Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Test of Courage Begins (1)

"Finally made it back…"

"That was… scarier than I thought…"

On the evening of the third day of the school camping trip, a pair of girls returned to the starting point, cold sweat on their brows after finishing all the checkpoints of the test of courage.

They handed in their stamped card, visibly relieved as they joined the students who had already completed the course.

This test of courage was, in a sense, the highlight of the entire trip.

Students formed pairs, walked through the course while collecting stamps at each checkpoint, then returned to the starting point—which also served as the goal.

Along the way, various "surprises" had been prepared by the organizing committee. Judging from the screams and reactions so far, the quality of the scares seemed impressively high.

"We’re up next."

"Just don’t drag me down, alright?"

"You’re the one who better not cling to me when things get spooky."

Rentarou and Kobayashi stepped forward, taking their stamp card and flashlight as they entered the forest course.

With just one more pair ahead of us, it would be our turn soon.

So far, everything had gone smoothly. I might actually get to enjoy this like a normal student...

"—Osamu-kun."

"Whoa!? K-Kuon? What is it?"

Just as I was letting my guard down, Kuon—sitting beside me—suddenly spoke up.

"...I’m sorry. There’s a place I want to check out during the test of courage. Could you… help me get there?"

She was talking about the memorial stone—there was no doubt about it.

But the test of courage course was being monitored by teachers and student guides to prevent injuries or accidents. Slipping away without being noticed would be extremely difficult.

And the stone’s location was just off the main path.

Which meant... she needed my help to sneak there.

"...Alright. Just let me know when it’s time to break off."

"Thank you."

Right as we wrapped up our conversation, our turn came.

"Here are your flashlights and stamp cards. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call for the nearby teachers or guides."

We received our equipment and stepped into the dimly lit forest. The back of the stamp card had a map of the course.

---

"Wait, don’t the organizers already know where all the scares are? Wouldn’t that ruin the fun for them?"

"Nope. Each class only set up one station—they don’t know what the others did."

Ah, so even the organizers get to enjoy it like participants. Pretty clever.

If it weren’t for the cursed sword legend, I might’ve actually admired how well this was all set up.

"But you do know the layout, right? Are there any points we can slip out from?"

"I’ve identified a few possible spots, but sneaking past the teachers on my own would be nearly impossible."

Kuon took out a pen and marked the map on the back of the stamp card. The red circles represented teacher positions. The black circles were potential escape routes.

"...Yeah, they’ve got this area covered. Normal students wouldn’t be able to get through."

In the mountains and forests, anything could go wrong. That’s why the teachers were spaced out strategically—to respond to emergencies instantly.

In other words, sneaking through without some sort of trick... was out of the question.

But I wasn’t a normal student.

"Alright. We’ll detour toward the stone after the third checkpoint—it’s the shortest route in a straight line."

"Got it. But how exactly are we going to bypass the teachers?"

"The usual way—I’ll make sure we go unnoticed."

I activated [Perception Block Magic], took Kuon’s hand, and quietly led her off the designated path.

◇◇◇

"Hm? Something wrong, Maruyama-sensei?"

"Ah… I just thought something passed by, but I must’ve imagined it."

We quietly slipped past the confused teacher and continued deeper into the forest.

After walking for a while, we arrived at the spot where the memorial stone should’ve been.

"...You okay?"

"Y-Yeah! I’m fine!"

When Kuon suddenly froze, I checked on her—but she replied with a strangely flustered look.

…She’s acting kind of weird. Is she really okay?

"A-Anyway, your magic is amazing as always, Osamu-kun…!"

"Flattery won’t get you anything from me."

We continued our banter as we reached the designated site—only to find something completely unexpected.

"Uh… are you sure this is the place?"

"It should be..."

Instead of a monument, there was only a broken pedestal and what looked like a freshly dug hole.

([Appraisal])

--

[Target: Memorial Stone]

[Status: Completely destroyed using tools such as shovels or hammers.]

[Notes: Constructed 450 years ago by local villagers to honor a samurai and princess who died on this land.]

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The appraisal confirmed it. This was the place where the memorial stone once stood.

But now it was gone—and in its place, a hole.

"...There’s lingering youki at the bottom of this hole."

"Youki?"

"Yes. Something that gave off strong demonic energy was buried here."

We were still processing what this meant when—

"WAAAAAHHHH!?"

A scream echoed through the forest.

"That voice... Rentarou and Kobayashi?"

"Most likely. Something’s definitely gone wrong."

Kuon and I exchanged a quick glance.

I reactivated [Perception Block Magic], and we dashed off toward the source of the scream.

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Key Notes:

1. Test of Courage Setup: The event is cleverly designed—even organizers don’t know all the scares, keeping it fun for everyone. (Except for Kuon and Osamu, who are here for business*.*)

2. Sneaky Escape: Osamu’s [Perception Block Magic] makes slipping past teachers trivial—cheating at its finest.

3. The Missing Stone: The memorial’s destruction hints at someone digging up whatever was buried there. (Spoiler: This won’t end well.)

4. Rentarou’s Scream: Whatever they encountered wasn’t part of the planned scares. (Spoiler: It’s the sword*.*)