[HIATUS] ♕ 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒆 ♕ -jibaku shonen hanako-kun

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟜

"(y/n) (l/n) is inside this very school."

Kou froze on his spot, his blushing face (from what happened earlier) turned pale and he muttered the words "What do you mean?" in a really soft voice. Nene just stared at him because she couldn't hear what he said, but Hanako sighed in response.

"I can't tell you right now. But I'm sure you will find out sooner or later," said Hanako as he turned back to the window, gazing off into the distance. "For it is connected to your beloved big brother."

"My brother...?" Kou's breath hitched. "Does that mean she's become a一"

"Okay, stop! It's supposed to remain a secret!"

Hanako went back to his cheerful (and slightly teasing) mode as he floated in the air and hugged Nene from behind, but he mouthed something as he faced Kou.

'She resides in the abandoned music room, on the 3rd floor of the west building.'

+++

(y/n)'s fingers danced across the piano keys as she closed her eyes, reminiscing her memories of Teru as she played, as usual. The song was just about to reach its refrain when a knock came from outside the door. She froze.

Another visitor?

She got off her piano bench and walked towards the door silently, trying to figure out who was at the door.

Did the School Mystery No. 7 and his assistant come back because of something? Or is it someone from the broadcasting club? No... Tsukasa and the others usually never knock when they visit...

She opened the door hesitantly, hiding behind it as she did so. If her heart hadn't stopped, it must've been beating really fast to the point where it might leapt out of her chest by now because of how nervous she is, but all the emotions drained from her face the moment she saw the person who just entered.

No... it can't be...! How did he find out...?

Their eyes met as Kou Minamoto peered from the other side of the door, leaving both of them frozen on the spot while the door closed by itself. The boy was the one who regained his consciousness first, and his hands moved to touch (y/n)'s face the same way he did on their first encounter years ago. Her eyes were staring at Kou intently, not with the fear that she had on their first encounter, but instead with longing and a strong sense of nostalgia.

"Are you really (y/n)-senpai? You look just like her," Kou was still in a daze even though he is somewhat aware of what he's doing. "You know, on that day when you went missing, my brother was so devastated at the thought of losing you. I still remember the look on his face when he rushed to your house and spoke to your aunt with tears streaming down his eyes..."

(y/n) lowered her gaze, trying to hold back her tears. So Teru was worried about her. She was special too, to him, just... not in the same way as he is special to her.

"He did that...?"

Kou nodded, letting go of her face. "Yeah, but now you're here, and I couldn't imagine how happy he would be to finally meet you agai一"

(y/n) blinked at him in confusion as he suddenly stopped his sentence midway. "Kou?"

"Uhm... actually, no. It's fine. He's probably busy anyways, with the student council and everything... heheh..."

(y/n) knows this boy's habit like the back of her hand. When he lies, he usually scratches the back of his neck while doing a closed-eyes smile, also putting an awkward laugh at the end of each sentence... she understands him too well.

Because Teru always did the same thing.

She had seen the eldest son of the Minamoto household rejects countless girls when they were young, and how he comes up with the most unreasonable excuses just to get away from those girls, such as "I have to feed my dog at home" when he actually have no dogs at all, or "I need to buy a new notebook" when he actually has a whole stack of notebooks in his house's storeroom. He said all of that while scratching the back of his neck and putting an awkward smile.

(y/n) sighed, and decided to not pursue this matter any further. Soon the two of them were already engrossed in their conversation, most of the topic being Teru Minamoto or Nene Yashiro. Kou told her how Nene admires his big brother, even giving fresh picked vegetables that she planted herself in the school garden as a token of gratitude for him picking up her pencil case when she dropped it in the hallway.

"Did the School Mystery No. 7 told her to do that?" (y/n) asked in amusement as Kou finished the story. "Because Nene Yashiro doesn't seem like the type to do something like that on her own accord..."

She kind of reminds me of myself...

"I guess so," said Kou, before pausing and looking hesitant for a moment. "Uhm... (y/n)-senpai... do you mind if I asked you a question?"

(y/n) shook her head. "It's okay. Go ahead."

"So... how did you become a School Mystery?"

+++

Kou was walking in the hallway, his eyes gazing off to a distance after hearing what (y/n) said earlier. He had just entered the school's main building when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hey, Kou,"

The boy looked up to meet a pair of blue eyes identical to his. "Teru-nii..."

"What's wrong?" Teru Minamoto asked him once they were face-to-face with each other, his voice laced with concern. "You're spacing out. I've been calling your name several times already, and you didn't even stop."

"It's nothing, I'm just a bit... tired," Kou answered, looking away from his brother's gaze.

Teru stared at his younger brother for a short moment before sighing. "Still, you have to pay attention to your surroundings. What if some supernatural came to you while you were spacing out?"

Kou stayed silent the whole time.

"Speaking of supernatural beings... I heard some girls in my class talking about this 'School Mystery No.8' earlier."

Kou still didn't react. So his brother wasn't aware of the abandoned music room yet.

"I haven't made any move to investigate yet, because I'm pretty certain that there are only Seven School Mysteries. However..." Teru paused for a while, as if debating to himself whether to continue or not. "If the rumor is true, and there are students who report that their friends or even themselves are bewitched, I will investigate and exorcise this said School Mystery No. 8."