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Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 46

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Chapter 46: The Test of Courage Begins (Part 2)

We rushed toward the source of the scream and found Rentarou and Kobayashi collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and visibly shaken.

"Hey, are you two okay?"

"Eek!? Oh... Osamu? Kuon?"

Kobayashi flinched at my voice but relaxed once he saw our faces, letting out a relieved sigh.

"That was a pretty intense scream. What happened?"

"W-well... Near the fourth checkpoint, just up ahead..."

"...There was a ghost."

Rentarou, who had been silent with his head down until now, finally spoke.

"A ghost?"

"...There was this woman in a kimono standing under the trees. I wondered what she was doing there, so I called out to her. Then she turned around, and her face—her face was a skull..."

He was trembling all over like someone who’d just plunged into icy water. Whatever they saw, it must have been horrifying.

"Here. Drink this and calm down a bit."

"Th-thanks..."

I handed them some sports drinks. They chugged them down like they’d just crossed a desert. Judging by how soaked their shirts were with sweat, they must have sprinted full-speed from the spot they saw the ghost.

...Just to be safe, I cast [Healing Magic] and [Perception Block Magic] on them.

"Think you can move now?"

"Y-yeah, I think so."

"Should we call a teacher over?"

"No... we’ve already caused enough trouble. We’ll just head back to the previous checkpoint. You guys go on ahead."

"...Got it."

Thanks to the calming effects of the spells, Rentarou and Kobayashi seemed a little steadier as they turned and started heading back the way they came.

"So? What's the expert opinion?"

"There's a faint trace of demonic energy clinging to Rentarou. I’d say they’re telling the truth."

That didn’t surprise me.

Before they left, I’d already used [Appraisal] to make sure they weren’t lying.

Just as I was starting to consider our next move, a strange thought hit me.

"Hey. That scream earlier—it was pretty loud, right?"

"Huh? Y-yes. It was loud enough that we heard it even from that off-route location..."

Kuon’s eyes widened in realization.

Exactly.

If that scream was loud enough to reach that far, a teacher or guide should’ve shown up before us.

But we were the first ones to arrive.

([Appraisal])

I activated the skill, this time targeting the space we were standing in.

Target: Labyrinth of Lost Souls
Effect: Encloses specific individuals within a sealed, isolated space. Non-supernatural beings are forcibly ejected.
Status: Skill Level 10/10
Note: Modified to target only those possessing supernatural abilities.

"...Well, we’ve been had."

I sighed at the result displayed.

They’d used Rentarou and Kobayashi as bait—to frighten them and draw us in.

The real target was us: individuals with supernatural powers.

"Osamu-kun, this is..."

"Yeah. Looks like we’ve been trapped."

◇◇◇

"...Didn’t expect things to go like this."

I muttered to myself while filling an empty bottle with magically conjured water from [Water Magic].

Kuon appeared from the other path, looking visibly drained.

"No good. Neither of the paths leads out."

"So they’re not planning on letting us go that easily, huh..."

I let out a deep sigh and glanced at my watch.

The digital display hadn’t changed at all since we met up with Rentarou and Kobayashi.

Time wasn’t moving normally here.

That meant it was almost impossible anyone would be coming to rescue us.

"What about escaping with [Spatial Transfer Magic]?"

"Can’t say for sure. We might get out without a hitch... or end up phasing into a rock and getting crushed. Best to save it as a last resort."

I handed Kuon the cold bottle of water.

By now, enough time had passed.

([Sensory Sharing])

As I activated the skill, my vision was immediately flooded with overlapping perspectives from all directions.

While Kuon was scouting, I had released a swarm of insects and birds made with [Water Magic] into this space.

They served three purposes:

  1. To gauge the size and boundaries of this pocket dimension

  2. To determine if the source of this incident was within it

  3. If so, to locate the culprit

I scanned through the perspectives of my magical creatures, and in the northwest sector, I spotted something suspicious—a group of three men arranged in a defensive formation around a rusted, decayed sword.

I couldn’t say for sure if they were the source of the phenomenon—but they definitely weren’t unrelated.

With that conclusion in mind, I turned to Kuon, who was still racking her brain for a way out.

"I found a group that might be involved in this. Wanna go pay them a visit?"

"Hah... Hah!?"


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