald green eyes, long eyelashes, fair and delicate skin, and moist cherry lips.

　　”What do you mean?” Miura Yumiko subconsciously took a step back, but felt that doing so would make her lose face in front of me, so she moved her slender legs, but in the end she did not take another step back.

　　”Isn’t my meaning obvious?” After I got to know Miura Yumiko a little better, I didn’t really hide my desire to have both of them as sisters, so I said this almost explicitly while smelling the blonde girl’s fragrance.

　　”Dream on, and besides, you’re too close.” Miura Yumiko’s delicate hand opened and pressed against my face, pushing my face slightly away to create some distance.

　　Miura Yumiko’s slender fingers spread open, and her soft palms pressed against my mouth and nose. The girl’s fragrance and the tenderness of her skin gave me an urge to stick out my tongue and lick them.

　　Just as I was considering whether or not to take action, Miura Yumiko had already withdrawn her hand. Her breath tickled my palm, and the action was a bit too intimate, so Miura Yumiko quickly withdrew her hand.

　　”What a pity.” I raised my upper body again with a regretful look. What would Yumiko’s reaction be if I licked her? I guess she would probably slap me right away.

　　”What’s a pity? It was never going to happen anyway.” Miura Yumiko clearly didn’t expect what I was about to do, thinking I was talking about making her my girlfriend like her sister.

　　”What I meant was that it was a shame I didn’t lick your hand earlier, Yumiko.” I glanced at Yumiko’s soft, white hand that had been lowered, and blurted out what was on my mind.

　　”Pervert!” The perverted Miura Yumiko’s emerald green eyes widened instantly. She covered my face with one hand and then covered it with the other, as if afraid that I would do something to her. Then she turned around and started walking with her slender legs.

　　”Yumiko, where are you going? It’s dangerous to be alone in the woods at night.” I followed Yumiko Miura, but deliberately stayed two or three steps behind her.

　　”I’ve realized it’s too dangerous for me to be alone with you. I need to go back now, and my next event is about to start.” Miura Yumiko had only planned to go out for a short walk by herself, but I unexpectedly ran into her. She’s been out for quite a while now, so it’s time to go back.

　　”Are you still angry, Yumiko?” My gaze was focused on Yumiko’s smooth, slender legs, which seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight.

　　”I’m even angrier than before.” Miura Yumiko continued walking forward without turning her head, but still answered my question.

　　”Wait…” Miura Yumiko suddenly stopped, as if she had thought of something.

　　”What’s wrong?”

　　”You can’t go out with me, or people will misunderstand.” Miura Yumiko turned around and realized that I was right behind her. When she turned around, her breasts almost touched my body, which made the girl take a step back before continuing to speak.

　　”It seems so, but I don’t mind at all. On the contrary, I’d say I’m quite happy to.” A man and a woman emerging from the woods together inevitably makes one wonder what’s going on.

　　”You don’t mind, but I do.” Miura Yumiko thought of a good excuse, but none of them seemed quite right. If she told the truth that she and I had only met “by chance” and then came back together, probably no one would believe her.

　　”Alright, unless you agree to one condition, Yumiko.” Of course, Yumiko Miura had no idea that I had come to see her on purpose; it was neither by chance nor by coincidence.

　　”Go ahead and say it, but don’t go too far. If you go too far, I’ll just not go back.” Miura Yumiko hadn’t expected to be able to threaten me, so she had no choice but to say this.

　　”Wouldn’t this just lead to more misunderstandings? And if I’m alone here with you all night, I’m not sure I can resist making a move on you, Yumiko.” I made a gesture of looking Yumiko up and down, appreciating her charm from head to toe.

　　”You dare…” Miura Yumiko looked wary, but from my careful observation, the girl didn’t seem prepared to turn and run away at any moment. I didn’t know if she thought she couldn’t outrun me, or if she didn’t really believe I would do that.

　　”If you, Yumiko, are willing to stay with me, then of course I…”

　　“Tell me your conditions first, then we’ll talk about other things,” Miura Yumiko decisively interrupted me.

　　”It’s simple, Yumiko, just calm down, okay?” It’s just a matter of going back at different times, I don’t need to make any unreasonable demands.

　　”It’s that simple?” Miura Yumiko was somewhat surprised; my conditions were much simpler than she had imagined.

　　”Hmm, it’s that simple. Do you want me to make any unreasonable demands, Yumiko?”

　　”No, I agree to your condition. I’ll go now, you can leave later.” Miura Yumiko quickly agreed.

　　”Okay, see you later.”

　　”…See you later.” After saying that, Miura Yumiko turned and left. I watched the girl’s back until she disappeared from sight before I prepared to take action.

　　Of course, I wouldn’t just wander around here waiting for time to pass. Since the test of courage is coming up, I’ll make it a little more difficult.

　　So I added some trigger-based illusions to the pre-planned route of the courage test, which I believe will bring a lot of “surprises” to the elementary school students.

　　After setting up several illusions, I returned to the assembly area from another direction and went to the back shed of the hotel, where preparations for the test of courage were already underway. Hiratsuka Shizuka and Miura Yumiko had both returned to the preparation team.

　　When I returned, they were assigning tasks. Because of my lateness, Hiratsuka Shizuka assigned me the physical work, which was moving props, and then I was to help with the patrol. This physical work was very easy for me, and the patrol time was basically free time for me, so I agreed without any objection.

　　The remaining students from Soubu High School were responsible for the ghost costumes. The boys’ group was responsible for the more complicated ghost costumes, while the girls’ group was responsible for the simpler ones. The task of patrolling was handled by the elementary school teachers. After the tasks were assigned, each group began to move out.

　　I put the props on the cart and pulled it to the designated location. The rest was left to the students. Because of time and limited props, most of the ghost costumes weren’t very good, far inferior to those in the haunted house. Fortunately, I had my illusion magic, so I believed I wouldn’t disappoint the elementary school students.

　　The boys’ costumes weren’t very attractive, so my attention was mostly on the girls’ group. However, since they didn’t have good makeup tools, the girls mostly covered their pretty faces and bodies with cloth or something similar. As for the boys, they didn’t need to cover their faces, but they just had to smear mud and white ash on them, making them look miserable and somewhat ghostly.

　　Once all the students had finished their ghost costumes, they went to the designated area in twos and threes. The boys were divided into groups of three, and the girls were divided into three groups. I was then free to do my own thing, which meant I went to patrol.

　　I first went to the elementary school students’ meeting point to check on the group assignments. Sure enough, Tsurumi Rumi was in the same group as those girls again. I guess they were the ones who were isolating Tsurumi Rumi. Should I say they’re too stupid or too ignorant? I’ll give them a little something to talk about later.

　　With that thought in mind, I returned to the area where the girls were, ready to see how cute they would act when they scared me. But I noticed that Iroha Isshiki, who was originally paired with Yukino Yukinoshita, was now some distance away from her. Could they have had a fight? Driven by curiosity, I decided to go and ask.

　　”Iroha…” I quietly approached Isshiki Iroha, who was relatively close by. The girl was currently lying in ambush in the grass, waiting for the first group of elementary school students to arrive.

　　”Oh… Uncle, you scared me.” Iroha Isshiki’s petite body trembled under the long white cloth, clearly startled by my sudden voice as I approached her.

　　”Sorry, Isshiki, I came quietly so as not to disturb the others.” I subconsciously lightened my footsteps, but I didn’t expect to startle Isshiki Iroha.

　　”Really, uncle, I haven’t even scared anyone yet, but you’ve scared me first.” Without even lifting the long white cloth, I could guess that Iroha’s crystal-clear pink lips were pouting.

　　”How about I sleep with you again tonight to express my apology?” If the test of courage wasn’t about to start, I really wanted to lift the white sheet and chat with Isshiki again. It would be such a pity not to be able to appreciate the girl’s beautiful face and expression. So I used my ability to see through the white sheet a little.

　　As I expected, beneath the white sheet, the colorful feather was pouting its pink lips, making one want to kiss it. Its brown eyes shone brightly, as alluring as jewels.

　　”What kind of apology is this? You’re clearly taking advantage of me, Uncle.” Iroha’s face flushed slightly as she recalled that she had actually slept in the same bed with me yesterday, thankfully the long cloth covered her face.

　　”What do you think we should do?” However, Iroha Isshiki didn’t know that I could see her slightly flushed face under the white sheet. Seeing Iroha Isshiki’s reaction, I couldn’t help but laugh and say.

　　”Hmm…” Isshiki Iroha rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. She was only startled and hadn’t expected me to apologize or anything. But since I brought it up, this was an opportunity, and being sensible, she decided to make a small request.

　　”Then later, could you buy me a bottle of coffee milk, um, after I take a shower?” Iroha thought for a moment and made a simple request that would allow her to ask me out during her free time in the evening.

　　”Sure, you can text me or come knock on my door later.” After taking a shower, I felt that saying this would easily lead to all sorts of speculations, and I didn’t know if Isshiki was doing it intentionally or unintentionally.

　　”It’s settled then.” It wouldn’t be good for a girl to knock on a man’s door late at night and get seen, so Iroha decided she could just send me a text message later.

　　”I almost forgot, Isshiki, why are you here alone? Aren’t you teamed up with Yukino?” Chatting with Isshiki Iroha almost made me forget the purpose of my visit.

　　”Well, Yukino-senpai said that the others would probably come together, so we could try splitting up and having each person appear once at a short distance to create a series of scares. Maybe that would be more effective. I thought it made a lot of sense, so I agreed,” Isshiki explained to me why she was alone there.

　　”I see.” Since it wasn’t because of an argument or anything like that, I was relieved. I chatted with Isshiki Iroha until the test of courage officially began, and only left when I heard the exclamations of the elementary school students ahead, to continue my free patrol mission.

　　Before arriving at Rumi Tsurumi’s group, I mainly watched the girls’ ghost-dressing performances. The boys’ costumes were more frightening, so they were shown last, while the girls’ costumes were shown a few earlier.

　　The first segment featured a combination of Yui Yuigahama and Yumiko Miura. Perhaps due to initial nervousness, Yui Yuigahama acted somewhat recklessly. Fortunately, Yumiko Miura was there to keep an eye on her, and she managed to avoid any major mistakes. She improved considerably after getting used to playing the ghost characters.

　　The second group consisted of Hina Ebina and another female student from Soubu High School. Their performance was fairly average. The third group consisted of Yukino Yukinoshita and Iroha Isshiki. I don’t know if Yukino’s tactics worked, but the elementary school students reacted with greater shock than the first two groups.

　　However, I personally lean towards another reason, which is Yukino Yukinoshita’s consistent icy temperament, coupled with her silent and cold gaze, which can be said to be very effective in a certain way.

　　As for the illusion I added, it was mainly in the second half of the race. Judging from the screams of the elementary school students, the effect was quite good. After enjoying the girls’ performance for a while, it was soon the turn of Tsurumi Rumi’s group. At this time, I went to the vicinity of the starting point.

　　”Muxiang, do you think this test of courage is scary? I think I heard a mournful cry.” At the starting point of the test of courage, several girls were preparing to set off. One of the girls said to the girl who seemed to be the leader.

　　”Minggui, you’re such a coward. I already said it’s a test of courage. The ghosts are definitely people in costume. Only timid kids would be afraid, like that girl standing on the side.” The little girl called Muxiang looked disdainful and gave a provocative glance to the delicate girl standing outside the group of little girls.

　　The little girl who was standing apart from the group was none other than Tsurumi Rumi. She seemed not to hear Mokuka’s sarcasm and was looking around at her surroundings.

　　”Tch, let’s go. We might see someone scared half to death later.” Seeing Tsurumi Rumi’s indifferent attitude, Mokuka could only tell her friends to leave first, and then laugh at Tsurumi Rumi properly when she was scared later.

　　”Foolish.” Tsurumi Rumi coldly uttered two words as she watched the girls’ backs. Verbal attacks were of little use to her. In Tsurumi Rumi’s eyes, these girls were no different from ridiculous idiots. As for resorting to violence, she was no cowardly girl. She would not hesitate to use the self-defense tools in her bag.

　　”Over here… Rumi.” Just as Rumi Tsurumi was about to set off, a soft call came from the bushes to her side.

　　The name and slightly familiar voice made Tsurumi Rumi quickly identify who was calling her, so she stopped her small steps, turned around and looked in the direction the voice came from, and sure enough, she was right.

　　I waved to Rumi Tsurumi, and the black-haired girl, seeing that the other students weren’t paying attention to us, walked straight towards me.

　　”Is there something you need?” Tsurumi Rumi stopped in front of me, her furtive movements making her feel like I was up to something bad.

　　”Little Rumi, I’ll teach them a lesson for you later.” The delicate black-haired girl seemed unaffected, so those words didn’t seem to have much of an impact on her, which put my mind at ease.

　　”You went too far; that will cause a lot of trouble.” Tsurumi Rumi didn’t care what would happen to those girls. She was happy for them to be taught a lesson, but she was worried that I might not have been careful enough with my actions.

　　”Is Rumi concerned about me?” Upon hearing my words, Rumi Tsurumi just rolled her eyes at me and didn’t say anything.

　　”Don’t worry, the lesson I’m talking about isn’t about violence, but I believe it will still leave a deep enough impact on them.” To prevent those girls from running back to check on the situation, I said goodbye to Tsurumi Rumi and sent her back.

　　”Isn’t this Tsurumi-kun? I thought you were too scared to keep up.” When Mokuka saw Tsurumi Rumi catch up, she stopped chatting and laughing with her friends. She was just about to go back to see why Tsurumi Rumi hadn’t followed. It was good that she had, so she wouldn’t have to walk back. She was looking forward to seeing a good show.

　　As always, Rumi Tsurumi ignored Mokuka’s advances. However, when her gaze inadvertently swept over the girls, she revealed a thoughtful expression, wondering what I meant by non-violent methods. Surely it wasn’t about personally playing a ghost to scare them.

　　Tsurumi Rumi’s idea was actually half right. Although I didn’t personally dress up as a ghost to scare them, my illusion magic was enough to bring them many “surprises”.

　　After passing the first two points, especially the second ambush area where Yukino Yukinoshita was located, Mokuka and her friends were somewhat frightened. However, seeing that Rumi Tsurumi on the side was not frightened, Mokuka had no choice but to take the lead and pretend to be nonchalant.

　　If I hadn’t set up the illusions later, the only thing left to scare them a little would be the last ghost played by the boys. It’s hard to say whether it would even break their facade. Luckily, I was prepared.

　　”What? It’s really nothing serious.” After passing the third checkpoint, the wooden box was found to be less terrifying than the previous one, and the wooden box calmed down a bit. Then, it gave Tsurumi Rumi a provocative look.

　　Meanwhile, Tsurumi Rumi was trying to figure out who had impersonated the ghosts she had just seen, but unfortunately, she didn’t know much about the group from Soubu High School and couldn’t figure it out from the limited information available to her.

　　”Tch…” Feeling awkward, Mokuka continued leading the girls forward. She was worried that the ghosts behind them might be even scarier. If they were too scary, she was afraid she would be frightened first. But if they weren’t scary enough, Tsurumi Rumi wouldn’t be scared.

　　”Muxiang, do you feel like it’s getting a little cold around here?” The little girl named Minggui suddenly tugged at Muxiang’s arm. After the third point, she noticed that the atmosphere around them seemed to have changed.

　　“Yes.” The other three girls chimed in, and Mu Xiang did indeed feel a cool breeze.

　　”It gets colder as the night goes on in the mountains, that’s normal, don’t make a fuss. Okay, Minggui, let go, you’re holding on a bit too tightly.” After saying that, Muxiang shook her left hand that was being held. Minggui, really, did you have to be so scared? Your hand is freezing cold.

　　”Ah, I just tugged at you, Muxiang, and let go a long time ago.” Minggui looked confused, her hands were empty and she hadn’t grabbed anything.

　　”What are you talking about? This isn’t your hand, whose is it…” Mu Xiang raised her hand and turned around to see how Ming Gui would explain, but when she saw the hand gripping her arm, she froze. The other girls who looked over also looked dazed.

　　It turned out that what Mu Xiang was holding on her arm was a severed hand, and a rotting one at that. Immediately, a series of screams rang out. Then, Tsurumi Rumi, who was two meters away from the girls, saw them suddenly turn around and run towards them. But after running a few steps, they started slapping the air in front of them, as if something was blocking their way.

　　What’s going on? Are they conspiring to deceive her? But seeing them with tears and snot streaming down their faces doesn’t seem like it; it’s as if something is really chasing them.

　　Soon, the girls who found themselves unable to move tried to run to the left or right, but it was as if there were invisible walls that trapped them in one area. Suddenly, one of the girls seemed to be grabbed by the ankle and fell to the ground, her face showing even more fear.

　　The little girl was Mu Xiang. She asked several other girls for help, but none of them dared to come forward to save her. As her fear grew, a puddle of liquid appeared on the ground where she was sitting.

　　The other girls also ended up wetting their pants from fright. Their terrified screams rose and fell until they were exhausted and the surroundings quieted down again.

　　Rumi Tsurumi had originally planned to go over and check on the situation, but she changed her mind after seeing that Mokuka had wet her pants, not to mention that now it had turned from one puddle of urine into several puddles.

　　Just then, Tsurumi Rumi heard footsteps behind her. She immediately put her hands into her small bag, looking somewhat nervous. Seeing the situation of Mokuka and the others, she couldn’t help but feel this way. The reason she didn’t run away was because this situation was likely caused by someone.

　　”Oh, it really is you, Uncle.” After quickly turning around and confirming who it was, Tsurumi Rumi took her hand out of her small bag.

　　”It wasn’t me, Rumi. Do you want to experience what they went through?” I knew the situation of those girls all too well, so when I said that, I subconsciously looked at Rumi’s shapely legs covered by capri pants.

　　”What are you looking at, you perverted old man!?” My gaze naturally didn’t escape my notice. Tsurumi Rumi put her small bag in front of her to block the view, while glaring at me unfriendly.

　　“It was subconscious, subconscious. After all, you know the situation of those girls.” I pointed to the girls not far away. The illusion had stopped, and they were all so frightened that they collapsed to the ground. They probably wouldn’t be able to get up for a while without help.

　　”Hmph… Let me make this clear first, I have no interest in experiencing what they went through.” Although I didn’t know their true situation, I could tell from their appearance that what they had gone through must have been terrible.

　　”Rumi, are you scared?” Even if Rumi wants to experience it, I will only adjust the illusion to the simple level of horror that the elementary school students experienced before, but I will not add anything like Mokuka and the others.

　　”I don’t deny that, but there’s another thing: I’m afraid you might take advantage of this and do something to me.” Tsurumi Rumi didn’t want to be brave and test her courage; what if she really did what they did?

　　”Alright, Rumi, do you still want to continue? The test of courage.” What can I do? At most, I can hug Rumi when she’s scared. If it’s the illusion that was originally set up, I doubt it will scare Rumi much.

　　“There’s not much further to go, I plan to finish… What should we do?” Tsurumi paused, then looked at the few little girls who had collapsed on the ground.

　　”Let me call a female teacher from your school to handle this. It’s not convenient for a man to handle this situation.” I took out my phone, found Koda Mimi’s number, called, explained the situation, and assured her she would arrive soon.

　　”All done. The test of courage competition will be suspended for a while. It won’t start until these girls are dealt with. By the way, Xiaoliu Mei, do you want to take a picture now? We can use it as leverage later.” The girls’ current state is definitely a black history, top-notch threatening material.

　　”Forget it, I don’t want to store such ugly photos.” Tsurumi Rumi thought for a moment, then shook her head and rejected my suggestion.

　　”I see. Well then, Rumi, why don’t you wait here with me for a bit? After we start again, I’ll walk through the rest of the courage test with you.” It was a reason that perfectly suited Rumi’s personality. I’m really growing to like this black-haired little girl more and more.

　　”Hmm.” This time, Tsurumi Rumi did not refuse my suggestion. Soon, Koda Mimi arrived at the scene with another female teacher. When they saw the situation of the girls, they were all stunned.

　　They thought I was exaggerating, but the situation was actually worse than they imagined. How could they be so scared? Although the test of courage was surprisingly successful, and some students were quite frightened, none of them were nearly as badly frightened as these students.

　　Koda Mimi even began to suspect that I had done something bad to these girls, but Tsurumi Rumi next to her didn’t seem to be acting strangely at all, and these girls kept muttering about ghosts and monsters, so they were probably just really scared.

　　After that, I, as a man, couldn’t see what happened. It seemed that Koda Mimi took some clothes from some students’ tents. While she was changing, I turned my back and walked into the bushes.

　　While I was changing clothes, Hiratsuka Shizuka came over to help. She seemed to have guessed that the situation was related to me, so she gave me a meaningful look at my back, but didn’t say anything. She believed that I wouldn’t do this without a reason, and that she would ask me about it later.

　　After changing their clothes, Hiratsuka Shizuka and the other two female teachers took the female students back, and the test of courage competition was able to continue. Koda Mimi had considered whether to stop it, but decided to continue after my persuasion.

　　After the female teachers left with several little girls, I accompanied Tsurumi Rumi to complete the rest of the test of courage. When we passed the point where illusions were set up, the black-haired little girl couldn’t help but move a few steps closer to me. The realistic effect, combined with the situation of Mokuka and the others, made her a little nervous and a little scared.

　　”How did you do that?” Tsurumi Rumi finally relaxed when she reached the finish line. She raised her delicate face and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind since the middle of the test of courage, when several girls were frightened.

　　In Tsurumi Rumi’s opinion, the reason why Moka and the others were so frightened, and the realistic and scary ghost scenes in the second half, were all the work of the same person. Normally, a hastily prepared test of courage would not have such a good effect. Just like the “ghosts” encountered in the first few places, as long as you pay attention, you can tell that they are people in disguise, unlike the later ones which look flawless and seem real.

　　Based on what I said to her at the start of the test of courage competition, Tsurumi Rumi inevitably associated me with the person who did these things.

　　”Sigh, I can’t hide it anymore, Rumi. Actually, I’m a psychic.” Explaining my abilities to Rumi Tsurumi is a bit difficult, so I chose a simpler, easier-to-understand profession. Anyway, to ordinary people, I’m someone who possesses incredible power.

　　”Huh?” Tsurumi Rumi stopped in her tracks, her cherry-colored lips slightly parted, giving me a look that said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

　　”I didn’t lie to you, Rumi. Hmm, let me prove it.” I hugged Rumi Tsurumi, who was so close to me. The little girl’s soft body pressed against me, and her small, budding breasts pressed against my crotch, almost making me get an erection.

　　”Uncle, what did you do all of a sudden…” Tsurumi Rumi, whom I was holding, was twisting her little body, about to question me, when I patted her little shoulder, and then she realized that the scenery around her had changed.

　　”This is… the place where I fished this morning?” Tsurumi Rumi blinked, making sure she wasn’t mistaken; what she was seeing was indeed the small river where she had fished this morning.

　　”See? I didn’t lie to you.” Her budding breasts had been rubbing against my crotch as she swayed, and I was afraid I really wouldn’t be able to control myself, so I loosened my grip on Tsurumi Rumi a little.

　　”The facts are right in front of me. I never thought there really were such extraordinary people and things in the world. But… even if you are a superpowered person, it’s not a reason for you to take advantage of me. Uncle, let go of me now.” Although I released Tsurumi Rumi slightly, my big hands were still holding the little girl’s soft body.

　　”We still need to go back later, walking back is too slow.” Actually, this level of teleportation doesn’t require physical contact, it’s not like it’s inter-world teleportation or anything, but I won’t say it out loud. How could I refuse a benefit?

　　”We’ll talk about it later. Who hugs someone like that all the time?” Tsurumi Rumi rolled her eyes at me, then gently patted my arm a few times with her soft little hands.

　　”Yeah, that’s true.” To avoid Tsurumi Rumi realizing that I just wanted to hug her and enjoy the perks, I agreed with her and let go of her arms. Anyway, I could hug her again later.

　　After I let go, Tsurumi Rumi came to the riverbank and put her fair little hand into the clear river water. The cool night water gave Tsurumi Rumi a real feeling.

　　”Where are the ‘ghosts’ at the test of courage?” Since there are superpowered individuals, it’s not surprising that ghosts exist as well.

　　”That was just a simple illusion I created. Although there are extraordinary people like me in this world, they are only a very small minority. The same goes for ghosts and monsters; many people may never encounter them in their entire lives.”

　　The mystical aspects of this world are already quite rare, and under my deliberate control, they are even rarer. Strange phenomena have become extremely rare, but not nonexistent.

　　”So meeting you, Uncle, is a very lucky and memorable thing for me, after all, you are a rare person in the world with magical powers.” Tsurumi Rumi withdrew her small hands, water droplets dripped from her hands, and her wet hands shimmered in the moonlight.

　　”You could say that, but I think making a new friend is more memorable than meeting someone with amazing abilities.” Tsurumi Rumi’s current demeanor has a bit of the feel of a beauty under the moon, well, she’s just a bit too young.

　　”Hmm, really?” Tsurumi Rumi gave an incredulous hum, then walked up to me. “Let’s go back. If we’re late, the teacher might think I’ve been kidnapped by you, old man.”

　　”Rumi, your sudden words have stirred my interest. What should I do?” I placed my hand on Rumi’s back and pulled her into my arms again. Rumi’s faint fragrance filled my heart and soul.

　　”Hurry up and go.” Tsurumi Rumi raised her hand and elbowed me.

　　”Ahem, let’s go then.” Because of the height difference, Tsurumi Rumi’s elbow almost hit my groin, but the gentle force felt more like a massage.

　　As soon as I finished speaking, I led Tsurumi Rumi back to the vicinity of the test of courage’s end. The test of courage’s route was a loop, and the end point returned to the assembly hall, so Tsurumi Rumi quickly returned to her class, while I rejoined the patrol until the test of courage ended.