❝ Hello! I'm am the (soon-to-be) beloved heroine, Nene Yashiro! searching for our missing friends and Renn....we've embarked to No.2 of the school's eight mysteries, the Misaki stairs. Our goal is the innermost reaches, where the school mystery's weakness- her divine Yorishiro- is sealed. We came up against one difficulty after another...but we overcame them all magnificently! and at last we reached the top floor. The supernatural boss blocking our way. a precious sacrifice! tragic reunions and a shocking new fact! ❞
"This isn't the innermost reaches," Hanak said making Yashiro sweatdrop and look back at Hanako "Then where in the...?" "hmm." "if it's not at the top, maybe it's at the very bottom'" Hanako points down "WHAT." Yashiro was tied by ropes.
❝and so I...❞
"She's dead"
"You think so?"
murmur and more murmur she heard slowly she open her eyes surrounding her were the mokkes, she landed on a bed of flowers "I'm...not dead...?" she groggily wakes up and finds herself in front of a torii gate. ' scales...' she touches her head feeling the scaly texture of the scales 'I...got pushed off a cliff, and..' Yashiro then thought when Hanako push her off the edge only for her to fall to water turning into a fish and came out to land on the dirt pathway. 'oh. that's how I got here.'
Yashiro fit up and look up 'It's so bright here...The atmosphere is so different everywhere else. Is this heaven? no...could this be the innermost reaches!?' Yashiro looks at her surrounding. There is a quaint bench with sunlight filtering through the forest. Standing up she walks to the torii gate 'Then I need to hurry and find the Yorishiro!?' but while she was running she accidentally knocks over a table, spilling several papers. "AAAA!!".
"...NGH!!" she then saw a journal on the ground beside her "Hmm?" looking at the journal she saw a "Top secret" printed on the book and below said "no peaking". 'this book...!' "it's totally suspicious" Yashiro grab the book regardless of the warning, she opens the journal.
▏Today I threatened a student. it waz fun
▝ Teacher's comments
▏ Let's not do that, 🌸 very well done « Misaki »
'this name...Misaki. That's...' Yashiro looks closely below the sakura stamp and not only that seeing several sentences with spelling errors.' the one we met was upstairs...?' Yashiro stand up from the stairs and then continue reading the journal
▏Misaki gave me a new hairstyle. CUT MY HAIR I HATE MISAKI. thank you Sensei.
▝ Teacher's comments
▏I fixed it for you. 🌸 very well done « Misaki »
' heh. ah! I don't have time for this!' Yashiro thought and flips through the pages of the journal "Clues, clues..." that till she notices an old black-and-white photograph peeping from underneath the pages "a photo..." the photo was a teacher and his students taking a group picture. the caption next to it read:
▏Today I took a "photograph" with Misaki and the other kids.
not only that the sitting on these essays gets progressively better 'Is this "Misaki-Sensei"?' Yashiro looks at the teacher in the photo '...then I was right. The person at the top of the stairs wasn't Misaki-Sensei.?' she then flips to the next page.
▏Misaki gave me some hair shears. None of the other kids got any. Only me.
'Hmmm?' flips next page
▏Misaki loves me. I'll put the scissors in the shrine to keep them safe.
▏Good for you « Misaki »
'This is...This girl must be in love with her sensei! I know the feeling! when I was in kindergarten. I loved my teacher too...I mean!!' Yashiro then flips the next page but pause when reading the page.
▏Misaki didn't come today. I have nothing else to do, so I made dolls while I watched people come and go all day.
'Huh? there's no teacher's comment..' she then flips the other pages of the jounal
▏still no Misaki today.
▏still no Misaki today.
▏still no Misaki today.
▏still no Misaki today.
▏still no Misaki today.
▏still no Misaki today.
▏still no Misaki today.
All of them said the same till one of them was different.
▏Today I heard a rumor. There was an accident on these stairs the other day...a teacher fell and died. I wonder what it means to die. The next time I see Misaki, I'll ask him.
'...Wh-what's the next part...?' Yashiro flips the next pages only to come to a black page 'Blank. blank, still blank...' before stopping in one.
▏Misaki may never come back.
'Wha...!?' "What are you doing?" a voice said behind her making Yashiro's eyes widen "y..you wrote this, didn't you?" Yashiro asks "Yes." "Misaki" affirmed, "You're not Misaki." Yashiro turns to look at her "I'm collecting parts for Misaki's body. It's easier to explain if I say I am Misaki isn't it?"
"You...you did those terrible things to Aoi, Ren, and the others, just so you can make Misaki-san!!" screamed Yashiro "That's right." suddenly dolls was surrounding her feet 'eek...I can't move my feet...!' she looks at the dolls "You loved Misaki-san didn't you? What you're doing...It won't make him happy!" Yashiro bluffs but that only made her giggle "oh please. I know that" Misaki hit her making her fall to a wall before putting her scissors to Nene's head "Misaki cared for his students. If he finds out that I've been doing this, He'll be angry with me. But that's what I want. I want Misaki...to yell at me again..." she looks down at the floor before looking back at Nene.
"I would do anything to get him back!" she then was about to hit Nene with her scissors "No...help...Help me, Hanako-Kun!!" then one of Hanako's hakujoudai repels the scissors surprising "Misaki". "You're..." Nene looks at the will-o-wisp float to someone's side "Thanks, Nice works." walking to them.
"No. 7? How did you find us?" "Misaki," asks before she had her eyes on someone on Hanako's hold "Ren..." "Misaki" whisper "Well...this little one told me." Hanako then put Ren down by a tree "Hanako-Kun!!".
"Heya." Hanako was already beaten up from the fight upstair "Hanako-Kun!?" Yashiro runs to him when Hanako stumbles to his side. "I think I'm dying..." "What!!?" "My goodness, You're fragile. Did our little game upstairs take that much out of you? I wonder why the little one would ever love you" Misaki mocks laughing at Hanako who then turns serious "I'm already dead. That was a joke...still, not surprisingly, fighting No.2 in her own territory is a little.....Okay, It's really tough."
".Wh-what can I do...?" Yashiro then turns to look at the unconscious Ren leaning on a tree "Listen. if we can just destroy the Yorishiro, We can do whatever we want. so did you find anything? the thing that has the most value to No.2...something that means a lot to her." Hanako whispers to Nene "Something that means a lot...!" she then remembers the writing on the journal. "And we have to destroy it right?"
"It'll have a seal on it. you just have to pull it off. I'll...keep her busy somehow."
"O-okay" "Sorry but...the time for chitchat is over." "Misaki aims her scissors to the two of them but before she could but them Hanako intervenes, tying her with rope to prevent her from moving."Wha-?!" "No.7....don't try to stop me!!" "Misaki looks at Hanako "Sorry, But I can't do that."
"Go!" Hanako screams to Nene who runs up the stairs "stop!" No.2 angrily summons more dolls to stop Nene from climbing up the stairs "I won't let you!" dolls appeared blocking Nene's path "I need my Yorishiro, or I can't make Misaki..All this time, everything I've done has been for him!" No.2 try to pry herself free from the rope "Um! Looking at you makes me...I don't know. It makes me fidgety or something...It's like seeing myself how I was a couple of weeks ago..." Nene turns to look at No.2.
"You're not doing this for Misaki-san...You're doing it for yourself!" making No.2 stop prying to be free she look at Nene who then steps on a doll propelling her to jump over all of them, surprising both Hanako and No.2. 'she stepped on them' both of them thought surprised. Nene then rushes over to open the shrine house, seeing a pair of old scissors covered with a black and white seal. "don't!" No. 2 finally pry herself free but it was already late.
Nene peals the seal and just when No. 2 was about to aim her scissors at her a familiar person appeared sharp (f/c) light in the shape of petals surrounding him protecting Yashiro and with Hanako beside him "Mystery No. 2, The Misaki stairs. You've abandoned your responsibility." Hanako said before stating No.2 "You are to return your seat number." Hanako finished as the boundary begins to breaks in the process.
.☆.・∴.・∵☆:*・∵.:*・☆.☆.。.:*,★ :*・∵.:☆.。.:*・:*・∵.☆:*・∵.゜
The moon was already up in the sky. "....Yashiro." someone inside the school called. "Yaaashiro!" Nene wakes up while lying on the school's hallway rubbing her eyes "Hanako-Kun? Ren-Kun?" Yashiro look at both boys "Hi!" Hanako treated "Hello.." Ren said back to normal "Are we back...?" Nene asks both of them "Where is Minamoto-Kun?" Yashiro sits up and looks everywhere "The kid?" Hanako rummage before showing a plush doll of Kou to Nene "Minamoto-Kun!!" Nene grabs him "He fought bravely..." Hanako with a napkin dry his tears "He's so cute now..." Nene pats plush Kou head. "Eh...I still don't know what happened..." Ren whispers only for Hanako to hug him tightly making Ren squeak "Ah! Ren, you're back to normal I didn't want to fight you so please don't hate me!" Hanako nuzzled to Ren making Ren want to separate from his hold and with a blush on his checks "s-stop!" flustered Ren said. "He'll change back, right? and Aoi and the others...?" Nene said catching both of their attention "Well, of course. They'll all get changed back. She'll make sure of it." Hanako then grabs a small white fox with a red bib tied around her neck and bell earrings by the neck " "she"...?" Nene asks looking at the fox "The Misaki stairs'...true identity." Hanako explains "A fox?".
"An inari statue, to be exact. But this one moves. Go on No.2 Gonna say you're sorry? especially to my Ren" Hanako smiles at the inari who turns her head and huffs at him "I'll turn you into fox udon." Hanako threatened her making her nervous "Wait, wait!" Yashiro scream while Ren look worried "What'll happen to all the kids who were turned into dolls? Aoi and Minamoto-Kun..." Yashiro asks the Inari "They'll all be back to normal by morning. It's not like I have much power left anyway." No.2 respond making Nene sigh 'Oh thank goodness...'
Nene then notices her sulking on a corner '...' she walks closer to her "fox-san..." catching her attention she turns "...here." Nene shows her the black and white photography "J-just so you know! I haven't forgiven you for what you've done yet! That was really scary...and I thought I was gonna die! But...I also destroy something important to you. so for that, at least..." Yashiro gave the photo to her to hold and move to pet her ears...
only yo by bite harshly "YYYEEEAHHHHH!!" "don't touch me." she then runs with the photo in her mouth, to Ren before jumping to his hand making Ren almost tumble "I have no intention of being friends with you!" she screamed at Nene from Ren folds, and Nene who was clutching her hand from the bite. "and...My name is Yako!" she then jumps out of Ren's hold to the stairs "Next time you call me fox-san...I'll bite your hand off." she said before running up the stairs and disappearing.
"Maybe we should have the fox udon thing." Yashiro said rubbing the bite on her hand "Now. now..." Hanako looks at the stairs "Yashiro-chan..?" Ren looks at Nene who leans against the window and his eyes fall at the bite Yako did to her "Yashiro-chan" Ren walks to her before holding her hand "Ren-Kun.." Nene whispers as she watches Ren look at her injured hand with worry "Ren-Kun it alright "Nene tries to reassure but it only made Ren huff at her.
"Here this should be better..:" Ren then put his hand on the injured and an (f/c) glow before Yashiro could feel her hand not hurting anymore "There" ren smile as Yashiro look at her that didn't have a scratch no more "Ren-Kun!" Nene hugs him making Ren smiled, all of this was happening in front of Hanako who look at Ren with a smile on his face but feeling a little jealous he walks to ren "Hanako-Kun..?" Ren asks turning to Hanako who was smiling at him "!!!" Hanako then gave him a little kiss on his cheek making Ren flush and struggle to form words this making Hanako chunk at him.
All of them didn't notice a black paper crane flying out the open window and down a corridor, till be has fond by someone "Oh!" he then grabs the black paper crane "Well, hello. You sure took your sweet time." he smiled.
"My lady! My lady! It's ba-" he called till a book hit his face "Be quiet Ntsuhiko. The teachers will find you." a voice said to him who was clutching his face "Yes'm..." he whispers "Welcome back..." the girl said as the black paper crane came flying to her palm but not before turning to a black will-o-wisp with a blue circle "---Koku-joudai." the voice said.
"...I see. Then It went well" the girl said before the moonshine behind her showing her appearance. she has green hair styled in an asymmetrical bob cut with very short bangs. two pieces of hair left in front of her ears to frame her face, and two more long sections that extend to her chest. She also has two braids that extend from the crown of her head down to her ears. Her eyes are green with yellow flecks. She has notable eyelashes and always has her eyes half-closed, giving her a somewhat drowsy or disinterested look.
She wears the school uniform with a red gem brooch above the front bow with long-sleeved. yellow stockings with brown stripes and garters. 2good." she finishes back with Hanako, Ren, and Nene. Ren wasn't moving, making Hanako worry "did I do something wrong?" he then looks at Nene who was shocked covering her mouth and a flustered face.