"Ah, so you were all in here, huh?"

"Well, we're delighted to see you attending the meeting..." Shijima smiled when making eye contact with the human. ".. Aimi-chan."

Y/n snickered as she went towards Tsuchigumori, who raised a brow at her. She sat beside him as she glanced at Hanako, who gave her a small smile. The girl smiled back.

"Shall we resume the meeting?" Number one asked. All the other school mysteries nodded in agreement. Y/n stayed seated, her arms crossed as she listened to the discussion silently.

"Mind explaining why you'd suddenly come to the meeting?" Tsuchigumori looked at the girl. "Not to mention, why aren't you with the others? Don't you have study camp to attend to."

"Yeah." Y/n sighed. "That was until a school mystery decided to appear and take one of my classmates."

"Number six, huh..?" Tsuchigumori looked forward tiredly. "Well, don't get yourself into to much trouble with him. You're lifespan is already short enough, we don't want you going around and-" the man stopped when seeing a guilty look on Y/n's face. "Nevermind, you're gonna go ahead anyway."

"That's right." Y/n smiled. "I'm just waiting for this meeting to end. I wanna go and ask Fox-san for the entrance to number six's boundary."

"I'm guessing someone didn't want you going along with them?"

"Yeah, they didn't want me to go with them." Y/n waved her hands around. "Saying it was too dangerous and that I may die if I'd go with them."

"I don't disagree." Tsuchigumori rolled his eyes. "You're head is already bleeding, and you're not even tending to it. Right now, you may die because of blood loss."

"Right." Y/n grimaced. "Forgot about this thing."

"Yeah, sure." Tsuchigumori sighed as he crossed his arms. "Get that treated first, then I'll let you go and talk to number two."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Alright!"

"Oh?" Y/n blinked as an elevator opened infront of her, revealing the faces of Akane and Nene, both with a look of disbelief. "Nice to see you both still in one piece."

"Y/n-chan?!" Nene screamed as she looked at the person beside Y/n. "And Yako-san?! Wait! Did you lead-"

"Here's your stop." Yako gave the H/c-haired girl a smirk before turning her heels. "Anyway, I'll get going. Be safe, number eight." With that, Yako left.

Y/n scratched her cheek as she gave Nene and Akane a nervous grin.

"So? What did I miss?"

"Of course." Akane sighed as he moved to the side, giving the girl some space. "Get in. I swear, the president is going to kill me when he finds out that I got you into this mess."

"I'll explain, don't worry." Y/n patted Akane's shoulder in comfort as she glanced at Nene. "Anyways, Nene-chan, what have you been doing?" She tilted her head. "You didn't find number six's boundary yet?"

"No." Nene frowned. "But we've seen a lot of weird things while coming to where we are now..." She recalled the huge puppet which popped out as soon as the elevator doors opened. "It's pretty weird..."

"Ah, I see." Y/n smiled as she watched the elevator descending. Once it stopped, the metal doors opened, revealing a small group of four people. "Ah, look-"

Y/n's eyes widened upon realizing something.

"Yeah, no. Let's get out of this place please." Y/n pressed the close button repeatedly as she checked on the group. They slowly turned around, revealing their horrifying looks.

Y/n's breathing started becoming shorter as soon as she heard Nene scream in horror. She felt Akane pulling her away and taking her spot into pressing the button.

"Close!" Akane yelled as he pressed it multiple times. Finally, the doors shut close. The three instantly dropped on the floor and sighed in relief. Y/n leaned on the wall, a hand on her chest as she tried to maintain her breaths.

"Y/n-chan, a-are you okay?" Nene looked over her shoulders and checked Y/n, whose face was too pale. Y/n nodded, her hands still trembling from the adrenaline rush she just had.

"Yeah, let's never come here again, okay?"

"Yeah." Akane gave Nene a sharp look. "Though this wouldn't have happened if Yashiro-san didn't follow a strange ghost."

"Sorry..."

Y/n looked at the buttons, analyzing if there was some sort of code or pattern you had to place into it. She was sure that she's read about it before, though she couldn't remember what it was at all.

Is it just me, or am I literally losing my memories? Y/n's face turned blank. Yeah, I should really start studying more often.

Akane then stood up, banging his fist onto the wall in frustration, luckily, the elevator didn't break. "Shit. There's nothing we can do.." he grumbled as Y/n sighed.

Suddenly, a noise started echoing inside the elevator. Y/n quickly turned to the speaker attached on the corner. "Okay, what's going on now?"

"Ah- test, test?" Y/n nearly jumped in joy when hearing the familiar voice. "This is an emergency call centre. Customers in the elevator, can you hear?"

Nene's eyes widened. "This voice..."

"Hanako-kun!" Y/n cried out as she held the speaker tightly. "Hey, where are you right now? I didn't see you leave the meeting room- actually, scratch that. Do you-?!"

Hanako hummed. "What are you doing at such a place this time, Y/n-chan?" he cooed, causing Y/n to let out a nervous chuckle. "You're becoming too reckless~"

"Yeah, this will be the last time." Y/n clasped her hands together. "I promise. After this, I'll never be reckless ever again."

"Hm." She could tell Hanako was smirking. "You better keep that promise then!"

"Of course!"

"Oh? Yashiro is there too. But at this point, I'm not gonna be surprised anymore." Hanako sighed, making Nene release a small puff in frustration. "What do you mean by that?!"

"Oh? Number one is also there." They all looked at the speaker, waiting for whatever Hanako was about to say in anticipation. Though their wait was probably all for nothing. "Possibly being unfaithful?"

"Can I break this speaker?" Akane forced out a smile. One hand on the speaker while the other raised, preparing to give it a good smack. Nene shrieked as she pulled the red head away from the device. "No! Calm down- Hanako-kun was just joking!"

The boy from the other line chuckled. "Alright, I know the situation," he said. "That girl... What did you say, Aoi-chan? She's been taken, right? By number six?"

"It seems like you are very familiar with the details, number seven." Akane flinched before looking at Y/n, who had tapped his shoulder. "What is it?"

"They actually had a meeting earlier." Y/n recalled what happened before she was lead into the elevator. "Hanako-kun knows this because it was being discussed earlier."

Akane let out a frown as he looked at the speaker once again, crossing his arms before asking, "Then I'll ask, who is that strange mystery? Taking Ao-chan. What does he intend to do with her?"

"That's..." Hanako paused, causing the three humans to look at the telephone in anticipation. Though, of course, the seventh mystery didn't give them a straight response. "A secret-"

"WHAT?!" Akane literally threw hands on the speaker as Y/n held the boy back from destroying it. "Stop it, you overly-worried boy! Plus, that mystery is number six! The Reaper! How can you not know him!"

"Well, I'm not some smart girl like you! You basically know anything and everything!"

"Then start studying!"

"You don't even study-!"

"Now, now, number one..." Hanako let out a chuckle. "You want my help, don't you?" He didn't wait for Akane's response and continued speaking. "If you want my help, first, you shouldn't fight Y/n-chan~!"

"Goodness." Akane rolled his eyes as he stepped away from the girl, who had a smug smirk on her face. "Honorable number seven, you couldn't try to hide the fact that favor her more than the rest of us-"

"So!" Hanako spoke up. "Let's think about ourselves. This is a gap between the near shore and the far shore. A place that is nowhere, where you can go anywhere."

"If you act carelessly, you will be farther from helping Aoi-chan. You will end up wandering in a place that is nowhere forever."

Y/n's lips formed a straight line as she looked down, fiddling with her fingers as she tried to process what the boy just said. "So, basically, this elevator could go anywhere but if we get lost then we're screwed."

"Exactly."

"So if we can go anywhere.." Nene looked at the speaker. "We can go to Aoi-chan using this elevator, right?"

"That's..." Hanako hummed. ".. probably impossible."

Y/n huffed as she looked at the elevator judgmentally. "What a shame. Here I thought, this elevator could do anything.. I guess not-"

"Number seven." Akane spoke up, cutting Y/n from ranting any further. "Can you operate this elevator."

"Well, yes..." Hanako replied hesitantly. "I could do it if I went there...?"

"So if Hanako-kun comes here!" Before Nene could cheer, Hanako decided to speak up once again. "But it's no good..."

"Why?!"

"Well, if Y/n-chan and Yashiro is helping others then.. ah..." Y/n could already tell that Hanako was smirking from the other line. "But that's right, Akane-kun is the one who wants to go to Aoi-chan."

Akane remained silent as he gave he speaker a sharp yet confused look.

"I'm an apparatus, so I could take you to sixth's place, but... What should I do~? It's kind of not worth it~"

"Hanako-kun!" Nene shrieked as Y/n sighed. "He's really gonna mess with us like this right now... Oh goodness..."

"Alright, alright. How about this." Hanako snapped his fingers. "If number one is going to do what I say, no matter what it is, I'll go over there and help you."

What is he trying to do? Y/n's brows furrowed as she watched Akane's expression turning into a sour one.

"What are you planning, number seven?"

"Isn't anything fine to help Aoi-chan?" There was a hint of playfulness in Hanako's voice as he spoke. "I am Hanako-san, so I will grant wishes in exchange for a price."

"What-?"

"So what will you do, number one?" This time, it was mischief, stringing on every word Hanako let out. "Will you ask me for a wish?"

Y/n could see Akane's clenched fist from the corner of her eye. She has no idea whatever he has planned out in his mind, or whatever Hanako planned. But honestly, at this point, she doesn't give a damn anymore. She just hopes she wouldn't be caught up in whatever duel they're having.

"A wish? Me to you?" Akane then laughed, as if Hanako just told him the funniest joke- which, he absolutely did not. "Do you understand the situation properly, number seven?"

"What do you mean?"

"You must be stupid." Akane snickered. "I mean-"

"I mean, there is a hostage here."

Y/n's breath hitched as she felt an arm getting wrapped around her neck, not to harsh, but enough to pull her in. She gave the red head a glare as she tried to free herself from his grip.

"Okay, what in the world-"

"Just play along." Y/n frowned upon hearing Akane's words. She then recalled the thoughts she had earlier- the one about wishing not to be in involved in any of the mess.

"Number one-"

"You know well, number seven." His index finger stuck out, acting like some kind of gun aiming at the side of Y/n's head. "I can do anything to help Ao-chan. I will have you cooperate quietly."

"Are you threatening me?" Hanako scoffed. "It's useless."

"How about..."

Y/n shrieked as Akane lifted her chin, literally making her face an inch away from him. Nene's eyes almost went out as she looked at the scene, terrified.

"Akane-kun, no!"

"Stop, stop-!"

"What's going on?!"

"H-Hanako-kun.." Nene held the speaker as she looked at the scene in fear. "Akane-kun's about to steal Y/n-chan's first kiss-!"

꧁☾︎ 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎 ☽︎꧂
hi everyoneeeee, i hope you're all doing well. i thought it would be nice to publish a chapter, since like, i have three chapters which has been in my drafts for over three months already :'D. plus, im ignoring schoolwork cuz why not. you can find me online on instagram, i like editing, so yall can go ahead and ya know, check it out ahihi (its @/merakiinee btw pls go check it out). i think i'm gonna start posting frequently when i catch up with the manga. i'm currently on the sumire part, and yes, i stan her :D. okay thats all goodbye ✋

-chyuu