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“Let’s keep going!” Akamatsu exclaimed, every word carrying her usual forceful positivity. “Just one or two more tries! We’re definitely going to get to the end of this tunnel as long as we don’t give up.” Himiko had only known her for a few hours, but she could already tell that Akamatsu probably acted that way all the time. She seemed like a natural optimist and, whether she admitted it or not, the type to take on leadership roles. It made sense for her to be clinging to the notion of escaping through this...Death Road of Despair, but in reality, the prospect looked bleak.
The entire tunnel was filled with different hazards and traps meant to stop them from making progress. In all their previous attempts, Himiko wasn’t sure they made it even halfway through the demented obstacle course. Everyone was covered in scrapes and bruises, morale visibly lowering by the minute. They were lucky there hadn’t been any more serious injuries. Still, Akamatsu was demanding that they go on.
With a chorus of groans and muttered complaints, the ragtag group trudged to the tunnel entrance once again. Himiko, already thoroughly worn out and resentful of being made to try something she was sure she wouldn’t succeed at, lingered near the back of the group. Maybe some of the more reckless people would clear out some dangers ahead of her.
She made her way through the first few obstacles somehow, clambering up and down platforms, dodging falling debris. It helped that she’d been through the early part of the tunnel a few times already. Muscle memory kicked in to take the edge off. However, it was still plenty difficult, and she could tell she wasn’t the only one who thought so. Every complaint and exclamation from the people ahead of her echoed off the tunnel walls, bringing everyone’s morale down further.
Lost in thought about how pointless and unfair it all was, yearning to be able to just curl up in bed and go to sleep, Himiko tripped. The slippery metal platform started to give way, just like others had before it. Unlike before, she wasn’t able to rebalance in time. It all happened so fast. One moment she was continuing forward, gaze darting between Shirogane in front of her and the uneven walkways below. The next, she was falling. All she could think of was how much it would hurt to drop to the rocky floor below.
Before she got a chance to find out, there were unfamiliar arms around her, pulling her back to safety.
How? She didn’t think there was anyone behind her, let alone someone with quick enough reflexes to catch her like that. Heart pounding from her near disaster, it took a second or two for her to return to awareness enough to recognize the owner of the arms holding her, peering up to see an impassive, masked face.
“Shinguuji,” she breathed, hoping she remembered their name correctly. Aside from exchanging brief introductions when everyone was wandering the school, she hadn’t really spoken to the anthropologist yet. “You saved me. I mean, wow, you actually saved me.” From her current vantage point, cradled against their chest in a bridal carry, the distance from the platform to the ground looked even more daunting. She easily could have broken a bone or worse.
“It was nothing, really. I just reacted instinctively,” they said. They didn’t even sound winded. Huh, she wouldn’t have taken them for the athletic type. Until they laughed, she didn’t realize she voiced that thought out loud.
“I wouldn’t call myself athletic either. I’d much rather sit in a library with a good book than go running around for no reason. I suppose one might say I’m good in a crisis though, yes?”
“Yeah, I guess you are,” Himiko agreed, still trying to get her racing heart to calm down. Somehow, it seemed the rest of the group either didn’t notice or didn’t care what had happened — they were still pushing ahead, the gap between them getting larger and larger.
“We might as well turn back and wait at the entrance. I see no point in further subjecting ourselves to this torture. It’s highly unlikely Akamatsu-san’s idea of escaping this way will bear fruit. Do you object?”
“Not at all, I’ve been sick of this for a while already. But, uh, are you going to put me down?”
She felt them startle slightly, as if the idea was only just occurring to them. She knew she was light, but could they really have forgotten they were holding her? Though it was obviously muffled through layers of clothing, she could feel the frantic thudding of their heart too.
“Do you want me to?”
“I mean...you don’t have to. I’m not gonna complain if you just feel like carrying me around.”
“It’s not much of a burden for me,” they said, laughing softly. They were clearly trying to act cool and unaffected, but she could still feel their racing heartbeat. “You’re very light.”
“Thanks, I guess.” She knew she was petite, and it was definitely better than them implying she was heavy, but she wasn’t entirely convinced. “But are you sure you’re okay? Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t exactly seem like the strong type, and I’m not sure I should be able to feel your heartbeat so easily.”
They froze for a moment before continuing towards the tunnel entrance, shaking their head.
“It’s nothing. Really. No need to worry about me.” They set her down once they were safely away from any hazardous obstacles. With a little more distance between them, she was able to see that they almost looked flustered. It was hard to tell for sure with their mask obscuring the majority of their face, but curiosity was already gnawing at her.
“Are you nervous?” she tried, a hesitant smile creeping onto her face. “It’d be understandable if you were after the day we’ve had.”
“If that’s what you wish to believe, I won’t argue with you. Far be it from me to contradict such a...charming girl.” Shinguuji lifted a hand to fidget with the pendant hanging from their neck, glancing back in the direction of the tunnel. Based on the distant sounds of echoing voices and footsteps, the rest of the group had reached their limit and been forced to turn back once again.
As the group bickered about whether to continue and who was at fault, Himiko tried to hang back, still preoccupied with the mystery of Shinguuji’s behavior. No one else even seemed to have noticed that the two of them turned back prematurely, something that didn’t make her particularly inclined to pay close attention to them in return. Learning more about her unexpected savior had to be a better use of her time and energy, right?
Ouma’s loud, dramatic crocodile tears were more than a little distracting though.
Eventually, the debate was interrupted by chimes coming from the nearby monitor. Onscreen, the Monokubs announced — in their own grating way — that it was 10:00 PM. Their first nighttime at the Ultimate Academy had arrived.
“We should probably just get a fresh start tomorrow,” said Amami, who seemed to be positioning himself as one of the unofficial leaders of the group. No one spoke up to argue against him, so with varying degrees of reluctance about the idea of spending the night in such a creepy place, everyone climbed back up to the surface. From there, some went straight to the dormitory building, while others lingered in the courtyard to talk.
“Shall I carry you to the dorms?” Shinguuji’s sultry voice murmured. Himiko barely suppressed a flinch. How did they sneak up behind her again?
“The others might have some questions about that. What about you? Are you still feeling nervous? I have some magic charms that could help you sleep if you want,” she offered, turning to face them. The cool night air did little to diminish the warmth she felt from having them so close.
“As curious as I am to bear witness to the skills of the Ultimate Magician, I think I’ll be alright. Thank you for the offer though.”
“Ultimate Mage,” she corrected with a roll of her eyes. “If you won’t be needing my magic, do you at least want to walk with me? This place is even spookier in the dark.”
“Certainly. All manner of malicious creatures can be lurking in the dark, perhaps even evil spirits. Do you believe in ghosts, Yumeno-san?” Tossing that out as casually as if they were discussing the weather, Shinguuji set off in the direction of the dorms at a brisk pace, forcing Himiko to break into a jog temporarily to catch up.
“On nights like this? I try not to.” She shuddered. They had enough problems without considering spirits taking revenge. Naturally, as someone with an interest in the supernatural, she wasn’t against the idea of ghosts. On the contrary, she’d find it interesting if they existed, just as long as they weren’t evil. All things mystical and magical should bring smiles to people’s faces, not fear. That was what she thought, anyway.
Shinguuji laughed breathily. “Am I frightening you? My apologies. Being in a well-lit area is sure to make you feel better.” After a moment, they added, “Not that lighting makes any difference to spirits, of course.”
When they parted ways in the lobby, Himiko was possibly even more confused about Shinguuji than she had been before.
She was just beginning to drift off to sleep when she heard a knock at her door. Himiko rolled over in bed, staring in that direction as if looking hard enough would tell her who or what was on the other side. In her nervousness about settling down in such an unfriendly environment, she’d left a small lamp on, so the room was already bathed in a soft glow when she got up and crept over to the door.
“Who is it?” she asked, doing her best not to sound groggy. If it was someone who meant her harm, she’d want to hide as much vulnerability as she could.
“Shinguuji. Excuse any presumptuousness on my part for visiting you at this hour, but I thought I might get some use out of your relaxation charms after all. May I come in?” Sure enough, it was Shinguuji’s voice, and they sounded genuine from what she could tell. Failing to see any reason why she shouldn’t do so, she opened the door.
“I was just about to fall asleep myself,” she admitted, running a hand through her hair. “So my magical energy is kinda low right now. If you want company though, yeah, I guess you can come in. Make yourself at home.” She stepped back to make room, and Shinguuji wasted no time in entering, letting the door close behind them.
“I was investigating the school,” they announced casually, glancing around the room. “Unfortunately, I didn’t find much worth mentioning.”
“Investigating?” she echoed, taking a seat on the bed. “In the middle of the night? That sounds like a huge pain. I thought Saihara was the detective, not you.”
“I don’t need to be a detective by trade to be curious about our situation, do I?” They gave her a curious look, stepping closer. “I find I function better when I have all the information possible.”
“You can sit down if you want to, you know,” she said, the words falling from her mouth before she had a chance to stop herself. “I mean, if you’re planning to stay a while.”
“That eager for company? Alright then.” With a sparkle of amusement in their eyes, they sat beside her on the bed. Things started out a bit tense, perhaps with both of them realizing how odd it was to be acting so familiar with a near-stranger, but the awkward energy cracked apart bit by bit.
“Things are going to keep getting more dangerous, aren’t they?” Himiko mumbled after a while, relaxing into the feeling of Shinguuji’s arm creeping around her. “As everyone realizes there’s no easy way to get out of here.”
“Yes, probably. It will become more difficult to trust others too, for any inclined to do so in the first place. Everyone will start thinking of how best to secure their own safety. Ah, not that you need to worry about me, of course. I have confidence in my ability to defend myself if necessary. Mostly, I’m just eager to watch everything play out. It’s a wonderful research opportunity, wouldn’t you say?”
“Um, I don’t know much about all that,” she said, trying to ignore the strange aura they had all of a sudden. “But if you’re so confident, maybe it’d be a good idea to team up. Help each other and stuff. Then we’d have even less to worry about, right?”
“You’re proposing an alliance?” They gave a thoughtful hum, holding her just a little closer than before. “That could work, yes. We would need to come up with a convincing story to avoid the others getting suspicious of why we grew close so quickly. Are you up to the task?”
“Of course I am. Coming up with good stories is just one talent of the Ultimate Mage.”
Shinguuji giggled.
“Is that so? We have all night to brainstorm, so I trust you’ll impress me.”