Inside a hidden compartment in the haunted house, a staff member dressed in blood-stained white clothes and a pale mask was carefully observing the corridor outside through a peephole.
Once someone passed by, she would silently appear and deliver a well-timed scare.
Tap, tap, tap.
Clear footsteps echoed through the hallway.
The staff member, who had been somewhat distracted, instantly held her breath and focused.
'These sound like a woman's leather shoes, right?'
She carefully distinguished the rhythm of the steps.
'Only one set of footsteps? A girl came to the haunted house alone?'
That was a bit odd.
She was a veteran employee and had seen all kinds of visitors.
Usually, girls rarely came to haunted houses alone.
Most came with their boyfriends.
Some girls who were normally shy would naturally become bold in a haunted house.
So she used different scare strategies based on who the visitor was.
If it was a couple, she would appear in front of them, then quietly vanish when they hugged.
If it was a guy, she would wait for him to pass and launch a scare from behind.
That was because scaring boys head-on carried a higher risk.
She had actually been hit before.
That guy screamed and punched her.
Her head still buzzed at the memory.
'It really is just one person...'
After listening closely for a while longer, she confirmed it wasn't a boy walking quietly. It was definitely one person.
'A test of courage? A penalty game?'
'No, the footsteps are too steady.'
Ruling out all other possibilities, her eyes narrowed.
There was only one explanation left.
This girl wasn't afraid of haunted houses. She was here to challenge it.
'No wonder the boss said there would only be one group of guests today and told us to go all out. So someone's here to challenge the haunted house.'
Thinking of this, she adjusted her state and prepared to unleash her best scare.
She gently closed her eyes, listening to the approaching footsteps.
Fifteen meters. Ten meters. Five meters.
She opened her eyes, then... rolled them back and fainted.
Outside the peephole, a pale, upside-down face was slowly swaying.
A long tongue, crimson eyes, twisted expression, and ghostly white skin.
Thud.
The staff member dropped to the ground stiffly.
"Ah, that was too easy."
Satoru turned off the flashlight, removed the fake tongue and red glasses.
His legs, which had been hooked to the ceiling mechanism, dropped down casually.
"Satoru, don't mess with the staff."
"Aren't they professionals? Am I just too strong?"
Shoko rolled her eyes.
She crouched in front of the fallen staff member and removed the ghost mask.
Underneath was the face of a woman in her twenties.
After confirming that she had only fainted from shock and wasn't hurt, Shoko sighed in relief.
When she looked back, Satoru was already rummaging through the horror props piled in the corner.
"Satoru, when will you learn to be gentle with women?"
"What?"
Satoru looked up after hearing his name.
"No, nothing."
Shoko gave up trying to persuade him.
She had a feeling that the more she tried, the more interested he'd get.
But it was already too late.
Satoru glanced at the blood-stained coat in his hand, then at Shoko, mischief glinting in his eyes.
"Shoko, you play too~"
His sickeningly sweet tone filled her with dread.
Shoko immediately turned to walk in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, the coat was flung over her.
It was loose and long, easily hiding a person's figure.
Satoru quickly slipped it onto her.
Just as she tried to resist, her face was covered.
It was the same ghost mask the fainted staff member had worn.
"Heave-ho."
Satoru effortlessly lifted Shoko and hung her on the ceiling mechanism.
It was a horizontal beam held up by a rope.
Shoko guessed this was usually used to suspend fake ghost props, which would glide along a zip line to startle guests.
This time, the ghost was real.
"Off you go!"
Satoru gave a strong push, sending Shoko flying along the track.
"Ah ah ah ah! Go! Jo! Sa! Toru!"
"It's boring when you just hide and watch from the sidelines. This time, Shoko, you're playing too~"
Satoru, dressed in black like a shadowy ghost in the dim lighting, would occasionally dart out and push her again.
"This is why I don't want to be anywhere near you!"
"Hahahaha."
Not far ahead.
"So much screaming? Rumiko's really putting in effort today. I'd better do my part too."
A haunted house staff member disguised as a statue got into position.
Then... he saw a ferocious-looking female ghost rapidly approaching.
'We have someone like that on staff?'
The ghost was clearly much taller than Rumiko.
"Hehehehe, I found you."
Just as he was wondering, a terrifying voice whispered from behind.
"Who... who's there!"
He jumped in shock.
Their makeup artist was top-notch. Coupled with the lighting and the surrounding props, no guest had ever noticed his hiding spot before.
He turned around in a panic but saw nothing.
'Am I just imagining things?'
"Hehehe, I'm~ here~"
"Ah ah ah, it's a ghost!"
The staff member screamed, dropped the prop in his hand, and sprinted toward the end of the passage.
Behind him, Satoru chased him while dressed as a monster, cackling.
Occasionally, he would double back and give Shoko a push.
Suspended in the air, Shoko, now a flying ghost, screamed Satoru's name in a mix of rage and horror.
'It really is a disaster going out with Satoru!'
She wept silently.
"They're really having fun over there."
In a corridor not far away, Eichi commented as he listened to the ruckus from afar.
Just then, a haunted house staff member appeared in front of them.
"Hehehe."
The staff member let out an eerie laugh. Clearly, he was giving it his all.
Slap.
Mid-laugh, half of his face slipped off, revealing blood-red muscle underneath.
"Ah, my face fell off."
He looked at Eichi and Artoria.
"Can you give me your faces, hehehe?"
"Sure, here you go."
Eichi calmly reached out, pulled off his own face, and handed it over.
Artoria knew it was a prop.
The staff member, however, did not.
"Ghost!"
The staff member screamed and ran.
"Eichi, we came here to experience the haunted house."
Artoria gave him a serious look. That was just bullying.
"Ah, sorry. Satoru looked like he was having so much fun. I wanted to try it too."
The noise from the other side had been too infectious. Eichi couldn't help but check things out with his shadows.
After that, the two stopped scaring the poor staff.
At the rear of the group, Suguru and Kento Nanami were playing Red Light, Green Light with another staff member.
"Ow, ow, ow... could you at least react a little?"
The staff member couldn't take it anymore.
"Sorry. Your performance is excellent. It's just that... for us, it's still a bit lacking."
"Huh?"
The staff member was stunned, then left looking dejected.
He was starting to doubt his skills.
"In the end, why did Gojo bring us Jujutsu Sorcerers to a haunted house..."
Nanami rubbed his forehead, speechless.
"Maybe what Satoru considers 'fun' is just different from your idea of fun."
Suguru answered with a calm expression.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)