"Hey, did you hear?"
That was the first thing Yashiro heard as she entered the classroom that morning.
It was supposed to be another normal day, the sun shining bright from the sky and children happily running to school with their peers. Of course something bad had to happen.
From her past experiences, this line gave her extreme anxiety. Is this yet another rumour being shifted into more horrendous forms? Yashiro shakes away the memory of the Misaki Stairs from her head.
Unfortunately, it was exactly what she feared.
"You mean the new rumour? Of course... It's terrifying!" A girl shrieked in her class, "How could I forget such a scary rumour?"
"The poor boy..."
Full of doubt, Yashiro shakingly tapped on the girls' shoulders.
"H-Hey... Do you mind telling me the rumours everyone's talking about? I think I'm a bit behind on everything right now..." Yashiro asked nervously, beads of sweat slowly forming on her forehead.
The two girls speaking looked at each other with doubt before turning back to Yashiro. "Sure!" One of them replied, "Don't blame me if you get scared though...!
"Have you heard of this one?
The first Mystery,
The Doorway Boy.
For a price, he'll take you anywhere in time and space.
But if you don't, well,
You'll end up just like he did."
"I heard it was suicide...!"
"No way... Killing yourself with a door? That's so cruel!"
Yashiro sweat furiously. "Okay now... We can't jump into conclusions.." She began to back away slowly towards the classroom door. "First off, how could someone kill themselves with a door?"
But by the time she made her point, no one was listening. Everyone was busy coming up with their own twisted theories, warping the rumour more and more.
The girl gulped. Recollecting herself slowly, she moved her fat ankles away from the class.
"He was murdered by his friends!"
"Backstabbed!"
"Someone told me he was just a first-grade student!"
"He died holding his favourite stuffed animal... Isn't that so sad?"
"Yeah...definitely is."
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"H-Hanako-kun!" She screamed for her savior.
"You called, Yashiro~?" The ghost smirked, lounging against the window frame.
"Did you hear about that-," Yashiro began, but was knocked over as Hanako abruptly floated toward the door.
"Hey! Where are you going?" The girl cried in distress, "I really need you right now-"
Hanako smiled apologetically. "I'm off to a meeting! Talk after school?"
After some thought, she nodded dejectedly.
"Okay."
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Hanako entered the library and took his seat at the table, noting the serious expressions of his fellow colleagues and surprisingly, the presence of No.6. What was the occasion? It had to be important if No. 6 had joined them.
"Tsuchigomori, what's going on?" The toilet ghost floated up to his former teacher.
"Well," Tsuchigomori pushed his glasses up with a nonchalant sigh. "To simply put it, it seems that we are no longer the 7 Mysteries of Kamome Academy."
Pause.
"Huh- Wait, what did you just say?! HOW?"
A sudden panic rose over Hanako. His power - his job - his meaning - taken away in a blink of an eye?
Shijima raised an eyebrow. "You don't know yet? Of all spirits to not know it has to be the one with a human assistant."
Hanako flushed. The thought of Yashiro immediately entered his head. He flicked his hand as if pushing away the thought. "Eh... I was busy?"
Yako sighed in her small fox form. "No matter." Her high pitched voice squeaked.
Shinigami stood up.
"We have concluded that there is another band of supernaturals who call themselves 'Mysteries' rising in Kamome Gakuen, and students are now referring to us as 'Wonders'. And because of that, we are no longer the Mysteries. This is our fall of power."
The man pointed at everyone. "Because of this, I want everyone to stay on high alert and report anything unusual. Especially you, Honorable No. 7." He said, glaring at Hanako. "It will be your responsibility to relay any rumors you hear from your assistant to us. Got it?"
Hanako nodded. "Yes, sir." He wasn't used to this kind of order. And he had no choice but to obey, in the state of shock he was in.
"Good. You all are dismissed."
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"Hanako, can I take a break? Cleaning toilets is exhausting."
"Nah~ I like seeing you begging me to let you stop." Hanako smiled in his usual childish tone.
"Ugh..." Yashiro groaned.
"Anyways, what did you want to tell me earlier. Could it be," Hanako pinched her cheeks, "a confession~?"
Yashiro suddenly blushed, and internally swore at herself for doing so.
"Eh? No, no, NO! Of- Of course not! You're definitely not my type- at all! There's no way- not even a reason-"
Her eyes darted all over the place in panic as Hanako let out a heavy laugh. The ghost smirked. "I was just teasing you, no need to get so worked up over it."
The radish-legged girl pouted. Just a test...
"Fine. But anyways, there's another rumor going around."
Hanako tensed.
"Go on."
Yashiro repeated what she had heard in the classroom that morning.
"I see." Hanako sat up and floated to Yashiro, once again looking bubbly and carefree. "In that case, how do you feel about going ghost hunting on Wednesday?"
Yashiro nodded. A small part of her relaxed, content knowing that Hanako would be able to ease the situation, maybe even preventing possible deaths. "Okay!"
She glanced at the clock. "Oh no! I'm late for my gardening club meeting! I better go. Bye, Hanako!"
The ghost watched his assistant rush out of the restroom. "Well, seems I'll have to report this."
She ran out of the toilet and down the stairs, bumping into a blond-haired girl. "Oof! Sorry there, Tanaka-kouhei!"
The blonde rubbed her head, opening her blue eyes. "Ah... Yashiro-senpai... Don't worry, it was my fault."
The blonde rushed down the hallway, ignoring Yashiro's wave goodbye.
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Okay. Araki-san said that I have to open and close the door five times, and then walk into the room, Tanaka thought as she walked towards the old classroom. This better not be a load of nonsense though, I really want to see Mom again before she dies.
Tanaka was just another normal middle school student in the Academy, and a classmate of the famous Kou Minamoto. Being a fan of supernaturals and ghosts, it was only natural for her to be found trying to summon the new so-called school Mysteries.
She stopped. "Class 2-2 of the old school building. Here goes nothing." She breathed in and began to open and close the door.
1....
2....
3....
4....
5....
With a deep inhale, Tanaka stepped into the old, dusty classroom. There was nobody there.
"I knew it. It's not true." As she turned to leave, a childish voice cut through the air. "It was stupid of me to believe such a silly rumor. New mysteries, my a-"
"Is that so, Tanaka-san~?"
Tanaka turned around. Still, there was no one there.
"Who said that?" She felt a tug on her skirt and looked down to find a boy with choppy, dark brown hair looking up at her with a sweet smile.
His amber eyes glowed like jellyfish under his heavy hood, illuminating the ornate keys he held in his hands.
"It was me! And it seems there is somewhere you want to go..."
Huh...
HUH?!
a/n: hi there! we'll try to update weekly if possible. During exam periods we may update every fortnight or every three weeks. thanks!