"(Y/N)!!!" A familiar voice screamed from across the class.

You looked up from your book to see Masaomi weaving through the maze of students as he and Mikado stood in front of your desk. Masaomi was out of breath so was bent over his knees, panting. He was stumbling for words, but you couldn't understand him. Mikado translated what he was trying to say through his pants. "We heard what happened to you and Anri a couple weeks ago from Patricia!" Mikado said. "Are you alright?"

You tilted your head, trying to remember what happened a couple weeks ago. A sudden flashback of the Slasher crossed your mind. "You mean our run-in with Slasher?" You asked the two boys.

They nodded in uniform agreement. "No offense or anything, but that's old news," you laughed.

"I know!" Masaomi yelled, slamming his hands into your desk, startling you. "Our point is why didn't you tell us that you almost got stabbed?!"

"Well..." you trailed. "It's because I didn't get hurt from the incident, so I didn't see to it as a priority to tell you both--"

"Well you shoulda done it! What if you got stabbed for real?!"

"Masaomi, please, we are in a public setting..."

"(She's/He's/They're) right," Mikado nodded. "The class is staring to stare at us."

Feeling the burning gaze of your classmates as Masaomi yelled at you was humiliating at best. "Sorry," Masaomi sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "It's just that yesterday Anri got sent to the hospital because she had a run-in wth the Slasher as well and we visited her. Guess that was her second time--"

"WHAT?!" You screamed, jumping up from your desk. "Anri got sent to the hospital?! When?!" Now it was your turn to panic.

"Just yesterday," Mikado said. "Masaomi and I visited her after school."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?!"

"Well, you had a shift after school that day and didn't want you calling in sick because you went to visit a friend--"

"Still, you shoulda told me and I coulda visited her after my shift was done."

"Um...(Y/n)..." Masaomi muttered. "You're repeating what I just did."

Regaining control of your senses, you sighed and sat back down. "Sorry," you mumbled. "I kinda lost it."

"Not your fault," Mikado assured you.

"Anyways," Masaomi butted in. "I'm sorry I didn't find out about the run-in until just now. I'm glad you're okay-especially that cute body of yours. Can't have that be marked up so soon!"

"MASAOMI!!!" You screamed in embarrassment, your face becoming a strawberry as Masaomi laughed at your reaction and Mikado just stood there awkwardly.

*~*~*~*~*~

You sat in the hospital chair by Anri's bed. School just ended an hour ago and you were at Raira General Hospital, visiting Anri as well as dropping off the class work she missed and the homework that was assigned. "God, you must be terrified..." you sighed. "This is your second run-in..."

"No worries," she smiled. "It's all taken care of now. I'll be fine-the doctors even said I won't scar up!"

"I'm sorry I didn't find out until today. I was oblivious and missed the announcement."

"It's fine. I wasn't lonely. Mikado and Masaomi visited me yesterday. Oh, I heard from Patricia who came by earlier that Mirai and Kaito heard about the attack. How did they take it?"

"Not so well. I think they found out through Erika and Walker since they're frequent customers and know that I work there. They probably tipped the two of them off at what happened. When I walked in to work that day, they pounced on me. They were giving me death hugs and crying that they will never let me out of their sight or walk home alone again. Then they lectured me. I didn't know that a tsundere like Kaito was capable of having a secret mom side..."

"There's always the mom friend in a group of friends."

"True."

Youa and Anri shared a hearty laugh, enjoying each other's company.

*~*~*~*~*~

"Anri had fully recovered!" Masaomi cheered one day after school. It was the day Anri returned from the hospital, which was a week since you visited it. "Glad she and her sexiness are okay."

"'Sexy' is not necessary, Masaomi," Mikado scolded, a blush dusting his fair cheeks.

"Anyways, we're all relived you're okay, Anri," you smiled at her.

"U-Um, thanks you three," she smiled softly.

"No need to thank me," Masaomi did a loose-hand salut. "As long you and your sexiness are safe."

"I'm the same, except the sexy part," Mikado quickly added.

"And, I know it's been a while already, but I'm glad you're okay!" Masaomi laughed, slinging an arm around your shoulders.

Your cheeks warmed up at the sudden contact, a strange twinge of happiness going unnoticed. "Thanks, Masaomi," you laughed. "But don't say it because you're saying it to Anri and you forgot to say it to me--"

"No. I'm genuinely glad."

"Oh...thank you then."

"Don't worry-I'm glad your cute quirks are okay as well!"

"You--" you sputtered at Masaomi, red with embarrassment as he laughed, but it was interrupted with his phone ringing.

He picked it up, not even checking who it was first. "Hello?" He said into the phone. Silence for a bit. "Okay. Got it. Be right there."

He shut his orange phone. "Sorry!" He apologized. "A friend needs something right away!"

"Yeah?" Mikado asked, not really convinced.

"If you want someone to blame, blame my friend as much as you want!" He shrugged with a carefree aura. "Blaming a person is free, and it doesn't hurt me at all. It's like two birds with one stone!" He ran off before turning back and waving. "Viva, polygamy!" He yelled before going out of sight.

"Polygamy?" Mikado asked, confused what it meant. He turned to you and Anri and you both replied with a shrug, coming up with an answer no better than his.

"See you tomorrow!" Masaomi echoed.

"Was it really that important?" Mikado sighed.

"I mean, he does have an outside life that separate from our friend group here," you shrugged. "So who knows?"

"Masaomi's been acting weird lately, don't you think?" Anri asked suddenly.

"Huh?" You asked back with confusion.

"Really?" Mikado asked. "Sure you're not overthinking things?"

Anri shrugged. "Anyways, I'd better get home--" she started.

"Anri, you forgot something," you interrupted.

"Huh?"

"You're coming by my place today, right? To catch up on the missing classwork and homework?"

"...oh, yeah! Now I remember!" She laughed. "Sorry about that, (Y/n)."

"It's okay," you giggled. "It's your first day back. Take it easy."

You and Anri waved goodbye to Mikado as you two trekked the way to your place.

*~*~*~*~*~

"That rain shower was totally unexpected," you laughed as you and her entered your home. On the way home, the clouds began to darken and it started pouring. You both had to run for your lives so that you could make it to your apartment dry.

"Yeah," she laughed, sliding her back off her shoulders.

"We both should get started if we want to be able to complete as much as possible. If you don't understand something,just ask and I'll help."

"Okay, thanks. I'll just skim the notes in the lessons I missed and do the problems."

"Want to stay the night? The rain doesn't look like it's gonna let up anytime soon."

"Huh? Me? No, I couldn't..."

"I insist!"

"Well, alright."

"Great!"

The two of you were hard at work, trying to finish the homework and uncompleted classwork from today and finish making up all the assignments Anri missed. But, it seemed like you were the only one working. Anri was dazing out, in deep thought.

Suddenly, she got up from the table. "I'm sorry, I must go now and run an errand," she announced.

"An errand?" You asked, looking out the window. It was dark out, even though it wasn't only evening and you heard hear the down pouring on the roof. "Now? In this weather? Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry-it has to be now."

"Wait, Anri! What's going on--"

"I'm sorry!"

She put in her jacket and opened the door, making a run for it. Instead of stopping her, you stared at the door in exasperation. What's going on? You thought to yourself.

*~*~*~*~*~

Anri left at around 7:45 in the evening. It is now 10:10 and Anri hasn't even texted back if she was coming home or not. You sent her so many texts, asking where is she, is she okay, what's taking so long, so on and so forward. you made her a cup of tea for when she comes home she can have a hot drink.

At 10:16, there was soft but quick knocking on the door. You went over to the peephole and looked, and you as Anri. She was nearly soaked. Gasping, you tore open the door and let the soaked, shivering Anri in. "Anri!" You screamed. "Come in! Come in! Before you catch a cold!"

Hesitantly, she stepped in. She was pale and her pupils were completely dilated from behind her glasses. In her eyes, you saw pure terror, shock, and...a hint of betrayal? "Anri, what's--" you started.

"I'm sorry, I must go!" Anri said suddenly, sweeping her things into her bag and making her way out the door again.

"Hold up. What's going on? Why do you look like you saw a ghost? Where did you go?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say. I need...time to be able to take in all the news."

"Would you like the cup of tea I made at the least?"

"No. I'm sorry you had to go through all this trouble for this."

Anri packed her messenger back before stepping out and going down the starts of the rusted balcony. You could help but wonder, Is it became of this "errand" she had to run that she saw something s shocking like a ghost?

What even was the errand in the first place?