【ᴍɪsᴀᴋɪ sᴛᴀɪʀs ❴ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ❵】

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'Hanako-kun said, "So, you got along with a murderer?"

At that time, he seems kind of....Angry?

Hatsume-chan had the same expression.

No....It wasn't like that, It was..'

"Nene-chan?" Yashiro snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her violet haired bestfriend. " Are you even listening?"

"I-I.... I'm sorry."

Aoi grinned. "Your always staring out into space, Nene-chan....Maybe you have a new crush?"

Yashiro sighed. "...I wish, But I only like Minamoto-senpai."

"Oh, I know! Nene-chan, Have you heard of this one?" Aoi began to narrate.

'No. 2 of the seven mysteries: The Misaki stairs...

You must never step on the fourth step of that staircase...

If you break that rule, you'll be dragged into the world of the dead... And you body will be torn in thousands, if not tens of thousands of pieces...

They say that at twilight, the blood of the victims drips down the stairs, even though no one could see the source..'

"W-which staircase is this?" Yashiro asked, frightened.

"The stairway infront of the art room, Lot of students say they've seen the pools of blood!" Aoi said in a scary tone, making Yashiro shake. "Huh? I thought you liked these stories, Nene-chan?"

"I do love them!"

'But lately, all of Aoi's stories have been true.' Yashiro thought, remembering meeting Hanako-kun, Hatsume-chan, and the mokkes. Aoi smiled happily.

Their homeroom teacher then called Aoi and told her to go to the art room, for guidance counseling. Yashiro waved then looked at the flowers, her bestfriend was taking care of.

"The flowers are blooming, Aoi will be so happy. She worked hard to take care of them, I'll tell her tomorrow."

《Next Day》

Yashiro began to cry, Everyone in her class didn't remember Aoi. She even called her bestfriend's residence, but they only said that they didn't knew Aoi.

Yashiro walked down the halls depressed, there's no point on going back to class since she ran away from it. She didn't realized that a person was walking by, until she bumped into them.

"I'm sorry!" Yashiro apologized as she fell into the ground, dropping her phone in the process. The person picked up her phone for her. Yashiro looked up and blushed.

"No. I'm sorry. Are you okay?" A handsome young man with brown hair and gray eyes was infront of her, who then helped her up back on her feet.

'A hot guy!' Yashiro thought, turning red.

"Here. You dropped your phone." The guy then handed over the phone back to the awestrucked daikon girl.

"T-thank you, very much!" Yashiro thanked. 'What a gentleman!~" But then, a thought came back into her mind.

'A-aoi! Hanako-kun and Hatsume-chan, might know something!' She then ran towards the direction of the two seventh mystery's boundary.

What she didn't know, A black paper crane flew towards her and hid on her uniform pocket. The brunnet smirked and left satisfied to the opposite direction, Yashiro went.

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"She vanished?" Hanako asked when the white haired girl explained the situation. The ghostly boy was currently playing cards with the mokkes. "I'm a busy guy, Did you tried contacting the police?"

"There's something weird about it. Her flowers, desks and everything she owned is gone. And no one even know any Aoi." Yashiro explained. But before Hanako could even responed, an angry voice interupted.

"HANAKO!" The door slammed open, revealing the young exorcist, Minamoto Kou. He had a fierce look on his face as he glared on the male seventh mystery.

"Minamoto-kun?! This is the girl's bathroom!" Yashiro yelped. The blonde boy only ignored her and shooked Hanako back and forth.

"YOU JERK! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CLASSMATES?! YOKOO AND SATOU!!?" He yelled. "This is obviously your doing! Spreading those wierd ghost stories! Why don't anyone remember them?!"

"You mean?!" Yashiro gasped

After a few minutes passed, The boy managed to calmed down.

"Hey, Where's Hatsume-chan?" Yashiro asked. Kou looked up to the ghost boy, wondering the same thing. He haven't thanked her yet for healing him, two days ago.

"I was asking myself the same question." Hanako sighed. He looked really depressed when the human girl, asked about her.

"I told her to get some cleaning supplies from the janitor's closet. She haven't returned ever since. It already been two days. I'm getting worried." Hanako put his hands infront of his face. He missed her already, He searched the whole school for the other seventh mystery. He didn't find her.

"Hatsume-chan.....Disappeared too?" Yashiro eyes widened, she felt herself trembling. Besides, Aoi, Hatsume was the girl she already considered as her bestfriend. Both of her bestfriends are missing now.

Hanako then decided to change the subject. "Vanishing students and rumors of a staircase. Your right, I do have an idea of what might be going here." Kou got angry.

"I knew it! Damn you!"

"Where did Aoi?!"

Hanako began to explain. "In this school, there are seven locations that connects to the underworld. That staircase is one of them, the missing students were probably taken to the underworld."

"T-the underworld?!"

"It's called A boundary. When a living person crosses it, their whole existence disappears. Although it look like there are special humans who aren't affected, like you and this kid here." Hanako finished.

"The boundary, my brother told me about that. He said it's a world where things end up where they have no where to go. Spirit's of the dead, supernaturals and things that everyone forgotten." Kou said.

"Exactly! Your quite the knowledgable young lad!" Hanako praised sounding like an old man making Kou flinched.

"But I'm afraid I can't help you right now." Hanako said to the two. "My Hatsume is currently missing. She's my main priority, right now."

"What about the students?!" Kou argued "We need to find them, now!"

"I don't have much time! I need to find Hatsume before she disappears completely from me!" Hanako argued back. The two humans stared at him like he grew two heads.

"W-what do mean, before she disappears comepletely?" Yashiro stuttered. Hanako sighed...

"Hatsume is a special kind of supernatural, unlike me, she could only last three days out of our boundary, without me. We can't be separated since we share half-half of the seventh mystery's power. She's been gone for two days already, it will soon become the third day if the clock strike to twelve in the morning, which is in a few hours away, She'll disappear from existence. " Hanako said and smiled sadly. "She's a weak apparition, but she gives me strength. I attack while she defend. We need each other to be able to protect the school."

"Look for Hatsume-chan then." Yashiro said, understanding the ghost boy feelings for the other seventh mystery. "She's too important to you right? I'll go find Aoi myself"

"Senpai! I'll go with you! that place is too dangerous for you to go alone, I'll protect you!" Kou said with determination. Yashiro blushed.

A familiar (f/c) colored wisped appeared and floated around the bathroom, before the they could say something. The trio perked up recognising it.

"Haru-joudai!" Hanako exclaimed. The wisp floated towards him and neared his ear. The male seventh mystery's expression turns from worried to horrified as the wisp then moved away.

"Hanako-kun, what did it says?" Yashiro asked, not really able to hear the (f/c) wisp talk at all.

"I'm coming with you two." Hanako said sternly.

"B-but what about, Hatsume-chan?!"

"She's in the same place where the students disappeared." Hanako said while leaving the room, the two humans follow him shortly. "Apparently, from what Haru-joudai told me, She was on her way back to the bathroom from the janitor's closet when she saw three boys by the stairs. Ofcourse being a too kind idiot she is, followed the dared guy to the boundary."

"I'm so not going to let her be left alone, again..." He muttered under his breath.

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The three arrived at the rumored stairs...

Blood was dripping down on each steps.

'Blood of the victims at twilight.....Aoi..' Yashiro thought, shakily.

'I'm going to protect senpai, no matter what! And I'll exorcise that jerk, Hanako while at it!' Kou thought with determination...

Hanako remained silent...

The three then simutatiously stepped on the fourth step of the staircase, their surrondings soon changed.

The trio looked around them in amazement, Well Kou and Yashiro are, they didn't imagined that the boundary of the misaki stairs was this beautiful.

"Is this, inside...The misaki stairs?" Yashiro asked in awe. Hanako smirked.

"Looks like she's been walking into town."

'Hatsume, please hold on. I'm coming to save you.'

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Somewhere in the boundary, A figure stood in the puddle of water, behind her was five chairs with the five missing people sat, motionlessly. Their faces covered with a piece of paper.

A girl sat on the center of the four, her red and black kimono remained the same along with her signature hairclip. Her (e/c) eyes were closed, she was still beautiful even unconcious.

But her body was already too transparent from how they usually should. The figure approached the girl and caressed her her soft porcelain cheek.

"Such a pretty face you have, perfect to be a doll, Lady Seventh~.I haven't managed to get a glimpse of you, because of that brat." The figure left.

Hatsume sat there. In the same position she was placed in the first place. A tear fell from her unopening eyes.

'Hanako-kun......'