𝐀 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐓𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

Chapter 2

"Nene-chan? Where are you going? Aoi-chan wanted to go to the new crepe stand that recently opened up, " you said to your friend. Yashiro turned and gave you an awkward smile. "Umm...sorry, I'm actually a bit busy right now! I'll see you tomorrow!" Yashiro said.

You watched as the girl ran straight into the bathroom. What was up with her? She probably has something to do, so you turned to Aoi who was standing right next to you. "Uh...sorry, Aoi-chan. I don't think Nene-chan's coming with us, " you apologized, an awkward smile on your face.

Aoi smiled at you radiantly. "That's fine, Y/N-chan! How about we just go together?" she said. You smiled a little more genuinely and nodded at your purple-haired friend. Both of you exited the room and walked out of the school. You glanced at the happy-looking girl beside you.

She was a popular girl in your class, the number one girl anyone would date. But you often saw her talking to Yashiro, making weird hand gestures. And you'd see Yashiro's scared expression, her face going pale. In fact, everyone in the school knew things you didn't know.

"Aoi-chan..." Aoi turned her head, her cheeks red with happiness. "Tell me about Kamome Gakuen. I always see the students whispering, and I feel a little left out, " you asked her. Aoi was silent for a moment, but then her soft smile came back to her face. She nodded at you.

"The students are always whispering about the Seven Wonders of our school. About what they do, and how to protect themselves from the Wonders, " Aoi said. You tilted your head in confusion. "Seven Wonders? I'm sorry, but I'm totally lost, Aoi-chan, " you sighed.

Aoi giggled at you. "The Seven Wonders are seven apparitions in our school. So basically, I'm saying that our school is haunted!" she said. You tried not show your confusion, but Aoi caught on. "How about this? I'll tell you about one of the Wonders, " Aoi offered sweetly.

"Hanako-san of the Bathroom"

"Rumour has it that Hanako-san haunts the girls' bathroom on the third floor. To summon her, you must go to the last stall of the bathroom, and knock on the door three times. As you knock, you must chant, 'Hanako-san, Hanako-san, are you there?', " Aoi explained deeply.

"Once she is summoned, you are allowed to grant one wish. But it comes with a price. The more complex the wish, the steeper the price goes. Summon her at your own discretion, " Aoi did some weird hand gestures again, and you just sat there with wide, surprised eyes.

"Oh..wow. So, is that what Nene-chan's doing? She's trying to summon Hanako-san?" you asked. Aoi nodded with a sad smile. "Yes. I believe she's doing this for love..." she said. "Love? Oh, don't tell me...she's trying to make a love wish, isn't she?" you gasped.

"Mhm. She's recently developed a crush on Minamoto Teru-senpai. Nene-chan's so crazy about him that she sends me pictures everyday. Here, look, " Aoi took out her phone and showed you a picture of a blonde boy with deep blue eyes. He was very handsome, perhaps he was popular.

"Wow...what's got her so crazy about Minamoto-senpai?" you chuckled lightly. "Nene-chan isn't an expert in love. She falls for a pretty face, and doesn't look deeper into the person's nature. Poor Nene-chan's been rejected many times because of this..." Aoi explained sorrowfully.

"Oh...um. Poor Nene-chan. But, you said Hanako-san can grant wishes, right?" you asked, an idea popping into your head. Aoi nodded. "Alright, maybe I'll ask Nene-chan to take me along to the bathroom. I may have...a wish in mind, " you said, your cheeks going a little pink.

"Ohh! Is the wish about love?" Aoi asked excitedly. "No, no! I was just hoping to get something out of this wish..." you said, turning away. Aoi seemed to get it and nodded again. "Y/N-chan, look, they have a special offer for the crepes! How about we take it and..."

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"Uhh, Nene-chan!" you managed to catch your white-haired friend before she ran into the bathroom. She turned around to face you immediately. "Um...I know this may sound a little silly. But...can I come with you to summon Hanako-san in the bathroom?" you asked timidly.

Yashiro's eyes widened a bit. She seemed to struggle with her words. In the end, she bowed down and apologized to you. "I-I'm sorry to put a damper, but I'm afraid the rumour is...actually false! Hanako-san doesn't really exist!" Yashiro said frantically. You didn't belive her, of course.

But, she seemed to want to keep you away from the bathroom. You were a bit confused as to why she'd want to do that, but you didn't want to question her antics. "Oh, really? That's a shame, I was really hoping to make a wish..." you lied, and walked away slowly.

You heard Yashiro's relieved sigh and quick footsteps into the bathroom. Well, that was weird. But, you realized you hadn't really explored the school. Or at least, some part of it. You decided that maybe you should just wander around until you had to go home. It could be nice.

The school was bigger than you thought. The evening sunlight enveloped the school in an orange colour, and strangely comforting warmth. Despite the school being big, it also felt a bit empty. The hallway you were walking down was long, yet so hollow. So empty...

It was nice and quiet. Just the right place for you to think and gather your thoughts. You walked down the hallway, and suddenly, you caught sight of something. A door, right in the middle. It was a room. Just a random room, yet it compelled you to open the door and explore.

"What the heck is a random room doing here? Its probably a storage room but...why do I want to go inside so badly? There's no other way to satisfy my curiosity, I guess..." you said, shaking your head. Your hand gripped the door handle, and you stood there for a moment.

Why were you so nervous? It was just a room, after all. Gulping, you turned the handle.