Mystery No More - jshk + OCs

Chapter 3

"Ah, kid! I've been waiting for you. Do you want to join us-"

Kou shoved the ghost's cold hands off of him. "Yes! I do! But before we get into that, someone's gone missing."

Hanako's expression morphed into one of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"I-It's this girl, in my class, her name is Tanaka Rin. She's been gone since school ended on Monday, and her aunt hasn't emailed the school. I asked Spider-sensei about it and he said she might have been chasing after the new Mystery."

"Even more reason to go ghost hunting today! What does she look like?"

"Well, she-"

The door swung open eerily, revealing a beaming Yashiro. "Hanako-kun! Kou-kun!"

She walked over to them, noticing Kou's nervous face. "Kou? Are you alright?"

"Hi, senpai! Have you seen Tanaka-san?"

Yashiro shook her head. "Not since Monday when I ran into her. Is she missing?"

Hanako nodded. "And that's why all three of us will go hunting today!"

"Can you stop using the word hunting? You make it sound like we're going to exorcise him."

"I wish we could."

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The two students' feet padded softly down the corridor, as the ghost floated behind them, inquiring more about the mysterious rumor.

"What does she look like?"

"Um, about Kou's height, blonde, blue eyes, kinda looks like Rio from Assassination Classroom?"

"Oh! She's one of my favorite characters!" Hanako grinned.

"Hey, how do you know that show? I thought you're a ghost?" Kou asked suspiciously.

Hanako shrugged, looking out into the distance. "Ghosts can watch human shows and read manga too, you know."

Noticing the awkward atmosphere between the two, Yashiro rushed ahead to catch up with them.

Kou swiftly turned to Yashiro. "Did Akane-senpai tell you anything about the rumor?"

"You mean Aoi-chan? Yeah, she did. She said that we had to use the door to..."

Yashiro paused in front of an old, worn-down door. The brightly varnished wood had faded into a warm brown, the glass panes dirty with age and neglect. Above the door hung a old, peeling sign, painted with the numbers 2-2 in beautiful penmanship.

"Class 2-2 of the old school building, located on the second floor."

Hanako paled. "I'm not going in there."

"But- Hanako-kun!"

Kou's expression turned into one of frustration. "You still have to come."

Hanako groaned. "Fine then."

Yashiro turned to Kou, who gestured to the door as if to say, "You can do it."

The daikon-legged girl gulped in fear as she opened the door.

1....

2....

3....

4....

5....

Yashiro's grip on Hanako tightened. Sighing in resignation, the ghost nodded. Together, they crossed the threshold and stepped into the old classroom, wincing at the creaks and near-slips on the smooth wooden floorboards.