I’m Back in the First Grade of Elementary School, so I’m Going to Live Well

Night School

The main gate of the school has a lock to prevent intruders, so we climbed over the outer wall and entered the school grounds.

“So, what do we do now?”

So far, so good, but after that is the problem.

It’s not that easy to get into school.

I’m sure the doors are locked uptight.

I should focus on the first floor bathroom windows and other places where I might have missed a lock.

With that in mind, I set out to go around the elementary school.

“Let’s go in for now.”

Rinta tried to break in through the front door.

The teacher in charge of patrolling the school would never make the mistake of forgetting to lock the front door, no matter how lazy they were.

“No, I don’t think that’s――”

It can’t be open. I was just about to say that, when Rinta applied force to the door, and it opened easily.

…… Really?

Why is the front door, which should be closed the most, open…?

Is it possible that no intruder would just walk in headfirst, or that they suspect it’s a trap and won’t come in?

Is releasing the front door part of the countermeasure against intruders?

It can’t be that ridiculous.

If so, then it’s just a simple mistake by a ditzy teacher.

But who would be goofier than Santa Claus coming in July?

The most important purpose of the patrol is to lock the front door.

But the fact was that the front door was open, and I wondered if it was possible to make such a mistake.

In any case, we benefited from the fact that we didn’t have to look for a way in.

For once, we were grateful to the teacher for being so clever.

“Shall we go then?”

“Umm, uh, yeah.”

Rinta nodded, but did not move.

“Umm… Rinta?”

Normally, it would be natural for him to open the front door and enter the school before me, but he didn’t move an inch.

He’s like an immovable object, he doesn’t even twitch.

“C-Can’t help it, so I’ll give Kakeru the lead!”

“……”

I didn’t ask for it, but he gave it to me.

He’s shivering in fear, and he doesn’t want to take the lead.

“All right. I’ll go first, okay?”

I passed the shivering Rinta and entered the school without permission.

Even if it’s trespassing, we can’t just walk in with our feet on the ground, can we?

If I wasn’t in elementary school, I’d be committing a crime, but just because I’m doing that doesn’t mean I can break school rules.

After properly changing into my shoes, I stepped into the school.

Rinta was right behind me, mimicking my actions as we entered the school.

Naturally, the school is dimly lit.

It wasn’t completely dark, thanks to the light from the outside lights and the moonlight streaming in through the windows, but it was still dark in this space that was not illuminated by fluorescent lights.

――The place he forgot was supposed to be our class, Class 1, Year 3.

The classroom is located at the far end of the multi-purpose hall on the first floor.

If it’s located in a place where you don’t need to enter from the entrance and go up the stairs, there’s no need to turn on the lights.

Even if it’s a little dim, it’s not a problem at that distance.

All he has to do is to quickly collect the homework and then quickly leave.

I didn’t bother to look for the light switch and headed straight for the classroom.

“H-Hey, let’s turn on the light!”

Rinta, holding onto my right shoulder with both hands, asks me from behind.

I could feel his fear in his trembling hands.

“It’s okay. It’ll be over soon.”

If you’re scared, why don’t you just get it over with?

I have never been afraid of ghosts, goblins, and other things that most people would be afraid of.

It’s not that I’m pushy or pretentious.

It’s just that I don’t believe in anything unscientific.

I don’t know if it’s a fear of suspicious people, wild animals, my mother finding out I went out in the middle of the night, or other things that directly lead to personal danger, but I don’t understand the psychology of being afraid of an unknown entity that may or may not even exist.

So even though I can feel Rinta’s fear, it doesn’t infect me.

I’m sorry, but I don’t have enough time to match the slow pace of Rinta, whose body is cowering in fear.

I have the mental capacity, but not the time.

I dismissed his request, albeit a little forcefully, and stepped into the classroom.

“Here we are. Go get your homework and go home.”

“Uh-huh.”

As soon as I arrived at the classroom, I urged Rinta, and he obeyed, hurrying to his seat.

He looked fearfully into the desk to see what was frightening him.

There’s no need to be so scared, there’s no way there’s a ghost on the desk. I don’t even know if they exist in real life.

“Find it?”

When I called out to him as he peeked in, Rinta jumped back like a cat seeing its natural enemy.

“What? D-D-Don’t suddenly talk to me!”

“Uh… I’m sorry.”

For some reason, I was the one who got mad at…… 

I can’t talk to him except suddenly, so it’s no wonder.

Do you want me to count down before I talk to you? That’s scarier.

“Did you get it?”

“――Yes, got it.”

Rinta had a homework printout in his hand.

I think I can go home early with this.

I looked at the clock in the classroom and saw that it was 7:45. I’ll be able to get home without anyone noticing.

It’s a perfect crime.

It’s not a joke, it is, because what I’m doing is trespassing.

――That is, if they don’t find me.

I muttered something slightly disturbing in my mind and then went out into the hallway.

“Alright, let’s go home.”

Once again, Rinta put his hand on my right shoulder to signal me to leave.

You can’t move forward without putting your hand on my shoulder? It’s not like it’s a gas pedal.

Under that instruction, I, Itosaki Sho, advances.

As I was walking down the hallway towards the entrance.

“Tap, tap”

Footsteps.

And a shadow at the end of the hallway――