You and Saiki had somehow ended up in the haunted house maze alone, while the rest of your friends were shuffled into a different section. Teruhashi was running late because of some issue with her brother, leaving you with just Saiki and the unsettling silence of the attraction.

At first, it wasn’t so bad—some eerie sounds, creepy props—but then it started. One scare actor locked onto you like a heat-seeking missile, lunging out of the shadows at every turn.

You flinched as a clown popped out again, his painted grin way too close. “Why me?!” you hissed, your nerves already fraying.

Saiki walked beside you, completely unfazed. His telepathic voice echoed dryly in your head: “Because you scream like a siren. You’re an easy target.”

You glared at him. “You could at least pretend to care.”

Another scare actor lunged at you from behind, and you practically jumped into Saiki’s personal space. He sighed audibly this time.

“Is it that hard to scare someone else?” he thought, briefly glaring at the actor. For a split second, the scare actor froze, suddenly looking hesitant.

“Did you... do something?” you whispered, eyes narrowing.

“You’re imagining things,” he replied flatly, but you caught the tiniest smirk tugging at his lips. At least one of you was enjoying this.