(It feels like it's been so long since I last went home at this time.)

(Until just recently, I often stayed past dark each day to prepare for the School Festival....)

(But I'm going home at my normal time now... I guess that means it's really over now.)

(I had so much fun too.)

Huh? Hey, Haruka!

Huh? An?

What brings you here?

Dad asked me to go out and buy some stuff. I was just about to head over to the station.

Are you on your way home, Haruka?

Yeah, I'm going to the station too.

Why don't we head there together?

Yeah! Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing!

Hehe. I had a feeling.

Then, shall we?

Hey, Haruka...?

You looked like you had something on your mind just now. Is something wrong?

No, not really. I was just reminiscing about all the fun I had during the School Festival.

Oh, okay.

If that's the case, you should be smiling more.

Wouldn't it seem a bit strange if I just started laughing to myself in public, even if I was thinking about some fun memories...?

Also, I didn't know that a certain friend of mine would call out to me soon afterwards because they were worried.

What would you do without me?

Is what I would've said, but I noticed the look on your face after I called out to you.

I honestly just happened to see you walking by and decided to ask where you were going.

I mean, we're best friends, but I can't exactly tell how you're feeling just by seeing your back.

Wait, you can't? What kind of best friend are you?

Alright, Miss Perfect, try telling how I feel just based on my back.

Hehe.

Haha.

Anyway, I had a ton of fun during the Miya Girls School Festival.

Hehe. Despite getting chased all around campus by a zombie wolf?

*Gulp*

You know about that too...?

Of course. You thought I didn't?

Remember how you dove into my class and left a second later while Kohane was chasing you?

Huh? I did?

Yeah, you did. But you were so desperate to get away from the zombie wolf that I didn't get a chance to ask you what was going on.

Hang on. Your class did that animal cafe, right?

Oh, that explains why it seemed so familiar when I went with Kohane and the others later!

An... I guess you were genuinely terrified.

At the same time, a zombie wolf's completely different from a ghost. Why did it scare you so much?

Why?! I mean, that mask...

It looked so real!

I learned beforehand that Kohane's class would be doing a haunted house, so I tried my best to prepare myself mentally for it...

But I don't like what I don't like!

By the way, how did you prepare yourself for it?

Well... I tried telling myself that things are gonna jump out at me and that they're people, not monsters...

I see. However...

Hehe. It didn't work, did it?

Cut me some slack.

I was sure that my plan would work!

Seriously, I wasn't expecting to run into a zombie wolf right off the bat...!

Yeah, I guess that makes sense...

A surprise like that would throw anyone into a panic.

Exactly!

I never would've seen that coming!

Well, it is a haunted house, so that's not really an excuse...

But I'm glad you got to enjoy it in the end.

Same. My heart raced because of how scary it was, but I guess that's sorta what haunted houses are all about.

So, I'm glad that I got to enjoy it as an actual haunted house.

Then, why don't you try the haunted house at PXL the next time you visit?

What?!

It's pretty similar to the haunted house that Kohane's class made, so I'm sure you'll be fine, An.

You're joking! That haunted house isn't as scary as I thought it was going to be?

It really isn't. You become Phenny as he has a nightmare that's filled with skeletons who keep saying that they're going to “fry you up”.

Haha! Fry you up?! Like chicken?!

I'm not kidding. Some even talked about frying you up like “yummy wings” and “juicy tenders”.

Oh, I heard that there's even one that says, “I'm gonna turn you into bang bang chicken!” If you find it, something good's supposed to happen.

Really?! I've never heard of anything like that!

That's probably because you usually cover your ears when people talk about this kind of stuff.

Oh, yeah. True...

Hehe. The next time we get to go to PXL with Minori and Kohane, we can give the haunted house a try.

Yeah, okay! I actually might be okay based on your explanation!

See? Then, let's all go again sometime.

Okay!