Abstract Eyes (Konoha / Kuroha X Reader - Kagerou Project)

Act 08 - Exe's World Affairs

"Woooooooooot I still haven't found them... What should I doooo? Well, I think there's nothing to worry about since Aisen-san was with Eisen goshoujin, but what about that Impostor?! With that kind of air head he'd get lost even without doing anything!" Exe complained, floating around the venue. He still couldn't find them, despite having been looking for them since the past hour. There weren't many people left, only few who were cleaning up the stalls and the park itself. It was already very late at night, after all.

He suddenly saw a tree with a familiar white haired figure beside it. "Hey Konoha! Good grief. What i--"

Exe ceased to speak. The moment he realized what he was seeing, he felt all the air in his lungs be taken away as if it had never been a part of him.

Instead of Konoha, he saw a brown haired boy, whose black eyes stared right at him. A heart melting, nostalgic and tender smile adorned his features, but it didn't appeal to Exe like how it used to.

It can't be. How...how can he be here?

"Haru...ka...?"

He couldn't be mistaken. This is indeed him. This isn't some impostor or shape shifter.

It was really his best friend since middle school. As Exe continued to stare at him as if they were the only ones in the world, everything else ceased to exist, even time itself seemed to have stopped.

Within this trance, every single bit of his memories flooded him, drowning him in his regrets.

It was in that one classroom they shared. Shared because both were the only ones who were extremely physically weak. It was on a summer day while on make up classes. Classes wherein they had to finish supplementary homework for their sick absences. Absences because day by day Haruka was getting weaker, and he had to undergo treatments almost every week.

And yet, Exe had the carelessness to let his guard down. Instead of watching over him, he...

He put on his headphones, sleeping, acting as if there's nothing to worry about.

Just like a headphone actor.

If it wasn't for him, Haruka would still be alive.

But here he was, smiling at him, as if he never did anything wrong. Instead, Haruka was smiling at Exe as if he meant the world to him.

He was snapped ore of his thoughts when Haruka mouthed something to him, then his gaze shifted to something under the shade of the cherry blossom tree.

There, Exe saw a hollow hole too obscure to be able to be seen through.

That made Exe widen his eyes until they hurt. He let his body be blown away elsewhere, to where Haruka directed him to go.

To where the labyrinth of the snake would go to.

To where the Dan was.

-*-

"We're done cleaning up here. Are there more leftovers? Hand them to me, I'll store them for tomorrow."

"Oh, here you go~ but wait! Give me a kiss fir--"

And you couldn't guess what happened next. Clue: it's related to the safety of Kano's bones.

Seto settled down some boxes next to the van. He let out an exhale of relief, finally finished with the heavy baggage. "If Konoha was here, this should have been no match for him."

"Mary, are you done there?" Seto called out to Mary who was only a foot behind him.

"...Mary?"

He wondered why she suddenly froze so he bended down to her level to see. What he saw made him run into a state of panic.

"M-Mary! Why are you crying?!"

"Everyone!!!"

Someone pounded on the door. Shintaro went and opened it, revealing a very panicked Exe.

"We have to g--"

It was then when everyone was consumed into a darkness that none of them knew where it would lead to. They'd find out, soon...

But unfortunately, they had to find out...the hard way.

As of now, all they knew was that while being warped into that ill-omened abyss, they heard a faint hiss, accompanied by a sinister chuckle from the distance.