It was quite well-crafted, or perhaps it was just scarier through surprise attacks than I had expected. Hina-chan, who was never good with scary things, was completely terrified and had ended up clinging tightly to my arm.
Even so, she didn't say things like "Let's give up" or "I can't take this anymore." In fact, it felt as though she was genuinely enjoying the experience, fear and all.
"Hina-chan, are you doing okay?"
"I'm scared... b-but I'm also curious to see what's coming next."
"Well, it definitely feels elaborate, so it does make you wonder how it'll attack next."
"Yeah... though I really wish they'd go easy on the jump scares..."
It was the exact same mindset as sitting through a horror movie to the very end while complaining how scary it was, or screaming the entire way through a haunted house. There was no doubt she was terrified, but she seemed to embrace the sudden frights and unexpected mishaps as the main appeal of a horror attraction.
Trembling as she clutched my arm, she matched my pace whenever I moved, and together we ventured deeper into the maze. Naturally, after walking for a short while, we came upon a fork in the path.
"...It's a fork in the road."
"It's not like there's a time limit, and making a wrong turn won't end the game... but it feels like dead ends are prime spots for an ambush."
"R-Right. Since they come out of the mirrors, it doesn't seem like they'll attack from behind, but a dead end would leave us with three mirrors—in front, to the left, and to the right."
"Yeah. But well, overthinking it won't get us anywhere, so which way do you want to go? You can pick, Hina-chan."
If I picked at random, I would probably just end up choosing the correct path, which would cut the fun of navigating a labyrinth in half. That was why I decided to let Hina-chan choose our direction.
After pondering for a moment, Hina-chan pointed toward the right path, and we headed down that way.
"It feels like it's been a little while since the last encounter."
"...W-When do you think it'll come? M-Maybe something is already happening..."
That was certainly not out of the question. The previous encounter had been an obvious anomaly, but it was entirely possible that subtle changes were taking place.
For instance, a Mirror Monster the size of a tiny speck deep in the mirror gradually drawing closer with every step we took—something like that could also be... And just as that thought crossed my mind, I aimed the lantern at the mirror on our left and pressed the stone. An instant later, the screech of the Mirror Monster rang out.
"Huh? W-Was it really there just now?"
"Yeah. I don't know when it started... but the clothes on my reflection in the left mirror were turning bluish."
"I-I didn't notice at all."
"Maybe it was changing gradually. It might have slowly shifted from black to blue, and once the color fully changed, it would have attacked."
Just as Hina-chan had missed it, this one had been pretty tricky. Even I couldn't tell the exact moment the color had started to shift.
I had simply noticed that my reflection's clothes looked more indigo than black in the left mirror, so I treated it as an anomaly and used the lantern.
"I wonder if most of them involve some kind of change to our reflections?"
"It'd be obvious if someone other than us showed up in the mirror, so that does seem like the most common pattern. K-Kaito-senpai, I'm really counting on you! I'm too scared to look straight at the mirrors... I-If a face suddenly spun around with a snap, I'd die of fright... S-So please don't expect much from me as backup, okay?"
"Don't worry. It'll be more than enough if you just let me know whenever you happen to catch something. I'll keep a sharp eye out for the rest, and I'll do my best to make sure I protect you, Hina-chan."
I knew very well that Hina-chan was frightened out of her wits, so even if she told me not to expect much, I appreciated that she was still paying attention to the mirrors and doing what she could to help.
Jump scares aside, I was relatively unfazed by creepy atmospheres... and with a desire to show my reliable side to a cute underclassman who looked up to me, I answered in the most reassuring way I could muster.
"K-Kaito-senpai... that's a hundred points. A hundred-point response. As expected of a certified lady-killer."
"...I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult. But in a situation like this, wouldn't a line like 'I'll definitely protect you' be the true hundred-point answer?"
"Hmm, I wonder. Personally, rather than unfounded, overflowing confidence, I prefer when someone promises to do their best within their means. Ah, but maybe it depends on how much you trust the person? If you said you'd definitely protect me, Kaito-senpai, I'd believe you without a second thought... I guess that's what they call reliable and proven? Even when we were attacked by the Black Bear, you protected me, Kaito-senpai..."
"Ahaha, in reality, I couldn't lay a finger on it and just got beat up, though."
"...Even so, back then, Kaito-senpai... you were the coolest person in the world to me."
Whether it was because Hina-chan's bashful smile was too dazzling to look at, or simply because I felt embarrassed, I averted my eyes slightly and let out a bitter smile.