【ᴇᴍᴘᴛʏ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇs】

I decided to update since it's my birthday today.😅

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"Yashiro's life will run out within a year, even though that's a decided future. If it's within a year. Even though that's a decided future, if it's within this fictional world. It's possible for her to live."

'Eh...Excuse me? Hello! It's me, Yashiro Nene! Who is infact awake. Actually I woke up on the way back from the park.

But Hanako-kun is acting pretty strange. Breaking Paintbrush-chan who was trying to tell us how to go home and making me faint. Hatsume-chan also seems way too nervous than usual. She look like she wanted to spill everything but all because of Hanako-kun!

I figured that I'd listen in for clues while pretending to be passed out....But.... Maybe it would have been better not to....'

"Save senpai...from dying?...."

'Eh?! I'm going to die?! Hold on....Someone stop and explain. Don't just skip over this!'

"We'll just have to keep her confined... Until this world is complete."

'Confine...me? Where?! What should I do.... Maybe I should get up now....?'

"Well then, I'll be taking Yashiro with me. Let's go, Hatsume..."

'Excuse me... Can you atleast tell me where you're taking me? Don't force Hatsume-chan with your schemes!!

Hanako-kun, you idiot!!'

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Hatsume watched with sad eyes as Hanako placed an unconcious Yashiro on a bed inside a dungeon. The two had appeared inside the fourth school mystery's tower along with their assistant.

The female seventh mystery watched as her other half gestured her to follow him as he walked out of the cell, holding a candle.

Hatsume sighed as she took a key and locked the cell door just as Yashiro sat up from the bed, looking around. The female spirit gasped. "Nene-chan...."

"Hatsume-chan!! Hanako-kun!!" Yashiro exclaimed as she ran towards her, stopping infront of the iron cell bars.

"Yashiro...You're awake..." Hanako muttered, staring at the human girl. Hatsume stared at the girl, sadly.

"Hanako-kun? Hatsume-chan..?" Yashiro look at the two as she gripped on the bars. "So you two really are, Hanako-kun and Hatsume-chan..."

Yashiro grip tightened, her fist turning white. "What do you think you're doing?! Why would you two do this?!" Her lips trembled. "Pr-pretending to be alive and locking me up here....why..."

"That's..." Hanako grinned. "Because I think it's better in this world. Both Hatsume and I wanted to see what would it be like to be your classmates! It's more fun than we both expected!"

"Nene-chan....Being your classmate even for a day was the best thing we both experienced in a while." Hatsume finally said, smiling at her. "We never felt so alive, we both forgotten what it feels to be alive again. We're really happy to be able to feel it again with you."

"This world is nearly done, so we have to confine you here for a while." Hanako added while walking towards the door. "You don't have to worry about anything, Yashiro."

The two supernaturals was about to leave when Yashiro screamed.

"HANAKO-KUN! HATSUME-CHAN!!"

"Hanako....Please give me a moment to talk to her..." Hatsume whisper plead. Hanako sighed and turn towards her.

"...Alright.... I expect to see you in 10 minutes."

Hatsume smiled as Hanako finally walked out. She then walked towards Yashiro and gave her a sorrowful stare. "Nene-chan... I'm sorry-"

"-I'm....not really dying.... am I?"

Hatsume flinched at this. Yashiro was giving her a scared look.

"How did...you..." The female supernatural began stuttering. "Nene-chan, w-what are you talking a-about? D-don't talk like t-that..."

"Don't lie to me now, Hatsume-chan..." Yashiro gave her a frantic look. "I heard Hanako-kun saying to Kou-kun that I'm going to die in less than a year.... H-he's lying right, Hatsume-chan? Hanako-kun was just joking right?!"

Yashiro desperately search through Hatsume's facial reaction for any lies that what she heard earlier. Anything that proves that she wasn't really going to die and that this was all a prank.

But seeing Hatsume's pained and guilty look proves that it wasn't a lie.

It was reality.

"....You heard him then....Nene-chan..." Hatsume lowered her head, her hat covering her eyes. She didn't want to see Yashiro's reaction. Her guilt was eating her up for she knew from the very beginning about her friend's lifespan.

She heard a thump from behind the bars. Finally gaining the courage to stare at her friend, she saw Yashiro kneeling. Disbelief was clouding her ruby red eyes as they slightly shake.

"How...How can you just suddenly tell....someone that they're going...to die..." Yashiro asked. Tears was now falling from her eyes into the ground below. "Hatsume-chan... I thought we were so close... You're like a sister to me... Why keep it from me?....Why...?"

"Why....You ask...." Hatsume dropped to her knees infront of Yashiro's level. Tears was threating to fall from her own eyes. "Nene-chan... I-I've been thinking of my own ways to save you from dying. But Hanako-kun thought that it was a goof idea to lock you up here until this world is finished, he wanted you to stay here so that you won't die..."

Yashiro's teary eyes widened as Hatsume pulled her into a hug through the bars. "I'm against this world, in Hanako-kun's plan. I never wanted for anyone to be involved with Number Four, but what can I do? Nothing. I can't disobey, Hanako-kun."

"B-but...Your a mystery too... Both of you and Hanako-kun are the leader of the mysteries. You have the power to convince Hanako-kun..." Yashiro hugged her back. She was practically begging now. "P-please, Hatsume-chan... Help us escape..."

"Nene-chan....I wasn't meant to be a mystery to begin with..." Hatsume confessed. Yashiro broke the hug and look at the ghost girl in shock. Hatsume continued. "I...I was just a normal spirit wandering around before... At that time, I was like Amane's guardian angel, I wanted to watch over him and guide him through out his entire life. Watching over him while he was still alive, until he killed his brother...."

Hatsume frowned as she recalled the memory. "After he died... He became a mystery, to atone his crime for murder. I was about to leave the near shore since my self created mission was a total failure but he stopped me as Hanako...."

"....What did he do?..." Yashiro hesistatingly asked.

"...He broke the rule of Hanako-san. Instead of granting an alive person's wish, he granted a dead person's wish. My wish..." Hatsume told. "He...didn't want me to leave him yet... So he gave me half of his seat number..."

"So in a way... I was in the same situation as you, Nene-chan. I was disappearing from the near shore and Hanako-kun saved me by breaking the seventh mystery's universal rule. "Hatsume gently wiped Yashiro's tears and stood up, heading towards the door.

"Eh?...Wait...Hatsume-chan! What do you mean by 'The same situation'?!" Yashiro called out.

"I have to go. Hanako-kun is expecting me to return." Hatsume said as she was about to leave the room. "Don't worry, Nene-chan. I'll find a way for you, Kou-kun and Mitsuba-kun to escape. Hanako-kun is not that easy to reason with, but I'll try.... For you and Kou-kun..."

"Hatsume-chan!" Yashiro shouted, her hand was stretched out, trying to stop the female spirit.

Hatsume finally left, not before tossing something from her uniform pocket into the room.

"I'm leaving the rest to you...Number four..."

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"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hanako-kun." The male supernatural turned around to see Hatsume standing behind him. He was sitting on the balcony while looking at the stars.

"You took longer..." Hanako commented as his other half sat besides him. "Did you tell her anything, she wasn't suppost to know?"

"No.... But she knows about her lifespan now..." This made Hanako tense up. "She was actually concious and heard you told Kou-kun about it."

"She was going to find out about it, anyways." Hanako sighed. "It's better for her to know it now, for her to be able to understand why we're doing this."

"Honorable Lord and Lady No. 7..." The two heard Shijima called out. They both turned and looked at her. "

"Shijima-san..." Hatsume greeted making the fourth mystery smile and waved at her in response, she then faced Hanako. "Honorable Lord No. 7.  From now on, Please don't use the gallery anyway you like. Although I thank you for your cooperation in creating this world."

She then added. "But do you two also perhaps intend to stay here?"

'No we don't...' Hatsume bit her lip. 'Please, help change Hanako-kun's mind, Shijima-san...'

"No.... Ofcourse not." Hanako answered. "Hatsume and I will leave when this world is complete.

Your ability is useful for keeping Yashiro safe. We're just using it. More importantly, can't you finish it sooner? Making this world I mean..."

Hatsume noticed the sudden change of Shijima's mood making her stare at her hopefully. But it soon shattered when Shijima suddenly beamed. "Yes~ Sir! Your order have been recieved!"

'I only hope that brush would be helpful...' Hatsume thought. 'Please, Nene-chan... be a little more patient. I'll find a way to for you to escape. Hanako-kun is yout biggest obstacle to get out of here...'

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"Good evening~ How do you do?" Shijima entered the room that held Yashiro captive. The mystery look behind the bars to see Yashiro's back facing her as she sat on the ground, Crying. "Oh my... Are you alright? I came here to check on you but what's wrong? Was Honorable Lord No. 7 bullying you? I can tell Honorable Lady No. 7, she'll talk to him."

"I...I'm...." Yashiro sobbed. "...I'm going to die soon, he said..."

"Ahhh! It appears so. But there's no reason to be so pessimistic." Shijima took out her sketchpad and began drawing. "Humans who are close to death have a lot of special qualities. They can see ghosts, make contracts with the seven mysteries. That's worth considering."

Shijima tilted her sketchpad and a drawing of a box of chocolate came to life. She offered the box to Yashiro. "Do you like sweets? This might cheer you up a bit."

Yashiro took a bite as she began explaning. Shijima sat behind her, listening while eating some of the chocolates. "Hatsume-chan said... that I'll die if I leave this world, so Hanako decided to lock me up."

"I see. The fact that this imaginary world has come to this point, is all thanks to you, Infact."

"How so?"

"Don't you understand? This convenient world is the thing that both Honorable Lord and Lady No. 7 hates most of all. Normally, Lord No. 7 wanted to destroy it right away. But he started to realized, that here, you can live. So he couldn't bear to destroy it. He said that he would wait until it was finished. Then he and Lady no. 7 will return to the real world." Shijima explained. "But Lady No. 7 on the other hand, is still against it. She wanted to find another way for you to live, a way where it would be fair for everyone. A realistic ideal, rather not this fantasy one. I knew her attempts from the very beginning but I decided to keep it to myself than tell Lord no. 7."

"Eh?!" Yashiro gasped in shock.

"Honorable Lord no. 7's hope was that you'll live here in a happy dream forever. But Honorable Lady no. 7 wanted you to live your life to the fullest. She says that death is only natural for humans such as yourself." Shijima said. "They both seems to care for you deeply."

"....Is that so..?" Yashiro clenched her fists. "For some reason, thinking about all this has made me sad. Shijima-san, can you give me your hands for a moment?"

"You mean me?"

"Yes. I just want anyone other than Hanako-kun or Hatsume-chan to comfort me."

"Oh...Okay..." Shijima stared at her hands before reaching towards Yashiro.

But Yashiro quickly grabbed them and harshly put them behind Shijima's back.

"DON'T MOVE!" Yashiro demanded behind the bars, pointing a palette knife towards the mystery's throat. "Don't try any funny business... Or I'll mess you up with this palette knife here!!"

"Huh? Weren't you sobbing just now?" Shijima sweatdropped.

"It was a lie!" Yashiro told. "It was true that I was thinking. And while thinking, I found some tools in this jail cell. They were art tools but....

For some reason.... Looking at them made me want to draw..." Yashiro recalled crying over the drawing of Hanako, Hatsume, her and Kou she drew. "...Things from the real world and doing that made me miss it... And want to go back... And I got more....and more pissed off!"

"Eh?" Shijima stared at the angry daikon in confusion. Yashiro continued ranting.

"What the hell?! How can you do this to without telling me anything, Hanako-kun?! You think you're so amazing just 'cuz your dead?! Why are you always keeping so. many. secrets?! And stop dragging Hatsume-chan towards every schemes and problem you have! I get it that there's things he doesn't want to tell me 'cuz I'm alive and they're both death! But I'm just so freaking angry now!! I'm not just going to just do what you tell me!" Yashiro yelled. "Because I want to go back to the real world! I won't just let Hatsume-chan do it for me!"

Shijima could only watch as Yashiro yelled at nothing. But she soon sweat bullet when Yashiro turn towards her with a creepy grin as she placed the knife closer.

"So..Let's make a deal, eh? ...Shijima-san!"

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I'm getting old...😭