a/n : not really relating to the chapter, but i love writing characters that are so close that holding hands or doing domestic stuff is barely a second thought, and that it doesn't come with much difficulty. writing those soft domestic moments, be it romantic or platonic, is so fun.
enjoy the chapter!
————— ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
————— ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎
the only sound in the elevator was the soft click of buttons, followed by muttered curses as hanako squinted at a wrinkled piece of paper. you tipped your head.
"...uh, what the hell are you doing?"
"to work the elevator, you have to push buttons in a specific order." he shoved the paper towards you, pointing somewhere in the middle of the list of numbers. "start from here, please."
"um, alright." you blinked at him. "eyesight failing or something?"
"just poor lighting."
you nodded, narrowing your eyes and reading the numbers aloud. "six, two... ten... five, one, six." you blinked down at hanako. "this reminds me of the elevator game. you better not be sending us to hell or something."
"relax, it's fine!" as soon as the words left the dark haired boy's mouth the elevator jolted, before slowly starting to descend. the quiet humming of gears turning filled the enclosed space. "right, now we're headed to the boundary located closest to the far shore- closest to the afterlife."
you shivered, mind starting to ring with taunting songs of your soon-to-be death. akane swallowed thickly beside you, stepping forward.
"and you're sure we'll find ao chan there?"
"not really... but i think the odds are pretty high. the seven mysteries can only use the full extent of their powers within their own boundaries." hanako explained. his words were punctuated with the ding of the elevator coming to a stop, and he motioned towards the opening doors. "okay, here we are."
akane hopped out first, looking around the boundary warily as seawater lapped at his shoes. hanako followed suit, holding out a hand to help you down. you stuck your tongue out at him immediately, but took hold of his hand anyways and leapt into the layer of shimmery water.
"so this is the place closest to the afterlife...?" you mused, glancing around at the lanterns scattered about. lotuses atop lilypads bobbed gently on the surface of the salty water, a refreshing breeze sweeping through the air and carrying with it the sweet scent of flowers.
