Midterm Exam (6)
Episode 40: Midterm Exam (6)
“You’re cheating, you’re cheating, you’re cheating, you’re cheaaaating!!!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! CRASH━!!!
Rumble, rumble!!
“Ares, come back and finish your exam!!”
“Come back so we can check if you cheated or nooot!!”
The suicide ghost was pursuing us, skillfully inverted.
And chasing alongside her were the fake students and the proctor, who seemed to be her minions.
Being pursued by them, Ellie and I hurriedly headed for the stairs.
“Where are we going…?!”
“Let’s go up for now!”
The first-year classrooms are located on the first floor.
It’s currently nighttime.
Even so, stepping outside the school where we don’t know what kind of dangers might be lurking would be our absolute last resort.
Ellie and I headed to the upper floors via the stairs.
Patter, patter, patter, patter!!
Just as we reached the stairs at the end of that nail-biting chase and were about to climb up.
“Where are you going, friend? You have to take the exaaam!!!”
“Whoa!! What the…?!”
“Eek!! Ares!!”
A faceless male student suddenly appeared from the top of the stairs and lunged at me.
Thud!
As I was trying to climb the stairs, I crashed to the floor under his weight.
“Gah!”
“Friend, take the exam and prove your innooocence!!”
“Get off me!!”
I rolled around on the floor, tangled up with him.
But the fake male student wouldn’t let go of me.
Instead, he kept pulling at me, forcing us to roll around on the floor even more.
Because of that, Ellie couldn’t easily step in either.
“Ellie, you should at least…!!”
“Come hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Right then, of all times, the suicide ghost reached the foot of the stairs.
‘Damn it━!!’
I have to shake him off quickly and run. Otherwise, I’ll get caught.
But the fake male student pinned me down and wouldn’t let go.
In the end, I was completely pinned and trapped beneath him.
I could force him off. But there was no time.
“Come hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
The suicide ghost had already reached right next to us.
‘Shit━!!’
But at that moment.
“Come hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“Ack!!”
Crash!!
The suicide ghost lunged and pounced━not on me, but on the fake male student.
“Ares!!”
“I don’t know what’s happening, but let’s get the hell out of here!!”
“Yeah!”
Did she mistake him for me?
The suicide ghost pounced on the fake male student and began tearing at his neck with her teeth.
Rip, rip.
“Gah, hu, ack.”
The fake male student, whose neck was being torn apart, let out groans through his blocked mouth.
“Hiiiik…!!”
“Ares, hurry!”
Shivers ran down my spine as I imagined that being my neck getting torn apart.
Clutching my neck like that, I followed Ellie up the stairs.
And a short while later.
“━━You tricked me again, Areseeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“Are you fucking stupid?!!”
The suicide ghost’s voice screaming in despair echoed from below the stairs, and I shouted back in utter disbelief.
It seems she finally realized the one she caught wasn’t me, but the fake male student. Is she actually an idiot…?
But thanks to that, we managed to put quite a bit of distance between us in the meantime.
We easily reached the 5th floor and started running down the hallway.
“W-Where do we go now?”
“……This way!”
As we ran down the hallway, I grabbed Ellie’s hand, opened the door to a classroom, and went inside.
Click!
Thud!
“Pant, pant, …won’t we get caught?”
“…Still, it’s better than running around the school indefinitely.”
Though it certainly feels nerve-wracking.
At that, I pulled the master key out from around my neck and stared at the classroom door.
‘There is one, a hole.’
There definitely shouldn’t be a keyhole on the inside of the door. Is this the power of the master key?
The moment I held the key in my hand, a keyhole had appeared on the inside door handle.
I inserted the key into the hole and turned it.
Click.
Rattle, rattle.
“…Alright, let’s hide now.”
“Yeah…!”
Since I locked the door, there are two possibilities.
They’ll either give up on the locked door and pass by.
Or they’ll notice it because it’s locked and try to break it down.
The former is the most desired outcome, but the latter scenario isn’t bad either. Since we’re going to be chased anyway, it buys us some time.
“Where is this place…?”
“I think it’s the science lab.”
Relying on the moonlight, Ellie and I looked around the classroom together.
First, we need to find a place to hide. Before she finds us.
And right then.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
That familiar, fucking sound echoed from the hallway.
Screeech.
The sound of a classroom door somewhere opening.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
[Are you in here…?]
She’s nearby.
“Oh no…!”
“I think she’s already here…!”
The suicide ghost’s voice can be heard from outside the door.
Fortunately, I can’t hear the sounds of the other fake humans. But if we stay like this, we might get caught.
“Ares, how about over there?”
Then, Ellie pointed toward the inner section of the science lab. There was another door present there.
“…The science prep room?”
“Yeah.”
The science lab has no back door. The door we just came through is the only entrance. Since there are no windows facing the hallway either, in a way, we’re like rats in a trap.
Hiding in there will push us even further into a corner.
…Should we move to a different classroom right now? While the suicide ghost is inspecting other classrooms?
No, if we run into her doing that, we’re even more fucked. Because then we’d have to engage in another chase, lose her, and then hide.
I almost got caught and died just a moment ago, so going outside right now was too dangerous.
“Alright, let’s hide there.”
“Yeah…!”
Ellie and I decided to hide in the science prep room.
Click.
Creeeak….
It was dark inside. There was only one small window, so the amount of moonlight was sparse.
Thanks to that, it took some time for our eyes to adjust to the darkness.
In the meantime, I locked the prep room door with the master key as well.
Click.
‘I hope we don’t get caught….’
A dead end. But with the suicide ghost right upon us, this was the best option for now.
I could only hope that the suicide ghost would face the locked door and turn back.
Rattle, rattle.
The door was securely locked.
“Ellie, just in case, let’s find a place to hide inside the prep room too….”
After rechecking that the door was locked like that, when I turned my head.
“Find….”
The interior of the prep room with only faint moonlight.
The moment my eyes adjusted to that darkness, I discovered several people standing side by side on both sides of Ellie.
“Gasp…?!”
I barely managed to hold back a scream that almost escaped my mouth. If I screamed right now, we’d be caught.
Instead, I hurriedly grabbed Ellie’s arm and pulled her.
“Ares…?!”
“Shh…!”
“E-Eh….”
I hid Ellie behind me and looked at those people.
Who are they? Another anomaly? Or fake humans?
But their eyes, nose, and mouth are….
“Ellie…, be quiet…, and let’s get out….”
“Eh? Why…?”
“What do you mean why…, can’t you see…? Those things….”
Fortunately, as if they hadn’t noticed us yet, they were just standing side by side against both walls.
And right then, Ellie softly whispered to me.
“Ares, th-those…, are anatomical models….”
“Huh…?”
At her words, a dumbfounded voice escaped me. I looked at them once more.
Only then did my eyes, more accustomed to the darkness, distinguish their mannequin-like appearances.
“Sigh…, I-I’m sorry….”
“N-No, it’s okay. I would’ve mistaken them too. I was startled when I saw them earlier as well.”
It seems Ellie had checked the anatomical models first while I was locking the door.
“By the way, why are there so many of them…?”
“I heard they use them during the second-year human anatomy lab practicals….”
“Dissection…?”
“Yeah, and they also strike these anatomical models during swordsmanship class.”
“…I guess a lot of them would be needed then.”
Just then, a certain ghost story came to mind… The ghost story of the anatomical models that roam around at night.
‘It’ll be fine, …right?’
Recalling that ghost story, these anatomical models standing perfectly still suddenly felt bone-chilling. What if they started moving right now and lunged at us? …I didn’t even want to imagine it.
“Ellie, let’s find a place to hide here first.”
“Okay….”
Anyway, the important thing right now is a place to hide. I took my eyes off the anatomical models and looked around for a place to hide with Ellie.
And right then, a sound was heard from outside the prep room.
Rattle…, rattle….
“…….”
“……."
The faint sound of the door shaking. It’s her….
And subsequently, a voice could also be heard.
[You’re in here, aren’t you…?]
“Damn it…!”
An excited voice, enough to evoke her smiling face as if she were delighted.
At that, I began looking for a place to hide even more frantically.
‘If we get caught, we’re fucked…, we need somewhere we absolutely won’t be found!’
There were plenty of places to hide in the prep room. There were cabinets. There was also the desk used by the teacher. But whichever one it was, it felt like we’d get caught.
We need to find a place where we can hide more securely. A place where we won’t be discovered.
At that moment.
Thud! Thud! Crash!
The sound of the science lab door breaking echoed.
‘Why does it break so easily…?!’
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
[Are y o u h e r e…? Noo ot he r e…?]
She entered the science lab and began searching the interior.
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
At this rate, she’ll reach the prep room in an instant.
“A-Ares…!”
Ellie gripped her longsword tightly and looked at me with a determined face. And she spoke to me with a reassuring smile.
“I’ll…, make sure to protect you….”
“…….”
It seemed Ellie was planning to sacrifice herself to let me escape if we got caught. …No way.
‘Ellie might be a human….’
I can’t just let her die.
‘I don’t want to die either….’
Of course, I have the marionette doll so I’d survive once. But I don’t want to die. Both of us have to live.
We have to hide somewhere. Where do we hide? Look for it, there must be a place. Surely somewhere. Surely somewhere….
And at that instant.
“…….”
“Ares…?”
I blankly stared at the anatomical models.
“Ellie.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Take off your clothes.”
“……Huh?”
A scene flashed through my mind. It was none other than the sight of the suicide ghost pouncing on the fake male student instead of me just a moment ago.
Why did she mistake him for me? A clear distinction can be made between me and the fake male student. The fake human has no eyes, nose, or mouth, while I do. But she made a mistake. In other words.
‘Her discernment is weak!’
She won’t be able to tell an anatomical model apart from a human either.
I hurriedly began stripping off my clothes.
“U-Uwaaaah…!”
Rustle, rustle.
I take off my shirt and unbuckle my pants belt. Ellie watched that sight, her face turning crimson. While acting like she was covering her eyes with her hands, her fingers were parted so she was seeing everything.
“Ellie, hurry…!”
“S-Suddenly? In here?”
“We have to hide! Strip completely and put your clothes on top of the cabinet! Hide the sword too! And then stand between the anatomical models!”
“……Ah!”
Only then did Ellie open her eyes wide, as if realizing my intention. Though she soon lowered her head, blushing as if hesitating, she quickly raised her head as if making up her mind, and began stripping off her clothes just like me.
Slide, slide.
The undressing took place in an instant.
And in the meantime.
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
[Are y o u i n h e r e…? No ot h e r e e i t h e r…?]
The voice of the suicide ghost letting out a faint giggle could be heard right in front of the prep room.
At that, we hurriedly took off our clothes, hid them in the darkness. And then, we stood facing each other after making spaces between the anatomical models opposite one another. Just like the anatomical models inside the prep room.
“…….”
“…….”
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
[Are you i n h e r e…? No?]
The sound gradually approaches closer.
‘It’s okay…, it’ll be okay….’
Composing my mind, I looked at Ellie opposite me. The interior of the prep room is dark. More so than the science lab outside. Therefore, it will be even harder to distinguish for the suicide ghost who just walked in. Look, Ellie only has large breasts, there isn’t much distinction from the female anatomical model next to her…….
“…….”
“…….”
Only then did I begin to become conscious of Ellie’s gaze looking at me, face flushed while stark naked.
“……E-Ellie. Sorry.”
“……Uh-huh, i-it’s okay.”
Replying to my words, Ellie did not lower her head. Because she shouldn’t move. Instead, with a flushed face, only her pupils were moving frantically.
Where is she looking? …Well, she’s probably looking at my body, right?
‘Ugh, now that I’m conscious of it….’
Ellie’s naked body also entered my field of vision. Ellie’s body, which I had seen before through the doppelganger. A smooth, hairless physique, and two massive havens that felt dizzying. It was definitely a naked body I had seen before. But unlike back then, this time it was Ellie herself. Thinking that way, the feeling I got was completely different.
“A-Ares…, that….”
“Sorry…, it’s a physiological phenomenon…. I’m sorry….”
“Uh-huh, i-it’s okay….”
Ellie’s face becomes even redder.
Glance, glance.
She tries hard not to look. But whether due to instinct, Ellie’s gaze kept dropping downward. And after a short while.
“…….”
“…….”
She eventually gave up even trying and fixed her gaze on my lower body. Ellie’s pupils tremble violently as she looks at my lower body.
‘Right…, I might as well just do like Ellie….’
Right now, we shouldn't get agitated. If we forcefully try to avoid each other’s gaze, our bodies might tremble and look unnatural. So it’s probably better not to restrain the movement of our gaze, just like Ellie.
Therefore, I also.
“Ugh, A-Ares….”
“Sorry, instead, you look comfortably too, Ellie….”
“It’s embarrassing….”
Following my body’s instincts, I moved my pupils here and there across Ellie’s body in front of me.
“…I-Is it strange?”
“…What is?”
“…My body.”
“……It’s beautiful.”
“……Ugh.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
[Are you here…? No t h e r e e i t h e r…?]
With the approaching voice of the suicide ghost as background music, just like that, our appreciation session began. Is it because mutual permission was granted? The awkwardness between the two of us vanished.
With just a strange tension and feeling each other’s gazes, we comfortably scanned every nook and cranny of each other’s bodies. There are no more apologies. As if it were natural, we looked at the body of the opposite sex, fixing our gazes on specific parts and engraving that scenery into our minds.
“…….”
“…….”
Is it because we are just standing still and looking at each other’s bodies? For some reason, my heart hammered harder than usual.
‘Oh…? Between Ellie’s legs…, something’s glistening….’
And right then.
Rattle, rattle, rattle.
[You’re h e r e~?]
She reached the front of the prep room.
“…….”
“…….”
We dispelled the sensual atmosphere from just a moment ago and stiffened our bodies in tension once again.
At that instant.
BANG! BANG! Crash!
“Are y o u h e r e~?”
“…… Gallantry.”
“…….”
The suicide ghost entered the interior of the prep room.
‘It’s okay, it’ll be okay…! Even I was fooled enough to mistake them…!’
Whether it’s because her head is on the ground, or because she fell headfirst from the rooftop, her ability to differentiate is remarkably low. And this place is in the dark, and the anatomical models were exquisitely made for dissection experiments, to the extent that each had a different hairstyle and height.
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
The suicide ghost begins to look around the interior of the prep room.
Creeeak….
“Are you in here…?”
Inside the cabinet.
“Noo ot h e r e…?”
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
Slide.
“Are y o u h e r e…?”
Under the desk too.
“Noo ot h e r e…?”
She thoroughly looked around the places I had thought about hiding in. The monster with the bizarre inverted body roamed around the inside of the prep room like that.
‘By the way….’
That creature… Every time she thuds and moves… her butt flesh jiggles strangely. Every time that passed in front of my field of vision, my gaze twitched toward it.
“Not here…?”
Just like that, when the suicide ghost was muttering in the center of the prep room as if about to give up.
Thud.
“……!”
“…….”
The suicide ghost turned her body toward me.
‘Did she find out…?!’
A chill ran down my spine instantly.
‘It’s okay…! I have the marionette doll…!’
Even if discovered, Ellie can escape while I hold her back. Then we can avoid the worst-case scenario.
“…… Tess.”
“Hu, mmm….”
Thud, thud….
She approaches a bit closer in front of me. A gaze is felt from beneath my feet. She is looking this way.
And.
Sliiiide….
Moving her leg, she brought her thigh downward like a hand.
Slide, slide, slide….
“Ama, zing, these days, they, even, implement, things, like this….”
Must not move. If I move, I’m fucked. It seems she hasn’t realized after all. So as long as I don’t move, it’s fine.
But.
‘Don’t touch me━!!’
It’s hard to endure.
‘Ah…! Damn it…!’
It feels like my body is about to tremble. Wondering what’s so fascinating, the suicide ghost kept touching my body.
‘Please…!!’
In a situation where everything might go down the drain if I made a single mistake like that, I bit my lip and pretended to be a doll.
The result.
“Th at, is interesting….”
Thud, thud, thud, thud….
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud….
She left the prep room and went outside the science lab.
“Phew….”
“A-Ares…, are you okay…?”
“I’m okay….”
That was a close call.
Afterward, Ellie and I put our clothes back on and slumped down inside the prep room.
“She won’t come back, right?”
“Y-Yeah. I don’t think she will.”
A strange awkwardness. Is it because we saw each other’s naked bodies?
We took a break in an atmosphere more awkward than usual. But the distance was close. While sitting leaning against the wall, we leaned against each other’s bodies and felt each other’s warmth in the awkward atmosphere.
It’s awkward, but our bodies are close. It was a strange feeling.
‘In the meantime, the gallery….’
We barely escaped from that 2nd-rate suicide ghost. But the ghost story hasn’t ended. To survive this situation… we need to put our heads together with everyone.
Author: Ares
Title: Massive fucking emergency
Just like that, I wrote a post in the gallery.