.:.
It was already seven minutes into the 'game'. Renzou heaved a loud sigh from his lungs, still thoroughly irritated by the task they had just completed. They had been able to clear the first task in about three minutes and the pink-haired boy had left with several aching lashes on his back. His battle wounds would likely bruise by the time they went to sleep and he was not looking forward to that at all.
The second task, which they had found about a minute later by back-tracking and exploring through some of the rooms (the note was hanging from one of the bookshelves and had read, "LOOK UP", which after doing so, they were promptly assaulted by a pile of dusty books), was hosted by Takara. As quiet as the blonde usually was, his task was even more obnoxiously quiet than himself. His puppet had spat at them, "Listen up! I'll only say this once, ya stupid brats! Balance the fuckin' books on yer head and when I throw these stones at you, dodge them. If ye can't dodge 'em, then I add more books. Dodge three times and you pass. Now stand over there, you bastards!" And thus, the torturous wait in silence commenced as they stood balancing books on their heads while attempting to sense when the blonde would fire stones at them.
Now, they were onto their last task with eight minutes left and counting. Renzou squinted down the corridors, head swishing back and forth, searching frantically for the last paper.
"Do you see it, Izumo-chan? I haven't found anythin' yet…" He leaned towards her, wondering why she had suddenly stopped in the middle of hall. Just as he peered over her shoulder, she seemed to jump in surprise and then scowl at him. The purple-haired girl swatted him away, nearly smacking him in the face.
"Could you please stop talking to me?" The girl grumbled, obviously just as frustrated by the previous tasks as he was, "I'm trying to concentrate."
Renzou smiled dryly. Haha… she's so mean when it's not Okumura-kun, huh… The boy with pink hair shook his head sadly, "Aah… I know you wanted to be with Okumura-kun for this but… there's no need to be so mean to me, ya know~"
Izumo stiffened immediately. He grinned when he saw the girl's neck turn slightly pink from behind. Bingo~ And now she's totally gonna turn around and deny it, haha~
She whipped around, hands balled together into trembling fists.
"I… I-I think you're misunderstanding something here! W-Who ever said I wanted to be with that guy…?" Her cheeks were red with embarrassment and it took every fiber of muscle in him to keep himself from laughing.
"Pfft—!" But he failed. "S-Sure… aha ha…! Just keep tellin' yourself that… bwahaha!"
Her face was completely red now and she chewed at her lips, at a loss as to what to do. The purple-haired girl shouted back angrily all of a sudden, "W-Well? So then what about you, huh? You've changed lately. Don't tell me… you fell for that guy?"
Renzou's laughter caught in his throat. His eyes grew round and it was his turn to turn red. "H-Huh…?" He stuttered nervously, eyes darting towards the ceiling. Oh man, was he really obvious or something…? And even though there were people who already knew his feelings for Rin, being exposed all the time like this still took some time to get used to… not to mention the fact that it was Kamiki Izumo of all people—a girl, a classmate, and someone he had been previously interested in—who was finding out about him.
"I knew it," She smirked haughtily, blush beginning to fade away and looking steadily more triumphant now that the tables had been turned. "You like him, don't you?"
He gulped. Well… there was no use hiding it. Besides, she wouldn't just randomly go up to Rin and tell him that he was in love with him… so there was no need to worry about the blue-eyed boy finding out (before he was ready to tell him, that is).
"Y-Yeah…" His gaze fell to the floor and he fidgeted nervously, wondering what the girl would say. But to his surprise, she didn't say anything. He thought she would laugh mockingly and maybe even call him disgusting. There was only silence. Renzou took a peek at her and he blinked in confusion when she only seemed to regard him with a curious yet slightly shocked expression. Then, her cheeks grew pink and she coughed awkwardly.
"Oh… is…" She averted her gaze shyly to the side, "Is that so…"
…huh?
"Um… yeah." He scratched at his cheek uncomfortably. What was with this atmosphere…? Somehow… he got the feeling that she didn't hate him as much anymore…? A bead of sweat ran down his head.
W-Why?
"Oh… well, ahem… I'm not really cheering you on or anything but… g-good… good luck." She murmured quietly before turning away on her foot and rushing off with the flashlight to search for the last task.
"Wha—?" He stared at her retreating figure dumbly. Did she just…? Was that… encouragement just now? But wait! Didn't she like Rin as well? Why would she tell him, 'Good luck'? The pink-haired boy found himself confused and completely left in the dark. Literally and figuratively. Renzou flinched as he snapped back to reality and quickly made the decision to shove his confusion to the back of his mind. Then he hastily sprang into action again, following after the fading beam of light. "W-Wait! Izumo-chan, don't go so far…!"
Within a few seconds, he caught up beside the girl. The boy heaved a few breaths of air in, panting from the sudden exertion of energy. He glanced at her with one eye open and his line of sight immediately drew itself to a sheet of paper in her hands. Renzou smiled.
"Oh! You found the last one! What's it say?"
She opened it for him, still looking slightly bashful for reasons unknown to him. He peered at the lettering, which was surprisingly not in red text like the last two letters. Instead, a fine and elegant print in black ink was scratched across the paper. It read: Took you long enough.
"Huh…" Renzou raised an eyebrow at the note. That handwriting… didn't it belong to—
"Hmph, I see you two didn't find the hints at all to reach here, did you…" A familiar voice muttered from the shadows and they both felt something touch their shoulders, "You both severely lacked the mentality to stay focused in alarming situations. Please take note of that in future occasions."
Izumo flashed the beam of light towards the wall. The owner of the voice was none other than their green-eyed professor, who they found climbing out from one of the wall panels while holding a pair of make-shift skeleton hands made from twisted paper. Yukio tucked the props away and pat his clothes off of dust. Then, he adjusted his glasses.
"But, I must applaud you on making it to the last task without using any hints. You still have four minutes left."
"Okumura-sensei…!" Renzou exclaimed. Where the hell had this guy been? Rin was worried sick about him…!
"Shima-kun, Kamiki-san." He smiled casually, "I'm glad you two listened to me. I'm sure Okumura-kun must've been difficult to deal with…"
What are you sayin', idiot? Do you know how worried you're making him? Renzou frowned at his teacher. Yukio seemed to understand.
"It was necessary… For everyone's training as well as to make the Test-of-Courage as frightening as possible. I'm afraid Okumura-kun wouldn't be frightened unless I created a scenario such as this. Although this only happened because he's part of the last team who is taking the test. If he were first, it wouldn't have to be as nerve wracking… it was quite an unlucky turn of events."
"Yeah, but you can't just say that and then pass it off…! Right now, you've taken it a bit too far, don't you think?" The pink-haired boy continued to glare at Yukio accusingly. This guy was blessed with someone who cared about him that much. Yet here he was, abusing that gentle kindness. For someone like him, who was rarely given that kind of care… there was no way he could let this go so easily…! Especially because the person Yukio was taking advantage of was Rin!
Okumura-sensei, you…!
The green-eyed boy stared back at him for a moment, eyes cold and challenging. After a second, a bitter smile quirked up the corners of his mouth. But as quick as it had come, the miniscule smile faded away. He shook his head.
"In any case, the sooner you finish your test, the sooner Okumura-kun will stop worrying. So I'll introduce you to your last task. The rules are simple…" He reached into his jacket and lifted their class textbook out, "Within one minute, you must recite from memory the passages that I will indicate from this book. You only pass when both people finish their series of passages. If you fail, I will give you as much time as you like to read over the passage and memorize it. You may then try again from the top. But remember, you only have four minutes left…" Yukio opened up the book forebodingly and the glare from his spectacles shielded one of his eyes from view. He was still smiling, "Please use your time wisely."
W-What? Shit…!
.:.
It was over. It was finally over…!
Izumo and Renzou had managed to complete the last task with just thirty seconds to spare. Yukio had merely smiled and nodded at them, murmuring a quick, "Good job" before telling them that if they mentioned anything in the test (before the last group finished) to the other teams, they would have to stay after cram school for some… as Yukio put it: "…remedial lessons to improve the performance" of what they had done today. For an entire week.
The pink-haired boy shook his head back and forth vigorously. There was no way he was going to go through something like that again…! Let alone a week of it…! What was with that test? Was it just the teachers' excuse to be as frighteningly fearsome and dictator-like as they wanted to be?
N-No wonder Bon didn't say anythin'… ha ha… must've been told the same thing after going through some kind of hellish test, too…
The two of them were just leaving out from the doors of the right hallway when angry shouts and the pattering of furious feet resounded across the cavern-like lobby, ringing from the direction of the dining room.
"Idiot! Didn't I say it's nothin' to worry about already? Get back here!"
"I know, but…! But what if something really did happen to them? Can you guarantee that nothing's happened?"
"Rin…!"
"You think I can just stand still and not do something when they could be in trouble?"
Renzou exchanged looks of bewilderment with Izumo. The two walked quietly towards the main staircase where they saw another few beams of light wavering closer and closer from the far corridor.
"Okumura-kun…?" Renzou called out carefully. One of the lights seemed to halt. Then, suddenly, there was a rushing of feet accompanied by the yelps of, "Oi…!", "O-Okumura-kun…!", and "R-Rin?" The blue-eyed boy sprinted out from the mouth of the hallway, eyes narrowed in determination. His head swept across the dark lobby, searching frantically. As soon as his gaze landed on the pink-haired boy and the purple-haired girl, his shoulders seemed to sag with relief. Renzou grinned and waved a hand casually, "Yo~ We're back…!"
Rin's eyes instantly hardened and a frown leapt across his lips. He pointed a finger and shouted, just as Ryuuji, Konekomaru, and Shiemi dashed in from behind, "Bastard, you're late…!"
Renzou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "S-Sorry about that… forgive me, it was pretty tough getting through that test… aha~"
" 'Aha~' my ass!" Rin stormed towards him, eyes blazing. The boy gripped him tightly by the collar of his shirt, pulling him down a few centimeters so that they were looking eye to eye, "What took you so long?"
"U-Uh…" Renzou, rather than feeling intimidated, felt his heart speed up, "Well…" The boy's face was so close to his… all he had to do was lean forward a bit more and then… But w-wait…! Right now wasn't the time for that! He couldn't tell Rin the truth…! Otherwise… those torturous remedial lessons…! "Aha, umm… s-sorry, I can't tell you yet…"
"What?"
"Well… I can't explain it now but… y-you'll see…"
Rin glared into his eyes and the pink-haired boy's heart constricted with guilt. Sorry, Okumura-kun… but it's okay, you'll find out soon anyway… Rin slowly loosened his firm hold on his clothes. Then his eyes lowered, bangs falling over his face.
"Shima…" He murmured almost silently, "Yukio… still hasn't come back yet… I even called him but he didn't pick up at all…!" The boy's hands were still on his shirt; they had slid down a little and were now grasping lightly to the front of his shirt. Rin's fingers were quivering and Renzou swallowed, feeling something akin to twisting pain throb within his gut and chest. There was no way he could leave him looking like that… The boy with pink hair immediately pulled Rin close to him, wrapping one arm around his waist tightly and the other to his head. He felt the boy flinch in surprise but he wove his fingers through the dark blue hair, hoping that his touches would be somewhat soothing.
"Okumura-kun. You don't have to worry about him. He's perfectly fine." Renzou spoke in a soft and calm tone. Rin's muscles were still tense. But at least the trembling had gone away.
"H-How can you say that…?" He mumbled into the pink-haired boy's shoulder, "How do you know for sure?"
"Well…" Renzou paused for a moment to think. Then, a brilliant idea hit him. He smiled and then pulled Rin away to arm's length, "Okumura-kun, did you know that in most Test-of-Courage games… there are people who are purposely assigned to scare others~?" He beamed down at the boy. Rin blinked for a second, confusion apparent on his face. Then, his eyes widened in realization and a wobbly smile drew across his lips.
"O-Oh…? Is that s-so…" His smile turned to one of deep relief and exhaustion. The pink-haired boy grinned. Thank goodness~ It looked like he would be okay now. Renzou was startled when Rin leaned forward—this time on his own accord—to press his forehead against his shoulder again, "… thanks, Shima."
He felt his skin tingle and grow warm. "N-No problem…"
Oh my god, I am so happy right now…! Go me…! Nice one there!
He noticed several pairs of eyes on him and he looked up from Rin warily. Ryuuji was staring straight at him with narrowed eyes and arms crossed over his chest. But otherwise, he wasn't really moving to break them apart. Strange… wouldn't he usually jump in between them and then try to strangle him (like what had happened at the baths the other day)…? Shiemi and Konekomaru were staring at them with fidgety fingers and flighty eyes but also with significantly redder faces. Izumo, however, had the strangest and most uncharacteristic look on her face out of all of them: her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on them, eyelids drawn half-closed in a way that suggested she saw something they didn't. It was unnerving… and weirdest of all, she had the smile of a cat. A cat that had just caught its canary.
Uhh… Renzou felt his body blush inexplicably under her gaze and he patted Rin's back awkwardly. Why is she looking at us like that…?
A creaking sound to his right caught his attention. He nearly yelped when he saw Yukio appearing from underneath the staircase with a calm but nevertheless intensely threatening smile across his face.
"Hmm, I see. So Shima-kun violated the rules…"
"W-Wha—? I didn't!" Renzou exclaimed and waved his arms about wildly. No way…! He didn't say anything specific about the test they just took! He'd only explained something that all Test-of-Courages had… that guy was gonna give him remedial lessons just for that…? Then again, seeing as how much Yukio disliked him… the professor was probably going to pick on him for every little thing.
G-Great… dammit, I have no other choice but to do it, huh… he'll never let me off…
Hearing the young professor's voice, Rin immediately broke away from Renzou, spinning to glare at his brother accusingly.
"There you are, four-eyes! Damn it, you could've just told me that you were going to go scare Suguro and Konekomaru! Why'd you lead me on to think something's happened to all of you guys?"
"Aa, yes," Yukio nodded in a matter-of-fact manner, "Well, it would defeat the purpose of this event if you weren't scared, wouldn't it?" He added a kind smile to the end, which somehow pissed Renzou off to no end.
You're right… but at the same time you're kinda off with the type of 'scariness' you were supposed to have… The pink-haired boy thought to himself bitterly, turning from Yukio to Rin, watching for the blue-haired boy's reaction. Rin was staring silently at his brother, looking as though he were contemplating the other boy's words. Then, the boy frowned and whipped his head away coldly.
"Hmph, I see…"
Renzou sent Rin's back a two thumbs-up. Alright~ Just like that, Okumura-kun! Be angry at him, keh heh heh heh… he deserves it!
At the annoyed look he received from his professor (which spelled certain doom for him), Renzou hastily withdrew his hands and laughed nervously. Yukio pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned to address the rest of the group.
"Anyway… due to Shima-kun's interference, there will be a change of plans regarding the test for Okumura-kun and Moriyama-san."
As soon as she was called, Shiemi stood up straighter, "Ah! Y-Yes!" Rin was sulking off to the side, a few inches away from Renzou and pouting slightly. But he still turned his ear towards the green-eyed professor.
"As the previous groups all know, I have been giving out tasks during the test. However, this time I will not be doin so."
A chorus of confused noises chimed from the students. Yukio smiled, "Yes. Therefore, someone amongst the previous groups will be assigned to do it instead."
What? Wait! Then that meant that he could get the chance to scare Rin and Shiemi during their test…? Renzou grinned to himself, all sorts of ideas coming into his mind already. Awesome~ He could show Rin what a real Test-of-Courage was like… not some bullshit like this…!
And then maybe… I can grab him from behind or something~? Ahahaha~ Ohh! Then I'll pull him into the shadows to scare Moriyama-san! When he protests, I'll suck on his ear until he's all mush in my arms… and then pin him to the wall! Then… then…! His thoughts drifted off and into the gutter as Yukio ushered Rin and Shiemi towards the left hallway.
"Please enjoy the test while we decide on who will be in charge of scaring you." He waved at them and watched the pair leave through the doors with alert eyes. Once the doors had closed—and Yukio had waited in silence for several more seconds—he finally turned to the group and began softly mumbling, "Right, let's get down to business then. What I said just now was a lie."
"Huh…?"
Ryuuji had to smack Renzou so that he was paying attention again. The pink-haired boy blinked in surprise as he caught onto Yukio's last sentence. W-What? A lie?
"There will be no third task or person going in to scare Okumura-kun and Moriyama-san. Instead, we'll surprise them altogether in the lobby. Shura-san, Takara-kun, and I included. They will be expecting just one person to be scaring them while they are inside the hallway… therefore, it would be most suspenseful to scare them while they are returning to the lobby, still feeling unsure about their safety."
Ryuuji nodded, "I see… but how're we gonna pull that off with all of us? It's not gonna be that scary if we all just jump out or somethin'. That'd be kinda like a joke…"
"Precisely," The green-eyed professor nodded in agreement, "Which is why we will—"A vibrating sound churned from within Yukio's pocket and he paused to lift out his mobile phone. After glimpsing over the name, he looked up at his students and smiled, "Please excuse me, I'll be back soon. Suguro-kun, you will be in charge for now."
"H-Hah…?"
"I have faith in your abilities." Then he pressed the phone to his ear and answered with, "Shura-san, how is it on your side now?" while moving towards the shadows of the staircase. They watched him climb the steps and then vanish up into the wings of the second floor with a small flashlight in his hands.
"Okay… great." Ryuuji sighed deeply, pressing his fingers to his temples. Izumo folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well? Any ideas?"
Konekomaru scratched his cheek with a finger nervously, "But what would scare Okumura-kun…?" No one seemed to know an answer to his question. Renzou rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well… even if we don't scare Okumura-kun, we can at least scare Moriyama-san, right? She seems more easily scared so…"
After a moment, Ryuuji nodded in agreement, "Aa, and I think I have a plan."
The corridors were dark save for the thin shimmering beam of their flashlight. Shiemi's eyes darted from wall to wall and she leaned closer to Rin, who was holding the light in one hand, marching steadily back towards the entrance.
"Rin, isn't it kind of strange? The person Yuki-chan assigned to scare us hasn't appeared yet…"
"Yeah…" The blue-eyed boy frowned, "It is kinda weird… but the hint told us to go back to the lobby so…"
They were already approaching the doors—they could see its outline a few meters away—and there was still no sign of the last person. Suddenly, Rin felt something catch onto his foot from behind and he yelped, stumbling forward.
"Rin?"
The flashlight went tumbling from the boy's hands and someone dressed in a black coat darted across the floor, grabbing the light and switching it off. They were thrown into complete darkness. Rin groaned and began to get back up. But someone's hands were still on him, keeping a steel grip on his ankle.
"R-Rin! Where are you…?" Shiemi cried anxiously, dropping down to the floor and feeling across it carefully with her hands, "I can't see anything…!"
"Ugh…" The boy answered and shook his leg testily. The hand was steadfast. "Someone's got my foot. Hey, if it's one of you guys can you let go now…?"
But before he could listen for an answer, Shiemi screamed. The girl felt something heavy being thrown over her head and quickly attempted to pull it off. It felt like a coat…? But she couldn't get it off because something was holding the sides down.
"Shiemi?" Rin exclaimed then shivered as something cold and wet touched his face. "Uwah! W-What the hell—?" The boy pulled back and then grabbed onto the hand that was on his ankle. He yanked forward on the person and suddenly, lights went shining on all at once around them, blinding Rin. When he finally regained his sight, the boy blinked when there was no one there anymore. Shiemi lifted off the coat and gasped for air.
"W-What just happened…?"
Rin laughed uncertainly, "I think… we just got scared by the last person… but… it seemed like there was more than one person…?"
"Exactly." The wall panels opened to reveal his classmates and teachers all hiding out in the secret passageways. "Was it fun?"
The blue-eyed boy froze for a moment. Then, a soft smile lit up his lips and he chuckled. "Yep~ Thanks everyone…!"
Ryuuji finished with his story, one index finger still held up from the recitation, "So? What do you guys think?" He had a confident smirk on his face, likely thinking that it was an excellent plan. Konekomaru smiled.
"Actually that sounds pretty good, Bon! We won't need many props; just our flashlights, one of the sponges from the kitchen with some water, and maybe we can ask for Okumura-sensei's coat."
Renzou grinned, quite liking the idea, "So who gets to do which part~? Can I do the—"
"You're not doing any of the parts that have to do with touching either Okumura or Moriyama." Ryuuji pointedly stared at him. The pink-haired boy pouted.
"Whaa—? Why not…?" His protest was met with half-lidded stares and a knowing glare. The boy raised his hands up in defense, beads of sweat running down his head. "O-Okay… I get it… I know I'm the pervert but geez…I swear I won't touch them inappropriately…!"
Ryuuji scowled at him, "Shima, you're in charge of gettin' the light when Okumura drops it. Got it?"
"Ehh?" Renzou gaped at his friend. Then he sighed, head dropping to his chest, "Oh fine…" They had so little trust in him when it came to these things… then again, it was probably right of them to do so. Good for them. Not so good for him however.
I wanted to grab Okumura-kun's leg… He pouted. And then… A perverse grin made its way over his lips, immediately knocking off the previous pout, …I can sneak my hand up higher and higher, slowly so that it makes him gasp and then moan from the feeling~ Eheh~ Oh god, I want to hear that…!
"You always make the most disgusting faces…" Ryuuji grunted at him, eyes narrowed accusingly. Renzou sent his friend a sheepish chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. Then, he caught a sly and amused smirk coming from Izumo's direction. His laughter caught in his throat and he turned away, feeling a bit nervous all of a sudden.
U-Uhhh…? What was with her all of a sudden? Ever since she learned that he liked Rin, she had been giving him those oddly pleased looks. What? Did she find it amusing to see him liking a guy or something…? Or was it something else? Well… it couldn't really be anything else besides that, right? After all, the looks only started after she found out… Hmm… maybe I'll ask Izumo-chan about it later on…
"Wait, Bon…" Konekomaru interrupted as a thought hit him, "What if Okumura-kun doesn't drop the flashlight?"
Ryuuji paused to consider the problem. Then he abruptly turned towards Renzou, speaking in almost monotone, "Okay, change of plans. Shima, you're in charge of turning on the flashlights in Okumura's face."
"What the—?"
A light from the second floor came shining from around one of the corners and the students looked up simultaneously, finding their green-eyed professor returning from wherever he had gone. The boy came down the steps quickly and smiled at them.
"How are things?"
"We've got a plan." Ryuuji smirked back. Yukio nodded.
"Good, both Shura-san and Takara will be coming back here soon as well. Will you tell me what you have in mind so far?"
"Right." The boy with blonde-streaked hair began explaining the scenario and Yukio nodded along to his words. When he finished, he jabbed a thumb towards his classmates, "I was thinkin' that Shima'll be in charge of lights. We have around five or six lights together, since I imagine both Kirigakure-sensei and Takara both have lights to get around in the walls. We can have two other people with Shima. Either Kirigakure-sensei or Kamiki will be in charge of scarin' Shiemi while me and Konekomaru can handle scarin' Okumura."
"Hmm," Yukio nodded, eyebrows furrowing together, "I agree that Shima-kun will be taking care of the lights but… don't you think you would be good at doing that as well?"
"…"
"…"
The two were staring at each other in a sudden lock-down of wills. The electric feeling zapping between them could almost be felt against the skin of their bystanders.
A bead of sweat ran down Renzou's head.
"Uhh… y'know," He laughed awkwardly, "… if it's gonna be like this, the three of us should do the lights then… aha… ha ha…" But as he finished, they both immediately whipped their faces towards him, eyes full with their fiercest glares. He cried miserably, "N-No fair… you two always gang up on me… I don't get it, shouldn't you be kind of on my side, Bon…?"
"Pfft—!" They heard the only female amongst them laugh all of a sudden and they turned towards Izumo, whose cheeks had grown pink while she attempted to stifle her giggles, "I-I can't believe this… you all…? Don't tell me all three of you like that guy…? Ahah hah! I get it now! No wonder sensei said all that stuff during dinner last night…!"
The three boys turned red in the face. Then both Ryuuji and Yukio exchanged looks with Renzou, occasionally glancing towards the purple-haired girl in confusion.
"W-What…? H-How does she…?" Ryuuji stuttered, eyes round in surprise. Yukio's glasses had gone askew.
"K-Kamiki-san… y-you're mistaken…!"
Renzou watched the two boys grow flustered under the girl's gaze and couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Aha ha! Oh man, if you guys saw the looks on your faces right now…!"
"S-Shut up! How're you not bothered by this?" Ryuuji seethed through his teeth, thoroughly embarrassed. Izumo's laughter had died down and she was now studying the three boys with a scrutinizing eye. She put a hand to her hip and smirked.
Renzou gulped, noticing that the strange look was in her eyes again.
"Hmm… I guess you'd all make pretty moe pairings with him… they're all quite cute, I can't really choose which I like more."
What is she talkin' about…?
Her eyes landed on him and her smirk grew wider. Then they darted towards Yukio and Ryuuji before returning to him again.
"Hmm…" She voiced in interest. But before she could say anything more, the sound of footsteps met their ears, immediately drawing their collective attention to the staircase. A light from under the staircase lit up, revealing Shura and Takara waiting. They were slightly out of breath, likely from running as fast as they could back to the main lobby, but Shura wasted no time in catching her breath. A devious smile was on her lips and she motioned for the group to join her. Yukio adjusted his glasses and hastily pulled on his usual pokerfaced expression again.
"Looks like everything is ready. Let's go."
They scurried across the floor towards the secret passageways and then hopped inside the hidden door, gathering together in the narrow space to finish discussing the plan.
"So what're we doin' to scare 'em? Spill it~" Shura cackled eagerly. Ryuuji explained his idea for a third time and the woman nodded once he finished. "Alright, I'll take care of pinnin' Shiemi down. Should be fun, nyahaha~ Although it'd be more fun if we could pin Rin down… wouldn't it, boys~?" Konekomaru palmed his face and sighed as the teasing of his friends and professor began again.
Izumo snorted. Shura paused and shifted her eyes towards the girl. Then, a sly grin spread across her face. "Ohh~ You found out, too, did ya? Heh, pretty cute, ain't they?" A similar smirk drew across the purple-haired girl's lips.
"They certainly are… a bit cute, I'll admit."
"W-Will you stop callin' us cute already…?" Ryuuji spluttered, shoulders shaking violently with his fists clenched at his sides. His entire face was a dark shade of red. Yukio was also blushing brightly. But he remained dead silent, eyes fixed to the floor in a shy manner. Renzou, on the other hand, found himself laughing in a carefree fashion. Oh man, who knew it was this fun for girls to find out about them…? He was totally getting a kick out of those two making Ryuuji and Yukio so embarrassed.
Perhaps he should also be just as flustered as the other two but… somehow, rather than being flustered he felt more relieved and happy. Because really—and he hadn't really dwelled on it before but—the fact that he liked another male was always a bit strange to him in the back of his mind. He used to like girls so much but now… to realize that he actually liked Rin instead…! It was both blissful and slightly frightening. When Izumo had learned the truth, he imagined he would receive disgusted looks for having such romantic feelings towards Rin. But instead, he had been given nothing but encouragement and playful teasing. It was… pretty nice to find that even outside of Yukio, Ryuuji, and Konekomaru, other people found it okay for them to love and want to make love to another male… it definitely made him feel better about liking Rin; like he could really put his insecurities (although they had been small due to his carefree nature) to rest, now that more people knew and accepted his feelings.
Konekomaru raised a hand and laughed hesitantly, "A-Anyway, we haven't decided who will be scaring Okumura-kun yet…"
"Oh yeah," Shura leaned against one of the walls, glancing over the group lazily before pointing from person to person, "Alright, let's do it like this: I get Shiemi, Izumo gets the light in Rin's hands, Konekomaru, you can get Rin's foot, and you three lover boys'll take care of the lights near the end. Takara, you can signal to us when they come. Questions?"
She received noises of agreement—some reluctant and some nervous—but for the most part they had all agreed. Konekomaru piped up again.
"Oh! But… how are we going to see in the dark…?"
Ryuuji collected himself and leaned forward, "I had an idea for that. Turn off all the lights." The group did as they were told and Renzou found himself blinking at the painful darkness that was suddenly exploding into his eyes. He could hear Ryuuji's voice mutter, "Eventually, we'll get more adjusted to the dark. At least more so than Okumura and Moriyama. Takara'll be signallin', right? So he can make some sort of noise to us while we keep our eyes shut when we're inside here, waitin'. Then when the lights all go off, we'll be able to at least see where they are in the corridor, right?"
"Good plan. Let's do that." Renzou heard Shura say and he could hear the smirk that was on her face, "Takara, what'll the signal be?"
There was a sudden squeak, like that of a mouse peeping out of its home, and Renzou chuckled. Okay, done. He felt his heart begin to pump excitedly in his chest. This is gettin' kinda fun~
"Alright, let's keep our eyes closed except for Takara-kun." Yukio murmured softly. The pink-haired boy nodded and then shut his eyes, relaxing back against the dusty walls. A few aching minutes of silence passed where they waited with bated breaths for the pair to come.
Could be any moment now… Renzou's grip around his flashlight tightened. Any moment…!
Then, unexpectedly, they could hear someone's faint calls coming from down the hall. 'Ooh! It's them!' was the first thought that entered the pink-haired boy's mind. But as he began to hear and understand what was being cried out in desperate tones, an odd plummeting feeling began sinking down into the pit of his stomach.
"—ki-chan…! Yuki-chan…! Yuki-chan…! W-Where…? Haah… hahh! Yuki-chan…!"
It was Shiemi. She seemed to be shouting with all her might, calling for the green-eyed professor. There was a moment where time seemed to completely freeze. And then the anxious scramble to get the wall open began. Renzou hurriedly flicked on his light, leaping out behind Konekomaru and Shura, who were closest to the corridor.
"Shiemi-san…!" Yukio rushed towards her with everyone else following shortly behind. Her eyes, which were watery from holding back tears, seemed to light up immediately with hope.
"Yuki-chan! I… hah! I…! Finally found you! Rin is…! Haah…! Rin is…!" But before she could get out another word, she tripped over, falling face forward onto the ground. The girl was gasping for air, eyes clenched shut in pain. Renzou's eyebrows furrowed together with worry, noting that the girl's bangs were stuck to her forehead from all the sweat she had shed from running. Even her shoes had gone missing, likely from having tripped over them too many times, and so she had abandoned them. Yukio kneeled down immediately and had his hands around her as support.
"Shiemi-san! Hang in there…!" The girl swallowed a deep breath of air, fighting to get words out as fast as possible. But she only choked on accidentally breathing in a bit of spittle and began coughing again.
Renzou gnawed on his bottom lip. All of this didn't sit well in his stomach at all… What was going on? Why wasn't Rin with her? He should've been running towards them first or at least running behind her seconds after… Renzou's eyes fixed themselves on the dark corridor, searching for any sign of the boy's presence. But he didn't appear from the shadows at all. It was empty.
"W-What happened…? Why isn't Okumura-kun with you…?" Renzou heard himself stutter out in a tone that was almost foreign to him. What was this feeling of dread? Nothing bad could've happened to Rin, right? He was so strong and… and he had those flames. He was friggin' Satan's son! Maybe… maybe he had just tripped and knocked himself out or something, right? And Shiemi was just making a huge fuss about it because she was afraid that he had died since he wasn't moving or waking up. Yeah… it had to be that, right? It had to be…
"Rin, he…!" Shiemi began to regain her voice and she gripped onto Yukio's jacket with a trembling hand, tears starting to fall from her eyes, "He disappeared, Yuki-chan! I—!" She gulped in another breath and continued on, "Turned away for just a second and then… haah…! He yelled out and…! Haah! There was a thud and the light and—I turned back and… he was gone…!"
What…? Renzou's eyes grew wide in alarm. Gone? How could he be… gone?
"Y-Yuki-chan…" She cried in anguish, pulling herself up with determination, "H-Help me… I can't find him anywhere…!"
Yukio's eyes were also wide, irises pooling with unspeakable fear. Then, they narrowed. "I understand. Shiemi-san, wait here. I'll have everyone go around the mansion to look for him. This… could be the work of a demon."
There was an intake of breath from everyone. Then, after a moment, Ryuuji growled out in a low voice, "Let's work fast." With a quick nod, the group immediately dispersed, rushing off in different directions and calling out each area they would be investigating so that no area would be left unchecked. Shiemi grit her teeth and tried pushing herself up onto her trembling legs.
"W-Wait! Let me help, too…! P-Please…!"
Shura paused and turned to laugh at the girl, "Oi, oi. Yer in no position to move around right now. Just stay here."
"B-But…! How can I just—? Rin is…!" The blonde screamed back, tears full with defiance trailing down her cheeks. The flame-haired woman grinned and turned back towards the doors leading into the main lobby.
"We also need someone right here to keep callin' fer Rin, ya know? That way if he's lost, he'll at least be able to use his ears and find a place he can come back to. So just sit there and wait fer him. He'll be back." Shura chortled, "After all, he's too much of an idiot to make his way back by himself, nyahaha~ But if he's got a point where he can go towards, there's nothin' that'll stand in his way to reach there. In fact, he'll probably get here even faster if he hears ya." She flashed the girl a small smile and then rushed off to look for the missing boy.
A few seconds later, she could hear the powerful shouts of, "Riiiiin…! Riiiiiiin…!" echoing over and over again through the corridors, reaching desperately through the walls. Shura smirked and began picking up her pace, eyes darting from corner to corner, scouring the place carefully.
.:.