Author's Note: I don't get hugs, do I? :( I'm so sorry. A lot of things have been happening, but I've been trying my best to finish this fic. For now, I've managed to finish a longer chapter, and I hope it's some consolation for being gone for so long.

Chapter 4

When the phone rang the next night, it was about 1 am. Midorimacchi was the one who answered it.

"Kasamatsu-senpai, it's Midorima, nanodayo."

A few minutes of silence as he listened to senpai from the other side.

"Kise's been paranoid the past two nights. I've been thinking it's because of the game Takao told him to play. He's gotten Sakurai paranoid as well."

A few seconds of silence.

"Yes, it's that game, nanodayo."

Silence again. Then he handed the phone to me.

I cleared my throat. "Sen – "

"Kise, stop letting Five Nights get to you too much. If you're going to play a horror game, make sure you can handle it well and not let it haunt you. Takao played the same game but it didn't even affect him. And because it's already pretty obvious that Sakurai isn't one to handle horror very well, it's not a good idea to make him as paranoid as you are."

I tugged at my shirt. "Hai… Sorry about that."

Senpai sighed. "Just don't give Midorima a tough time. It's hard enough if you're on a night shift. It's even harder if no one cooperates."

"Hai-ssu~"

"I already told Midorima what you should more or less do for tonight. Good luck."

"Arigato~"

Then I hung up. And as soon as I did, Takaocchi bounded over and said, "Kise, can you go with me to the restroom?"

I blinked. "Can't you go alone?"

"It gets lonely," he said with a puppy face.

Midorimacchi rolled his eyes. "Just go with him, Kise. He'll never stop annoying you if you don't, nanodayo."

"But…" I stopped. I was about to say that that in the game, Freddy and Chica can appear in the restrooms. And now that it was the third night, they could start moving even before 1 am. But I remembered what Kasamatsu-senpai just told me. So I just shrugged and said, "Sure."

.

.

.

Trying not to base our situation on Five Nights at Freddy's was way easier said than done.

We passed by the female restroom first, so I actually risked looking inside. Fortunately, I found nothing. It really boosted my confidence, so I told Takaocchi I'd just wait outside.

I managed to stay alone outside for a while. And I could have managed to stay longer if I hadn't glanced at the female restroom. Just to find the big brown plushie staring at me.

For a second or two, I stood there staring back at it, completely stunned. Then when reality sank in, I rushed inside the male restroom.

"Takaocchi!"

"Oi, Kise, I'm not done yet!" he complained as he zipped his pants up hastily.

"Sorry, but the bear plushie is in the other restroom!"

"Turn around! I'm not done!"

I faced the wall. "Sorry, but the bear plushie – "

"I heard. Are you sure it's not just your imagination? It's dark after all. You could easily be hallucinating."

I inched towards the door and peeked to the other restroom. Then I stepped back in. "No. It's still there."

I heard Takaocchi turn the faucet on. "I'm done."

I turned around. "The plushie's still – "

"I heard!" Takaocchi looked at me with a confused face. "Are you sure you're okay, Kise? You seem a bit too…restless today."

"Do I? Well… can you go check on the other restroom-ssu~?"

Takaocchi sighed. "Fine." He grabbed my shirt sleeve. "But you're coming with me. Just to prove that you have nothing to worry about."

"E-EH? Takaocchi!"

He dragged me outside and faced me to the female restroom's door. "See, Kise? I told you there was nothing. It was just really dark. Your mind was playing tricks on you."

"… Can you please not tell Midorimacchi? He'll get mad again…"

Takaocchi sighed. "Fine. But make sure you get that paranoia of yours under control. Sakurai is already as paranoid as you are and Shin-chan isn't happy about it."

.

.

.

"Sakurai, nothing's there."

When Takaocchi and I came back, Midorimacchi was scolding Sakuraicchi. I felt really sorry we had to leave him alone with his fellow shooting guard.

"Sumimasen! Demo, I really saw something."

It was only then that he noticed us coming in. "K-Kise-kun! You saw something in the female restroom, right? That's why you rushed into the male restroom."

Behind me, Takaocchi said, "Well, he did say something about seeing a big brown bear plushie. But I didn't see anything on the way back."

Sakuraicchi looked back and forth both Shutoku players helplessly. "But I'm sure I saw something…," he said, shrinking.

Midorimacchi sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Sakurai doesn't seem to be someone who plays jokes, nanodayo." He paused, then looked at Takaocchi. "Takao, go to the restrooms."

"But I just went there!"

"I don't care. Just prove to Sakurai and Kise that there's nothing unusual in this restaurant."

Takaocchi groaned but did what he was told.

Meanwhile, Midorimacchi told Sakuracchi and me to sit beside each other across from him. Then he turned the laptop towards us and said, "Look at the screen, nanodayo. If something really is there, Takao may not be coming back."

Sakuraicchi look shock. "T-Then why did you send him there?"

"Because I'm sure nothing is there, nanodayo."

Normally, I'd trust Midormacchi's instincts. But for three nights in a row, I kept seeing big plushies around the place, and I knew I wasn't imagining things since I didn't lack sleep. Sakuraicchi was also sure with the fact that this restaurant was haunted.

When I looked at the screen, the bear I saw before was peeking from the female restroom. But it wasn't peeking at the hallway, it was peeking straight at the camera.

But, of course, I just kept quiet. After all, I thought, Takaocchi could just use his Hawk Eye to see the bear before he even got there. That way, he wouldn't have to get hurt or anything. Though I wasn't sure his ability worked that way…

Unfortunately, after some time, he appeared on the screen, sulking.

I glanced at Sakuraicchi who looked like he wanted to shout something at Takaocchi but decided against it. Maybe because he knew he wouldn't be heard, or maybe because he was scared that Midorimacchi would get mad. I'm guessing it was the latter.

Anyway, on the screen, Takaocchi started playing ninja. He walked sideways slowly, his back to the wall. He looked left and right as if watching out for enemies.

As he inched closer to the door, I could feel Sakuraicchi's hand tapping mine. Probably his way of telling me to do something.

Do I panic, knowing that I'd get scolded again? Or do I just run off to help Takaocchi, knowing that I'd get yelled at after.

I nervously cleared my throat, which made Midorimacchi eye me suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Um…" I dashed out of my seat. But before I could make it to the hallway, Midorimacchi grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back beside Sakuraicchi.

He glared at me. "What were you thinking, nanodayo?"

"But the screen - !"

"I already told you, nothing is wrong here!"

"At least… At least let me stand by the door!"

Midorimacchi thought about it. After all the panicking I did, I didn't think he'd expect me to just sit still in the middle of the office so no plushie could murder me.

Finally, he nodded. "But just stand by the door, nanodayo. If you start running around again, I will talk to the manager about it."

"Hai-ssu~!" Though deep inside, I really hoped I didn't start running around again. I didn't want to be fired for the reason that I was thought to be hallucinating about killer plushies. I might end up in the mental hospital for all I know.

As I soon as I looked down the left hallway, something big and, disturbingly, furry bumped into me, causing me to fall back.

"Kise?" Midorimacchi looked up from the screen he was now watching. "What happened, nanodayo?"

"D-Did something hit you? I heard footsteps," Sakuraicchi said, looking as scared as ever.

"I-I…" One look at Midorimacchi and I knew I couldn't tell him about the fox. What fox? The furry thing that bumped me, of course. How did I know it was a fox? I play Five Nights at Freddy's. The only thing that ran around the place was the fox.

"Well?" Midorimacchi prompted.

"I-I… Nothing. Just... I tripped… backwards." I forced a laugh.

"Be more careful, nanodayo."

I nodded, and from the look on Sakuraicchi's face, I knew he didn't buy what I just said.

But tripped backwards? How can I trip backwards? I never tripped backwards. I rarely even trip normally. If I did, I wouldn't even be on the basketball team! Or at least if I did, Kasamatsu-senpai would be scolding me… more than usual.

I stood up and was almost immediately knocked to the side by Takaocchi.

He stared at me, wide-eyed and gasping for air. "Okay, I get it!" he said as he shifted his gaze between me and Sakuraicchi. "I get it already. I believe you!"

Before anyone could say anything, he pointed down the hallway in the direction he came from, where the restrooms were. "That big furry bear? The one Kise was on about? Yeah, I met him already. And he doesn't look like he's giving out free hugs."

Midorimacchi groaned. "Takao, I honestly expected more form you, nanodayo. I can't believe you're at it with them as well."

"But it's true!" Takaocchi cried stubbornly. "I'm your partner, right, Shin-chan?" He put a hand on his own chest. "You should trust me. And besides, I have my Hawk Eye. That's more reason for you to trust me. And because I do have my Hawk Eye, don't you think we should at least be more careful?"

"Takao." Midorimacchi's voice turned deadly serious. "If you think about things more thoroughly, nanodayo, you'll see that your claims are impossible."

"But - !"

"No. The three of you, sit down."

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.

.

I sat in the middle. On my left, Sakuraicchi was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. To my right, Takaocchi looked bored, as if he didn't just see anything minutes ago. But he still occasionally looked at the doors on either side as if he expected something to jump out. And for the sake of everyone's safety and sanity, I really hoped nothing does.

Midorimacchi sat in front of us, the monitor facing him, so he completely ignored the three of us on the other side of the table. He probably figured that if we didn't look at the monitor or roam around the room, we couldn't cause trouble.

"Kise."

I looked at Midorimacchi.

"When you said you tripped a while ago, you didn't really trip, did you?"

I blinked. "Was it that obvious?"

He pushed his glasses up. "I've been thinking about it, and I've decided you're not that clumsy, nanodayo."

"Um…"

"So what really happened?" he prompted.

I didn't know how to explain things, so I just smiled uneasily.

Midorimacchi sighed. "Another plushie? I knew I shouldn't have asked."

"What plushie?" Takaocchi asked.

When I looked at him, I realized he didn't look bored. He looked tired. Well, getting that kind of scare does take a lot out of you. I felt exhausted myself.

"The fox plushie," I answered.

"Ne, Shin-chan, could you check the Pirate Cove?" Takaocchi leaned forward on the table.

Midorimacchi ignored him.

"Come on, Shin-chan, you're checking other places anyway."

"Alright, just for you to be quiet."

Midorimacchi tapped at the keyboard then said, "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"What are you seeing?"

"Nothing, nanodayo."

Sakuraicchi tapped my arm lightly. "I-Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

On my other side, Takaocchi answered, "It depends. What time is it?"

I checked my phone. "It's a bit past 3:30."

"Hmm… If he's not there, maybe it's a bad thing. He could be on his way here."

"But he just bumped into me, remember?

"Maybe he went back?"

"But in the game, once Foxy's out of the cove, he goes straight to the office."

"But you just said that he bumped into you."

"W-Well maybe it wasn't the f-fox plushie that bumped into you," Sakuraicchi said from my other side.

"Maybe it's the rabbit that bumped into you, nanodayo," Midorimacchi said, obviously sarcastic.

But I thought it made sense. "Oh yeah! Bonnie passes through the west hall."

In front of me, Midorimacchi rolled his eyes.

Takaocchi thought about it for a while. "But he doesn't run around. Then again, not everything that happens in the game happens here. So maybe it really was the fox plushie that bumped into you?"

I nodded. "Maybe…"

Takaocchi was supposed to say something else, but I shushed him. Something was wrong.

"What is it, Kise-kun?" Sakuraicchi asked.

"Shh. I thought I heard something."

In the next few seconds of silence, I heard it again: something hissed down the west hall.

Sakuraicchi seemed to hear too it since he leaned away from the door.

I stood up and checked the hallway. I heard something hiss again. And it came from the direction where the restrooms were. Then, that something started to run. It didn't sound heavy, like it was light on its toes. But it was definitely running.

When it hissed again, it was definitely nearer now. I completely forgot what I wasn't supposed to be doing, and closed the door.

The moment I did, that something apparently bumped into it. It hissed again and started pounding lightly on the door.

"Oi, Kise!"

I looked back to see Midorimacchi glaring at me again.

"Open the door! We're losing electricity, nanodayo."

"But there's something out there!"

"If you're not opening the door, I'm doing it."

"But – "

"Now."

I wanted to argue, but I had a feeling Kasamatsu-senpai wouldn't be listening to any more of my excuses. So reluctantly, I did.

And when I did, something furry nudged my legs.

I put my hands over my eyes, sure that I was the first one to be eaten.

"Mrrow."

I looked down through my fingers and instantly felt stupid. I was scared… of a cat.

I heard Takaocchi laugh. "That was hilarious! I can't believe you got scared of a cat!"

I picked the cat up. "I can't believe it either…"

Midorimacchi coughed. "I did say you had nothing to be scared of."

All I could do was nod.

"Well, it's about time you've realized that nothing's wrong, nanodayo. The cat has unfortunately lowered our electricity. We only have 25% to live with in the remaining two hours."

"Sorry about that."

I was starting to accept the idea that maybe the restaurant wasn't so haunted when I heard clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen.

Midorimacchi looked up from the laptop. "Don't you even think about saying anything, nanodayo. Cats probably got into the restaurant."

"But we made sure the restaurant's completely closed, right, Shin-chan?" Takaocchi said.

The cat that I had in my arms jumped off and bounded towards the kitchen.

"See?" Midorimacchi said. "It's probably just another cat." When he looked at the three of us, he sighed. "Fine. I'll got to the kitchen to show you three that nothing is wrong, nanodayo."

"Midorimacchi, no!"

But he already on his way.

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.

.

"Check the kitchen audio, hurry!" Takaocchi said.

Sakuraicchi was the one nearest the laptop, so he tapped at the keyboard.

The three of us were quiet for a few seconds before we heard kitchen stuff clattering to the floor again.

"W-Will Midorima-kun be o-okay?" Sakuraicchi squeaked.

I was really starting to feel sorry for the mushroom. Maybe I shouldn't have invited him to this job. Then again, he did agree.

"He'll be fine," I said, trying to sound confident.

Takaocchi managed a laugh. "Yeah, if anything would be scarier than those plushies, it would be Shin-chan!"

"I heard that, nanodayo."

We all looked back and saw Midorimacchi standing there, completely unharmed.

"You're okay!" Takaocchi and I cried at the same time.

"Of course I'm okay. What did you think?"

Takaocchi winked at Sakuraicchi. "I told you Shin-chan could be scarier than those plushies."

"Wasn't there anything there?" I asked.

"What, did you hear something again?" Midorimacchi asked, annoyed.

I scratched my head. "Well…"

"At least you're alright, Midorima-kun."

Midorimacchi pushed up his glasses. "I'm not going to say anything anymore. Let's just get through the last two hours."

And that was the last creepy thing that happened that night.