Special thanks to MikoGalatea, the beta reader of my story and who really help me and my basics English.
Chapter 7
It was almost nighttime. Next to the fountain, Ruka was thinking about what he had done to Shiori. He was tortured by the image of Shiori crying. How could he have done such a thing? But then he realized something.
''I'm an idiot! It's so obvious... that Sanjouin Chigusa! She's the witch!''
Now it all made sense to Ruka. It was impossible for a prince like himself to have done something bad. It should be all the fault of that woman.
''She forced me to do it because she wanted to discredit me! Everything she told me was a lie. She changed my memories so I wouldn't remember my past! She forced me to attack that girl! But why did she do it?''
Ruka pondered the matter for a moment until he came to the most credible conclusion.
''She wants to do something bad to Kanae! I should stop Chigusa before it's too late!''
While Ruka was thinking, he didn't realize two girls were approaching him from behind. Just as he was about to move, he received a blow to the head by a baseball bat. He fell to the ground, unconscious, and Kozue and Shiori looked at him with sadistic smiles.
xx
Tokiko had given Mamiya his injection, and now he was sleeping. She had returned to her apartment, and she was furious to find Nemuro there.
''What are you doing here?'' Tokiko frowned.
''I know you think I wanted to abuse your brother, but you are wrong. I wanted him to get stronger.''
Tokiko didn't know whether to trust Nemuro or not, but she decided to let him talk. ''Why do you want that, exactly?'' she asked, trying to sound normal.
Nemuro found the question strange. ''Isn't it obvious? If he wasn't ill, his life would be better. Your life would be better. I mean, we are ghosts and yet you still do the same thing you did when you were alive. Mamiya doesn't need medicine because he is already dead.''
''I know that.''
Nemuro found Tokiko more and more strange. ''Then why do you still care for him like he is about to die?''
Tokiko sighed. ''You don't understand... Mamiya is my only family... I've taken care of him for so long... and it gives us a connection...''
''But you are dead. You...''
''I don't need to be saved, and neither does Mamiya.'' Tokiko was about to lost her calm. ''You decided it was wrong without taking our feelings into consideration, so please stop annoying me with this now.''
Nemuro left the room, furious.
''Emotions are definitely strange,'' he thought.
xx
Kaido needed food. He took all the courage he had and left his apartment.
''I hope I won't meet a ghost,'' he thought to himself while he walked in the direction of the cafeteria. ''Nobody's here... this academy's scaring me now.''
In fact, there was at least one ghost in almost every corridor, but Kaido couldn't see them. The ghosts didn't realize he wasn't a ghost, either, which was why he almost hurt Keiko when he passed where she was with her friends.
''Hey, be careful where you walk!'' Keiko yelled.
Kaido heard nothing and continued walking on. It irritated Keiko.
''What's his problem?' Keiko complained.
''He looks like one of those geniuses who think they're superior to everyone else!'' Aiko said.
''He deserves punishment!'' Yuuko added.
Kaido was now heading down the stairs. When he was almost at the bottom, Keiko pushed him. He fell on his stomach.
''W... What happened?''
When he rose up, he felt a pain in his back.
''My back!'' Kaido cried.
''God, he yells like that could have killed him!'' Keiko said. ''And he's already dead.''
''He's weird,'' Aiko said.
xx
Nanami and Tsuwabuki was on the grass, a few meters away from the academy. She had told her story to Tsuwabuki: about what her cousin was like, and why she burned down her bedroom and, by accident, the rest of the building. It convinced Tsuwabuki that she was a poor princess that he should protect from the evils of this world; he would be her prince, and nothing would change that. Nanami was happy he still loved her, but she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Tsuwabuki played with Nanami's hair while she looked at the stars. Then they heard a familiar voice.
''Tsuwabuki.'' It was Mari.
''Mari,'' said the boy with hate.
Tsuwabuki rose up and turned his body. He detested Mari now, and he didn't want to see her ever again after what she did. But just as he was about to yell at her, he was rendered speechless.
Mari was now a teenager too.
''Tsuwabuki,'' Mari said with a sweet voice, ''stop wasting your time with this murderer and go out with me. Look, I'm an adult too.''
Tsuwabuki was angry that Mari had called Nanami a murderer, while Nanami felt guilty for having killed a child and lowered her head.
''Tsuwabuki,'' said Mari. ''I have breasts now. They're very big.''
''Huh.'' The boy barely recognized his former friend.
''You can touch them.''
Mari took Tsuwabuki's hand and placed it on her breasts.
''Mari!'' Tsuwabuki blushed.
Mari thought the only way she would win Tsuwabuki was by acting like an adult, so she behaved according to how she believed an adult woman would seduce a man.
''Do you like it?'' asked Mari.
''Y... huh... No!"' Tsuwabuki lied.
''What is she doing?'' Nanami thought while she observed the scene.
''Oh! A cute flower!'' Mari exclaimed, bending over to pick it while making sure Tsuwabuki could see her underwear.
''M...Mari! What are you...''
''Oh, no, you saw it! Bad Tsuwabuki!'' said Mari, trying to sound sexy.
Tsuwabuki then got what she was trying to do.
''This is pathetic,'' he thought.
Mari then deliberately fell on him so that Tsuwabuki was down on the grass with his face in her chest.
''Oh, sorry!'' Mari said. She moved, and now Tsuwabuki had her crotch in his face.
He was tired of this now. ''Mari,'' he yelled, ''get off of me.''
Mari did as she was told, and when they had both gotten up again, she saw that Tsuwabuki was furious.
''Mari, I liked you as a friend, but you've changed ever since I met Nanami!''
''Mitsuru...'' Nanami said. ''Don't crush her, please...''
But Tsuwabuki didn't listen to her.
''First, you insulted me and always spied on what I was doing without caring about my feelings. Then you called Nanami a murderer without caring about her side of the story or her feelings, and now you're acting like a whore!''
''I'm not a whore!'' Mari said.
''Yes you are!''
Frustrated, Mari slapped Tsuwabuki and then ran away. She kept running until she was in the garden, where she burst into tears.
''I feel dirty...'' Mari thought. ''All I did was make him hate me more. Why doesn't he love me?''
She then heard someone walking towards her, and she was furious when she saw who had followed her: Nanami.
''What do you want? Laugh at my misery! You won and you killed me! Isn't that enough?'' Mari cried.
Nanami looked at her with sad eyes.
''I'm sorry.''
''Sorry! SORRY! LIKE THAT'LL CHANGE EVERYTHING!''
''I know you'll always hate me for what I did. I also understand how you feel about Mitsuru.''
''NO YOU DON'T!''
''Please... can we... do something we never did? Talking to each other...?''
''T... Talking?'''
xx
Ruka opened his eyes. He was lying down on the floor of a room he had never seen before. He noticed it had a lot of white. When he tried to move, he realized someone had tied his arms and legs with rope. He couldn't move, and worse than that, he only had his underwear on him!
''Where am I?'' he thought, terrified of what could happen to him.
He then heard two female voices.
''Look, he woke up!'' Kozue said.
''Good!'' Shiori smiled.
Kozue and Shiori knelt, and now Ruka could see them. He recognized Shiori.
''You!'' Ruka said.''Listen, I'm sorry! P... Please let me go...''
''We'll do that... later,'' Shiori stated.
''Are you the one who undressed me?'' Ruka asked her.
''I helped her!'' Kozue said. ''But don't worry, your clothes are on the bed!''
''Are you... going to do more?'' Ruka asked, afraid.
The two girls were furious.
''Are you suggesting we were about to rape you?!'' Kozue yelled.
''Just because we tied you up and only left your underwear on, you think we're rapists!'' Shiori frowned. ''You're sick in the mind!''
''We just want you to pay for what you did!''
''I'm sorry, okay? I understand how you feel. It must have been so humilating. But you have to know that it wasn't my fault!''
Furious, Shiori slapped Ruka in the face.
''Not your fault!'' Shiori said. ''Do you think I'm stupid?''
''I... I made a mistake... but I was fooled!''
''Shut up!'' Kozue yelled.
Both Kozue and Shiori kicked Ruka in the stomach before letting him talk again.
''I...'' Ruka was clearly feeling the pain. ''A woman talked to me... She said you were a witch...''
''Oh? Who?'' Shiori didn't seem to believe him.
''Her name is Sanjouin Chigusa... she said she has magic power...''
Kozue immediately recognized the name of the woman who told her Shiori had been attacked.
''Shiori, I know this woman.''
''Really?''
''Yes. When I left you after our argument... well, I don't know how it happened, but I ended up waking up in a place I'd never seen before. That woman was present. She told me this boy attacked you and that you was miserable...''
''So is he right?''
''Maybe.''
''To be sure, we should punish him one last time.''
They both smiled. Ruka saw Kozue took his sword, which was on the bed.
''P... Please don't kill me...''
''I don't want to kill you! We'll just give you a souvenir that'll remind you to never harass a girl again!''
The girls used the sword to write their inital on Ruka's hands. Kozue took the left while Shiori took the right. Strangely, the injuries didn't bleed.
When they had finished, Kozue cut the rope on Ruka's hand.
''I'll let you unwrap the rest with your hands. Oh, and I need your sword for when we confront Chigusa.''
''Do you remember where is she?'' asked Shiori.
''Of course.''
The two girls moved away, leaving the boy alone.
''I... should never make them angry again...'' Ruka said, somewhat traumatized by his experience.
