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

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟟

She put her hand on the doorknob, debating whether to open the door to save Kou and risk her identity being found out by Teru or to stay inside the room. No, this isn't the time to worry about this. Kou might be in danger... and I don't want him getting hurt.

By the time she opened the door, Teru had already left.

Teru sprinted down the halls, his expression pale with worry after hearing Kou's scream. His initial plan was to stay with School Mystery No.8 until she decided to reveal her face, but right now his brother is his number one priority.

Teru stopped his tracks when he reached the end of the corridor, near the stairs leading up to the rooftop, where he saw Kou collapsing to the ground before leaning against the wall while clutching his face in agony. A supernatural whose facial features closely resembled the School Mystery No. 7 stood calmly with his back facing his younger brother, staring down at a pink-haired boy who was lying on the ground with a large and terrifying-looking hole on his chest.

"Remember, Mitsuba? You asked me to grant your wish! You said 'I want to stay in everyone's memories'."

The Hanako-lookalike supernatural glanced at Teru for a split second before squatting down to the pink-haired boy and yanking his hair. The supernatural's gaze turned cold as he looked at the boy, and he spoke with a low and threatening voice. "Now you have just one person, and you're happy with that? No, you're not."

Teru has already unsheathed his blade and was about to exorcise him when Kou suddenly grabbed the Hanako-lookalike supernatural's shoulder from behind. "Who do you think you are...? Don't you lay a hand on my friend!"

A... friend, he said?

Teru's mind immediately went back to the time he spent with (y/n) before she got into the car accident. She has always been his dearest friend, and he still regrets not being able to save nor protect her when she was in danger. So when his brother said the pink-haired boy was his friend, he immediately understood what it meantー he couldn't risk using his powers to exorcise the Hanako-lookalike supernatural if it means he would end up hurting his dearest younger brother's friend.

The supernatural shrugged off Kou's grip as he jumped awayー carrying the pink-haired boy on his shoulders like a sackー and pushed Kou away from them with incredible strength using his powers until the blond-haired boy's back hit the wall once again. Teru hurriedly approached his little brother as he stared at the supernatural with an icy cold glare, prepared to fight if the supernatural decides to hurt Kou.

"I am a supernatural. For the right price, I will grant the wish of whoever summons me."

+++

(y/n) arrived at the scene a few minutes after Teru did, and she immediately hid at an empty classroom nearby to observe the situation as her mind drifted to the discussion she had with Tsukasa and the broadcasting club.

"Is there something you need to discuss with us, Tsukasa-san, (y/n)-san?"

(y/n) nodded, while Tsukasa just stared at her with his usual curiously-innocent face, silently urging her to quickly tell them about her plan to 'win Teru's heart' might be. The School Mystery No. 8, understanding the signal, then proceeds to fill them in on what she's planning while the three members of the broadcasting club listened closely.

"Not so long ago, I was on my deathbed. But before I died, I was saved by Tsukasa... and I wished for something from him. It was to reunite with someone I held dear since I was a child..."

(y/n) paused for a while, trying to clear her thoughts of Teru before continuing her explanation.

"And to pay the price for that very wish, I need to become his friend. Therefore, I need your help to gain his trust... by proving to him that not all supernaturals are bad."

(y/n) took a deep breath as her gaze moved from Teru and Kou, to Tsukasa and Mitsuba, then back to Teru and Kou.

This is all part of the plan... but why am I feeling so uneasy...?

"Amane grants the wish of the living on the near shore, while I grant the wishes of the dead on the far shore. He made a wish, and I answered. And now I'm going to make his wish come true.

"And I'm going to do it my way."

Tsukasa held his own hand facing the ground at chest height, as a radio-like device appeared below his palm. "Sakura! We're all ready!"

"Got it," there was a small pause after Sakura's calm voice was heard from the device, as (y/n) waited nervously for what she's about to say.

"...Have you heard about this rumor? 'The Bent-Neck Boy at the School Entrance'."

Mitsuba's neck twisted backwards with a sharp cracking sound, and his eyes widened in surprise at his body's reaction to the voice from the radio.

"They say a ghost with a broken neck... appears at the entrance to the middle school division. He is a very lonely ghost, so he might talk to you too. He'll say... 'Hey, did you forget about me?'"

Mitsuba clutched his head while his mouth let out an agonized cry as Sakura said the last sentence. Kou muttered out a small 'Mitsuba...', too weak to defend his friend because of all Tsukasa's previous attack towards him.

Sakura continued. "If you can't tell him his name... then... he'll break your neck to make you look like him."

Mitsuba dropped to the ground while covering both his ears with his own hands, trying to block Sakura's words and echoes of insults from people hearing the rumor directed towards him from playing in his mind. Tears began to form in his eyes as he looked at Kou, who was kneeling down on the ground beside him. "Minamoto-kun..."

"...There," Tsukasa switched off the radio. "Now... no one will ever forget you."

(y/n) stared at the pink-haired boy's new appearance in horror. He looked nothing like a human. His head was tilted to one side, and there are features resembling eyes all over his form. He looked... terrifying.

Tsukasa stood beside Mitsuba, directing his hand towards the pink-haired boy as if he's presenting his work at an art exhibition. He smiled at the Minamoto brothers, which seemed to them like he's smiling with his eyes closed, but for a split second he directed his gaze at (y/n), who is peeking through a small gap on a classroom door.

 "Good for you... Mitsuba!"

That is... a warning... for me. The consequences I will bear if this plan fails.

=====

A/N: i simp for soft teru and nothing can stop me from making him soft even though it might make him seem out of character hehehe φ(︶▽︶)φ i probably won't have time to update next week bcs of my hectic school schedule so i wrecked my brain today to finish this chapter for you guys ('• ω •') please do tell me what you think of this chapter (aka soft teru XD) on the comment box, i'd love to hear it!

and uhmm just out of curiosity, do you guys play otome games?