"You're..." Mei's eyes widened as she looked at the apparition on top of her. "The picture I drew?"

She gulped. "Am I going to die...?"

"I am aware of all the sufferings you have to deal with," Shijima stated as she recalled all the days back when she was still alive. "Your anxiety, your fears, all your sleepless nights.. I've always been by your side."

"Even then, you'd trust that the future you wanted would come... But it won't."

"You're destined to die—"

Y/n quickly pulled the apparition away from Mei out of spite, although the brunette never even budged. Y/n glared at Shijima. "How can you just say those things? Why the heck are you saying those mean things to her?!"

Shijima gave Y/n a sharp look. She then shoved her away from them, making sure the girl wouldn't interrupt what she was about to do.

"Please stop getting in the way, you don't even understand any of this."

Y/n frowned. "Let's see about that."

Shijima looked down at her. "I don't really care whether you're part of the school mysteries or not. Either way, supernaturals and humans will never come to understand each other."

"I must..."

"I will—"

"... Protect this girl."

"— save you, Y/n-chan."

Y/n's breath hitched as she found Shijima raising the knife once again. She stood up, her hand held out to grab her arm. "Stop it!"

The knife impaled the table. Y/n's eyes widened to see Mei with a grin on her face. She had barely dodged the knife.

"Well, that was close, wasn't it?"

I thought I was gonna see tons of blood today! Y/n mentally cried as she looked at Mei in relief. Thank goodness, she managed to dodge it in time!

"Take this!" Mei flipped the school mystery over, which genuinely shocked Y/n– like, wasn't she sick or something? Where did she gain the strength to even manage to carry someone?

"It seems that you really..." Mei poked the apparition's nose teasingly. "Really like me, huh?" she beamed.

"What." Shijima stared at the girl, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, the room started rumbling. Rocks and dusts started falling from the ceiling. Y/n sweat dropped as Mei ran towards her. "Let's go!"

"Wai—" Shijima sat up. "Why are you running away?! I did this all for sake, but you still insist on refusing?!"

Mei looked over her shoulder silently, as she hurriedly led Y/n outside.

Shijima was speechless. "I..."

"So this is the exit..." Y/n stared at the see-through stairs leading up to the sky in fear and horror. "Mei-chan... This isn't the only way out, right...?"

"Hm.." Mei smiled. "I'm not sure about that. But at the top of these stairs, there is surely a way to escape this world." She then looked at Y/n. "Shall we go?"

The H/c-haired girl looked at Mei, then back at the stairs before releasing a sigh. "Let's go."

Mei went up first. She then turned around to Y/n and held out her hand. "Okay, it's your turn."

Y/n held her hand before sticking out her foot to a step. Instantly, it phased through it. Y/n shrieked as she instantly backed away from the edge.

"I don't think this is where my reality is in.." Y/n sweat dropped as she looked at Mei. "This is your reality, not mine..."

"Then... Does that mean Y/n-chan's destination is a different one from mine?" Mei smiled as she held Y/n's hand tightly. The girl looked down.

If she goes... Won't she die?

"Mei-chan.." Y/n looked up with her brows furrowed. "Aren't you scared?"

Mei let out a small snicker as she gave Y/n a soft pat on the head. "Just where did you come from, I wonder..." she mumbled. "The future, perhaps?"

Y/n grunted, making Mei chuckle. "I guess I'm right then." She then let go of the girl's hand. "If that's the case..."

"Wait!"

Y/n flinched before looking over her shoulder, there, she saw Shijima, panting after running to catch up with them. "D-Don't go! Please don't go!"

"I don't want to stay as the usual piece of fiction that hurts you... That's the opposite of what I want."

Mei stared blankly at her other self.

"You aren't worthless."

Shijima's eyes widened as she looked at Mei, who was slowly walking towards her.

"Reality is sometimes cruel. I close my eyes and dream so that I can wake up tomorrow and live. You're my drawing, my dream..."

"... And my hope."

Mei held the sides of the apparition's face.

"Because of you, I'm here today with my eyes open." Mei grinned as she looked at the other girl. "It's thanks to you that I'm here, alive!"

Shijima held Mei's wrists as she stared at the girl with tears brimming the corner of her eyes.

"By the way." Mei smacked the other girl's back playfully. "Isn't it fine being a supernatural? Like y'know, those rumors about the school's stairs? It's super cool!"

Mei then leaned closer to Shijima, their foreheads touching as they looked at each other.

"Thanks for coming to visit, the other me."

Mei gave them one last looked before heading up the stairs quietly. Y/n glanced at the school mystery.

Staring blankly at her back, Shijima said nothing and looked onwards.

"Y-Y/n-chan?"

"Nene-chan!" Y/n exclaimed as she sat up instantly, looking at the thre— four people infront of her. "Wait, is something going on right now? Was I not invited?"

"Ah, senpai is awake." Mitsuba covered his mouth with his sleeves as he looked at Y/n with his eyes squinted. "That's a good thing."

"Good morning, Y/n-chan!" Kou grinned as he went towards Y/n, who was rubbing her temple tiredly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Don't worry, I'm not in pain whatsoever." Y/n stroked Nene's hair, the girl had been so worried of Y/n to the point where her tears came out. "Although, how did you all get here?"

"It's a long story." Mistuba moved aside. "Firstly, take a gander of that!"

Mitsuba and Kou showed the girl being tied up. Shijima gave the two a dark glare as she rolled her eyes.

"I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen..." Nene mumbled, making Y/n release a chuckle out of both amusement and worry.

"The second I got back, these two threw me around and tied me ever so rudely," she stated before taking out her knife and cutting the ropes up with ease.

"So—" Kou and Mitsuba grunted as they watched Shijima walking towards the group. "What are you going to do from here on out?"

"After all." Shijima smiled. "You're going to die soon, number eight."

The three humans flinched when hearing what Shijima had called Y/n. Mitsuba's breath hitched as he went towards Shijima and whispered something to her.

"Wait—" Shijima's eyes widened. "Her friends don't know that she's—?!"

"I... Actually found out." Y/n's eyes widened as she looked at the ombré-haired girl in shock.

Nene fiddled with her fingers as she looked down with a small smile on her face.

"Y/n-chan and Aimi-chan were the same person the whole time, weren't they?"

Y/n grumbled as she gave Shijima a quick glare before looking at Nene and Kou, who stared at Y/n in anticipation.

"Y/n-chan." Kou spoke up as he held his staff tightly. "... Is it true?"

"You see.." Y/n scratched her cheek nervously. "It's true.. unfortunately..."

Nene sighed. "I've actually known this since the time keepers mishap..."

Y/n and Kou looked at Nene, shocked. "That long ago?!" they exclaimed in unison, causing Nene to sweat drop and nod slowly.

"Yeah..."

"Wait, how?" Y/n asked.

Nene looked up as she remembered how she figured it out.

"Well... Tsuchigumori had told me once that two people managed to change their futures.." Nene raised her index finger up as she explained. "And when Hanako-kun mentioned that Y/n-chan also changed her future, that was the time I realized that you were Aimi-chan..."

"Oh wow.." Y/n stared at the side blankly. "The two people whom I shared tons of my secrets to, managed to expose me just like that..."

"There were some clues too. For example... Aimi-chan's hair color is literally Y/n-chan's hair color! When the Misaki Staircase incident happened, Y/n-chan was there, but just not in her apparition form! And then the first time her and Hanako-kun met, they already looked close!"

Oh my God, it was that obvious. Y/n's lips formed a straight line. Sensei is gonna kill me once I get out of this place...

"Oh, right!" Kou then looked at Y/n. "Was that the reason why my staff's electric currents can also affect you? Because you're also part supernatural?"

"Definitely."

"W-What?!"

"Wait— Y/n-chan! How long have you been part of the school mysteries though? Your whole life?"

"Definitely not. Since middle school, actually."

"What..." Nene and Kou stared at the girl blankly. "Y/n-chan is..."

Y/n frowned. Oh goodness, their gonna hate me...

"Y/n-chan is so cool!" Nene's eyes sparkled as Kou nodded I'm agreement. "Y/n-chan is literally the girl everyone would want, not only that, she basically has abilities too!"

Shijima stared at the scene blankly. "I think you all are forgetting the topic at hand."

"Right!" Nene nodded as she looked at Y/n. "What are you gonna do now, Y/n-chan?!"

Y/n hummed as she crossed her arms. "Of course, I've already thought of a plan as we spoke." She smiled as she looked at Shijima.

"I'm gonna go talk to Hanako-kun," she grinned. "I've found something I want to tell him."

.        .        .

"I didn't think you were such a foolish girl, number eight." Shijima crossed her arms as she looked down at the H/c-haired girl, kneeling down in fear. "So you'll go and meet him, then you'll talk, and then what will you do?"

"Eh.." Y/n scratched her cheek as she looked up in thought. "I'm gonna convince him... Maybe with that, he would come to terms that this place just ain't it and will bring us all back to the real world."

Shijima sweat dropped. "I feel like I should be congratulating you.."

"What..?"

Shijima leaned onto the wall as she looked at Y/n. "If you stay carefree like that, this world will finish and you won't be able to go home, you know? Convincing him can come later, leaving this place is the most important thing we have to do right now."

"But I'm curious." Y/n fiddled with her fingers. "Shijima-san, this world is practically your own creation. Can't you like, just control this place and lead us to the exit?"

Kou's eyes widened upon realizing what Y/n just said. "That's true!" He then took out his staff before walking towards Shijima. He held her collar and gave the girl a glare.

"Let us out of here!" Kou yelled as he pointed his staff at her. "If you don't, I'll beat you up!"

Shijima gave Kou a close-eyed smile. A second after, she tied Kou up in the same position as how they had tied her up earlier.

Number four is so cool. Y/n's eyes sparkled as she looked at Shijima, who remained unbothered with Kou's muffled screaming.

"But number four!" Mitsuba raised his hand. "Can't you at least stop this world from finishing? I don't know what went down, but don't you intend on helping all of us out?"

Shijima turned around. "Well, I do intend to help you guys at least, but..." She paused. "I'm unable to slow down the completion of this drawing. It's also impossible for me to allow you all to leave this world. I am unable to, at least."

"How come?"

"All of us school mysteries have rules that exist even in our boundaries. We are unable to disconnect ourselves with our rumors. It's similar to how number five's 4pm bookstack can not change the future written on the books. I can't stop drawing my pictures. I also am not able to simple let you all go, because there are some more rules set in place."

"By rules, do you mean..." Y/n crossed her arms as she glanced over at the pink-headed apparition. ".. killing Hanako-kun and Sousuke?"

Mitsuba flinched as he looked over his shoulder.

"Number four, you know we can't do that..."

"Then if that's the case, why not get number three to make an explosion and blow up the honorable number seven."

"Two birds with one stone, huh?"

"What are you talking about?!" Mitsuba screamed as he looked at the two girls in horror. "No way! It'd be better to just be all happy and live here together! Let's all just live here—!"

Mitsuba's sentence was cut off when an object came flying towards the side of his head. Y/n's eyes widened to see the familiar paint brush she had encountered hours ago.

"Ah, brush-chan." Y/n crouched beside it as it wrote, Don't talk about that stuff >:(.

"I thought you were a goner earlier." Y/n grinned. "I literally witnessed Hanako-kun breaking you into half, I'm surprised that you're in one piece right now."

"That brush followed you earlier, Y/n-chan." Kou removed the remaining ropes on him.

Mitsuba rubbed his head as he gave the paintbrush a glare. "But it was broken into two, so we fixed it. Then we led it to where you were resting, basically. Aren't we kind?"

"Me and senpai were the only ones who fixed it..."

Shijima walked towards them, her eyes staring at the paintbrush. It then floated towards her and stayed above her hands.

"This is a failed clone of myself that I once tried to create," Shijima explained as she looked down at the brush.

Both Kou and Nene's eyes widened. The ombré-haired girl covered her mouth. "Failure?"

"Yes, as the creation and the overseeing of this world means little to me. Sometimes, I end up making them.. these clones are reflections of my feelings."

Shijima smiled. "I always get rid of these failures immediately. But it seems that there was one left over."

"So that means that this brush is Shijima-san?"

"In broad terms, yes, you could say that."

Y/n looked up in thought. "Then that means..." Deep down, number four wanted wanted to be on our side... Y/n recalled everything the paintbrush had written earlier.

"Oh right." Y/n looked at Shijima. "Number four, wasn't there a door in this world?"

"W-Well that's... It's not something that I'm allowed to talk about." Shijima sweat dropped as she looked at the paintbrush. "... I guess it can be helped, though."

"Yes." Shijima went towards the windows and opened it. "There is one. An exit that you have been looking for."