Misaki had always been a thrill seeker. The rush of adrenaline, whether from fear or excitement, was something she greatly enjoyed and eagerly welcomed. And so, with finals quickly approaching, Misaki thought holding a school-wide horror film festival would be a good way to "relax" before all the stress of finals. Principal Faust gave his wholehearted approval for the idea, happily granting Misaki use of the humongous auditorium to host the festival. [1]

So, with a small box full of horror DVDs from hers and her grandmother's personal collection, Misaki skipped into the auditorium from the backstage entrance. She was certainly surprised to see a little under three-fourths of the auditorium filled with students eagerly waiting for the festival to begin, especially with the festival being scheduled to last all night.

"Wow." Her voiced surprise into the microphone caught everyone's attention, the loud chattering in the room slowly dying down to a dull roar. "I didn't actually think this many people would show up to a 13-hour horror film festival at 6 PM. However, I'm not complaining; this is amazing! Maybe I will have the chance to make this an annual event."

The suggestion was met with a wave of cheers, so Misaki made a mental note to propose the idea to Principal Faust.

"Before we can begin, I am required to make an announcement of sorts." Misaki listed the content warnings and ratings of the various movies. "… So if you have some hesitation about watching these films and/or you are faint of heart, it is recommended that you do not stay. This is especially advised because I haven't watched a couple of these films, so I honestly don't know what to expect."

Misaki waited a minute to see if anyone was going to leave. Upon seeing no one move, she continued to speak. "If everyone is okay with that, then I will give a brief summary of what I have in store for you tonight. I brought films that are not as well known so that there is less of a chance that you have already seen them. I have two Japanese films, two American films, two Korean films, and one Chinese film.

"All of the foreign films will, of course, have subtitles. As I mentioned before, I have not watched two of these films, specifically the Chinese one and one of the American ones. However, I have been assured from a very reliable source that they are most definitely amazing horror films, so please look forward to them. Without further ado, let the horror film festival begin!" Misaki started a film and sat with her friends in the front row.

By the end of the thirteen hour period, Misaki was absolutely certain she had lost all feeling in both of her arms. "Hanako, Minami, could you please let go? I need to go up to the stage and make closing remarks." The two girls didn't move, both still staring up in fear at the screen. Misaki sighed and yanked her arms free, shaking them around to restore blood flow as she walked to the stage.

"I'll make this quick since we're all tired and want to enjoy our day off. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Hopefully I can receive permission to have this event again next year. I thank you for coming. Have a wonderful rest of the day!"

Misaki waited patiently for everyone to clear out before she started cleaning up. "You two can go back to the dorms without me. I promised Principal Faust that I would clean up after my event, so I will probably be here for a while. I'll meet you later for lunch, if you're still awake then, alright?" Misaki said when the girls approached her, tossing an empty candy box into one of the trash bags she brought.

"No way! We're not going back to the dorm without our big, strong Misa-chan there to protect us from the scary monsters!" Hanako cried, clinging tightly to Misaki's free arm.

Minami shakily nodded, looking a lot more disheveled and tired than Hanako. "We'll just stay here and help you clean. It'll get done faster with the three of us."

"That is not necessary. I couldn't possibly ask for your help me. You're both clearly in need of sleep. I'll send Shadow with you; he'll be more than enough protection from the 'scary monsters.'" Shadow barked in acknowledgment and proudly held his head high at the praise.

"Sure~. Send us off with the puppy I easily trapped in a box. He's loads of protection," Hanako scoffed, glaring sleepily at said dog when she recalled what happened later that day. Shadow leered right back.

"Monsters… don't exist…" Misaki mumbled, petting Shadow comfortingly. It was then she noticed four people still in the auditorium, walking towards the three girls.

"Rin-kun, Moriyama-san, Okumura-san, Shima-san," Misaki greeted, briefly bowing her head respectfully. "What are you all still doing here?"

"Well… I was waiting for you, but it looks like you won't be leaving anytime soon," Rin grinned, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Need some help?"

Misaki quickly shook her head. "As I was telling Hanako and Minami, I can handle this on my own. However, they need someone to walk them back to our dorm. Do you mi—"

"I said we're helping you and you can't make me leave! Misa-chan's the only one I'll let protect me from scary monsters… aside from Ken~ !" Hanako chirped with a wink.

Misaki let out a heavy sigh. She realized arguing with the loud girl was pointless, so she pulled the other trash bags she had brought out from her box. "I only have two other bags."

A shiver crawled down her spine when Minami and Hanako shared a devious glance and snatched the bags from her hand. Hanako handed one to Shiemi and Yukio, shoving them in one direction. Both girls gave Misaki a wink before dragging a very happy Shima with them.

Misaki closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "You know, sometimes I wonder in Minami is bipolar or just secretly a mischievous demon in disguise." At that, Rin jolted slightly, something that didn't escape Misaki's notice.

"Is something wrong, Rin-kun?"

"I-it's nothing." Rin looked away and started collecting the trash. The two worked in silence for a few moments.

"You have really good friends," Rin said suddenly, not meeting Misaki's curious gaze.

"I know." Misaki's lips curved into a small, caring smile. "They're not really that scared. They've handled my other horror film marathons well enough before. They just wanted to make an excuse to stay and help me. They also don't truly enjoy horror movies, but they stayed up all night with me anyways just to support me." Misaki looked at the two girls, who were laughing at something Shima said. "They are always looking out for me. I couldn't ask for better friends."

Rin stared at the brown-haired girl for a moment. She had such a loving expression on her face. Her eyes shined with a light he had seen when she had spoken of Father Fujimoto and Shadow. He wanted to cause that light to shine too.

Rin placed a hand on her shoulder, effectively regaining her attention. "If you ever need me, just let me know. I'll be there for you, too."

Misaki was slightly startled by the sudden declaration, but smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Rin-kun. I'll be su—" She was interrupted by her cell phone going off. The ringtone, a theme from one of her favorite horror films, told her that it was her grandmother calling. Misaki immediately dug the device out from her jacket's pocket and answered.

"Hello Grandmother," Misaki greeted, walking a short distance away from Rin as she listened to her guardian.

Rin sulked over the mood being ruined, pouting and scuffing his shoes against the floor. Misaki's shriek caused him to turn his attention to the distressed girl.

"What?!"

[1] Recall the Mephisto uses the name Johann Faust V in public. Only exorcists know his real name.