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Hello and welcome to chapter 5 of "I need you now" :D
(This chapter corresponds to the "Misaki Stairs Arc")
Title: "Misaki, the mystery N°2"

Psychological Fact: When you hold the hand of a loved one, you feel pain less keenly and worry less.

***
Previously:

The two boys then start to fight each other under the disapproval gaze from Yashiro.
An image of her best friend flashes in her mind as she started to space out.

"I promise I will save you Aoi."

***

"Wha-?"

The chaotic trio composed of Yashiro the simp daikon girl bean, Kou the cute exorcist that needs to take a chill pill and Hanako the perv but strong ghost that lies 24/24 bean stood right in front of the staircase B. It was the location the mystery N°2's boundary and since this apparition was suspected to be the reason of the missing students the N°7 just couldn't sit here with crossed fingers.

Both Kou and Yashiro look frightened and shocked because of the way too familiar crimson liquid that keeps dropping on the floor, oddly enough the ghost didn't look disturbed in the slightest. He mostly was amused because of the other two reactions.

The sound of it echoes in the desert corridor, making the scene even more spooky.
The fourth stair was slowly being flooded with the liquid, but even if this one was full, the blood stops at the edge of the fourth stair. It just refuses to flood anywhere else.

"The victim's blood at twilight... Is this what she meant?" Yashiro shivers, subconsciously taking a step closer to Hanako. "Aoi..." The student couldn't help but picture her best friend's dismembered corpse lying somewhere above the stairs with her blood dripping here. She breaths in, reassuring herself that they were here to save her and the other students. There was no proof yet that her best friend was already dead.

"I-I'm gonna protect senpai no matter what!" His grip on his staff tighten, Hanako may have sealed it but just having it by his side was enough to reassure him. As long as he had the weapon his ancestors left him he was going to be alright. He glances at Hanako with a frown. "... And I'm going to exorcise this jerk while I'm at it!" Don't tell him I noticed, but he is still salty about what happened on the roof that's why he is so pissed at Hanako.

The apparition stares at the blood in silence.
"So you really did go berserk N°2." The ghost then took a step forward the stairs, making both of the students flinch.

"Okay, you're ready?" He turns his head a little to look at the living human beings behind him. "What was it again? Step on the fourth step?" He wonders out-loud, although he didn't need to have any validation as he already knew the answer about the question.

"Ready aaaaaand one!" He steps on the first step, earning gulps from the humans. They wished they could go later but they knew that the faster they go there the faster they go out of here and possibly see their friends again. They followed the ghost.

"One..." Yashiro counts the steps they take every time.
"Two!" The ghost's cheerful voice was echoing in the students' heads as they followed his movements.
"Three!" Her heart was beating very fast and loudly, she could even sense it beat in all of her beings.

"Four!" They all step on the fourth step at the same time. The human squeezes her eyes shut.
"I'm going to be transformed into a meatball!" When she was expected pain or something, the silence welcomes her. She opens her eyes slowly and lookup. She wasn't expecting the sight in front of her at all.

In front of her was a curve bridge and past it lays a long winding stairway extending to the sky through buildings and shrines. On the shrine gate in front of them "N°2" was written on it.
A lot of lamps illuminate the scene, the place they were in, shines a powerful orange and red light, almost like a flame.
"What is this...?" Yashiro asks as she looks around, hypnotized by the view.

The exorcist also looks around in curiosity, he was still alerted thought and he didn't soften his grip on his weapon.
Hanako looks at both of them with blank eyes before stepping closer to the new staircase.
"The Misaki Stairs." He simply replies, looking up.
He smirks as he tilts his hat to cover his face.

"Looks like she's really been going to town!" The orbs start to get excited and swirl around him.

***

The trio walks on the stairs. If Hanako's walking pattern was nonchalant, Yashiro's was small and fast as she was pretty nervous of coming here, she was pretty sure that something will jump on them and tear their limb apart at any moment now. Kou's steps were fast but large and also very stiff as he was ready to hit anything that will come across their way.

"This is the netherworld." The ghost stops walking, the other two mimic the movement. "The missing students should be here somewhere... Although I can't guarantee their well-being." He smiles as the students look everywhere but in front of them.
Yashiro was only half-listening to the ghost so she didn't hear the last part of his speech but she was still better than Minamoto because the Kouhei wasn't listening to the mystery at all.

"Here..?" The human repeats, putting her hand under her chin.
"It really is the netherworld..." She glances around, all that could be seen were just types of furniture fill with books and boxes. On them were vases filled with red flowers, mirrors are sometimes also seen put there but they oddly reflect neither of the humans.
Curious, Kou approaches one of the said boxes and extends his hand to it. A toy that was created to look like a clown immediately jump out of it, startling him.

"The atmosphere is completely different from the school." The light of a candle attracted her eyes and she looks at the direction of it. She clearly wasn't expecting a doll with a bob hairstyle (it never will leave her alone-), wearing what seems to be a kimono, two ribbons held her hair up. But that wasn't what Yashiro was frightened of, a paper was glued to her face with the word "Two".

(I am half Chinese and I just noticed that the authors used the Chinese words for the number, I don't know if Japan has the same "pin-yin" as China but I thought it didn't oof)

Yashiro fixates the dolls, unable to take her eyes off of them. It's like she is scared of seeing them but she is even more scared of not seeing them anymore. She looks at them, expecting them to move like in the horror movies.
Kou, who was standing right next to her was also spooked by it and he tightens his grip on his family heirloom for the fourth time at least when ha saw there were even more dolls.

They began to move forward. In the way, Yashiro stares at the stairs.
"The whole path is underwater..." She thought, having the urge to touch the liquid for some reason.

The boundary...

She pokes the water, a little "splotch" was heard at the impact.

The sea between...
This life and the next...

As soon as the water touches her skin, it transforms into scales progressively. It made its way to her forearm, she jolts her hand away, looking at her hand in horror.

This is a world where supernaturals beings live.

"The scales!" She quickly searches for the tissues she always brings with her these days, under the curious and confused gaze of the exorcist who was walking behind her.
"I have to be careful to not trip and fall over here..." She finds it and wipes her arm that was covered in scales. "... or I'll turn into a fish..." An image of her as a fish, whining in despair flashed through her mind, making her shiver.
"I guess just getting my feet wet is safe..." She looks paler than usual.

You didn't question the older girl's behavior and walks past her.
"Hey, Hanako!" He calls out, gaining the mystery's attention.
"There's nothing here!" The middle school student starts to look around nervously, the ghost turns towards him in what we call 'ghost position': Legs floating behind his back and his hands bent like a bunny in front of his chest.
"I thought something was gonna come and tear us apart." The apparition seems to question how dense can a human be.

"They wouldn't do it right away!" He announces, putting his left finger on the seal on his left cheek. "Where's the fun if you end it before it even starts?" He asks the question like it was the most obvious answer.
"Whittling away at you..." He puts on what was supposed to be a gloomy face. "...Ever so slowly that's the best part..." He inches closer to the students.

Yashiro was 'scared', not really though because that wasn't Hanako's most terrifying and convincing mask. H̷i̷s̷ f̷a̷k̷e̷ s̷m̷i̷l̷e̷ w̷a̷s̷ s̷l̷i̷g̷h̷t̷l̷y̷ b̷e̷t̷t̷e̷r̷.
Minamoto just looks at him with a deadpanned look. "You're sick..."
"Well yeah." The ghost floats higher in the stairs, this time the humans didn't follow him.

"We are the seven mysteries." He turns around to face them, the only visible was his smile devoid of any emotions. The rest of his face was hidden by his bangs and hat. "As the seven pillars that govern over the supernaturals in this school..."
"We must be known by as many people as possible."
His hands that were locked together behind his back, were separate to be put in front.

"That's why we frighten people." For once, he had the full attention of the students who looked at him with widen eyes.
"Think about it, friendly creatures that do optimistic things... and horrifying monsters that do terrible things."

"The scary ones are much likely to make an impression, am I right?"

With half lid eyes and an amused smile on his face, he was capable of making the students think their all life choices.
They couldn't say anything as he was right, the things that they will remember even after twenty years were unnerving events that happened some times ago and they couldn't exactly remember the delightful ones.

"Still, N°2 has gone too far this time." As the mystery talks his familiars began to swirl around him. "We have to put a stop to this nonsense immediately." As soon as he finishes talking, a very loud ringtone blast in the place. Making Kou and Nene jumps in fear.
They turn to where the sound came from with Kou's weapon ready to strike. They discover a black landline phone.

The sound was still resonating the now sinister tune as Yashiro approaches it.
"Senpai!" Before he could even warn her she picks up the phone to her ear as her companions' inches closer to her to listen to the conversation.
"H-Hello?" There was no sound coming from the other line. "Um, who is speaking?" A little breathing was heard from the other line.

"It's... Misaki..." Yashiro visibly pales.
"M-Misaki..?" She repeats, not believing it. "A call from one of the seven mysteries?!" The boys also shared a shocked look.

"I had been teaching my students, in the schoolhouse at the top of these stairs..." She begins to count them a story, Yashiro, who was still stunned couldn't make out a coherent word and simply listens to the woman's voice.
"...But I was killed here, torn to pieces." A rumbling sound could be heard somewhere.
"Right in the place where you are standing..." This statement made chills run down Yashiro's spine.

"Say would you... look for my body?" The woman demands, aware of the fear the students were in. She was wearing a sinister smile behind the line.
"I can't do anything as I am now..." Yashiro seems to earn enough bravery to speak.
"Wait! Where's Aoi...?" She raises a question with a hint of desperation in her voice. But it looks like the mystery number 2 wasn't planning on helping her.

"First my arm, my right arm." She instructed, ignoring the human's question. "That is the arm... I use to hold the chalk for writing letters." She mumbles on, an image representing an arm appearing in one of the mirrors of the boundary.
"Do hurry, the class will be starting soon." A click sound follows the warning, noises still coming from the phone, motioning she had hung up.

Next to a shrine gate, an hourglass starts to move, it shifts upside down, making quite a clatter. This grabs the trio's attention who turn their heads toward it, the sand was slowly but surely running down.
Kou was the one in front of the hourglass, he humpfs.
"So we have a time limit huh?" He wonders out loud with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Do you think we can open the gate if we put the arm there?" She gestures to the box placed next to the gate shrine and the house glass. Hanako looks up to where she was pointing at.
"Dunno, but it will definitely do something." He was having fun deciphering these... mysteries- with the scholars. Far more entertaining than playing with the Mokke and never gain a victory.

As Yashiro was beginning to think of an answer to her question, Kou pops his head next to her.
"Don't worry about that senpai!" He exclaims with assurance and a big smile. "It was just a prank call, let's just keep going!"
He was prepared to do as he said until Hanako stops him in his journey.

"I wouldn't recommend that." Minamoto lets out a huff, irritated just to hear his voice.
"See, we seven mysteries each have our domain." He starts to explain, starting materializing images of places to make the students picture what he was saying.
"And in that domain we are unbeatable." The ghost ignores Kou's tentative to interrupt him with a groan.
"In my case, that domain will be the toilet." Was he lying? Maybe, maybe not!

"There's no telling what could happen if you step off the direction and make her mad." Hanako pushes the exorcist toward the edge of the cliff they were standing on as he talks.
"But of course if you want to find out I won't stop you!" He snickers, wearing a mocking expression, his hand was put on the exorcist's shoulder as if he was advising him. The middle school student grimaces at that, deep down actually scared the apparition would push him off the place they were in.

He may hate the boy but he was reasonable enough to know that against him in a quarrel right now, Hanako would win without even trying.

"For now, why don't we just do what she asked and search for the arm?" She manages to make the others fighting, much to her relief. Like she was going to go make something as dangerous as this with hot-blooded colleagues.
"Based on the voice of the phone, it would be a woman's right arm." She smiles as Kou nods, seeming dissatisfied or sad? No one but him knows.

While the two were discussing, Hanako was already digging in one of the furniture present in the room.
"Good idea. It can actually be pretty fun looking for stuff." He continues to search and he had grabbed the other two attention who didn't pay attention to him until now. In the drawer, there were two things he could show to Kou and Yashiro. A space theme magazine or a model magazine.
The mystery grins.

"See? Take a look at this kid." He turns around to face the two with the model magazine, he had to flip the pages until it shows a model in a bikini.
"I found the treasure!" That angers Kou who immediately swings his weapon at the ghost furiously, criticizing him on how he should take the whole thing seriously. Nene only sighs, irritated by the constant arguments of the other two.

"I'm going to go look over here." She announces as she walks away, not like they were paying attention.
She began to rummage through boxes, occasionally glancing at her companions. Hanako was still bothering the life out of the exorcist and said one had turned his face away from the magazine, still trying to shove his weapon down the other's throat.

***

A few minutes later, the trio each found arms while going through the pieces of furniture. They respectively found a wood-carved biceps sort of arm, a robot one's and a mannequin's arm.
As a result of the research, Nene whacks the two boys down.

"We're looking for a woman's right arm here!" She reprimands the two boys who were sitting on their knees right in front of her. Kou was looking down while Hanako was staring right in Yashiro's eyes.
"Minamoto-kun you just find an arm you like and brought it here! And Hanako-kun you need to take these things seriously!" She adds, continuing to point out what the other two did wrong.

"Ugh! Are you even listening?!" She finally snaps, seeing how the boys didn't really seem concentrated. Minamoto was peeking down, refusing to say anything while blushing a little. Hanako on the other hand was the opposite of Kou.
"Hey Yashiro, I don't how to bring that up but..."

"Something seems weird about you..."

Hanako gave her a deadpanned look while talking about the uncommon size of her chest. But the human keeps denying it and, eventually, since she wouldn't stop moving, and ultra-padded bra eventually fell off. The place was now dead silent, apart from the occasional sounds of the waving water, the trio's eyes were fixated on the bra.
Minamoto and Hanako looked at each other in the eyes after a few seconds and silently agreed on something.

"Yashiro."
"Senpai." They both called out, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
The human quickly snatches the bra off the ground with a cheery face while shrieking like she just saw the devil itself.

"Oh... That was just well you know!... um... uh-" She starts babbling excuses while stumbling very hard, her hands in front of herself like in a defensive position. She starts to writhe her fingers and make herself look as small as possible.
At this moment she wanted like any other times to be swallow by the ground and never come back.
While she was mumbling things, Hanako took the chance to approach her.

He pats her shoulder comfortably, making the girl flinches.
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything..." He gave her a consoling smile, as the exorcist behind nods.
Yashiro cried out of embarrassment and disguises her tomato face in her hands.

As soon as she did that, childish laugher could be heard around them.

"Time's up! Time's up! It's the punishment for the late students!"

Multiple voices announce as the rattling coming from the dolls intensifies. It caught the trio by surprise and Minamoto got in front of the other two, making sure to grasp his weapon very tightly in fear to let go of it at any moment.
Hanako may have been calm about it but the other two were panicking.

"It's time for class!" They discovered that the voices were coming from the dolls themselves.
"Class?" Kou repeats seeming confused, what did they mean by that?
Nene turns her attention to the hourglass they noticed before, she gasps as she saw the sand ran out.
"Look!" She points at the hourglass. "The hourglass has run out!" Kou curses under his breath.

"No... All we have to do was to put an arm in here..." The desperate whine from Yashiro didn't receive any reaction apart from the dolls. They start to vibrate and they also surround the group while giggling sinisterly.

"Which one of you is running late?"

"If you wanna fight then come and get it! I'll take all of you down!" Kou confidently shouts, Hanako had to surpass the impulse to tell him that his cockiness would be his downfall.
A pair of scissors suddenly materialized in front of them, the two humans didn't react at first when they saw it.

"GET DOWN!" Hanako who was the first to react, yelled, as he pressures the other two down.
The trio's eyes were fixated on the sharp object that nearly cut them in half, Hanako could feel sweat streaming down his forehead as the scissors were right beside his head.
The humans on the other hand could hear their concerning fast heartbeat ringing inside their ears.

The trio didn't waste any time and the three of them quickly stood up and start running away from the giant pair of scissors that kept trying to cut them in half. Of course, they were wailing loudly because of panic, yes even Hanako.
As they progress in the stairs, their eyes finally settled on the shrine gate that was still close.

"The tardy one..." Yashiro felt a little hand grabs her ankle, she couldn't move anymore and turn around to see the doll from before, only the sheet that was previously glued to her face was taken off and pitch-black sockets were looking straight at her soul.
"YASHIRO!" Hanako yells after he notices the blades intending for her neck.
"SENPAI!" Kou shouts a few seconds later, having himself notice.

Time seems to slow down for Yashiro.
She saw the pair of scissors getting dangerously closer to snap her neck in half, she couldn't move nor talk, the only thing she was able to do was to enlarge her eyes in surprise.
"Is it really over?"

She lets out a small cry of surprise when Hanako suddenly moves her out of the way of the scissors.
"H-Hanako-kun!" She calls with her eyes glittering.
"Stay back." He said as soon as their feet touched the floor, he pushes her behind him, earning a stunning sound from the human.

After he made sure the girl was behind him, he rushes directly towards the scissors. He jumps, still in the heat of the moment, and swings his leg to the daggers, destroying the middle of the stuff.
The object crumbles in the air for a few seconds before slumping on the ground at the same time the phantom landed on his feet.

"You did it!" His assistant cheers, the mystery raises his head again, taking out his knife.
"No." The scissors previously destroyed in half, levitate in the air again, gluing jointly again.
Yashiro lets out a small sizzle when the toys once again squirm around her legs.

"Kid!" Hanako signs, while altering the scissors' attack away.
"Don't order me around I'm already on it!" Kou whacks the dolls with his weapon, shooting them out as they let out small squeaks.
"Attaboy!" Hanako cheers as the toys crashed in the liquid, making a loud 'splash' resonated in the domain.

"Okay, let's go." The apparition lifts Yashiro up, pressing her on his side as she lets out a shocked "huh?-".
Hanako smirks, with that mischievous look in his eyes that always warn he was going to do something bad. Yashiro could only ogle at him, wishing to the universe that whatever he was planning wasn't too bad.

"Runaway!" He happily hurries forward, Kou pursuing them as the scissors were darting the trio down.
"But the door is-" Yashiro exclaims when they reached the platform where the door was, she stops mid-sentence when she gave attention to squeaky sounds coming from behind them. She turns around to see the Mokke holding the arms they found to them.

"Put the arm in that little shrine!" Hanako orders, looking behind him. Kou had already picked up an arm that occurred to be the arm he found, he gathers speed with his arm before throwing the organ in the shrine-like a bullet.
It slams close.

"Alright!" Kou proudly concludes with Hanako praising his throw in the background.
Rambles coming from behind them caught their attention and they instantly flee past the door of the statue once they notice it unlocked.
They all bang the door close in union. Sough from being too dazzled.

"We managed to get through the door." Yashiro was the first one to compile enough strength to analyze their surroundings.
"But it's just more stairs..." She turns her head to the right. "And dolls..." She cringes mentally.
"There's nobody here. Not Aoi, not any of the other kids..." She allows her eyes to rest on the water.
"If we keep going. We will find them... Won't we?" The high school student was seriously initiating to doubt this.

But before she could get the chance to think more about this situation, the same ringtone as before unexpectedly played loudly, causing her to jump. She extended her hand to the phone but before she could take it, Hanako beats her to it.
As the apparition replies to the phone call, the scholars corn him.

"My left arm..." The mystery N°2 quietly pleads. "Please find my left arm."
"Every morning, before class, I go to the shrine to make an offering and pray for everyone's health. I put my left and right hands together and pray."

"Do hurry. Class-" Before the woman's voice could continue her sentence, the mystery N°7 cut her off.
"Hey N°2!" He jovially calls, camouflaging very well his true sentiment.
"Long time no chat." A tricky smirk appeared on his face. He was totally prepared for no good. "You... Do remember me don't you?" This, this is what the humans understood.

But the mysteries have their own language that only they can understand.
That way, if one of the apparitions in the school somehow finds a way to go to their conferences, they wouldn't be able to understand what they are truly telling.
Truly beneficial if you want to have a confidential conversation with them.

"N°2 you have broken the rules.
Are you prepared for the punishment God has planned for you?
You know he hates restrictions breaker..."

Misaki stayed silent for a few moments, having more than understood what did the leader of the school said.
"... The class will begin soon." She quickly hung up, Hanako puts the phone back, getting gawked by his colleagues.
"I just thought I would say hi." The spirit went back to the regular ghost posing.

"You know her?"
"Well, we are both part of the seven mysteries so you could say we are collaborators!"

(Me: *Casually writing*
Motivation: Yo laziness, can ya take over? I'm gonna take a nap.
Me: Wait for what no-
Laziness: Sure. *plops here instead of motivation*
Me: T-T)

So... just remember what happened in the Misaki Stairs arc please, this part is really tiring me out ;-;

TBC

***

So chapter 5 is complete :D
Thank you all for having the patience to read this book!
I am very sorry for being lazy and for my crappy descriptions but I can't help it-

See you later! 👍😊🌸
-Asuka

Words: 4566