Why was it Kudo doing the work?
Because he didn't have a phone—his got smashed to bits when he fell. Now they could only rely on Shiro's phone to call for help.
"Hang in there! I'm cheering for you in spirit!"
Shiro patted his shoulder solemnly. As a proper capitalist, there's no way he'd do the work himself—his job was to inspire.
"It's already at 1%! Just get it to 3% and we can turn it on and call for help!"
"BASTARD!!!"
Kudo poured all his fury into the crank, venting every ounce of hatred for Shiro into that poor generator.
But…
Ten minutes later.
He collapsed to the ground, completely drained.
The battery now showed… 2%.
"Are you even trying, skinny boy?"
"If you're so great, YOU DO IT!!!"
Kudo hurled the crank generator at Shiro. He was done.
Sure, his hand speed had gone untrained for a while, but this was ridiculous. Ten minutes and only 2%?! This thing had to be broken!
Shiro took the generator and gave Kudo a pitying look.
Still in your twenties and already useless… how sad~
Whirrr~
As the machine whirred to life again, silence returned.
"So how did you end up down here anyway?"
Eventually, Kudo broke the silence, looking toward Shiro. They'd been too focused on escaping earlier for proper questions.
"Oh, how I got down here…"
Shiro thought for a moment. There was still that humanoid demon prowling above…
"I was being hunted by a forest demon!"
He replied with a straight face. And from a certain point of view, he wasn't wrong!
Too bad Kudo didn't believe a single word of it. No sane person would.
"That kind of thing doesn't even exist!!!"
Kudo's face stiffened. Just hearing about it made him visibly uneasy.
Clearly, the guy was not only skinny—but also terrified of ghosts.
Seeing this, Shiro scoffed dismissively—completely forgetting he was even worse.
"Tch. There really was a demon, but whatever. How did you fall down here?"
Shiro asked. "Don't tell me there was a demon on your side too?"
"Ahem, I just slipped… Anyway, the phone should be charged enough now, right?"
(;?＿?)
Realizing the topic was turning back toward him, Kudo nervously tried to dodge it.
What was he supposed to say? That he'd planned a courage test to get closer to a girl, only to get scared out of his own pants and fall instead?
Way too embarrassing!
"'Slipped,' huh…"
Shiro eyed him suspiciously. That didn't sound like an accident. (λ?_??)
He felt like he was getting closer to the truth…
"Quit yapping and focus on charging—huh?!"
Rustle, rustle—
Just as Kudo spoke, a strange rustling sound came from the hillside behind them.
Paired with the eerie atmosphere, it felt straight out of a horror film!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
BANG!
Two ghost-fearing boys immediately dove into each other's arms, desperate to merge into a single person for warmth and safety.
Rustle~
As the wind calmed, they were left trembling in each other's embrace.
Shiver—
Once the strange sound stopped, they realized their position and stared at each other in horror.
{{(°△°; "}}!
Then—
Σ_(???」∠) BLEGH!
They both turned away and puked. This was pure torture!
"Ugh… you… you're afraid of ghosts, aren't you?!"
Shiro's face was pale, but a trace of mocking smile still managed to form.
"Heh, don't even try to deny it—you're no different."
Kudo wiped his mouth. He'd definitely seen Shiro clenching his thighs just now.
"Nonsense! I was just getting into the atmosphere!"
Shiro stuck to his pride. No way he'd admit to sharing the same weakness—it'd ruin his protagonist image!
"You—"
Rustle—
Before Kudo could retort, another gust of wind passed by. Though they knew it was just wind, both of them flinched again.
They hadn't recovered from the fright.
"..."
They glanced at each other, then quickly looked away.
Yup—confirmed.
In the realm of ghost-fearing, they were the same breed.
After a long silence and under the chill of the night breeze, Shiro, as the (barely) responsible one, decided to do something.
Otherwise, this poor third-year senpai might develop trauma.
"Ahem… Kudo-senpai, actually I do have a method to help improve our situation."
!
"Tell me, Shiro!"
Kudo's entire demeanor changed upon hearing there was a solution. He even treated Shiro like a normal underclassman now!
Of course, Shiro still thought he was an idiot…
"Well, I do have a method… but it depends on whether you've got the guts~"
A wicked grin crept onto Shiro's face.
(.;゜益:;゜;.)
"Is it too late to regret agreeing now?"
Seeing that evil smile, Kudo instinctively stepped back.
This was the exact same look Shiro had when he'd thrown him in the trash last time!!!
"Balance melts, seas evaporate! With a wave of the magic wand, I become Magical Girl Rarako!"
"Balance melts, seas evaporate! With a wave of the magic wand, I become Magical Girl Rarako!"
"Balance—balance my ass! You jerk, are you messing with me on purpose?!"
Unable to stomach the lines any longer, Kudo threw the makeshift stick he'd grabbed and started protesting.
He could tolerate the weird poses and cringe-worthy lines, but!
Could this guy stop snapping photos?! Did a third-year senior like him have no dignity?!
"Ahem, no way. Think about it—don't you feel less scared now?"
Caught red-handed, Shiro shoved his precious camera behind his back, acting like nothing happened.
"No, you piece of—huh? Wait, I'm actually not scared anymore?"
*Whoosh~*
Cooled by a breeze, the furious Kudo realized the place didn't seem so creepy anymore. It even had a slight comedic vibe.
Why was that?
Kudo frowned, stroking his chin, pondering deeply. This was a question worth researching!
(;?＿?)
Seeing the idiot lost in thought, Shiro relaxed, once again questioning Izu University's education standards.
With *this* IQ, how did this guy get into college, let alone sneak his way to third year?!
Chanting such embarrassing spells naturally banished any fear…
Thanks to this fool, Shiro wasn't scared anymore either. The air was filled with lingering amusement.
After all, he'd snapped dozens of humiliating photos of a third-year senior. The forum moderator position was practically his!
（λ?_??）
"If you can't figure it out, try chanting it a few more times, Kudo-senpai. Maybe inspiration will strike."
"Fair point…"
Kudo nodded pretentiously, as if reciting it again might unlock some secret.
In truth, he didn't even know who Rarako was.
"Balance melts, seas evaporate! With a wave of the magic wand, I become—"
"Rarako!!!"
Just as Kudo prepared to chant the mortifying spell that made him want to dig a hole and hide, a deafening voice boomed from the hill above.
Before Kudo could rejoice that someone had found them, a figure charged down the slope straight toward them!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Kohei?!"
Shiro, recognizing the figure, was stunned. He hadn't expected this spell to not only dispel fear but also summon Guardian Knight Kohei!
And even more shocking!
This idiot was sprinting down the hill!!!
*THUD!*
Poor Kudo, once again, kissed the ground intimately~
"Rarako! Where's Rarako?!"
Landing flawlessly, Kohei didn't need a moment to adjust, immediately embarking on his Rarako quest.
But all he found was an awkward Shiro.
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Shiro pointed at Kohei's feet. "Uh… the Rarako you're looking for might be under your foot."
"Rarako?! Huh? It's *you*?!"
Seeing Kudo's face, Kohei's interest vanished instantly.
"You… you bastards!"
*THUD!*
Kudo… deceased~
…
"Where am I… Holy crap, a pig-headed monster!"
When Kudo opened his eyes again, he saw a *pig-headed* figure!
And the clothes on this pig-head were oddly familiar.
(???)
"Kudo-senpai, I think even an idiot should have manners."
The pig-headed Shiro rubbed his swollen face, grumbling. His look was just a minor accident.
While Kudo was out, Kohei had recalled why he was in the woods.
Then he delivered righteous justice to Shiro!
Shiro was no match for Buffed-up Kohei.
In the end, Shiro spun a tale about "Maya planning to break into acting" to fool him.
He'd only been a tool to test Maya's skills.
The excuse worked wonders. Though Kohei remained skeptical, his buff wore off!
Without it, Shiro was confident he could take on two Koheis!
Case in point: Kohei, also sporting a pig-head, was slumped beside Kudo…
Kudo: (???)
"So… what happened while I was out…?"
Eyeing the two pig-heads, Kudo's lips twitched. He gingerly touched his own head.
Yup, as expected—pig-head.
Brothers share joys and sorrows!
Kudo wasn't their brother, but Shiro and Kohei ensured he shared the sorrow!
No non-pig-heads allowed at the hill's base!
"You were sleepwalking!"
"Careless, huh? Next time, be careful, senpai. Medical fees? Just a simple 100,000 yen."
"What?" Kudo gaped at them. Were these guys devils?!
Concocting a sleepwalking lie to extort him?
"Hold on, let me process…"
Maybe he'd stood up too fast, but Kudo felt foggy.
"You're saying I sleepwalked, you tried to stop me, I beat you into pig-heads, then beat *myself* into a pig-head?"
*Clap clap clap!!!*
Shiro and Kohei applauded. "As expected of a third-year senpai—such a concise summary!"
"So, cash payment?"
"…"
"I'm paying your *ass*!!! I'm not an idiot! You're lucky I'm not charging *you* for medical fees!"
Having endured hardship (thanks to Shiro), Kudo had evolved. He wasn't so easy to scam anymore.
Shiro and Kohei just clicked their tongues and resumed plotting their escape.
Watching their backs, Kudo smirked victoriously. He'd finally won a round! Plus, he saw hope!
"Phew, forget it. As your senpai, I'll let the medical fees slide.
Now, we need someone to rescue us! Imamura, you've got your phone, right?"
Kudo looked expectantly at Kohei. The island had full signal coverage— a phone would do the trick…
Sadly, reality was harsh. Kohei's phone was dead, out of battery.
And Shiro handed Kudo a hand-crank generator…
Staring at the two items, Kudo's pig-head throbbed.
So… PAB members *really* didn't charge their phones?!
"…"
At the hill's base, silence reigned, broken only by the hum of the hand-crank generator.
"Don't PAB members check their phones?"
Kudo stared blankly at the night sky, unable to believe a modern youth would let their phone die.
His phone had never been off since he bought it!
Though it was dead now…
"Why check phones?"
"At drinking parties, booze is enough."
Shiro and Kohei eyed the outsider, baffled why anyone would get distracted by a phone while drinking.
"…"
Kudo's lips twitched, remembering these guys weren't normal.
Still, he pressed, "Don't you worry about missing messages?"
"Messages…"
Kohei pondered. Messages usually came from friends, and his friends…
He glanced at Shiro.
(???)
His friend was probably drinking with him like crazy.
It hit him—he had barely any friends!
Damn it!
No sparkly high school life was bad enough—why no friends in college?!
Kohei shuffled to a corner, wallowing in sadness.