"Missing?" Hanako hummed while placing one of the hanafuda cards. "Hmm."

      "I need more than just a 'hmm'" Y/n sighed impatiently. "You weren't around all day! That's why we waited for you this late!"

      "Well I'm busy too." Hanako answered her as he placed a bright card.

      "You're just playing hanafuda anyways!" Y/n stated while raising her voice. "Besides why would you place a bright card already, you could have waited for it's pair!"

      "You could just call the police about it." Hanako answered. Y/n scoffed at his stubbornness.

      "As if they would believe us about it." Y/n says. "Aoi's things in the school are missing, even everyone around her didn't know her existence except for me and Nene."

      "Hanako!" Kou slid through the entrance of the bathroom.

      "Minamoto-san, this is a girl's bathroom why the hell are you sliding in like direct messages?" Y/n asked the blonde exorcist.

      Kou grabbed Hanako by his shoulder as he began to shake him aggressively until the appirition became dizzy. "Damn it! What did you do with Yokoo and Satou from my class!?"

      "Whoah bud, calm down." Y/n told Kou.

      "Why doesn't anyone remember them?!" he asked.

      "Then..?"

      "Five Brights." The Mokkes announced. Y/n cackled quietly at the corner knowing that Hanako lost on the card game.

      "Missing students and rumors about the stairs." Hanako began as he adjusted his collar. "But I have an idea."

      "I knew it! You no good——"

      "Minamoto-kun." Y/n warned the blonde 'kou'hai.

      "Where did Aoi go anyways?" Yashiro asked the ghost.

      "There are seven places in the school that connect to the spirit world." Hanako explained. "Those stairs are one of them."

      "Then the missing students must have been taken to the spirit world, huh?" said Yashiro.

      "They're called Boundaries. Their whole existence will be erased when they get there."

      "Boundaries?" Kou questioned the appirition. "My brother told me about those things."

      Y/n unexpectedly grasped into Hanako's sleeves. "Can't people go back from there?" she asked.

      "Don't look so down." Hanako grabbed her cheeks as he began to squish them. "It'll be fine. I'll save them"

      'His hands are so cold'

      'Her cheeks are squishy it reminded me of mochi'

      "Didn't I tell you?" Hanako continued to squish her mochi cheeks. "I'm number seven of the Seven Wonders. It's my duty to maintain order between humans and spirits."

      "Hanako-kun" Y/n pouted as he let go of her cheeks.

      "There, there." Hanako floated as he patted her hair.

      'Aw~ they're acting so sweet!' Yashiro thought while smiling at them.

      "Hey!" Kou interrupted the moment.

      "I was just getting at the good part~" Hanako wiggled his fingers.

      "Keep your sleezy hands of her!" Kou grabbed Y/n away from the ghost. "You're taking Y/n-senpai to the Boundary right?"

      "Now, now Minamoto-kun." Y/n patted her kouhai's spiky blonde hair. "Your job is to protect Yashiro when we get there, because I love her very much and I wouldn't accept if something bad happened to her."

      "Sure, sure." Kou glanced at the girl then blushed a bit.

      'Better court her bud, the girl needs a lovelife' Y/n looked at Kou with a smug look on her face.

➽───────────────❥

      The squad arrived at the art room near the Misaki Stairs. They went infront of the stairs which was dripped in blood. "Let's go! Step on the fourth step right?"

      Y/n swiftly grabbed Hanako's hand then looked away. "Don't even think about asking about this." she said slightly shaking.

      "Oh my my my~" Hanako teased her while covering his mouth. "Making a bold move huh Y/n~?"

      "S-shut up you ghost." Y/n stammered.

      "Alright here we go!" Hanako announced as he took the first step.

      "W-wait already?!" Yashiro asked in disbelief.

      One.

      Two.

      Three.

      Y/n gulped as she was nearing to the fourth step which was dripping with blood. 'This is for Aoi and everyone who disappeared, don't be a scaredy cat Y/n!"

      Four.

      Y/n closed her eyes just incase something out of the ordinary happened in the scenario. She opened her eyes and saw that they were in a rural town with lanterns hanging up ahead.

      She looked at the torii gate infront of them.

      Misaki.

      Y/n realizes that she was still holding Hanako's hand. She let go of her hand. "Sorry." she muttered while looking away from her.

      The squad went upstairs to find something that could lead to the missing students. 'Wow it really is the spirit world' Y/n thought to herself while looking around.

      Y/n looked back and saw Yashiro behind her. Kou is on the back of the line holding his staff. The blonde exorcist looked at Y/n, she smirked at him.

      'You better protect her'

      Kou knew what her look meant, he slightly furrowed his eyebrows. 'Of course I'm protecting her' he replied to her using telepathic thoughts.

      'We must have the same braincells huh?' Y/n chuckled at Kou. 'I can definetly receive that thing, you better keep your word.'

      'Don't worry Senpai!'

      'Hehe~'

      Y/n suddenly stopped as she saw Yashiro staring at the dolls with fear. It has a scroll infront of their faces which translates to 'two'.

      "Are you sure there's something in here Hanako?" Kou questioned. "Didn't you say that I was gonna get shredded?"

      "It won't do it right away" Hanako assured him. "Ending things too quickly is boring, right?"

      Just then the phone rang.

      The four of them turned into the direction on the telephone ringing. They looked at each other. "So who's picking that up?" Kou asked.

      "Got any hanafuda cards Hanako?" Y/n asked him. "Just four different cards."

      "We'll determine to pick up that phone call by the lowest month of these cards." Y/n says as she picked the card. She sighed in relief. "What do you guys got?"

      "I got April." Hanako says showing the fuji card.

      "May" Kou showed the ayame card.

      "October." Y/n said flipping the momiji card infront of them. Yashiro sighed in defeat as she showed her card.

      "December." Yashiro said with a depressed aura as she showed the kiri card.

      "Take the phone call!" Y/n slightly shoved her scared friend to the ringing telephone.

      "H-hello?" Yashiro greeted as Hanako floated near her to hear the conversation. "W-Who is this?"

      "I am....Misaki." a woman's voice answered.

      "I-it's Misaki!" Yashiro said in a hushed tone.

      "A phone call from a wonder?" Y/n questioned. "Would that be considered as ghosted too since she's probably a ghost too?"

      "Y/n I won't hesitate to kick you with my legs." Yashiro warned her friend.

      "Ok Daikon." Y/n smugged. Yashiro sighed as she listened on what the woman said on the other line.

      "I teach students in the school house on top of the stairs." the woman spoke. "But, I was sliced up and died here."

      "Right where you're standing now."

      Yashiro's look of fear worsened on what the woman said. Her voice sent shivers down her spine on how slowly and calm her voice is.

      "Hey you there, find my body for me."

      "W-wait! Is Aoi there——"

      "First, my right arm." the woman cuts her off from saying any further. "I use this hand to write with chalk."

      "Hurry. Class begins soon."

      The woman hung up after she said that. Y/n turned her head and saw an hourglass turning upside down to begin the time for searching.

      "So we got a time limit." Kou says.

      "Maybe we can go ahead if we put an arm in there?" Yashiro questioned.

      "Who knows." Hanako wondered. "I'm sure something will happen though."

      "Each of the Seven Wonders is unbeatable in their territory." Hanako began to explain. "For me it's the bathroom."

      "Anyways, let's go find that arm of hers so we can go and save the other students especially Aoi." Y/n says as she searched for the missing arm on each drawers.

➽───────────────❥

loraine's note:
honk, double updates :>