Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 76

 Chapter 76– A Formal Invitation to the Mansion (Part 4)

“Ah… aaahh…”

“I’m terribly sorry. It seems Master Sōgen isn’t feeling well today.”

“R-Right... I understand.”

I nodded, still reeling from the awkwardness of the encounter. Without another word, the shikigami bowed, then guided Sōgen out the opposite door and disappeared from sight.

...Wait. That’s it?

No questions. No conversation. Nothing.

Just like that, I was left alone in the giant hall, standing in silence.

(Seriously? That was it? What a waste of time...)

I let out a sigh and was just about to have my false body stand when something struck me.

Sōgen had been poisoned over a long period, not just today or yesterday. If that’s true, then... did he really send the letter that brought me here?

And if not—then who did?

(...Wait.)

A rustling sound reached my ears. I turned toward it—toward the same sliding door the shikigami had vanished through. It was rattling slightly.

...Did they forget something? Or was someone else coming in?

I was half-prepared to just leave when—

“...He went into that room, right?”
“No mistake. That’s the shikigami that led him.”
“Good. Let’s finish him here for Genji-sama’s sake.”

Voices. Men. Footsteps. Coming from the entrance I used to enter.

I didn’t need a second guess—they were after me. Or, more precisely, my life.

Great. Just great.

Teleporting out would definitely cause a scene. But I didn’t want to keep using the Recognition Inhibition too often—it puts too much strain on this puppet.

“...This way. Hurry.”

A woman’s voice called out—soft, urgent. It came from beyond the back sliding door. A hand reached through the crack, beckoning me toward it.

...A trap? Maybe. But whoever those men were, they definitely meant business.

(And hey, it’s just a puppet. If something happens, the real me’s fine.)

I made up my mind. As a precaution, I left a backup drone in the room and had the false body approach the back door.

It opened just enough for one person to squeeze through. Light from outside filtered in, casting a glow on a narrow corridor.

(Looks like I’m supposed to go through—whoa!)

Just as I touched the edge of the door, someone inside grabbed my arm and yanked me in without warning.

The door slammed shut behind me.

(Okay, wow. Bit aggressive... Where the hell—)

The scene on the other side was... surreal.

Staircases spiraled out in all directions like something from a horror film. Wooden steps twisted unnaturally up walls and into the ceiling. It was like a maze, impossible to orient yourself. And it was huge—way bigger than what should’ve fit inside the mansion.

There were no lights. Just the faintest glow from the ends of the corridors, slipping in from half-closed doors.

Thank god Sensory Link still worked. If push came to shove, I could just teleport this puppet out. No one would notice in this warped space.

(Huh? Did someone just tug my—)

Something yanked at the hem of my robe—technically, a water-magic construct made to look like one. I turned and spotted a small girl.

Shoulder-length hair. Dressed for mobility. She looked about the same age as Kana.

“Come on! We don’t have time—if you stay here, they’ll find you!”

“Wait—hold on. Where is this? Who even are you?”

She let out an exasperated sigh, clearly not thrilled with my questions.

“...Can you walk and talk? We really need to keep moving.”

“O-Okay. Sure.”

Still confused, I had the puppet follow her. Even with delayed feedback, I managed to steer it close enough to talk.

“Hey, thanks for saving me back there. What’s your name?”

“Koharu. Kuon Koharu.”

Figures. She was from the Kuon family. I’d kind of guessed, given how well she knew the layout of this place.

“Koharu-san, huh... So, why’d you help me?”

“Because you’re Kyori-oneesama’s friend. That’s it.”

Oof. That was blunt. I didn’t mind, but she seemed a little prickly.

Wait. Did she just say “Kyori-oneesama”?

“Uh, Koharu-san… are you Kyori’s sister?”

“...No. I just call her that. We’re technically cousins.”

“Then... why call her that?”

“Because I admire her.”

Fair enough. I mean, Kyori is admired by a lot of students. Still, to go so far as to call her “oneesama”...

“Admire her, huh? What do you admire about her?”

At my question, Koharu suddenly stopped.

...Did I say something wrong?

She turned to me. Then—arms wide, voice rising—

“Everything, of course!”

“...Everything?”

“She’s kind, hardworking, strong, adorable, beautiful—perfect! She’s the greatest, most amazing person in the world! How can anyone not admire her?!”

“O-Okay! Okay, I get it—calm down!”

I raised my hands to pacify her. Still, just to be safe, I cast Appraise.

---

Kuon Koharu – Human – Age 13
Status: Healthy
Note: Wishes to be alone with Kuon Kyori. Harbors anger toward the Kuon family.

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...Wow. She’s really in love with Kyori.

At least I could tell she meant no harm, but I needed to redirect this conversation—fast.

“S-So, anyway… where are we? This place clearly breaks, like, every rule of physics.”

“Oh, that? It’s a shortcut created using barrier techniques. See all those doors? You can use them to reach different parts of the mansion.”

Kind of like that trap space Kyori and I were stuck in during the forest training camp...

Wait. I forgot to ask something important.

“So, where exactly are we going ri—”

“...?”

Before I could finish, I caught it.

Through the puppet’s eyes, I saw something flying—fast—across the ceiling.

Humanoid in shape. Jumping from stair to stair like a blur. Then, in an instant, it was above us—raising a short blade.

“What’s wrong? Why did you—”

“Look out!”

I threw the puppet forward, covering Koharu just as the dagger flew. It hit the puppet square in the back, narrowly missing her.

“Wh-What… you… that thing hit you!”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. But...”

The Sensory Link dimmed. The connection to the puppet was disrupted, but not gone. I forced it to scan the space—and found it.

On the ceiling.

A grotesque, inhuman creature.

Its face resembled the goblins I’d fought before, but more distorted. Its limbs were stretched out of proportion. Skin a dirty green. Eyes bloodshot. Ears long and ragged. And its body glitched—like reality couldn’t fully process it.

It clung to the ceiling, grinning.

‘Gishashashasha!’

A hideous cackle echoed through the warped hallway as it watched us from above—like a predator toying with its prey.

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