【ᴍɪᴛsᴜʙᴀ】

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"Say... did you hear? They say, the entrance to the middle school is haunted." Minamoto Kou turned to one of his bestfriend, Yoko As the three of them went to their respective lockers at the entrance.

"When your changing your shoes, the ghost will grab your arm, and then it'll say-"

"Hey.." Some one cut him out, making the boy freak out, and bash the person near him, which was Kou's other friend, Satou.

"Whoa! Cut it out, Satou!"

"Huh? I didn't do anything.." The two paused and look at Kou, who was staring at something.

"Did you forget about me?" Kou's two friends look at the figure in horror as it held Kou by his arm. The two screamed and scrambled away, leaving the young exorcist behind.

Kou grabbed the arm, harshly, making the said ghost flinched. "Your haunting the wrong guy!"

He threw the figure to some of the lockers and slammed his foot agains it, right to the cowering ghost."So the rumors about you, were true, damn evil spirit." Kou sneered. "I'm gonna capture you and, uh?..." Kou then noticed the clothes, the ghost was wearing

'A school uniform? He was a student here?' He thought as he looked closely to the figure.

It was a boy, same age as him. He has pink hair that was tied into a little ponytail, his eyes were pink too, a bit glossy as he stared back at the exorcist infront of him.

Kou blink of a moment, not knowing what to do with him.

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"Hey, kid. What've you got there?" Hanako asked as him, Hatsume and Yashiro Nene stared at him while holding a tied up ghost. Kou brought him to the bathroom where he know, that Hanako and Hatsume are. Yashiro was also there for cleaning duty.

"He's an evil spirit who was causing trouble at the middle school entrance, so I caught him!" Kou exclaimed as he held the struggling ghost. Hatsume tiltled her head, her long (h/c) hair falling slightly.

"M-mitsuba-kun? Is t-that you?" The boy looked up hopefully at the female seventh mystery when she mentioned his name.

"Eh? You know him, Hatsume-chan?" Kou asked. She nodded. "Y-yes. I've been c-checking the other apparitions here at school and report back to Hanako-kun, remember? Mitsuba-kun is one of those apparitions that I've been watching over."

Hanako hummed in thought. "And you're going to exorcise him now?" Mitsuba panicked and struggled further. Kou rubbed his cheek in embarassment.

"Uh, I stopped doing that kinda thing." He muttered, but he then shouted cheerfully, changing the topic. "So! I was wondering... There's gotta be some other way we can deal the problem, right?!"

"Some other way? Hmm.." Hanako thought for a moment until he went closer to the tied up boy and stared at him, suspiciously. Hatsume pushed him a little bit away from the trembling pink haired boy.

"H-Hanako-kun, Your scaring him." The female seventh mystery said, gently scolding her other half. Hanako only shrugged and turned away from Hatsume, Mitsuba and Kou.

"Well. He's probably here because of some unfinished business, right? So maybe you just need to finish that for him."

"Ofcourse! Now that we know that, that should be easy!" Kou said as he grabbed Mitsuba, and dashed out of the bathroom.

"Let's go, evil spirit! We're gonna take care of your unfinished business!!"

The trio watched him as he run from the bathroom. Yashiro looked at the two seventh mystery with a confused and worried look.

"Will be okay, without us?" The human girl then sweated nervously as Hatsume stared at her with a weird glint in her eyes.

"A-are you worried for Kou-kun, Nene-chan?" The female spirit teased, making her blushed brightly. Yashiro already knew what she was hinting about.

After Hatsume found them together making the donuts from the Home EC lab, The female seventh mystery would often tease her poor human assistant's relationship with the young exorcist.

"D-don't e-even think about it..." Yashiro said, still red as she continued mopping.

"You'd probably better stay away from that ghost." Hanako warned his human assistant. "But he's not all dangerous right now. And even if something happen. Well then, All that means is I have a little more work to do..."

Hatsume sighed. She only hoped that the pink haired ghost boy won't turn into something dangerous like Hanako said, from the day she met him.

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'I wonder, if Kou-kun managed to find that unfinished business that Mitsuba-kun haven't done yet..' The female spirit thought holding a mokke, inbetween her arms as she watched Hanako playing cards with some other mokkes. Hanako groaned as the mokke won for the tenth time on their game.

"Am I even going to defeat you guys, one day?" The male spirit said, sulking slightly making Hatsume sighed.

"W-why bother challenging them, if you know that you'll just lose?" Hanako look up towards her and deadpanned.

"Because...." Hanako trailed of.

"Because?" Hatsume raised an eyebrow.

"I need to show them that I'm stealing your heart from them." The female seventh mystery blushed. 'H-how can he s-say that with a s-straight expression?!'

"What? No comeback or insults?" Hanako teased making her turn redder than it was possible. "These past few weeks, you're becoming more soft and gentle with me, Have I made you fall for me yet?"

Hatsume slapped him hard, since his face was near hers. Hanako groaned in pain as he held his swollen red hand printed cheek. "There's the Hatsume, I know and love..."

Just then, one of Hanako's Tsueshiro, Haku-joudai began floating frantically and flew towards the two seventh mystery's view

"Haku-joudai?" Hanako looked at it confused.

"What's wrong?" Hatsume asked, concerned.

The ghostly duo suddenly paled as they heard what the small wisp said. Hanako soon trasformed into his signature caped clothes and his trusty knife.

"Hatsume, let's go.." His other half nodded. In a flash, the duo disappeared to where the young exorcist was currently at.

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"Come on, say something..." Kou asked desperately as he held Mitsuba's mutated face. He was being strangled by the boy's bandage like wraps.

But then Mitsuba was cut in half, revealing Hanako inbetween his sliced up body, he then quickly took Kou from the supernatural's grasp, his face being blank.

"Kou-kun!!" Hatsume ran up to the human boy's side and gently rubbed his back as Kou cough holding his neck.

"..Hanako...Hatsume..." Kou stared at the the ghostly duo in shock.

"Ah! It's Amane and (N/n)-chan!" Kou could feel Hatsume tense up besides him as she heard the familar happy voice that she feared so much.

"How many years has it been? Ten? Twenty? Oh! that's right! We met on the roof the other day!" Kou could see the frown, Hanako wore as he went to his younger brother and slammed him on the wall. "Woah!"

"Why are you doing this, Tsukasa?!" Hanako demanded, his grip on him tightening as he clenched his hands on his brother's shoulder.

Tsukasa though about it with his usual innocent look. "hmm. Because I like it, the look on people's faces when they decided to stop holding back." He then smirked. "Yours was really good too, Amane.

Back when you killed me..."

Hanako's yellow eyes widened. So did Hatsume's.

Hanako trembled as he recalled the day he killed his own brother, after finding out that he was the one who killed his only friend. He quickly wiped his eyes but froze when Tsukasa held both of his cheek, preventing him from looking away.

"I love you, Amane. Let's play together, like we used to. Okay?" Tsukasa smiled, but before Hanako could say anything, someone kicked his brother away from him.

"Stay away from Hanako-kun, Tsukasa..." Hatsume said seriously, standing infront of her other half who was currently shock at her sudden appearance. Tsukasa was too, but then he noticed the fear in her eyes making him smirked.

"Trying to be brave now, aren't you, (Y/n)? Just like how you used to be, before I killed you..." Hatsume flinched but soon recovered. Tsukasa spoke again. "You'll protect, Amane? But who'll protect you? Selfless as always, that it caused your own destruction." He laughed and soon disappeared, leaving black smoke.

"Hatsume...." The ghost girl turned towards Hanako and gave him a smile, he already knew that it was a forced one. "It's okay... You don't need to worry, I'm fine.."

"Mitsuba!" The ghostly duo turned to Kou, who was shaking the unconcious pink haired supernatural. "Hey! Mitsuba!"

"Kid..." Hanako approached him, Kou turned to him with a distraught look. "Hanako... Hey, you can fix him, right?" He asked hopefully.

"Like the Misaki stairs and stuff, You can put him back.." Hanako only gave him a pained stared making him clenched his fist at the realization.

Hatsume soon approached him too, with a sad expression. "Kou-kun.....I'm s-"

"Mitsuba! You-you.... This isn't you!" The human boy cut her off, not wanting to hear anything else. He shook the supernatural slightly with a forced happy grin. "The Mitsuba I know...Mitsuba Sousuke was cocky, look like a girl, sarcastic, selfish, and... and his voice was annoying..

He was obssesed with cameras. Sometimes, he was an emo and he fake nice... And!-

He was my friend!" Tears fell from the human boy's eyes as he continued shaking him awake. "Mitsuba!"

"It's no used, Kid..." Hanako spoke up, Hatsume was next to him wiping her eyes with her kimoto sleeves. This kind of scenes, stabs her heart deeply. Kou stared at him in disbelief. "....No.."

"Kid, Death is the end..." Hanako looked down. "You can become a spirit and wander the near shore... But that's not a continuation of life. Once you've died, it's all over. There's nothing, after that. You can't go anywhere from there.

It doesn't matter how deep your regrets are, or how much you wish things were different. If you couldn't do something in life... You can't do it after you're dead. That's how this world is made, and if you try and fight it, this is how you end up." Hanako then continued.

"I thought... if anyone could take care of his unfinished business... Sever his attachment to this shore, it would be you. But look like it back fired." He then stared at the human boy who was still holding Mitsuba. "It's no use. You can't be so kind to the dead."

Hanako knelt down to the two and raised his knife. Hatsume hugged Kou in comfort from behind. "Because..." He then stabbed Mitsuba, making him disappear completely.

"We have no future..."

Hanako stood up and detransform, Hatsume released Kou from her hug as she took Mitsuba's camera and handed it to him. "here..."

Kou took it with his trembling hands, staring at it deeply. The female supernatural stood up and went to her other half's side, ready to leave with him to atleast give the human boy some space and privacy.

".....more..." The ghostly duo turned back to him, confused. Kou spoke up again. "There... There should've been something more... Something I could do... Something I could've have done for him.

If I were stronger like Teru-nii... it wouldn't have turn out this way!" He shouted, tears falling from his eyes.

Hatsume look at Hanako pleading, making him sighed and approached the human boy to comfort him. "Don't let it trouble you, kid. I'm pretty sure destruction is the only salvation for the dead. It's better this way."

Hatsume slapped her forehead. 'That idiot... That's not how you comfort, someone...'

"No it's not!" Kou grabbed the male seventh mystery's hand that was reaching towards his shoulder. "It's not better! Besides destruction?! The only way to be saved?! Cut the crap!"

"That guy who did that to Mitsuba... I swear I'll make him pay!"

Both of Hanako and Hatsume's eyes widened. But Hanako managed to compose himself. "...I see..."

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"...I hope Kou's okay..." Hatsume said as she approached her other half who was currently leaning on the window, in their boundary. Hanako look at her as she was already besides him. "...After what happened earlier... I think something might change in his usual behavior..."

"You don't have to worry about that kid, Hatsume." Hanako said smiling sadly. "He's a tough one, I'm sure he'll be able to move forwards again like he used to."

"....But..He's after Tsukasa now.." Hatsume said, goosebumps hit her spine by just mentioning the name of Hanako's younger brother. "Should we warn him? He's dangerous after all.."

"The kid can protect himself." Hanako assured. "And I don't think his brother won't allow Tsukasa to harm him. Stop worrying already, (N/n)."

Hatsume sighed, her (e/c)'s eyes softening as she leaned over Hanako's shoulder, him doing the same on her head as they both stared at the moon. Nostalgia hit them.

"Alright..."

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"I see." The Great mermaid said as she listened to the fish's report. A lot of fish are currently attending the funeral of the mustached pufferfish whom Tsukasa killed.

"Well how dreadful. Is that what's happening on the near shore?

A supernatural being distrupting the supernatural rumors..." She then stared at the bubble where she was watching Yashiro on.

"She's maybe an imbecile, but that girl is technically one of us. I wanted to give her shelter here before anything else happened...

But it would seem I am forced to give up on that hope..."

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Hello, Minna-san! I'm terribly sorry for breaking my everyday update, I was busy for the school finals...

Anyways, since I'm under the guilt of making Teru, Hanako's love rival for Hatsume... I decided to write a book about him! Here's the book cover!

《Coming soon!》

🅜🅘🅝🅐🅜🅞🅣🅞 🅣🅔🅡🅤 🅧 🅖🅗🅞🅢🅡🅔🅐🅓🅔🅡

"ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ-ɴᴇᴇ-ᴄʜᴀɴ ɪs ᴍʏ ʙᴇsᴛғʀɪᴇɴᴅ! ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴇ, ɴɪɪ-ᴄʜᴀɴ!"

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"ɪ sᴇᴇᴍs ᴛᴏ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴅ ᴍᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ʙᴇɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴀʏ..."

".....ғɪɴᴇ..."

"ɪ ᴀᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ ᴍᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍᴇ ғɪɴᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ғɪʀsᴛ. ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴇʀᴠᴀɴᴛ. ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀssɪsᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇxᴏʀᴄɪsɪɴɢ ᴘᴀᴛʜ."

"ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ?...ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ, ғɪɴᴇ."

"ᴍɪɴᴀᴍᴏᴛᴏ-sᴀᴍᴀ, ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴡ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴏssᴇsɪᴏɴ. ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ..."

"ɴᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇs... ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴇʀᴇ, ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʀᴇsᴛ 'ᴛɪʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɢᴏɴᴇ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴs, ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʀᴇǫᴜᴇsᴛ..."

《Prologue:》

ᴍᴀɴʏ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇs ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴘɪʀɪᴛs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜɴғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ ʙᴜsɪɴᴇss sᴛᴀʏs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴀʀ sʜᴏʀᴇ, sᴏᴍᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ sᴀʏs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇs ɪɴ ᴀɴ ᴏʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴇʟᴅ ᴅᴇᴀʀ...

ᴍɪɴᴀᴍᴏᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʀᴜ ɪs ᴀ ʙᴏʏ ʙᴏʀɴ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴄʟᴀɴ ᴏғ ᴇxᴏʀᴄɪsᴛs, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴄʏ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏ sᴜᴘᴇʀɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇs. ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅᴇsᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ɢʜᴏsᴛ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴀʀ sʜᴏʀᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ᴀᴛʟᴇᴀsᴛ ɪғ ʜᴇʀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛ ɪs ғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ.

ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴏʟʟ ᴏғ ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ, ᴡᴀs sᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ɢɪʀʟ's ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴘʀɪᴄᴇ ᴘᴏssᴇsɪᴏɴ. ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴅɪᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ's ʜᴀɪʀ ᴋᴇᴇᴘs ᴏɴ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ, ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪᴛ's ᴘᴏʀᴄᴇʟᴀɪɴ ғᴀᴄᴇ, ᴜɴʟᴇss ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴛʀɪᴍᴍᴇᴅ ɴɪᴄᴇʟʏ.

ɪᴛ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪɴᴀᴍᴏᴛᴏ's sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ sʜʀɪɴᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ sᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ʙʏ ʜɪs ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ɢʀᴀɴᴅғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ʜᴇʀ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴄᴀᴜsɪɴɢ ʜᴀᴠᴏᴄ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍɪsᴄʜᴇɪғ, ᴏʀ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇᴅ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ᴡᴀs sᴏᴏɴ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʜɪs ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ sɪsᴛᴇʀ, ᴛɪᴀʀᴀ, ᴡʜᴏ ɢʀᴇᴡ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏʟʟ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ʜɪs ᴅɪsᴍᴀʏ...

ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʜᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴏᴋɪᴋᴜ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɢɪʀʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜᴍᴏʀs ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜɪᴍ... sʜᴇ's ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴀ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛ?!

So I'll be calling my Hanako kun series, 7th. Since He is the Seventh of the seven mysteries...😂😂😂 I actually planned all of this from the very beginning...

Anyways, Teru's book will be linked with this one, so Teru in that book will still have feelings for Hatsume-chan, who will only be mention on that book. He'll be slightly mean towards Okiku/Reader-chan there, but he'll warm up to her soon!

Bat Noir's out... Peace!✌️

~Mana