𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥-𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗗.

04 ᯾ Misaki's Staircase ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵗʷᵒ

Dolls. There were tons of dolls everywhere. Their faces all covered with the paper with wrote the number two. Aimi would be lying if she says she wasn't bothered, infact, she was.

If blood was one of her fears, then dolls were one of the things she wouldn't like to see. It wasn't that she feared them, they were just so strange.

Aimi walked beside Hanako, her eyes scanning the entire place. The path was clear, but everywhere else was a mess. In one side, there'd be dolls, in the other, there'd be random junks and drawers.

"The so-called netherworld." Aimi flinched upon hearing Hanako speak up so suddenly. She turned to look at him, raising a brow while waiting for him to continue. Hanako smiled as he spoke up once again. "The missing students should be here.. though not necessarily in one piece.."

The last part was not necessary.. Aimi grumbled as she went ahead of the others, trying to observe the place a little more. She didn't wanna answer any more questions from neither Nene or Kou. She just wanted to take everyone out of this place and keep them safe.

I should have really just went to the restroom in my normal form... Why did I even change myself into this..?

Before she could even answer her own question, a loud sound echoed through the entire boundary.

The four risktakers looked at the telephone which was still ringing, waiting for it to be answered by one of them. Aimi looked at the other three with an expression which said well-good-luck-with-that.

The phone hadn't stopped ringing yet. It seemed like no one wanted to answer. Who knew if that would be some sort of trap?

And seeing as no one was stepping forward, Aimi decided to take initiative.

Initiative as in telling Nene to go answer the phone like the brave girl she was.

"Sorry, Yashiro-chan." Aimi scratched her cheek nervously as her and Nene went towards the phone. The ombré-haired girl let out a shaky sigh before placing the telephone beside her ear.

"H-Hello..?" Nene spoke up. "U-Um.. who are you..?"

"I don't think she'd say it so easily," Aimi whispered as they awaited for the reply on the other line. Hanako nodded in agreement, giving the girl a thumbs up. "It's for the suspense."

"It's me." Aimi got goosebumps upon hearing the response. She instantly backed away from the telephone and stood behind Kou. "Misaki."

A call from one of the seven mysteries?! Nene's eyes widened as she looked at the object she was holding in fear. "Misaki, you say?"

"I was once a teacher. I taught students in the schoolhouse on top of this stairway."

"But I was killed and ripped to pieces."

"Right at that spot you're standing in, actually."

Nene and Aimi both shivered. The girl apparition looked down at the step they were on and instantly went a step up. So that's like, a sacred ground for Fox-san? she thought.

"Now, human."

"Would you find a body for me?"