I got up early to make sure I'b be able to walk to school with Osano. I still didn't know what I was going to say about Friday… About why I stood him up. It occured to me that if I was really trying to distance myself from Osano, walking to school with him maybe wasn't the best idea.

But, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Osano was the most normal friend I had. He wasn't a medium like Oko, or a punk like Osoro. Not that Osoro counts as a friend yet.

Osano's normalcy put him at a risk that he wasn't prepared to take on. Or at least, risk that I wasn't going to let him take on.

I took a step outside my door. I frowned, staring at the blank spot where Osano usually waited for me. Of course. It had been selfish of me to assume he would wait up for me after I ditched him. He probably was mad at me… after all, he didn't call or check up on me during the weekend. If I really wanted to alienate him, I should leave him be.

And yet, I found myself turning on the sidewalk to his house. I shouldn't be doing this. I should leave him be. I need to stop leading him into danger.

I knocked on the door, nervously shifting my weight from side to side. Where was he? What was I doing? I'm an idiot. Damn my bleeding heart.

The door opened, and Osano's mother stood in the doorway. A little bit of tenseness went out of my chest, but… she looked frazzled, like she hadn't slept in a few days.

"Hello, Mrs Najimi. Did Osano leave for school already?"

"You're Mika. Osano's friend, right?"

"I… yeah." Her voice was tense and constricted, as if she was choking out the words. I wasn't sure what to make of it. "I live next door…"

"When was the last time you saw Osano?" she asked, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. A lump formed in my throat.

"Fr-friday. At school…"

"He never came home Friday."

My heart stopped.

"If you see him, please…" Osano's mother's voice cracked. A sob escaped her lungs. "E-excuse me…" She closed the door. I heard a soft thump, and heart wrenching sobbing.

I backed away from the door.

I made it back out to the sidewalk. When I was out of sight of Osano's house, I slumped to my knees.

Osano… missing?

No. No, no.

The chances of it not being my fault were slim.

Okay, okay. No, no, get it together. What are you going to do?

I don't know… I can't…

No, stop that. What are you going to do?

What time is it?

I dug my phone out of my bag. Six Forty Two. Okay. Good enough. No, wait… I don't have everything at home… but the clubroom. Yes, alright.

I shot up from the pavement, running full tilt to the school. Many a disgruntled shout followed me as I dodged around or straight up shoved other students out of the way. I didn't care. I didn't have time to be polite.

Osoro was leaning on the school gate. He called out to me, but I ignored him. Not today, and not now. Not enough time.

Two flights of stairs later, I threw open the door of the Occult Club. A surprised Oko and his little demon looked up from a chair at the edge of the room.

"Oh, Mika." he greeted me with a small smile. "Do you know where the ritual knife-" Oko trailed off, probably because of my face. His expression was replaced by one of concern. "What's… wrong?"

I stood leaning on the doorframe for a moment. The first tear made its way through, and I broke down.

"Osano…" I sobbed. "Something happened to Osano."

Behind the closed door of the Occult Club, Oko did his best to try and comfort me. I think I heard some of the other club members approached the door, only to turn away from the sound within. Between gasps and blubbering, I spilled out to Oko, though how much he understood or had context for, I'm not sure.

"I should have… I should've…" I sputtered. Oko put his arm around my shoulders, shushing me gently. I leaned into him, unable to stop rambling. "It was because of me, they found me, they knew Osano was my best friend, they've done something to him I don't know if he's even alive…. what if… what if…" my speech dissolved into crying again.

"There, there." Oko muttered, the platitude being all he could offer me. Desperately, I tried to get my breathing under control. My ragged gasping was starting to hurt my lungs.

Oko's anxiety demon crawled up on my shoulders, putting it's head under my chin and purring. My gasps dissolved into hiccups, and slowly resolved into forced deep breaths. Oko murmured a mix of comforting nothings, his arm tight across my shoulders.

"There, there. It'll be okay." Oko said as I calmed down. "We can find Osano. We can, Mika. He'll be okay."

"What if Aishi did something to him? Or..." I whispered hoarsely. It wasn't the first time the thought had occurred to me. It had been gnawing at the corner of my brain on endless loop.

Enlightened. Aishi. Enlightened. Aishi. Enlightened. Aishi. The two damned words swirled in a cyclone that devastated me.

"We'll find out." Oko assured me. His voice… it had another layer to it, one I'd never heard before. A tone of anger. "We'll find who did this, whoever it was."