My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 177

The graduation trip entered its second day.

Today we're going in groups, and we'll be visiting the area from Tassin to Los Angeles.

The first stop is the period drama theme park and actual filming location for period dramas—Taizama Cinema Village. Here, you'll find well-made sets recreating street scenes such as Yoshiwara geisha district and Ikedaya, where visitors can dress up in period costumes, experience the atmosphere, and take photos. There are also plenty of rides and attractions like a haunted house and a ninja museum, making it a very popular tourist destination.

We took a city bus from the hotel to Taiqin.

A one-day bus pass is a great companion for graduating students and tourists. For just 500 yen, you can ride Kyoto's city buses for the entire day – it's practically a dream pass! Plus, Kyoto's bus network is incredibly extensive, making it possible to reach almost all the major tourist attractions by bus.

However, we have overlooked one key point.

Because city buses are so convenient and popular with tourists, they are packed like sardine cans during this season when the autumn leaves are still turning red. The occupancy rate is probably close to 150%, not far from the morning rush hour. Just thinking about it makes me feel a strong sense of resistance… I don't want to work, I absolutely don't want to work! If I have to endure this kind of suffering, I'd rather not work at all!

On such a crowded bus, I started to worry about whether the frail girl and Totsuka were alright; as for the boys, I couldn't be bothered with them at all.

Miura and Kawasaki were responsible for using their gazes to intimidate those around them, ensuring Ebina and Yuigahama's safety. Hmm, those two are really scary…

Totsuka also stayed within a safe range.

"Hachiman, are you alright? I'm sorry~"

He was in my arms, looking up at me apologetically.

"Hey, that's nothing. I just kept getting elbowed and having my feet stepped on by the people next to me."

"Wow! Sorry! I'm really sorry for comparing myself to a penguin~ But the train is so crowded, there's nothing I can do about it."

Ministry of Revenue, you bastard… Despite my inner complaints, he was still being pushed around and had his heels stepped on. It was only because he was barely maintaining his posture that his elbow bumped into me, so I couldn’t really blame him too much.

"Don't forget to get off at the next stop."

Hayama is truly remarkable; he still manages to care for others even under these circumstances.

Finally, the bus stopped in front of the Taichin Film Village.

A large group of tourists, including students on graduation trips, poured out of the bus exit. Before the first activity even started, everyone was already exhausted and staggering.

I really wanted to find a KOMEDA nearby to sit down and rest, and try their "Creamy Danish" (Note 51: KOMEDA is a Japanese chain coffee shop, and "Creamy Danish" is the shop's signature dessert). Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, as Hubu had already rushed out to buy tickets and then rushed back.

"Come on, Ebina."

"Thank you~"

So that's how it is. He rushed to buy the tickets so that he could personally hand them to Ebina. If he had dragged his feet, Hayama and the others might have gotten there first.

"Hey, this one's for you, it's a penguin."

"……Um."

Since I'm so motivated, I'll give it my all.

After receiving their tickets, everyone entered the movie village. Upon passing through the gate, we saw the Pretty Cure series inside the Toei Museum. Unfortunately, I'm an adult now, so I'll save that for another time to see alone. Today, we'll focus on the park's facilities.

We walked through a neighborhood dating back to the Edo period, occasionally brushing past staff dressed as samurai.

Along the way, there are courtesans preparing to receive guests, a sudden killing formation tutorial, and a mysterious dinosaur emerging from a pond. Just being in the midst of it all is quite enjoyable.

Especially that pond, it first creates an atmosphere as if something is about to appear, then the dinosaur pops out, "whoosh whoosh whoosh" out a few puffs of white smoke, and then slowly sinks back down. I have to say, this thing is very peculiar.

After watching the dinosaur disappear into the pond, we fell into silence. Everyone was stunned and stood motionless, witnessing such a peculiar sight.

"...Let's keep going."

"No, that's right! Keep going, keep going!"

Ye Shan smiled and spoke, and the Ministry of Revenue finally came to his senses.

"Should we go check out that place?"

Yuihama pointed to what's touted as the scariest haunted house in history; I guess she noticed that place from the start.

This has become a recurring plot point; she's likely trying to bring the Ministry of Revenue and Ebina together. Simply put, she's using the so-called "suspension bridge effect."

Regardless of the previous dinosaur exhibits, the upcoming haunted house might be something to look forward to.

Don't underestimate this haunted house. This is Toei's territory; they are not only good at creating a scary atmosphere, but even the frightening ghosts are played by Toei actors.

I had expected some people to object, but no one dropped out and everyone lined up.

"Hayato~ This feels so scary~"

Miura nestled shyly against Hayama. But Miura, you're even cuter when you're taking care of a child like a mother hen; I suggest you rethink what makes you so charming.

"Oh dear, I'm not really good at this kind of thing either, haha."

Hayama forced a somewhat embarrassed smile to cover it up. This person usually acts so perfectly, yet he revealed a slight weakness at a time like this; even I felt a pang in my chest when I saw it.

Soon it was our turn to enter the haunted house, but eight people going in together was too many, so we decided to split into two groups.

The Yeshan group went in first, and after all four of them disappeared at the entrance, our second group followed.

They start by playing a video reminding tourists that the ghosts are all actors in costume and that they shouldn't hit or kick them. What a counterintuitive explanation…

Wouldn't it greatly diminish the enjoyment of the trip if it were simply stated that the ghosts inside were fake?

—At least up to this point, that's how I see it.

However, when we actually stepped into the haunted house, it felt like we had entered a completely different space.

This haunted house is set in the Edo period. The interior is pitch black with only minimal lighting, which is deliberately designed to guide the visitor's gaze and make some creepy things stand out. After the visible area is restricted, props then fly out from the shadows to scare the visitor.

After some calm analysis, it's truly terrifying. Terrifying things are terrifying no matter what.

Hayama's group should have been in front, but in the dim light, amidst the incessant wails of ghosts and chanting, I couldn't spot them or gauge the distance between them.

Even so, I can still recognize them because of their highly distinctive behavior and way of speaking.

"So scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, yet so horrible~~"

Even Tobe, who's usually the best at blending into the atmosphere, was no exception. He was completely enveloped in the haunted house vibe, clinging tightly to Hayama in a state of trepidation. Ebina, seeing this, let out a "guhe" laugh.

"Eek! What's that strange noise again...?"

Kawasaki, walking behind, was terrified and kept gripping my coat tightly. "This coat is about to be ripped off! Can you please stop grabbing like that?" That was Ebina's laughter just now; it wasn't scary... no, it was actually quite scary.

I looked around and it seemed that this place was set up as a mansion where a family massacre had taken place.

Although it's a very standard haunted house, the interior decoration matches the theme perfectly.

Yuihama walked beside me, fearfully placing her hand on my shoulder.

"I...I'm terrified of places like this..."

She nervously kept glancing around, worried that something might jump out at any moment.

"What's so scary about ghosts in a haunted house? What's scary are people."

"Your stubborn side is showing again! But... judging from this, you seem quite reliable."

She laughed dismissively at my remarks. But humans really are terrifying.

"...In other words, the scariest haunted houses are those where people scare them."

"No way! It's completely unreliable!"

To be honest, I'm just as afraid of scary things. If I came in alone, I might have started yelling "Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" as a ghost to bolster my courage, and then run wildly toward the exit, only to get lost inside.

Fortunately, I didn't need to yell or scream this time. The noise from the people around me alone reduced my tension considerably.

Perhaps for the same reason, Totsuka also seemed not to be afraid, and even seemed to enjoy it.

"Totsuka, you don't seem afraid at all."

"Yeah, I really like this kind of place."

Even in complete darkness, I could still feel Totsuka's genuine joy. The energy in his smile might just solve the world's energy crisis. The era of oil is over; the era of smiles is here!

As they continued walking, a ghost (there was someone inside) suddenly jumped out with a "Gah!" sound. Kawasaki was so frightened that she stood up straight and ran away in a panic, trying to stifle her scream; Totsuka seemed startled by her reaction and ran away in a panic as well.

I pretended to be calm on the surface, but I was actually quite startled inside. I reflexively shrank back and bumped into Yuihama next door.

No, to be precise, it was the two people's heads that collided with a "clang".

"Ugh~~"

"It hurts, it hurts..."

We were in so much pain that we immediately squatted down and touched the spot where we had been hit.

“S-Sorry…”

"No, it's my fault, I was startled too..."

I looked at Yuihama and saw her holding back tears as she reached out to touch my head.

"Aren't you in pain?"

"How is that possible? It hurts so much!"

Also, could you please stop touching me? It's so embarrassing.

I moved my head away, stood up, and tried to stop Yuihama from touching me, but she remained squatting on the ground.

"Hurry up and leave, or you'll be left behind."

The older brother skill I used on my younger sister Komachi activated automatically, and I reached out to help her up.

"what?"

Yuihama looked at my hand with surprise. Hmm... this is indeed more appropriate for my younger sister. I thought for a moment and decided to put my hand back in my pocket.

"Thank you."

As a result, Yui took my hand first. Well, that could be considered a kind of gentleness, a gesture of courtesy or gentlemanly conduct. It's just human nature, and as a gentleman, I couldn't refuse such an offer.

Therefore, I have no reason to shake off Yuihama's hand.

"Then let's hurry to the exit."

She laughed cheerfully, then let go of my hand. Before I could even feel regret, I was pulled along by the shoulder and led forward.

"Hurry up."

We continued our journey through the chilling, blood-stained, dark haunted house, harassed several times by human heads and fleeing soldiers along the way.

"It looks like we've reached the exit."

Light shone through the crack in the last door, and as we passed through, a cool breeze blew in.

"It's finally over... It was so scary..."

Yuihama was tense throughout the haunted house. Upon reaching the exit, she immediately collapsed, staggering towards the bench. Hayama and Totsuka, who had exited earlier, were already there.

I followed them. Seriously, coming out of that haunted house was exhausting; my heart was pounding, I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. Could this be arrhythmia? Someone, quick, give me a shot of adrenaline!

I walked to the bench to catch my breath, and Totsuka walked over with his tinkling footsteps.

"Hachiman, the haunted house is really interesting!"

Seeing Totsuka's smile made me feel dizzy again. After the arrhythmia, was this replaced by dizziness?

That smiling face was so beautiful that it healed my body and soul, made my heart flutter, and brought together all sorts of emotions, ushering in a new phase. (Note 52: Replacing some keywords in the above sentence with English words will spell out "Smile Pretty Cure All Stars New Stage," the title of the 2012 "Pretty Cure" theatrical film.)

"After walking around, I feel like it was worth the ticket price. Let's head to the next place."

Hayama looked around at everyone, and no one objected. Miura let out a "Hey!" and stood up forcefully from the bench.

"I'll go and call Ebina back first."

She hurried towards the souvenir shop. It was only after she mentioned it that I realized Ebina and Tobe weren't there. Looking towards the souvenir shop, Ebina was intently looking at the Shinsengumi merchandise, panting heavily, while Tobe stared at the wooden sword and exclaimed, "Wow! So expensive!"

Uh, um... so did the haunted house achieve its intended effect?

× × ×

Our next stop is Taicang, where we'll take a bus to Los Angeles.

With Kinkaku-ji Temple as its main attraction, Losi boasts numerous popular tourist spots, and with the autumn foliage season not yet over, buses are incredibly crowded.

In addition, many tourists, like us, were preparing to leave the film village, so they would inevitably have to wait a long time to board the bus. In fact, we had been standing there for quite some time, watching several buses leave, and were starting to get impatient.

I hate crowded trains. Once, I took the Tozai Line train during the morning rush hour to go to a university in Tokyo for a mock exam, but I gave up halfway through and decided not to go to the exam at all.

So no matter what, I hope to avoid taking the city bus again.

Is there any good way? I looked around, searching for any magic door nearby, and then my eyes fell on a taxi stand.

Hmm... It's strange, but once humans discover an easier way, they will not hesitate to choose to become decadent.