(Y/n)'s POV
We all turned to the sounds of footsteps.
"Welcome... I see you've finished it. I'm No. 2 of the 7 Mysteries... Nice to meet you" Misaki-san said.
We knew she was a girl but... She is drop dead gorgeous!
Before we could say anything she immediately started running towards the terrifying body we made.
"U-um about that body..."
"We tried our best..." I said before she darted her eyes at us.
I paled immediately at how she looks at us and hid behind Hanako-kun.
"The way she looks at us is scary..." Hanako-kun said.
"This is... " Misaki-san trailed off.
"Such a wonderful body!" Misaki-san said caressing the cheeks.
'How is that even a wonderful body... ' I thought to myself sweatdropping while also looking at the terrifying creation.
"You see... I don't really know anything about human body parts so I was right to ask you humans about it!" She said happily as she clasped our hands together.
"Eh..."
"I'm sure this one will work!"
'Huh? This one?'
"Isn't that right? Now... Try walking for me, Misaki..." She said as she blew on the doll.
"Oh my!" She said happily as the doll started to move.
"S-scary..." I muttered hiding behind Hanako-kun once again as the doll fell down.
"Another failure... Such a waste..." She said disappointedly as she crouched down and held the head.
"U-um... Misaki-san have you seen other students here? They should be wearing the same uniform as us..." I asked her walking over to the front.
"Oh? The others that failed? You haven't noticed? Their all around you..." Misaki-san said as the entire room got brighter.
Soon the light disappeared and we saw all the bodies of the students, two standing out the most. A doll with purple hair and one with silver hair.
"Aoi! Nene-chan!" I yelled as I ran over to the two dolls.
"(Y/n)/Senpai!" Hanako and Kou yelled.
Tears start to fall on my cheeks as I fell down and shook the two dolls.
"Aoi... Nene... Wake up!" I said as saw both of their heads fall off.
I hugged the two dolls tightly as more tears fell down.
"It's just failure after failure... I've had enough... I'll do as the rumors say. I'll rip you all into pieces" Misaki said as she aimed the scissors at me.
"Senpai!" Kou said as he blocked the scissors from attacking me, hugging me closely.
"Are you alright?!" He asked me as he saw his arm turn into a dolls hand.
"Hey?! What the hell is this?!"
"It appears when you get cut by the scissors you turn into a doll" Hanako-kun said holding his knife tightly getting ready to attack.
"W-what are we going to do about that?! Oh I know! Do that thing you did with your wisps and scatter it!" Kou exclaimed still squeezing his now stuffed arm.
"I can't."
"What?!"
"This is number two's boundary, I can't use Haku-joudai without her permission... That would change if broke her yorishiro, but it seems like it's not here..."
"What should we do about it then?!"
"I'll start... " Misaki-san said coming behind Kou.
"With you!" She said as she tried to hit Kou with the scissors.
"Alright! Keep it up!" Hanako-kun said as he walked over to me leaving Kou to deal with Misaki.
"What?!"
"(Y/n), stand up" Hanako-kun said in a stern voice.
Ignoring what he said, I just continued crying.
"Your giving up? They're still alive you know?" Hanako-kun said extending a hand out for me to take as I looked up from the two dolls.
"This world is the border between life and death... Nothing is born here... Nothing dies here as well... In the world of life and death, the people who don't know how to give up are unstoppable" Hanako-kun said smiling at me still holding his hand out for me to take.
"I'll do it! I'll do anything" I said without thinking while wiping my tears before taking his hand as his head was down.
"... Anything?" He questioned lifting up his face as his usual grin was gone and replaced by a sadistic grin.
"Huh? What?" I said as Hanako-kun tied me up in rope.
"Knot, check. Rope strength, check. Safety measures, all green" he muttered as I regretted it.
"The yorishiro isn't here and this isn't the deepest part."
"So I was thinking if it isn't in the highest part, then it must be the deepest part. "Hanako-kun said as he turned me around.
"Don't tell me..."
"I'm counting on you!" He said with a grin as he pushed me off.
I screamed as loud as I can closing my eyes.
"Senpai!"
Hanako-kun's POV
"Sorry to keep you waiting, kid" I said blocking the attack with my knife.
"Hanako! What did you do with senpai?!" The kid asked me getting up.
"Let's hold up until (y/n) finds what she's looking for, and don't worry I took safety precautions so she'll be fine... I think... "
"You think?!"
"I'll be happy to shred the both of you... " Misaki said.
"Anyways, let's just focus on what's in front of us kid", I said straightening up my hat.
"Yeah, try not to hold back and become a stuffed animal."
(Y/n)'s POV
"Is she dead?"
"Is she okay?"
"I'm pretty sure she's dead"
I opened my eyes looking around at my surroundings.
"I'm.. not dead?" I asked getting up.
"She's alive. Mokke disperse" a mokke said as they all went away.
"... Where am I? This place is much brighter than the very top..."
"Ah! I have to find the yorishiro!" I said getting up and running not noticing the little table beside the Tori gate.
"But wher-" I was cut off by my foot hitting the table causing it to fall down along with me.
"O-ow"
'Huh? A book?' I thought to myself as I picked it up.
"This looks suspicious..." I said reading the title.
I opened the book and started reading what was written in here, one entry caught my eye.
"Today we took a picture with the entire class! Misaki gifted me a pair of scissors. He didn't give it to anyone else, only me! Misaki loves me! I'll always treasure the scissors in the wayside shrine."
"Wayside shrine..." I muttered as I turned on another page and another.
"Misaki didn't come today either"
"Misaki didn't come today either"
"Today I heard a rumour. A teacher fell down on these stairs and died. I wonder what did means? I'll ask Misaki the next time I saw him!"
"Misaki might never come back here..."
I widened my eyes as I read the last entry and turned the pages until I saw the last one.
"Misaki is never coming back... So I'll just have to make a Misaki..."
I gasped in horror as the lights surrounding the area turned red.
"What do you think your doing?" 'Misaki' said holding her scissors.
"Y-you're not Misaki-san are you?" I asked backing away.
"So what?" She asked kneeling me in the stomach as I fell down the stairs luckily a mokke saved me from the fall.
"You loved Misaki didn't you?! What would he think if he found out what you did to his students?!" I asked her as she then threw me to a tree.
"Yes I did. If he did find out he would be through with me... But... I want him to scold me again..." She said as she neared me.
"And I'll do anything!" She yelled as she aimed her scissors at me.
"Hanako-kun, help me!" I yelled in fear as the scissors were suddenly thrown away.
I opened my eyes and saw a familiar wisp flying beside me.
"Haku-joudai...?" I questioned as Haku-joudai started floating somewhere.
"Good work Haku-joudai" a familiar voice said as he held the wisp.
"Hanako-kun!" I yelled going over to him as he fell down.
"Hanako-kun are you alright?!"
"I'm tired... I think I might die..."
"Eh? Hanako-kun aren't you already dead?" I asked helping him up.
"Oh my... Did our little game tire you out so much?" Misaki-san asked.
"Yes I am, but I'm in quite a fix" he said getting up.
"Hey (y/n), find her yorishiro, I'll deal with her" Hanako-kun whispered to me.
"Wayside shrine... " I muttered once again as a pair of scissors went our way, remembering the book and one of the things written there.
"Sorry, but I won't let you have time to chat..." She said as she stepped closer but was soon stopped by Hanako-kun tying her up.
"N-number seven, don't interfere!" She said trying to get out of his grasp.
"Sorry, no can do."
Third Person's POV
"No! If she breaks my yorishiro then I can't make Misaki!" The blonde woman exclaimed as dolls came out of nowhere and tried to hold the (h/c) girl down.
"I've been waiting for so long! Everything I do is for Misaki!" She excaimed as (y/n) stopped on her tracks and looked back at the blonde female.
"Are you really doing this for Misaki?! Stop saying your doing this for him, when you're only doing it for yourself! You hurt other people just for your own good!" The young (h/c) said as she stepped on the dolls and made her way to the shrine.
"No!" The spirit exclaimed as she threw her scissors at the young (h/c) girl opening the shrine.
Slowly peeling off the talisman the boundary started to break.
"Number 2 of the Seven Mysteries, Misaki Stairs. You have abandoned your duty as a mystery, you may now return to your seat." Hanako said with his cape flowing in the air as he stabbed the spirit in the chest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The winds blew gently on the green trees as a young man was seen cutting a little girl's hair.
"You've already cut my hair once... Is something happening?" The small girl asked as she looked at the man.
"It's nice to dress up on days like this... Me and my students are gonna take a picture here."
The girl flinched upon hearing the words. As she was about to say something students came flooding the small area.
"Misaki-sensei!"
"Ah! Kids!"
"Misaki-sensei, aren't we taking a school photo? Why didn't we take it at
school?
"Yeah! And a girl's ghost haunts this place!" A little girl said.
The blonde spirit flinched as she slowly turned into a statue.
"I've seen her once, and she scared me! "
"Don't Tell me you're chickening out!"
"Now everyone, face front!" The young man pointed out.
"You too" he said gently taking the head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Y/n)'s POV
"(Y/n)? (Y/n)?"
I opened my eyes tiredly as I rubbed them and looked to the side.
"Hanako-kun?" I asked as he held out a hand in front of me.
"That's me!"
"What just happened?"
"You see that everytime you break a yorishiro... "
"Huh?! What about the others?! Where's Minamoto-kun?!" I asked immediately standing up, remembering why we charged at the Misaki Stairs.
"Ah! Kou is here!" Hanako-kun said as he pulled out a doll from his pockets.
"He ended up so cute... " I said squishing the doll.
"He fought valiantly..."
"As for the others... We'll find out... By her" Hanako-kun continued as he picked up a small fox-like animal.
"Number two's real form!"
"A fox?!"
"She's an inari statue, though she can move. "
"Come one number 2, where is your apology?"
"Hmph!" She then turned her head to the side.
"Time to make kitsune udon" Hanako-kun said swinging his knife right at her.
"Huh?! Hanako-kun stop!" I scolded taking his arm causing the fox to fall.
"The others will be turned back to normal tommorow... I also doubt they'll be able to remember anything... After all I don't have that much power on me left... "
"U-um... Kitsune-san, here! Just so you know I haven't forgiven you yet for what you did... But I also broke something important to you... " I said giving her the photo which she happily accepts.
I tried to touch her but as soon I touched her ear she immediately bit me.
"Don't touch me so casually! I have no intention of befriending someone like you! Also my name is Yako! If you ever call me Kitsune-san again I'll bite your hand off!" She said before walking away.
"Maybe kitsune udon was a better idea..." I said before I started feeling dizzy.
I lean on the wall for support as I tried my best to stay awake.
"(Y/n)?!"
"I'm fine, just tired..." I said as I was suddenly kabedoned by Hanako-kun.
"H-Hanako-kun?!" I asked blushing as he dipped down and kissed my cheek.
"Your reward for helping. It's a charm to cheer you up!" He said grinning.
"... HANAKO-KUN!! "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word count: 2182
Finally I finished writing chapter 5!!! (≧▽≦). This chapter was really difficult though... Welp I'm excited for the next chapter!!!!!!!!! Until next time!
~Sayaka