023 Angry Matsushima

On the third floor of the west teaching building, in the classroom of Class 3C.

The test of courage team of seven stayed here.

"Let's split up and go to that girls' bathroom."

The only couple in the team, Kawano and Nagasaki, suggested this.

The so-called test of courage conventionally involved pairing up a male and a female student.

Kawano and Nagasaki were naturally a pair, which went without saying.

Among the team, there was another pair of male and female students who had been talking closely and acting affectionately since they entered the school gates. Those two were probably assumed to be acting together as well.

The remaining were the unremarkable Ishino Sayuri and a girl with the last name Matsushima.

And there was one boy left, a buzz-cut named Nagatomo Masao. This guy had a square, straight face and, while he wasn't as handsome as the other two boys, he exuded a strong masculine aura.

"Looks like I'm going to have to team up with this guy," Matsushima thought, feeling somewhat irritated.

Like Kawano Sae, Matsushima was also a pretty girl.

She was skilled in makeup and styling, and had even curled her hair beautifully that evening to enhance her charm. In addition, Matsushima had long legs, a slim waist, and was more developed in the chest than her peers.

A girl with such physical advantages wouldn't look twice at an average-looking buzz-cut like Nagatomo Masao.

"Reimi moved too fast, snatching away the other handsome guy right under my nose, darn it," Matsushima grumbled inwardly, rolling her eyes discreetly before reluctantly taking a step towards Nagatomo Masao.

This step essentially served as a hint.

If it had to be a buzz-cut, then so be it.

After all, pairing up for a test of courage did not establish a relationship.

If she could turn this buzz-cut into one of her backups tonight, it wouldn't be unacceptable.

"Looks like everyone has found their partners, so which pair should go first? How about Matsushima and Nagatomo?"

Seeing that her two close friends had found male companions, Kawano Sae made this suggestion. As for whether Ishino Sayuri would have someone accompany her in the test of courage, she didn't care much.

Moreover, given the lineup for the evening, that girl was clearly on her own.

"No, I'll go later. Why don't you go first, Sayuri? It's still safe in the girls' bathroom before midnight arrives," Matsushima said, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting down on a desk.

The undesired male companion dampened her enthusiasm for the night's activities.

"I... I mean..." Sayuri stammered.

She knew all too well that she wouldn't have a male companion tonight. But going to that bathroom alone was just too terrifying.

She was reluctant but found herself absolutely unable to voice a refusal.

Ishino Sayuri simply could not say no.

Already an outsider, she had strived so hard to fit in, to be recognized, to become popular. Refusing others might make her disliked, wouldn't it?

"Then I'll go," Sayuri's voice was as faint as a mosquito's.

Kawano, Matsushima, and the other attractive high school girls took her reply in stride, as if it were completely expected.

She turned around and walked alone towards the classroom door.

The corridor outside was pitch black, eerily silent.

Just as she was gingerly stepping outside, someone in the classroom called out to her:

"Ishino, wait a second. For a test of courage, you're supposed to go in pairs, right? So, I'll go with you,"

It was that buzz-cut named Nagatomo Masao.

"Ah? Can I, really?"

"Of course, you can," the buzz-cut shrugged and then stepped out of the classroom with a cheerful smile.

Although everyone present thought so, Nagatomo Masao himself had never indicated that he wanted to pair up with the beautiful Matsushima for tonight's test of courage.

Ishino Sayuri was stunned for a moment and then caught up with small, grateful steps.

Watching the two disappear from sight, in the classroom, Kawano, Matsushima, and another beautiful high school girl looked at each other in dismay.

Especially Matsushima, who was sitting on the desk, was so angry she almost gritted her back teeth audibly.

It was true that she did not think highly of Nagatomo with his short, plain haircut.

But how dare he?

How dare he ignore the olive branch she had thrown out, forsake the chance to hold hands or even embrace a beautiful girl like her, and turn to seek out that bumpkin Ishino Sayuri?

Damn it, truly infuriating.

...

The lights in the hallway were not on, making it pitch dark.

The path that didn't seem too long during the day felt endless at night.

"Ishino, about this..." the boy with the plain haircut initiated the conversation and lightly tapped his ear as he spoke.

"It's a hearing aid." Sayuri subconsciously covered her hearing aid with her hand, as if embarrassed to be wearing it.

"I know, my mom has a pair too. Without them, she can't hear very clearly," Nagatomo Masao explained, "It's quite normal, isn't it? Just like glasses. My mom says, glasses are for correcting vision, while hearing aids are for correcting hearing."

"Ah... um."

Wearing a hearing aid, is that normal?

It was the first time Sayuri had heard someone say that.

"By the way, Ishino, I remember that in your first year, you were in the literature club, right?" Nagatomo Masao asked.

"Yes." Sayuri nodded lightly, "How do you know that, Nagatomo?"

"I've seen your signed poems in the school paper, they were really good."

"But I quit the club." Sayuri's expression was slightly vacant, sounding as if the other party had taken notice of her before, "Kawano and the others said, girls in the literature club who read and write poetry are dull and wouldn't be popular."

"Come on, writing poetry is super cool, okay? Don't worry too much about what people say."

Chatting like this, they quickly arrived at the girls' bathroom, which was the subject of much discussion in school.

Unlike the hallway, the light in front of the bathroom was controlled by sound.

With the approach of footsteps, it turned on automatically.

The incandescent light was slightly dim, and perhaps because of a loose electrical connection, it flickered on and off.

This kind of light, neither fully bright nor stable, not only failed to dispel the oppressive feeling brought by the darkness, but also deepened a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

Drip, drip.

Perhaps a faucet in the bathroom hadn't been turned off tightly; standing outside, one could hear the faint, rhythmic sound of dripping water.

"Okay, we're going in now. Hey, I've never been inside a girls' bathroom before." The boy with the short haircut might have been nervous too, trying to make a joke to lighten the mood, "Ishino, are you scared?"

"Yes."

"Then..." The boy with the short hair turned his face slightly and reached out his hand.

Holding hands.

This was a standard part of the test of courage.

Ishino Sayuri hesitated for a moment, then took the hand he had extended.

Her heart was beating fast, she couldn't tell if it was fear or something else, but she felt that the square, straightforward face of the boy with the plain haircut, Nagatomo, gave a strong sense of security.

"Alright, let's go in then." The two pushed open the door to the girls' bathroom and walked in.

The main event of tonight's test of courage had finally begun.