Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Summary: "Ever since the last time you went under the sea, it was hard to believe it was anything but a dream. Yet a fateful encounter on the beach helped you understand that some dreams were easily reality."
Word Count: ~14.2k
To see drawings made specifically for this special, click here.
For the first part, click here.
- - - - -
“There you are, kiddo! Huh, took one last dip in the pool before we had to leave, did you?”
“Ah… y-yeah? Totally! That’s… why I’m soaked. Because of the pool. Yup.”
You let a chuckle bubble out of your throat as your luck came in clutch once again, your parents none the wiser to your recent adventure in the deep blue sea. You were past the age of needing to be watched twenty-four seven, anyway, so you being gone from sight overnight on a ship that had staff members everywhere and plenty of safe activities was nothing that warranted concern.
Was it maybe a little disappointing and worrying that they hadn’t realized you were gone-gone?
Perhaps.
Were you going to only look at this from the positive angle of not having to explain to them what happened to you, and simply ignore all the negatives in order to maintain your sense of peace?
Yes, one-hundred percent.
You were only gone for less than a day, from after the sun set yesterday and just before it rose today. That you had managed to get back as soon as the cruise ship docked was a good thing, another strike of luck for you, because just the thought of the chaos that would descend from a passenger being found missing made your stomach tighten up — and you had to stop yourself from even breaching the thought of what came after, of when you would’ve walked into all that.
The sudden feeling of weight being shoved into your arms helped in getting your mind off of all that, and you had to adjust your hold on your family’s suitcases before scrambling to follow after your parents. Their shared laughter as they recounted the highlights of your family vacation was surprisingly helpful in making the tension in your gut unravel, your shoulders soon slumping too.
You just had to carry on as always, because things turned out perfectly fine.
“-and don’t forget the musical we saw on our second night! Absolute cinema, I tell you!”
- - - - -
The passage of time had a way of making certain experiences feel like they had been a dream, a false memory that your brain cooked up out of a desire to believe that you — normal, average you — could have experienced something magical. You sometimes caught yourself thinking that maybe you had simply… passed out and somehow, coincidentally, washed up on the very shore the cruise ship was to dock at, and everything you believed you went through was just how your brain was attempting to explain all the unknowns of that night that you were unconscious during.
Yeah.
No.
That had all been real, and you knew it was real.
The hardest part was probably the fact that you couldn’t tell anyone, meaning all your thoughts and feelings about it were left to fester inside you. You had made a promise to them, a promise that you were going to keep no matter what, but, still… it kind of sucked. You couldn’t breathe a word of it to your parents or friends, and while you tossed the idea around in your head for a bit, even anonymously posting about it online felt like cheating, so you reluctantly decided against it.
But with all of that said, while mentioning your experience online was a no-go, searching online about similar occurrences felt more within the reach of acceptability. The internet was a trove of human knowledge and experience, so there was a good-enough chance you could scrounge up some old, obscure blog of some random person from decades ago who swore they encountered merfolk or other similar creatures; you just needed anything that would make you feel less crazy.
Images of popular fictional mermaids, old depictions of folklore, and people in costumes.
Wikipedia page about mermaid mythology and folklore.
Trailer for a movie about a mermaid described as “little”.
Website for purchasing swimmable mermaid tails and other accessories.
“Seriously? How much for an elite tail…? Ooh, they have limited edition stuff?”
You spent longer than you planned browsing the last stop on your search before you managed to finally pull yourself away from it, and a sigh slipped past your lips, your phone coming to rest beside you as you pondered what you had found: nothing useful. Your questions remained with no answers, your concerns were still unquelled, and you still felt more crazy than you would like.
“...it’s fine. I’ll survive. I can just… get used to this.”
- - - - -
The school festival was today.
You usually kicked up a bigger fuss about being taken somewhere that required you to sit still and do math instead of run around outside and watch cartoons, but, today, it was… different.
“Come on, kiddo! There’ll be fun games and yummy food there, we promise!”
That was what your parents told you, and, surprisingly, they were telling the truth; not that you thought they would lie to you, but “going to school” wasn’t normally all that fun. The sounds of their delighted laughter followed you as you darted from stall to stall, your little legs moving so fast that you kept almost tripping over your own feet while taking in all the colorful decorations.
The faces of the adults and other children around you were blurry, but before you could bat an eye at it, the sight of a stall set up for a game caught your attention, and you rushed right over.
You couldn’t tell what the game was — tossing hoops or grabbing rubber ducks or something else that didn’t look all too difficult — but you wanted the prize, badly. There were plastic bags hanging in a row above the game, shimmering goldfish idly fluttering their fins in the light; you had never wanted anything more in your short life. You tried and tried and tried… and a smile broke out on your lips as the stall’s runner finally placed a bag in your open and raised palms.
The plastic was smooth against your fingers, and the water inside made it cool to the touch.
And when you peered in at the fish within your hands, you were met with a smile in return, his green eyes sparkling with just as much excitement as yours were. Midoriya’s fins glittered like gold as he swam closer to your face, his hand reaching out to gently press against the plastic.
“Wow, you’re so cool…!”
. . .
Your eyes snapped open, the sight of the ceiling bathed in the early morning’s light filling your vision and almost mocking you with its serenity as your brain fired on all synapses to process.
“...”
Okay.
You had a problem.
The bed creaked underneath you as you sat up and tossed your blanket away, the shiver that ran through your body from the chill of the air helping to wake you up further. You managed to make your way out onto the porch of the house, coming to slump against the railing as a salty breeze hit your face, the nearby ocean your confidant as you looked out to the serene waves.
“Maybe I really am crazy…”
That hurt to admit — you doubted anyone would feel good about saying that aloud — but you did feel a little relief in getting it out there… and the fact that you said it while staying at a fairly nice beach house your parents rented dulled the sting too. There was also how your emotions just seemed to be all over the place since you had arrived here anyway, like the closer you got to the ocean, the more your mood swung to different extremes; even simply hearing the sound of the waves breaking onto the shore was enough to remind you of your forbidden knowledge.
There is a whole CIVILIZATION of fish people out there…
The beach itself near the rental wasn’t the picturesque sandy beach that most thought of when thinking of a beachside property, but one filled with rocks. The rocks came in all sizes, from tiny pebbles to large boulders, and while there were a few spots of straight-up sand visible between them, most of the beach was covered in rocks, making for a terrible spot for long walks along it.
But, whether or not the beach was ideal in terms of comfort, you figured you might as well take advantage of it. Your parents were currently out — the beach house was way too quiet for them to still be around — and exploring the rocky terrain in front of you felt like a decent way to shake off your worries about your mental health for a bit, as well as get in some needed light exercise.
Visiting the tourist attractions nearby? Or the local family-owned restaurants?
Nah, a trek over the boulders that dared call themselves a “beach” was where it was at.
The weather was pleasant, a tad chilly from the early hour but not uncomfortably so. Your ears were graced by the calming sound of gentle waves as you hoisted yourself up-and-over stones taller than your legs could handle on their own, pausing momentarily atop them to chart out the route to the next one you wanted to conquer, and survey everything the beach had to offer. You hoped you could find something cool to bring home, like some sea glass, a shell… or, perhaps, the most ideal of all finds, a cool rock; however, so far, none appeared to be all that cool to you.
Gurgle.
You paused where you stood, your hands pressed to a boulder to keep yourself from slipping on the wet rocks below your feet. You took in a soft inhale, before turning your head to look around.
That didn’t sound like a rock… or a person.
You hadn’t seen anyone else around during your little escapade, much less any signs of human activity; whoever wanted to go to a beach had the option up the shore, the one connected to the fancy resort nearby and which fit the more idealistic vision you mentioned earlier. The main, and probably only, reason you weren’t staying there was because your parents preferred to rent their own dwelling for a more authentic “beach-residing experience” — and the privacy was great too.
That made the sound of gurgling nearby, wet and strained, all the more uneasy to hear.
You carefully made your way towards the source of the sound, until you were peeking around a boulder at a section of the beach with fewer rocks than the rest. That allowed for the sand to be the main landscape, dips in its surface giving puddles galore the chance to form from the waves that managed to wash over the rocks just enough to wet the sand and keep it moist… but it only held your attention for a brief moment before it locked on to the child laying in the middle of it all.
The child — guessing exact ages was never your strong suit, but she appeared to be older than a toddler… and much younger than a pre-teen — had light bluish, almost off-white hair covering her small frame like a blanket, making her stand out like a beacon amongst the browns and dark greys of the beach’s rocks… but it paled in comparison to the shimmering scales of her fish tail.
“Ah…!”
Ahhh, this is really happening…!
You couldn’t place which emotion you were exactly feeling at the sight, both your head and your heart feeling like they were about to burst, but the sight of the young mermaid stirring where she laid made you snap out of your thoughts faster than you thought possible. The longer you stared at her, the more clear it became that she wasn’t laying there for leisure, as her mouth continually opened wide and closed quickly just to open again right after, similar to a fish taking in fish food.
Or someone gasping for air.
Your hand flew up to your throat as you processed the sight, while your feet immediately moved to rush forward around the boulder, stumbling over the many rocks sitting between you and her.
The young girl looked like she was in rough shape, with a few scrapes and bumps; nothing that looked like it wouldn’t heal after a few days. Her gaze, however, was unfocused, and given how her eyes didn’t flicker to you despite your clumsy, loud approach, she seemed barely conscious.
“Ahhh, okay! What do I do- wait, wait, wait…!”
You had no idea if what you were about to do was going to help in any way, but… you couldn’t just do nothing. You wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for a merman saving you, and, now, you had to pay that favor forward — especially since the mermaid in distress was but a literal child.
And, so, you steeled yourself as you reached out to grab her.
So slimy…!
- - - - -
If the situation had turned out any different, you weren’t sure how you would’ve handled it.
But, thankfully, you didn’t need to think about that, as grabbing the young fish girl and properly submerging her in the ocean seemed to help bring her back from the brink. The pure relief you felt when she wiggled in your grip was immeasurable, your hands under her armpits to prevent her from sinking, and the ordeal brought to mind how Midoriya must’ve felt to find you alive and well after rescuing you. You felt relieved, for one, but also a little proud you did something good.
You had to stand around for a little while, water almost up to your hips, as the young girl slowly regained consciousness and awareness of her current situation. You shifted your hold every so often, not wanting to make her feel trapped when she realized what was going on, and that was how you noticed that she was wearing a plastic bag, when you brought your hands in and felt it.
But before you could think about it further, she slowly turned her head to look up at you…
…and darted out of your hands, deeper into the water.
Her head poked out of the water a short distance away as she looked at you, her widened eyes just above the surface. Her ear fins were slightly raised in alarm, an obvious sign of her surprise.
You immediately wanted to say something to reassure her nerves, but previous experience had taught you that spoken language wouldn’t work in this situation, leaving you with the only option of offering her a smile and a wave. You were also off-put by all of this, some of the adrenaline of finding a suffocating merchild still not having worn off, but you weren’t going to let her know that.
And she just kept staring.
Your smile faltered as you withdrew and plopped yourself down on a boulder on the shore, your shoulders slumping as you continued to stare out at the water. The young girl was the same, so it seemed that, while she was cautious of humans, it wasn’t a severe fear to the point where her first thought was to swim away from you as quickly as possible. You didn’t want to assume what was going through her head, but, maybe… she recognized and understood you had helped her.
The staring went on for a little while before your gaze fell to the patch of wet sand you originally found her. The waves continued to roll over the rocks, re-wetting the sand and filling up the dips in the uneven surface, and you soon found yourself squatting down to begin digging into it, your hands scooping up the soft material and depositing it to the side; a hole began taking its shape.
The sounds of waves and distant seagulls were the background noise to your current task, and you only paused briefly at the sound of a splash in the water. You kept your head bowed, facing the sand, as your eyes darted over to the water to see that the young girl had swam a bit closer.
You pretended to ignore her as you continued to dig, and after the hole was both deep enough and wide enough for your liking, you moved the rocks that sat between the ocean and the hole, allowing you to dig out a small path that helped the waves funnel into the hole. You stood up as you let out a small huff, and dusted your hands off as you admired the mini-pool you had made.
The final product was… decent, for something you had made with just your bare hands.
“...I’ll be right back, okay?”
You knew she couldn’t understand you, but it felt like that if you left — even for just a couple of minutes — without addressing her beforehand, she might think you were leaving for good, and that felt kind of mean to let her think. That thought alone helped you bolt to and from the beach house faster than you thought you were capable of, given the rocky terrain and with your hands full on the return trip; the bag of snack supplies was one thing, the beach umbrella was another.
The beach umbrella ended up planted next to the mini-pool, its pole in between some rocks to help keep it upright, to provide some needed shade against the sun high in the sky. The bag of snack supplies came to sit next to you as you plopped yourself down next to the mini-pool, and you smiled when the young fish girl poked her face out of its water, apparently having moved to it while you were gone. The sight of it was almost too cute, and almost unbelievable in a sense.
But this was real, and you could be confident that her cuteness was a fact.
You took out a plastic package from the tote bag, and tore it open to the distinct smell that only dried seaweed had, sliding out a piece for yourself. You weren’t sure what was in the diet of an average merperson — you should’ve really asked Midoriya about things like this when you had the chance back then — but you figured that seaweed was probably safe. You stuck your piece between your lips as you offered the package to the young girl, who hesitantly took it from you.
The crunch of dry seaweed between your teeth filled the silence as the young girl inspected the plastic package, the contents slowly spilling out onto the water when she flipped it upside down.
You couldn’t help but let out a snort, hurriedly averting your eyes when she looked up at you.
“...heh, so cute.”
You muttered as the merchild busied herself with the pieces of floating seaweed, before taking out the other snack supplies you had brought. You placed the paper plate on a flat rock nearby, and put the apple in the middle while adjusting your grip on the knife; the set-up was more than a bit awkward, but you were intent on making it work as you set about cutting the shiny red fruit.
The plastic bag draped over her form had a picture of a cartoon apple on it, but you assumed it meant nothing to her. You imagined apples weren’t a common sight for people who mainly lived underwater, and, therefore, weren’t a source of food for them either; that a child this young, with no regard to her species, hadn’t tasted the joy that was apple slices was tragic, without a doubt.
That was something you were going to remedy… or try to, at the very least.
You finished cutting the apple into a dozen unevenly-sized slices, carefully carved the skin into the shape of bunny ears, and neatly arranged them on the plate to offer it to the young fish girl.
“Here! Wanna try an apple? It’s healthy!”
The young fish girl, with bits of seaweed stuck around her mouth, simply stared at the plate of apple slices for a few seconds before tilting her head to look up at you, her eyes full of curiosity.
“...oookay, gotta lead by example.” You took an apple slice into your free hand and, with a bit of flair, chomped it in half with a satisfying crunch. “See? Food. Well, not seafood, but… ah, well…”
The plate got a little bit lighter as the merchild hesitantly took one of the apple slices from it, her grip loose as she turned it around in her hands. Her eyes narrowed into a squint as she brought the piece of carved fruit closer to her face, and her eyebrows furrowed before she just threw the entire thing into her mouth, no hesitation. You finished off the half-eaten apple slice in your hand while you watched her chew, the way her face lit up making your own smile grow just a bit wider.
And then you lost your grip on the paper plate when the young girl — a little too eager — hit the side of the plate on accident when reaching out to grab another slice. The slices all plopped into the water, and while you weren’t sure if salt water would affect the taste, the young girl wasn’t at all fazed, quickly moving to scoop up the slices floating on the water into her hands with a smile.
The most important thing was that this was a success, and the merchild liked apples.
- - - - -
To your surprise, it was pretty easy taking care of a merchild; if you set aside how she was part fish, it shared a lot in common with babysitting a human child. You kept her well-fed with sheets of dried seaweed and apple slices, and managed to keep her entertained with a beach ball that you bought from a nearby tourist shop. The ball, similar in size to her head, was triple the usual price because of the location, but the sight of her smile as she played with it made it all worth it.
Your best achievement, however, was teaching the young fish girl how to play checkers.
The board was just something you drew in the sand with a stick, and the pieces were made up of pebbles you scavenged from the beach; you even carved markings into the tops to separate the pieces into two distinct sets… though your knife now sat just a little crooked on the handle.
That said, you couldn’t be one-hundred-percent sure about how well she understood all of the rules you tried teaching her, due to the language barrier, but after the first few matches, where she made quite a few mistakes, she seemed to lock in and understand the basics. That was a relief, as you really wanted to have an activity you could do with her, instead of just leaving her to her own devices — and hanging out with her was fun too, despite the lack of a conversation.
But as the day progressed, the worry in your thoughts began to get louder.
The merchild was… well, a child, and although she had the freedom to leave whenever she so wished to, she had chosen to stick around with you instead. The ocean was a big place, bigger than humans could accurately map out, and merpeople settlements were kind of small and laid scattered around, if you recalled correctly, so you could only assume that this child had no idea how to get back home. That was terrifying, especially if she had a family somewhere out there.
The people who cared about her had no idea where she was, or if she was safe.
You didn’t mind taking care of her, but there was only so much that you could reasonably do as a person your age. You weren’t capable of caring for a merchild long-term, and even without all the concerns of extended care, there were plenty of issues with caring for her in the short-term.
The most major one was what you were supposed to do when night falls, because the thought of leaving her alone in the mini-pool was not acceptable, but it was also too risky to bring her to the beach house. You didn’t need your parents walking into the bathroom to see a mermaid just chilling in the bathtub. There was also another issue popping up a bit further into the timeline, if you managed to solve the first one, and that was what you were supposed to do when you were heading home after your vacation ended, because it wasn’t like you could just take her with you.
And even if you decided to risk it, how would you travel like that?
You could maybe stuff her into a cooler filled with water and hope your parents wouldn’t think to question the extra luggage you had, but… you still wouldn’t have a place for her at home, either.
Woosh!
You yelped as the beach ball caromed off of your face, the air-filled plastic sphere plopping into the water afterwards, and, after shaking off your surprise, turned to see the child frowning up at you, her eyebrows furrowed. Your worry must have leaked out onto your face while you thought.
“Hi-yah…!”
You batted the ball lightly towards the young girl as you smiled, attempting to appear fine.
But you would have felt better if you had any way of contacting Midoriya… or literally any of the other merfolk you had met; even if Bakugo was the only one you could call, you felt he would be responsible enough to care for a merperson less than half of his size, given that he was training to be in the Guard. That meant he cared for his fellow merfolk, hopefully… probably… definitely.
“Ahhh… maybe I could find a conch shell and call them through that?”
You held back a snort that eventually came out as a sigh.
“Yeah, right. What, am I just supposed to go–” You raised your hand up to your ear, cupping it like you were holding up a decently-sized conch shell to it. “Ring, ring… ‘hey, Midoriya’, and–?”
Your sentence went unfinished as you found yourself doused in water, as if someone had just tossed a large bucket of it towards you, from the direction the ocean was in. You blinked while wiping the water away from your eyes… and then you saw it. Him. The sight of familiar orange scales that shimmered in the sunlight, like a lump of gold among the greys of the rocky beach.
And then your eyes locked onto a familiar smiling face, his own eyes sparkling.
“...I’m sorry, wHAT–?!”
- - - - -
Midoriya was here.
In front of you.
You blinked once, and then again, because you were having trouble believing your eyes. You eventually let a smile break out onto your face, matching his own, because accompanying his arrival was relief stronger than that that had come when saving the young fish girl from one of the most terrifying fates. You were also excited — your first merperson friend was splayed out on the beach at your feet, after you had believed you would never see him again — but it was short-lived when the fish boy froze, his hands instinctively shooting up to the gills on his neck.
“...ahh, right! You can’t breathe air either!”
You immediately got up to help him back into the sea, rushing behind him to grab onto his tail and try to tug him backwards. He was a lot heavier compared to the young girl, though, and it made him a lot harder to move, which started to make you panic with every passing moment.
But then a shadow engulfed you, and you hardly had time to process it before All Might easily lifted up Midoriya like he was made of paper, tossing him over his shoulder. The whale shifted deeper back into the water before setting the goldfish down in it, patting him on the back a few times. You noticed that, while Midoriya took no time to sink down until the water was level with his cheeks, All Might had his entire top-half — including his gills — exposed to the air, and had seemingly no issue with it. He was a whale, so maybe he could breathe air like regular whales.
That plus gills seemed like a good deal, if you were to be honest.
The merchild popped her head out fully from the mini-pool at the commotion on the beach, her eyes lighting up with recognition as she started to gurgle loudly, and that made you briefly stop.
“O-Oh, okay… you know them, kid? Wow, my luck just won’t quit, will it?”
You wasted no time transferring the young fish girl from the mini-pool to the sea, who, as soon as she hit the water, wiggled out of your hands and darted over to Midoriya who was… well, he looked like he was recovering his breath, a hand flat against his chest as it rose and fell slowly.
The entire situation felt just as unreal as it did the first time you met Midoriya, perhaps more so from how you were witnessing fish people while mere steps away from dry land — unlike being in the dreamlike underwater realm they called home. You managed to smile even as your brain fought to come to grips with the contrasting realities around you, and were thankful that the sea spray helped hide the tears forming at the edges of your eyes, your body letting go of its stress.
Though it lasted for but a moment before you felt the water next to you shift. You glanced over as you heard a small splash, and flinched at the unfamiliar pair of eyes that were looking up at you. The figure rose slightly to reveal he was another merman, one that you hadn’t met before.
He had blond hair, blue eyes, was rather buff, and… had orange, white, and black scales; you immediately thought of a clownfish, and the longer you stared at him, the more that seemed to be the case. He returned your stare with a wide smile, crossing his arms and tilting his head to an almost comical degree as if inspecting you, his eyes seeming a bit sharp for his expression.
“Uh… nice to meet you too?”
The merman’s fin ears perked up at your voice, but from the way his eyebrows furrowed, your words were straight-up gibberish to him. His smile remained despite that, which was unusual.
Huh.
You let your eyes wander around at the four fish folk — All Might, Midoriya who seemed to be fine now, the child who was babbling her heart out to him, and the new merman that was a bit too close for comfort — before a long sigh left your lips and you let yourself smile once again.
You felt really lucky that someone as average as you got to experience all this.
- - - - -
“It’s called “swimwear”, and it’s a special type of clothing humans wear when doing stuff out in the water.” You gestured towards yourself with your free hand, your other hand firmly wrapped around Midoriya’s bicep. You shrugged your shoulders to adjust the tote bag hanging from one of them. “Usually swimming, as you could guess from the name. Unlike normal clothes, like the ones I had on before, these won’t soak up water and cause drag, so I can move around easier.”
“Ohhh, fascinating…”
You hadn’t been this far out into the deep blue in a while, but… it felt natural, no doubt because of the good company around you. You had rushed to the beach house to get changed, slapping a scribbled note onto the kitchen counter about you “hanging out with friends” the moment your hands were free, and rushed back out to join the merfolk in the salty waters they all lived within.
All Might led the group as you clung to Midoriya, while the merchild — Eri — was held safely in the arms of the newest merperson you had the pleasure of meeting, Togata. The three mermen were zooming through the water way faster than either her or you could on your own, and it was a miracle that the pressure wasn’t disrupting the bubble Midoriya conjured up around your head.
But, then again, it was a magic bubble.
The pace only slowed down once the group reached the familiar underwater settlement that you had almost thought existed solely in your memories, completely unchanged since your last visit.
“Now that we’re back, we should take Young Eri to be examined!” All Might raised a finger as he turned to look at the rest of the group, his other hand resting on his hip. “She may look well now, but considering the situation the young human found her in, it’s best for us not to take any risks.”
Midoriya nodded, his eyebrows furrowing. “Right!”
“And that goes for you too, Young Midoriya.”
“H-Huh?”
“It may have been for just a moment, but going out of the water can cause serious injury for one unsuited to that environment, especially for a juvenile like yourself. It was rather reckless, really.”
“...ah. Right. Sorry.” Midoriya’s ear fins drooped down as a sheepish smile appeared on his lips, his fingers pressing together. “I was so excited to see the human again that I wasn’t thinking…”
So cute…!
“Young Togata, take care of the human while we’re gone, will you?” All Might looked over at the clownfish. “They’re trustworthy, but just tend to struggle navigating through water on their own.”
Togata gave the whale a thumbs-up. “Okay!”
“B-Bye-bye, human!”
Eri quickly waved to you before wrapping her arms around Midoriya’s neck, the fish boy making sure she had a good grip before he followed All Might, and you watched as the three soon went off into the distance. You were left free-floating now, and you let your hands move to cling to the tote bag hanging on your shoulder in lieu of a merperson’s arm, your gaze locking itself onto the clownfish. Togata seemed to be a more confident yet casual person than Midoriya was, for sure.
“So… you’ve been here before, huh?” Togata leaned down, still smiling, as his hand rubbed his chin. “Midoriya’s mentioned you before, but it’s still a bit hard to believe! A real-life human, right in front of me! And right in the middle of our home! It sounds like a totally tall tale… but it’s not!”
“Yeah, it’s crazy– wait, he’s mentioned me? I thought he was supposed to keep it a secret…!”
“Yep!” Togata nodded exaggeratedly. “Though it was more of a slip-of-the-tongue than anything intentional. He was just yapping as he normally does, and next thing anyone knew, he began to talk about the “human he rescued” before he could stop himself! Luckily, everyone knows he’s a bit crazy when it comes to humans, so most just tune him out whenever he’s talking about ‘em.”
“O-Oh, that’s… good?”
Togata nodded again, before his expression shifted as his eyes widened. “Ah, right! Since Eri’s back, safe and sound, we should tell the others! It shouldn’t be a problem to take you around?”
“Uh…” You blinked before shaking your head. “No, it shouldn’t. Most people ‘round here don’t even know what a human looks like, so feel free to drag me around wherever you need to go.”
“Great! Just let me know if you start getting dizzy!”
You had already grabbed onto his extended arm before you processed his words. “Wha–”
And then he was off, your grip instinctively tightening as he zipped and zagged all throughout the water, weaving past merpeople homes and lush underwater flora. Your surroundings were becoming a big blur as you focused on not losing your hold on your attendant, the pauses the merman took too brief to allow you to look around and take in the charming underwater sights.
“Tamaki! Hado!”
Togata came to a sharp stop as he shouted, and your hand slipped off of his arm as your body continued on a forward trajectory. There had been a sense of nausea growing in your stomach during the swim, but it thankfully began melting away by the time you felt a hand grab onto you.
“Ha ha! Whoops! There you go!” Togata turned you right side up, and patted the bubble around your head before gesturing to two new merfolk. “These two are my best buds in the whole sea.”
“Hey, hey, you’re back!”
The mermaid appeared just as bright as Togata, both in energy and in coloration; her fish half was a bright turquoise, with yellow stripes that were lined with thin pink stripes, which looked a bit trippy, especially with the dull rock formation sitting behind her. Her hair was long, very long, like one would expect from a stereotypical mermaid, and thus flowed in the water really prettily.
“You’re smiling so bright… that must mean you’ve found Eri, right?”
“You’ve got that right!” Togata nodded as he swam to the mermaid. “She’s getting a check-up now, but she seems to be mostly okay. Sir pointed us in the exact right direction to find her!”
The mermaid smiled wider as her friend drew nearer… but with a blink and a shifting gaze, her expression quickly switched to something more curious as she leaned to look past him at you.
“Oooh, who’s this?” The mandarinfish mermaid bolted over to you and leaned in to be a breath away from you, the concept of “personal space” apparently not being something she acted with in mind. “Gosh, they look kind of weird. Where are your gills? And you don’t seem to have any fins? What are those on the side of your head? Feelers? Why do they look like that? And those long appendages down here, why’re there only two? Were you born like this? You’re so weird!”
The magic bubble wobbled in response to her insistent poking, and with how her fingers were twitching, you didn’t doubt it was the only thing stopping her from tugging at your ears. You felt like you couldn’t blame her, though, because if you had even a little less self-control, you would have done the same towards her and the other merfolk. That didn’t mean you liked it when she started poking and prodding at your legs, though, which made you squirm away from her touch.
“Hado, this is a human!” Togata laughed as Hado swam around you, the fins of her tail brushing against your legs as she circled around you. “The one Midoriya mentioned before, remember?”
“Wow… in the flesh!” Hado clapped her hands together as she smiled brighter. “Humans are so bizarre-looking! Even funnier than I thought when I first heard about them! So out of this world!”
“Ah… thanks?” You just took that as a compliment. “Please stop touching my legs, though…”
“Oh, so these are legs? They look so different from Tsu’s…” Hado poked your legs with both of her pointer fingers again before she turned away from you. “Amajiki, come say hi to the human!”
But when you followed her gaze, there wasn’t anyone there, just the large rock formation.
You furrowed your eyebrows as you thought back to what you had seen after Togata came to a sharp stop and sent you spinning through the water. You recalled the sight of two figures around that rock formation, though the details were a big blur due to the dizziness you were undergoing at the time. You slowly looked towards Togato and Hado as you raised an eyebrow in question.
“Amajiki!”
“Tamaki!”
The two fish people left you free-floating in the water as they zoomed to crowd around the rock formation, both leaning in to peer intensely into a hole that couldn’t have been that much bigger than your hand. You adjusted the tote bag on your shoulder before attempting to swim closer to see what they were looking at… and because you just felt a lot safer within arm’s reach of them.
Togata leaned in further, twisting his head to peer into the hole with one eye. “Come on, Tamaki! There’s nothing to be afraid of! The human’s a friend of Midoriya’s, and now a friend of ours…!”
“Yeah!” Hado pressed her cheek against Togata’s as she leaned in further as well, which ended up completely blocking your view of the hole. “The human’s not gonna bite you or anything…!”
You almost didn’t catch the quiet voice that spoke after Hado finished shouting at them.
“You just met them, Hado. You wouldn’t know that…”
“Uh… it’s true, though.” You piped up from behind Togata and Hado. “I don’t bite, promise.”
You tried to put a smile on your face — even if the merperson in the hole couldn’t see you from where you were floating — though your expression felt a tad uncertain, and faltered when Hado gently grabbed your wrist to pull you between her and Togata. The two visible merfolk gestured for you to lean closer to the hole, and you did, squinting your eyes as you tried peering into it…
…but it was too dark for you to make out anything inside of the small opening in the rock.
“See? They’re friendly!” Hado patted the magic bubble around your head. “Amajiki, please…?”
Togata joined Hado in patting the bubble. “Come on and join us, Tamaki! You can do it!”
The magic bubble wobbled around your head as you were petted like some animal, the sound echoing within your air reservoir. There wasn’t enough time for embarrassment to set in from it before your eyes locked onto the sight of reddish-pink flesh starting to squeeze its way through the opening of the hole. The flesh soon snapped into the shape of a hand, and you had to push yourself back as you watched another hand soon appear, followed then by the merman’s head.
The way his body had squeezed itself out and snapped back into a humanoid shape reminded you of jelly by how it wobbled loosely, and the squishness reminded you of Uraraka specifically, until you saw the obvious tentacles that made up his lower-half. He had six long appendages to move around with, the suction cups sticking to the rock formation as he curled himself around it.
You had to do a double-take at the presence of six tentacles, counting them up once again, but then you noticed that his arms likely counted as the other two, with suction cups on his fingers.
“This is Amajiki.” Hado pointed with both hands at the octopus, who avoided your gaze. “He’s a bit of a catfish at heart, but he’s real sweet once you get to know him! That’s why we’re friends!”
“Ah… okay.” You raised a hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you?”
Amajiki clung to the rock formation like it was a lifeline, his back to you. His tentacles started to change to a grey color, identical to the rock’s dull tone, before Togata grabbed his shoulder and peeled him off of the rock with a series of pops. He twisted the octopus around so he faced you.
“Hey, it’s okay, Tamaki.” Togata released his shoulder, patting it. “Just give them a quick look.”
Amajiki kept his gaze lowered. “I want to go back to the rock.”
Huh.
You held your tote bag forward, opening it. “You like rocks? I’ve got some right here.”
Amajiki’s eyes flickered up to your open tote bag, his expression almost blanking at the sight of the rocks gathered inside… and then he mustered up the courage to shoot you a confused look.
“...why?”
“To play checkers with.”
That just made him look even more confused.
“Oh?” Hado boosted towards you with a smile. “What are ‘checkers’?”
“A human game. I taught Eri to play it… maybe. At least, I think she understands it.”
You tapped your finger on your chin as you thought back to the matches you played with Eri, a few seconds passing by before you snapped back to attention and gripped your tote bag tighter.
“...would you guys wanna learn to play it too?”
- - - - -
“Aha! I’ve got you trapped, Amajiki!”
“That’s… the third time in a row.”
You had to pat yourself on the back at how easy it was for you to teach these three fish folk to play checkers… though some of the credit for the ease had to be attributed to the fact that you could properly communicate with them. That you had to teach Eri using a combination of hand gestures and repeated movements only also helped make this feel a lot easier by comparison.
“I suppose I just have a hidden talent for this.” Hado clapped her hands together and did a brief self-clasping handshake before she began moving the carved pebbles to their starting positions on the board you had drawn into the sand of the seafloor. “This is seriously so much fun! Almost as much fun as playing pearls, maybe just as much! I should teach Yuyu how to play this later!”
The empty tote bag laid in your lap, the deflated beach ball that had been underneath the rocks now in your hands. You felt the water shift behind you while you absentmindedly fidgeted with it, and you looked over to see Togata leaning over your shoulder as he pointed at the deflated ball.
“What’s that?”
“A beach ball. It’s supposed to be filled with air, but–” You pointed upwards. “–it’d just float up if it was, and then I wouldn’t be able to bring it down here. Eri liked playing with it a lot while I was looking after her on the surface, but… honestly, I’m not sure how she’d play with it down here.”
Togata took the colorful deflated plastic when you offered it. “That’s no good. How’s it work?”
“Well, to inflate it, you need to pinch the base here and blow into it–”
Togata followed your instructions before you could finish speaking, his fin ears spreading out as he connected his mouth to the valve. The beach ball slowly began inflating until it reached its full size, and after briefly inspecting it himself, the clownfish offered the product of his efforts to you.
“Like this?”
The beach ball felt… squishy and soft, not unlike a water balloon, when you took it from him and into your hands. You closed the valve with the plug, and spun the water-filled ball in your hands.
“Uh… sort of? They’re usually a bit… firmer than this when filled with air, but… I guess this is as good as it can get considering the situation.” You gently tossed the beach ball up, giving it a light smack and seeing it slowly float forward until it started drifting towards the ocean floor. “Huh… it acts differently underwater too, but… uhh, yeah, I think Eri will still have fun with it if it’s like this.”
You cracked a smile as you let out a snort.
“She’ll have a ball with the ball, for sure!”
“Huh?”
“It’s… uh, wordplay. Like, to be funny?”
Togata perked up as soon as you mentioned the word “funny”, the sparkle in his eyes matching his smile. “Oh, yeah? Midoriya’s never really mentioned human humor before. You have that?”
“Y-Yeah, of course? Why wouldn’t we have a sense of humor?” You paused for a few seconds as you thought. “...though I guess it’d be a bit difficult to learn about that through all the… uh… the artifacts he collects? Yeah, let’s just go with that… a-anyway, humans do laugh about stuff.”
“Now that’s something I’m glad to learn about. All the stories everyone around here tells about humans tend to be such downers.” Togata shook his head as he let out a sigh, a rare frown on his face. “It was hard to believe that they’d be so serious and gloomy all the time, you know?”
You let out a small hum as you nodded. “Well, I’m glad that you’re glad? If you want, I can tell you more, but…! Only if you agree to teach me all about the humor you underwater folk have.”
The clownfish twisted in the water, looking at you upside down. “It’s a deal! Tell me more!”
“Hu-more?”
You smiled again when Togata responded with a laugh.
“Oh, no, you’re encouraging him?” Hado’s voice came from right next to you, the mermaid not seeming to notice how you flinched at her sudden appearance, with her hands cupped in front of her chest, full of carved pebbles. “I dunno if we have the room for two clowns around here.”
You opened the tote bag, letting her pour the pebbles in. “What, is there, like… a limit?”
“Well, nooo… but you wouldn’t want to steal Togata’s spot of top clown, would you?”
“Is that an actual thing here?”
You kept your eyes focused on Hado as she smiled at you, though, in the corner of your vision and almost in your blind spot, you saw a couple of tentacles reaching out to carefully put a few more pebbles into your tote bag. The appendages flinched as you shifted slightly, and you took that as a cue to move slower as you righted the bag to prevent the pebbles from falling out of it.
“Oh, Togata, could you get the ball–”
You looked over in the direction you last saw it — your eyes immediately scanning the blue and green ocean floor for the spot of color that it was — but didn’t see it. You blinked once, and then twice, before realizing it was far off in the distance, taking a joyride on the water’s rapid currents.
“My ball!”
You pathetically reached out towards it, as if it would help bring it back.
Togata perked up. “I’ll get it!”
“Huh?” Hado followed your gaze to the colored plastic drifting away. “Ooh, let’s have a race!”
The two didn’t wait for an answer before darting off in the direction of the escaping beach ball, becoming a pair of colorful blurs as they zipped through the water. You watched as they swam farther and farther away, getting smaller and smaller, before you let your hand slowly fall down onto your lap. You sniffed loudly, and turned to look at the octopus that was sitting beside you.
“...we should probably follow them.”
Amajiki struggled to glance at you… and gave up. “I’m not really that great of a swimmer…”
“Then we’re in the same boat.”
“We’re… not in a boat?”
“...ah, right. Sorry. It’s a human expression.”
- - - - -
“...you know, this is kind of nice.”
You wouldn’t say you were someone who went on a lot of adventurous walks — you preferred the paths you ventured on to be safe rather than exciting — so having to take a walk along the seafloor was not something you ever thought you would do. That said, it was surprisingly nice; you were able to bound over tough spots of rock and coral, and the views were just incredible.
The only reason you didn’t end up accidentally launching yourself out into the endless sea was thanks to Amajiki, who kept a tentacle wrapped around one of your limbs at all times. You were not exactly a fan of the sensation of a long appendage with suckers sticking to your skin, which were definitely going to leave a mark, but he seemed way too nervous to grab your hand in his.
And, so, for the sake of both his comfort and your safety, you let it be.
The general vibe was also just a lot more quiet and calm without Togata and Hado around.
But, alas, such things had to come to an end at some point, because–
“Ah-ha! I won!”
Hado’s voice cheerfully rang out from just beyond a field of seaweed nearby, which meant that you and your beach ball would soon be reunited. Togata and she must have gone off and did a whole bunch of side-quests for you and Amajiki to be able to catch up to them at the end of the race, but you weren’t complaining. You had a jaunt along the seafloor, and they had a fun race.
The most important part was that everyone had fun in their own way.
“Dude, if I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up!”
And, now, it seemed like you would get some excitement, as a new voice had appeared.
Hado soon emerged from the seaweed, the beach ball held victoriously above her head like a trophy, and Togata was right by her side, looking a bit winded from the race. The mermaid had the brightest smile on her face, and she turned just slightly to look down at two unfamiliar folks that had emerged from the seaweed after her, her ear fins fluttering from the joy of her victory.
“Oh, are we intruding? So sorry!”
The first of the new faces was a fish boy who was small… as in, as small as Eri was, but what kept you from mistaking him for a child was the lack of innocence in the aura he carried. There were also literal barnacles on his head instead of hair, which definitely made him a nominee for the least visually-appealing merperson you had met so far, but you knew better than to judge a person based on their appearance. You were sure there were far stranger sights out in the sea.
He immediately attempted to put a suave expression on his face, a hand going up to rest under his chin. “You’re always welcome to intrude on me, Nejire-chan~! Any guy would be lucky with a dream like you around! But if you feel like you must apologize, how about we get together and–”
Hado cut him off with a laugh, her expression not faltering.
“That’s so funny, Mineta!” The mermaid brought the beach ball down to hold in her arms as she looked towards the other new face, her head tilting to the side just slightly. “Even though the rest of your class is away, surely you’ve got some better company to hang around with, Kaminari…?”
Kaminari smiled, but it was hesitant and ungenuine — almost embarrassed. He brought to mind the other merperson with an elongated fish tail that you met last time, Aizawa, though, unlike the merman, this fish boy had a patch of yellow scales from his waist to under his chest. That splash of color set this eel apart from the other, not to mention that he was also much more expressive.
“U-Uh… yeah? Yeah! But I couldn’t leave a guy like him hanging. He’s got no one else!”
“You–!” Mineta gawked at his taller companion before his jaw tightened. “You slimy eel…!”
Togata let out a brief laugh before noticing you and Amajiki a short distance away, the smile on his face widening at the sight. “Oh, you guys followed us? Hope the chase didn’t tire you out…!”
“Nah, don’t worry. The walk was really nice! And Amajiki is a really good escort! He’s polite, and responsible. Ten-outta-ten, would let him escort me again. I would’ve just been stuck back there, waiting for you two to come back, if he hadn’t been there, and that would’ve been really boring!”
You smiled as you looked at Amajiki. “...you can let go now, by the way.”
Amajiki’s face flushed the same color as his octopus half, the tentacle that was wrapped around your wrist quickly uncoiling and retreating to curl itself underneath the rest of them. “S-Sorry…”
Hado swam forward to plop the beach ball into your tote bag, your hands moving to hold it open for the plastic, water-filled sphere. The ball rested easily on top of all the pebbles, wobbling from the impact of being tossed down, and you breathed a sigh of relief from it being safe and sound.
“Huh? Who’s this uggo?”
What the actual–
You swiveled your head to look over at Mineta, your smile frozen in place. His own expression was casual, too casual, and his tone was casual too, as if he had just asked about the weather.
“Don’t be like that, Mineta!” Togata wrapped an arm around your shoulders, ignoring how your form had stiffened from the blatant insult sent your way. “This is the human that Midoriya met.”
The clownfish smiled at you as he gestured to Mineta and Kaminari.
“And these are classmates and friends of Midoriya’s, Mineta and Kaminari.”
“A-Ah…” You managed to squeak out. “...is that so?”
“Really?” Mineta squinted his eyes as he focused on you again. He tilted his head as his hand came to rest under his chin, starting to rub it like he was deep in thought. “...huh, I just thought Midoriya had finally gone crazy. I always thought it was just a matter of time ‘til we’d lose him.”
“Nah, Midoriya’s a smart guy.” Kaminari waved Mineta off with a smile before swimming closer to you, a spark of interest held within his gaze. “He’s not that crazy when it comes to humans.”
Mineta clicked his tongue as he crossed his arms. “Not yet. Give him time.”
You immediately opened your mouth to say something as you narrowed your eyes, your honor still wounded by the barnacle-headed fish boy’s comment… but you instead snapped it shut as you let yourself think for a moment. You didn’t want to stoop to his level, though you felt unable to just shrug off his casual yet judgemental attitude towards you. “...to be honest, I was actually starting to question whether or not you two are really friends of Midoriya’s, but he even referred to Bakugo as his friend too, so who am I to judge? Maybe he just attracts all sorts of people…”
That should really show them, comparing them to someone who has a sucky attitude.
“Whoa, seriously?” Kaminari flinched back. “You met Bakugo and he didn’t tear you to shreds?”
“What? No…?” You blinked. “...I mean, he tried to fight me, but–”
“–but you won?” Mineta seemingly teleported behind the eel — who had bolted away from you the moment you mentioned that the lionfish attempted to brawl with you — and peeked around his taller companion with widened eyes, his figure trembling. “Don’t tell me humans are actually as scary as they said?! W-Why is no one doing anything about this one?! Are you all crazy…?!”
“What? No!” You waved your hands in protest, which only caused the two to flinch. “There was no fight! I said Bakugo tried to fight me, tried, but…! He was held back by others! And me, fight, underwater? I can barely swim around on my own! I couldn’t win in a fight down here! Honest!”
The two fish boys still seemed off-put despite your very real and reassuring words; this was, by far, your worst first impression to any merpeople down in the deep blue sea. You just went from unimpressive to terrifying, all in a matter of a few words. That, in itself, was kind of impressive.
“Such youthful panic… it really excites something deep within me.”
But you had trouble focusing on the pair of scared fish as a new smooth voice drifted onto the scene, something dangerous lurking underneath its sound. Your eyes darted over to its source, and the mermaid’s appearance matched her tone, especially with how she carried herself. Her fish tail, long and blue with faint purplish spots, swayed elegantly until she came to a slow stop, which was when she curved it up to grab onto it, just beneath the red fins on the very end. She held the end of her tail in front of herself, moving it like she was fanning herself with her fins, as her eyes — framed by thin red whiskers that resembled a mask, the tip-tops extending out and seemingly serving as feelers — narrowed and her lips slowly curved up into a… pleased smile.
“Miss Midnight!”
And now Kaminari and Mineta were using her as a living shield, peeking around her from either side. Her tail slipped out of her hand to whip wildly in the water, which caused Mineta to squeal.
“It’s not polite to touch a lady unless she asks for it.” Midnight’s smile tightened as she looked at Mineta, her eyes narrowing further as he clutched his hand. “Be a good boy and behave, hmm?”
And then her eyes flickered to yours, the mermaid right in front of you after you blinked.
“Ooh, this is a human?” Midnight’s eyes sparkled, their sharpness dimming in favor of a certain glimmer of fondness, and she poked the part of the bubble that was over your nose. “I’ve heard quite a few stories describing their strength and vitality, so I wasn’t expecting one to be so cute!”
The scary fish lady liked you, and that made your knees weak with relief.
“T-Thanks…?” You hesitantly smiled. “...ma’am?”
You were having trouble keeping eye-contact with Midnight, what with her being so close to you and invading your personal bubble, and ended up having to shift your gaze away from her face.
That shift in focus led to the finger she still had pressed against the magic bubble, which in turn made you notice the plastic soda ring she wore around her wrist like a bracelet; after a glance at her other wrist, you confirmed she had one around that one as well. That was… certainly quite a fashion choice, but you couldn’t judge since merpeople didn’t seem to wear actual clothes at all.
“Cute?” Mineta jabbed a finger in your direction. “That thing’s a killer!”
Midnight let out a sharp laugh. “Don’t be silly, I’ve heard the reports. This human is harmless.”
“Oh?” Togata tilted his head. “Are you here for the human?”
Hado leaned against your shoulder, her cheek pressed against the magic bubble as she looked at the older mermaid in front of you. “Yeah, you didn’t just appear here for no reason, did you?”
“That’s right!” Midnight pulled back from you, only to quickly point at you with a wink. “I wanted to come see the human in the flesh myself. You can’t blame a lady for being curious, can you?”
You shifted your hold on the tote bag to further cover yourself.
“...and Eri’s done with her check-up, and was asking about you. I was sent to retrieve you.” The mermaid loosened her stance as her hands made their way to her hips. “She seems to be rather attached to you, so you should go and see the poor little thing. Right now. Go on, she’s waiting.”
Togata grabbed your arm, and you saw him smiling widely at you.
“Come on, let’s go make sure Eri’s okay!”
“Y-Yeah, okay– wait!”
And off you went, dragged through the water like it was nothing.
- - - - -
“Ta-dah!”
You smiled as Eri’s eyes went wide when you presented the beach ball to her. The young fish girl happily took the water-filled sphere into her hands, squishing her fingers into it with a hum.
“It feels so funny–” The ball jiggled under her touch. “–and weird!”
“Filling it with water will do that.” You shrugged the tote bag off of your shoulder, tightly holding onto the straps with both hands. “But I think you’ll still have fun with it! Just be careful storing it in a safe place when you’re not playing with it, or else it’ll float away. Trust me, it tried earlier.”
Her eyes widened further as she looked up at you. “Huh? I… get to keep it?”
“Yeah.” You nodded. “I bought it just for you.”
Eri paused for a moment, appearing to think for a few seconds, before her eyebrows furrowed and her hands tightened around the beach ball. “I’ll… I’ll keep it safe, I promise! Thank you…!”
That wasn’t an empty promise, it quickly became clear, as she carefully spent a short while just inspecting the beach ball in her hands. You didn’t doubt she would have spent even longer with such an analytical expression if it wasn’t for Togata and Hado — and Amajiki, but only because he was dragged into it by the first two — joining her to play, hitting the beach ball back and forth.
You turned to Midoriya with a smile. “I’m really glad you guys are okay.”
“Yeah.” Midoriya nodded. “Though it sounded like she was in rough shape when you found her, it doesn’t look like there’ll be any serious lasting effects from it on her. It’s kind of like a miracle.”
“Hey.”
You gently chopped Midoriya on the head, now giving him a stern frown.
“I said you guys. Plural. That means you too. Don’t scare me like that again.”
Midoriya’s ear fins spread out, his face darkening with a flush. “R-Right!”
You stared at him for a few seconds before giving him a satisfied nod, your frown softening into a smile again, and you held out the tote bag to him. “Here. These are also for Eri, as well as the rest of you, to keep! They’re a bunch of makeshift pieces for a human game called “checkers”.”
“A human game?”
That got him to perk up again, back to normal, as he took the tote bag and looked inside.
“Yep!” You nodded, your newly-freed hands going to your hips. “I think I was able to teach Eri how to play it well enough, but you can also ask Togata or his friends too, if you want to learn. I’d teach you myself, but I think I’m beginning to get a headache from all this excitement…?”
“I certainly hope it’s nothing serious. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about treating humans.”
You blinked once before your focus lowered to the elderly merperson who had been lingering nearby, near the entrance to a merperson’s home. That was probably her home, now that you were thinking about it, and unlike many others that you had seen, the entrance was set on the seafloor — like the doors placed on human houses — instead of higher up along the building.
That had to be due to the kind of merperson she was, which was obvious due to the shell that was on her back. Her shell was huge, big enough for her to squeeze her entire body into while still leaving a little wiggle room; since it made her seem smaller in comparison, it amplified how much she came off as a sweet little granny, especially combined with the driftwood she held in her hand like a cane. You couldn’t even question why a sea snail would need a cane’s support.
“No, no, it’s really nothing.” You smiled at her. “Are you the medical expert who treated Eri?”
“Yeah! This is Recovery Girl!” Midoriya gestured to the sea snail with his free hand. “She’s one of the best healers around. She can help rid any patient of their pain, no matter how severe…!”
You paused at the title “Recovery Girl”, before simply tilting your head.
“Oh, you must’ve been doing this for a long time, then?”
Recovery Girl frowned, pounding the sand with her cane briefly before waving it threateningly in your direction. “Don’t be so impolite. You’re not too good at hiding your thoughts with your face.”
“...s-sorry.”
- - - - -
You were having a great time.
Eri and Midoriya were currently occupied by their ongoing match of checkers, the goldfish being constantly corrected by the merchild every time he made a mistake. He seemed to be having an unusually-difficult time with it… though since Togata and Hado kept backseat gaming to interject their own — freshly-obtained — knowledge of the game, he was having a difficult time focusing.
You and Amajiki were sitting on the sidelines in peace, a comfortable silence settling over you.
And you hoped it was a comfortable silence for him too.
But even as fun as this all was, the bitter sting of disappointment still lingered from the fact that the others you had met previously weren’t here. You had asked Midoriya about it when you had a chance to, and he explained that they were all away at different settlements because of class assignments; that school was the reason you couldn’t see them again was so… mundane, and you had to take a moment to mourn the reality that even merpeople had to deal with school too.
Your luck had finally hit its limit, it seemed.
The sorrow soon left your mind as you glanced at a nearby patch of seaweed, two familiar fish boys peeking at you from between the long green strands. Kaminari and Mineta were anything but masters of stealth, and when you tried to acknowledge their presence with a friendly wave, they flinched and ducked deeper into the seaweed in an attempt to hide themselves from view.
“Come on, can’t you do that whole “Zip! Zap!” shock thing?” Mineta whisper-yelled to his taller companion, as if you couldn’t clearly hear him. “You could probably knock them out in one hit!”
“I’d have to get close to do that!” Kaminari whisper-yelled back as he squeaked. “That’d be way too dangerous! Humans usually have some kinda weapon on them, right? What if they get me?”
“I don’t see any weapons! They’re not gonna get you!”
“Then you go and approach them!”
Mineta shook his head quickly, backing away from Kaminari and further into the seaweed. “No way! I’m a total coward, and that’s okay. Knowing when to be afraid is how people stay alive.”
Your lips parted to let out a long sigh as you decided to tune the pair out, their words devolving into an argument you didn’t want to listen to. You’d figure out how to make them not fear you at some point, but, for today, you would rather continue chilling with the fish people who liked you.
“Young human, I am here… with some good news!”
You blinked as a shadow engulfed you, and looked up to see the large figure that belonged to the one and only All Might in front of you. Midnight was on one side, and Aizawa on the other.
You perked up. “Aizawa!”
The eel merman sighed. “...why are you here again?”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” Midnight leaned around All Might to look at Aizawa, her lips turned up into a smile. “They seem happy to see you. The least you could do is smile back, you know.”
“No.”
You kept smiling as you looked at All Might again. “What’s the good news you mentioned?”
But before he could answer, you noticed movement near Aizawa. The eel merman didn’t even flinch as the seaweed scarf wrapped around his neck shifted, and after just a few seconds, the cutest little face popped out between the green strands. Your knowledge of viral internet trends and memes came in clutch as you were able to identify it as the face of a large sea bunny slug.
“Aw, cute!” You perked up again and clapped your hands. “I didn’t know sea bunnies could get that big! And it looks so fluffy! Wait, is it safe to store it in there? Aren’t those filled with toxins?”
“Quite knowledgeable!”
You paused, the voice that answered not having come from any of the adults, or Amajiki, who was right beside you. That meant… the only possible source had to be… no, that couldn’t be.
The sea bunny appeared to smile as it carefully crawled out from Aizawa’s scarf, revealing the rest of its body… which didn’t match the face at all. The… creature, for lack of a better term as you were too in shock to come up with any, had the adorable face of a sea bunny, the stomach casing of a sea turtle, the tail of a lobster, and the arms and legs of a sea otter. You just stared.
“Though I do make sure to limit my diet to avoid risking my colleagues’ safety, I assure you.”
The creature raised a front paw in greeting, his other paw resting atop Aizawa’s head to help him keep his balance while on the eel’s shoulder. “Allow me to introduce myself. I may be an otter, a turtle, a lobster, or even what you call a “sea bunny”, but most importantly: I am Nezu, president of the local council of this settlement. I also assist with running the local school too!”
You continued to stare at Nezu, and internally questioned if he counted as a merperson. The other merfolk you met were… unusual, but if you squinted enough, they looked human. Nezu just straight-up looked like an animal; a weird hybrid of an animal, but an animal, nonetheless.
“O-Oh, uh… I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude!” You quickly bowed your head to cut off eye-contact with Nezu. “Ugh, Amajiki… mind hooking me up with a hole to hide in, please..?”
“Nonsense, it’s quite alright.”
Nezu pushed himself off of Aizawa’s shoulder, his body gliding through the water smoothly as he approached. He flapped his limbs to keep himself from sinking completely to the seafloor.
“I’m not one to be insulted by what was meant as an innocent compliment.”
You lifted your head as he got closer, and leaned back as he inspected you. His gaze was… a lot more clinical than anyone else’s had been, their gazes more curious, and while it was more than just a little unnerving to be looked at like a specimen, you couldn’t deny how cute he was.
Your hands fidgeted in your lap, until you clenched them into fists and pounded them into the sand. You eventually just sat on them, in an attempt to fight the natural human instinct to pet.
“President Nezu here is actually one of the most knowledgeable among us, including when it comes to humans.” Midnight piped up, still smiling casually. “I believe he’s also one of the few that have actually encountered them… that is, until you made it a more common occurrence.”
You stared into Nezu’s unblinking gaze. “O-Oh, is that so…?”
Nezu pulled back, blinking as he smiled again. “Truthfully… I’m not very fond of humans.”
Oh, no…!
“But I know better than to let my grudges influence my ability to make important decisions.”
Oh, good…!
Nezu tilted his head, one of his ear-like antennae twitching. “The circumstances surrounding your previous “visit” to our home, as it can be described, relied on the goodwill of one of ours, and it was the trust you fostered with those you met only recently then that was what allowed you to return to the surface. This time, however, the circumstances are different. Incredibly so. To my understanding, you were a key figure involved in the rescue of a young child, correct?”
“Yeah, of course!” You immediately nodded, and had to clear your throat before continuing. “I found her on the beach next to the beach house my family’s renting. There wasn’t anyone else nearby when I found her, and half a day passed by before All Might and the others showed up.”
Nezu hummed, a paw going to his chin. “So if you didn’t find her at that time…”
“I’d prefer not to think about that.”
The aquatic hybrid tilted his head with another hum. “...tell me, what are your thoughts on all of this? Learning about the existence of these people, their magic… and of interacting with them?”
You paused for a moment, and tapped the area of the magic bubble over your chin.
“Uh… well, for starters, I think it’s kind of cool, but also kind of trippy? Like, if you asked me if I thought people who were half-human, half-aquatic creature existed before I met them, I’d have called you crazy.” Your fingers soon fell to your lap, rubbing against each other since you didn’t have anything else to grab onto. “But…! I think hanging out with Midoriya and everyone else is fun. We’re… we’re friends, even if we’re different species… a-and I just don’t really… have…”
You bit your tongue to stop yourself, your gaze lowering to your hands.
“...honestly, I was starting to think I was crazy and just dreamed up the whole thing. The thought that they didn’t actually exist and I’d never see them again was… it… it didn’t feel all that good.”
The silence was deafening as you raised a hand up to your chest, resting it over your heart.
“S-So, when I found Eri… I was relieved because she meant you guys were real, that you guys do exist, and seeing Midoriya especially made me really happy. Ehe… does that sound weird?”
You kept your head bowed, a warmth having bloomed all over your face over the course of your explanation of your thoughts… and then you were hit by overwhelming embarrassment. You just spilled your heart out to people you hardly knew, revealing way more than you were comfortable with by accident since everything was all tangled up in your head. Your face got even warmer as you bowed your head even more, small tears beginning to spring up in the corners of your eyes.
And then you felt something touch your forearm, knocking you out of the spiral you were sliding down. Amajiki’s head was completely turned away to avoid eye-contact, but one of his tentacles was extended and wrapped around your forearm, the pressure from it the gentlest of squeezes.
“Oh, the emotional hardships of youth…!” Midnight fanned herself with the fins at the end of her tail, leaning back with a hand on her forehead. “It tugs at my heartstrings like nothing else can!”
All Might let out a cough, rubbing under his nose as he looked away.
“Young human, I had no idea of the trouble this caused you…”
Aizawa was also looking anywhere but at you, fiddling with his seaweed scarf with a hum.
“A-Ah…” You bowed your head once more. “...forget I said anything, please?”
Nezu stood a few paces ahead of you, having drifted down to the seafloor during your ramble, his face scrunched up into a look of thought with a paw on his chin. “You’re quite genuine for a human, aren’t you? Very… different from the ones I’ve unfortunately encountered myself, yes.”
He raised his paw up, a smile on his face once again.
“As president, I’ve come to a decision.”
He hopped up from the seafloor and swam back over to Aizawa, digging halfway into the eel’s scarf before pulling out a couple of dark blue objects. He held them to his chest as he returned to float in front of you, and as soon as he was close enough, you realized that they were conch shells; they had identical white-striped patterns on their outsides, with a lighter blue hue inside.
That was to say… they didn’t look natural at all.
“Are those… conch shells?”
Nezu nodded, proudly holding the identical shells up with one in each paw. He offered one to you, which you carefully took into your hands; the exterior was smooth — your thumbs glided over the contours with little friction — and the weight was decent, fitting nicely into your palm.
“I’ve been working on these recently, but haven’t gotten an opportunity to test them out in the field just yet.” Nezu held the other conch shell between his paws, his gaze moving between it and you as he showed it off. “Their design is inspired by that common human myth about one being able to hear the ocean inside shells, with their function being inspired by those silly little communication devices they’re obsessed with these days. I take it you’re familiar with both…?”
You looked down at the conch shell in your hands. “...you mean cell phones?”
“I believe that’s what they’re called, yes.”
Midnight leaned towards All Might and Aizawa. “Are either of you understanding any of this?”
“...nope.” All Might leaned towards Midnight, a hand over his mouth. “Not a word.”
Nezu used one paw to point at you, and you had to grip the conch shell in your hands to resist reaching out to grab the fluffy appendage. “However, given your responses to my queries, I’ve decided to extend to you an invitation to help test them out. These should make contacting the friends you’ve made here much easier… and will make for some valuable data for me as well.”
“...wait, what?” You slowly blinked. “Really? You’re sure? You mean… I can just go–”
You raised the conch shell to the side of your head, holding it just like a cell phone.
“Ring, ring… ‘hey, Midoriya’, and–?”
“They’re more likely to bubble and gurgle than ring, but, yes, that’s the gist of it.”
You stared blankly at the council president, your hand tightening around the conch shell next to your ear, and you started blinking quickly to rid yourself of the tears threatening to start forming.
“Of course, there was also the pesky issue of the language barrier between the people here in the sea and the people up on the land, but after I went over all the information we learned from your previous visit to our home, I found a way to infuse the properties of the magic bubble spell into these conch shells.” Nezu held his conch shell in one arm, his other paw raised up over his head. “The translation property was unintended, but with it, this device should prove a success.”
“Thank…” You had to clear your throat before continuing. “...thank you so much, president.”
“So we’ll be able to see the human again?”
Eri’s voice was like a record scratch to the ongoing scene you were in, and you leaned to look past Nezu to see her, Midoriya, Togata, and Hado peeking around All Might at you. You had no idea how long they had been eavesdropping for — you didn’t want to know how long they were listening in on you and your rambling — but Midoriya looked overwhelmed, just as how you felt.
“Of course!” Nezu nodded as he turned to look at the younger merfolks. “These will help keep us connected with them, and help us rely less on pure luck when scheduling any future visits.”
Togata and Hado immediately cheered, and Midoriya looked about ready to cry from joy.
“A-Ah, then…” Eri hesitated for a moment, her hands gripping the torn edges of the plastic bag she wore. “...the human could give me more of that crunchy red stuff? I really, really liked it…”
You perked up. “You mean apples?”
Eri nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
“Oooh, Eri! I’ll bring you all the apples you could ever want!” You brought the conch shell down from your ear. “Those things grow all over the surface, and we’ve got lots of different kinds too!”
The merchild smiled brightly, her hands gripping the plastic bag tighter.
You gripped the conch shell tighter too, holding it close to your chest.
- - - - -
The sky was dark when you waded your way back onto the shore, the chill of the air causing a shiver to run all over your soaked body. The feeling of fresh air filling your lungs did little to fight the exhaustion that suddenly washed over you, the adrenaline of the day beginning to wear off.
The only thing that proved your trip happened was the conch shell in your hands — your brand new shell phone, if you could be so bold. You gripped it firmly, still in disbelief over what it was.
You looked out at the ocean, the only sight greeting you being the waves rolling over the rocks and sand, before you hesitantly raised the conch shell to your ear. You parted your lips, a quiet breath leaving them before you spoke the special activation phrase Nezu placed on the objects to avoid unauthorized use from other people; it felt kind of silly to say, but made it more secure.
“Uh… Plus Ultra?”
The conch let out a gurgling noise, a few bubbles spilling out into the air and popping.
“H-Hello…?”
The sound of Midoriya’s voice, crystal clear and understandable, made you perk up.
“Hey, Midoriya!”
“Ah, it really works!” Midoriya sounded as happy on the other end as you did, and based on the sound of shuffling you heard afterwards, you could clearly picture him almost dropping the shell phone from shock. “I-I wasn’t expecting this so soon… but I’m really happy you called, anyway!”
“Heh, sorry… I know you just saw me off, but I wanted to make sure it works!” You began your trek back up to the beach house, being careful not to slip or trip on the rocks while you stepped over them. “And it does, thankfully! I just got back to land, safe and sound, and I couldn’t wait!”
You looked up at the beach house, seeing the lights inside shining through the windows. “I won’t keep you any longer, though. It’s getting late for me, and I’m sure you’re busy. Talk to you later!”
“Y-Yeah!” Midoriya let out a determined hum. “I’ll always make sure to answer!”
You lowered the conch shell as the call disconnected, and stared at it for a moment longer after it did. You let out a soft breath as you clenched your free hand into a fist, and pumped it eagerly.
Yes…!
The faint scent of something delicious wafted through the air, and your nose pointed you in the direction of the beach house, which further incentivized you into continuing towards the rental.
“Okay, that’s enough magic for today. I’m starving!”
Summary: "A certain oni learned about a homeworld holiday of yours. Regardless of whether you want it or not, he's going to help give you the celebration of a lifetime. At least he stayed out of jail doing so."
Word Count: ~13k
You always enjoyed visiting Inazuma City whenever you decided to pop over to the archipelagic nation, the vibes never failing to be immaculate. Your ears were always greeted with the sounds of the residents going about their days, and your nose was always gifted with the scents wafting out from an assortment of restaurants and food stalls, more often than not successfully tempting you to indulge in delicacies found nowhere else in Teyvat. That was your norm when you visited.
“Itto, wait–!”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry, bro! My boys and I’ll bring the Christmas cheer straight to your doorstep!”
But, unfortunately, your visit was anything but normal this time around, and it all started with a simple conversation with the Arataki Gang. The topic had eventually turned to festivities, which was harmless enough, though that had led to you mentioning a holiday from your homeworld… and they ended up getting more pumped up about it than you expected, the longer you talked.
Then again, this was Arataki “Instigator-of-a-Million-Different-Events” Itto you were talking to, and any time an idea came to his mind, he was bound to make it a reality one way or another.
Itto let out a laugh, pumping a fist up into the air with a bright smile.
“Oh, yeah, I can see it coming together! Everyone in Inazuma’ll be partying like never before!”
“Yeah, boss!”
“It’ll be the best, boss!”
That Itto seemed to be a lot more receptive to the feedback of the other members of his gang than yours despite your… "position" was not that surprising, given how the oni was a lot more casual with you than most. You were pretty sure he would have worked himself up about what he was planning even if his friends weren’t around to hype him up; that was just how Itto was.
“What’s all the noise for– oh.”
You hesitated for just a second before looking over at the entrance to Uyuu Restaurant, your eyes landing on Shinobu as she stepped out with six takeout boxes stacked in her arms. The freshly-made food inside — which smelled amazing — was supposed to be for a scenic lunch with the Arakai Gang, but as you followed the gang’s deputy leader’s gaze to watch the rest of the gang running down the street as they got swept up in their excitement, you began to wonder if you were going to have to reschedule the plans you were looking forward to because of this.
“...I’m sorry.”
Shinobu sighed. “It’s not your fault, Your Grace.”
“I told them about a holiday from my home, and they, uh… got excited.” You shifted your focus from her to the men disappearing into the distance. “They’re going to try to hold a festival for it.”
“Seriously? That’s so much paperwork… and we don’t exactly have the funds for that either.”
“...really, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Your Grace.” Shinobu stepped closer to carefully hand you the takeout boxes. “You just go and get settled where we planned, alright? I’ll round them up before the food gets cold.”
“Thank you, Shinobu…!”
- - - - -
“So… I’m supposed to do it like this?”
“Yeah, just like that. You’re a fast learner, Your Grace.”
You gave a small nod in response as you stirred the tea according to Thoma’s instructions, the tea whisk held firmly in your hand, before carefully sliding the bowl forward, across the table, its front facing Ayato. He was seated directly opposite to you, while his sister was seated right next to you, and Thoma was across from her, sharing Ayato’s side of the table during this rare break.
“Only because you’re a good teacher.” You used a linen cloth to wipe up a few droplets of water that you spilled earlier. “I can still get better, though. You guys always serve tea to me whenever we hang out like this, and I’d really like to be able to return the gesture sometime… you know?”
Ayaka smiled. “Oh, that’s really not necessary…”
“Maybe not, but I still want to do it!”
That you were currently hanging out with the three of them really cemented that today was one of your luckiest days recently in your mind; whenever you swung by the Kamisato estate, it was expected that you found Ayaka and Thoma here, but it was always a hit-or-miss when it came to whether the clan head was around or not. You still felt an inkling of guilt for how you startled him by literally teleporting right behind him as he arrived home — though, to be honest, experiencing the sight of Ayato being even the slightest bit shaken up was a treat you wouldn’t soon forget — but, thankfully, he took it as a stroke of luck on his own end to get to spend some time with you.
The Yashiro Commissioner picked the bowl of tea up and rotated it slightly in his hands, before elegantly taking a sip. “Hmm… interesting. I believe it’s your turn to have a taste now, Thoma?”
He held the bowl out to Thoma, whose smile suddenly looked a bit uneasy.
“Of… of course, My Lord…”
“Wha-” You blinked, your smile dropping faster than lightning. “Hey!”
Ayato chuckled. “I’m just kidding. It tastes fine, Your Grace.”
You watched as the three took turns trying the tea you just made, before your gaze wandered off around the rest of the courtyard. There were house servants tending to the garden, and a couple of soldiers assigned to the Yashiro Commission standing guard, as per usual. You were able to see Inazuma City off in the distance, when looking past the two men sitting on the other side of the table, and then you noticed a box trotting in right through the entrance to the estate.
The box had two tails trailing behind it, and four cute little paws, so you realized that it was–
“Kirara!”
The nekomata approached the table with a meow, bounding over to your side to brush against your leg, before stepping back and transforming into her human form, her tails forming a heart.
“Your Grace, what a pleasant surprise! I didn’t think I’d get to run into you today!”
Kirara gave you a smile before looking at the three sitting at the table with you, and then rifled through the mailbag she was carrying to pull out the same number of envelopes. The front of each envelope had elegant handwriting spelling out the name of the intended recipient, written right next to something that looked like a child’s drawing — which spanned most of the space.
“Sir Kamisato, Lady Kamisato, and Thoma… these are for you!”
The nekomata went around the table, carefully handing an envelope to the other characters, and you slowly leaned towards Ayaka to take a peek at hers. The drawing on the front of her envelope seemed to be of her… kind of. You actually had to squint before you started seeing the intent of the artist, and your gaze soon shifted to the name written in the space that hadn’t been taken up by the inked portrait. The handwriting didn’t match the strokes of the drawing at all, being clean and defined with a flair that gave you whiplash when looking between the two.
“Oh, for us?”
Ayaka opened the letter addressed to her — as did the other two — and you leaned away to give her some privacy; despite all the leeway folks gave you for simply being you, you still felt inclined to human decency and not overstepping comfort zones that people wouldn’t want the average person overstepping. That only lasted for a moment, though, before Ayaka looked at you with widened eyes, her hands lowering her letter to her lap as she seemed to think briefly.
“A… “Christmas festival”, Your Grace?” She smiled despite her confusion, the grip she had on her letter tightening. “That sounds like fun, though I’ve never heard of anything like it before…”
“Wait–” You blinked. “–what? What’s that letter say?”
Ayaka let you look at her letter, and you intently read through it to see that it was an exclusive invitation to an exclusive “Christmas festival”, the only attendees being the Creator’s vessels.
The contents hyped up the event like it was the hottest event of the century, and it was almost too easy to hear Itto reading off the letter to you himself in your head, the thought that Shinobu had probably transcribed his exact words for what he wanted the invite to say sliding its way to the forefront of your mind. That the event had been scaled down to having only the vessels as guests was smart — much more manageable than a nation-wide celebration — but the fact he was making it sound like it was a big official event worried you. He never really limited himself.
Shinobu had told you that she would handle it after the boys’ initial excitement had worn off, so you hoped she still had a hold on everything. You sincerely, desperately hoped that she still did.
You sighed as you put a hand to your forehead. “Oh, Itto…”
“You seem surprised, Your Grace.” Ayato set his invitation down on the table, his lips turned up into a small smile. “I was under the assumption you were already aware of this event. I actually happened to learn of it just earlier today, when I met with Lady Guuji to discuss other matters.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “I did. She also informed me that invitations had already been sent out and would be arriving soon… and that Yae Publishing House was willing to financially support the event.”
You stared at Ayato for a few seconds before raising an eyebrow. “...she did?”
“Wow…! Lady Miko is really kind, isn’t she?” Kirara skipped over to stand by where you were sitting, her tails brushing against your head. “Actually, she was the one who helped me figure out who the invitations are supposed to go to…! After these were dropped off at the office, my boss wasn’t sure if we would be able to deliver them since they didn’t have any addresses on them, but then I recognized that one envelope had a drawing of me on the front! I opened it to see that it was an invitation for an event regarding Their Grace, and that basically decided it!”
The nekomata knelt down and leaned against your shoulder, smiling at you.
“There was no way we could leave those invitations undelivered! Well… I would’ve gotten them delivered one way or another in the end, but…! This was a job that absolutely could not wait…!”
“Oh… so that’s whose handwriting it is?”
“Yep! The next invitation I managed to recognize the drawing of was for Lady Miko, so I went to deliver hers as soon as I could. Once she heard about the situation, she offered to take a look to see if she could identify anyone else for me, and she did! Every single one! Not one left behind!”
“That’s…” You took a moment. “...that was really nice of her.”
“It was!” Kirara blinked before seeming to realize something, her tails standing up straight, and she pulled out another envelope. “Right… there’s one more for this address, I think? Lady Miko said it might be hard to find Sayu herself, so I should just leave it here for her to collect later…”
You looked at the envelope in her hand — the drawing looked like a rotund tanuki — before you looked at the table. You silently reached under to carefully pull out the curled-up sleeping ninja.
Ayaka raised a hand to her mouth. “Oh my, I didn’t realize…”
Thoma let out a slight chuckle in surprise. “Was… was she there this whole time?”
Ayato just smiled.
“Yeah, uh…” You looked at Kirara with a smile. “We’ll make sure she gets it.”
“Whoa, that was like magic!” Kirara lowered her voice into a whisper-shout as she handed you the envelope. “Thank you, Your Grace! Well, I’ve got to be going! I’ll see you at the festival…!”
You waved at the nekomata as she sprung up onto her feet and dashed off, her tails bouncing with each step, before looking at the slumbering child now laying in your lap. You mustered up the grace of a ninja to carefully tuck the envelope into her sash without disturbing her slumber, and then placed her back under the table. You looked up at the other three with a relieved sigh.
“She can read it once she wakes up.”
- - - - -
“Your Grace, over here!”
The building that housed Naganohara Fireworks had only just entered your vision before your ears were graced with the sound of the owner’s voice, and when you drew closer, you saw her excitedly waving to you from the door. The sight made you hurry over to where she stood, and your nose was greeted with the familiar mix of scents of gunpowder and sweets clinging to her.
“I’m so glad you got here when you did, Your Grace!” Yoimiya smiled and bounced a step back from you. “When I got the invitation for the festival, I was totally surprised. In a good way, like… overjoyed! Thrilled, even. Yeah, something like that! But this also totally came out of nowhere!”
“Uh, yeah, it was…” You smiled back hesitantly. “...it was sort of a sudden decision.”
“Well, hey! More festivals just means more fun!” Yoimiya gestured for you to follow her inside, even holding the door open for you. “Luckily, I’ve got just enough free time beforehand to whip up a batch of fireworks for the show. Maybe not as many as usual, but it’s better than nothing!”
“O-Oh, you don’t have to…!”
“Hah? Nonsense! What kind of festival doesn’t have fireworks, huh?”
You gave Yoimiya’s father a slight bow after entering the shop, the man passing by you to exit the building to probably go stand where he was usually found in-game, before being led to his daughter’s workspace. The area was messy, but in an organized sort of way; this girl was way too serious about her business to let the place where she crafted magic become anything less.
“So…!” Yoimiya spun on her heel to face you. “This “Christmas” business sounds like a blast, but I’m not sure what firework designs to go with. Honestly, I was thinking about making a few new designs for it. That’s why I was hoping you could help me, Your Grace. You’re literally the most knowledgeable person on this subject around, so… what signifies “Christmas” to you?”
You blinked. “Wait, wait, wait… you want to make custom fireworks for the festival? I thought that… I thought that you would just go with some standard designs. You know, regular ones.”
“Oh, no! I’d never! This is a special festival! And a special festival needs special fireworks!”
“...isn’t every festival special to you?”
“Shush!” Yoimiya giggled. “You know what I mean!”
You squinted at her as she innocently smiled in return, before you eventually sighed.
“Okay, okay… I give up. You win. I’ll help you design new fireworks.”
“Woohoo! Thank you!”
Yoimiya ushered you over to a chair and sat you down, her hands on your shoulders for less than a second, before she moved to stand on the opposite side of the table from you, leaning her weight onto her hands as they laid flat against the wood. You shifted as you felt her gaze land on your face, and you took a moment to think about anything and everything that people would associate with Christmas. There were plenty of symbols and items to choose from, but you weren’t that sure about which ones would actually work when transformed into fireworks.
You weren’t even sure how the process of making fireworks worked either.
“Uh, well… there’s a few things I can think of. Do I just describe them to you, or…?”
“Oh!” Yoimiya rifled through her workspace before managing to put a few papers, a brush, and some ink in front of you. “Here! You can just draw them so I’ll know exactly what they look like!”
You grabbed the brush from where it laid. “Some of them might be kind of complicated…”
“Hmm? That’s totally okay! No design is too complicated for Naganohara Fireworks!”
You dipped the brush into the ink before putting it to paper, already holding your breath as you tried to draw some classic Christmas symbols to the best of your ability. The ink blotted quite a few times and your linework was shaky, but the end results came out better than you expected.
The complete set of drawings were of a Christmas tree, a candy cane, a wreath, and a pair of bells — with a ribbon attached. You contemplated on including one of a stock reindeer or even the main man — Santa Claus — himself, but after your attempts at getting their image onto the paper resulted in something that just looked like an abstract ink splatter, you decided against it.
And, to finish, you labeled the drawings with the colors they needed.
“Wow, so this is what Christmas looks like!”
Yoimiya leaned forward, her eyes going from one drawing to the next.
“These should be good enough as a reference, right?” You set the brush down, and turned the drawings around for Yoimiya to see them better. “I’m sure you’ll make the fireworks look better.”
“Aw, Your Grace! No, these are perfect! I’ll treasure them forever!”
Her smile was contagious, and you couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m… glad you like them! And feel free to ask me any questions that pop up. I’ll spare no details if you need to know specifics.”
“Will do! Haha, these fireworks are gonna be great!”
- - - - -
The glass bottle was cool to the touch, the base resting in the palm of your hand as you kept a firm grip around the neck with the other. The chance of you accidentally bumping into someone and dropping it was low, luckily, as the civilians kept a respectful distance to you as you passed by them on the street, though you still didn’t want to risk a tragedy occurring from carelessness.
You were currently on your way to see the Raiden Shogun, and wanted to bring her a gift.
That you had been in Inazuma for a while at this point and hadn’t caught even a glimpse of her wasn’t surprising, because, as far as you knew, she rarely went out. She was someone that you couldn’t plan on having a convenient “ran into each other on the street” meeting like with others.
You adjusted your hold on the Dango Milk as you passed by the police station, only to stop and take a few steps back at the sight of a familiar tengu warrior past the entrance. Her back was to you, the general clearly unaware you were a few paces away, though that didn’t last long as the soldiers she was conversing with perked up and she followed their gazes to see you, the cause.
Sara dismissed the soldiers before approaching you, greeting you with a bow. “Your Grace.”
And, although she had told you numerous times before that you didn’t need to give her a bow in return, you responded with one of your own. You just preferred to respond in kind, that was that.
“Madam Kujou.”
“I trust everything has been well with you? We’ve received no reports stating otherwise.”
“Yeah, I’ve been fine.” You nodded with a smile. “A bit busier than usual, but nothing bad.”
“Busy regarding the “Christmas” festival, I presume?”
“Yep!” You remembered the snack that was in your hold, and gestured for Sara to follow. “You wanna walk-and-talk about it? That is, only if you’re free, of course. I want to make sure to get this gift to the Raiden Shogun before it gets warm. She’d probably still like it, but… you know.”
“If your will so desires it, then I shall.”
You let out a hum, but continued on your way to Tenshukaku with Sara now at your side. The residence of the Electro Archon was always an impressive sight to see, from the statue of her that people had to pass by to the large gates you had to enter through to get onto the property.
And then there were the stairs.
The excessive amount of stairs that you would have to walk up to actually get to her.
“Even though I’ve been a bit busy with the festival, I… haven’t actually been doing much of the preparation myself. Most of it is being dealt with by the Arataki Gang, and a few others. If I’m to be honest, it feels like most of them don’t even want me to work on it. Like, not even a little bit.”
“You should not be burdened with the duty of operating a festival, Your Grace.”
“But it’s for a holiday from my home, Sara. I feel like I should bear some responsibility for it.”
You paused in your steps, only continuing when Sara was side-by-side with you. You repeated this process a few times before she relented and continued walking just half a step behind you.
“You have granted them the concept and will bestow your presence on those that are blessed enough to be present at the event.” Sara was solemn as she spoke, her attention half-focused on you and half-focused on your surroundings. “That is more than anyone could ever ask for.”
“Hmm…”
You were greeted with bows aplenty as you passed by guards and staff members, each one of them pausing whatever-they-were-doing to give you a short bow. The guards were so perfectly stoic even when you replied with a smile and wave that it was almost hard to imagine how they would gush about their brief interactions with you with their colleagues once they were off-duty.
“Well, enough about me.” You glanced at Sara. “Are you excited for the festival, Sara?”
“I have already made preparations for that day.” The tengu gave a tight nod. “The best soldiers have been picked to act as security personnel, and no tragedy shall befall while I am on duty.”
“Sara…” You frowned, nudging her with your elbow. “You were invited as a guest. Don’t tell me that you’re gonna treat this like a regular part of your job… that’s no fun. You need to have fun.”
The general stopped for but a brief moment, blinking once before she resumed walking beside you. “Both you and the Almighty Shogun will be present at the upcoming event. I cannot ignore my commitment to the safety of yourself and Her Excellency for the sake of “fun”, Your Grace.”
“Uh…” You thought for a second. “I don’t think the Raiden Shogun really needs protection…?”
“It is true that Her Excellency’s will and strength is mighty, and thus she does not necessarily require the protection of my fellow soldiers or myself…” Sara looked you up and down, with a critical glimmer in her eyes. “...although you do not appear to carry yourself as she does, Your Grace. I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed you wield the immense power attributed to you, and your form shares more in common with mere mortals than the traits associated with the gods.”
“Huh…?" You tilted your head. “...does that mean you think I look weak, Sara?”
“T-That’s…!” Sara was flustered — another treat of a sight — but then quickly hid her face as she dropped into a bow. “Forgive me for my insolence, Your Grace! I spoke without thinking!”
“Really? It seemed like you were thinking really hard just then.”
“Ack!”
You had to stop yourself now, despite how comical it was to see the stern Kujou Sara shaking like a leaf at having “insulted” you in any capacity; the line between the amusement you felt at giving the characters a little scare and the guilt you felt when they genuinely got unsettled was fine, and with the more… devoted ones, it was always better to pull back before they spiraled.
And you also understood where she was coming from, as you wouldn’t say you exactly reeked of “divine energy” like the Raiden Shogun and the other Archons did, nor did you really care to.
“Hey, hey… it’s okay. I’m not mad, you just made an observation.”
You knelt down to try to meet the tengu face to face, but she just lowered her bow even further to accommodate your change in height — with her face nearly touching the ground at the end.
“But if it makes you feel better… you can have some guards at the festival. Hmm… maybe five, perhaps? I kid. Just as long as some of your time is spent enjoying yourself. That’s all I ask for.”
“I… of course, Your Grace.”
You returned to your full height and looked over to the elaborate wooden doors of Tenshukaku just a short distance away. The golden accents and striking purple paint made them worth your attention for more than a second, the crowning detail for visitors being the two Electro symbols.
“Thanks for escorting me, Sara. I’ll see you at the festival, okay?”
Sara stood up straight herself, struggling to look at you as she nodded. “Yes.”
You smiled and waved to the general as she took her leave, who glanced over her shoulder to finally meet your gaze for but a brief moment, and then you turned to head towards the doors.
- - - - -
The addition of a table and a couple of cushions — which had been brought inside and set up when it became clear you intended to spend more than a few minutes visiting Ei — did little to make Tenshukaku feel that much more lived in, the main room the Raiden Shogun spent most of her time in still mostly empty of any sort of furnishings, but it was leagues comfier than your other option of just standing the entire time you would spend speaking with the Electro Archon.
You sat down and placed the Dango Milk on the table, sliding it across the wooden surface.
“Here, I brought you a gift! How’ve you been lately?”
“Ah, thank you…” Ei grabbed the glass bottle, and set it aside on her side of the table. “I have been well, Your Grace, and there has been no news worthy of mention since you last visited.”
“No news is good news, I suppose.”
Ei nodded as her gaze fell to the table, silence already taking root and stretching between you and her. That wasn’t unusual, the Electro Archon definitely the least chatty one of them all with you, and while it was never uncomfortable, you knew that if you wanted to converse with her, it meant you would need to take the lead. You just needed to figure out a good topic to start with.
“Your Grace, I… have a question.”
Or maybe she would take the lead this time, apparently.
“Okay…?” You tilted your head as Ei lifted her gaze to meet yours, hesitation clear in her eyes, but you smiled as you noticed that determination was also storming underneath it. “Ask away.”
“I have… received this invitation to a festival.” The Archon pulled out an envelope, your focus immediately drawn to the drawing of her covering the front of it. “Though I have never heard of such a holiday as… “Christmas”? As such, I’m not sure how to conduct myself while attending.”
“Oh? Oh. Yeah, okay.” You sat up a bit straighter. “Well… I’m not exactly sure myself of what’s going to be at the festival since I’m not really involved in most of the planning, but I imagine it’ll be similar to other festivals you’ve experienced. Games, fireworks… food stalls and desserts.”
Ei perked up at the last word, but kept a calm countenance. “Is that so?”
“Yep!” You shifted how you knelt on the cushion. “And, if it makes you feel better, we can hang out at the festival together. The guest list is reserved for just you, the other vessels, and myself, so you don’t have to worry about looking… foolish, I guess? Everyone there is gonna be nice.”
That Ei was unable to blush was tragic, as you could imagine her doing so right now.
“Then we shall accompany one another, Your Grace. Thank you.”
“Aww… there’s no need to thank me! I’ll make sure to show you a holly, jolly time!”
“Holly… jolly?”
- - - - -
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
The sound of a human voice coming from behind you made you jump, a few Artifacts slipping out of your arms and onto the ground below. There were already plenty of Artifacts sorted into piles on the grass, but there was a difference between them being there purposefully and not.
“Oh, pardon me, Your Grace. Am I interrupting something?”
You looked over your shoulder to see Heizou approaching, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
“Heizou…! How did you– nevermind, that’s a dumb question.” You knelt down to set down the remaining Artifacts you held, as well as organize the ones you dropped. “No, I’m just farming.”
He leaned over to glance at the pile. “Farming…?”
“That’s just what I call it.” You dusted your hands off as you stood back up, and fully turned to properly face the detective. “Anyway… I assume you’ve been looking for me? Can I ask why?”
“It’s because of a… slight concern stemming from information that, according to my sources, came from you.” Heizou took out a piece of paper and an envelope, the drawing on the latter instantly making it recognizable as an invitation to the festival. “The suspect is, apparently, an elderly man who breaks into houses and leaves behind gifts? He makes for quite the unusual trespasser, based on the facts I’ve managed to scrounge up, though a lot is still up in the air.”
“An elderly man who– oh. Oh, no!” You waved your hands in defense and shook your head in tandem. “That person doesn’t actually exist! He’s a fictional character — Santa Claus — and if you’re good all year, he leaves you a present when he visits. Well, that’s how the story goes…”
The detective smiled. “Ah, that’s good. I got the feeling that this little tale didn’t hold water, but when I heard that you were the one who first mentioned him… I’ll admit, I had a few doubts.”
“What? Heizou, don’t let anything I say sway your natural intuition!”
He chuckled as he put the invitation away, his hand coming to rest on his hip. “I promise I won’t, Your Grace. It wouldn’t make me a very good detective to accept things at face-value, would it?”
You smiled before kneeling again, shifting your attention to the sorted piles of Artifacts that you were surrounded by. The various pieces of the red-and-white and purple-and-gold Artifact sets, all recently obtained from the nearby Domain of Blessing, had untold potential… and you could only hope that the sub stats would turn out good. You still hadn’t completely gotten used to how a hologram-like screen appeared in front of you whenever you inspected one, but it was handy.
That none of your vessels considered you crazy after you tried to explain this feature and failed to show it to them was a blessing. You were the sole lucky one to witness it, for better or worse.
You held one of the red-and-white Artifacts up to Heizou, two screens appearing in your vision, and compared the stats of the Artifact you held to the one the detective currently had equipped.
“Uh, Your Grace?”
“Hmm… no, this one isn’t good for you.”
“Oh, are these supposed to be… gifts?”
You smiled again and set the piece aside, picking up another one to compare to the equivalent one equipped to Heizou’s person. “Shh, it’s for a surprise. You’ll be going to the festival, right?”
“Seeing as it’s for you, I can’t think of a reason not to.” Heizou winked. “Spending time with you is always, always a delight. I didn’t solely seek you out today to just answer a simple question.”
Your lips parted to let out a small huff as you felt a warmth blossom in your cheeks, your gaze averting itself back down to the piles of Artifacts. You managed to sift through two piles before the sound of the door to the nearby domain rumbling open gave you pause, and you shook off that temporary freeze as you glanced over at the Thunderhelm Lawachurl that was coming out.
And it even had a few large Electro Slimes to accompany it this time.
You returned to your full height and stepped around Heizou — who had immediately moved to get between you and the hoard of monsters drawing near — to smile and hold out your hands.
“Valo, lawa!”
The Lawachurl just let out a huff and dropped the Artifacts it was carrying into your open arms before turning back around to go back into the domain. Your feet were greeted by more pieces that were covered in slime, gifts from the electrified blobs bouncing around you. You shifted the Artifacts in your arms to give the big ol’ cuties a few pats before they also had leave to go back.
“Your Grace…?”
Heizou put a hand on your shoulder as he came to your side, his tone a bit tense.
“Oh, those guys are just helping me farm.” You gave a once-over to the new Artifacts you were bestowed, setting down the ones in your arms and shaking the slime off of the rest. “I know this may come as a shock, but I’m not exactly a fighter, so… what else would you expect me to do?”
“I… wasn’t aware you had such abilities.”
“That’s because I don’t advertise it.” You wiped some slime off of another Artifact. “Now… mind helping me sort through these? Only if you have the time, though! This is just… this is just a lot.”
Heizou took a moment to steady himself, and resumed smiling at you.
“Why, I’d be honored to, Your Grace!”
- - - - -
The event venue was picture-esque, pink petals drifting to the ground on gentle breezes, and if you hadn’t known that Yae Publishing House was footing the bill for the festival, you would have never believed it would be taking place on Amakane Island. The island was a festival island, but it was also a prime event location, somewhere Itto would usually struggle to book in most cases.
The mere thought of how much it cost to rent the place made you uneasy, though your unease was dampened as you looked around at how the grounds had been transformed into the perfect little Christmas celebration. The word “perfect” was subjective, though, as the festival seemed to be combining traditional Inazuman aesthetics and activities with a general Christmassy theming.
There were various stalls set up, featuring everything from games to food to souvenirs, and you recognized some of the vendors as the ones usually stationed on the island. The rest had come from the city to work the event, their goods and services serving to make everything even better.
And Dango Milk could now be considered an official Christmas festival snack, it seemed.
The paper lanterns hung on strings and trees swung in the breeze, the usual blossom painted on each one absent to instead sport a variety of Christmas symbols. Yoimiya apparently found another use for your drawings besides just using them as reference for the fireworks’ designs.
There were guards positioned at the entrance to the venue, as well as placed throughout the area in what you assumed were strategically-optimal spots. Sara wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
That was to be expected, though; the only vessels around were Itto and Shinobu, with the rest of the Arataki Gang close by. The festival had yet to actually start, everyone dealing with some last-minute preparations that needed to be sorted before the guests arrived. That was why you were here so early yourself, since you also had some business to attend to before the festival.
You had managed to claim a little area of your own right near the entrance to the venue, with a previously-unused stall. You already wanted to do more for the festival than just be a source of ideas and then attend as a normal guest, so you figured you would bring some gifts. You had a total of fifteen wrapped gift boxes arranged on the stall, each marked with the recipient’s name.
“Oh, we must be early?”
You looked over to the entrance of the venue to see two familiar figures walking up. The first was the Divine Priestess — and who had spoken — while the second was her trusty general.
“Kokomi! Gorou!” You waved at the two, and the pair happily changed course to come stand in front of you. “I’m so glad you could make it…! Yeah, you’re a bit early, but it should start soon.”
“Mhmm… that’s good.” Kokomi glanced at the festival grounds, her eyes moving to the variety of decorations, before her gaze returned to you. “That gives me some time to apologize for not being able to properly meet with you when you visited Watatsumi Island earlier this past week.”
“Huh? Oh, no, no. You don’t need to apologize.” You shook your head with a smile. “I know your job keeps you super busy, and I wouldn’t want you to ignore it just to hang out with little ol’ me.”
Kokomi smiled. “You’re too kind, Your Grace.”
“The same goes for you, Your Excellency.”
You and her shared a light chuckle, and then you looked over to Gorou.
“And how’ve you been, Top Dog Gorou? I trust everything’s been well?”
Gorou began to blush at the nickname, but managed to keep a straight face. “Yes, Your Grace! Everything has been relatively normal. I’ve simply been keeping to my training as I usually do.”
“That’s great to hear! You’re such a hard worker!”
The general smiled as you and Kokomi shared a look, the silent promise between you and her to not mention how Gorou’s tail began wagging a mile a minute at your praise just another knot in the bond you and her shared. You would do anything to preserve such a cute sight, for sure.
Kokomi’s gaze moved to the rows of gift boxes. “This stall…”
“Oh! Right!” You stepped back behind the stall, and widely gestured to the gift boxes with both arms. “An important part of Christmas is gift-giving! Sooo… I decided I’d get each of the guests a gift. You’ll have to wait ‘til the festival starts, though. Absolutely no early gift opening allowed!”
“Gifts… for us?”
Gorou’s ears perked up, and his tail — to your dismay — stilled.
“B-But we weren’t informed to bring anything for you in return…!”
“Huh? Because you don’t need to. Your presence is a gift, Gorou.”
“A-Ah…” The general turned his head slightly to hide his face, his tail resuming to wag, if a bit slower this time, and you had to bite your tongue to avoid verbally celebrating. “...yes. Right.”
Kokomi raised her hand to hide a laugh. “...thank you, Your Grace.”
“Oh, no… thank you for being here.”
- - - - -
The hour of the festival soon drew near, and it didn’t take long for everybody to arrive once the promise of a very merry time was about to be fulfilled, with a majority of the guests arriving in a time span of five to fifteen minutes before the event officially began. The only ones who arrived a few minutes after were the Raiden Shogun, Yae Miko, and Kujou Sara — the latter a part of a group of guards that had been escorting the former two to the event, dispersing after the arrival.
And with everyone now finally assembled in one place, the fun was able to begin.
You kept your promise to Ei, sticking by her side to explore the various available activities.
There were a few games set up. You recognized the traditional ones such as goldfish scooping and the ring toss… as well as non-traditional ones like onikabuto battling, a selection of beetles available for guests to choose from to brawl with. The beetles scurried closer as you drew near.
“Surely choosing the biggest beetle would be the wisest choice?” Ei peered down at the swarm of beetles chilling by your extended hand. “A larger size permits greater strength during a fight.”
You glanced up from the beetles and towards Ei, a look of contemplation on her face. “Yeah… I can get why you think that, but smaller beetles can be more agile. It’s up to skill to win, mostly.”
“I see…”
You decided to have Ei observe a few battles to demonstrate your point, standing off to the side with her as some of the other guests partook in some beetle battling fun. You would have picked out a beetle and participated yourself, but you had an inkling that the beetles wouldn’t be able to fight at their best with you in the fray — your warrior incentivized, but your opponent intimidated.
The way you affected living creatures was sometimes a blessing, and sometimes a curse.
But that disappointment was around for barely any time at all before the most interesting match of the evening took place. Yoimiya and Ayaka stepped onto the battlefield, the former choosing her warrior based on vibes while the latter struggled to determine which beetle would be a most suitable representative of her might. She was paralyzed with decision, looking between them all.
You eventually caught her glancing in your direction — her face flushing when she noticed that you noticed that she was looking — and she quickly chose a random onikabuto, pointing to one without really looking; she was trying hard to brush off what just happened, so you just let it be.
And Ayaka’s choice won.
Yoimiya clapped her hands and smiled. “Whoa, congrats! Good choice!”
“Uh… yes.” Ayaka smiled in relief. “Though I think one battle is enough for now…”
You soon moved on to trying out a few of the games with Ei — avoiding the ones that involved living creatures — until you got hungry. The delicious scents wafting through the air only made the feeling stronger, and you caught Ei eyeing the various dessert options that were available.
That pretty much told you where you should start with trying out the food.
The obvious starting point in regards to sweet treats was Dango Milk, but the overall pickings were anything but slim. You found traditional tricolor dango, candied fruits, shaved ice, cake–
You paused… and then approached the stall that had what you thought you saw wrong.
But, no, you saw that right.
There really was cake, the one sitting front and center a sponge cake covered in a thin layer of lavender-colored whipped cream and decorated with bright yellow berries arranged on top. You could only stare at the frosted baked good as you pondered the fact that cake wasn't exactly an expected food item to find at a festival; festival foods had to be easy to prepare on the spot and eat… but cake took hours to make and could be awkward to hold and eat while walking around.
"Your Grace, your face is so scary all of a sudden…"
"Huh?"
Sayu's words made you realize that you had been squinting at the cake, almost glaring at it in a way, and you blinked before looking down at the ninja that had snuck up to come stand by you.
"Oh, sorry, I was just confused about this."
The ninja hopped up onto a stool to get a better look at what you were pointing to, pressing her palms against the stall's surface for balance. "...it's cake. People have cake for Christmas…?"
Cake.
Christmas cake.
"Ohhh… okay. Christmas cake. Right."
Itto did ask you about Christmassy foods during the initial discussion, him and the other boys having gotten close to drooling over the dishes you brought up and tried to explain in as much detail as you remembered. That you had gone into such detail was why you had no memory of mentioning cake… though, thinking about it a bit more, there was fruit cake. The cake sitting in front of you wasn't fruit cake, but, to be fair, it was a cake that contained fruit; that explained it.
The feeling of another presence soon came to stand beside you, and you looked to see Gorou there, a very pleasant surprise with how he was trying — and failing — to hide his excitement.
"There's cake here?"
"Uh, yeah. Apparently."
"My, oh, my, you're like a child in a candy store."
The sound of another familiar voice made you turn to see Miko accompanying Ei back to your side. The Archon's arms were full of a variety of sweet treats: bottles of Dango Milk, skewers of candied fruits, and a bowl of shaved ice that had been sculpted into a snowman. You were a tad impressed by how she was handling her haul, everything stacked and carried with a lot of grace.
And on your other side now stood a Gorou-shaped dust cloud, the general having hurried off like he had an Anemo Vision once he heard Miko's voice. You could only pout at his disappearance.
Miko looked worried… almost, her gaze flickering between Ei and Ei's edible goods. "Surely you don't plan to eat all that yourself? You'll upset your stomach, and then what would Inazuma do?"
"Some of it is for Their Grace. They brought me Dango Milk earlier, hence I must repay Them."
“Ei!” You smiled as the Archon finally reached you, and, at the sudden feeling of added weight on your shoulder, glanced at Sayu to see the ninja perching there to look over the mountain of desserts in awe. You half-chuckled as you too looked at it again. “That’s… so much, isn’t it?”
“Hmm? Is it?”
The Archon’s arms were soon freed of the weight of their sugary hoard as you took each item and placed it down on the stall next to you, the sight both incredibly tempting and nauseating.
“Thank you, Ei. I appreciate this, but, uh… I don’t think I’ll be able to eat this all at once.”
Ei blinked, her head tilted, but eventually nodded… and then her gaze shifted over.
“Ah, it appears I missed this one. This is…?”
“It’s cake.” You followed Ei’s gaze, and resumed staring at the frosted baked good like you had been doing before… if not as intensely. “Berry-flavored, I think. Have you had cake before…?”
“I’m not quite sure.”
Miko let out a hum. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of cake being served at a festival before.”
“Yeah, well… it’s Christmas cake, I guess.”
The kitsune raised an eyebrow, a slight smile on her lips. “You… guess?”
“This probably isn’t the first time people have had cake for Christmas, and it probably won’t be the last either.” You shrugged as your expression lightened up. “All that matters is if it’s good.”
Ei looked up from the cake and towards you. “I want to try it.”
And… it was good. Really good. The whipped cream covering the sponge cake had Lavender Melon infused within it — which also gave it its light purple coloring — but what really gave the cake its flavor were the berries used as filling, small chunks mixed in with a jam-like substance made from them sitting between the layers. Even the berries on top tasted sweeter than usual.
You could only handle so much sugar in your diet, though, unlike Ei, whose sweet tooth was beyond any mortal’s. The cake was enough for now in that department, so, after making sure the stall owner saved a piece for Gorou, you decided to take a look at what else was offered.
That mostly consisted of chicken-based snacks. There were a few non-fowl options that you could spot, but there was a clear abundance of chicken to be found. Kirara appeared to be in her own personal heaven as she went between the stalls for yakitori and karaage, the world’s most trustworthy mail carrier also popping by some of the seafood stalls occasionally… but it was easy to tell there was no real contest in her heart for which of the two foods she favored.
And you could see why, after getting a skewer of poultry and tasting it for yourself.
You fiddled with the wooden stick after you finished, before finding yourself in front of a wall of masks. There was a wide variety to choose from, all in the style of various yokai; none of it felt explicitly Christmas-themed, though all of the masks did feature heavy use of the colors green, red, and white. That was fair, considering how there wouldn’t have been enough time before to make entirely new masks for the festival, so it was clever to instead color-coordinate what they did have. The masks had even been displayed in a gradient, a visual treat for all of the guests.
“Hey, Thoma, which mask do you think I should get?”
The housekeeper turned to look at you with widened eyes, though his companion — Ayato — hardly batted an eye as he himself looked over the selection of masks with a smile on his lips.
“Oh, uh… I’m not sure.” Thoma shook his head. “It depends on what you prefer, Your Grace.”
“I don’t think I have a preference, though…” You scanned your gaze over all of the masks once more, the intricacies in the designs stunning no matter which youkai was being portrayed. “And, honestly, I’m afraid to make any fashion statements that could imply I have a “favorite” youkai.”
Ayato let out a slight chuckle, one of his hands moving up to cover his smile as he glanced at you. “That’s a valid decision, Your Grace, especially considering those you’re acquainted with.”
“Yeah…” You nodded. “I wouldn’t mind getting one of each, but I can only wear one at a time.”
Thoma blinked before he let out a small noise. “Ah, so that’s why you’re asking…”
He turned to look at the masks again with a determined glint in his eyes, his gaze flickering to each of the types of youkai — oni, kitsune, tengu, et cetera — as if to analyze the best choice.
But that was all you saw before your vision was blocked by something placed over your face.
“Wha– hey!”
You lifted the object — a mask, it seemed — to see Heizou now standing next to you, and the smile on his face was much too innocent for the man wearing it, making you squint your eyes.
“Yes, Your Grace?”
You resumed taking the mask off of your head, turning it around in your hands to be met with the chubby-cheeked face of a tanuki staring right back at you. Your thumbs rubbed the round surface of the mask as you looked up to see the others nearby looking at what you now held.
Thoma shifted as his eyes went to meet Heizou’s. “A tanuki mask?”
“Well…” The detective put a hand on his hip as he looked at the housekeeper. “It seems to be the most neutral option. None of Their Grace’s vessels are tanuki, so it should offend no one.”
“Ah, clever.” Ayato gave a nod. “I’d also say it’s even quite fitting for Their Grace.”
You had to think for a moment. “...oh, ‘cause tanuki are super cute?”
Thoma and Heizou joined you in looking at Ayato, who only responded with a smile. The only thing to fill the air was the sound of the other characters having fun with games and food, and that relative silence seemed almost deafening as your own smile finally began to fall, and fast.
“Hey… wait a minute–”
- - - - -
The fact of the matter was that festivals in Inazuma were planned out months in advance, so thinking about how the Arataki Gang managed to pull together an event like this one in only a few weeks was incredibly impressive, a pleasant thought — and regarding the Arataki Gang…
“Uh, Shinobu? Where are the boys?”
The gang’s deputy leader paused in the middle of enjoying her takoyaki, her eyes landing on you briefly before she turned her head to quickly survey the festival grounds. “I… don’t know.”
“...so, is that an ‘I don’t know’ I should be worried about, or…?”
Itto and his boys were definitely around when the festival had kicked off. The oni in particular had been especially proud to show off the fruit of his gang’s labor to everyone attending, and that made it suspicious for him to be straight-up gone. He wasn’t exactly someone who could easily blend into a crowd either, a fact that you could personally confirm when looking around the venue to see an absence of any red-horned oni partying it up with everyone else within it.
“Okay, we should probably go look for him.”
Shinobu finished her food, disposing of her trash and putting her mask back on.
“I’ll handle it, Your Grace. Please continue enjoying the festival.”
“But–”
“Ho ho ho!”
The familiar laugh — the voice emitting it giving you pause — was accompanied by splashing water, and you turned to look in the direction it came from; along the shore of Amakane Island, from under the cliffside before drawing nearer. You couldn’t resist heading towards the venue’s entrance, where you were greeted by the sight of a large wooden cart that was being pulled by three men that had… branches tied to their heads. The cart stopped roughly after coming to be front and center to your view, and you recognized the three — now exhausted — men pulling it.
You watched Akira, Genta, and Mamoru collapse onto the sand under their feet, though it was clear they were trying to stay on their hands and knees at the very least, each of them panting like they had just ran a marathon. That was an earned exhaustion, however, when you saw the leafy mass sitting in the cart they had been pulling; an Amur Maple tree, its red leaves catching the light of the lanterns hung up in its branches along with wooden plaques used as decoration.
And, standing next to the tree with his arm around it to steady it, was none other than Arataki Itto. He was dressed in a red omeshi kimono instead of his usual attire, and it took you only a second to realize what he was going for with the whole set-up. Ushi sitting beside the oni with two small branches tied to his head and a red spot of paint on his nose helped a lot with that.
“Uh… Itto?”
“Oh, ho ho ho! It’s Kurōsu Itto for tonight, bro!”
Shinobu stood beside you with her hands on her hips, looking as baffled as you were, and the gang managing to somehow hide this part of Itto’s plan from their deputy leader was… a thing.
“It’s “Your Grace”, boss.” Shinobu’s shoulders slumped with a sigh. “Not “bro”.”
“Psh, that’s way too stuffy.” Itto laughed and waved his free hand to the side. “How about, uh… bro… Grace? Broce? Brace? Ay, it doesn’t matter! We’re so close that nicknames and all these silly little formalities are nothing! Right, my wonderful Bro- Creator? Oh, how about Bro-ator…?”
You bit your lip to stifle a chuckle. “Just “bro” is fine.”
The commotion of someone riding up to the festival grounds made everyone eventually gather at the entrance to take in the unusual sight, audible surprise popping up from various people in the crowd. Shinobu clicked her tongue as she glanced back at the impromptu audience to Itto’s tomfoolery, before looking between the exhausted members of the Arataki Gang that had given up on not just laying down in the sand and the decorated tree in the cart they had been pulling.
“Boss, what exactly is this?”
“It’s simple. The Bro-ator said Christmas has a tree, so we got a tree!” Itto patted the tree’s trunk with his free hand, the leaves shaking from the impact of his hits. “The very best we could find!”
You had to give him credit for that, it was a nice tree. The decorations were a bit… haphazardly placed upon it, but it was big and vibrant, a certain charm obtained from the passion of the folks who prepared it for this moment. You noticed Shinobu glance at you for confirmation about Itto’s claims, and you nodded, a big smile on your lips as you looked at the oni smiling at you proudly.
“I did say that… so, thank you, Itto. It’s a nice tree.”
Itto puffed out his chest at your words, and pumped a fist into the air. “I knew you’d say that! Me and my boys were originally thinking about getting the tree that sits up at the mountain shrine for this, but it was way too big, you know…? I mean, a Christmas tree shouldn’t be that big, right?”
“Ah, so that’s why the shrine maidens were going on about having to chase them away…” Miko put a hand over her mouth. “It was becoming quite the disruption until our little would-be thieves ceased their troublesome attempts at getting their hands on our sacred tree. I assume they went through enough failures to convince them to simply give up and settle for using a different tree.”
Itto tensed, his smile dropping into a frown as he looked at the kitsune. “Hey, hey, hey! We didn’t fail at anything! We just decided it wasn’t good for a Christmas tree after looking at it! That’s all!”
“Yeah, um… you’re right, Itto.” You clapped your hands together once as you tried to not let your smile falter. “It’s better to just ignore the Sacred Sakura and leave it completely alone… please.”
The oni smiled again as you spoke, though Shinobu spoke up before he had the chance to.
“So…! What exactly are we gonna do with this tree, boss?”
“Whadya mean? It’s a gift for my best bro. We just gotta give it to Them.”
You blinked. “Wait, it’s a gift…? For me…?”
The tree was large and bulky and oh-so heavy, but even heavier was the weight of making sure you didn’t make Itto sad by not accepting the gift he and his boys had put so much effort into…
…so maybe you could just put it in your teapot.
- - - - -
The time had finally come for the main attraction of the festival — the fireworks show.
Yoimiya corralled everyone to the top of Amakane Island, blankets spread out on the grass as makeshift spaces for the guests to sit on to watch the show comfortably. The groups of people that formed weren’t surprising, everyone choosing to sit with who they were closest to for this.
And then brilliant colors lit up the darkened sky.
There was a burst of green that formed the shape of a pine tree high in the sky, before it was joined by other fireworks that created ornaments of different colors. The last one to soar up to that particular image was an impressive crackle firework that burst into a shining star to top it.
The variety of firework types used to create the images you put to paper earlier was stunning, adding a bit of magic that sparkled and glimmered and shimmered away any and all worries.
But even if it was difficult to look away from the show, you managed to glance at the others.
Ayaka was excitedly pointing up at the fireworks above in a “did you see that?” gesture, Ayato and Thoma both following her finger with smiles on their faces. Ei was a bit hard to read, but it was impossible to mistake how her eyes lit up at each burst of color in the sky… and you went to bite your tongue at how oblivious the Archon was to how Sara was often glancing at her from the spot next to her. Miko seemed to notice that too, but simply smiled as she focused upwards.
Heizou was standing near a tree, leaning back onto it as he looked upwards, while Kirara was hiding under a nearby stall with cotton balls in her ears, only occasionally peeking her face out to look at the fireworks. Kokomi and Gorou — sitting on the complete opposite side of the area from Miko — were both watching the show raptly, completely captivated by the sight; a slice of half-eaten cake was in the general’s hands, with a dab of frosting sitting unnoticed on his nose.
The Arataki Gang was watching with awe, Itto and the boys having been a tad rowdy near the beginning before Shinobu stepped in to shush them after the first couple of fireworks went up.
And, lastly, Yoimiya appeared to finally relax at the sight of all her hard work literally blowing up in front of her — in a good way. Her gaze fixed itself on the sky, the rest of the world forgotten.
You realized you were staring at the others for too long once you felt a sudden weight pressed against your back. You glanced back to see Sayu climbing onto you, using you to boost herself up for a better view of what was above. She didn’t look at you, her attention solely on the show.
Yoimiya had such a short amount of time to prepare, but ended up delivering spectacularly, no effort of hers spared. That she worked incredibly hard to put together a show like this, one that had the entire audience enthralled, and yet still had so much energy during the activities was a testament to just how passionate she was. That was Yoimiya, a flame that just kept on burning.
The thought made you smile wider, and you resumed looking up at the show.
- - - - -
“Ohhh, I was wondering where you snuck off to!”
That everyone was escorted to Aisa Bathhouse after the festival came to an official close was yet another surprise to you — though, since Mizuki was one of your vessels, you had no issue with admitting that you should have seen this coming. The others pulled out all the stops when providing their unique services to the event’s success, and Mizuki wouldn’t just sit this one out.
The yumekui-baku responded to your surprise with a polite smile, her two colleagues lined up behind her. You recalled seeing her around at the start of the festival, Mizuki not a person that you could lose in a crowd, until she just vanished into thin air halfway through the whole event.
“Forgive me, Your Grace, but I had to make sure preparations had been finished.”
“But that means you missed the fireworks…”
Mizuki chuckled, a hand resting against her chest. “Don’t worry, I actually got to see them before anyone else. Yoimiya knew I’d have to leave early, so she made me serve as her test audience.”
“Oh…” You were relieved, which reflected itself in your expression. “...well, here. Take this.”
You held out the gift box in your hands, the final one of the bunch you had lovingly prepared for the event, a certain yumekui-baku’s name on the tag. “I handed them out to everyone else after watching the fireworks, and that means I’m going to hand you yours too. Kirara offered to make a quick delivery while everyone was opening them, but you should have the same experience.”
Mizuki blinked, surprise in her widened eyes, and took the gift with a smile. “Thank you, Your Grace. I hope you enjoy your visit to Aisa Bathhouse. Just let me know if you need anything.”
And that was how you found yourself here.
The water was warm, relaxing, enveloping your form as you let the tension of the day slip out and away from you. You knew you would have definitely ended up falling asleep if you visited the bathhouse alone, but, tonight, you had some company to help keep you awake and alert.
You were sitting between Ei and Miko, with Kokomi sitting on the other side of the bath.
“So, uh…” You looked over at the kitsune. “...I heard you offered to pay for the festival?”
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Yae Publishing House did offer its financial support.” Miko’s ear flicked as she smiled at you. “After all, it was for you. How could we possibly not assist after learning of that?”
“...right.” You felt a little uneasy. “But I’m sure the whole thing was pretty expensive. Considering that I kind of gave Itto the whole idea, I just feel like some of the responsibility should be mine–”
Miko leaned closer with a sly smirk on her face, but the moment you blinked, faux surprise was now in its place. “Is that so? Well, Your Grace, I could never ask anything of you, but if you wish to repay Yae Publishing House, you’re more than welcome to. Who would we be to deny you?”
You blinked. “Huh? Wait–”
“In fact, I’ve got this silly little idea that might help.” Miko pulled back, and turned to face you in the bath. “I’m sure if you were to write… oh, just a little something for us, we’d be able to make back the entire cost of the festival. Why, we might even turn a profit. That’d be quite nice, yes?”
You stared at Miko for a full minute, the kitsune only calmly smiling in return.
“...this was your whole plan, wasn’t it?”
The kitsune chuckled, moving a hand up to cover her smile. “Why, this opportunity has simply presented itself to me, and you can’t fault me for making the most of it, can you, Your Grace?”
Miko was as devious a schemer as ever, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to be angry, or even mildly annoyed. The Christmas spirit had gotten to you for sure, and being in a place that was a respite from stress for the body and soul like a bathhouse certainly freed you from all negativity.
“Your Grace…?” Ei’s voice quietly piped up. “Was I… “holly” and “jolly” enough at the festival?”
The Archon appeared a little hesitant to look directly at you, instead fiddling with the floating tea set that had been placed in the bath, and she tensed when you scooted to be closer to her side.
“Well…” You thought for a moment. “...did you have fun?”
Ei paused, and nodded as she looked at you.
“Then, yes! You were perfectly “holly, jolly”! Having fun is what matters most!”
The Archon let out a sigh, her posture relaxing. “That’s… good. That’s good.”
“And speaking of fun…”
You leaned back to look at Sara, who was currently acting as a guard as she stood by the side of the bath instead of actually getting in. Her focus was directed more on the door, on sizing up the people that passed by, though you noticed her glancing over to where you sat occasionally.
“Did you have fun, Sara?”
The tengu jumped when hearing her name come out of your mouth, her eyes moving to meet yours before her head properly turned, and a moment of silence passed by before she spoke.
“...yes, Your Grace. I had fun.”
“That’s great! But the festivities are still going on…!” You beckoned her to come closer, and sat up straight like you were her commanding officer. “You don’t need to “stand guard” here; I’d bet this bath is the safest place to be in all of Teyvat right now. Come on… get in, the water’s great!”
Sara seemed to get inflicted with Cryo at your suggestion, freezing in place — though her four wings flew open behind her. Her eyes shifted between you and Ei, again and again, increasing in speed as her face started to become the same hue as her mask… but your view of the sight was cut off fairly quickly as the general turned away, her wings trembling a bit when she spoke.
“N-No, thank you, Your Grace! I’m fine where I stand!”
You pouted, but decided against trying to change her mind, especially when you spotted the other general you rubbed elbows with peeking in through the doorframe. Gorou had his ears laying flat against his head, and the image of a sad puppy came to your mind at seeing how much he wanted to enter… but his natural enemy, the kitsune, was currently sitting with you.
But you could still try with him.
“Gorou!” You waved at him with a smile. “The water’s great! You should join!”
He froze, his ears perking up at hearing you say his name.
Kokomi glanced behind her to see Gorou there, and smiled too. “Ah, there you are. Their Grace is right. Since there’s no bathhouse on Watasumi yet, you should enjoy this rare chance with it.”
“O-Oh, well…” Gorou took a few steps into the room, but froze up. The laugh he let out was not at all convincing. “I… don’t know if I’m… feeling up to it this time, Your Excellency, Your Grace.”
You turned to see Miko smiling at Gorou; the scene itself would have looked totally innocent if not for how well you knew her. You nudged Miko’s arm with your elbow, giving her a frown you always pulled out when displeased… but all she did was respond to it with another small smile.
And then you heard a new pair of footsteps stride into the room, belonging to–
“Oh, hey, Heizou. You joining?”
“That’s why I’m here.”
The detective was like the day to the two generals’ nights, easily slipping into the bath as if he owned the place. Sara and Gorou — now standing side by side by the wall — turned to glance over their shoulders as Heizou greeted the other high-ranking officials present in the bath, right before he pulled you away from the Raiden Shogun and the Guuji to sit on an unoccupied side of the bath together. You were basically holding hands with him as he leaned back and sighed.
Sara’s wings hung limply behind her, and Gorou’s ears and tail fell… before Sara took a deep breath and turned around. Gorou reached out helplessly as the tengu got into the bath, sitting down rigidly in the water. He paused, before steeling himself and hurriedly getting into the bath to sit by Kokomi’s side, almost as if using her as a shield, while she smiled at seeing him there.
You also couldn’t help but smile more.
“Oh, yay! You guys decided to join!”
- - - - -
The bath got a lot more lively with more people in the water, and you were having a blast while hanging out with them… but you eventually had to get out before you went from divine entity to divine prune. You were also getting a little sleepy, so moving around would do you a lot of good.
That led to you heading to the other significant room within Aisa Bathhouse: the Therapy Room.
The room wasn’t being used for its actual purpose due to the event going on, so it was instead repurposed as a hangout spot for those currently not interested in the bath. The very first thing you noticed when entering the room was a tanuki-themed Daruma doll sitting atop a stool, with a nekomata in cat-form curled up on another stool nearby, the two having dozed off peacefully, with the second thing you noticed was everyone else resting on cushions while dueling cards.
And not just any duels, but exciting battles of Genius Invocation TCG.
“Haha, you put up a good fight, bro!”
Itto had just won a match against Ayato it seemed, the other guys of the Arataki Gang cheering their boss on with passion befitting soldiers watching their captain slay a monstrous foe indeed.
“Interesting strategy…” Ayato appeared to be having just as much fun as the winner, a smile on his lips as he bowed his head to the oni. “You most certainly deserved this win. Good job, bro.”
Ayaka and Yoimiya were also beginning their own duel.
“I hope you’re ready for a rematch!” Yoimiya clutched her cards close, lifting herself up on her knees as if to tower over her opponent as she smiled brightly. “I’ll take back the win this time!”
Ayaka nodded solemnly. “Then I wish you the best of luck, but I will also be trying my best.”
“Oh, oh! Bro-ator!”
Itto immediately bounced up to his feet when he noticed your presence, the oni holding his deck in one hand and passionately pointing to you with the other, his lips pulled up into a proud smirk.
“I challenge you to a duel.”
That was to be expected.
“You’re looking at the current Christmas champion with a perfect score of two!”
That was… not expected.
Your gaze slid off of Itto and over to Ayato, who you knew Itto had just won against, which was what led you to see Thoma sitting to the side, enjoying some tea. He met your gaze after just a moment, and smiled as he gave you a slight wave, his own deck of cards laying by the tea set.
“I fought against Itto first, and… didn’t do so hot.”
“Then what’s the Pyro Vision for, eh?” You chuckled as you looked over at Itto again, giving him a small nod. “Alright, I’ll duel you, but, lemme preface this by saying, I’m a bit rusty at Genius…”
“Hey, there’s no shame in losing, Bro-ator! You don’t gotta make excuses!”
The oni’s proud demeanor crumbled fifteen minutes later, with you sitting across from him with two surviving Character Cards to his zero. The fight was hard, but you did you best, and, well–
You smiled. “That was… nice. Good try.”
Itto sat upright as he took in a deep breath, a smile returning to his face a half-second later. “Ay, it’s okay! Honestly, it could’ve gone either way. Your luck must be going crazy today. Must be all that Christmas magic in the air, really. Makes sense it’d all choose to cling to you, my Bro-ator!”
“Of course.”
He rose up from where he sat, and looked over to his boys that had been shocked into silence at the outcome of the duel. “Come on, guys! After a match like that, I feel like hitting the bath!”
The boys of the Arataki Gang left the Therapy Room, led by the laughter of their boss.
You waited until you could barely hear Itto’s voice through the walls, and slowly leaned over to Shinobu. “...don’t tell Itto, but I was just using the starter deck I got when I started Genius. Like, it’s not a special deck or anything. It’s for beginners. I spent literally zero time building it at all.”
“Oof, yeah.” Shinobu grimaced. “Better not mention that to him. It’d wound his pride further.”
You chuckled. “So… wanna duel?”
Shinobu blinked as she stared at you, before her lips turned up into a smile. The Arataki Gang’s deputy leader scooted to face you, taking out her own deck and expertly fanning her cards out.
“Okay, game on.”
- - - - -
The night was truly at its end now, after all the fun in the bathhouse. You made sure that it was actually, legitimately the end too, squinting in suspicion at everyone as they left in case anyone was going to announce that something else was planned, but they left normally, with no tricks.
You waved off each person as they passed you, bidding them a good night, until you found that it was just you, Ei, Miko, and Mizuki left — all idling around, in front of Aisa Bathhouse together.
Miko glanced at you for a second too long, before looking at Mizuki with a smile.
“Just send the bill to Yae Publishing House.”
“Wha–” You sputtered as you looked at the yumekui-baku. “H-How expensive was this…?”
“Hmm?” Mizuki blinked, before putting a finger to her chin. “Well, it was a group consisting of eighteen guests, plus the bathhouse had been rented out after typical business hours, so…”
You wilted where you stood, holding onto Ei for support. “Nevermind, don’t tell me.”
Mizuki furrowed her eyebrows out of worry at your behavior, but she was unable to even open her mouth to comment about it before Miko leaned in to hinder the other youkai’s view of you.
“Please pardon Their Grace. I’ll make sure to discuss the details with Them at a later date.”
The kitsune smiled despite the clear concern the yumekui-baku was expressing, and you were led away by Miko’s hand before you could muster up the will to bid the psychologist good night; all you could manage was to glance back to see Ya-chan and Te-chan waving goodbye happily before following Mizuki back into the bathhouse. Ei helped to steady you as your little trio went down the street, the city much too quiet with most citizens fast asleep in their beds by this hour.
“Miko, shouldn’t you go a bit easier on Them?” Ei looked at her friend, the Archon’s arm within your own as you squeezed it. “You seem to be making Them unwell. Surely that is a concern?”
The kitsune bit back a chuckle. “I suppose… though, Your Grace, I’m not asking you to write a full novel. Just a simple short story, or perhaps a small book of poems. Anything that has been written by the Divine Creator should sell remarkably well, no matter what the content may be…”
“Ugh…” You leaned onto Ei further. “Save me.”
Ei hummed as she looked at Miko more firmly, the youkai sighing in response.
“To soothe your anxiety, I’ll throw in a five-minute session of petting me in my fox form–”
“Deal!”
You might as well have taken a lightning bolt straight to the heart with that promise, standing straight up with the biggest smile the kitsune had ever seen grace your face in her presence.
Miko let out a huff. “Was that really all an act?”
“No, but petting you in your fox form is too good to pass up.”
Ei raised her free hand slightly. “I would like to pet you as well.”
Miko looked between you and the Electro Archon, the tips of her ears flicking as she attempted to appear annoyed at what was going on, but the hint of a smile on her lips was unmistakable.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Summary: "After a super-cool training montage that totally happened, you returned to the site of your greatest failure. But this time, you'd turn this academy into the success of a lifetime!"
Word Count: ~10.4k
For the first part, click here.
- - - - -
The day you were awaiting for so long had finally come.
“Hey, hey, everybody! Tonight, I’ll be exploring a very special place for you all!”
The last time your feet had trod upon the abandoned soil underneath them was nothing but an unintelligible whisper in the back of your mind. You still recalled that flash of pain, accompanied by blurry images flooding your brain like an overflowing fountain, and while some thought you a fool to put any stock in that experience, there was something undeniably tantalizing about it all.
That it might be nothing but a red herring was one of the many things said to dissuade you from investigating further, but if you wanted to find out the truth, you had to grab onto the hook tightly.
The doubters would surely be in awe after the “new you” proved them wrong.
You weren’t afraid to admit that you may not have been properly prepared to face a task of such magnitude all that time ago… but you had grown since then. The experiences you went through, the explorations and hunting trips to find the evidence you had dedicated your life to, were more than enough to fill a training montage ten times over, and the power level of your supporters had only grown to exceed nine thousand and a thousand more — you just couldn’t disappoint them.
That meant that, this time, you would best the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.
“Is… is that a bottle of soda?”
To think this place would try such a dastardly trick to shake you, to no avail.
Your eyes fixed themselves on the unopened two-liter bottle of grape soda as you drew closer, the blue bubble-esque letters spelling out “Panta” on the label almost glimmering under the dim light of twilight. There was an ominous aura surrounding the drink as it sat only a few feet away from the high fence of the academy, and when you reached out your hand to poke the bottle, the chill of the fizzy liquid inside creeped through your finger — ice-cold, fresh from the refrigerator.
The shot you filmed of the soda was nothing short of award-winning, and you decided to pick it up afterwards, to take it with you for later. The drink would make a fine substitute for wine once you were able to celebrate the many inevitable discoveries you would make within these walls.
You followed the fence until arriving at a good spot to do what you did before; the memory was kind of vague, but you recalled hoisting yourself over the fence before waking up back outside.
But just as you secured your belongings and grabbed onto the fence, you spotted something.
Or, rather, someone. Several, actually.
You spotted several figures moving in the distance, all lined up in a row.
“Ah, could it be– aw, wait, no. It’s just a bunch of clowns.”
- - - - -
That night, life within the academy was going on as normal.
The students were spread around the dining hall, with pairs and groups sitting with each other as the ones that could ate — and the ones that couldn’t busied themselves with their passions while carrying on conversations with their friends in between bites of food the latter folks took.
Tenko peered over at the eldritch being masquerading as a short young man, her body low to the table and her ears laying flat against her head. The fur of her multiple tails bristled as they lashed behind her, continually hitting the mage sitting beside her, who tried to focus on eating.
“...alright, you little degenerate. How long’s this meeting of yours gonna last?”
“Mmm… as long as I want it to?”
He let out a laugh as the annoyance on the kitsune’s face grew, her teeth now bared.
“Relax… it should last as long as it normally does. Gosh, you’re being mean for no reason.”
“Kokichi, please do not provoke her.” Kirumi set down a plate in front of Kokichi as she spoke, the maid moving around the dining table to place the various dishes she carried in front of their intended recipients while keeping her eye on the eldritch being. “You are well aware most of us would prefer it if your… group meetings were held somewhere else, outside of school grounds.”
The bloodied spirit sitting on the opposite end of the table to Kokichi nodded.
“It’s annoying and inconvenient as it is now.”
“Oh, boo. Now Maki’s being mean to me too.” Kokichi still smiled. “Hey, everything’ll be fine. They always follow the route I give them, and I make sure you’re all hidden away. Trust me.”
That was only met with a chorus of voices to counter, some of the more noteworthy responses to him being “absolutely not”, “that’s definitely gotta be a health risk”, and “I’m dead, not stupid”.
But, of course, that did little to deter Kokichi.
“Ah, they’re crossing onto the grounds now!” He closed his eyes to focus on the sensation of multiple human presences passing through the gate, one after the other, and lifted a finger for each one he counted. “-nine, ten, eleven– wait, eleven…? Aha! That pesky human is back!”
Ryoma raised an eyebrow. “All of your followers could be described as “pesky humans”.”
“Heyyy, no! It’s specifically the human from last time. You know, the ghost hunter with the poor survival instincts? The one who almost kidnapped our dear Kaede, to do terrible things to her!”
“What? That’s not what happened…!” Kaede floated up from her seat, her lips forming a frown and her hands balling into loose fists in front of her chest as she looked down at Kokichi. “They were actually pretty nice. Excited when they realized I was a ghost, yes, but otherwise normal.”
Miu slammed her hand down onto the table, the other holding a screwdriver, as she shifted her attention to Kokichi. Her eyes narrowed into a glare, her wings fluttering lightly before stretching out behind her to make her silhouette bigger. “Who cares about whether the human was nice or not? You were supposed to make sure they didn’t come back, you deceptive piece of shotabait!”
Kokichi leaned back, arms crossed behind his head. “Ah… no, I wasn’t. I was just asked to boot them off campus, and erase their memories of the night. Anything more isn’t my responsibility.”
“But…” Himiko shrunk down into her seat, dropping her chopsticks to instead pull at her pointed hat. “...why did they come back? If everything was erased, then there’s no reason for them to…”
“Humans are rather determined creatures, aren’t they?” Korekiyo mumbled as his tail coiled up underneath him for him to sit at the end of the table, the fabric of his mask creasing to resemble a smile. “Perhaps erasing their memories only proved to drive them to take further action here.”
Kirumi let out a hum as she finally took her own seat at the other end of the table, shifting her spider-like abdomen into a comfortable position. “Kokichi, please attend to this matter again.”
“What do I get out of it?”
That just made another chorus of voices ring out in annoyance with one word: “Kokichi!”
“Okay, okay, I’ll deal with it…!”
- - - - -
Your grip on your camera was firm as you held it up to your face, the sight of your surroundings through the lens causing a familiar tug somewhere deep within your brain; there was no way to explain that feeling other than that you had been here before. You briefly wondered if you would regain any useful memories, before refocusing on the gaggle of clowns you were now following.
“So… you said you guys worship a god of some kind?”
“He prefers the title, “Supreme Leader”!” The clown with the shoulder-length pigtails piped up, a faint bounce in their step. “We’re not really sure what he is, but he’s a great guy! You’ll like him!”
“We’re just glad that you found the Panta this bozo-” The clown with their bangs covering half of their mask quickly elbowed another clown with spiked hair in the ribs. “-dropped. Why, if we met with our Supreme Leader without his favorite drink… geez, he would’ve been real disappointed.”
“Hey– ow! I already said it was an accident! And he would’ve totally understood!”
The gaggle of clowns was made up of ten members, each sporting a different mask and all of which were dressed like asylum escapees; perhaps, in another life, you might have felt even a faint flicker of interest in their story with their “Supreme Leader”, but, alas, you were in this life.
That “Supreme Leader” was a god, not a ghost — a totally inferior “g”-word.
But the clowns made it easy to get in at least, with a key to the front gate and everything.
“Well, I’m glad to have helped. Anyway, you guys come here often? I’m… I wouldn’t say “new” to the area, but not that familiar with it… I think. Have you ever spotted any… ghosts around?”
“Ghosts…?” The clown with long hair that flowed all the way down their back shook their head, humming. “No, this place is fairly quiet, aside from when we meet up with the Supreme Leader.”
The rest of the gaggle followed with similar answers, shaking heads and noncommittal hums.
Suspicious.
“Ah, that’s cool. I guess I’ll just break off here and go look around–”
You were stopped by a hand grabbing onto your arm, and pulling you back into line.
“Nonsense! You should come meet the Supreme Leader before you do, at least!”
You had completely given up on putting in the effort to differentiate between the clowns at this point, the identity of the person who grabbed you not even important enough to spare a single ounce of your brainpower to think about. There was only one thing you were focused on now.
“...can I ask him about ghosts?”
- - - - -
The gaggle of clowns led you all the way to the academy’s gymnasium, which was as average as other school gyms you had encountered… if you ignored the greenery that had invaded the large room. The entire building seemed to have been overrun by plants, if what you had seen so far was indicative of its current state; nature must have had a field day when it was abandoned.
You were watching from the sidelines as the clowns set up everything required to “summon the Supreme Leader”, as they had said. Your camera was pointed in their direction, but the footage was probably going to be cut from the final video since it had nothing to do with ghosts… at all.
“...what kind of “Supreme Leader” drinks grape Panta?”
The two-liter bottle was placed in the middle of the circle that had been drawn on the floor, the clowns taking their places on the outskirts one-by-one near symbols that must represent them.
“The best kind of Supreme Leader, duh…!”
You looked down at your camera screen as the clowns began their ritual — it sounded like one of them started playing some kind of screamer march on their phone — and paused as you saw the screen flicker. You blinked a few times before tapping the screen, and your camera shut off.
“Uh… hey, what’s–”
You were cut off by a loud boom, smoke pouring out from where the two-liter Panta sat. There were flashes of light that burned your eyes, and the music from the phone faded in that kind of static-y way that old radios would when losing signal — which made no sense for a phone. You could almost make out the faint sound of weird laughter layered underneath all the loud static.
Your grip on your camera tightened as you waved the smoke away with your other hand, your throat starting to get sore from coughing and your eyes having teared up to defend themselves against the sudden sneak attack on your senses. You hastily blinked as you looked over at the figure that appeared in the middle of the circle, the smoke finally clearing away for you to see-
“...oh, it’s just some kid.”
The two-liter bottle of Panta was gone, and a short boy now stood in its place. He was dressed the same as the rest of the clowns, but also had a leather-peaked hat and dark flowing cloak to contrast against it. The smile on his face was amused, and it grew wider as he met your gaze.
“Wow, the same reaction as before? That’s impressive!”
“Supreme Leader!”
The clowns cheered as they rushed to crowd around the short boy. You couldn’t make out any bits of their chatter, each one attempting to speak over the others, but their joy was as clear as day; even though you didn’t see the appeal in the guy, it was obvious that they all adored him.
You looked down at your camera once more to notice that it was working again, and that was your cue to leave the clowns to their funny business in favor of focusing on your actual goal.
“Ah-hem! It’s rude to just leave like that!”
And now the short boy was in front of you, blocking your route to the gymnasium’s door. You didn’t know how he moved so quickly, but since he wasn’t a ghost, you cared little about that.
“You’re so unfazed! You’re lucky I find that aspect of you entertaining!”
“Sorry, uhhh…” You thought for a moment. “...Crunchwrap Supreme or whatever it was, but I can’t just stand around and waste moonlight. I’ve got bigger fish to fry, and, more importantly–”
“–ghosts to hunt? Yeah, yeah. Still the same as ever, huh?” He let out a strange laugh, and put a finger to his lips. “Well, there are no ghosts, spirits, poltergeists or the like here, so you should head on back home. Absolutely nothing supernatural around this spooky old place. Mmm-hmm.”
You squinted at him. “...that’s sus.”
“You’re sus.” The short boy poked at your camera’s lens, and you pulled your precious device away from him. “And rude. Coming in here and recording all willy-nilly. Ever heard of privacy?”
Your lips parted to let out a huff when you noticed that your camera had somehow been shut off again. “Hey, I always cut out or blur people who don’t want to be on camera! I have standards!”
You straightened your posture and puffed out your chest.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got ghosts to find. My subscribers are counting on me!”
“Oh? All one thousand of them?”
“It’s ten thousand, actually. All of whom I refuse to disappoint!”
“Ten… thousand?” He blinked as his eyes widened… and then his smile stretched out into one that could barely be considered “human-like”. “Oh-ho-ho! I understand why you’re here now!”
“Exactly! My passion cannot be stopped!”
You brushed past the short boy and stormed out of the gymnasium with a smile, leaving behind the unexpected circus inside. You turned your camera back on, to capture everything you saw.
The clowns watched you until you were gone, and then looked at Kokichi, who shrugged.
“Well, I tried my best.”
- - - - -
Your camera was working completely fine now… which was kind of a shame.
The phenomena that ghosts were capable of were nearly limitless, with technological failures being one of the most common. That being said, you got the feeling that your camera’s issues earlier had nothing to do with ghosts, and the sheer disappointment of that fact was crushing.
But you didn’t have time to wallow in that, or else you might miss any actual ghost activity.
You kept your gaze on the screen of your camera as you traversed the hallways, capturing the most atmospheric sights that you came across… until you saw a section of the wall flickering.
That was only visible through your camera, though, as it looked normal to your eyes.
“Hmm…”
You stepped forward with one of your hands raised, the other keeping your camera pointed at the wall, and when you stuck it into the object of interest, it went right through — which brought to mind the projections on smokescreens that could be found in fake haunted houses, the type made to spook people who were too scared to visit a real haunted house. Your lips immediately turned up into a smile, and you stepped through the wall to find a hallway that had been hidden.
“Ehehe, looks like we’ve got ourselves some clever ghosts, huh?”
- - - - -
“...so, like, why do we put up with him again?”
The students in the dining hall were much the same as they were earlier, with the exception of their eldritch classmate having left to deal with the humans lurking on campus. Kaede placed a smile on her face as she looked over to the demon who had broken the relative silence that had settled over the room, the parts to an invention of some sort laying scattered in front of the latter.
“Kokichi’s a bit… unique, but he’s a student just like us, Miu.”
“He’s a goddamn headache, is what he is.”
“I do not like him.” Angie clapped her hands together once, the movement of her limbs stiff as her body glistened under the lighting of the dining hall. Her hair shifted slowly as she tilted her head to the side. “And Atua says he is a nasty being. He will never be blessed by Atua’s light.”
The mothman sitting next to the artist blinked before his eyes widened, and he looked around while his wings fluttered. “But Kokichi is Gonta’s friend. He is troublemaker sometimes, but…”
“I agree. He may be a bit of a bother, but he’s never done anything too bad.” Rantaro raised a hand as he gave a slight shrug, leaning forward with his other arm supporting his weight on the table. “And he’s in the same situation as the rest of us. Just a kid looking for a place to belong.”
Tenko scoffed. “He only looks like a kid because that’s how he wants to present himself. For all we know, he might actually be an old perverted guy who wants to hang around teenage girls–”
The kitsune cut herself off, her ears perking up and turning towards the dining hall door.
The other students with enhanced hearing — Ryoma, Shuichi, Gonta, and Rantaro — froze in their seats as well, and eventually all turned to glance in the same direction Tenko focused on.
“Hmph.” Ryoma pinched his candy cigarette between two fingers. “A human’s headed this way.”
The group collectively tensed, exchanging looks with each other.
“W-Why?” Himiko started to pale as she put her hands over her mouth, blinking frantically. “Did– didn’t Kokichi say that he was keeping the humans away? He usually always keeps them away.”
“There is no need to panic.” Kirumi stood up and surveyed her classmates with a frown. “Let us conceal ourselves promptly. The human will soon leave once they find nothing of interest here.”
The maid only had to give the order once before the students scattered, all focused on finding a place to hide themselves from the approaching uninvited guest. The footsteps outside the dining hall soon became audible to everyone, each step louder than the last, and caused the air within the room to tense up so much that someone could choke on it if they weren’t breathing carefully.
And then the door to the dining hall finally opened.
Your footsteps were much quieter than before as you slowly entered the dining hall, camera in one hand and flashlight in the other. You swept your beam of light across the room to reveal all the abandoned furniture the students of the past had used, the area empty of life aside from the plants growing through every possible gap and the body splayed out in the middle of the floor.
The body appeared to belong to a young woman, one possibly around your age, and looked too glossy to be healthy. You had to squint as you drew closer, only stopping when your foot ran into the broken arm laying a little ways away from its source; notably, there was no blood anywhere on the scene. The arm seemed to have been ripped from the shoulder, and was much too stiff.
“Huh…”
You stepped even closer to the body, and paused before nudging it with your foot. You took two wide steps back when the head turned to look up at you, the girl smiling brightly after a moment.
“Huh? Huhhh? It’s you!” The girl pushed herself onto her knees, her remaining arm keeping its palm flat on the ground as she leaned her weight towards it. “Oh, it’s so nice to see you again!”
You were certain you had never seen this girl before, but you also felt that you had.
“Ah, you are…?”
“Oh-ho! You must not recognize me since Angie has transcended into the third dimension!”
“...yeah, sure. Let’s go with that.”
You helped Angie up onto her feet, pulling her up by her one good arm, and even attempted to assist in putting her detached arm back into place; it made a satisfying, if dull, thump when you finally popped it into the socket. The texture of her skin also didn’t feel anything like any type of skin you had touched before, instead being all waxy, which left your fingers feeling coated in it.
“So, uh…” You wiped your hands off on your shirt, and picked up your camera from the ground to resume filming. “...you hang out here often? And, if so, noticed any supernatural goings-on?”
“Supernatural…?” Angie puckered her lips and hummed as she thought, a finger coming to tap lightly on her chin a couple of times. “Ohhhh… no. Angie just spends the moonlit hours with her friends here. Oh, and Atua! Ah, it must have been He who guided you back here! How glorious!”
Darn.
You managed to completely and perfectly mask any disappointment that might have attempted to cross your face — no matter how many people might claim you were frowning so deeply that it could be the textbook image of “disappointed” — as you nodded and turned towards the door.
“Okay. Whatever you say. I’ll just take a quick look around to make sure–”
“...chu!”
That small sound made you swivel on your heel, your flashlight pointing in its direction.
Angie blinked as you basically burned away her retinas by shining the light right at her, an aura of curious innocence surrounding her as she tilted her head, but you were more concerned with how two girls appeared to materialize out of thin air by the wall behind her. The taller of the girls had multiple fluffy tails spread out behind her, an expression of panic on her face as she looked over her shoulder at you, while the shorter one was holding a hand up to her face while sniffling.
The position the two were in was a bit compromising, the taller girl performing a sort of kabedon on the other — though with both arms on the wall caging the other in, instead of the usual one.
You pulled your flashlight up. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“H-Hey, you’re making this sound weird!” The taller girl narrowed her eyes at you, her multiple tails thrashing around as her cheeks quickly grew darker in color. “Ah, I’m so sorry, Himiko…!”
“Nyeh…”
“Halt, Gonta! Control yourself…!”
Your view was now fully obscured by something incredibly tall, an imposing figure landing right in front of you with a loud thud before standing up straight and towering over you. His eyes, as red as rubies and framed by glasses too delicate for his form, focused solely on the flashlight in your hand, while your own eyes were drawn to the stringy webs loosely connected to his fluff…
…which in turn were connected to another insect-like figure, a maid of sorts it seemed, though her outfit was less important in the grand scheme of things as her descent — which was much less graceful than the other’s — ended up with her crashing onto the dining table on her back.
“Ryoma, wait, wait–!”
You flinched at the sound of a cat’s yowl before leaning to catch sight of a remarkably pale boy getting his face scratched up by a short cat man as they escaped from under the broken dining table. The cat-scratch victim’s cries went unnoticed as the cat-scratch causer bolted around like an actual startled cat, knocking things over… which included a fancy mirror hanging on the wall.
The mirror fell to the floor and shattered, three people tumbling out of the glass.
“Don’t worry, sidekick, Maki Roll! I’ve got you!”
The green-skinned man hugged the other two close to his chest, taking the brunt of the tumble and using himself as a cushion. The girl among the trio, splattered red stains covering her skin, pushed herself away from the other two, and you almost swore you saw a flush on her cheeks.
The dining hall kind of resembled a war-zone now with how everyone was staggering around, the commotion it caused enough to attract the attention of a masked man, his head poking out from a hidey-hole in the wall. He slithered out further to observe the trio piled on the floor, the action revealing his serpentine lower-half to the world, which he coiled up underneath himself.
“Ugh… Miu?” The maid pushed herself up and off of the table with a huff, smoothing her dress with her hands as she tried to stand up and correct her posture. “Did you not try to hide at all?”
Her gaze shifted to the demonic figure still sitting at the table, practically frozen in her seat.
Right.
That girl didn’t look like a ghost at all, so you had ignored her when you first looked around.
“Ha-Hah…?! What the fuck was I supposed to do?” Miu fluttered her wings as a blush crossed her cheeks. “I- I mean– this body is too damn good to hide away! I just… augh– just shut up!”
“...so hiding didn’t work, huh?”
The newest voice of the bunch came from the direction of the kitchen, and you were met with the sight of an e-boy leaning on the doorway when you looked over at the source. He seemed relatively normal appearance-wise, definitely not-dead, besides the faint green tint of his skin.
“Okay. Wow.”
And then yet another new presence entered the scene, but from above you this time. The girl was another person who looked to be around your age, and appeared rather unassuming… if you were to ignore the fact that she was levitating, was peeking her upper-half out through the ceiling, and was ever-so-slightly translucent, like something right out of your sweetest dreams.
You gasped.
Ghost.
Your hands were shaking so much that you were afraid that all the footage you were capturing of the ghost’s descent would have to be thrown out later, but you were sure you would manage to rein yourself in if given just a little more time to bask in her glory. You watched the ghost float over to join the other less-important people as they gathered, most throwing glances your way.
“Oh, these are all of my friends!” Angie smiled as she threw her arms out, gesturing to the folks standing behind her as if to show them off. “Though Angie recalls you met them before, yes?”
Her words were confusing, but your number one priority was the ghost floating above everyone else’s heads. You would ponder Angie’s words later. Probably. If you didn’t forget about them.
The ghost shook her head. “Angie, no. They wouldn’t remember that.”
“I apologize, but please put that camera away.”
“Hey!”
You blinked as a gloved hand covered the lens of your camera, and your head twisted to see the maid now standing right in front of you, the expression on her face composed and solemn.
“Recording the students of this campus is prohibited.”
“Huh?” You frowned. “But I didn’t see any signs about that!”
The maid was silent for a second. “It is an expectation from the students here that they will be safe while residing on the academy grounds. That includes not being photographed or filmed.”
“Wha– oh, don’t worry!” You smiled. “I already told that one kid that I’d blur the faces of anyone who doesn’t wanna be in my videos! It’s just common decency. I’m a professional, I assure you.”
“...I am afraid that wouldn’t work.”
“Why not?”
The silence that followed was almost deafening, the feeling that you chose the wrong dialogue option in a video game settling onto your brain as everyone in the room stared at you — mostly in shock, it seemed, so you probably didn’t tank your social level with them that much. You must just be the first one to question their unfair rule, because this academy wasn’t totally unknown in the paranormal social circles you inhabited, and so they surely all had some understanding that would-be filmmakers and investigators would roll up to their door with all the bells and whistles.
The high-quality cameras. The extra memory cards.
That was just a fact of life when it came to an enticing location like this…
…though you actually couldn’t recall seeing anyone else investigate this place before you.
“You… oh, you gotta be kidding me!” The kitsune stood up straight as she puffed out her chest and puffed up her tails, flinging her arm forward to point at you. “Are you blind or something?”
“Hey! No! My eyes work fine! Even better than fine! They’re open to the truths of this world and all the supernatural goings-on within it! And I’m not crazy, even if some like to believe that I am!”
Miu put a hand to her forehead. “Oh my god, they’re just stupid.”
“They’re not stupid, Miu! They’re just…” The ghost tried to smile as she thought for a moment, your attention immediately snapping to her. “...nice? Like I said before, they’re totally harmless.”
“Not with that camera, they’re not.”
You turned around at the sound of a voice behind you, only for your camera to get snatched by a horrendous thief, the girl with the splattered red stains on her skin — Maki Roll or something.
“Any footage that gets out of here will put us in danger.”
“Give that back!”
You immediately went to snatch your camera back from Maki, the girl easily dodging all of your rescue attempts with a practiced ease that anyone would be envious of. Your camera was soon taken out of your radius of reachability, and while the thief was treating it with the respect that it deserved, she made it clear that you weren’t getting it back anytime soon, to your great dismay.
How did she even get behind you?
“Hey, are you a–”
“Yes. Now shut up.”
“...wow, a ghost stole my camera. What an honor.”
You may have overreacted initially, calling Maki a “horrendous thief” when she was anything but, and was in fact one of the most amazing people you had ever had the pleasure of existing in the same airspace as. While it was fairly common for ghosts to pick up and move objects, you didn’t really hear about them stealing cameras out of people’s hands, but it had just happened to you.
To be someone that Maki had blessed with such an experience, you could die happily…
…and would definitely be bragging about it later to anyone and everyone who would listen.
The feeling of a hand on your shoulder snapped you out of your elated bubble, and you blinked to see that the e-boy was now standing next to you. He looked nice, but smelled like a fish. Not the pleasant salty breeze of the sea, but an actual fish; at least it fit well with his webbed hands.
“Listen, you seem like a nice person–”
“Yeah.”
“–but you need to understand that we, my classmates and I… we’re not human. You might not care about us since we’re not ghosts, but others will try to hurt us if they find out that we exist.”
“...ohhh! But people already know Hatsune Miku exists, and they love her.”
The life-sized anime standee in the corner of the dining hall sweatdropped before beginning to melt into the form of a different girl. Her hair was still long and blue, but she lacked the charm a twin-tail-sporting virtual singer beloved the world over had, and was kind of… just a bit… plain.
“I… it’s the only thing I can turn into that’s an item and not a person…”
You slumped your shoulders and frowned. “Aw, man… but I can’t go back empty-handed. I’ve made the discovery of a lifetime here! This trip, this expedition, can’t have all been for nothing!”
“Whaaat?” Angie popped up next to you, leaning her weight onto your shoulder. “Of course it’s not been for nothing! You made friends with Angie and all of her friends too! And you learned of the wonderful being that is Atua! You have found so many treasures, all thanks to His blessing!”
“Um…” The borderline-sickly pale boy with the fangs that had tumbled out of the mirror with the green-skinned man and Maki cleared his throat before hesitantly continuing. “I wouldn’t say that we’re necessarily friends, Angie… besides, we’ll probably have to redo what we did last time.”
“Oh, nooo…”
“But that again raises the question of why they came back.” The snake man held a hand up to hold his chin as he eyed you with interest, and you waved at him. “I’m well aware that humans are very determined little creatures, but with Kokichi’s abilities, this should have been avoided.”
“Ooo, talking about me behind my back, are we?”
The short boy from before was suddenly standing in the crowd — after the grand entrance he had before, this one was a little underwhelming — with the same smile on his face. He lacked the hat and cloak this time too, which just served to make him look even smaller in your eyes.
“Golly, everyone really is being mean to me today. Kirumi, scold them like a good mom would.”
The maid frowned. “I am not a mother, Kokichi.”
“Okay, you little twerp.” Miu pointed at him. “You figured out why this human’s here yet?”
“Right… that.” Kokichi waved his hand to the side before he shrugged. “I made a little oopsie~. You see, last time, I teased them about coming back once they got ten thousand followers, and once they hit that milestone, it must’ve unlocked the urge to return to these grounds. Whoops.”
“That’s more than just an “oopsie”...” Himiko pulled her hat down. “Did you do that on purpose?”
“Nooo! I’d never put my wonderful, amazing, spectacular friends in danger like that!”
Tenko glared as she pointed at Kokichi. “You liar!”
“Oh, come on, I never lie! That’d be wrong!”
“Enough fighting, it won’t solve anything.” The green-skinned man put his arms out, moving to put himself between Kokichi and the others. “We’re all on the same team here, remember? As of right now, the most important thing is that we know the issue, so we just gotta make sure we don’t make the same mistake. We can simply treat this experience as something to learn from.”
Beep, beep, beep.
The sound of multiple high-pitched beeps shifted everyone’s attention to the source… only to find you smiling like an idiot as their ghostly classmate continuously reached out her hand and retracted it from the glowing gadget you had set on a chair. The little lights on top of the device came to life in an array of bright colors when it beeped, getting faster the closer the ghost was.
“Ohhh, let Angie try!”
Beep.
“Heh, of course it’d work for you.” The ghost stuck her hand out again, letting it linger for a few seconds before pulling back as you watched her closely. “You have a physical body right now.”
Miu glanced at the gadget briefly before she scoffed. “And now they’re playing with toys. Well, thinking about it, it’s obvious that those two would totally be entertained by that kind of stuff.”
“Hey! These aren’t toys!” You glared at the demon. “They’re scientific equipment.”
You carefully laid out all of the various gadgets you had stored in your backpack on the part of the table that was still fairly level, and widely gestured towards the impromptu display to better emphasize the sheer impressiveness of it all. There was the REM Pod, which you were having the ghost interact with moments before, and then came your handy-dandy electromagnetic field detector, your beloved structured light sensor camera, your dearest Ovilus, and so much more.
The weight of carrying all of this around was… a lot, but the weight of the truth was heavier.
“And, hey, since we have the time… lemme show you how they all work!”
- - - - -
The night air was cool against your skin as you stood outside the main building, and you felt a shiver pass through your body as a gentle breeze blew by. You held your electromagnetic field detector — your precious “EMF meter”, as you often simplified the name to — carefully in your hands, and watched how the reading changed as you wandered around the immediate area.
“This bad boy can detect nearby EMFs, and all the changes that happen within them.”
Gonta blinked, tilting his head as he looked at you. “E– EMFs…?”
“Electromagnetic fields. You know, like the energy that’s emitted by electronic devices.”
“Um…” Tsumugi also tilted her head. “Wouldn’t all of the readings that you get just come from those sources, then? The academy may look abandoned, but… we still have electricity here.”
You glanced over your shoulder at her with a smile. “That’s why we need to look for spikes in the readings. You know, since ghosts can cause unusual changes in any EMFs that’re around.”
“This sounds fake…” Tenko shifted on her feet to keep her body in between you and the mage she was consistently beside as you walked around. “Kaede and the others don’t mess with the power, not even a little. It’s always one of the degenerate males as the culprit. Usually Kokichi.”
Himiko peeked around the kitsune, rubbing her arms with her hands as the only other one here affected by the cold. “Controlling electricity is easy with my magic, but it needs time to charge.”
You swiveled on your heel to face the mage, shaking your head vehemently. “Please don’t mess with the readings…! How else are we supposed to figure out if there’re ghosts hanging around?”
Tsumugi stared at you with a hesitant smile. “You… already know there’re ghosts here, though?”
You simply returned a smile to the shapeshifter as you turned away to focus on the EMF meter, raising it up as high as you could. The readings looked stable, nothing abnormal or spectacular or outstanding by any means; and you frowned while pulling it back down, a hum escaping you.
“...maybe we should get a bit higher to see how the readings might change.”
“Oh!” Gonta perked up, his wings fluttering. “Gonta can help!”
“Really? That’s great! I was thinking of finding a way onto the roof of the– whoa!”
That you no longer had any ground beneath your feet was a fact your brain took a little longer than you would have liked to register, and your head turned to allow your eyes to look down at the ground that was getting further and further away. Your grip on your EMF meter tightened to prevent the tragedy of it falling and breaking, but that panic was short-lived when you realized what kind of view you were getting from the comfort and safety of Gonta’s arms. The entirety of the campus was visible to you, the sight of it under the soft moonlight taking away your breath.
“Is this high enough?”
Gonta’s voice snapped you out of your daze, and you looked at the EMF meter.
“Yeah, thanks. We can head back down now.”
- - - - -
“Ooo, this place looks haunted.”
Korekiyo gave you a disapproving glance at your observation, though you were too preoccupied with inspecting the glass cases and ancient artifacts kept inside them that filled the multi-layered room you were in to notice. “Please refrain from touching anything, if you could. Treat this space as a museum of sorts, where you may look around to your heart’s content… but nothing more.”
“Okay, but–”
“None of these pieces are possessed, haunted, or anything of the sort.”
“Darn.”
You removed your gaze from the sword you had been looking at, and started to pull out one of the gadgets from your backpack, a special camera using a structured light sensor to, hopefully, pick up ghostly figures. The technology was first utilized by gamers, but was now specialized by paranormal investigators; the current use was so much more meaningful… and also just as fun.
Ryoma pinched his candy cigarette between his fingers as he watched you, his ears flicking at the sounds that you were causing. “Hmph, you really are only interested in ghosts, aren’t you?”
“Well… yeah.” You shrugged with a smile. “What else is there to be interested in?”
Kirumi glanced at the device in your hands. “A camera…?”
You peered into the screen of your SLS camera after booting it up, not wanting to miss even a second of possible activity. “Don’t worry, this one can’t record. I’ve been meaning to upgrade to one that can, but just haven’t come by any on the market that meet my professional standards.”
“Ah… very well, then.”
“So, how’s it work?” Ryoma drew closer. “You supposed to see something through there?”
“Yep! The infrared grid this baby’s projecting right now is able to detect human-like figures, and, when it finds them, it’ll represent them and their movements with stick figures on this screen…!”
“Infrared grid…?” Ryoma squinted as he looked past the SLS camera. “It looks normal to me.”
“Of course… infrared light is invisible to humans. And cats, I think? You’ve got cat vision, right?”
“Hmph, you could say that.”
“I cannot see it either.” Kirumi glanced at the snake man. “However, I believe Korekiyo can…?”
“Yes, in a sense.” Korekiyo gave a slight nod before his eyes moved to look at what you couldn’t perceive, narrowing a little. “Though I wouldn’t necessarily call it “seeing”, but rather “detecting”.”
You blinked, and then blinked again, before looking away from the screen and at Korekiyo, your eyes widening. “Wowie. With senses like those, you might make a good — why, dare I even say great — paranormal investigator. I tend to go solo, but I wouldn’t mind having an assistant when going on a hunt every once in a while. I’ll even provide snacks. How do you feel about granola?”
“Kehehe… I appreciate your offer, but I already have all the interaction with ghosts I need.”
That was certainly one way to turn you down, the way he spoke making you feel as if you were missing a crucial piece of information… but you shrugged it off. You had an SLS camera to pay attention to, and no amount of cryptic undertones were going to distract you from your hunting.
“...aw, man. Nothing’s appearing.”
- - - - -
“Behold, the Ovilus!”
You held up the device like you would a lion cub, letting all of the observers in the room bask in its glory. The Ovilus was lightweight, fit nicely in the palm of one’s hand, and opened up a whole new world of communication; it was a must-have for any self-respecting ghost hunter, definitely.
“Typically speaking, it’s difficult to speak to ghosts. Well, to hear them respond, actually. That’s what this little delight helps with. With the power of science, it scans environmental readings — with extra attention to changes in them, caused by ghosts — and turns them into words to make them easier to understand. Its dictionary consists of a few thousand words, so it’s really useful!”
Maki looked at the device in your hands for a silent moment. “...I’m not doing this.”
“Aw, come on, Maki Roll!” Kaito gave the bloodied spirit a thumbs-up from the sidelines. “What’s wrong with having a little fun? I’m sure you’ll do great! Shuichi and I’ll be over here for support!”
You turned on the Ovilus and held it out towards the three ghosts sitting in front of you, trying to not faint from the giddiness you felt deep in your very soul. You had not just one but three spirits in the room with you, living proof that ghosts exist… or, well, they weren’t exactly living, but still.
Kaede was the most classic type of ghost, and loved to play the piano like the talented specter that she was; her “research lab”, as she referred to it, in the academy even had a piano worthy of her touch that she was currently sitting on the bench for. Maki was more like the type of ghost featured in urban legends, the kind that would be discussed over a campfire and scared children that came across the story online. Angie didn’t even ping your internal ghost radar at first, but as you learned from the others, she was a ghost that bound herself to a wax statue she had made.
You were a fool to not realize that sooner. You would do better in the future.
“How are you supposed to know if it’s accurate?” Shuichi eyed the device. “If you’re not able to talk properly with the ghost yourself, then that could very well just be spitting out random words.”
“That’s why you gotta look for consistency.” You wiggled your eyebrows at the vampire. “Words that make sense when strung together, or words that are proper answers to the questions you’re asking. You have to scrutinize any evidence you get, make sure it’s reliable before believing it.”
You resumed looking at the line-up of ghosts, and decided to start with the classic one.
“Kaede, you can go first. Try to use the Ovilus to communicate with us.”
“Oh, um, okay! How do I…?”
Kaede floated off of her piano bench and to the device in your hands, leaning over to look down at it. The Ovilus stayed unusually silent in her presence — suffering from stage fright, perhaps.
“Maybe having a question to answer will make it easier.” You placed a finger on your chin and closed your eyes as you thought. “But I’ve got so much to ask… how could I possibly choose?”
The sound of movement in Kaede’s research lab made you open your eyes, and you saw that someone was raising their hand in the corner of your vision. You blinked before turning to look at them, and realized it was Keebo, the self-proclaimed robot that honestly didn’t look like one.
But figuring out if he was one or not wasn’t worth your time when there were ghosts around.
“I’ve got a question in mind.”
“Then go ahead! I’d never say “no” to someone wanting to know more about ghosts!”
“Okay. So, uh… how did you die?”
The silence that followed was brief, but powerful, as you stared at Keebo.
“Keebo… you can’t just ask that.”
“...what?”
“You can’t ask how a ghost died. The memory of their death could be traumatic for them.” You beckoned for him to come closer, and leaned in when he was within arm’s reach, lowering your voice into a stage whisper. “They might not even know they’re dead. It could freak them out…!”
He flinched back at your words as his eyes widened, and you figured that he hadn’t considered those facts until now. “Th– That’s not…! Kaede, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you, I promise!”
“Whoa, it’s okay!” Kaede seemed more concerned with Keebo’s worry than what he had asked, a smile appearing on her lips to reassure. “It’s really not that big of a deal. I… I know I’m dead.”
Angie tapped a finger on her chin as she hummed, her head tilting to the side. “Angie does not remember dying…? Yes, yes. I did not die. Atua would surely not let such a tragedy befall me.”
“Some ghosts died, some didn’t.” Maki fiddled with a few strands from one of her twin tails, her gaze averted from everyone and a certain thoughtful look in her eyes. “Assuming they’re all the same would be idiotic. That’d be like assuming every tea is green tea, when that isn’t the case.”
You snapped your head towards Maki. “Ooo, then what’s your story?”
The bloodied spirit glared at you before looking away again. “Not important. Don’t ask again.”
“Okay!”
“Apple tater.”
The sound of a new female voice joining the conversation made you pause, and you zoned in on the Ovilus’s screen to see that a line of text had appeared, matching the words just spoken.
“Hmm… interesting.” You looked at Kaede. “And what do you mean by “apple tater”?”
“Huh? I… I didn’t really do anything.” Kaede pulled back at your expectant gaze, her hands up in the air as she still smiled, if now with confusion. “I wasn’t trying to say “apple tater”, anyway.”
“Really? Try again!”
“Sure, but I don’t exactly know what to do–”
“Spaghetti.”
Your eyes moved between the two recent entries on the Ovilus’s screen, your lips puckering as thoughts began to formulate in your head… until you came to a genius conclusion about them.
“...are you hungry, Kaede?”
Kaede let out a light laugh. “Well… I can’t exactly eat.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t be hungry!”
- - - - -
The person that came up with the saying “time flies by when you’re having fun” was someone who really understood what they were talking about. That you had gotten to meet not one, not two, but THREE ghosts in one night — the most successful investigation you had ever had — was magical, something you had only ever dreamed about before. The only downside was that you weren’t allowed to film any of it, and likely wouldn’t be able to speak even a word about it.
The desire to expose the truth burned you, but you had enough sense to not want innocents to get hurt because of it. The truth wasn’t worth revealing if it would only cause misery and not joy.
You carefully began packing your gadgets back into your backpack after returning to the dining hall, while trying to think of how you would deal with this tricky situation. This trip was supposed to be a surprise for your followers to celebrate hitting the ten-thousand milestone, so they didn’t know you were here, but still… you were going to have to think of a new surprise soon, for sure.
“I know we were all anxious about the human before, but… I really don’t think they’re much of a threat.” Rantaro glanced over at you from across the room, before returning to the group huddle with his classmates. “They respected our desire to stay hidden and have treated us all normally, which has been… an experience. A good one. Well, treated everybody but the ghosts normally.”
“Like I said before, they’re nice.” Kaede nodded with a smile. “From the moment I first met them, I didn’t get any hostile vibes. Just… really enthusiastic curiosity, and a lot of compliments, ehe.”
“I agree!” Angie clasped her hands together, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Even Atua has blessed them with His acceptance. They are a chosen friend, guided here by His will!”
“Interesting.” Kokichi hummed. “Does this mean erasing their memories is a no-go this time?”
Ryoma flicked his ears, pulling down his beanie. “Hmph. That’s a risky move.”
“Is tough decision, but… thought of friend losing memories make Gonta’s chest hurt.”
“This is an important decision to make, so we need to be careful.” Kirumi placed a hand on the mothman’s shoulder, her other hand resting against her chest. “Perhaps we could come to one by way of a “majority” vote. That way, everyone’s opinion will be taken into consideration before we take action. If you will all allow me to put my own onto the table… based on my experiences with the human, I do believe that they would not intentionally put us anywhere into harm’s way.”
Miu scoffed. “I think they’re too stupid to be malicious. I mean, they completely ignored me just ‘cause I wasn’t a ghost. Me. Can you believe that? How could anyone ignore this bangin’ body?”
The bloodied spirit next to her sighed. “...yeah, they’re more of a nuisance than a threat. As long as they don’t have any footage when they leave, I doubt anyone’ll believe just their word alone.”
“Nyeh…” Himiko tugged on the edges of her skirt, rubbing her fingers against the material. “But don’t they have ten thousand people that believe them? Ten thousand, that’s a lot of people…”
“Right… about that…” Shuchi pulled out his phone, opening up a video sharing platform app. “I decided to see if I could find their channel earlier, considering it’s kind of the whole reason they came here, and they do have just over ten thousand subscribers, as you can see here, but…”
He hesitated briefly, before clicking on your latest video and scrolling down to the comments.
“...I don’t think most of the people that follow them actually believe in ghosts like they do.”
The students all crowded around Shuichi’s phone when the vampire showed it to them, and he slowly scrolled through a section of the comments. There were a few encouraging ones, noting your dedication and effort, and some discussing the location and evidence featured in the video, but there were many more of a less… well-meaning nature. The range of them was varied, from ones that could be read as neutral at best to ones that were clearly thinly-veiled insults at worst.
“U-Um… ‘I think you’ve inhaled too much dust, bestie’...?” Tsumugi read one comment out loud, adjusting her glasses as her eyes flickered across the screen before she frowned. “Oh, my…”
Keebo blinked a couple of times before leaning in closer to Shuichi’s phone. “What… ‘I’ve been feeling a bit down lately. Thanks for uploading this. Your videos are always good for a laugh’...”
“Yeesh, I knew that they were pathetic, but this is…” Miu squinted her eyes. “...’Good on you for checking out all these asylums. I’m sure you’ll find the perfect fit soon. Never give up the grind’.”
The group fell silent after reading a few more comments.
Korekiyo fiddled with the silver locket around his neck, breaking his gaze away from the screen and the comments still displayed onto it. “...humans can be quite cruel, even to their own kind.”
“Why, though?” Tenko’s ears lowered. “Now I feel bad about being so hostile towards them!”
Kaito crossed his arms, a deep frown on his face. “Yet they’re always so cheerful…”
“I think they genuinely don’t know.” Shuichi closed out of the app and slid his phone back into his pocket. “They’re aware that skeptics exist, but seem to think that most of their subscribers are believers. There’s no indication on their channel or in their behavior to suggest otherwise.”
“Oooh!” Angie clenched her fists in front of her chest, her smile’s edges sharpening. “Atua has spoken… all those “subscribers” shall face His judgement for their mockery of Angie’s friend!”
“Based on the comments on that video, do they even have any friends?” Ryoma shot a glance in your direction as you were securing your belongings in their places. “Human friends, I mean.”
“That does not matter!” Angie huffed and stomped her foot. “Angie is their friend! Kaede is their friend! Gonta is their friend! We are all their friends…! Even Atua views them as a friendly face.”
“Let us continue with the vote, then.” The maid gave a slight nod as she raised her hand. “For those in favor of letting the human keep their memories of this night, please raise your hand.”
The vote was over almost as soon as it started, everyone raising their hand as soon as Kirumi finished speaking. There were some that were a bit more hesitant than their classmates, but it hardly registered from how unanimous the decision was, and the maid counted up the hands.
“Very well. That concludes the vote.”
“What vote?”
The group jumped as you squeezed yourself between Kirumi and Gonta, your head popping into their huddle with no regard for an invitation. You had finished packing, your backpack on your back and your flashlight in your hand, illuminating your face as you kept it close to you.
“Oh, just a vote about whether you’ll be allowed to remember this night or not.” Kokichi smiled wide with a shrug. “Luckily for you, everyone trusts you enough to let you keep these precious memories. Despite being a total weirdo, you managed to make a lot of friends tonight. Bravo!”
You blinked before squinting at him, and pointed your flashlight right at his face. “How could I possibly not remember? I met three ghosts tonight. Three. That’s, like… one more than two.”
“Just please remember to withhold all you’ve seen tonight.”
Kirumi smiled down at you, and shifted over so that you weren’t being squeezed anymore.
“We’re putting our trust in you.”
“Don’t worry!” You returned her smile. “I’m a professional, and professionals have standards.”
“Yayyy!” Angie glomped you from across the huddle, causing you to rebalance yourself. “Atua says you are allowed to come back as often as you want! Come and visit Angie, won’t you?”
“Oooh, definitely!”
Keebo cleared his throat with a frown. “Is that a good idea…?”
“Hey, if they know the truth, then there’s no reason not to let them.” Ryoma shrugged as he put his candy cigarette back into his mouth. “Besides… it’d be good to know what they get up to.”
“It’s actually a lot like your situation, Keebo.” Tsumugi pushed some of her hair behind her ear, smiling towards the remarkably pale boy. “You found out about us and became our friend. Sure, you’re a… erm, a robot, but robots generally aren’t seen as “monsters” like the rest of us are.”
Keebo thought for a moment, before nodding with a smile. “Right. I understand.”
The conversation soon turned to a different topic after the air grew lighter, and you had the time of your life chatting with everyone — especially the ghosts, your beloved — but, alas, the time of your departure was nearing. You were running out of steam, the adrenaline of the discovery you made on this fateful night vanishing and leaving nothing but exhaustion behind… but that was to be expected after staying up all night. Your bed was calling to you, and you needed to answer it.
Kokichi skipped beside you as you went to leave the dining hall, his energy a striking contrast to how you were dragging your feet. “Remember, if you break your promise at all, then I’ll know~!”
“That’s creepy, you should get a hobby.”
“Aha, the same response, huh?”
That was starting to bug you, the fact that the people here talked as if they all knew something you didn’t. That they talked as if they knew you, though you knew that you didn’t know them; it sure felt like you did sometimes, but… well, a feeling did make you try to visit this place again.
You began to think back to your first attempt at conquering the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, about the blurry images when you awoke outside the gate, and then of the pain–
BRAIN BLAST!
“...Gonta was wondering if you are new student and wanted to help you, like gentleman.”
“Mmm-hmm. I made it myself… with magic~.”
“...yes, they’re mine, and I don’t appreciate having others touch them so recklessly.”
“With a new body, Angie will be able to mingle with all her friends, playing and dancing…”
“I’ve never had someone so interested in me before. At least, not like this.”
“Boop!”
You swiveled on your heel towards Kokichi, your free hand extended and your pointer finger just barely grazing his nose. You felt alert, a fire having ignited within you from the previous’s ashes.
“You! You erased my memories!”
His smile faltered as his eyes widened. “H– Huh…?!”
“I remember! I remember everything!” You raised your arms up, and waved them around. “I’ve been here before! I’ve already seen the ghosts! I didn’t fail last time at all! It’s all flooding back!”
The others all froze like Kokichi did, staring at you with the same expression.
“How… how the fuck is that possible?” Miu glared at the short boy as her wings fluttered. “Isn’t your power supposed to, like, I dunno… not fail? You’re supposed to be “all-powerful”, right?”
“I guess… their mind managed to hold onto those memories.” Kokichi resumed smiling, a spark of amusement twinkling in his eyes and his nose wrinkling as he leaned into your finger. “Wow… your determination is something else. Though I feel the need to point out that I didn’t use the full extent of my power as it would’ve shattered your mind beyond repair, so… it’s not that amazing.”
You gently bonked him on the head with your flashlight. “You’re annoying, but since I’m a good person and understand y’all were scared, I’ll forgive it this time. Just don’t do it again, or else.”
Kokichi put his hands on his head, an exaggerated pout on his lips he struggled to keep. “Ow…”
You let out a small huff as you pulled your hands back, and adjusted your backpack while your gaze scanned over the group — visibly brightening whenever your eyes passed over any of the ghosts. You then puffed out your chest, giving everyone the best and biggest smile you could.
“Mark my words: I’ll be back! You can’t get rid of me now!”
And with a flourish, you walked off like the proud ghost hunter that you were… only letting out a giddy laugh of celebration once you were out of eyeshot — though not anywhere out of earshot.
Summary: "Rather than suffer the watery grave you thought was certain, you find yourself in an unusual situation deep down in the depths of the ocean. You could describe it as fishy... in a good way."
Word Count: ~10.4k
To see drawings made specifically for this special, click here.
For the sequel, click here.
- - - - -
You couldn’t remember how many times you had thought about your eventual demise — it was always something that crawled up into a person’s mind at the most random of times, made up of “what-ifs” and the worries hidden deep inside the human heart — but it was sometimes fun for a normal person like you to imagine yourself meeting your end in some final grand blaze of glory.
To imagine that you would become important enough for your death to cause a big splash.
But you were just a normal person, and normal people died quietly.
Your lips kept parting to let in the nighttime air, only to be met with the distinct taste of the salty sea, the cold water soaking through your clothes as a chill enveloped your bones. The night sky above was devoid of any light pollution, the shining stars from light years away able to be seen in their full glory as you angled your head up, and the cruise ship that you had previously been a passenger of continued on its merry way, ignorant to the troublesome situation you were now in.
The act of staying afloat was getting harder by the second.
Your clothes felt like heavy weights, the pressure on your body growing during the constant fight to keep your head above water. You weren’t sure if you were actually moving around much; your body was becoming numb from the cold, so you couldn’t make sense of where your limbs were.
The most unusual part, though… was that you felt oddly calm.
You always thought you would feel an overwhelming terror gripping your core at the moment of your death, but… you were now facing an eerie calmness; you wouldn’t say it was because you accepted this outcome, but you weren’t exactly denying that it was happening either. The fact of the matter was that this situation was what was happening, and you couldn’t do much about it.
And with the stars as your only witness, everything soon faded to black.
- - - - -
Your lungs inflated with a sharp gasp, and your hands found their way underneath your body to push yourself up from where you were laying. You began coughing so much that it hurt, but you felt unable to stop your body from taking in and expelling air, even as painful as it was. You only managed to calm down and stop after a moment, but, even then, there was still a feeling of pain residing in your chest with every breath you took in, and your throat wasn’t doing that well either.
One, two, one, two…
You finally got to a point where breathing didn’t hurt as much… and then paused.
Breathing? Weren’t you just drowning?
You blinked, and then blinked again, before you slowly began to look around at the place you had awoken in; since you had come to with such a startling start, it was hard to put any blame on yourself for not noticing until now that you were in some kind of… large cavern. There were tall walls of rock surrounding you on all sides, one having a single carved opening located near the bottom, while another — albeit smaller — opening was at the very top of the cave, letting in a stream of light to illuminate the area. That helped you take notice of how the rock walls caved inwards in semi-coherent rows, which brought to your mind “shelves”, and with how there were various objects neatly laid upon them, it seemed your initial feeling about them was correct…
…and, now, your interest was piqued, because you wondered what exactly would anyone want to keep stored in a place like this. You could admit that it was a nice cave, but it was still a cave, and you couldn’t imagine yourself leaving anything you valued sitting around like this in the wild.
But as you tried to move from where you were laying — a mostly-flat rock that was sitting in the middle of the cavern — to get a closer look, you felt mild resistance to your movements from the space around you. The effort needed to even just flex your fingers was a bit more than you were used to, and that was when your brain recognized the feeling as how it felt to move underwater.
Your hands rushed to your head at the revelation, only to be stopped by a bouncy surface. The smooth yet soft barrier was completely encasing your head, and you soon figured out that it was a bubble; a stronger-than-normal bubble, as it hadn’t popped yet, but still a bubble, nonetheless.
Though the situation at hand was more than mind-boggling, you shrugged off the weirdness for now in favor of flailing about in the water to look around the cavern. The shelves were lined with various items you recognized: chests, jewelry, silverware, candleholders, framed art-pieces, and other priceless treasures. Those had been placed right next to… literal garbage: cigarette stubs, soda cans, plastic bags, bottle caps, and other pieces of junk that wouldn’t be worth much at all.
But the treasures and junk were placed side-by-side, as if considered the same value.
You came to a stop once you reached a mirror, which appeared old and was cracked. Even so, it still successfully fulfilled its purpose as you peered into the reflection, taking in the sight of the bubble surrounding your head. The sight was a bit goofy, but it was allowing you to still breathe.
The reflection also caused you to realize- oh.
You knew that clothes made swimming harder — as foggy as the memory was, you could still feel how your own helped to drag you down into the depths after you fell overboard — but you only now realized you were moving a little too well through the water for the clothes you were wearing… and the reason for why was now staring at you, copying your wide-eyed expression.
The warmth blossoming in your cheeks only began to subside after you headed back to where you awoke and quickly grabbed your undergarments, slipping them back on. You then grabbed the rest of your clothes that rested by the flat rock, holding them close to your chest. While what was most important was that whoever saved you saved your life, and you understood why they made the decisions they made, this was still an embarrassing situation for you to have to be in.
“O-Oh! You’re finally awake!”
The sound of a voice made you flinch, and you spun around — as quickly as you were able to underwater, at least — to come face-to-face with… a boy who appeared to be around your age.
That was… you assumed he was around your age; it was difficult to tell with all the fins and the scales and the fact that the lower-half of his body, below his stomach, just looked like a fish tail.
You clutched your clothes closer and screamed.
- - - - -
To put it lightly, screaming may have been… a bit of an overreaction.
The fish boy– merman– ah, screw it, how you should describe him was less important than the fact that you should call him your hero. His name was “Midoriya Izuku”, which you learned after you stopped screaming at him — and after he finished screaming himself. That the person who saved you would start to panic just because you were panicking was a little silly, but endearing.
Midoriya looked mostly human… if you were to keep your gaze focused on his upper-half, and squinted just a bit. There were patches of orange scales scattered about his skin, his forearms coated from his elbows to his finger tips, and in place of ears sat large fins, matching the dorsal fin located on his back. His neck had a set of slits on each side, no doubt for the gills he had to have as an aquatic creature, and his lower-half transitioned into a shimmering orange fish tail.
“Well, um… thank you for saving my life.” You tried to offer him a smile, and you hoped it didn’t look as awkward as you felt. “Even though I’m still… super confused about the whole thing.”
“Of course! It was nothing! No need to make a big deal out of it!” The boy glided effortlessly in the water towards you, a noticeable glimmer of excitement sparkling in his eyes as he seemed to soak in the sight of you sitting there. “I’m just happy that you’re okay! Humans aren’t able to breathe underwater, right? I was worried it might’ve been too late when I found you, but, luckily, it looks like the magic bubble managed to provide you a suitable air reservoir, so it’s all okay!”
“Magic bubble…?” You paused before poking at the thing around your head, which wobbled in response. “Oh, so this is why I’m not drowning? I guess… I can see how that makes sense…?”
Midoriya nodded with a small hum. “Yeah, I’m not too good at magic yet, but it’s a pretty basic spell, all things considered. I think anyone who’s taken at least one magic lesson can cast it.”
The way he spoke about magic — so casually, as if discussing the weather — took you aback, because, last you heard, magic didn’t exist; then again, you also recently thought you would be subject to a watery grave, and, now, here you were, submerged in the sea with a magic bubble around your head while you talked to a merperson. The choices you were able to make in such a situation were possibly endless… but thinking logically was no longer on the table anymore.
“Basic or not, as long as it keeps me alive, I think it’s the best spell in the whole world.”
You found it easier to smile now.
“And seriously, thanks. Don’t downplay yourself.”
Midoriya pulled back as you spoke, but a smile eventually reappeared on his face in return, and through the literal water filter in the way, you noticed the way his face darkened with a flush too.
“So, uh… this is actually my first time meeting a human in the flesh! I was kind of wondering if I could maybe ask you a couple of questions? Oh! But you’re probably still trying to recover from what you’ve been through so now might not be the best time! I just think humans are interesting and this’ll probably be my only chance to ever talk to one! To be honest, everything I’ve learned about them comes from second-hand sources, and those tend to vary in accuracy, so it would-”
Wow.
You weren’t sure if having gills instead of lungs made it easier to yap, or maybe Midoriya was just really passionate about what he was talking about, but he kept going and going and going, and it was starting to actually impress you. That he was so shy while trying to explain himself while also making sure you were comfortable just endeared him to you even more than before.
“So…”
You managed to interject when Midoriya finished his current sentence, and before he could go on to the next one, as you gestured vaguely to the cavern around you with both of your hands.
“...this place must be yours, then?”
Midoriya bashfully nodded, his eyes drifting towards the shelves.
“Y-Yeah… I try to collect anything I can about humans. Most of it comes from human vessels that sank a long time ago, b-but, sometimes, I also find things floating near the surface. It’s all so different from anything I’ve ever seen before, and there’s so much variety in the items that I’ve managed to gather that it’s hard to believe that they were all created by the same species.”
You gave a brief glance to the shelves carved into the stone walls, taking in the mix of antique treasures and modern garbage — an exhibit on the vastness of human existence, condensed.
“Ah… well, I guess I can answer any questions you have.” You resumed looking at Midoriya, watching how the expression on his face brightened up. “I don’t mind, and it’s the least I could do in exchange for you saving my life. I don’t exactly have anything else that I could give you.”
“You don’t have to give anything, really! But thank you so much!”
The boy swam closer to you with widened eyes, the fins of his tail brushing along your legs as he circled around you, almost seeming to inspect you. You tensed at the ticklish feeling, before kicking your legs and pulling them up onto the flat rock you sat upon, relaxing them afterwards.
“Okay, so, where do I start? I have so many questions and I never thought that I’d ever get the chance to ask them! I can’t believe this is actually happening right now! So, first, how about-”
“Deku? Who’re you talking to?”
The sound of a new voice from the entrance to the cavern caused you to swivel around on the flat rock you sat upon to look towards it… just to see two more people just like Midoriya; at this point, you shouldn’t be that surprised, but the sight still made you have to pause for a moment.
That new voice, the one that had gotten your attention, came from a girl whose lower-half was more like a jellyfish’s than an actual fish’s, and — to your human senses — resembled a dress, mostly stemming from how the somewhat-transparent, pink, gelatinous substance flowed about as she swam. There was a noticeable lack of fins and scales like what Midoriya had, but she did appear to have a membrane similar to her jellyfish half hung around her shoulders like a shawl.
The other newcomer was another boy, and while he sported a fishtail, fins, and had patches of scales littering his body like Midoriya, his overall appearance was a lot sleeker, as if it was built for speed. The most unusual part about how he looked, however, was one you would normally never bat an eye at — he was wearing glasses… or, at least, that was what came to mind when seeing the thin wires twisted together around his fin ears to keep two pieces of colored glass in place in front of his eyes. He even adjusted them like how a human would adjust their glasses.
“Uraraka! Iida!”
Midoriya turned to greet the two, but looked just as nervous as he was happy to see them.
The two unfamiliar merfolk paused once they saw you, the briefest of moments passing before you saw their expressions shift into ones of realization. That you, the proverbial fish out of water in this situation, were the calmest one here was kind of funny, even with how bizarre this all was.
“Just what is the meaning of this?!”
Iida seemed to be the first to snap out of his shock, and he chopped his arm rapidly to gesture towards you as he focused his gaze on Midoriya, his other hand going up to adjust his glasses.
“Midoriya, I understand you have a fascination with Homo sapiens, but this is absurd! Gathering discarded curios is permissible, but smuggling in contraband of this sort is a very serious crime!”
The aforementioned boy moved to try and shield you from view. “Wait, it’s not what it looks like!”
“Whoa, a real-life human…?” Uraraka glided over, slipping under Midoriya’s arm to get a better look at you. Her hands were in front of her chest, her fingers pressed together as her wide eyes blinked. “Where’d you get them from? I thought humans are usually only found past the water.”
“O-Oh, uh… I was scavenging for more human articles earlier and happened to find them while they were… drowning…? There wasn’t any land nearby and I… I couldn’t just leave them there, so I conjured a magic bubble to use as an air supply and then brought them down here to rest.”
Uraraka smiled, turning her head to look at Midoriya. “That’s so like you, Deku.”
“Do you mean that in a good way, or…?”
You glanced between the pair as they stared at each other, smiles eventually settling onto both of their faces, before your eyes trailed over to Iida, who appeared to be in the middle of dealing with an internal struggle; it seemed like he was conflicted on whether or not he should continue to reprimand Midoriya, as the act of scolding the boy for the noble deed of “saving a life” wasn’t exactly right… even if some of his actions in carrying out the rescue turned out to be unlawful.
And, with that said, you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his previous words.
“Excuse me…?” You raised a hand slightly, watching all eyes land on you. “Yeah, uh, I’m just wondering why the words “contraband” and “serious crime” were used while referring to me?”
Uraraka let out a gasp. “Wow, they talk too?”
“It can speak…?” Iida blinked before he shook his head and forced the surprise that appeared on his face away, his gaze now directed straight at you. “I used such terms because it’s strictly forbidden to have any sort of contact with humans, much less bring one right into our home!”
You stared at Iida for a couple of seconds before glancing at Midoriya, whose face now held a darkened flush similar to the one earlier. His fin ears drooped down as his hands fidgeted with each other in front of his chest, an obvious expression of embarrassment displayed on his face, though he tried to smile once he noticed you looking at him, which still looked rather sheepish.
“Uh…” You looked back at Iida, attempting to smile too. “If it’s a huge issue, I can leave…?”
“Unfortunately, we can’t just let you go. This has now become a safety issue, not just for us but for the whole of our people. We’ll need to inform the local council of this matter and decide what to do from there. That will include bringing in any relevant evidence, which would include you.”
“...huh?”
- - - - -
Your breath was quickly taken away after you left the sanctity of Midoriya’s collection cavern, a world previously unknown to you greeting you the moment you stepped- er, swam outside. You could only get glimpses of the fantastical underwater structures, however, as the trio of merfolk kept moving you forward — and especially since Iida kept trying to hide you in the middle of the three to avoid having you be spotted by anyone else, stating that it would only cause unneeded panic if you were. There was also how you were being pulled and pushed along in the water at speeds you weren’t able to swim at on your own, which added to the difficulty of looking around.
You only got room to breathe — metaphorically — once your entourage managed to guide you into a large structure that resembled ancient ruins. The walls were crumbling, the pieces laying about the floor where they must’ve landed the day they broke off, and most of the surfaces had algae covering them, while seaweed and other plants grew out from the cracks in the stones.
The only indicator of “being in a building” were the distinct shapes of architecture, such as the doorways and window openings. You were more than sure that, if it wasn’t for the presence of those, you would have confused the ruins for just being a very large, very weird-looking cave.
But there was something more interesting than your surroundings… well, make it two things.
The two new individuals you were brought in front of looked to be a fair bit older than the trio that you had just barely gotten to know by now, who all appeared to be similar in age to you.
“You actually brought a human into our home, young Midoriya?”
Midoriya fidgeted before he nodded, looking uncertain of himself. “Y-Yeah…”
The merman in front of you was large — very large. That was for both his actual size and the muscles he had. He reminded you a lot of comic book superheroes with the way he was built, which only served to make him seem more intimidating than he already was… and what was what made you more than comfortable staying right behind Midoriya, as if he was a barrier to protect yourself with. While the Olympian-esque human upper-half was what first drew in your eyes, you couldn’t ignore that his lower-half looked less like a fish and more like a whale, only hammering in that he must be an important figure down here; whales were the largest animals on the planet, and you couldn’t think of what could take down a whale off the top of your head.
That said, you did notice he had gills instead of a blowhole, so maybe the fact he looked like a whale was purely aesthetic instead of actually denoting what he could possibly be capable of.
The large merman listened to the whole story from Midoriya, his hand on his chin.
“I see…”
The other merman let out a long sigh, his elongated fish tail slightly coiled up underneath him where he floated. He had an exhausted expression on his face, which was partly obscured by the bangs of his long black hair and the scarf — which almost resembled… seaweed? — that was wrapped loosely around his neck, but he didn’t look the least bit surprised at the situation.
That must mean that this kind of behavior was just expected of Midoriya.
“Very rarely do humans even get near any of our settlements, but this is the first time one has been brought here directly.” The tired merman’s gaze stopped on you briefly, which made you flinch, before he looked at the others. “We don’t exactly have a protocol for this situation. We’ll need to convene with the other council members to discuss this matter and devise a solution.”
The large merman nodded after his fellow council member finished speaking, his hands now on his hips. “That’s right! And you three are the only ones who know about the human’s presence?”
“Yes, sir!” Iida put his hand up in a salute, somehow standing up straight despite not having any legs. “I’ve ensured that the human was brought here stealthily as soon as I was aware of them!”
“Good! And as long as we keep this on the down-low, there shouldn’t be any consequences.”
The tired merman shifted his gaze to glare up at the large merman, his eyes narrowing. “There will be consequences, regardless. We don’t want to encourage this kind of reckless behavior.”
“Ah, Aizawa… young Midoriya was only trying to save a life. We can’t just punish someone for that in good conscience… what kind of lesson would we be teaching them in being so cruel?”
“Don’t let your favoritism soften you, All Might.”
You continued to peek over Midoriya’s shoulder at the two merfolk, watching them bicker over whether or not to discipline the person responsible for you still being in this world, until it came to a point where you decided to raise your hand and speak, interrupting them mid-discussion.
“So… uh, how long is this going to take? I’d like to go home, eventually… if possible…?”
Aizawa turned his head to look towards you again, blinking a few times in response to the fact that you spoke, before his expression settled back into one of annoyance. “Unfortunately, it will take some time for us to get everything in order… and if you’re deemed a threat in any capacity, even if just in the slightest sense of the word, then you won’t be returning home anytime soon.”
Your face must have made your fear at that thought more obvious than you would have wanted it to, because, quicker than you could come up with a response, the towering figure that was All Might approached you… and began gently patting you on the back. Your eyes trailed up his arm to land on his face, and the moment that they connected with his, he flashed you a wide smile.
“Don’t be so nervous, young human! It’s just formality, and I’ve no doubt you’ll be able to be on your way home in no time! I’ll plead your case personally during the meeting, just to make sure!”
“T-Thanks…?”
Though he had been the most intimidating thing you had seen so far during your time under the water, you couldn’t help but feel reassured by All Might’s words, as well as the smile he wore on his face. The way he acted with such certainty about the situation made you feel like you had no reason to worry, and it was as if he was used to making others feel safe around him; with that in mind, his name — “All Might” — sounded more like a title compared to the names everyone else you had met went by. That moniker must have been given to him because of this quality he had.
“All Might, you just met them.” Aizawa fiddled with his scarf, the strands of seaweed effortlessly floating around as he adjusted them. “And you shouldn’t make any promises you can’t keep.”
The large merman laughed. “Of course! That’s why I’ll do everything I can to make it happen!”
“So, um… where will the human be staying in the meantime?” Uraraka floated forward, coming to a gradual stop by your side and briefly glancing at you before directing her attention towards the two older merfolk. “Here? With one of us? You’re not going to… lock them up… are you?”
Aizawa sighed, his shoulders a bit tense, before he shook his head. “Not sure… but whatever the case, the human is not allowed to be unsupervised. Both for their safety, and for our own.”
“Then I’ll take responsibility!”
Midoriya threw up one of his hands, his body bolting up a couple meters within the water as if to bring focus to himself. He curled his hands into fists as a determined look appeared on his face.
“I’m the reason they’re here, so I’ll keep an eye on them myself until a decision is made.”
The two older merfolk shared a glance, before Aizawa finally shrugged in response.
“A-ha! Very good, young Midoriya!” All Might looked up at the boy and raised a hand to give him a thumbs-up. “Then we’ll place this task in your capable hands! I know you won’t disappoint us!”
Uraraka smiled as she placed her fingertips together. “I’ll help too! And based on everything I’ve learned about them from Deku, getting to hang out with a real-life human seems like it’ll be fun!”
“I shall lend my assistance as well!” Iida raised his hand up, his arm at the most perfect-looking ninety-degree angle you had ever seen. “But I assume we’ll need to keep the human away from public view, correct? If they were spotted, the mass panic that’d spread would be catastrophic.”
The quiet pause that followed was deafening… and then All Might let out a cough.
“Well, about that-”
- - - - -
“Do most people really not know what a human looks like? It seems like common knowledge!”
Uraraka stifled a giggle as Iida ranted beside her. “I think that’s ‘cause we spend so much time with Deku; he’s, like… the local expert. I hardly knew anything about humans before I met him.”
“That… makes sense.”
To your surprise, All Might and Aizawa let you leave the ancient underwater ruins with no fuss, under the condition that you were accompanied by Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida — at least, one of the three — at all times. The trio seemed to be trusted enough to watch over you for however long you remained in their home… and, despite only knowing them for a little less than an hour, you actually felt comfortable around them. They were people you would want to be friends with.
And what was more surprising was that they were allowed to take you around to show you the sights of their home. Their people had a cautious view — which bordered on downright fear for some of them — of humans, from what you had heard so far, but it turned out that most people in this underwater society had never actually seen a human before; you meeting three in a row that knew what a human looked like was just a stroke of luck on your part. That meant that you were free to roam without the risk of causing mass panic, which was another win for your luck.
If anyone asked, you were a “visiting primate”, and no one could refute that.
“So… do you guys have any, like… tourist spots around here…?”
Midoriya looked at you, curiosity held within his gaze. “Tourist… spots?”
You nodded with a small hum, your grip on the boy’s arm tightening briefly as you kicked your legs behind you in an attempt to swim with the three. They all swam so fast, so fluidly, that you would have been left behind to flounder around in the water if you didn’t latch onto one of them for a ride. You would hardly consider yourself to be swimming at all at this point because of it.
“Yeah. You know, interesting sights or places that would make people wanna come and check out your home. That Aizawa guy mentioned “settlements”, right…? So you guys obviously have a bunch of different areas to live, and that’s gotta mean each one has unique attractions that’d make people from other settlements want to visit, so… is there anything like that around here?”
“Uh…” Midoriya thought for a moment, before shaking his head. “I don’t think we have anything like that. We don’t really travel to any of the other settlements for fun, it’s mainly for if we have a need for food or specific habitation requirements, and those that travel often do so for business.”
“...that’s very logical of you guys. Boring, but logical.”
The fantastical nature of the sights of a merfolk settlement soon faded after you found yourself getting used to the structures these underwater people lived in as homes. The strange buildings were adorned with natural ocean greenery, reminding you of how some humans fancied putting potted plants on their porches to frame their doorways… though, unlike with those, if you hadn’t been aware that these were homes, you would have mistaken them for normal rocks that just so happened to have lots of marine plant life growing on them. The merfolk probably had some sort of natural instinct to camouflage their homes to avoid detection, now that you were thinking of it.
But something that you couldn’t mistake for a rock was the red and white scales you spotted in the distance, the merperson’s tail they belonged to a splash of metaphorical light among all the greys and greens of its surroundings. You couldn’t help but think of the koi fish you would see in the artificial ponds of really fancy establishments, the ones that were paid through the nose for.
“Todoroki!”
And given how the three around you reacted upon seeing that same sight, it was very obvious they were more than well-acquainted with the merperson that that striking tail was attached to.
Todoroki perked up at the sound of his friends’ voices, and redirected himself to swim towards them. The closer he drew near, the easier it was for you to see that red and white appeared to be his whole thing. His hair was split down the middle, and the ear fins he possessed followed the same contrast — red on his left and white on his right. That was also the rule when it came to the scales on his forearms, though his tail was more mixed than the rest of his body, with red splotches on a white base… and then his face had a large splatter of red scales on its left side.
“Midoriya. Uraraka. Iida.” Todoroki nodded as he greeted the three before he turned to you. He stared at you briefly, his expression hard to read. “...I’m sorry, I don’t believe that we’ve met?”
“Well, of course you haven’t!” Uraraka floated forward with a wide smile, her arms stretched in your direction to gesture towards you. “This is a real-life human! Deku recently found them!”
Todoroki slowly blinked, resuming staring at you for a moment more before he shifted his gaze to Midoriya. “You managed to add an actual human to your collection? That’s great, Midoriya.”
“A-Ah, they’re not a part of my collection!” Midoriya waved his hands in dismissal. “I just… well, happened to come across them and brought them here… they’re more of a… of a… u-um…”
He looked unsure, so you decided to speak up.
“A friend. I’m a friend.”
Midoriya perked up, his fin ears following suit. “Friend…?”
“That makes sense. Midoriya’s pretty good at making unusual friends.”
“I’d say I’m pretty average compared to most humans, so I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Uraraka grabbed your attention by gently grabbing your arm, her hands — the flesh as pink as bubblegum — feeling squeamishly-squishy as they pressed against your skin to hold it. “Maybe you’re considered average past the water, but everyone down here is going to think that you’re unique. You definitely stand out compared to any of us, but in a good way! You’re just so cool!”
You were unable to stop your face from settling into a deadpan expression at Uraraka’s words, and you looked between the four merfolk floating around you: two fish boys with colorful scales and flowing fins, one fish boy with a sleek and sharp build, and one jellyfish girl with a soft and floaty appearance. They brought to mind fish you would see in aquariums, the ones in the giant tanks that had the nice lighting that made their scales shimmer as water reflected on your face.
“Uh… to me, you’re the ones that look super distinct and unique.” You vaguely gestured around at the four. “Maybe you’re all just used to each other by now, but to someone like me who’s only just now met you? It’s a wild sight. Breathtaking, even. You’re all so… how do I put it? “Pretty”?”
The girl laughed, her pink cheeks seeming to get a bit pinker. “Okay, okay, I get it.”
You let out a small hum in response, before looking over to the three boys, only to see them all also looking a bit shy; there was Midoriya who was hiding his flushed face in his hands, and Iida who was struggling to keep a straight face. Todoroki just tilted his head, looking away from you.
And then you felt your own face warm up.
“U-Uh… how about we just continue the tour? Please?”
- - - - -
Your adventure around the settlement continued with your entourage of four fish folk, and the sight of other merpeople going about their day was a common one… though, when compared with how large the place was, there didn’t seem to be as many inhabitants as you would have thought there would be. The others, after you voiced your confusion aloud, explained that most members of their colony had temporarily migrated to other settlements for a variety of different reasons. Your luck succeeded again, with you arriving here when the population was fairly low.
The outskirts of the settlement appeared to have a fair bit more action occurring than there was within its borders as you spotted two individuals zipping around in the distance, but, due to how far away they were, it was hard for you to make out any details. The most you could gather was that one of them was sleek and grey while the other was spiky and orange. They moved quickly through the water, occasionally clashing their bodies together as they chased each other around rocks and through seaweed, and you found yourself oddly mesmerized watching the pair move.
You managed to glance at Midoriya, whose arm you still held. “Are those two… fighting?”
“Huh?” The boy looked in the direction you pointed, and realization crossed onto his face at the battle occurring in the distance. “Oh, that’s just Kacchan and Kirishima! They tend to spar a lot.”
“Is that something you guys do often for fun around here?”
“Ah… not really?” Midoriya gave a slight shrug. “Only those wanting to join the Guard spar a lot as they train and stuff, but Kacchan usually… kind of… well… he gets really extreme about it.”
Iida nodded. “His dedication to his goals is admirable, at the very least.”
“Wow, that’s interesting- hey, are they coming straight towards us?”
Your little group scattered like a school of fish spooked by a splash in the water, and you were grabbed by Midoriya in a reversal of your usual position with him as he dragged you out of the way. You felt how the water shifted around you as the two people locked in battle rushed right through where you had just been, the liquid mass no match against their forceful movements.
You could barely muster up anything to say from how sudden it all was while others from your group shouted out “Kirishima” and “Bakugo” at the two fighters, although you noticed Midoriya using the name “Kacchan” in place of the latter. That must be a nickname he used for Bakugo, given that he said it with such ease, similar to how Uraraka kept calling him “Deku” every time.
“You’re the ones who got in the way, extras!”
The one who yelled back at your group looked angry, and his facial expression was just one of the reasons why — his body language appeared rather aggressive, his fists clenched tight and his back hunched over. He was the one with orange scales, though they were of a deeper hue than Midoriya’s, and with him only a few meters away, you noticed he also had white and black scales forming a pattern around his body. His fins were long and pointy, serving as a warning to not touch him, especially with how they jutted out as he fought, spread wide as if trying to make him look as threatening as possible; he looked like a living explosion, if you squinted just a little.
“Whoa, I think we got a little too into it…! There’s no need to go yelling at them.”
The other one had a much calmer head on his shoulders, despite the spiky red hair sitting atop it like a red beacon. His scales were jagged, incredibly different from anything you had seen so far, and when you gave him a once-over, you realized he was a shark. While you knew that the reality of you getting attacked by a shark was low, there was still a part of you that was glad the type of fish each merperson was seemed to mostly only be for aesthetics’ sake, above all else.
“Shut up and die!”
Huh… so, the angry orange one must be Bakugo. You were told he got “really extreme” about fighting, and that didn’t seem to be the overstatement it sounded like it was at first, because he looked like he was out to kill. His opponent, Kirishima, didn’t appear to be slightest bit put off by his attitude, but since he and Bakugo apparently sparred often, perhaps he was just used to it.
The sight of the battle was just as, if not even more, mesmerizing up close as it had been when watching it from afar. The way the pair shot through the water in a chase before one of them got close enough to strike the other was something you could watch for hours… though the fact that you were in the splash zone snapped you out of that daze; you weren’t against activities looking to the audience for participants, but this was one you hoped wouldn’t end up involving that at all.
You already had to hold onto someone else to be pulled through the water at a decent pace, as long as you didn’t want to flail around like an idiot trying to keep up with them, so you were less than keen about being dragged into something as physical as a full-on brawl while underwater.
“Are you okay? I wasn’t too rough while grabbing you, was I?”
Midoriya’s voice snapped your attention to him, and you tried to smile.
“Oh, no, everything’s fine! I-I was just… a bit startled, that’s all…!” You waved your hand to the side. “I’ve never seen anyone swim so fast in the water before! And with such precision! Well, I guess humans aren’t exactly built for swimming like you guys, and I did just meet you all, so…”
Uraraka smiled as she put her hands together, her fingers pressed against each other. “If you’re impressed by that, then you should see Iida swim! I think he’s actually the fastest in our school!”
“Ah, well…” Iida straightened up at the mention of his name, one of his hands going up to adjust his glasses. “I’ll admit I was born with features well-suited for speed, but I also have a consistent training regime in place to ensure that I keep myself in top condition. I’m more than positive that, as long as they put forth such effort of their own, anyone can achieve quick speeds themselves.”
“I don’t know about that.” Uraraka continued to smile, though her expression now held an inkling of uncertainty as she looked down at her jellyfish half. Her hands came to rest on it, moving as if smoothing out a dress. “It’s difficult for me to go all that fast without the help of a water current.”
Todoroki’s ear fins perked up. “I can swim pretty fast, but only for short bursts.”
“Yes, but I’ve noticed that those “short bursts” of yours have gotten longer as of late, no doubt due to all the training you’ve put in.” Iida pointed out, the smile coming to his lips as he looked over at Todoroki appearing rather proud. “You’ve built up your stamina since you first started.”
“Midoriya’s gotten faster too.” Uraraka nudged Midoriya’s side with her elbow, causing the boy’s face to flush for the umpteenth time today. “Sometimes it’s hard to keep up once he gets going.”
Midoriya frantically waved his hands around in front of his face. “I-I just… happen to think that it’s a good skill to have… s-so that I can dash onto the scene whenever someone needs help.”
Ah.
“...man, and I’m just struggling to keep up with you guys when you’re swimming casually.” You shook your three free limbs around to show them off, the one you kept locked in its position the arm connected to the hand you still held onto Midoriya’s arm with. “But that’s probably ‘cause I have legs instead of fins. Good for climbing and running… but not exactly made for swimming.”
“Really?” Uraraka looked down at your legs, blinking a few times. “But Tsu also has legs, and she’s able to swim alongside us just fine. She’s easily able to outswim me in a race, at least.”
“Damnit, why are you extras still here? I can’t concentrate with all your yapping!”
You suddenly found Midoriya’s face mere centimeters from yours, the boy having zipped to be right in front of you. The sharp spines belonging to Bakugo’s fins were currently jabbed into the back of your hero — he was two for two now — and it didn’t take long for it to sink in that those biological knives growing on Bakugo’s body would have hit you if not for Midoriya’s intervention.
Bakugo pushed himself back, his fins spread out in an aggressive display. “Tch.”
The cries of worry from Midoriya’s friends were met by a weak chuckle from him, a dazed look on his face as he started sinking slightly. “D-Don’t worry, I’m fine… this happens all the time…”
Iida quickly grabbed onto the sinking goldfish with Todoroki’s help, one on each side of him as they held him up, before the bespectacled boy sternly looked up at Bakugo. “Bakugo, that was completely uncalled for and unnecessarily dangerous! Someone could’ve gotten seriously hurt!”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be floating around an active battlefield!”
“I think this is a good time to stop, yeah…?” Kirishima patted Bakugo on the back with a slight smile. “There’s no reason to get so heated, and, besides, we don’t want to wear ourselves out.”
“You’re only saying that ‘cause you know you were losing!”
You curled and uncurled the fingers of the hand that used to be holding onto Midoriya’s arm, a few seconds passing before you realized you were basically free-floating now, and you quickly reached out to grab a hold of Uraraka. Her forearm squished under your touch, and you pulled yourself behind her, peeking around her as you used her as a barrier between you and Bakugo.
“Uraraka, I’m scared. Is he always like this…?”
“Um… unfortunately?”
“Hah?! Bold for a freak like you to judge me!”
You shrank behind Uraraka when Bakugo directed his attention towards you, and you realized that speaking had been a bad move. You almost died once already, and it was way too soon for you to face the possibility of meeting your maker again; you still hadn’t processed the last time.
“They may look a little weird, but they’re not a freak.” Todoroki had a frown on his face, but he looked otherwise unbothered by everything that was currently happening. “They’re a human.”
“Whoa, a human?”
Kirishima swam towards you and Uraraka, but stopped more than an arm’s length away, and kept the jellyfish girl between you and him, leaving you a comfortable bubble for your personal space. His lips curved up into a smile as he looked at you, his eyes widening as interest began to sparkle within them. You were surprised you weren’t as scared as you thought you would be when face-to-face with a shark boy, but he did seem to be quite the decent guy to you so far.
“That thing’s a human?”
And Bakugo was seeming like anything but a decent guy. He didn’t hesitate to rush forward and attempt to push Uraraka away to get a better look at you, the interest in his gaze appearing a lot more like the scrutinizing variety, but, luckily, Uraraka had grabbed onto you moments before he could put his hands on her. Her soft self squished into you with every one of Bakugo’s attempts.
“That’s pathetic! Why are we so scared of humans if they look like that?” Bakugo clenched his hand into a fist as his fins spread out, his lips turning up into a smile that had an aura that was anything but friendly. ”Come on! I bet that I could take this human down with a single attack!”
You yelped as you hugged Uraraka tighter, the living stress-ball keeping her own arms wrapped around you, and felt tension in your gut rise. You were scared, plain and simple, and felt utterly helpless to change that — even if you tried your hardest to swim away and disengage, you were basically a crawling toddler to a merperson’s champion sprinter, and just the thought of having a creature like Bakugo rush up behind you with intent to kill made you want to squeal out in fright.
And what about the magic bubble around your head?
The magic bubble survived with you so far, but maybe it would pop because of Bakugo’s sharp spines when he rammed into you, or maybe it would somehow miraculously hold while you bled out after getting impaled. There was also the possibility of the aggressive boy’s bright coloration signaling he had some kind of venom — death by poisoning wasn’t much better than drowning.
Todoroki was left holding up Midoriya on his own as Iida darted to stop Bakugo, Kirishima also rushing to join the swordfish to have the advantage in numbers against your possible-attacker.
“Absolutely not!” Iida spread his arms out to block Bakugo’s path. “Such violence is completely unnecessary! The local council is already debating about this human’s presence in our home at this very moment! Causing injury to them, even mildly, would only cause more trouble than not!”
Kirishima put a hand on Bakugo’s shoulder. “Attacking them unprovoked is too much, Bakugo. If they’re hanging out with Midoriya and the others, I don’t think there’s any reason to fight them.”
“Y-Yeah…!”
Midoriya piped up, managing to focus his gaze at Bakugo despite his dazed state.
“They’re our friend, Kacchan!”
“...seriously? “Friend”?” Bakugo’s sharp spines spread out further as his lips pulled back into a grimace, his eyebrows furrowing even deeper as he focused his glare on the goldfish, who met it despite struggling to keep his head up. “Ever since we were young, those old has-beens have been telling us that humans are a threat to our people… and you made friends with it, Deku?”
“Maybe a lot of humans are threats, but not this one!” Uraraka held you tightly, pushing herself back to put more space between you and Bakugo. “Deku saved them from drowning! He saved their life! They wouldn’t do anything to hurt us after he did that for them! I know they wouldn’t!”
Bakugo blinked as his fins began to droop. “Drowning…?”
“Yes, drowning.” Iida nodded. “I believe Midoriya has already mentioned this to you before, but humans are unable to breathe underwater. They don’t have gills like we do, so they experience suffocation when submerged for too long, which can result in death if the individual undergoing the ordeal is unable to surface within a timely manner. Midoriya found this human in the middle of such an experience, and was luckily able to help them in avoiding such an excruciating fate.”
Bakugo blinked again before looking away from Iida and towards you, his mouth hanging open as he did… which lasted for but a second before he began yelling again. “You almost got killed by water?! You’re not worth my time if you’re that weak…! Are all humans that disappointing?”
“H-Hey…!” You put your hands on Uraraka’s shoulders, anchoring yourself, as you leaned over to look at Bakugo, your face starting to warm up. “How about you go crawl up onto land and see how far you get without lungs in nothing but air? You’d struggle just as much as I do in water…!”
“I’m not weak like you so I’d be just fine!”
“That’s not how that works!”
Todoroki looked down when Midoriya shifted in his arms, the latter sporting a shaky smile.
“They’re… they’re getting along. That’s good…”
The koi resumed looking over at Bakugo and you, now locked into a shouting match with each other as your opponent declared he would literally be better at anything you could possibly do; that included walking on land despite him not having any legs since you “suck at having them”.
“...you really do have such unusual friends.”
- - - - -
The tour of the merpeople settlement managed to continue after the chaos settled down, your group — consisting of you, the original three you met, Todoroki, Kirishima, and even Bakugo — swimming around and looking at whatever you came across until you finally ended up back at the ancient ruins. The local council was still in the middle of their discussion, and each person you met was individually summoned, one-by-one, into the meeting room to go talk about you.
You were nervous to think about what each of them would say about you, but…
…you hoped you made a good impression.
The decision seemed to be finalized pretty quickly, all things considered. Aizawa had said that it would take a while, so you expected things to drag along, but maybe luck was just on your side.
Sure, you almost drowned earlier, but you were saved by Midoriya.
Sure, you had been stuck in the middle of the ocean in a previously-unknown-to-you society, but the fish folk you met had been — mostly — friendly, and exploring it had been actually really fun.
The local merperson council, taking into account the first-hand testimony of those you had met, decided that you were not a threat to their home or people, especially since you promised to not speak a word of any of this to anyone back home. You explained how it was the least you could do in return for Midoriya saving your life, even though nothing could ever fully repay him for that.
You were to be sent home as quickly, and quietly, as possible.
Midoriya was even happier than you were to hear that news… until he then realized he never actually got the chance to ask you any questions about humans. You had no idea how he did it, but, somehow, this fish boy gave off the aura of a sad puppy after his realization, and you found yourself unable to just leave him like that. The guilt would have haunted you the rest of your life.
That was why you decided to give him a rapid-fire Q&A session before you had to leave.
“What environments are humans most suited to living in?”
“We can survive almost anywhere. If you see land, just assume humans live there.”
“What kind of diet do humans have?”
“We’ll eat almost anything, sans those with restrictions for health or personal reasons.”
“What activities do humans usually participate in for fun?”
“We… it’s kind of hard to explain. Singing, dancing, fighting… pretty much anything.”
The way Midoriya’s fins fluttered at every answer you gave made a fuzzy warmth bloom inside your chest, and you would have happily spent all day answering his questions if you were able to, but, alas, your time among the fish folk was limited, and quickly coming to a complete close.
“This is Asui Tsuyu. She’ll be the one escorting you during the journey.”
Aizawa gestured to the girl floating next to him, who looked around your age and — just like all the rest — was obviously not human. That said, she didn’t look much like a fish either. Her skin was slick and green on a majority of her body, and her legs had a very distinctive appearance.
Frog.
The girl was a frog.
“Tsuyu…? Ah, wait, I remember Uraraka mentioning a “Tsu” earlier! Is that you?” You looked at the girl with a smile. “She mentioned someone with legs, and you’ve definitely got legs, all right.”
“Oh, did Ochaco mention me?” Asui tilted her head, a finger coming to rest on her chin. “I guess I do stand out from everyone else because of my legs. Guess we’ve got that in common, ribbit.”
Your group now consisted of you, Asui, Aizawa, and All Might at this point, all of the friends you had made having been sent away while preparations for your departure were being set up. That you had spent so much time with the others just to have your going-away party with people you didn’t know as well was a bit sad, but you had actually been given an okay amount of time with the others to say goodbye, so it didn’t feel as if you were being forced to leave with no warning.
You clutched your clothes close to your chest, making sure you had everything that you arrived here with, before looking at Aizawa and All Might. “So… how exactly is this going to work? Like, are we just gonna go for a really long swim, or…? I don’t know about you, but that sounds tiring and I don’t think I could handle that. I don’t even know how my body is handling this right now.”
All Might threw back his head to laugh, the smile on his face still confident. “Worry not, young human! Just hold my hand and think of your destination! Where do you need to be heading?”
“Um…” You reached out, placing your hand on All Might’s huge palm when he offered it. “...well, the cruise ship I was on… er, where was it supposed to dock? Oh, I remember! It would be at-”
The moment you muttered the location, a light began shining from All Might’s hand, and he took it back before turning away from you. He pulled back his arm, the muscles on it and his shoulder flexing with the movements, and, before you could blink, he thrusted it forward for a hefty punch.
“ATLANTICA… SMASH!”
The water shifted violently around the moment All Might threw the punch, the stream it formed clearly visible to the naked eye; it was a water current of sorts, though it looked to be moving a lot faster than what should be naturally possible. There was also how it was softly glowing, the light reminding you of the lights used in aquariums… so, yeah, it certainly wasn’t normal at all.
You blinked a few times as you stared at it. “Okay… so, um… wow…”
“Remember, you are not to mention anything you’ve seen here to other humans.” Aizawa tilted his head down as he looked at you with a stern gaze, and as he narrowed his eyes, you swore they bore a reddish glint for the briefest of moments. “I can’t say that I myself trust you, but you hold the trust of many that reside down here. Don’t make us regret our decision to let you go.”
“My lips are sealed. I… wouldn’t know how to describe any of this, anyways.”
All Might sent you a thumbs-up. “We wish you safe travels, young human.”
You nodded, managing a smile as you returned the thumbs-up, before glancing at Asui.
“...so, should I just hold on, or-”
“Ribbit!”
You felt something suddenly wrap around your waist and pull you to Asui’s back, and after you wrapped an arm around her neck to anchor yourself, you saw that she had used her tongue to hold onto you for extra support. You didn’t have time to feel disgust or surprise towards it before she darted into the water current, the change in the water pressure making your head feel light.
You had to take a few moments to get used to the change in pressure, and once you were able to lift your head up from where it had been buried in Asui’s neck, you saw that the water current was basically like a tunnel… but made of water. You weren’t able to see anything outside of the walls, the water spinning around to keep everything else out, and it was also surprisingly silent.
The look of it made you think you would hear rushing water, but there was only a faint trickle.
“H-Hey, so, what is this, by the way? I’ve never heard of something like this before…”
“It’s a magic water current.”
“Oh, more magic. Like the magic bubble?”
“Yep.” Asui nodded, her gaze focused forward. “If we need to get somewhere real fast, using a magic water current is the best way to travel. It’s faster than a normal one, and a lot safer too.”
“I assume that means you guys usually use these to travel around, then?”
“Not really. Creating a magic water current is actually pretty difficult. All Might’s one of the few people capable of making one, and, even then, it still takes a lot of effort for him to do it, ribbit.”
“Ah… makes sense.”
The trip lasted only a few minutes at most, the end of the water current opening to a section of ocean a few kilometers from a beach, and you watched as the ocean floor began to go into an upwards incline the closer that beach drew near. You hadn’t even been underwater for that long, but the sight of dry land made you feel an incredible sense of relief, manifesting in a huge smile.
“Okay, this should be the place, ribbit.”
“Right! Thanks, Asui!”
“You can call me Tsu. That’s what all my friends call me.”
Asui leapt out of the water and onto the beach once she drew close enough to the shore, her tongue loosening itself from around your waist after she set you down onto the sand carefully, and you took a moment to look around. The sun was barely over the horizon, meaning it had to be early morning, and you were standing just a short walk away from the dock the ship was at.
Oh.
And the bubble apparently popped the moment you left the water.
You tasted the salty sea air on your tongue as you took in a deep breath, the feeling of actual fresh air entering your lungs a little weird, but also good. You had missed this, you really did.
You looked back at Asui with a smile.
“Thank you, Tsu!”
The frog tilted her head as she blinked, a croak leaving her throat. That… didn’t sound like the cute “ribbits” she made before, but instead like a noise that an actual, normal frog might make.
“Uh-huh…?”
Asui made a few more noises before it clicked.
You couldn’t understand her anymore, and when you thought about it, you had never actually questioned how you and the merfolk you met spoke the same language. The chance that you and them could naturally understand each other was low — your luck may be good, but there was no way that it was that good — so it must be because of one thing and one thing alone.
Magic.
Your lips turned down into a frown briefly, before you decided to smile and raise a hand.
Asui blinked, and you noticed the corners of her lips turning up to form a faint smile. The frog nodded as she gave you a wave back, before she turned away from you and leaped back into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves in a matter of seconds, and leaving you… alone.
You looked out at the water, warm hues gradually appearing in the sky as the sun rose. There was a bit of commotion at the dock, passengers from the cruise ship disembarking as workers dealt with making sure everything ran smoothly, of which the sounds of echoed in the distance, and you simply stood there, coming to terms with what happened and why you were here now.
You were now back on land… and what you experienced started to feel like a hazy dream.
Did any of that really even happen at all…?
You sighed as you wrung your clothes out, putting them on before looking towards the dock.
Summary: “A Christmas surprise party with a Liyuean twist — the perfect gift planned for you by the two young girls who wanted you to feel more at home. How could you NOT have fun with it?”
Word Count: ~10.4k
The pleasant fragrance of mixed herbs, similar to the bunches of purple and white ones held in your arms, hit your nose as you stepped through the doorway of Bubu Pharmacy, the figures of two small girls by your side. With the variety of medicinal herbs stored within its walls, it was no surprise that it smelled great whenever you visited, no matter whether morning, noon, or night.
“Your Grace…? Why, I certainly hope you’re not here because you require my aid?”
Your gaze rose from the herbs to see Baizhu with a smile on his face, subtle surprise etched into his expression. Changsheng matched his gaze, raising her head up to better look at you.
“Oh, I’m fine, doc. I was just helping Qiqi with her wildcrafting.” You lifted your arms up just so, showing off everything you gathered with a proud smile, as the aforementioned zombie raised her own arms up to place the batch of herbs she collected on the counter. “I had to climb along so many cliffs and mountain peaks, but I got ‘em! I didn’t let a single one I saw go unplucked!”
Baizhu seemed to get more surprised, but it quickly melted into a calmer smile. “You needn’t exert yourself like that, Your Grace, but I thank you for your assistance. It’s much appreciated.”
You handed the herbs to Herbalist Gui, who visibly jolted when your hand brushed against his during the exchange. He excused himself so quickly after that he almost tripped and dropped the bundles everywhere, but managed to get away with everything held tightly in his arms and a flustered look on his face. It wasn’t anything that you weren’t already fully used to at this point.
“Aw, there’s no need to be so formal with me. In fact, if you ever need some rare or hard-to-get ingredient, you can always ask me. It’s no trouble at all! I like helping you and Qiqu out, honest.”
“Hmm… then I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Your Grace, you worked really hard today!” Yaoyao piped up, drawing your attention to her and her bright smile. “I think you deserve a break! We can handle anything else that comes up.”
You lightly exhaled. “Huh? I know I said I did a lot, but I’m actually not that tired-”
“I insist! In fact, I’m sure my master would love to sit down and have tea with you. It’s been some time since you’ve personally visited her, right? She still talks a lot about the last time!”
“I… guess I can go see her, then?” You were still smiling, if a bit confused now, but you waved off the four as you began to leave. “I’ll see you all around. Don’t get into too much trouble, ‘kay?”
The moment you were out of sight, down the pharmacy’s stairs, Yaoyao turned to her friend.
“You got everything written down, right?”
“...mmm, yeah.”
The zombie slowly took out her notebook, flipping it open to the newest page, which was filled with scribbles. Her handwriting made it hard to make out some words, but a closer look made most of them legible enough to read; some of the words were bigger than others, emphasizing their importance, but the biggest one was centered almost in the middle — “Christmas”.
Yaoyao smiled brightly, gently taking the notebook out of Qiqi’s hands and holding it up as she looked at it. “Perfect! Now we can make sure to tell everyone about everything we learned!”
“And what’s this about?” Baizhu peered down at the girls from his spot behind the counter. “Scheming behind Their Grace’s back after getting Them to leave? That’s not very nice.”
Changsheng scoffed. “It’s downright rude!”
“It’s for a good reason! Well… sort of.” Yaoyao turned the notebook around to show the doctor its pages. “While we were gathering herbs, Their Grace started telling us about Their home, and They mentioned this one celebration… “Criss-miss”? That’s how They pronounced it. And, They seemed a bit sad when talking, so I’ve decided that we should throw Them a “Christmas party”!”
Qiqi raised her arms in the air, mimicking Yaoyao. “Party…!”
“Oooh…” There was a hint of interest in Baizhu’s smile. “That sounds quite nice.”
“Yeah, and everyone can help make it a big surprise!” Yaoyao closed the notebook and gave it back to Qiqi. “So forgive me, Dr. Baizhu, but I have to borrow Qiqi for a bit. We’ve a lot to plan!”
“Very well, but stay safe, you two!”
The doctor called out as the two girls set out, hand in hand as they took the first step towards their goal — throwing the Divine Creator a surprise “Christmas party” with the other vessels.
- - - - -
There was always one thing on the top of your to-do list whenever you visited Liyue, and that was making a trip to Wanmin Restaurant. Even when the other restaurants tried to catch your attention, you usually passed them by; they weren’t bad at all, by any means, but there was just something about Wanmin that dragged you back in for a meal whenever you were in the harbor.
And Chef Mao never complained about the big boost of business he got after one of your visits.
“Chef Mao!”
You smiled at the man as you approached, the delicious scents wafting from the restaurant’s kitchen already invading your nostrils from half a street away. You were able to identify some of the restaurant’s dishes by scent alone, but there were also new ones you weren’t familiar with.
“Your Grace, it’s an honor!” Chef Mao smiled at you from his spot behind the counter. “Are you having your usual today? I always stock up on extra ingredients whenever I hear you’re around.”
You let out a long hum. “Maybe… but I’m also feeling kind of adventurous today…”
The sight of a familiar panda-esque bear poking his head out around the corner of the doorway to the kitchen cut off your train of thought, your smile reappearing as you turned towards him.
“Oh, Guoba! Hello!”
The bear flinched at being spotted, hurrying back into the kitchen and leaving you staring at the spot he had just been in. You couldn’t ignore the clanging of metal that soon followed from inside the kitchen, before hearing a familiar voice exclaim, “They’re here?! Right now?!”, which in itself was followed by the restaurant’s head chef stumbling out of the kitchen, Guoba on her heels.
Xiangling looked a bit unkempt, dusting herself off before looking at you with a smile.
“Your Grace, it’s an honor!”
Like father, like daughter.
“Xiangling, are you…” You gave her a once-over, taking note of the various splatters of colorful spices and sauces decorating her from head-to-toe, like an abstract art-piece. “...okay?”
Her smile became sheepish as she followed your gaze, looking down at herself briefly before looking back up at you. “Aha… yeah, I was just… surprised you’re here. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Oh… sorry for the surprise. I just wanted to get some lunch.”
Xiangling nodded. “Then I’ll get right on that! The usual?”
“Actually, something smells really good in the kitchen. What’re you cooking?”
“Uh, it’s… um… I’m kind of just working something new out, I…”
Xiangling averted her eyes, her gaze looking at everything but you before it ended up on Guoba, asking him for help. The bear lightly flinched, his own eyes widening as he babbled incoherently.
“Oh, Your Grace.”
The cool tone of Shenhe’s voice cut through the air, cutting off Guoba and almost forcing your attention to shift itself over to her. Her hands held a large wooden crate that leaned against her body, the contents no doubt too heavy for any mere mortal to lift despite the ease at which the woman in front of you was handling it, and you watched as she calmly looked at Xiangling.
“Here. I gathered everything you said you might need for your secret dishes.”
That made you look at Xiangling again. “Oooh, secret dishes?”
The head chef looked ready to pass out, before she quickly shook her head and calmed down.
“W-Well, you see…” Xiangling fidgeted before she sighed, only to perk up moments later as an idea entered her head. “Actually, I could use your help. Yaoyao recently told me that you told her about this thing called “Christmas”...? And she mentioned a few dishes that are supposed to be made for it, but I’m struggling to figure them out since all I’ve got are the names of the dishes.”
“You’re… trying to make Christmas dishes?”
Xiangling nodded. “Yep! Because, you know… it’s food from another world! Your world! I’d really like to learn how to make dishes from your home, Your Grace! I’m sure they’re super tasty!”
That made perfect sense to you.
“You don’t need to be nervous asking for help, Xiangling. I’d be glad to give you a hand.”
“Thank you, Your Grace!”
You ended up sitting down at one of the nearby tables — even though it wasn’t necessarily a quiet hour for business, one table quickly became cleared up once you needed it — after your order was made with Xiangling right by your side, the chef eagerly listening as you told her all about some of the more common Christmas dishes that came to your mind between bites of your lunch. You tried your best to explain the dishes as much as you could, sparing no detail.
The variety was wide, from baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes… even if you never personally had some of the dishes you listed out, you still named them and described what you had heard they were like.
“Oh, and there’s usually a roasted turkey.”
Xiangling blinked, an interested glimmer in her eyes. “Turkey?”
“Yeah, it’s… a kind of bird. I don’t think Teyvat has anything quite like them, though… oh!” You raised your utensils up, pointing at Xiangling. “There’s this one dish called a “Turducken” that some people have, where you stuff a chicken into a duck, then stuff that duck into a turkey.”
“So it’s a… three-bird roast?”
“Yep!”
“That sounds interesting… and I could do the chicken and duck part, but without a turkey…”
“I think some people use a goose instead of a turkey.” You lightly tapped your chin with your utensils. “Even in my world, turkeys are only available and easy to obtain in certain areas.”
Xiangling thought for a moment, before a smile returned to her face and she nodded.
“Alright, I think I can do that… no, I definitely can do that! I’ll make the best Christmas dishes ever! I can’t wait to try them myself! Thank you so much for all of your help, Your Grace!”
“It’s no problem.” You laid your utensils down on your empty dish, wiping your mouth off with a napkin before you stood up. “I just hope you allow me to taste-test them when you’re done.”
Xiangling let out a slight laugh, looking away nervously. “Y-Yeah, of course you’ll be able to!”
You gave Shenhe a word of thanks as she collected your empty lunch dishes, and gave Chef Mao and Xiangling a hearty wave goodbye as you left, only making it past the neighboring shop before a horde of people rushed by you. You glanced over your shoulder to see them all queuing up at the restaurant, and sighed from knowing that you were the sole reason for the lunch rush.
Xiangling loudly exhaled the moment you were out of sight, her whole body relaxing at the same time. Guoba copied her movements, before smiling up at the young girl and babbling briefly.
“Shenhe!” Xiangling’s cheeks puffed out a bit as she looked up at the tall woman. “Please be more careful! I’m lucky I was able to get some advice out of it and that Their Grace didn’t catch onto the plan, but it would’ve been super bad if They found out! It would’ve ruined the surprise!”
Shehne blinked. “...ah, my apologies, but I did state that your new dishes are a secret, didn’t I?”
“You’re not supposed to say that it’s a secret out loud!”
“Ahem, Xiangling! Shenhe! I could use a little help here!”
The two ladies — and Guoba — looked over to see Chef Mao overwhelmed at the restaurant’s counter. They could hear most of the customers asking for “what the Divine Creator ordered”.
“Sorry, dad! We’ll be right on it!”
Xiangling and Guoba hurried back into the kitchen, the clanging of metal starting up again as they began to prep food to serve, and Shenhe returned to the dining area to clean the tables so that some of the customers would have a place to sit when dining on the day’s “popular dish”.
Chef Mao sighed. “...and this is why I make sure to order extra ingredients.”
- - - - -
Even with many pairs of eyes staring at you for almost the entire time you were passing by, walking around Liyue Harbor was usually a peaceful and pleasant experience; the stares you received from the locals were mostly of awe, and they never tried to get into your actual space, instead always keeping a respectful distance that allowed your walk to go without a hindrance.
But those were just the behaviors of the normal folk.
Your vessels were of a completely different sort.
“Your Grace…!”
You had been strolling near the docks, admiring the ships out at sea, only to look in front of you to see Xinyan — who had called out to you — and Yun Jin coming to a stop before you. The two had to take a minute to catch their breath, Xinyan even having to place her hands on her knees.
“Xinyan? Yun Jin?” You looked between the two performers with a concerned frown on your lips, your eyebrows furrowed. “Are you two alright? Why were you running? Is something wrong…?”
The rocker stood up straight with a smile on her face, shaking her hands out as she shook her head. “It’s nothing bad, Your Grace. Whew, I just finished up a real blazin’ performance, so-”
“Halt!”
Your head swiveled in the direction of the shout, seeing the two girls follow suit from the corner of your eye, just to see a couple of Millelith soldiers with gazes solely focused on Xinyan. They came to a stop next to you and the performers, not having to catch their breath like the latter.
The rocker frowned. “Shoot.”
The two soldiers stared Xinyan down, one tapping his polearm on the ground. “Miss Xinyan, you have been charged with multiple fire code violations. You can’t just keep running away from us.”
“The only thing that got burned was the stage I built myself…”
“That’s not an excuse. Someone still could have gotten hurt.”
“Oh, okay… that makes sense.” You smiled at Xinyan. “You were running from the law, huh?”
The sound of your voice, your tone a bit amused, made the soldiers finally take notice of your presence, and the way they were taken aback to realize that it was you made your smile grow just a little bit more. Their eyes went wide, and they seemed to lose any and all strength in their stances — if only for a moment before they corrected themselves, their faces now a light pink.
“Ack- the Divine Creator?”
The soldiers fumbled with their weapons before bowing to you.
“Forgive us for not acknowledging you, Your Grace. It was rude of us!”
“It’s not a big deal, guys. You two are just doing your jobs, focusing on handling crime-”
Your attention briefly shifted itself back to Xinyan, who was clearly trying to tell you something through just her gaze and body posture. Her head made wide turns as she looked between you and the Millelith soldiers, the sparkle in her eyes conveying a plea as dramatic as a rock opera.
“BUT…! You can leave Xinyan to me.”
The rocker pumped a fist at your words, smiling wide once you received her signal.
“I’m sure you have more important matters that take precedence over this situation? I can make sure that Xinyan receives a punishment befitting her fire code violations. Consider it dealt with.”
The soldiers blinked a few times, before glancing at each other.
“Is… is that allowed?”
“It’s the Divine Creator. They should be able to handle it… right?”
They looked back at you after a quiet moment of deliberation amongst themselves, giving you a nod in affirmation. “Very well. We shall leave this matter in your capable hands, Your Grace.”
You continued to smile as you watched the soldiers hesitantly leave, casting glances over their shoulders at you before they disappeared out of your sight, before you looked at the performers.
“...I’m surprised that that worked. I didn’t think they’d accept that I have any authority for this.”
“But it’s a good thing it did!” Xinyan smiled. “Thanks for helping me out, Your Grace!”
Yun Jin hummed as her head tilted. “What kind of punishment would you even give Xinyan?”
You thought for a moment, putting a finger on your chin, before you smiled again.
“Eternal banishment?”
“Aw, shucks.” Xinyan continued to smile brightly, even as faux disappointment laced itself into her voice and a small chuckle escaped her lips. “Ain’t that just a bit too harsh, Your Grace?”
You snorted, rolling your eyes before focusing on the rocker again. “I suppose so. Just be more careful, okay? I doubt you’d actually end up hurting someone during a performance, but still.”
“Since you’re the one saying to, Your Grace…”
You shared another small laugh with Xinyan before noticing Yun Jin perk up, her eyes widening as if she had just had a sudden thought, and you found her red eyes looking right into your eyes.
“Oh, Your Grace, if you have the time, we actually require some of your help-”
“Well, now, what’s with all the commotion here?”
With the suddenness of a cheap indie jumpscare, a familiar figure popped up from between your little trio, springing onto her feet with her usual smile plastered on her face. The question of when she had snuck so close was wholly forgotten as Xinyan, Yun Jin, and you reacted appropriately.
“Wha- Hu Tao!” You clutched a hand to your chest. “Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?”
“Oh, no, no no! It’s far too early for you three!” The unwavering smile of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor director did little to soothe you, especially when she winked. “But… if you’re ever feeling unwell, Your Grace, I hope you’ll choose our humble business to make your exit a smooth one!”
“Director Hu, I highly doubt Their Grace will require our services anytime in the near future.”
“Hehe, you can never know~!”
The director was, of course, accompanied by the parlor’s consultant. His golden gaze moved from his boss to you, a hint of fondness softening the stoic expression displayed on his face.
“Zhongli!” You smiled at the sight of the consultant, Yun Jin and Xinyan greeting him with a bow and a wave respectively. “Am I to assume you two are currently on another advertising kick?”
“Yep, yep!” Hu Tao nodded. “New clients are always guaranteed, but we still must make sure all potential clients know exactly where all their farewell needs will be dealt with the proper respect.”
You hummed before looking at Zhongli. “And how many future clients have you two convinced?”
“The director… managed to get plenty of attention towards our business.”
Hu Tao playfully laughed. “Hey now, only time will tell how many clients take up our offer.”
You snorted and shook your head. “You… are certainly a handful, Hu Tao.”
“Mmm-hmm! But enough about me! What’s been going on with you three? While passing by, I couldn’t help but notice that you three all seemed to be having quite an interesting time together.”
“Just saving Xinyan from the Millelith, I suppose- oh!” You swiveled on your heel to face Yun Jin once more. “Right, you were asking for my help with something? What do you need from me?”
Yun Jin perked up again, seeming to remember she was about to request something before the shock of the funeral parlor’s staff arrival interrupted her, and nodded. “That’s right, Your Grace. I was just going to ask you about… I believe it’s called “Christmas” music? Yaoyao told us about it recently, and we were interested in learning more about it. We hoped that you’d help with that.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah!” Xinyan sported a brief look of confusion on her face before she also nodded, a smile appearing on her lips. “It sounds mighty interesting, Your Grace! I’d love to learn enough to perform music from your world! I’m sure there're plenty of rockin’ tunes you could tell us about.”
It took you a moment to process what they had said.
“You guys… want to learn about Christmas music?”
“Oooh!” Hu Tao leaned over your shoulder. “Music from Their Grace’s world? Count me in!”
Your gaze moved between the three ladies — the rocker, the opera singer, and the poet — who all stared back at you with interested gazes, before it flickered over to Zhongli, whose demeanor was more alert than it usually was around you… which you honestly should have expected; that he of all people would be interested in learning more about you in any capacity was no surprise.
“Uh… I guess I can teach you guys the songs I know? But don’t expect me to write down any of the melodies or anything. I have no skills in musical notation, especially if it’s just from memory.”
Xinyan waved her hand in dismissal. “You can just sing them for us, Your Grace.”
“Wha- wait, what? Me, sing?”
“To hear the Divine Creator sing…” Zhongli mused to himself, arms crossed with a finger held up to his chin. “...that would be quite the honor. It would make Glaze Lilies full-bloom, no doubt.”
You let out a weak laugh. “I-I’m not too sure about that…”
“Aw, come on, come on!” Hu Tao grabbed onto your shoulder, leaning in even closer, her face inches from your own. “Some people would find the chance to hear you sing worthy to die for!”
You took in a sharp inhale as you practically felt the hopes and expectations emitting from the four people around you, and eventually let out a long sigh, your shoulders coming to a slump.
“...fine, but how about we all go somewhere… not so public first?”
- - - - -
The two blue-haired boys in front of you each had a different expression on their face, one of which was a look of concern — though he was clearly trying to keep himself cool at the same time — while the other was fighting to hide the subtle hints of a smirk creeping onto his lips.
Your own face was a perfect display of confusion. “I… I’m sorry? What is this about?”
“Your Grace, I’ve heard rumors of a… a “Christmas” demon! But I’m unfortunately without any knowledge on what type of fiend it may be. I’m going to require your assistance to exorcise it.”
You stared at the young exorcist in front of you for a few seconds before looking to the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, catching him hiding his laughter and disguising a snort that escaped as a cough with a closed fist over his mouth, and you slowly furrowed your eyebrows.
…that explains it.
“Well-” You looked at Chongyun again. “-the only Christmas “demon” I know of is “Krampus”.”
Chongyun raised a hand to his chin. “Such a sinister name… please, can you tell me everything you know about it? I must know as much as I can about the fiend in order to be able to stop it.”
“It kind of depends on who you ask, but, basically, Krampus is a demon who punishes naughty children around the time Christmas is celebrated. You know… the kind of children who cause a lot of trouble for other people, who misbehave and don’t play nice, who lie for no good reason.”
You glanced at Xingqiu, who had gone still with an almost worried smile at your expression.
“He’s covered in dark hair, has horns and hooves and fangs, and a long pointed tongue — oh, and he carries around chains, I think? Sometimes with bells. The punishments he doles out on bad children are stuff like swatting them on the butts with branches… or snatching them away in a basket to who-knows-where. To drown them or eat them… or something along those lines.”
“That… that’s horrible!” Chongyun appeared to actually get a bit heated as you spoke, his hands clenching into tight fists in front of his chest. “I must make sure to stop it before it hurts anyone!”
“Whoa there, Chongyun. Calm down and have a popsicle, ‘kay?” You let your lips curve up into a smile, and put a hand on the exorcist’s shoulder. “Krampus sure is a horrible guy and all… but he’s also fictional; just a character that parents tell their children about to make them behave, to teach them lessons about being nice and stuff. He’s not actually real — well, not that I know of, anyway — and, even if he was, he wouldn’t be anywhere in Teyvat. He’d be stuck in my world.”
Chongyun’s breathing was heavy, his face already flushed, but he managed to take one of his popsicles out and bite into it to calm himself. “Ugh, Your Grace… you could’ve started with that.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” You let go of Chongyun’s shoulder. “But how’d you even hear about Krampus? I don’t think I’ve told anyone about him before right now with you two.”
“Xingqiu told me about it.”
The guilty party put his hands up in defense as you looked at him. “H-Hey, I was just having a little fun. I honestly had no idea that there was actually a demon associated with Christmas.”
“An unlucky guess then, huh?” You paused for a moment. “...but how’d you even hear about Christmas? Did Yaoyao tell you about it too? It seems like the talk of the harbor nowadays…”
That innocent line of questioning had a greater chilling effect than his popsicle, it seemed, as Chongyun froze at the moment. Xingqiu stepped in and quickly pushed his friend aside, your hand leaving the exorcist’s shoulder to linger in the air. “She did inform us of it, yes. It sounds like a quaint holiday, so it makes sense that a child such as herself would want to tell everyone she knows about it. I admit, it has even perked my interest too, from everything I’ve been told.”
“...huh, that’s nice. I’m glad everyone seems to be enjoying the concept.”
There was something off about all this, but not in a bad way, so you brushed it off for now.
Xingqiu nodded as he continued to smile at you happily. “But now that that’s settled, we should get going. I’m sure you’ve got a busy schedule, Your Grace. We wouldn’t want to hold you up.”
Chongyun blinked, coming back to reality. “Ah, wait-”
“Tsk, Chongyun, you’re still all red. You should have another popsicle.”
The exorcist didn’t get a chance to speak again before Xingqiu stuffed another tasteless frozen treat into his mouth, the latter then hurriedly pushing his flustered friend away down the street.
“It was pleasant to speak with you, Your Grace!”
The two boys soon disappeared into the distance, leaving you standing there alone.
“Uh… bye, I guess?”
- - - - -
Another day, another surprise.
You blinked a few times, making sure that the lady you were looking at was actually there. You didn’t exactly have a history of having hallucinations, but everything had been… bizarre this last week or so, and it wouldn’t hurt you to just check that you were still all there up in your noggin.
“Lady Ningguang?”
“Your Grace, what a pleasant surprise.”
The Tianquan was calm, politely greeting you with a soft smile on her lips, a smile reserved for you and you alone. Her being was a living display of high-class status, the epitome of luxury…
…and she was currently just hanging out at the docks.
You were not someone who could criticize her for it, though; for some people, it was odd for you to be hanging around Liyue Harbor’s docks so casually, as no one really expected to see one of the gods they worshiped watching the ships or examining the goods of incoming, docked ships.
“Uh… so, what’re you doing here? Taking in the ocean breeze?”
Ningguang chuckled. “I simply have business to discuss with Beidou. It’s nothing of concern, but is important enough that I have decided to come see her myself as soon as she arrives.”
“Wait, the Alcor is docking soon?” You perked up, your gaze glancing between the water and Ninguang, who looked at the water herself. “Wow, my timing’s great! Mind if I wait with you?”
“I’d see it as an honor, Your Grace.”
You got into position beside Ningguang, leaning forward slightly as you looked out at the ships sailing across the nearby waters. The operation at the harbor was always so smooth, orderly, and satisfying — you were embarrassed to admit how much time you had spent just lingering around the docks whenever you visited Liyue, being a bystander to the comings and goings of the ships and the people working here. This time, however, you were trying to focus on spotting the Alcor among the other seacraft, assuming its distinct design would stand out among them.
The moment was quiet, aside from the waves and workers, until Ningguang spoke again.
“Your Grace, I’m planning to do a bit of decorating around the Jade Chamber.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking about adding a tree.”
You paused for a few seconds, before slowly looking at Ningguang. “A… tree?”
“Yes, a tree. Would you have any suggestions for the type?”
Wow.
You suddenly forgot about every tree you have ever known about.
“Ah, hmm… well, it’s your Jade Chamber. You should choose whichever tree you prefer. I know you’ve got good taste, and will be able to fit anything you choose into your amazing aesthetics.”
“I should choose, you say…? Very well.”
You soon settled back into a comfortable silence, continuing to wait on the docks with subdued excitement pumping through your veins, before finally catching the sight of the Alcor making its way over to the docks. It took a while for the ship to actually dock, having to navigate around the multiple others nearby, but the moment that it had, Ningguang and you made your way over to it.
You passed by some of the crew members unloading various types of cargo, before seeing the captain of the ship walk down the gangplank, who smiled when she saw you and the Tianquan.
“The Tianquan AND Their Grace are here to greet me? Something serious must be up, huh?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that!” You smiled. “I just got lucky to be here as you got back.”
“Haha, you flatter me, Your Grace. I’d typically consider myself the lucky one.”
Ningguang shook her head just slightly, her expression more reserved than yours. “Although it’s not of any major concern, I do have something to discuss with you, Captain Beidou. Shall we?”
“Huh, alright.”
Beidou gave you a nod as she walked off with Ningguang to talk, the two women leaving you on your own. You found yourself curious about what they could be talking about, but figured it would be rude to try and eavesdrop or force yourself into the conversation; that, and your attention was finding itself quickly caught by something — or, rather, someone — else that you noticed nearby.
“Kazuha!”
The lips of the wandering samurai turned up into a smile after he heard you call out to him, your form practically bouncing over to him. His eyes followed your movements as he turned to you.
“Greetings, Your Grace.” He gave you a polite nod. “You appear to be in good spirits.”
You waved your hand to the side, before letting it fall to your side in a loose fist. “Aw, I’m always happy to see you. It’s probably impossible to not be; actually, no, it definitely is impossible.”
Kazuha let out a soft chuckle, his shoulders bouncing with the tiniest movements. “Your words today are as warm as the mid-afternoon sun, Your Grace. I’m glad. How have you been lately?”
“Mmm… normal, I guess. Though it feels like something fishy is going on around the harbor.”
“Oh…?”
You held back a snicker. “Get it? Fishy? But, really, I feel like something’s up.”
“That’s troubling. I can lend you my assistance if you desire?”
“Huh? Oh, no!” You waved your hands in front of yourself, your eyes widening just a bit as you continued to smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing big, and, besides, I wouldn’t want to bog down our time together with worries. I don’t see you often enough since you’re always on the road, traveling.”
“Ah, of course. If you’d like to hear it, I’ve come up with some new poetry since we last met.”
“Oooh! Then go ahead and bless my ears, Kazuha.”
The hustle and bustle of the docks faded away as you chatted with Kazuha, intently listening to each and every one of the poetic words falling from his mouth. You even tried coming up with a few poems yourself, but it was difficult to do it on the fly; the praise Kazuha gave your attempts kept you from being discouraged, though some of the metaphors you tried to use felt a lot more poetic in your mind than when you said them out loud. You were in the middle of thinking up how to describe a certain line in your next masterpiece when you realized a lot of time had passed.
You felt a presence approach from the side, and looked up to see Beidou standing there.
Ningguang was nowhere to be found when you gave your surroundings a quick once-over, her elegant presence absent from the nearby crowds, and that meant she must have left long ago.
The captain looked between you and Kazuha, her smile apologetic when her gaze stopped on you. “Sorry, Your Grace, but I have something to talk about with Kazuha. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Hmm? Oh, well… that’s fine. I should probably be going anyhow. See you around!”
You bid the two farewell, seeing them respond in kind, and started walking away from them.
Beidou kept her eye on you until you were completely gone, and she turned to Kazuha.
“Okay, so, there’s this thing called “Christmas”...”
- - - - -
“Please accept my offering, o’ great adeptus, and bless me with your presence this quiet night.”
“...you don’t have to do that, Your Grace.”
The evening air was cool, gentle breezes rolling in from the distance and brushing against you where you stood on the highest balcony in Wangshu Inn. The lanterns from inside and hanging by the doorway cast a warm glow outwards, giving the balcony a cozy atmosphere despite how it faced the dark landscapes of Bishui Plain, the warm hues of the land hidden within shadows.
Your hands held tightly onto a plate of Almond Tofu — expertly and lovingly crafted by your own hands, you were proud to admit — as you smiled at the familiar figure that appeared before you, the sight of the inn’s resident adeptus never failing to bring you joy. The dim lighting made it hard to tell, as well as his usual distant demeanor, but you swore that he was looking a little flustered.
“Aww, why not? Everyone else does it.”
Xiao crossed his arms over his chest. “But you’re not “everyone else”.”
“Hmph.” You pouted, extending your arms out to present the Almond Tofu to him. “Here, you can at least take this. I made it special, just for you. I worked hard to learn the recipe, from the best.”
He stared down at the plate in your hands for a few seconds, before he slowly uncrossed his arms and carefully took it from you. The adeptus continued to stare at the food you prepared while you stared at him, the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks — you internally cursed to yourself about the lack of decent lighting in this moment — before he finally took the first bite.
You spent just a moment watching Xiao carefully savor your expert culinary craftsmanship, and then looked out at the water and shadowed silhouettes of the nearby mountains, leaning yourself against the wooden railing of the balcony. The wood was cold and rough within your tight grip.
“...you know, everyone’s been acting really strange lately. Not in a bad way, but still.”
Your lips parted as you sighed, adjusting your arms to have your elbows on the railing.
“Even the other adepti are being weird. I tried to visit Cloud Retainer in Liyue Harbor, but Shuyu told me that she was really busy, even though she’s normally willing to take a break to chat with me whenever I drop by. Don’t even ask me how the other two are doing, I spent a good amount of time looking around their domains but wasn’t able to find them. It just feels like… like I’m being left out of something; like everyone is hiding something from me. Something that feels… major.”
You turned your head to look at Xiao. “Would you have any idea why?”
The adeptus briefly paused, his gaze meeting yours after having seemingly moved to you while you were talking, before wiping off the almond tofu around his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I…”
He hesitated, his eyes shifting away from you.
- - -
“As one of the Divine Creator’s vessels, you HAVE to come.” Hu Tao had a wide smile on her lips, her hands clenched together into tight fists in front of her chest. “Besides, it’ll be totally fun!”
The adeptus looked uncertain, his gaze shifting to the man accompanying the funeral director.
Zhongli met Xiao’s eyes with a soft smile, giving him a nod as well. “Indeed. Their Grace seems to also be quite fond of this “Christmas” business. It would be a shame if you did not participate.”
“Yeah, yeah!” Hu Tao nodded frantically, bouncing into the space between the adeptus and her consultant to direct the attention back to herself. “Come on…! It’ll only be the other vessels and adepti there. There’s no need to be all cautious and standoffish about it, so what do you say…?”
Xiao still looked conflicted, his eyebrows furrowed, before soon letting out a sigh.
“...very well. For the Divine Creator’s sake.”
Hu Tao clapped her hands. “Yay!”
“Just make sure to keep it a secret from Their Grace, if you end up encountering Them before then.” Zhongli looked pleased with Xiao’s answer, although he was much calmer than his boss was. “It’s supposed to be a “surprise party”, so try to avoid spoiling its existence at all costs.”
The adeptus nodded, crossing his arms.
“Got it.”
- - -
You couldn’t say for sure what exactly was going on inside Xiao’s head, but the expression on his face made it look like he was having some kind of internal war with himself, a struggle with the proverbial “rock and a hard place” that left him not looking forward to picking either option he was presented with. This was probably the most readable his feelings had ever been to anyone.
“Uh… hey, you don’t have to answer, Xiao.”
The adeptus appeared to snap back to reality, blinking as he looked at you.
You slightly smiled as you pushed yourself off of the railing. “I can kind of assume what’s going on. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going crazy and seeing something out of nothing.”
Xiao’s lips parted, the softest exhale leaving them. “...I can’t lie to you, Your Grace.”
“Then just don’t say anything.”
You winked at him, your tongue sticking out from your lips. “And you should be busy eating the Almond Tofu I made you, anyways. It’s rude to speak while your mouth’s full, don’tcha know?”
Xiao briefly glanced back down at the plate in his hands, before he nodded.
“...okay.”
- - - - -
“Your presence is requested at the Jade Chamber.”
That was what you were told, but you weren’t able to think of any important reason of why that might be. You had always made sure to greatly distance yourself to the extreme from anything major regarding Liyue’s leadership — no political decision-making or “ruling with an iron fist” for you, even if some folks acted like your word was the single most important thing in all of Teyvat.
The Yuheng and the general secretary both knew that about you very well.
“Is… it for something important? Or does Ningguang just want to, like… play chess with me?”
Ganyu and Keqing shared a brief look with each other, before the former looked back at you, a bit of a nervous frown now on her lips. “It’s… nothing bad, but you should go see for yourself.”
“Here.” Keqing gestured for you to follow after her. “We can escort you.”
You looked down at Keqing’s hand for just a moment, before everything clicked.
The stranger-than-usual behavior of everyone lately… the random-but-very-frequent mentions of Christmas… and now you being requested to such a place as the Jade Chamber practically out of the blue. You even thought about how you couldn’t find a single one of the vessels around the harbor today, despite how you walked through the entire city front-to-back and back-to-front and side-to-side, checking each and every nook and cranny with the hope of finding someone.
You smiled.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I can get us there quicker.”
You grabbed Keqing’s outstretched hand, the warm hue of her face matching Ganyu’s after you had grabbed the half-qilin’s hand too. Your grip was gentle but firm as you stood between them.
“You- Your Grace…”
“H-Hey, wait-!”
Within seconds, you heard the familiar teleporting sound resonate inside your head before you and your two current companions were warped up onto the platform of the Jade Chamber…
…only to hear a muffled thud accompanying a sudden cold, wet sensation that landed on you.
It felt like a worse version of getting an ice cube put down the back of your shirt.
The powdery substance slid off of the upper-half of your face after you blinked your eyes a few times, which revealed to you that what had just covered you was a thick blanket of snow, and it had also trapped Keqing and Ganyu, turning you three into vaguely self-shaped snow mounds.
You were completely befuddled at this situation.
Snow? At this time of year, in this part of Liyue, localized entirely within the Jade Chamber?
You attempted to shift around, eventually managing to catch sight of the cause of the surprise snowfall. There was a strange machine that almost resembled a snowblower from your world, water being poured into one end and snow coming out of an upwards-chute-like exit located on the other end. The snow coming out now fell softly to the ground, unlike what had just hit you.
The one who created the device crossed her arms, pushing her glasses up slightly.
“Hmph. If the Divine Creator wishes for it to snow, then one shall make it snow.”
“Wow, Aunty Cloud Retainer! You’re amazing!”
Yaoyao looked up at the adeptus with awe, clapping her hands with a bright smile.
You continued to look around — as much as you could in your new form as a snowman — and saw several others lingering about the area, all of which had been mysteriously missing today.
The musicians and performers were all gathered near a small stage that had been set up, doing last-minute checks and practice from what you could tell. You took a few moments to take in the sight of it before you snapped out of your thoughts and focused to hear them through the snow.
Gaming shook his hands out, Man Chai following his lead and shaking his whole body out. “Aha, I’ve been practicing for days and everything, but I’m still getting so nervous all of a sudden…”
“Pre-show jitters, huh?” Xinyan stood on the stage, fiddling with her guitar as she looked down at the Wushou dancer with a slight, unsure smile. “Can’t help but have them myself right now too.”
Yun Jin walked across the stage, her head tilted up to check the decorations hanging up. “Their Grace is so kind, there shouldn’t be any reason to worry… but I can understand the feeling.”
“Hey, hey, just don’t get so nervous you have a heart attack.” Hu Tao had the only smile near the stage free of hesitation. “The business would be nice, but it would be way too inconvenient now.”
There was another section where a buffet had been laid out, Xiangling hovering over the spread with her gaze flickering around to all the various dishes, almost like she was looking for anything that needed any last-minute adjustments made. Guoba stood on a chair next to the chef, putting his paws on the edge of the table as he looked between the dishes and at her with a happy aura.
“I had to make a few guesses here and there about the recipes, even with the advice from Their Grace…” Xiangling furrowed her brows before letting out a sigh. “I hope They like everything.”
“I’m sure They will.” Madame Ping had a gentle smile on her face as she glanced at the food the young chef had prepared. “It all looks and smells absolutely wonderful, there’s no doubt about it.”
Beidou nodded and chuckled. “Now, this is what I call a feast! You outdid yourself, Xiangling!”
“It all sure looks… interesting.”
Yanfei tilted her head, her eyes moving down along the long buffet table as she spoke.
“I… I’m having trouble making out what some of these dishes are, though.”
Xiangling smiled at the reassurances. “Oh, don’t worry. I can explain everything, if you’d like.”
Your attention, however, was soon captured by the main centerpiece of the whole occasion: a beautiful Sandbearer tree decorated with lanterns of all colors, all organized to create the most breathtaking sight you had seen all day. There were actually a lot of lanterns hanging around all over, now that you were conscious of their presence; it almost resembled Lantern Rite, in a way.
Well, a Lantern Rite that was being held on a very miniature scale.
“This is very pleasant.” Kazuha looked up at the tree, his hand over his chest. “I never imagined that a “Christmas tree” would look like this. It brings to the mind a kaleidoscope of Crystalflies.”
Ningguang had her arms crossed, also standing nearby to admire the tree she had put up and decorated to a degree befitting her luxurious aesthetics. “I was informed that the tree was to be decorated in lights and ornaments. I believe Their Grace will be quite pleased with the result.”
“Their Grace has some intriguing traditions from Their world.” Zhongli placed a hand to his chin in thought, his eyes briefly breaking away from the tree. “No wonder They spoke of it so highly.”
By this point, you were getting cold. Way too cold. So cold you felt stiff.
You shook the snow off as you took in a deep breath.
“Okay, that was an experience…”
“Your Grace?!”
You felt two dozen pairs of eyes land on your form as everyone’s head snapped towards your direction, the sound of your voice might as well having been a siren to their ears — your arrival had been expected to be normal, after taking the long route instead of the shortcut you chose to take instead, with some semblance of warning. You smiled bashfully, pulling a now-unconscious Ganyu and Kequing out of their snow piles since you were still holding their hands all this time.
“Hehe… guess I’m not the only one surprised at this surprise party, then?”
- - - - -
Today was the day you discovered how good Guoba and Man Chai made for living Warmies, your once-shivering and soaked body able to warm up and dry off after only a short but sweet cuddle session with them. The party couldn’t start until you were comfortable, after all… as well as until Keqing and Ganyu finally regained consciousness and also got themselves warmed up.
…and the start was unforgettable.
“Behold, Your Grace-”
Truly unforgettable.
“-for one has donned the appearance of a Christmas hero spoken of in tales from your home.”
There, standing in front of you, were some of the adepti, and although the three ladies and Xiao were in their human forms at the party, the other two men were not. That included Moon Carver, the one who had spoken to you first when they approached, who proudly stood in front of you in his stag form… with a glowing red nose — likely made possible by adepti magic, you assumed.
You briefly recalled telling Yaoyao and Qiqi about some stories related to Christmas, which, of course, included “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Turning slightly away for a moment, you raised a hand to cover the smile slowly growing on your lips as you tried to calm yourself down.
“Yeaaah…” Your voice wavered, you being unable to stop your eyes glancing to and from Moon Carver. “Christmas would’ve been cancelled if not for Rudolph. He’s a… a true hero, alright…”
The snort that slipped from your lips went unnoticed by Moon Carver, the adeptus preening at your approval. The planned festivities luckily continued on before you actually started laughing.
- - - - -
They had only had about a week to prepare, but the musical performance was probably one of the, if not the, best thing you had ever witnessed in your life; most everyone had gathered into a crowd in front of the stage as Xinyan, Hu Tao, and Gaming took their places in the spotlight. You were almost too enamoured with the show to notice how Yun Jin occasionally snuck a couple of glances at you from her spot in the crowd next to you, a smile growing on her lips at your own.
The musicians had taken the songs that you told — or, rather, sang to — them and used them as inspiration to come up with a brand-new Christmas song, complete with Xinyan’s rock guitar and Hu Tao’s iconic rapping. Gaming had even created a special routine to go along with all of it.
“Bravo!” You clapped your hands frantically after the performance finished, a whoop escaping your lips as you cheered. “That was… incredible! I loved it! I’ve never seen anything like it!”
The sense of relief that left the performers’ bodies was noticeable, their forms relaxing as your praise finally casted away all of the tension that had plagued them from their pre-show nerves.
“I’m glad, Your Grace.” Yun Jin smiled. “We only had so much time, but we worked really hard.”
“I can tell.” Your cheeks hurt a little from how much you were smiling, and you tilted your head. “I hope I get to see it again someday. That was way too good to be just a one-time performance.”
Gaming let out a chuckle, a sense of weariness in his tone. “I’d be happy to dance for you again, Your Grace. Just… I still need a moment to calm down from the excitement of the first time.”
“Oh-ho! But I’m ready for round two right now!” Hu Tao pumped her fists as she snickered. “I knew Their Grace couldn’t resist my excellent rhyming skills! I could do this all day, any day!”
Xinyan adjusted her grip on her guitar as she looked back at the stage they performed on. “Uh, I think we may have gone a little overboard with the pyrotechnics, though… even for me, heh…”
You followed the rocker’s gaze to the stage, seeing that it… kind of didn’t exist anymore, with all that remained being a stage-shaped pile of charred wood. Given that three Pyro users had used it for their performance, where they had turned up the heat to give you the show of a lifetime, you should have expected this, especially considering Xinyan’s track record with this sort of thing.
You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Yeah, okay, I think one performance is enough for today, then.”
- - - - -
“Wow, I didn’t know you had such an appetite, Your Grace.”
Xiangling’s eyes were wide as she looked at your plate, which was piled high with servings from the buffet. There was a little of everything, as you wanted to try all of the different dishes that had been prepared by the chef; some looked traditional, and very close to what you had described to her about, while others clearly had creative choices made during their creation. There were also some traditional Liyue dishes being offered — considering how many people were present at the party, Xiangling really made sure that there would be enough food for everyone to have their fill.
You held your plate carefully in front of you. “I can’t help it. Everything looks so good.”
It appeared that many others also held the same opinion, almost everyone filling up their plates with various dishes from the buffet. There were plenty of options; everyone could eat something.
“What is this…?” Ganyu observed a red jam-like substance in one of the bowls, tapping it gently with the small spoon that was provided for folks to scoop it. “It smells like some kind of fruit…?”
“Ah, that’s Valberry sauce!” Xiangling piped up and moved over to the half-qilin. “Their Grace mentioned a dish made with this type of berry called a “Cranberry”, so I had to find a similar substitute. You should be able to eat it, Miss Ganyu. It doesn’t contain any animal products.”
“What I’m more interested in is that!” Beidou pointed to what-could-be-considered the main dish of the whole spread, her eye and smile both wide. “Now that looks like something real special.”
Xiangling smiled as she made her way over to the captain. “That’s a three-bird roast called a “gooducken”. It’s a chicken inside of a duck inside of a goose. I had to do a lot to get it right.”
Beidou let out a long hum. “Oooh, that sounds impressive! I’ll have a big portion, then!”
“I should try something new too…” Keqing looked between her plate and the buffet, a small frown coming to her face. “...but all that I’ve got on my plate is Golden Shrimp Balls so far…”
“Ah! Chongyun! Qiqi! The cold dishes are over here.” Xiangling directed the two over to one side of the buffet table, waving them over while gesturing to the dishes. “There’s plenty for you to try.”
“Here, I’ll help!” Yaoyao scooped food onto Qiqi’s plate. “This looks good. Make sure to eat it all!”
“Okay.”
Chongyun held his plate away from Xingqiu, his eyes shifting between his friend and the food he was putting onto his plate. “Please don’t try to sneak anything spicy onto my plate this time.”
“Why, I would never.” Xingqiu chuckled, a hand held up in defense. “What a random accusation.”
“Your Grace…” Baizhu eyed your plate as you took a seat next to him, his gaze scanning all of the generous portions you served yourself. “I’m not entirely knowledgeable on how much a god can eat, but make sure not to overstuff yourself. I can’t imagine it’d be good for your stomach.”
“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises!”
And after stuffing yourself full of Xiangling’s cooking, it felt like a happy mistake in the end.
- - - - -
The party was going well so far; after the performance and initial serving of food, it was nice to see everyone mingling together and having fun. You scanned the area, taking in the groups that the characters formed amongst themselves, before refocusing your attention back on what you were doing: being busy at the “Winter Weather Device” Cloud Retainer built for the occasion.
And snow was actually a lot more pleasant when you weren’t buried under a heavy blanket of it.
“Shenhe, if I ever get into a snowball fight, I’m recruiting you to my team.”
The woman stared at you, seriously. “I would slay all your foes if need be, Your Grace.”
“Aha… snowball fights aren’t that serious, but thanks.”
You continued to pat down the snow you held into a snowball, the cold flakes a higher-quality than what nature ever made. The water used to make them apparently came from the adepti abodes, which, of course, was why the snow was so soft and powdery, like from a fairytale.
“I’m…” Yanfei stood by you, also crafting a snowball in her hands — which shook slightly from the cold steeping into her fingers — at your insistence. “...not sure I see the appeal in this.”
“The appeal is the glory of victory over your foes.”
“...right.”
Yanfei left the snowball she had made in the growing pile by your feet. You watched the younger partygoers play in the snow, stomping around and making vaguely snowman-like structures out of the cold flakes, before you felt someone approach you from behind, and turned to face them.
“Yelan! Hey! I didn’t notice you were here, are you having fun?”
Yelan let out a soft exhale, the warm light of the nearby stone lanterns illuminating her face from below as she faintly smiled. “It’s hard not to have a good time when you’re around, Your Grace.”
“D’aw, you’re just flattering me. I know how you work.”
You snorted as Yelan chuckled at your comment, before a thought struck you.
“Oh! I just realized I haven’t seen you around for a while! Where’ve you been this entire time?”
“Places.”
“Doing what?”
“Things.”
You stared at Yelan for a few seconds, her gaze amused as she stared back.
“...okay, then. Keep your secrets.”
You played with the snowball in your hands, rolling it back and forth between your palms as you briefly pondered all of the mysterious — and probably legally-dubious — things Yelan must have been up to this past week and a half, before you were snapped out of your thoughts by the sight of a wrapped box being held in front of your face. The hand holding it was Yelan’s, the shiny bow adorning the tiny rectangular container bending in the gentle evening breeze that was blowing by.
The box was pushed into one of your hands, the snowball now held in the other.
“Here. For you. I hear giving gifts is a custom for this little holiday we’re celebrating, hm?”
“Where’d you hear about… no, wait, never mind. I’m not gonna get an answer, am I?”
“You know me too well, Your Grace.” Yelan chuckled again, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she smiled at you. “If you were anyone else, that’d be a problem. But if it’s you, it’s just fine.”
You had never felt so lucky to be yourself as you did right now.
“I suppose I’ll let you rejoin the rest of the party now. Everyone worked so very hard to put this whole thing together just for you, I shouldn’t keep you from rewarding them with your attention.”
Yelan turned away from you, glancing over her shoulder as she walked away.
“I’ll be watching. May we meet again soon, Your Grace.”
- - - - -
Despite all of the fun you were having, the party sadly couldn’t go on forever.
The daylight soon blended into night, and with it, the guests started to take their leave. The first to go were the youngest of the characters — Qiqi left with Baizhu and Changsheng, Yaoyao with Cloud Retainer, Madame Ping and most of the other adepti. Yaoyao had even started to doze off at that point, requiring her to be carried by Cloud Retainer. Shenhe also left with the latter group.
Then went the next youngest: Xingqiu, Chongyun, Xiangling, Hu Tao, Yun Jin, Gaming… before they left, you made sure to give both Guoba and Man Chai another extra tight hug for the road.
Those who had work the next day soon followed. Yanfei, Keqing, and Ganyu all gave you polite goodbyes as they left, and Yelan vanished into the dark as easily as she had appeared to you.
Beidou left after saying goodbye to you and Ningguang, who simply headed inside of the Jade Chamber after bidding you a good night. Kazhua left with the pirate caption, his farewell another one of his poems that you were unfortunately too tired to think of one of your own in response to.
The harbor seemed to glow below the Jade Chamber as the city’s lanterns lit up in the absence of the sun. You fiddled with the gift from Yelan in your hands, still wrapped up and unopened.
“Your Grace, would I be correct in saying the surprise party was a success?”
You brought your gaze back up from Liyue Harbor and turned to see Zhongli approaching to stand beside you, his arms politely folded behind his back and his eyes focused on your face.
You smiled, giving him a nod. “Oh, yeah! It was so much fun! And I’m definitely going to figure out how to thank everyone for it, especially Yaoyao and Qiqi since they planned the whole thing!”
His lips turned up into a soft smile. “I’m very pleased to hear you say that, Your Grace.”
Your gaze shifted from the man standing next to you to the roof of the Jade Chamber, and you waved at Xiao to come join you and Zhongli. The legendary boy-adeptus had kept his distance from most others during the party, opting to watch from the rooftops as an onlooker rather than an active participant in it, though you were just happy that he was near all the festive energy.
With a sudden burst of green and black wisps, Xiao was at your side.
You looked at the adeptus with an enthused smile. “Sooo… did you enjoy yourself, Xiao?”
“...as long as the party made you happy, then I’m happy, Your Grace.”
You clutched a hand over your heart. “Xiao… you’re too sweet.”
This felt like the perfect ending to a perfect celebration, and as you looked between the adeptus and the Archon, you only felt all warm and fuzzy — it was almost too much for you. Almost.
“Hey, I don’t feel like sleeping just yet. Let’s go for a walk around the harbor together.”
Summary: “As far as bets go, this was one of the easiest you'd ever had to do. Sneak into an abandoned school building, snap some selfies, and... end up making some new friends along the way?”
Word Count: ~13k
The only thing to leave your lips was a small huff as you hoisted yourself over the window ledge and into the building, your movements slow and steady to avoid catching your skin on any of the broken shards of glass that remained. The temperature inside the school was almost as cold as it was outside, though the lack of a breeze blowing air into your face was a lot more preferable.
“Huh… if they really wanted to keep people out, they should’ve boarded up the windows better.”
The room you had entered into was dark, the only light being the moonlight pouring in through the window you had used to get inside; it was just enough light for you to be able to see, a quick look-around revealing to you that you were in the dining hall, chairs and tables strewn about.
With a quiet click, the area was flooded with light from the flashlight you brought, the sight of the shadows cast by the objects in the dining hall stretching across the room giving it an eerie vibe.
“Okay, so… I just gotta explore this place and get some pictures, right?” You smiled as you held your phone out in front of you, taking a quick selfie before sending it to your friend. “Welp, that’s one picture down, and probably only, like… eh, a dozen or so left. Hah, this should be easy!”
- - - - -
The area you entered after exiting the dining hall appeared to be some kind of living quarters, a variety of facilities appearing to having been available to the students that attended the school in the past, including dorm rooms, a bathhouse that was cleaner than expected, a warehouse that was somehow stocked with still-edible food, and even a laundry room. While you were checking out the laundry room — which had a stack of magazines featuring current celebrities on the table students must have sat at while waiting for their clothes — and taking a selfie with the row of washing machines behind you, you heard a noise come from the direction of the dorm area.
You peeked your head out of the laundry room and looked towards the dorm rooms to see a girl dressed in a dark school uniform exiting one of them, her posture slouched and a tad insecure.
“Well, that’s a bit strange…”
You blinked before pointing your flashlight at the girl and letting a smile appear on your face.
“Yoo-hoo! Excuse me?”
The girl flinched the moment the beam of light from your flashlight landed on her, and again the moment you called out to her, shrinking in on herself more than she already was. Her head was turned away from you, keeping her face a mystery from your eyes, though since she seemed to be wearing a face mask, her face was already obscured from your view, adding to your interest; however, before you had the chance to say anything else to the girl, she darted past the laundry room and straight out of the area, vanishing into the darkness of the abandoned school building.
“...well, that was rude.”
- - - - -
You soon finished exploring everything you could in the living quarters — the dorm room the girl came from surprisingly being locked — and decided to head deeper into the old school building, in the same direction that the girl had darted off into. The halls were only lit with dim lights which flickered every few seconds, so you decided to keep using your trusty flashlight as you walked.
“This place still has power…?”
You took a few more selfies in various rooms you found on the first floor, but didn’t find anything of major interest, the rooms being rather normal for what you expected of a school. The state of the building’s interior was noticeably not as rundown as its exterior, though, which was strange.
“...hmm, at least it probably won’t come crumbling down upon me, then.”
The second floor was in the same state as the first, being strangely clean and well-kept despite the building being condemned. You veered to the left after ascending the stairs, and soon found yourself standing in front of the entrances to two locker rooms, one for girls and one for guys.
And when you went through one, you discovered a pool on the other side.
“...why is there a pool on the second floor?”
The lighting in the pool area was surprisingly bright compared the other areas of the school that you had been to so far, which helped to bring out the crisp white and deep blue of the tiles; your flashlight let out a small click as you turned it off, since you didn’t need it here to properly see.
“Oh!”
And that was when you finally noticed the presence of two other individuals there.
The one sitting on the edge of the pool was very tall and looked absolutely jacked to the point that they could squeeze your head like a grape, and the other was currently swimming laps in the pool, almost resembling a missile as they swam from one side of it to the other. You had no idea why someone would want to swim in the pool here, but the water looked clean enough.
“Hi! Hello there!”
Your voice bounced off of the walls of the pool area as you walked towards the person sitting on the edge of the pool, your lips turned up into a bright smile. The person turned their head to look at you as the person in the pool swam over before popping their own head out of the water, their arms reaching out to cling to the side of the pool to rest on the tiled floor as they stared at you.
“...huh?” The person in the pool — a girl who had arm fins, and fins in place of ears — blinked a couple of times in surprise, before she looked at the other person. “Did we get a new student?”
The buff woman sitting on the edge of the pool, who had two long sharp horns poking out of her head, let out a hum. “I’m not quite sure. I suppose we would have been told about it if we did.”
You looked between the two individuals and noted their unusual appearances, but the thought that you were currently in an abandoned school building that was supposedly-haunted kept you from questioning anything; you would probably end up hurt if you delved too deep into any of it.
“Sorry for interrupting your swim.” You kept a smile on your face as you spoke. “I’m just super surprised to see other people here. Well, I mean I did see a girl with a mask earlier, but she ran away as soon as I called out to her… she didn’t even say anything before dashing right by me.”
The girl in the pool furrowed her eyebrows a bit. “You mean Toko?”
“Is that her name?” You tilted your head. “That’ll be good to know. If I see her again. Maybe.”
The two of them shared a glance with each other before they returned their gazes to you.
“Uh, hey… sorry, I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but… um…” The girl in the pool paused for a moment as she raised a finger to her chin and tilted her head. “What are you doing here…?”
“Oh! I was dared by a friend!” You showed your phone to the two of them, scrolling through a few of the pictures you had taken so far. “I have to explore the place and take some pictures.”
The buff woman crossed her arms. “This isn’t a very easy place to get into.”
“I got in through a broken window in the… dining hall? Cafeteria? …whatever it’s called.”
Your comment was met with a hum from the buff woman, her eyebrows furrowing as she cast her gaze down in thought, and you let your eyes wander over the bulging muscles of her arms before your attention was caught by the girl in the pool, who pushed herself up from the water.
“Well…” The girl shifted her gaze between you and the buff woman, her hands planted on the tiled floor as she lifted her upper half out of the water; her lips were turned up into a slight smile that seemed a little unsure. “As long as you’re not doing anything too bad, it should be okay…?”
“Perhaps.” The buff woman lifted her gaze towards the girl in the pool, who dropped back down into the water at the sound of her agreement. “Though we should inform the others of this.”
You blinked as you glanced between the two. “How many people are here, exactly?”
“Just the rest of our class!” The girl in the pool appeared to be more at ease as she pushed off the edge of the pool, treading water as her smile brightened. “But if you need any help, Sakura and I will be here in the pool for a while. Oh, and you can just call me Hina. All my friends do.”
“Sakura and Hina, huh…” You nodded your head. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind. See you!”
You snapped a quick selfie with the pool behind you, respectfully keeping Sakura and Hina out of the picture, before you bidded the two adieu with a wave and smile as you left the pool area.
- - - - -
“Oooh, I wonder if there’s any valuable classics in here…”
Your gaze scanned the shelves as you entered the library, which was as dark and dusty as you expected for a room inside an abandoned building to be; you could see the individual specks of close-to-ancient dust floating in the air when you swept your flashlight across the area, the sight alone enough to make your lungs contract in refusal to breathe any of it in. You pulled your shirt up over your nose and mouth to try to decrease the rate at which your respiratory system had to suffer, and continued to inspect the room with your flashlight held securely in your other hand.
But you only got a few steps into the library before a slam came from behind you.
The library door had been slid shut, and two figures now stood between you and said-door; the guy with the long legs was a complete stranger to you, but the girl with the mask was not at all.
“Oh, hey! It’s you!”
The two of them flinched when you pointed your flashlight at them, and you lowered it.
“Sorry, sorry… got a little excited there.”
“S-See, Master?!” The girl — Toko, as Hina told you — pointed at you, her voice harsher than you expected for someone who seemed so skittish earlier. “There’s the human, j-just like I said!”
You raised the hand holding your flashlight in greeting to the two of them, your other hand still holding your shirt over the bottom half of your face to keep your lungs safe from the dusty air.
“Hello!”
The guy with the long legs stared at you for a moment, his facial muscles pulled down into a look that appeared pretty negative, being something along the lines of annoyance or disgust.
“...you really ignored all the boarded-up windows and doors that obviously suggested that you are not to come inside? The signs that clearly stated for you to keep away?” The guy narrowed his eyes as he glared at you, his gaze almost seeming to glow. “What exactly possessed you to enter a place like this in the first place? To disregard the various warnings presented to you?”
“Oh, I did it for fifty.”
The guy stared at you for a second, a brief moment of silence settling over the library.
“Fifty thousand dollars?” The guy let out a scoff as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, his lips still pulled down into a frown. “It seems that humans really will do anything for money…”
“No, fifty bucks.”
“...what.”
“Yeah.” You had the sound of a bright smile within your voice as you spoke. “My friend dared me to come here in exchange for fifty smackaroos. I thought it was pretty easy cash, so here I am!”
The guy just stared at you with widened eyes, bafflement all across his face.
“...so, how much were you paid to be here?”
The guy averted his eyes to the side. “As if I could be bribed by any amount of money-”
“Dang, you came here for free?” You blinked a couple of times as you stared at the guy. “I don’t know why anyone would wanna come here for free, ya know? It’s all dirty and everything is, like, falling apart, and… and… well, it’s actually cleaner than I had expected, but it’s still a mess.”
You pointed your flashlight at Toko. “She’s definitely got the right idea to wear a mask, at least.”
“W-What’s that supposed to mean?” Toko squinted her eyes, both from the light and seemingly irritation, and brought her hands up to her chest, her fingers twitching. “Y-You think I’m wearing a mask because I’m u-ugly or something? You r-really think you c-can just come here and-”
“Huh?” You cut Toko off, furrowing your eyebrows as your lips fell at her words. “No, I said that because this place is uber-dusty. The dust just in this room could easily suffocate a man, Toko.”
“H-How do you know my name?!”
“The nice girls at the pool told me it.” You shifted your attention from Toko — who kept her eyes narrowed even when you stopped pointing your flashlight at her — to the guy who had legs long enough that it would be impossible to fit him on the cover of a fashion magazine. “And may I ask for your name, good sir? I’d like to put a name to your face, pretty please with a cherry on top.”
The guy still had a look of annoyance on his face, his hand moving up to adjust his glasses just slightly, and he kept his gaze cast down to the side as if he were contemplating something; your flashlight was pointed at him the entire time, the decent lighting allowing you to fully take in what he looked like, and that was when you noticed that his ears were pointed, like an elf would have.
And then he let out a sigh, the light glinting off the sharp fangs in his mouth.
“...Byakuya.”
“W-What?!” Toko snapped her head towards Byakuya, her eyes wide. “M-Master, you’re giving them your f-first name? But you barely know them! Even I don’t g-get to use your first name…”
“Well, if they knew my last name, they’d have to be silenced… permanently.” Byakuya moved his sharp gaze to you, his lips still pulled down into an annoyed frown. “Any objections to that?”
You shook your head. “No.”
“Good.”
The library went silent for a moment as a lull made its way into the conversation, and you took out your phone to take a quick selfie of yourself with a bookshelf behind you. You blinked a few times to readjust your eyes from the flash of the camera, before you snorted at the picture you took; the shirt that covered the bottom half of your face was a bold look that you pulled off well.
“...well, it was nice to meet you two!” You lowered your shirt to allow Byakuya and Toko to see the smile on your face, before you headed towards the exit of the library. “Oh! And don’t forget to be careful breathing in here! Your lungs are important; this place is basically torture for ‘em…”
You then opened the door and left the library, paying no mind to the incoherent stuttering that came from Toko and the glare still on Byakuya’s face, the former letting out an annoyed sigh.
“...just one more headache I have to deal with.”
- - - - -
“Alright… another floor, another adventure! What fun surprises await me here?”
The third floor appeared to be in the same state as the first and second floors, the unusual lack of complete disrepair within the abandoned school building starting to become more normalized to you with every new floor you explored. You forewent taking any selfies in the classrooms, the scarcity of unique picture-taking opportunities a deterrent most effective, and continued walking around before you found yourself in front of a door that appeared to lead to the recreation room.
That was enough to peak your interest and make you grab the handle to enter inside it.
You were met with a room filled with an assortment of interesting items, each one a contender for the backdrop of the selfie you were going to take here; there was a pool table, a dart board, and a few board games stacked on a shelf at the back of the room. The neon signs on the walls provided a unique ambience you hadn’t encountered yet in the school, and you even spotted a magazine rack sitting by one of the neon signs, filled with new releases that were neatly sorted.
And then there were also three people in the room.
“...hey.”
The looks of surprise painting the faces of the people regarding your intrusion hardly surprised you at this point, the girls seemingly only slightly caught off guard by you while the boy was a lot more taken aback. The game in progress on the table in the middle of the room must have been the target of their attention beforehand, though you decided to not pay too much attention to it.
The girl that looked like a gothic version of a life-sized Victorian doll — the kind that you would find in a second-hand shop hidden in a corner and had a good chance of being haunted — was sitting on one of the couches, while the normal-looking boy sat on the other couch across from her. The other girl, who was dressed in a suit so dapper that it was better suited to be seen in an intense crime show than it was here, was standing next to the couch that the boy was sitting on.
“Don’t mind me, folks, I’m just… taking a gander at what you’ve got in here.”
You took a few steps into the recreation room before turning your attention and your flashlight to the various entertainment items within, the choice of what to take a picture with not an easy one.
“Hmm… the security of this building has to be quite poor in order for this to occur.” The girl with the elaborate Gothic Lolita attire had a smooth voice that came out in an accent you had trouble placing, though it sounded vaguely European, and she shifted where she sat before looking at the other girl. “Hasn’t your father been speaking of certain improvements to be implemented?”
“...yes, and it seems we may need to speed up the progress on those.”
“Wow! I wish my school had something like this!” You swept your flashlight over the pool table, the light glinting off of the billiard balls. “...though I’m not sure how many people would actually use it. Would teenagers be interested in playing pool…? …would I even want to play pool?”
“U-Um… should we do something about them…?” The boy seemed to be taking a lot longer to get over the shock of you being here than anyone else had, his lips set into a hesitant frown as he repeatedly glanced towards you. “It’d be dangerous for them to freely walk around… right?”
“Very well.”
You perked up at the sound of heels clicking against the floor, turning your head towards it just to see the gothic girl now gracefully walking towards you, a calm smile displayed on her face.
“Pardonnez-moi, but I believe that you are not allowed to be here.” The gothic girl stopped an arm’s length away from you, the close distance allowing you to catch a glimpse of the fangs in her mouth as she spoke. “May I inquire as to why you are where you are not allowed to be?”
“Because my friend paid me fifty bucks to be here!”
Your lips were pulled up into a smile as you looked at the girl, and you pointed your flashlight at her to take advantage of the fact that she was standing right in front of you to take a closer look at her outfit; it had so many frills and lace sewn into it that you could only imagine the amount of time that must have been spent to craft the elaborate piece of Gothic Lolita fashion that it was.
“Oh, wow! I like your fit! You look like a European queen, but cooler… like a vampire queen!”
The gothic girl silently stared at you for a few moments, her calm smile never wavering, before she then glanced away to the side. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let you stay for a little while…”
“Uh, Celeste, is that really a good idea-” The boy cut himself off when the girl in the dapper suit approached you, and he blinked a few times before his eyes widened just slightly. “Kyoko…?”
The girl in the dapper suit — apparently named Kyoko — furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at you, her arms now crossed and giving her a pose worthy of the sharp outfit she was wearing.
“You must be here on some kind of dare, I presume? What kind?”
“The usual. You know, that classic one where you have to go into an abandoned building that’s supposed to be haunted or whatever in exchange for money.” You continued to have a smile on your face as you presented your phone to Kyoko, having it opened to your gallery of selfies that you had taken so far. “I just have to take a few pictures here and there to prove I’ve been here.”
“...mind if I take a closer look?” Kyoko took your phone from your hands before starting to scroll through your pictures. “And you haven’t taken any pictures of anyone you might’ve seen here?”
“Huh? Of course not. That’d be rude.”
Kyoko handed your phone back after seeming to have looked through the entire gallery holding your brilliant exploration selfies. “That’s good. That means there’s no immediate need for worry.”
“How good it is to get that cleared up.” Celeste folded her hands together under her chin, tilting her head just slightly. “Humans can usually be such annoying pests regarding those matters.”
You blinked a few times as you looked between the two girls. “Is… is that a common problem? Humans coming here and taking pictures? I mean, it took some effort for me to get in here…”
The slight nod of her head was what you got in response to your question from Kyoko, who no longer had her eyebrows furrowed and instead had a calm expression on her face that seemed rather stoic. Her arms were also crossed again, giving her an enviable aura of mysteriousness.
“Humans usually don’t manage to make it past the gates.”
“You know…” Celeste leaned towards you. “...the last human who got inside never left.”
You leaned away from Celeste. “W-What…?”
“His name is Makoto.” Celeste straightened her posture, the corners of her mouth still turned up into a calm smile, and gestured towards the boy still on the couch. “He is… okay, for a human.”
“Oh.”
You shifted your gaze towards the boy — Makoto — and watched as he squinted from the light of your flashlight on his face, before you then noted that he did look quite normal; he didn’t have any nonhuman features you could spot during this closer inspection of him, so you could believe that he was as human as you were… which was completely, and you sent him your best smile.
“...greetings, fellow Homo sapien!”
You raised the hand holding your flashlight in greeting, the beam of light now directed towards the ceiling, and you watched as Makoto blinked a few times to clear his vision. He then looked at you as he brought a finger up to scratch his cheek, a nervous smile gracing his human face.
“Uh, hi…?”
“So… may I continue exploring now?” You looked at Kyoko. “I want my fifty clams.”
The dapper girl paused for a moment. “...sure. We’ll deal with this issue once you’re done.”
“Great!” You kept a bright smile on your face as you looked between the three. “If you need me, I’ll probably be on one of the upper floors. Don’t be afraid to come talk to me, I don’t bite! Heh!”
You snapped a selfie with the pool table, and waved to the three before you left the room.
“Kyoko…?”
Makoto looked at the girl in the dapper suit as she turned to leave as well.
“I’m going to inform my father about our… visitor.” Kyoko looked over her shoulder at Makoto, the corners of her mouth turning up into a slight smile as she did so. “Just focus on your game.”
And then she vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Makoto and Celeste alone in the room.
The sound of heels clicked against the floor as Celeste went back over to the table, gracefully sitting down on the couch. “Come on, like she said. I’m looking forward to how this will turn out.”
“Yeah, okay…” Makoto looked down at the game. “But I really don’t know what I’m doing…”
- - - - -
“Huh…?”
You pointed your flashlight into the room, sweeping the beam of light around to illuminate the art supplies and works of art littering the space; this was obviously the school’s art room, which had to be high up on the list of the most depressing rooms to explore in an abandoned building, due to the fading remnants of the efforts of the people who created art that came from the very soul.
“...is that an anime waifu?”
There, sitting smack dab in the middle of one of the tables, was a perfectly-drawn picture of an anime girl — inked, colored, and ready to be admired. The presence of such a bright and cutesy waifu in an abandoned building like this was incredibly eerie and jarring… though, from all of the things you had seen so far, this building didn’t seem to be as abandoned as you once thought.
You stepped further into the art room before stopping when you heard a squelching sound come from underneath you, and you cringed once you looked down to see that you had stepped into a pile of something green and squishy. You cringed again as you pulled your foot out of the slime.
“Oh, ew…!”
You tried to shake your foot a bit to get the slime off of your shoe, the substance slipping off like jello off of a tilted plate, and let out a sigh of relief when you saw that your shoe wasn’t stained.
“Hmph, who goes there?”
You flinched before swiftly spinning on your heel and pointing your flashlight in the direction of the unfamiliar voice, only for a silent gasp to pass through your lips at the sight of the beam of light refracting through the gelatinous substance in front of you; the way that it bathed the walls of the art rooms in an green light was almost ethereal, a sight so pretty that it stole your breath.
“Whoa…”
“Excuse me!” The mass of green slime sitting in front of you let out a loud huff, raising a hand to correct the glasses sitting on his face and drawing your attention to his head. “It’s incredibly rude to stare! Nevermind the fact that you could have blinded someone with your hazardous actions!”
“Whoops! Sorry!”
You lowered your flashlight as your lips pulled up into an apologetic smile, and got a better look at the boy now that you didn’t have a beautiful display of refracted light distracting you. He really was just a mass of slime, his rotund shape only given form by the school uniform that he wore.
“Apology not accepted!”
The slime boy walked — well, more like slid — around you towards the table that the drawing of the anime waifu was sitting on, and you blinked a few times as you noticed the various sketches and works-in-progress that surrounded the finished masterpiece of sparkly anime cuteness.
“To barge into one’s work space and stare as if they’re some kind of freak? Unacceptable!”
“I… I’m sorry about the second thing, but this is the school’s public art room…”
“That is true, but you’re obviously not a student here. Ergo, you still shouldn’t be here.”
“...okay, I can’t exactly argue with that.”
You watched as the slime boy began to organize the drawings on the table, and noticed that, despite him being made of such a goopy substance, he managed to keep all of them clean as he handled them with his hands; the slime around on the floor of the art room made it clear that the slime boy was no stranger to making a mess, whether intentionally or not, so for him to take time to learn how to not accidentally stain his artworks showed how much they meant to him.
“...I like your drawings.”
“Hmm… I suppose even an impertinent individual like you could appreciate my genius.” The slime boy looked back at you after organizing the drawings into a neat pile, the drawing of the waifu on top, to still be admired by passersby in all of her colorful, sparkly glory. “Perhaps you have potential for character development, after all, even if your intro left much to be desired.”
You silently questioned what he was talking about, before giving him a big smile.
“Thanks! I’ll take that as a compliment!”
“Since you show apt respect, I’ll introduce myself despite your intrusion.” The slime boy huffed as he put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest with pride, the strain of his action on his shirt causing the hue of his green gloop to be barely visible through the material. “I… am Hifumi, also known as… “The Alpha and the Omega!”. Creator of many beloved fanworks in Japan.”
You had never heard about this guy before, but maybe you just weren’t cultured enough.
“That’s… great! I’m honored to meet you…?”
“Of course you are.” Hifumi pushed up his glasses, and you caught yourself wondering about how someone made of slime could have bad eyesight, before you accepted that it must be due to their eyes also being as goopy as the rest of their body. “Heh, but don’t expect to receive an autographed masterpiece just for meeting me. It’s too early for you to take possession of such a rarity; you’ll need to undergo much training to become worthy of even being able to touch one.”
“...yeah, okay.”
You held up your phone and took a quick selfie with the easels as a backdrop, putting on your best “appreciating artwork deeply” expression that you could muster, before turning to leave.
“I’ll leave your genius alone so you can work! Ciao!”
“So be it.” Hifumi nodded his head, watching your retreating form. “I expect our next encounter to have bounds of evidence to show your growth when it comes to the world of fan content!”
“Okey-dokey!”
- - - - -
The room you found yourself in now was larger than most of the rooms you had explored thus far, the only exceptions being the gym on the first floor and the pool on the second floor, and its size was accompanied with a feeling of high-classiness that the school had seemingly lost over the years from disrepair… or maybe that just came from the grand piano sitting on the stage at the front of the room, rows of cushioned seats facing towards it for an audience to lounge upon.
And there were also two people standing on said-stage, spotlighted under the fancy lighting.
“It… it takes more than just enthusiasm to play music, Leon.”
“I know that! I’m just saying that it’d be a little easier if you helped me out a little.”
The appearance of the girl actually caught you off-guard as a sense of familiarity washed over your brain, the feeling getting stronger when you squinted your eyes to blur the wings that were on her back and her bird-like legs into a human-like silhouette that you could swear that you had seen somewhere before. Then again, maybe your mind was just deciding to play a trick on you.
The boy — Leon, the girl had called him — had red hair sitting atop his head that stuck out into the air, a fiery glow surrounding it; like, it wasn’t actually on fire, but it glowed like the electric log sets in fake fireplaces did. He seemed to have a whole “punk rocker” thing going on with how he dressed himself, which contrasted greatly with the cute school uniform that the girl was sporting.
“Hmm?”
The girl and Leon turned their heads to look at you as you ascended the steps up to the stage, a sweet and melodic hum leaving the girl at the sound of your footsteps, and you waved slightly at them as they looked at you with surprise, your flashlight loosely held in your other hand while off.
“Hello there! Sorry for the intrusion, I’m just having a little look-see around this place.” You stared at the girl briefly, before narrowing your eyes and tilting your head back. “You. Bird lady. I may be going crazy, but you look so familiar and I just can’t place it. Have we ever ran into each other at the grocery store or something? I swear, it’s right on the tip-top of my brain… wait, am I crazy?”
The girl paused for a moment, before giving a smile that metaphorically lit up the room.
“I don’t think we have, but…” She let a soft giggle pass her lips, the sound almost too sweet. “I suppose you might recognize me because of my job? I’m Sayaka Maizono, from the group-”
“Oh! That one idol group!” You pointed at Sayaka as you felt a lightbulb flicker on above your head. “I’m not into the whole “pop idol” culture, but I have a couple of friends who’re big fans.”
The idol kept a smile on her face — it had to have been perfected after lots of training in front of a mirror, her smile neither strained nor lax, right in the middle — and tilted her head just so. “I’m glad your friends like my group’s work. We’ve all worked very hard to get to where we are.”
“I don’t doubt it!” You shook your flashlight like a glow stick. “Especially with all that dancing-”
“Hey, she’s not the only celebrity here!”
Leon directed the attention in the room back to himself, your gaze meeting an expression that was mildly insulted. His lips turned up into a smile — which had an air of cockiness around it — once he registered that you were looking at him, his hair also glowing brighter. “Leon Kuwata. Your pleasure, I’m sure. You might know me as the “baseball star”, but I’m done and over with that life. I’m changing careers to become the world’s newest and biggest music sensation.”
You had no idea who this guy was.
“Oh, I’m not into sports, but I suppose it’s nice to meet you anyway.”
The wind was visibly knocked out of Leon’s sails at your words, his entire being seeming to deflate like a person-shaped balloon, as Sayaka covered her mouth with a hand to conceal a giggle. You used the pause in conversation to take a selfie with the piano, resisting the urge to slam your hands upon the keys to make what-you-were-sure-would-be the most magnificent sound ever, and shot Leon a thumbs-up afterwards, while you started to back off of the stage.
“Good luck with the music career! I’ll totally give your future songs a listen, I promise!”
Sayaka waved you off like an angel, the wings on her back only helping to further that innocent image she worked so hard to cultivate, as Leon sputtered, his hair dimming into barely a glow.
“You- You better! And tell all your hot babe friends about me too!”
- - - - -
Your journey through the fourth floor of the unexpectedly-interesting high school you had been paid to explore continued as you crossed the hallway to stumble upon another room you would never find at any old boring school… like the one you were a student at. The plaque next to the door was engraved to state that the room was the data lab, and you had to see why it said that.
“There’s no way this place has any decent tech-”
You pushed the door open just a crack, and peeked your head in to see a room worthy of the name on the rusty plaque outside. With countless monitors hooked on the walls, showing all of the feeds from every possible security camera in the school building, it looked just like a room that some evil mastermind would use to spy on everybody for some super nefarious purpose.
“...well, never mind then.”
And, as with all the other interesting rooms you’ve been to, there were people here too.
“And… there. All of the new cameras are now up and running.”
There were a total of three people present in the data lab, two of them hovering over the one that had been fiddling with the controls at one of the many consoles in the room, and all three of them staring down at the screen closest to them, checking out whatever was being displayed on it.
“Well done, Chihiro! You’ve done us all a great service!” The figure standing to the left of the one in front of the console fluttered the wings on his back as he spoke, before they appeared to snap back into place, held tightly against his body. Not a feather was out of place, his wings appearing sleek and meticulously-groomed in contrast to Sayaka’s more fluffy and decorative wings. “This will greatly contribute to both the security of our school and the safety of all our classmates!”
The person in front of the console — Chihiro — smiled at her friend’s compliment, a light blush coating her cheeks. There didn’t appear to be anything strange about her at all, unlike a majority of the individuals you had encountered so far, but until you were explicitly informed that she was human, you weren’t about to make any assumptions; better safe than sorry. “Thanks, Taka, but I just activated the cameras. One of the upperclassmen actually installed them around campus.”
“Ah-ha, a group effort! We must show our thanks the next time we see them!”
The third person in the room stood up straight before leaning back, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at Chihiro, and… oh, wow, unlike Leon’s hair, this guy had actual fire resting atop his skull. The flames crackled as they jutted outward to form a pompadour, which was rather impressive once you considered that fire shouldn’t act like that… but, to be fair, this guy was dressed like a delinquent, and they were well-known for breaking rules left and right.
That probably went for the rules of physics too, at least within the walls of this school.
“Still, you did a good job, bro. This is what you’re good at, you should be proud.”
Chihiro perked up even more. “R-Right! Thanks, Mondo.”
You pushed open the door further to enter the data lab yourself, the lull in conversation making that action sound a lot louder than it actually was, and you watched as the three turned to gaze at your approaching figure. It took a few seconds before they all came to the same realization.
Chihiro yelped while stepping back, the other two stepping forward. “Oh, no!”
“Ah, a human!” Taka swung his hand up into the air before he pointed at you, almost a bit too comically, with his wings fluttering open behind him. “A human has gotten inside the school!”
“Shit!” Mondo looked between Taka and you, his hair growing brighter as the flames flickered widely, as if they were responding to his panic. “What do we do, bro? Should I knock ‘em out?”
“T-This situation is concerning, yes, but violence should never be the answer!”
“The fuck should I do then?!”
Those two were similar to a comedy duo, you found yourself thinking as you watched the both of them panic over your presence, their back-and-forth only working as well as it did because of how their personalities clashed — one was professional, orderly, while the other was intimidating and foul-mouthed. That said, you could definitely see yourself being scared witless by the two of them… if you hadn’t already met so many wonderful and unique characters this intriguing night.
But, even so, feeling the warmth of the flames of the delinquent’s hair on your skin as he drew closer to you still caused your muscles to tense, a sense of danger arising within your stomach.
“W-Wait! Don’t attack! The human’s not a threat!”
The console shone as sparks coursed over its metal surface, Chihiro soon emerging from the screen and making you realize that you hadn’t noticed the techie disappearing during the all of commotion over you being here. The fact that the seemingly-human’s body was shifting from a static blur into flesh while exiting the screen was also proof to prove Chihiro was not a human.
“I just looked through the camera feeds. The others are already aware of them, and… Kyoko even concluded that they’re not a threat. T-That means we don’t need to hurt them… o-okay?”
Mondo was already much too close for comfort to you before you finally got a chance to step back, the heat from his hair lessening with the distance and the flames resuming a pompadour.
“...tch, got it.”
“Oh, um…” Taka retracted his finger that had been pointing at you, and fidgeted with his arms before they pressed to his sides. His wings followed suit, pressing up against his back after he tucked them away, and his posture stiffened before he bowed to you. “Our sincerest apologies. We did not mean to treat you with any disrespect. We were merely acting as instructed, truly.”
You smiled, waving your hand to the side. “It’s fine. I know I’m technically trespassing anyways, so it’s no biggie. You had a really good response time, though; you were all so quick to act…!”
Your eyes left the three figures in front of you as they instead looked around the data lab, and a long hum left your lips. “...geez, I’m impressed a place like this has such advanced technology hiding within its old walls. I guess I won’t be taking any pictures in this room… it’d be too hard to explain away unlike all the other rooms in this here school of yours. I don’t even want to try…”
“Thank you very much!”
“Just don’t mess with anybody here, eh?” Mondo stared down at you with a firm gaze, his eyes narrowed the slightest bit. “I don’t want you causing any trouble, especially not for my bros.”
Your hand hit your forehead in a salute. “Aye-aye, captain.”
With a wave goodbye, you decided to leave the three be, having caused them enough stress as is. The last thing you wanted to do was get on the bad side of people stronger than yourself.
And, thankfully, your natural charm always managed to save your butt.
- - - - -
This had to be the nicest sight you had seen all night.
You shivered as a gentle breeze blew through your hair, your eyes caught on the sight of the twinkling lights of the surrounding city shining in the distance. It was impossible for one to see the top of the school from the ground, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a garden growing on the fifth floor. Your flashlight turned off with a quiet click as you closed the door behind you, your eyes slowly starting to adjust to having the moonlight as your guide as you explored the garden.
There was tall wire fencing surrounding the very edges of the garden — it was always good to see safety measures in place — and many different plants present. While it was difficult for you to make out the exact plants, you could clearly see that there was a wide variety available here.
“Ooh! Chickens!”
And a chicken coop, with five chickens all sleeping in their nests.
That was the most picture-perfect opportunity you could have ever wished for, and you knew that there was nothing else in the garden that you could have ever wanted to take a selfie with more. You snapped the picture with a bright smile on your face, making sure to not disturb the sleeping chickens in any way, and happily admired the newest addition to your selfie album.
Until you noticed something shiny in the background of your picture, half-buried in the shavings on the coop’s floor, and only having been exposed by the camera flash that your phone gave off.
You turned your head to glance back at the coop, and located it after a moment.
“Huh? What’s this?”
You carefully retrieved the shiny object from the chicken coop, and held it up in your hands, the moonlight glinting off of the oil lamp’s smooth surface. It was in good condition, looking like new.
“Alright…! Three wishes, baby!”
Just as all those protagonists did before you, from those old stories you heard multiple times before, you rubbed your hand on the lamp. You waited for a few seconds before you pouted.
“Well, it was a good try-”
You let out a yelp as the oil lamp shook, dropping it as smoke burst out of its spout.
“Woo-boy! What a nap!”
And just like in all of those old stories, a man appeared from the smoke that burst out of the lamp. He stretched his arms out a bit, before noticing you standing on the ground below him.
“Oh, hey there, dude!” The man carried himself casually, his posture all loose as he floated a few feet above the ground, the bottom half of his body being a wispy tail that trailed back to the fallen lamp’s spout. “Sorry if I scared you! I was just catching a few quick Zs in my lamp, heh!”
He blinked a couple of times before looking around the garden, the area bathed in moonlight.
“...huh, I think I overslept a little.”
The man let out a laugh, his shoulders bouncing as a smile took its place on his face.
“Well, I guess I really needed the sleep!”
You continued to stare up at the man, a sense of nervousness crawling its way up into your stomach as your brain recalled certain folklore related to the being in front of you, before your attention fell back to the oil lamp you had dropped on the ground. You rushed forward to pick it up, carefully cupping your hands around the bottom after dusting it off, and offered it to the man.
“...here. Sorry for dropping it.”
“Hey, it’s cool. No biggie.” The man only had the lamp within his hands for a few brief seconds before he let go of it, the shiny object now floating next to him. “It’s been dropped plenty of times before, but it’s as sturdy as can be. Heck, even with effort, no one’s been able to dent it yet.”
“That’s, um… good to know.” You put your flashlight up to your chin, tapping your face with it, as you attempted to keep your eyes from wandering down to the man’s wispy tail. “Anyway, you’re a genie, right? I mean- a Jinn? Uh… whatever the proper term is for people who live in lamps?”
He shrugged. “Eh, call me whatever you like, dude. It doesn’t matter to me.”
You let your lips turn up into a hesitant smile. “I’m sure it’d matter to some people…”
“The name’s Yasuhiro, but you can just call me Hiro for short.” The magical being dubbed “Hiro” looked down at you with a casual smile, his hand coming up to his chin as he floated around you and inspected you. “You must be a new student, yeah? Haven’t had one of those in a while…”
“Oh, no. I’m just… visiting?” You let out a breathy chuckle before you paused, blinking before taking a closer look at Hiro, similar to how he looked at you. “Wait, you’re a student here? You… well, you look… you know, a bit older than the other folks I’ve run into around here, and, correct me if I’m wrong, but… shouldn’t you be, like… ancient or something? …can jinn be young?”
Hiro let out a laugh, putting a fist to his chest. “Fair question, but I’m actually just twenty-one-”
“Oh, well, that’s actually pretty reasonable-”
“-hundred-years-old, but it’s not like I could learn when I was trapped in my lamp before.”
You stared at Hiro for a couple of seconds. “...well, nobody’s too old for an education.”
“I should probably be heading back inside now, the others must be wondering where I am.” Hiro gave you a slight nod of his head. “Thanks for waking me up, though, dude. I’ll see you around!”
“Wait-!”
Hiro disappeared in a puff of smoke before you could say anything further.
“...but don’t I get any wishes?”
- - - - -
“...oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
You shook your flashlight, harshly tapping it on the end as it flickered before it turned off; it had been right by your side for this entire adventure, lighting your way through the darkness, which made the realization of its batteries having lost all their juice feel like you were losing a dear old friend. The dim lighting of the hallway shutting off not a moment after your flashlight gave its final breath was just the icing on the proverbial horror-themed cake you had now found yourself in.
“...and now it’s worse.”
Your body shivered as your hand made contact with the wall after you extended your arm out, though you kept your palm pressed up against the cold surface. Without any sort of light source to assist your eyes, it would be smarter for you to use the wall as a guide during the rest of your journey than to stumble around in the dark like an idiot — you could end up hurt if you did that.
“Huh…?”
The sound of your footsteps ceased as you stared ahead into the darkness, squinting your eyes at a couple balls of flickering light in the distance. The lights danced around each other at the end of the hallway, their edges lagging against their movement like the way you assumed a couple of torches would if spun around. The lights were of a colder hue, though, instead of being the bright, burning orange you would expect of fire; that said, you had heard the hottest flames burned blue.
“...would it count as “following” if it’s the only way I can go?”
With acceptance settling itself into your heart, you started making your way towards the lights, but didn’t get any closer as they moved away from you, matching your pace. You sped up a bit when they turned a corner, wanting to keep them in your sight and not wanting to be left behind.
Even with your only light source being the distant flames, you could tell you were backtracking the path you had taken on your escapade within the school as you followed them. They led you down the stairs, through the semi-familiar floors of the building that were now cast under an inky black darkness, nary a light to be found. While you could honestly say that the entire building did reek of creepiness during your trek upwards, it had been a fun and interesting kind of creepy.
But without the dim lighting, the soft hum of the broken lights, it seemed a lot less fun.
And once you reached the first floor, the balls of light had disappeared too.
You felt two cold hands clasp your shoulders from behind, and flinched forward before turning around on your heel to meet two glowing blue eyes — the same blue as the flames — and lips pulled back into a smile stretched almost all the way to its owner's ears. You couldn’t describe the sound that escaped your throat at the sight, especially with your heartbeat now in your ears.
The girl put her hands up as a laugh passed through her lips, the sound sending a chill right up your spine. “Oh, thank goodness! You can get scared! You know, you seemed pretty fearless when you were sauntering around the school like you owned the place just a little while earlier.”
Your hands were in front of your chest, the grip on your flashlight tight, as you watched the glow in the girl’s eyes dim down to a more natural light-blue color, her smile also shrinking with them.
The lights on the ceiling above you flickered back to life, still as dim as before, but even with the minimal light they emitted, they were enough to lighten the mood in the air from horrifying to just mildly-concerning. You had already gone through the motions to calm yourself and your beating heart before you noticed that there was another girl nearby, her eyes carrying a faint glow too.
That was the only similarity you could find between the girls, as the one that had grabbed your shoulders earlier looked like someone you could find on the cover of a fashion magazine while the second looked like someone you would find on the cover of an army recruitment pamphlet.
Total opposites in both style and the way they carried themselves, making for an odd pair.
“It’s not funny!” You glared at the first girl before you paused. “Wait… you’re that one model!”
You were no expert in fashion, the subject hardly being one of your fortes, but the girl in front of you looked just like someone you saw on one of the magazines in the laundry room, when you were snooping on what-you-had-assumed-to-be the remnants of past students’ interests during your investigation on what to take a selfie with. Those kinds of magazines weren’t material you regularly checked out during your free time, but they made time in waiting rooms fly right on by.
The model chuckled as she pulled back from you. “Oooh, good eye! Are you a fan?”
“Not really, no.”
“Junko, we should hurry and get the human back to the others. They’re waiting on us.”
“Ugh.” The smile on Junko’s face completely vanished when the second girl had stepped closer and spoke. “I know that, Sis. Don’t interrupt me while I’m working! God, you’re such a burden!”
Her sister cast her gaze down, frowning. “S-Sorry…”
You glanced between the two girls as you smiled awkwardly, the pair seeming a lot weirder than anybody else you had met tonight, and you had only been talking to them for just under a minute by now. Though, as bizarre as they were, you were sticking to your guns of not diving under the surface of anyone here by questioning them about themselves for the sake of your own safety.
“Others?” You looked at Junko’s sister. “Do they wanna chat with me some more, or…?”
The girl had only just opened her mouth to respond before Junko scooched herself between you and her, clearly leaning towards you specifically to invade your personal bubble as much as she could without touching you. Her stretched smile and fluttering lashes were but a mild distraction from how she had completely blocked your view of her sister, keeping your focus solely on her.
“Yep, yep! Everyone’s dying to know more about you, who’s caused them all a lot of trouble!”
“I’m sure I’ve only caused, like, a medium amount of trouble around here.”
Junko hummed. “Perhaps… anyway, they regard you as a safety concern. That means you-”
Her finger booped your nose, making you recoil.
“-need to get your little human self to the dining hall, stat. Otherwise… heh, it’d be quite a show.”
The other girl jumped to attention when Junko snapped her fingers at her like one would a dog, her posture — which was already better than most folks’ — stiffening as she stood to attention.
“Mukuro, escort them to the dining hall to make sure they don’t get lost.”
“Ah- yes, Junko! But where are you-”
“Um, a girl needs her privacy! Even you should know that, despite that pathetically flat board that you call a chest. Hm, now that I think of it, you barely count as a person, much less a girl.”
Junko smiled widely — too wide — at you, waving as she took a few steps back.
“Okay, bye~! I’ll catch up later!”
Her voice was sing-songy right before her body spontaneously combusted into familiar bright blue flames, causing you to shield your eyes, and when you finally were able to look at where the model had been standing again, you found nothing remaining. Junko vanished as quickly as she appeared, leaving you alone with Mukuro, and at a loss of what to say in response to it all.
“So, that’s… uh… y’all are sisters?”
Mukuro nodded. “Twins.”
“...neato. A-Anyway, the dining hall, right? I came in through there, so… wanna race?”
- - - - -
The garden had previously been your pick for the place most brimming with life within the walls of the school for two reasons, the first being that there were multiple plants thriving there just like weeds in a crack in a sidewalk and the second being the chickens that were also thriving due to the care the students were giving them… but you could admit that the dining hall easily shoved it into second place when everyone was gathered there, socializing just like normal teenagers.
You recognized every unique individual present at the impromptu meeting, all of them seated at the tables and near others you assumed they were close to — the three you met in the data lab were sitting next to each other, the two ladies you met at the pool were too… but Byakuya and Toko had chosen to sit at a table off to the side, separated from the majority of their classmates.
The interpersonal dynamics of this place on a normal day must be wild, you assumed.
“Hey, hey!” You raised your hand in greeting. “The “safety concern” has arrived!”
You approached the table where most of the students were sitting, and found yourself standing at one end. You weren’t sure whether to sit down or not, choosing a place to sit in a high school cafeteria was never easy, but Mukuro made you feel less awkward as she stood by your side.
Kyoko soon joined your makeshift standing club as she stood near the head of the table, just a few paces away from you. She had to be leading the meeting, if her position meant anything.
“What?” Makoto, who had been chatting with Sayaka, looked up at you at your announcement, his arms resting in front of him, on the table. “You… don’t have to refer to yourself like that.”
Hina leaned forward to look over at you as well. “Where’d you get that idea?”
“Junko told me that you guys were concerned about my presence.” You smiled as you fiddled with your dead flashlight’s power button. “Don’t worry, I think it sounds cool. I’m not insulted.”
“Regardless of how “cool” it sounds, your presence is a concern.” Kyoko crossed her arms as she stared at you. “Your knowledge of us poses a threat to our individual and collective safety.”
That sentence made the tone in the air shift, dampening the atmosphere, and you moved your gaze to look at everyone else, only to see them either staring back at you or averting their eyes elsewhere; even the ones with smiles on their faces — like Hina and Sayaka — had a certain tension laced into their expressions. They really were worried, and it was more than obvious to see, even if you were free of that same kind of pressure that currently hung over their heads.
“Then… how’re we gonna solve this?” You returned your attention to Kyoko. “I don’t want to hurt any of you, and I totally promise to not speak a word of this to anyone, but… I know it’s tough to trust what a total stranger is telling you, huh? You have no real reason to believe in me at all…”
“There’s a few options.” Kyoko paused. “For example… you could be put under surveillance.”
“Oh!” Taka raised his head as he spoke. “Chihiro could keep watch through the human’s phone!”
Chihiro blinked in surprise. “Ah…! I mean, I could, b-but…”
“What? He’s supposed to just keep eyes on ‘em all the time?” Mondo leaned back in his seat, his fiery hair swaying in the air with his motions. “Our bro’s got better things to do with his time!”
The boy in question shrunk in his chair a bit. “Y-Yeah, it’d be really tough…”
“Well, Mr. Demon Prince over there should have no problem dealing with that.” Leon turned to look over at Byakuya, who was looking away with disinterest in the topic at hand written all over his face. “I’m sure you’ve got, like, a ton of henchmen or whatever who could handle it, yeah?”
Byakuya scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not wasting resources on one measly human.”
“But you would be able to do it-” Celeste smiled over at the prince. “-would you not?”
“Of course, and I could get away with it too… but I’m not doing that.”
Toko fidgeted with the mask on her face, the cloth clenched between her fingers. “M-Master said “no” so you should stop asking! He doesn’t have to put up with any of you guys’ s-stupid ideas!”
“That means it’s a no-go on the surveillance idea…” Sayaka’s eyes traveled up as she thought, humming before she looked towards Kyoko. “Oh, what about erasing their memories of us?”
The idol was soon met with almost everyone’s eyes on her, shock within their gazes.
And that included yours. “H-Huh?”
“I mean… they can’t expose us if they don’t remember us. We wouldn’t have to worry, then.”
The human sitting next to the idol smiled hesitantly, and you briefly wondered what Makoto was thinking about you, his fellow human, being subject to all this. “Isn’t that… going a bit too far?”
Hina frowned. “Is that even possible?”
“I’m certain Hiro or Kyoko would be able to achieve such a feat.” Sakura crossed her arms, her frown calm as she glanced between the two she spoke of. “You both possess incredible power.”
Hiro let out a laugh. “Oh-ho, I could! But… something of that level doesn’t come free from me…”
Your gaze traveled around the dining hall as you took in the expressions of the people deciding your fate, most showing some degree of irresolution at the current idea, before you froze as you noticed Kyoko’s hand reaching towards your face from the corner of your eye, and you tensed.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to erase your memories-” Kyoko’s gloved hand came into contact with your forehead first, her fingers trailing over your skin as they moved down the side of your face, to your chin; they left a lingering chill. “-it would be difficult, not to mention morally questionable.”
You eventually regained your mental footing and stepped back, the warmth that was blooming in your cheeks a contrast to the girl’s strangely cool touch. “Uh, and I feel like I should mention that I’ve been sending all the photos I’ve taken here to my friend too. I… well, I think it would be kind of suspicious to not only me but them if I just had a bunch of mysterious holes in my memory…”
Kyoko nodded. “Exactly, so we’ll have to go with a different course of action.”
The silence that fell over the dining hall was interrupted by a sneeze, followed by a loud yell.
“Easy, let’s just kill them!”
Your head swiveled towards the voice. “I’m sorry, what?”
You hardly knew any of these people, that was a fact you wouldn’t deny, but you were confident in thinking that the aura that was surrounding Toko was a lot more aggressive than the defensive one that she had possessed up until this point — to the point where you felt yourself be hit with a wave of mental whiplash — and even her posture had straightened up from a confidence boost.
Mukuro turned her head to look back at you as you shuffled behind her like she was some sort of shield, and, to further ease your worry, most others voiced their displeasure at the idea too.
“That…” Hifumi put a hand to his chest. “That’s way worse than erasing their memories…!”
Celeste let out a hum, closing her eyes briefly as she thought with a smile still on her lips. “That would be effective… but also far too suspicious. They’ve already made someone else aware of their location here, so their disappearance would only lead more people to come to the school.”
“It’s the most idiotic plan so far. Just shut your mouth and let the smart people talk.”
“Oh-ho-ho, whatever you say, Master!”
The group fell into silence once more as everyone thought some more about what to do. Every idea a person eventually brought up was shut down by someone else for either being unrealistic or having too many flaws — plus the fact that you didn’t really like any of them. To your surprise, some of the people here went out of their way to take your opinion into account when they went through the motions to consider each idea, so you knew nothing would just be forced upon you.
That was very nice of them, especially considering that you were a trespasser.
“Geez, you’re all still trying to think of a solution?”
You jumped as you heard a voice come from right behind you, and you drew closer to Mukuro, who was still in front of you, before you looked back to see Junko standing there. That was the second time the model had purposefully scared you from behind… a trend that you did not like.
“I would’ve thought you’d all have come up with something by now.”
“Nice of you to finally join us, Junko.” Kyoko looked over at the fashionista, dropping her hand down from her chin to cross her arms. “If you’ve any ideas of your own, you’re free to share.”
Junko blinked before smiling wide, putting her hands on your shoulders and leaning on you.
“Simple. We just trust the human.”
The model was met with silence, everyone staring at her… including you.
“Are… are you sure that’s the best idea?” Makoto scratched his cheek with a nervous smile on his lips. “I mean, I’m sure they’re nice enough to not tell, but we can’t just blindly trust them…”
“Bold of you to speak up-” Junko’s smile widened further, her eyes beginning to gain a familiar bright blue glow. “-considering we all trusted you after you first learned all of our little secrets.”
“But Makoto had me to vouch for him.” Sayaka swiftly stood up, her chair scraping against the cracked tiles of the dining hall’s floor, as she finished the rebuttal. “He wasn’t a total stranger.”
Junko let go of your shoulders as she waved dismissively. “Oh, please… sure, you two may have gone to the same middle school, but you guys never even talked until after our resident human stumbled into here. You can’t use that piece of evidence for this debate, it’s irrelevant.”
The idol’s lips turned down into a frown as her wings puffed up, before she sat back down.
“With that in mind, it’s pretty hypocritical of you all to trust one human you didn’t know but not another. Totally not fair. I mean-” Junko suddenly grabbed your face, pulling you close as she squished your cheeks against her palms, her voice now whiny. “-just look at this human. They didn’t freak out like Makoto did when he first arrived, and they’ve kept you out of all their photos. They’ve been so kind, so for you to point fingers and say they’re a risk to you all is sooo mean.”
Your emotions were a mixed bag right now, from being uneasy with Junko’s close proximity to your face to being appreciative of her words. There was something that didn’t sit quite right with you about her, but speaking against her in this pivotal moment would do you no good right now.
Her touch seemed close to burning, uncomfortably hot against your skin.
“Uh, Junko, I think you should stop-”
“Ew, don’t touch me.”
Junko let go of your face and took a step back from Mukuro, who had been in the middle of reaching out to her. The faint disgust on the model’s face lasted for but a moment before she was smiling again, her posture radiating confidence as she looked towards her classmates.
“Anyways, it’s just some food for thought. You don’t need to think much of it.”
The silence that overtook the dining hall was tense, and you spent a few more seconds just taking in the smile on Junko’s face before you shifted your gaze over to everyone else; there was a clear presence of unease settled over the students, some of their gazes averted fully from you as they thought while others occasionally glanced at you during their contemplation.
Kyoko eventually broke the silence with a soft huff. “Let’s put it to a vote.”
And almost immediately did everyone look at her as she raised her hand slightly.
“If the majority agrees, we’ll let the human go based on… trust.”
Leon blinked as his eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? We’re just going to trust them?”
Celeste let out a hum. “Unfortunately, we appear to have no other options. We can’t keep them under surveillance, erase their memories, or make them “disappear” for one reason or another.”
“This will place the responsibility of our safety onto those who choose to trust the human, if the majority vote yes.” Sakura nodded, her arms crossed over her chest. “That’s a heavy burden.”
Hina looked up at Sakura briefly, before she looked away to think for a moment, a hum leaving her lips. She soon nodded as a smile appeared on her face. “Well, I trust them. Even though we only just met, they’ve been really nice. They… treated me like a regular person, didn’t even blink when they saw my fins, and they made sure that Sakura and I weren’t in their photo of the pool.”
“Oh! They were really respectful when meeting me too, I suppose…” Sayaka smiled, a soft pink hue appearing on her cheeks. “I’m used to people going a bit crazy when meeting me in public.”
Leon scoffed. “Uh, that’s probably ‘cause they’re not into idols, like they said.”
“Even people who aren’t fans of idols can still get star-struck in front of them.” The corners of the idol’s lips turned up further, now a little teasing. “But they didn’t even recognize you at all, Leon.”
Taka stood up from his seat, one of his hands slamming onto the table and the other pointed at you. “Human, do you promise to keep our secret and speak nothing of what you saw tonight?”
“Uh…” You were taken aback by his energy, but nodded. “...yes.”
“Very well! Then you have my vote!”
“You’re really just going to trust ‘em…?” Mondo looked at Taka, before he sighed. “...if my bro says it’s good, then it’s good. I don’t know about all this, but I won’t doubt my bro’s judgement.”
“I suppose I shall vote “yes” as well.” Celeste folded her hands under her chin, tilting her head as she stared straight at you. “However, there shall be dire consequences if you break our trust.”
You looked away from her piercing red gaze. “...y-yeah, of course.”
It was from then that, one-by-one, more people voted to trust you. You were honestly flattered, even if you knew some of the votes came because others they trusted had voted to trust you.
And, in the end, there were only two outliers.
“My vote is Master’s vote, so I’m going with what he wants!”
“I can’t believe you all voted “yes”...”
Byakuya narrowed his eyes as he looked over at all of his classmates, annoyance clear in his frown as he absorbed the fact that he and Toko were the only two to not place their trust in you.
Makoto sent a slight smile to the prince. “Sorry, but it is majority rules…”
“Which means the human gets to go free with no strings attached, except for our trust.” Kyoko turned to look at you, the rest of the students behind her at the tables and all eyes now focused on you. “Please do not betray the trust we have placed in you. This wasn’t an easy decision.”
You took a moment before you smiled, giving a mock-salute. “You can count on me! You guys are too nice to screw over like that. Well… most of you are. I’ll keep my lips sealed, promise!”
“Thank you. Now… perhaps you could show us exactly how you entered the building.”
- - - - -
This was a better ending to the night than you could have expected; you went into the school expecting nothing but cobwebs, safety violations, and an overwhelming gloominess that came with being an abandoned building once used as a lively social environment, but instead went on an adventure that kept you from falling asleep halfway through the late-night, paid-for expedition.
You were even being escorted to the front door after you showed Kyoko the broken window you had climbed through to get inside, the students not wanting you to accidentally cut yourself while exiting the premises. You had also let the girl look at your updated album of exploration selfies to make sure you had absolutely no evidence of any of their existences… and to show off a little.
You were just really proud of your photo-taking skills tonight.
The most surprising thing that happened after you were cleared to exit was the notion that some of the people here were fine with the idea of you coming back. Hina even argued that, since you already know their secrets, there wasn’t any reason for you to not come to visit every so often.
Makoto was used as an example, given that he was human and hung out with them regularly.
Maybe you should ask him sometime about how he got himself into this situation.
“You know… I don’t see how keeping your mouth shut about all this benefits you at all.”
Junko’s voice broke you out of your thoughts, and you turned to look at her.
“...huh?”
That person “escorting” you was Junko… and the situation was more like she volunteered to take you to the exit before dragging you out of the dining hall faster than anyone could argue.
“Like… what exactly do you even get out of not telling anyone about us? I mean, you didn’t even try any extortion. The blackmail material was right there. In fact, it’s still sitting right on the table.”
You came to a slow stop as you continued to stare at Junko, your smile faltering before coming back hesitantly. “U-Um… I’d rather not risk your and the others’ lives? Isn’t that a good reason?”
The fashionista’s frown deepened, before her lips turned into a pout. “That’s so boring… come on, it’d really shake things up if you let something slip. The human world and the monster world clashing… it could be fun…! And I’m sure that you’d gain fame and fortune for your “discovery”.”
“But… you were the one championing the whole “trust the human” thing. Why are you-”
“If I hadn’t spoken up, everyone would’ve just fallen into an endless debate.” Junko waved her hand to the side dismissively, cutting you off, as her other hand traveled up to rest on her hip. “It might’ve been entertaining for a little bit, but it was already getting super stale when I stepped in.”
You had already continued walking during Junko’s “explanation”, and soon reached the entrance hall with the model in tow. The area was in similar condition to the rest of the school building, the doors being boarded up with thick wooden planks… but, if they were going to let you out through them, you assumed the state of the doors was just for appearances and they still opened fine.
“Junko, sorry to disappoint, but…” You turned to look at the model with a smile returning to your face, determination in your eyes. “...I think I’m just going to keep my mouth shut, as promised.”
Junko huffed before looking away with a bored expression. “That is disappointing.”
You almost chuckled at her reaction, but, as soon as you blinked, Junko disappeared from your view, and you felt two hands clasp your shoulders from behind. You couldn’t stop the small yelp that escaped your lips, and your cheeks warmed up when you realized Junko scared you again.
“But that just means you’ll need to stay interesting enough to keep me from getting bored.”
“I… can try?”
The giggle that left Junko’s lips at your response made a shiver run up your spine, the model gently shoving you out the now-open front door — you assumed she had some sort of power that allowed her to open it without touching it, unless she was just very quick and very sneaky.
“Then that’s a promise! Come back soon, ‘kay?”
The door slammed shut before you could respond, and all you felt was the cool air of the night on your skin. You stood there for a moment before turning to look at the school, and there was no doubt in your mind that tonight would feel like a dream when you woke up the next morning.
“...so I guess I earned both fifty bucks AND a bunch of new friends tonight. Score!”
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Summary: “When you told the Spark Knight about holidays from your homeworld, you never expected it to turn into such a big deal. But who are you to argue with having a holly, jolly time?”
Word Count: ~9.8k
“Master Jean! Master Jean!”
The door to the Grand Master’s office was shoved open, almost slamming into the wall, as the Spark Knight burst into the room, excitement radiating off of her form like heat off of flames. She came to a stop in the middle of the office, almost toppling over from the weight of her backpack.
“Can we please have a “Christmas” festival? Pretty please?”
“Klee…!” Jean looked up from her desk, her eyes widened. “You shouldn’t be-”
Her words were cut off at the sight of you appearing in the doorway to the office, your demeanor a lot more calm than Klee’s. You entered the room, an apologetic smile displayed on your lips.
“Oh, Your Grace!”
“Sorry for the intrusion, Jean.” You looked at the Acting Grand Master for only a moment before you shifted your attention down at Klee. “Hey, I know you’re excited, but you shouldn’t just barge into Jean’s office without knocking first, Klee. Remember what I told you about good behavior?”
“Oops. That’s right… sorry, Master Jean.” Klee looked down at her feet for a moment, before a smile returned to her face as she looked up at Jean. “Klee’s just super excited about Christmas!”
Jean furrowed her eyebrows, confusion appearing in her frown. “Christ… mas?”
“Mmm-hmm!” Klee nodded her head. “It’s something Their Grace just told Klee about!”
Your smile shifted into something more sheepish when Jean looked towards you again. “I was just talking to Klee about some… winter festivities from where I’m from, and she seems to have gotten a bit excited about Christmas, in particular. I honestly should’ve expected this, heh…”
“It sounds really, really fun!” Klee began bouncing on the balls of her feet. “There’s a big tree, and lots of presents under it, and this old man named Shanty Cloths who likes eating cookies!”
“His name is Santa Claus, Klee.” You stifled a chuckle at the excitement on Klee’s face, before looking over at Jean again. “But, yeah, she wants to experience the magical joys of it herself.”
The Spark Knight took a step closer to the desk, looking up at Jean with hopeful eyes.
“Oh, can we please have a Christmas festival, Master Jean? It’ll be so amazing, and fun!”
Jean blinked a few times, an unsure frown on her face, before she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Klee, but we can’t just put on a whole new festival that we know nothing about, especially with such short notice. It’d likely be a complete disaster, and I’ve already got a lot on my plate as is.”
The smile on Klee’s face slowly vanished, her form appearing to deflate. “Oh…”
You looked between the Spark Knight and the Acting Grand Master, your own smile fading as you focused on Klee — her crushed enthusiasm didn’t sit well with you — before you spoke.
“...you know, it’s not impossible. You can still experience Christmas, Klee.”
Jean looked at you with confusion. “Your Grace…?”
“Can Klee really?” The Spark Knight perked up as she turned towards you, her eyes widening with hope again. “It sounds so fun! And I want all of my friends to experience Christmas too!”
“Your Grace, I don’t mean to doubt you, but…”
Jean placed a hand on her chest, looking at you with worry in her gaze.
“It really would be near-impossible to put on a festival like this.”
“It’s okay.” You chuckled, and shrugged your shoulders. “Christmas is actually just a one-day holiday. Sure, there’s usually a build-up of festive energy a few weeks before it, but it doesn’t actually last more than a single day. While Klee keeps calling it a festival, it’s not really one.”
“Oh…?”
“So, Klee, do you think this would work for you?” You looked down at the Spark Knight, a smile on your lips. “We take part in a few traditional Christmas activities together over the next couple of weeks, and then finish it all off with a big ol’ Christmas party at the end. What do you think?”
“Yay! That sounds perfect!” Klee smiled brightly. “Klee can’t wait! There’s so much to do!”
You turned your attention over towards Jean. “Would that be okay, Jean?”
“That… should be fine, yes.”
“Great!” You clapped your hands together as you looked at Klee. “Then let’s get started!”
- - - - -
There were crayons littering the table as Klee readied herself, the young girl in red practically vibrating with excitement where she sat, and she held a crayon tightly in one hand with a piece of paper laying in front of her. She looked up at you, her eyes wide and sparkling with pure joy.
“Okay, first things first… I suppose we need to actually figure out what to do.” You looked down at Klee with a smile. “And who to include. As fun as it would be to have the entire city celebrate Christmas this time, it’s not very realistic, so… we’ll need to figure out a smaller list of people.”
“Oh! All of Klee’s friends have to experience Christmas!” Klee began to draw, switching crayons when in need of a different color. “Like Big Brother Albedo, and Master Jean, and Kaeya, and-”
Klee continued to list people as she drew on the paper, before she lifted it up to show it to you.
“Is this okay, Your Grace?”
It was a cluttered drawing, filled with Klee’s artistic interpretations of people you knew well: the playable characters of Mondstadt — your “vessels”, as they often described themselves to be.
You nodded. “That seems good. Those are the people that I’m also closest to in Mondstadt.”
Klee set the drawing aside, before she grabbed another piece of paper and one of the crayons closest to her on the table. She tilted her head to continue looking up at you with a bright smile.
“Okay, but… what do people do for Christmas, Your Grace?”
“People do a lot of things. There’s no one right way to celebrate Christmas, Klee.” You grabbed a piece of paper and a crayon for yourself. “I’m pretty sure that you’re already familiar with some winter activities that align with Christmas, such as playing in the snow and making sweets, eh?”
Klee nodded and turned her attention to her paper, beginning to draw some winter scenes.
You twirled the crayon in your fingers a bit, before you chuckled. “And, since you’re helping to bring the joy of Christmas to everyone, I suppose that would make you Santa’s Helper, Klee.”
“Well… it’s a person who helps Santa Claus spread Christmas cheer. Santa’s only one person, and he has the big job of delivering gifts to all the good children of the world, so he relies on his helpers to make sure that everyone is having fun during the weeks leading up to the big day. As this is the first time Christmas is being celebrated in Teyvat, Santa’ll appreciate all of your help.”
Klee let a wide smile appear on her face. “Whoa! So Klee gets to help Santa?”
“Yeah! And I just know you’ll do a great job, Klee!”
“Oh! And Dodoco too, right? She can also be Santa’s Helper?”
“Of course! The more, the merrier!”
“Yay!”
The Spark Knight clapped her hands in delight before she continued drawing, and you found yourself glancing at her pointed ears, your smile softening, before you started to draw as well.
Ah.
How fitting.
- - - - -
It felt crowded, having so many people in one area.
The playable members of the Knights of Favonius — from the Acting Grand Master to the Knights’ maid — lined up before you inside of the Knights’ headquarters; most had a look of curiosity or confusion on their face, and some even had concern painting their facial features.
But Klee was bouncing on the balls of her feet, standing next to you with a big smile on her face.
“Oh, Klee?” Albedo looked at the Spark Knight as he noticed her behavior, the curiosity in his eyes growing just slightly as he did. “You seem to be in rather high spirits about something…”
Klee nodded. “Uh-huh! ‘Cause it’s time for “Secret Santa”!”
The concern present in the audience was fully replaced with confusion and curiosity.
“...”Secret… Santa”?”
“Yeah! It’s gonna be part one for celebrating Christmas!”
Noelle put a finger to her chin. “Oh? I’ve never heard of “Christmas” before…”
“If it’s something to celebrate-” Amber looked up at Eula. “-then it’s gotta be a holiday, right?”
Eula nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yes, it must be some kind of festivity.”
“So…” Mika placed a hand on his chest in relief. “...it’s not an emergency? Thank goodness…”
Lisa let out a hum as she looked over to Jean, who had a lack of surprise on her face unlike almost everyone else present. The librarian let her lips turn up into a subtle smile. “Well, you seem to have an idea of what Klee’s talking about, Jean. Mind enlightening the rest of us?”
Jean looked from the Knights towards Klee, and then looked at you. She looked a little stressed out — which was, unfortunately, normal — so you decided to explain the situation in her stead.
“Amber, Eula, you’re both right!” You smiled as you looked over all the Knights. “Christmas is a holiday from another world. I told Klee about it, she wanted to celebrate it, and so here we are!”
“A holiday from another world…” Kaeya had a look of interest in his eye. “How intriguing.”
Amber raised her hand, bringing attention to herself as you looked at her. “What’s it like, Your Grace? It’s probably different from any of the holidays that we have here in Mondstadt, isn’t it?”
“Eh…” You thought for a moment, putting a finger up to your chin. “...Christmas is mainly just a time to gather with loved ones to give gifts, eat good food, and… well, just spend time with one another. That’s the simplest way I can explain it, at least; does that make sense to everybody?”
Lisa chuckled, the smile on her lips softening. “Sounds like it shares quite a few similarities with some festivities we have. I think everyone here gets the picture that you set up, Your Grace.”
“Good! So, as Klee said earlier, she wanted to do something called “Secret Santa” with you guys.” You looked over the group of Knights, taking in all of their faces. “It’s an activity some workplaces do around Christmas, so having the Knights — well, the Knights that’re vessels — participate in this particular one seemed pretty obvious, especially when I told Klee about it.”
“What kind of activity is it, Your Grace?” Jean still looked a bit frazzled. “As much as I’d like to help Klee and you celebrate Christmas, having so many Knights occupied at once would be…”
“Don’t worry, Jean.” You sent a smile to her, hoping to reassure her worries and sooth her stress even a little. “This activity won’t take long. Basically, everyone participating will have to pull out a name from a hat — all the names of the participants will be written on slips of paper — and have to get them a present before the Christmas party that’ll take place in a couple of weeks. Oh, and you can’t tell anyone else the name that you pulled. That’s the “Secret” part of “Secret Santa”.”
“We…” Mika averted his gaze nervously. “...need to get a present for someone else?”
Sucrose fiddled with her fingers. “Based on a random drawing…?”
Amber smiled, her hands clenched in front of her. “Oh, that sounds like it could be fun!”
“Yes, but it could also be quite a difficult task-” Eula glanced around at the other Knights before looking at Amber. “-if you happen to draw someone that you’re not that well-acquainted with.”
“Well… I know that I just said you can’t tell anyone else who you pulled, but since I won’t be participating in the actual activity, you can come and ask me for gift ideas if you struggle with coming up with your own. I’ll be able to keep the secret.” You scanned the Knights with your eyes, a smile still on your lips. “So… is everybody in? You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, but the more people that do, the more fun it’ll be. Just don’t feel pressured to, okay?”
The Knights glanced around at each other briefly before looking at you and Klee again.
Albedo nodded. “Very well. I see no reason not to, especially if Klee wants us to participate.”
Sucrose glanced at Albedo, before giving a short nod towards you as well. “O-Okay…”
“You can count on Eula and me to join too!” Amber smiled at Eula, the Spindrift Knight giving a slight nod, before she looked at you again. “It sounds like a lot of fun, so we couldn’t miss out!”
Lisa hummed. “...I have no objections either. This doesn’t seem like it’ll be too much work…”
Noelle straightened her posture when your gaze traveled over to her, her hands folded politely in front of her. “If that’s what you desire, then I’ll join as well. It… does sound like fun, I admit.”
“A-Ah…” Mika still looked a bit nervous as he nodded. “Alright, I can do it. I’ll try my best…”
“I suppose that if everyone else is joining, it’d be a downer if I didn’t.” Kaeya had a smile on his lips, a glimmer of amusement in his eye. “So you can include me as a participant, Your Grace.”
Jean let out a sigh. “...okay, I’m in too.”
“Yay!” Klee clapped in delight, smiling brightly. “All of Klee’s friends are joining!”
It took no time at all for the slips of paper bearing all of the Knights’ names to be created, all of which were then dumped into Klee’s hat, the Spark Knight having offered it to you happily. You tossed it like a salad for a few seconds, mixing them together, before handing it back to Klee.
“Alright, everyone. Make sure to choose one slip of paper, and keep the name a secret.”
The sight of Klee going around to each of the Knights, each one reaching a hand into her hat and grabbing a slip of paper, was heartwarming, in a way; the young girl in red was giggling as she received smile after smile from the Knights when she offered her hat to them, and the air in the room felt lighthearted as everyone received their targets for the activity. Some of the Knights were quite good at keeping who they got a secret — looking straight ahead with poker faces or a casual smile — while you noticed some of the others glancing around, likely at their targets.
“Everyone has a slip?” You saw everyone nod in response to you, a piece of paper in one of their hands that they put away safely. “Good. Then you’ve all got until the party to get a gift for whoever you pulled, and don’t be afraid to ask me for help if you need it. You’re all dismissed!”
Your attention was pulled away from Klee putting her hat back on by two figures you noticed approaching in your peripheral vision, and you looked up to see they were Mika and Sucrose.
“...need help, you two?”
Mika and Sucrose looked at each other for a moment before focusing on you.
“Yes, please, if you will.” Sucrose adjusted her glasses as she averted her eyes from you, her ears twitching a bit. “I’m afraid that I’m… not quite sure what to get for who I pulled, s-so…”
“Neither am I.” Mika rubbed the back of his head, also averting his gaze from you. “I’ve never really interacted too much with the person I pulled, and I’m afraid I might make a bad choice…”
“It’s okay.” You smiled and glanced between the both of them. “We’ve got plenty of time before the party, and I’ll make sure to help the both of you pick out good gifts for your respective pulls.”
Sucrose let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks so much, Your Grace. I’m sorry if this is a bother…”
“Yes, thank you very much.” Mika smiled slightly. “I hope that I’m not being a bother, either…”
You let out a chuckle, placing your hands on your hips. “Don’t worry, you two will never be a bother to me, and I offered to help with picking out gifts for a reason. It’s what I’m here for.”
The sensation of someone tugging on your sleeve caught your attention, and you looked down to see Klee looking up at you. You smiled at her before you looked at Mika and Sucrose again.
“I’ll meet up with you guys later to pick out gifts, okay? Just try and give it some thought by yourselves first, and then I’ll go over it individually with each of you in a few days’ time, okay?”
Mika and Sucrose nodded, looking a little relieved, as you let Klee drag you to the next activity.
- - - - -
“J-Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle… all the… way…?”
“It’s okay, Barbara. There’s no need to get so stressed.”
You were both amused yet concerned as you watched Barbara try to memorize the Christmas carols you told her about; you could see how tense her shoulders were, and could hear how her voice shook ever so slightly as she gave the carols a go, the melody enchanting yet unsteady.
“Your singing’s the best, Miss Barbara!” Klee sent a bright smile up towards the shining idol of Mondstadt, her eyes sparkling. “The Christmas carols sound so pretty when you sing them!”
“Ah, do they…? I feel like I’m singing them all wrong…”
“Don’t worry, you only just learned them.” You smiled at Barbara, trying to reassure her, even just a bit. “And caroling is going to be a group activity. You won’t have to sing them alone, ‘kay?”
Barbara blinked a few times, her eyes widened with surprise. “Huh?”
“Yeah! Like me, for example. I’ll be singing with you!”
“...h-huh?!”
That somehow seemed to be the wrong thing to say, as evidenced by how Barbara clasped her hands together, the nervous aura around her only growing instead of lessening. Her form began to tremble a bit where she stood, your smile faltering as her breathing began to quicken as well.
Klee tugged on the deaconess’s frock. “It’ll be okay, Miss Barbara! Klee will be singing too!”
Barbara snapped out of it as she looked down at Klee. “Oh, you’ll be singing as well?”
“Mmm-hmm!” Klee nodded, letting go of Barbara’s frock and instead placing her hands on her hips. “And all of our friends are going to too! So you don’t have to be scared, Miss Barbara!”
“...you make it seem so easy.” Barbara’s eyes flickered towards you for a second, before she closed her eyes and let out a breath. “I can’t help but feel nervous, but I’ll try to get it together.”
Klee giggled before turning towards you. “How many Christmas carols are you gonna teach us, Your Grace? Klee isn’t sure how many everyone’ll be able to learn before we have the party…”
The Spark Knight had a point that you thought about for a moment; there was only so much time before the Christmas party, and everyone had a limit to how many carols they would be able to memorize before then. It would be best for you to just stick to a few of the simpler ones this year, especially since you were the one who had to teach them to all of the party guests.
“About… three or four, I think.” You nodded to yourself, and refocused your gaze down on Klee, who was still smiling up at you. “I’ve taught you guys “Jingle Bells”, so… maybe I can also teach you guys “Deck the Halls”, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, and… also “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. I think that’d be a good selection for Mondstadt’s first official Christmas celebration.”
You looked over at Barbara, who appeared to be a little calmer now as she did a few breathing exercises. “They’re all on the simple and repetitive side, so learning them should be very easy.”
“That sounds fine.” Barbara nodded, determination in her gaze. “I’ll do my best, Your Grace.”
Klee bounced on the balls of her feet happily, her hands raised. “Yeah, we’ll do our best!”
“Ah, keep your voice down, Klee.” You chuckled. “We’re outside, but still near the Church.”
“O-Oh, right, hehe.”
- - - - -
The kitchen smelled like heaven, the countertop covered in several types of Christmas goodies of varying quality; it was like a dessert buffet with all kinds of cookies, cakes, candies, and more.
“Thanks again for helping us, Noelle.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure, Your Grace.”
Klee overlooked the counter from the step-stool that she stood on, an excited glimmer in her eyes. “Wow…! There’s so many treats! Do people really get to have all of this for Christmas?”
“Of course!” You picked up a chocolate chip cookie, which was still warm. “Sweets are a huge part of Christmas, like leaving out milk and cookies for Santa on the night before Christmas.”
“Is that like sharing wine with Barbatos during Weinlesefest?”
You paused for a moment, taking a bite of the cookie in your hand before you shrugged, a smile on your face. “Yeah, I guess it’s similar to that. Santa loves cookies like Barbatos loves wine.”
“Your Grace, will this be satisfactory?” Noelle’s soft voice guided your attention back over to her, her posture being straightened just slightly when your gaze landed on her form. Her hands were politely folded in front of her, bringing some of your focus to her apron, which was unsurprisingly as clean as it had been at the start of this baking session. “I can continue baking if you’d like.”
“No, no… this’ll be good for now. I just wanted Klee to see what some Christmas goodies were like.” You finished the chocolate chip cookie in your hand, and wiped your hands on your apron, dusting off some of the flour that was on it. “But, since we’ll definitely need these sorts of treats at the Christmas party later this month, would you be up to make more when the time comes?”
“Anything for you, Your Grace.”
Noelle gave a small bow, before she turned her attention to cleaning the kitchen.
“Hey, Klee… do you think we should build gingerbread houses at the party?”
“They make houses out of gingerbread for Christmas?” Klee looked up at you with wide eyes, her mouth open in awe. “Wow, that must take a lot of gingerbread. Do people live in them?”
You held a hand up to your mouth, stifling a laugh and taking a moment to compose yourself before you shook your head. “No, Klee, they don’t. Gingerbread houses are small, kind of like dollhouses, and decorated with icing and candy. Building them is half of the fun, and then eating them afterwards is the other half of the fun. Oh, showing off your house to others is also fun…!”
Klee turned to look at the wide array of handmade candies on the counter, clearly contemplating how she could use them as decorations. Her focus was only broken when you began picking up plates of the goodies you made with Noelle, her gaze moving to the smile you kept on your face.
“Come on, Klee. Let’s clean up. We don’t want to make Noelle do all the work, right?”
“Okay!”
“H-Huh? Ah, Your Grace! That’s not necessary!”
- - - - -
“So, you’re saying that I’m supposed to write a letter to some strange old man that I don’t even know and just… get what I want?” Diona scoffed, placing her hands on her hips and turning her head away. “That sounds totally ridiculous, like some scam that a boozehound would fall for.”
“Aw… no, it’s really true!” Klee clenched her hands in front of her chest. “Their Grace said so!”
Diona looked at you from the corner of her eye for a moment, before she let out a “hmph”, and turned her head to face you and Klee. “Well… I guess that Their Grace wouldn’t lie, so… fine.”
The sounds of cats lazing about and cards being shuffled surrounded you and the two children as your group settled at one of the tables in the Cat’s Tail, though it was considerably less lively than normal due to it being around noon. Klee and Diona both had paper and crayons sitting in front of them, as well as an envelope for each of them to seal their letter when they were done.
“So…” Diona furrowed her eyebrows. “...what exactly are we supposed to do?”
You looked between the two young girls, chuckling with a smile on your lips. “Writing a letter to Santa is easy. All you have to do is write down what you want; just… list it all out on the paper.”
“And this “Santa” guy will make it happen?”
“...eh, try to keep it small-scale, Diona. Santa gives gifts, he doesn’t destroy anything.”
Diona grumbled to herself, her tail thumping against the cushion of her seat in annoyance, but she eventually started to write on the paper in front of her. The Spark Knight also got to work on her own letter, filling her paper with color as she scribbled out what she wanted for Christmas.
And, after they were done, they folded their letters and put them into their envelopes.
“Alright, now you just need to address them to the North Pole.”
Diona and Klee looked at you, curiosity in their eyes, before Diona raised an eyebrow.
“...to where?”
“The North Pole. That’s where Santa Claus lives, and where his workshop is located.”
Klee began to write the address on her envelope — simply “The North Pole”, in big bold letters — while Diona continued to stare at you, an unconvinced frown making its way onto her face.
“How exactly are these gonna get to Santa, anyway? He’s in a completely different world.”
“I’ll deliver them myself.” You carefully took Klee’s letter once she handed it to you, your fingers clasped around the envelope. “No postal service in Teyvat could get there, but I can handle it.”
“...okay.” Diona scribbled on her envelope and handed it to you. “But I still have my doubts.”
You held the two letters carefully, and chuckled again as you looked between the two kids.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure Santa will deliver!”
- - - - -
The gloves on your hands did little to keep out the cold, already covered in a layer of snow as you patted the icy substance thoroughly in your quest to form the base of your future snowman.
Dragonspine was a scary place — you would never traverse it alone in your current state — but the scenery at its edges was just the right amount of “winter wonderland” for you, and the sound of the younger Mondstadtian characters in the surrounding area only bettered that atmosphere.
“Your Grace, you should be careful. Sheer cold can be harmful, even to you.”
Albedo was standing by your side, completely unfazed by the cold; this place was pretty much his natural habitat at this point. His voice held slight concern, though his face remained calm.
“Huh? Nonsense, I’m fine. I ate some goulash before coming here; it’ll keep me warm.”
“You’re shivering, Your Grace.”
“...okay, fine.”
You moved over to the small fire that was built nearby, noticing that Bennett and Fischl were already there; the former was completely drenched and shivering as he huddled close to the fire, while the latter and her night raven familiar were completely fine. You reached your hands out to the fire to warm yourself, your fingers feeling a bit better, and looked over at Bennett.
“What happened to you?”
“Ah…” Bennett smiled, a hint of embarrassment laced within it. “Well… I just, uh…”
“He who has been born the most unfortunate suffered a great moment of slither-” Fischl caught your attention, her tone of voice confident. “-and was plunged into the beck of this biting berg.”
You stared at Fischl for a moment before shifting your gaze over to Oz.
“...the unlucky fellow had slipped on the snow and fell into the river.”
“Oh…!” You raised a hand to your mouth, covering the growing smile on your lips as you stifled a laugh. “Yeah… I guess your bad luck would spring up like that. Are you having fun, though?”
“Huh?” The adventurer tilted his head. “I… guess so?”
“Then that’s all that matters!”
Your attention shifted to Klee and Razor when you noticed them approaching the fire, sticks and stones in their arms. You even spotted some pinecones sitting within Razor’s stash of materials.
“We got the things for the snowman, Your Grace!” Klee bounced with each step, only coming to a stop in front of you. Her feet slid a bit from the snow. “And I found this really cool stick! Look!”
Klee adjusted the items in her arms, before holding up a stick with one hand.
You had to admit: it was a really cool stick.
“This good?” Razor held out his stash of materials to you, allowing you to look over all of it; he had a lot more in his arms than Klee did. “We hunt for what you said, and… this is what we find.”
“Of course!” You nodded, looking up at Razor with a smile. “You both did great!”
“Ah… good.”
Razor looked pleased with your praise; if he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging right now.
With a supply of materials now at your disposal, you began to work with the others to decorate the snowman; the base was all your doing, so you stepped back to let the others take the lead.
“Ore of the darkest night shall make quite a pair of eyes, would it not, my dear companion?”
“Klee’s stick can make a good arm! Oh, it’s hard to reach…”
“Let me, Klee. And this other stick can complete the pair.”
“I… do like this?”
“A pinecone for the nose? Neat! Gah, the rocks for the buttons keep slipping out of my fingers.”
The smile on your face grew as you watched the others work together to form a masterpiece.
“Wow… it looks amazing, everyone!”
It was a jumbled mess, but it was a real product of togetherness; each part was placed on by a different person to make a whole creation — small chunks of iron for the eyes, a pinecone as a nose, sticks for the arms, and rocks for the buttons. It was a shame that you didn’t think to bring any clothes for the snowman to wear, though, but that didn’t hinder the final masterpiece at all.
You and the others took in your combined creation in silent glory for a bit, and then you spoke.
“...so, has everybody had enough snow for today?”
There was a resounding “yes” from the group, and you shifted your gaze over to take note of their current conditions: Bennett had icicles starting to form on his damp clothes, Razor kept his arms close to his body as he shivered like a wolf pup, Fischl denied feeling cold — although Oz pointed out that she had complained earlier about not bringing warmer clothing to this outing — and Klee mentioned that the snow dampened the effect of her bombs. Albedo just appeared to be ready to go whenever everyone else was; he was clearly the one least affected by the cold.
“Then let’s head back to the city for some hot cocoa! Who wants whipped cream and sprinkles?”
“Oh! Oh! Klee does!”
- - - - -
“I’ll take a Gray Valley Sunset, Master Diluc!”
“You… do not need to address me as “Master”, Your Grace…”
“Aw, why not? Everybody else does!”
You planted yourself onto one of the barstools as you watched Diluc get to work behind the counter, the tavern being just as lively as it was most nights; luckily, most of the Angel’s Share patrons were too drunk to pay any attention to you, granting you a rare moment to just relax.
“My, you look rather tired, Your Grace.” Kaeya was sitting on a barstool next to you, leaning on his elbow. “I assume Klee has been dragging you around in her excitement this past week?”
“Yep!” You nodded, immediately grabbing your drink when Diluc placed it in front of you on the counter. “But I don’t regret telling her about Christmas. I’ve been having a lot of fun with all of it.”
The barstool on your other side squeaked as someone sat upon it, and you noticed a bard clad in green leaning into your peripheral vision, a smile set on his lips and a twinkle within his eyes.
“Oh? “Christmas”? What might that be, Your Grace?”
“A holiday from another world. I told Klee about it, and she’s been absolutely obsessed.”
“Ah, so that’s what you’ve been doing these past few days.” Rosaria was sitting on the other side of Kaeya, an alcoholic beverage already securely in her hand. Her expression was set in her usual disinterested frown, though the way she kept her eyes on you showed otherwise. “I heard that Barbara almost passed out when you requested her to sing… “Christmas carols”?”
You let out a short nervous laugh, before starting to drink your juice; it was cold and sweet.
“Oho?” Venti’s interest peaked as he leaned closer to you, the twinkle in his eyes having grown at the mere mention of your musical exploits. “If you need someone to sing for you, Your Grace, you’ve got the three-time winner of the “Most Popular Bard of Mondstadt'” title at your service.”
“If you want to carol with us, you’re totally free to, Venti!” You smiled at the bard before letting out a sigh, and you set your drink on the counter. “But, even though it’s been fun, we’ve still got to tackle the issue of preparing the Christmas party. Klee’s been looking forward to it since day one of our festivities, but I’m not sure where to begin with it. We’d need a place big enough for all of the guests, and we’d need to decorate it. Then there’s the food too. It'll be a lot of work.”
“So you need a place for the party?” Kaeya took a hold of his own drink, bringing the cup up to his mouth. “I’m sure the Knights would let you use their headquarters for the party, no problem.”
“The Knights of Favonius Headquarters…?” You thought for a moment, before you shook your head. “No, that wouldn’t work. Plus, I’d feel like it’d be… distracting to the Knights not invited.”
Rosaria sipped her drink. “Perhaps the Church, then? I doubt the Sisters would refuse you.”
“Absolutely not.” You hardly hesitated as you answered, and shook your head again. “The idea of having a Christmas party in the Favonius Cathedral… doesn’t exactly feel all that right to me.”
“Agreed. The Church is a bit too serious a location for such an occasion.” Venti nodded, placing his empty cup on the counter; if you were keeping count correctly, he had just downed his fourth drink. “I’d say this tavern is home to a much more suitable atmosphere for a joyous celebration!”
“...well, while Angel’s Share would be able to serve as a good space for the party-” You let your gaze wander around the tavern, taking in the sight of the many customers already drunk at their tables. “-it’s not really the type of place for a Christmas party to be held. I mean, maybe it would work if it was an adult-only event, but this party is gonna have people of all ages in attendance.”
The sound of Diluc clearing his throat caught your attention, and you looked towards him.
“Your Grace… if you’d so like, you may use Dawn Winery’s manor for your party.”
You perked up as you listened to Diluc, your lips turning up into a bright smile.
“Oh, that’ll be perfect! I love you, Master Diluc!”
The sound of glass shattering rang out from behind the counter, the remains of a glass on the floor as alcohol seeped into the wood. Diluc stood by the mess, a cleaning rag held in one hand and emptiness in the other; the warm tavern lights made you uncertain of the flush on his face.
“A-Ah! I’m sorry, Master Diluc!”
You continued to apologize to Diluc as he bent down to clean up the broken glass, his face now hidden by his bangs as he kept his head tilted down. Kaeya was trying — and failing — to hold back a chuckle, and Rosaria just silently sipped on her drink, her gaze averted from everything.
Venti let out a whine, his hand tightly gripping your sleeve as he tugged it. “Oh, that’s just not fair, Your Grace. You can’t say something like that without blessing me with such words too…”
“I-I just got excited by what Diluc said!” You glanced at Venti briefly, your eyes widened, before you looked at Diluc again, your face warm. “It’s just… thanks for letting me use the manor…?”
“It’s fine, Your Grace.”
Diluc stood up after he finished cleaning, his head turned away from you as if to allow him to continue hiding his face; even so, it was still obvious to you that he must still be embarrassed.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but just be more careful next time.”
You let out a relieved sigh and nodded, smiling at him.
“Will do, Master Diluc!”
- - - - -
You couldn’t help but take in a deep breath as the pine tree was set up in the manor, your hands on your hips as your chest expanded. You took a moment before you finally released the breath.
“Ah, the sweet smell of nature…”
It was a few days before the Christmas party was scheduled to take place, and you were doing some early decorating — namely, the big stuff that couldn’t wait until just before the big event.
And that included the tree.
“So…” You looked over at Diluc, who stood beside you. “I’m assuming that there aren’t already ornaments available to decorate with, but we can make do. Oh! Maybe we could have everyone make ornaments at the party and then decorate the tree together? That’d be super festive! But, in the meantime, we could at least put some popcorn on it right now to start, so it isn’t just bare.”
You were met with nothing but silence as Diluc looked from the tree to you.
“People put… popcorn… on trees for Christmas?”
“Wow! It’s so tall!”
Klee ran up to the tree, her head tilted all the way back as she looked up at it.
“Of course! The bigger, the better!” You walked up to Klee and gently nudged the Spark Knight away from the tree. “We’ll have to keep any and all fire hazards away from it, though. Okay?”
“Okay! Klee will be super careful!”
You looked back at Diluc. “Thanks again for letting us have the party here. It’s really so perfect!”
“It’s no problem, Your Grace. Just let me know if you need anything else.”
You felt as if you were a kid again as you ran around with Klee and got things set up, sharing the experience of choosing what should go where and what looked best with the young girl in red. You even decorated some of the exterior of the manor, not just the interior, though, due to the size of the building, you and Klee could only really work with the entrance outside the door.
In lieu of strings of Christmas lights, lanterns and Crystalflies were used to light up the desired area. The lanterns hung up on the wall, blending into the natural look of the manor — when the daylight faded, they would definitely stand out more — and the Crystalflies were caught in the vineyard, just to be gently guided to rest on the poles near the front door, their wings fluttering.
“...we’ll probably need to guide these little guys back here just before the party.” You watched as the Crystalflies fluttered their wings again, unable to stay still for long where you placed them. “I don’t think they’ll just… stay here for the next few days. They’re itching to fly again, that’s clear.”
There was a Crystalfly resting on Klee’s cap, only flying away as she tilted her head up.
“Do you think we’ll be able to find them again?”
You nodded. “Of course we will! These Crystalflies like Dawn Winery as much as the people of Mondstadt do. You can always find them around here somewhere, fluttering about the grapes.”
The Crystalflies resting on the wooden poles flew off into the vineyard, one by one, as you and Klee continued decorating. You wrapped ribbons of different colors — red, green, and white — around the poles, and draped some down from the balcony above, trying to make it coherent.
“...this place definitely says, “there’s a party here”, at least.”
“It looks great! And it’s so pretty!” Klee bounced on the balls of her feet as she looked up at the ribbons, before she looked at you. “Is there anything else to do before the party, Your Grace?”
You thought for a moment.
“Well… I think we’ve done everything we can right now. The tree’s main decorations can wait until the party, and the popcorn will be prepared tomorrow, but, besides that, everything else is ready. The manor’s staff are helping to take care of the food — and being compensated for their time by Diluc, of course — and Noelle will take care of the desserts for the party later. We’ll help her with that when the time comes, but, for now, we’re done. Why, still want to decorate more?”
Klee put a finger to her chin, before she began walking around to inspect the work you and her had done. The Spark Knight took in the sight of all the decorations you had put up, everything in the interior and the exterior of the manor, and her eyes sparkled as her gaze scanned over all of it. The decorations were a bit generic to be honest, only the presence of the — currently bare — pine tree making it clear that Christmas was what was being celebrated, but it was a good effort.
You worked with what you had, and during the party, it was sure to come together fully.
“Klee thinks it’s perfect, Your Grace! …but, um… maybe we could hang up more ribbons?”
Yeah.
This would all come together nicely.
- - - - -
“I’m so sorry I’m late! I had some trouble getting here…”
Bennett had an embarrassed look on his face, his form slumped over as he stood in front of you. His hair was ruffled up, some sticks and leaves poking out, and his clothes were slightly burnt, which made the water dripping off of him to form a puddle under him more noteworthy.
You smiled slightly at him. “I can see that… but, don’t worry, you’re not late at all.”
“H-Huh?”
“Ah, the man cursed with misfortune has arrived before the Prinzessin?”
You and Bennett turned to look at Fischl as she approached, Oz and Mona accompanying her.
“Hmph, this is truly a most unexpected eventuality, though not one unwelcome.”
Mona looked at Bennett with interest, her gaze scanning everything from his singed clothing to the water at his feet. “I must admit, it’s very unusual. I’d say you had a rare stroke of luck, but…”
“...what?”
Bennett looked between them and you, before rubbing the back of his head with his hand.
“I’m so confused… my invitation said that the party started an hour ago.”
The adventurer dug through his pockets until he eventually pulled out his invitation; the paper was completely drenched, though the ink was just legible enough to still be able to be read.
“But our invitations say the party will start soon.” Mona pulled out her own invitation, and took Bennett’s to compare the times. “See? Your invitation shows it starting a whole hour early.”
Bennett took his invitation back. “That doesn’t make any sense, I…”
You gained a slight sense of pressure as everyone turned to look at you. “Oh… I put an earlier time on Bennett’s invitation to account for his bad luck. You know… so he’d get here on time.”
There was a slight pause, everyone staring at you as you stared back at them.
And then Bennett let out a groan.
“Ugh, that’s so embarrassing…!”
“But it’s also quite smart.” Mona smiled at the unlucky adventurer. “You’d likely be suffering out in the wilderness right now if Their Grace kept the correct time on your invitation, wouldn’t you?”
“...y-yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Hey, I’m just glad you’re here on time, Benny.” You smiled and gestured towards the manor’s entrance. “Why don’t you all head on inside? There’s some refreshments set out already, and it seems like everyone else will be arriving soon enough. I’ll be out here greeting them, of course.”
Fischl looked at Bennett, whose embarrassment was still cooling off. “Let us continue forward, accursed companion. It would be wise to preen thyself before the rest of the due guests arrive.”
“Right.”
The two members of the Adventurer’s Guild headed inside the manor with Oz following behind them closely, the familiar taking care when he flew past the ribbons that adorned the entrance.
“Um, Your Grace?” Mona caught your attention, a hesitant look in her eyes. “If there… happens to be any… leftovers at the end of the party, will the guests be permitted to take some home?”
“You can take as much as you can carry.”
“Oh, thank you ever so much, Your Grace!”
- - - - -
“A party held at Dawn Winery… with no alcohol? You’re so cruel, Your Grace.”
Venti had slight disbelief on his face, even with his lips turned up into a smile, while Diona had hers turned up into a smug grin, her hands on her hips in triumph as she stood next to the bard.
“Well, I think Their Grace is only showing how great They are by keeping that stuff away. Why do you boozehounds always need alcohol to have a good time, anyway? It’s funner without it!”
“Diona’s right. At least, when it comes to this occasion.”
The bartender let out a chuckle at your approval, her smug grin growing towards the bard.
“Besides, this’ll be the first Christmas you’ll experience. You should experience it sober.”
“...not even a drop, Your Grace?”
“You’re gonna have to go dry tonight, Venti.”
Diona walked into the manor with a proud gait, her tail and head held up to the sky, as Venti let out a whine, his shoulders dropping. He only lasted like that for a second before he perked up.
“Alright, Your Grace. I suppose going through a party without wine won’t be so bad…”
“Oh, is this a “no alcohol” kind of festivity?”
You turned to see Kaeya making his way up the path leading to the manor, a trio of his fellow knights — Albedo, Klee, and Sucrose — walking right behind him until they stopped near you.
“Yep. There’s non-alcoholic apple cider and grape juice instead.” Your gaze wandered down to the wrapped gifts in each of the Knights’ arms. “You can go and put the presents under the tree for later. The gift-giving will happen after everyone arrives and gets settled into the jolly vibes.”
Venti eyed the gifts. “Oh-ho? I wasn’t aware that there’d be presents at this party.”
“It’s for “Secret Santa”!” Klee held her gift up for Venti to see. “All the Knights are doing it!”
“And, don’t worry, all the non-Knights will also be getting gifts too-” You put a hand to your chest and smiled. “-courtesy of me. It wouldn’t be fair for some to get presents here and others to not.”
Sucrose adjusted the wrapped box in her arms. “W-Wow…”
Albedo hummed. “A gift from the Divine Creator would be quite an honor. I’m almost jealous…”
“Oh, there’s no reason to feel that way.” You shook your head slightly at him, the smile on your lips softening. “All the gifts you’ll find under the tree are labeled from “Santa”, not me, so nobody is really getting a gift from the “Divine Creator”, okay? Now get on inside and enjoy yourselves.”
- - - - -
There were a few more greetings you got through — Barbara and Rosaria who arrived together, and Razor who arrived alone — before the last guests arrived: the other invited members of the Knights of Favonius — sans Noelle, who arrived hours before the party began to help prepare.
“I hope you’re all feeling merry!” You greeted them at the entrance to the manor, a smile still on your lips. “Because with all of you here, the party can finally start! Oh, it’s gonna be so fun…!”
“Apologies for taking so long, Your Grace.” Jean shifted the presents she carried in her arms, putting a hand to her chest. “I had some last minute duties that I had to attend to before being able to leave for the evening, due to so many of the Knights having to attend this party tonight.”
“It’s fine, no biggie.” You waved Jean’s concerns off. “I’m just glad you’re all here at all!”
Amber held up the wrapped gift she was holding to bring attention to it. “And we brought our “Secret Santa” gifts with us. Is there someplace that we should put them for now, Your Grace?”
“Under the tree.”
“Under the…” Eula raised an eyebrow in question. “...tree?”
You nodded. “There’s a pine tree set up inside; it’s called a “Christmas tree”. You put gifts under it until it’s time to hand them out and open them. It’s a classic Christmas tradition, a real staple.”
“Oh my, how quaint.” Lisa didn’t have a gift in her hand, which explained why Jean was carrying two in her arms. “Everything you say about Christmas just makes it more and more interesting.”
“I’m glad!”
Jean, Lisa, Amber, and Eula went inside at your gesture, with Mika tailing them.
Mika looked at you with a bashful smile, his present held carefully in his arms, and he glanced between you and it before his gaze settled on it. “T-Thanks again, for helping me, Your Grace.”
“Of course.” You lightly patted Mika on the back. “Now, come on. Let’s join the others.”
- - - - -
‘Twas the night of the party
And all through the manor,
The atmosphere was hearty
And it was quite banner.
…and that was enough rhyming for now.
Though it took everyone a quick moment to familiarize themselves with what a Christmas party was like, it didn’t take long for the party to really start. Klee’s enthusiasm was a driving force for everyone else’s, especially anyone who might still have been hesitant about the whole thing.
The tree was finally decorated aside from strings of popcorn, the ornaments the product of a group activity where you helped everyone make their own; the branches were filled to the brim with unique creations that would last to the next time that a tree would need to be decorated.
You could hardly compliment Noelle and the manor’s staff enough for all their work on the food, and neither could anyone else. You swore Noelle would faint from how red her face had gotten from the praise, the Knights’ maid continuing to be modest about all the effort she had put in.
The various gingerbread houses were fun to see; everyone had varying ideas on what it meant to build a gingerbread house — some went with a more “normal” appearance with their designs, while others took more creative liberties with their edible materials. Diona had even based her’s on her own house, with little gingerbread people of herself and her dad put on the frosting lawn.
And then caroling was an experience.
Barbara and Klee helped you teach everyone else the carols you had picked out. Venti picked them up quickly — which you expected — and Rosaria opted out of caroling altogether — which you also expected. Diluc also preferred not to sing, as did Mika and Sucrose, but everyone else laughed their way through the carols, the sound of their voices together being not too shabby.
The most anticipated event of the party, the gift exchange, happened when everyone was finally settled in, and the Knights went around to give each other their gifts. The anonymous part of the identities of the givers fell apart during that part, the receivers gaining surprise at learning about who had served as their Secret Santa alongside the gifts themselves, though the biggest of the surprises had to be Mika’s and Sucrose’s when they realized that they were each other’s Santa.
The remaining party guests got a gift handpicked by you.
You kept your mouth shut as they all tried to figure out who had actually gotten them the gift — Kaeya, Albedo, Klee, Sucrose, and Venti also keeping quiet about it for you — and just let them question each other. The joy among the confusion was what really made it feel special to you.
When the gift-giving came to a close, you surprised the younger Mondstadtians with stockings to hang over the fireplace. Klee, Diona, Razor, and Fischl each got to put up their own stocking, but you helped Bennett with his, as having it accidentally get caught on fire would be a downer.
You still had extras, though… just in case.
And when the sun began to set in the distance, the party soon came to a quiet end… kind of.
“We gotta leave milk and cookies out for Santa.” Klee guided the other younger characters to the table that had been set up near the fireplace, where they set down a plate of cookies and a glass of milk upon the wooden surface. “It’s sorta like sharing wine with the Anemo Archon.”
“And then our hosiery hung above the embers shall be filled with his largesse on the morrow?”
“Yep!” Klee nodded towards Fischl, a smile on her face. “That’s what Their Grace told Klee.”
“But it won’t happen unless you’re all asleep.” You looked between the five youngsters. “Santa doesn’t come when you’re awake. He only comes to leave presents in the middle of the night.”
Diona’s tail flicked behind her. “That sounds kind of fishy, but if that’s what you say, then okay.”
“So…” Razor thought for a moment. “...Razor and friends go to sleep now?”
“That should be easy.” Bennett rubbed the back of his head before he stretched his arms out above his head, a smile on his face. “It’s been pretty exciting all day, so I’m a bit tuckered out.”
“Diluc’s been kind enough to have prepared rooms for you guys tonight.” You gestured towards the staircase and towards the second floor of the manor. “So feel free to get settled in, okay?”
“Yay!” Klee clapped her hands together. “Let’s go to sleep so Santa will come!”
You watched as the younger characters headed upstairs, disappearing from your sight, before you turned your attention to the other guests. The adults were all getting ready to leave, either gathering up the presents that they had gotten or grabbing leftovers to take home with them.
“I’d say have a safe trip, but I’m sure your group is the safest it could possibly be.”
The characters not staying at the manor — meaning everyone but the youngsters who were staying the night, Diluc who lived here, and Noelle who was staying to help clean up — were going to be heading back to the city, the majority of the group being comprised of vessels that were members of the Knights of Favonius. You knew anybody would feel safe with all of them.
Jean looked at you, her eyes tired despite her smile. “Apologies for not staying for longer.”
“It’s okay. I know you guys can’t just all be away from the city for long at the same time.”
“But we should definitely do this again sometime!” Amber had a smile on her face, still full of energy despite how late it was. “It was so much fun, Your Grace! This holiday was a blast!”
“I agree.” Eula held both her and Amber’s gifts in her arms. “It was quite the get-together.”
You waved to the group as you watched them leave the manor and start their journey towards the city, the Knights forming the edges of the group. Barbara was within the protective circle of the group with Mona right by her side, the astrologist carrying much more than she arrived with in terms of food. The only one not in the group was Rosaria, who left a bit earlier on her own.
The group soon vanished into the dark of night, the manor now much quieter than before.
You let out a small sigh as Venti approached you, and briefly glanced at Noelle and Diluc as they — and the manor’s staff — got busy cleaning up the party before focusing on the bard.
“Well, Your Grace, I’d say this party of yours was a huge success!”
“I’m glad it was!” You gestured for Venti to follow you. “Now, mind helping me fill the stockings?”
“Oh?” Venti raised an eyebrow as he followed you over to the fireplace, an interested glimmer in his eyes. “I thought Santa was supposed to be the one to fill those once everyone was asleep?”
“Spoiler alert: Santa is more of an… idea, rather than a real person. Don’t tell the kids, though.”
“So, that’s how it is, huh…?”
Noelle handed you the bag of prepared goodies as she passed by, the action of it exchanging hands seeming like more of an instinct as she focused on gathering discarded wrapping paper.
The bag was like a smaller version of Santa’s bags in your eyes, and you sifted through it to begin sorting the items into each stocking, taking great care to divide everything in it equally.
“Of course. The magic of Christmas is all about children’s hopes and beliefs… oh!”
You grabbed a cookie from the plate near the fireplace and stuffed it into Venti’s mouth.
“Here, eat a few. It’s “proof” that Santa visited.”
Venti grabbed the cookie out of his mouth, coughing a bit before he chuckled. “Thank you for this honor, Your Grace. Though you could be a bit more gentle when feeding me, you know.”
“Less talking, more eating, Venti.”
It didn’t take you too long to fill the stockings with treats and items tailored to each youngster’s interests, and along with the Christmas tree, the stuffed stockings hung over the fireplace made the perfect little holiday scene, something that felt so foreign in this world yet so familiar to you.
So the party was done, with the kids into bed,
And the Creator’s smile was on their face, spread.
For a spoken last joy, with the bard to their right—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Summary: “As the victim of an honestly moronic prank, you end up somewhere you’d rather not be. Your fear and annoyance keep you chugging along, but, man… you just want to go home.”
Word Count: ~12k
“Ugh, this is just the worst…”
The tapping of your shoes against the tiled floor echoed as you walked through the halls of the abandoned school building, your only source of light being your phone’s flashlight; the beam of light shook with each step you took, illuminating everything ahead of you — the cracked tiles of the floor, the peeling paint on the walls, the dust floating in the air. None of it was an ideal sight.
The thought of being stuck here, in a supposedly-haunted, crumbling old building, would have terrified you if you weren’t already annoyed by how you got into this situation in the first place.
It was more than obvious to you at this point that those so-called new “friends” of yours were anything but friendly, getting you to come here just to trap you inside because it was “funny”.
“I swear, when I get my hands on them-”
The sound of skittering behind you made you tense up, your mouth snapping shut as you swiftly turned on your heel with your phone pointed out to try to catch the source in the light. You felt an intense shiver run down your spine at the idea that rats were crawling around this place, an idea made worse when you thought about what else could be residing in such a dilapidated building.
“...okay, I need to get out of here soon or I’m going to lose it.”
You quickened your pace as you continued to make your way through the halls, checking each and every classroom you passed by in case any had a viable exit, but it appeared that all of the windows — all broken to various degrees of severity — had been boarded up. You had a pretty strong feeling that you would end up with a myriad of splinters and cuts across your body if you tried escaping through them, the rotting wood and jagged glass the opposite of an inviting exit.
Even if you were desperate to get out, you weren’t that desperate… yet.
- - - - -
You wandered around for a short while before you found yourself at the end of a hallway, where you were met with a large entryway with a sign stating that it led to the dorm area right next to it.
“Oh… so this school was one of those schools, huh? …fancy.”
You figured that there was a pretty good chance of there being some sort of fire escape within the dorm area, the image of whatever board of education that used to run the place wanting to make sure their students — the children of a bunch of rich and influential families, no doubt — were completely safe in every way possible floating around in your head, and you entered into the area with little hesitation. The sight that you were met with was nothing much, the edges of the beam from your phone’s flashlight soon trailing off into complete darkness, though the faint outlines of a few doorways located in your immediate surroundings didn’t escape your notice.
And then a sudden scent in the air caught your attention.
“What the…?”
The scent clashed heavily with where you were, being so warm and rich that it reminded you of what it felt like to settle down at the kitchen table for dinner as a child while the building that you were in was both dusty and musty to the point that just being in here was a health concern. Your initial confusion over the scent of cooked food soon melted into unease after a few seconds had passed, the presence of such deliciousness in a place this dank somehow being very unsettling.
But maybe the scent was wafting into the school through an opening somewhere.
That made it worth checking out.
You followed the trail with your nose, giving the air a few good sniffs as you veered to the right within the darkness of the dorm area, until you caught sight of light coming through the crack at the bottom of a door. You lowered your phone, turning off its flashlight, as you hurried through the door, and then came to a halt when you recognized the room as must being the dining hall.
There were tables and chairs placed about the area, a kitchen entrance on the other side from you, but the main attraction had to be the makings of a full spread that covered half of a table in the middle of the dining hall; that was obviously the source of the mouthwatering scent in the air.
“...yeah, okay, this is weird.”
You furrowed your eyebrows at the sight before you, before moving your attention to the source of light in the dining hall: large windows in place of one of the walls. Unlike all the other windows you had seen so far, the dining hall’s windows seemed to be mostly intact with just a few visible cracks here and there; that meant that you couldn’t use them to escape unless you took a chair and used it to smash through them, but that was a course of action you were hesitant to take.
You were hesitant… even if the sight of the sun setting past the horizon outside, the sky above becoming a stunning gradient of orange and red at the bottom to purple and blue at the top, was taunting you as you continued to be cut off from the glorious outdoors you now bore witness to.
Hesitant.
Yeah.
You let out a long hum of disappointment as you shifted your gaze away from the windows, now instead returning to look at the trays of food sitting in the middle of the dining hall, which were as much of a feast for the eyes as they were for the nose. You swallowed as you felt yourself begin to salivate a little as your eyes scanned over the various dishes present, though you knew better than to try sneaking a bite or two from the spread. You would probably end up turning into a pig or something if you did, and you were not taking that risk, no matter how tempting the food was.
The floor then came into view when a huge figure darted past you, its force knocking you to the ground. You let out a small groan as you pushed yourself up onto your knees, before looking to where the figure had run and came to a stop, which was in front of the table with the feast on it.
And you froze.
The figure was tall with a feminine body shape — for a couple of obvious reasons — but it was the several nonhuman characteristics you noticed as your eyes scanned over her that was what drew your attention: furry ears sitting atop her head of unkempt hair, claw-like hands attached to furry forearms, and a tall that relentlessly wagged behind her as she tore into a cooked chicken.
Despite having barreled past you to get into the dining hall, the canine-esque girl didn’t seem to notice you at all, being too busy devouring whatever she could get her paws on; various sauces and juices splattered down onto the table and the ground around her, some even dribbling down her chin and onto her clothes. The way she ate was more akin to a wild animal than to a person.
“A-Ah, Akane!”
The sound of a voice that had a thick Southern accent spoke from elsewhere in the dining hall, the mild panic within it unable to draw your gaze to its owner as you watched the girl — Akane, as the voice called her — down an entire party-sized platter of assorted meats and cheeses.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm about my cooking, but please leave some for the others!”
Akane stuffed a few more bites of food into her mouth before she spoke, her voice coming out completely muffled from how full her cheeks were. “Can’t you just make more if they want any?”
“I mean, I could-” The sound of metal trays being placed onto a table reached your ears as the voice paused for just the briefest moment before continuing. “-but you should still limit yourself.”
You finally managed to get back onto your feet after your shock faded slightly, though your heart was still beating a bit faster than you would have liked for it to, and you leaned on a nearby table to steady yourself before you directed your attention towards the source of the Southern voice.
He didn’t look nearly as threatening as Akane did — the fact that he was much shorter than her being a big reason as to why — though the sight of a pair of goat legs being where human legs should have been made your stomach churn. His attire consisted of a classic chef’s outfit on his human upper-half, with a red apron around his waist and a red handkerchief around his neck; to finish his ensemble, he had a tiny chef’s hat on his head with two horns poking out from his hair.
“Hey, you gonna eat that?”
You jolted out of your thoughts as Akane spoke again, and flinched after you looked over at her just to see her staring at you, the red sauce dripping down her chin making the sight of her look a lot worse than it actually was. You blinked before you looked down at the table you were using to keep your balance, your eyes drawn to the steaming plate of kebabs sitting right next to you.
“U-Uh… no…?”
“So I can have ‘em?”
You stared at Akane for a moment before you nodded your head, removing your shaking hands from the table and instead keeping them close to your chest. The wide grin that Akane gave you in response only made you more nervous as you saw the sharp canines she had in her mouth.
“Aw, nice!”
The kebabs never stood a chance as the canine-esque girl immediately made a beeline for the plate, everything but the iron skewers — which Akane tossed to the side — disappearing in the time that it took you to blink. She then resumed eating as if that entire interaction didn’t happen.
“Hmm? Who might you be?”
Your attention was grabbed by the half-goat man as he spoke, and you flinched again after you turned your head towards him just to see that he was now standing next to you. He was leaning forward as if to inspect you, one of his hands raised to his chin as the other rested on his hip; he let his eyes briefly wander you up and down, before they came to their final stop on your face.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before…”
“I-I, um… I’m… nobody important?” You struggled to turn your lips up into a smile, your nerves still a bit shot as you took a shaky step back away from the chef. “Uh, I’m just… well… I-I, it’s…”
The chef let out a small chuckle, a smile coming to his face as he dropped his hand from his chin. “Now, now… no need to get nervous. It’s always exciting to meet new people, you know?”
His voice had an almost comforting quality to it as he spoke, though the fact that his Southern accent disappeared and was replaced with an accent that sounded a bit more posh made alarm bells ring out in your head. You couldn’t think of a single normal reason for a person to do that in a normal conversation, especially after he talked to Akane without doing anything like that at all.
“How about you relax with some of my delectable cooking? You won’t taste anything better!”
You shifted your gaze from the chef and towards the feast, seeing Akane still going ham with it as she devoured an actual cooked ham like it was nothing, before you looked at the chef again.
“...y-yeah, sorry, I’ll have to decline. I’d rather not get between that girl and her food.”
The chef looked over at Akane himself, his smile faltering as he furrowed his eyebrows and let out a small sigh; it only lasted for a moment, however, before his attention returned to you and a smile reappeared on his face. “Oh, don’t worry! I’ll just make an extra-special dish just for you.”
The way he said that made shivers run down your spine, and not in a good way.
“Nope. I’m leaving. Goodbye.”
Without waiting for a response, you turned on your heel and began to walk away, hearing the chef start to call out after you before you suddenly heard him yell at Akane about paying more attention to what she was putting in her mouth, the sound of gagging and silverware hitting the floor following after it. You just ignored the commotion and focused on leaving the dining hall.
- - - - -
The area outside the dining hall was no longer bathed in pitch-black darkness; the lighting that came from the ceiling was dim, but it was enough for you to actually see where you were going.
“Huh… I didn’t think that this place still had power, but…”
It was definitely the least surprising thing you had run into so far, though you chose not to focus too much on what you had witnessed just moments before as you looked around the small area, squinting your eyes to try to get a better look at everything. You decided to start moving towards the dorm rooms, the thought of a fire escape coming back to your mind to fuel your every step.
You passed by a set of stairs — finding an escape on any floor but the first floor was only an “if there’s no other choice” option, so you didn’t have to resort to that yet — before you entered into a hallway with multiple doors on both sides; these were the rooms the students had stayed in.
The doorknob of the first door you approached rattled in your hand as you tried to turn it.
Locked.
You had never felt more like a horror movie protagonist than you did then, only you didn’t have to worry about trying to fit keys into a lock with shaky hands as you went from door to door and simply wiggled the doorknob of each one just to find that they were locked like the first, until you eventually found one that wasn’t. The door hadn’t even been closed properly, being slightly ajar.
The lightest push was all that was needed to fully open the door, the creaking it made from the movement making you cringe as you stepped into the room… which was odder than expected.
You saw the expected items — a bed, dresser, and various personal items neatly placed about — that any dorm room would have, but even if the school catered to rich students, the fairy-tale theme was a little juvenile for a teenager’s bedroom. The bed had a canopy that let shimmering curtains flow down from it to shield the bed from sight when they were drawn, and vines covered the walls, intertwined with fairy lights to create a magical atmosphere; the color palette had been limited to vibrant greens and warm browns, but the walls were painted a light blue like the sky.
The entire thing made you feel as if you were in a children’s storybook rather than a school.
It took you only a moment to snap out of your surprise, the charming nature of the bedroom not enough to distract you for long from the windows located on a wall to your right, but keeping you from hurrying over to throw open the curtains and escape to freedom was the sound of a door opening to your right. The thought of another door being in the room aside from the one behind you caught you off guard, but the steam flowing in from the connected room connected the dots.
The school was clearly for the rich and influential, and personal bathrooms fit in with that image.
You could only silently stare as a figure exited the bathroom, her back to you, and even though that was all you could see, it was almost too easy for something within you to admit that she had an unusual beauty about her. The long blonde hair that flowed down her back, the fair skin free of even a single mark or tiny blemish… and the shimmering wings fluttering ever so slightly from where they sprouted out of her back; it was like you were looking at some kind of fairy princess.
The girl was brushing her hair, the dampness making it clear that she had been taking a shower along with the presence of the steam, and she hummed a tune happily to match the beats of her strokes with the hairbrush, ignorant to the intruder was standing just a few paces away from her.
That was until she turned around, a gasp leaving her mouth as soon as her eyes connected with yours, the hairbrush falling from her hand. You heard a small squeak escape your own lips when you stumbled back, your back hitting the dorm room’s door with a thud as your face warmed up.
“Ah, sorry-!”
“O-Oh my goodness! My apologies!”
Your voice overlapped with the girl’s voice as you and her spoke simultaneously, but while your words were filled with embarrassment at being caught in her dorm room and nervousness about her nonhuman appearance, the girl sounded a lot more concerned instead. You kept your gaze trained on her as you tried to navigate around the open door behind you, your legs a little shaky.
“M-My name is Sonia!” The girl tried to smile to ease your obvious unease, her hands carefully brought up to her chest with her palms facing towards her. “Could you please give me yours?”
Her eyes widened after that passed through her lips, and she raised a hand up to her mouth.
“W-Wait, please do not answer that!” Sonia took a step back, her smile faltering briefly until she recomposed herself. “I mean, could you please tell me a name of which I may address you by?”
You finally managed to break your eyes’ focus on Sonia and turned around, your mouth sealed shut as you bolted from the dorm room while ignoring the shouts coming from the fairy princess; the only thing on your mind was to get as far away from her as possible, something about giving her your name eliciting a deep sense of fear in some region of your being, and you just decided to abandon your plan to find an exit in the dorm area, your feet carrying you past the dining hall.
The sound of multiple unfamiliar voices coming from the dining hall — you shook a little at the thought of there being more strange creatures in the building — only fueled your pace as your feet pounded against the tiled floor. You just continued to run even as their voices got fainter.
You only hoped that no one would follow you.
- - - - -
You slowed down once you didn’t hear anyone coming after you, the once-creepy silence of the school now a relief; even though your eyes were starting to become used to the dim lighting that the building had, you still couldn’t see that far down the hallway, so the lack of footsteps heading in your direction was the best indicator that you were safe… or, at least, you were safe for now.
The thought of using your phone’s flashlight again to make navigation easier passed through your mind for a moment, and you reached down to grab it from your pocket, but instead of the glorious cellular metal slab full of electricity and the internet, your fingers only met with fabric.
“O-Oh… oh no, no no no, this can’t be happening…!”
Your voice came out as a low hiss as your heart sank, the fact that your phone was missing the scariest thing that had happened to you yet. You had no idea where you could have lost it, your phone having been in your hands the entire time… that was, up until Akane knocked you over.
“...it’s fine, everything’s fine; it’s just a phone, I can survive without it.”
You placed a hand against the wall to stabilize yourself before you started moving again, trying your best to push back the panic and keep your mind focused on the goal of escaping the place of horrors you were trapped in. You focused on minimizing the sound of your shoes against the floor, on keeping your breathing steady, and on trying to quell the jackhammer inside your chest.
And then you heard voices coming from down the hallway.
The sensation of your entire body tensing up to resemble a stone statue was not comfortable in the slightest, but you forced your body to take a few steps forward anyway. When you were just a few steps away from the corner, you leaned forward to take a peek at the source of the voices.
“I just thought…”
There was one girl and two guys walking down the hallway in your direction, the girl’s face being visible due to the light from the attachment on the video game handheld she held as she spoke.
“...a video game tournament with the class could be fun.”
“That sounds great!” The guy on the girl’s left smiled at her, the dim lighting making it hard to make out anything specific about his appearance, though his silhouette seemed normal. “But the outcome seems a bit obvious if you’re playing. No one here’s as good at them as you are.”
The girl only let out a small hum in response, his gaze cast down at her handheld.
You squinted as you continued to look at the three figures — they appeared to be around your age, but you couldn’t be completely sure yet given everything you had seen so far — and after you had done so for a brief moment, you had to admit that there didn’t seem to be anything that was nonhuman about them; that normally would have been reassuring, but the three were still lurking about an old abandoned school building in the dark of night, which wasn’t normal to do…
…and while you were also doing that, the difference was that you didn’t want to be here.
“Oh?”
The guy on the girl’s right caught the attention of the other two, the both of them following his gaze to see you peeking from around the corner at them, your body freezing at the attention.
It felt as if the world stopped for a moment, the three of them staring at you as you stared back at them. Your chest felt empty, your heart devoid of beats and your lungs devoid of air — maybe they really were as frozen as the rest of your body, your head feeling light to a sickening degree.
“Ah, hello?”
It was the girl who broke the silence first, movement slowly returning to the world as she tilted her head; the light attached to her handheld revealed the pale mauve color of the hair framing her face, and reflected off of the small Galaga pin clipped to a lock of it. Her face remained the main point of focus to you, her dark hoodie blending into the dimly-lit hallway with minimal effort.
The second thing to break the silence was a weak cry that escaped your throat as you shrunk behind the wall, only the top half of your head still visible to the three as you still stared at them.
The girl furrowed her eyebrows, concern on her face. “W-Wait, there’s no need to be scared…!”
“Huh? Are they a new student?” The appearance of the guy on her left became more defined as distress sharpened your senses, your suspicions of him seeming normal confirmed; while it was a bit rude to admit, he had a pretty unremarkable face, and even his outfit of a simple white shirt with a nice tie and dark pants was extremely basic at its very best. “I don’t recognize them…”
The girl shook her head after a moment. “We would’ve been told about a new student…”
You shrunk back a little further as the girl took a slow and careful step forward, leaning forward to get a better look at you. The way she held herself was very calm, not a hint of hostility seen in her body language or on her face, with even her gaze softer than expected when it met yours.
“Hey… my name’s Chiaki. Do you need help?”
Her voice was very soft as she spoke, her tone sounding too genuine for it to be part of some ruse to get you to lower your guard; she was even avoiding getting too close for comfort to you.
“That… that depends.” You peeked your head out a bit more around the corner, returning to how you had originally been before you shrunk back in fear. Your gaze flickered over to the two guys, before you refocused it on Chiaki again. “This might sound a bit strange, but… are you human?”
Chiaki paused as she blinked, and the three shared a glance with each other, the silence shared between them holding some sort of unspoken conversation. They then resumed looking at you.
“Uh, y-yeah…?” The guy with the unremarkable face spoke up, his lips pulled up into a smile that didn’t look entirely convinced of what came out of his own mouth. “We’re… we’re human…”
Despite how hesitant he was with his words, you felt a little calmer than before at the knowledge that there was a fellow human nearby, and you stepped out a bit more from behind the corner; a shaky smile made its way onto your own lips as well, the first step to confidence. “Ah, really…?”
The guy on Chiaki’s right caught your attention as he raised a hand slightly, and you were taken aback by how sickly he looked now that you could see him better; the unusually-fluffy hair on his head was a strange off-white color, and his skin looked too pale to be healthy. He almost looked like someone that should be on strict bed rest rather than hanging around a filthy place like this.
“I think the better question would be… are you human?”
And you suddenly felt not so calm anymore. “W-What?”
“Ugh, Nagito…” The other guy looked at Nagito as he narrowed his eyes into a glare, his lips now turned down into a frown that had clear annoyance written all over it. “That’s not helping.”
“Oh, I just think it’s rather important to know.” Nagito had a slight smile on his face, his posture relaxed despite the obvious tension now present in the air. “Because I’m sure we’ve all figured out what’s going on here, and it’s best to not keep anything hidden in the dark, right, Hajime?”
Chiaki ignored Hajime and Nagito as she kept her gaze trained on you, a soft smile coming to her face as she held a hand to her chest. The light attachment on her handheld was no longer casting light on her face as she held the device by her side, and due to how dim the lighting in the hallway was, you had difficulty deciding if the light blush dusting her cheeks was real or not.
“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” She extended a hand for you to take. “Let’s get you out of here.”
You blinked a few times, staring at Chiaki as surprise washed over you, and that was when you felt your nerves finally starting to settle; even if everything else within this old abandoned school building was making you freak out, the girl in front of you seemed to be a real light in the dark as she provided you respite from all the craziness you had witnessed. You hesitated for a couple of seconds more before deciding to go for it as you reached out your hand towards Chiaki’s hand.
The moment you were just an inch away from her, you felt a spark shoot from her to you.
It almost felt like static electricity.
“I-I saw them go this way!”
You flinched at the sound of a familiar voice echoing through the halls, retracting your hand towards your body and wincing slightly at the sight of Chiaki dropping her smile from shock.
“Don’t worry, Miss Sonia! I’ll catch them!”
“Hmph, as if a mere calcium crusader could catch the culprit that the lady saw! Go, my Four Dark Devas of Destruction, and find the intruder that has dared to roam these accursed halls!”
It took less than a second for your body to start moving again, your footsteps pounding against the tiled floor as you darted past the trio of maybe-humans; your mind felt blank aside from fear as you ran, hardly able to make out Chiaki’s words as she called out to you, her voice becoming mixed with various other voices that sprouted up somewhere behind you — you almost felt as if you were an animal, acting without thinking at the first sign of possible danger presented to you.
You just hoped that Chiaki wouldn’t think of you as rude because of this.
- - - - -
You hunched over where you stood, grasping at the wall and gasping for air as you felt your heart pound in your chest; you could still hear voices echoing in the hallways, the sound only helping to keep your heart rate elevated as you tried to figure out where exactly you were.
“Ugh… I-I think I ran past the entrance hall…”
You let out a small groan as your eyes scanned over your surroundings, the corridor completely unfamiliar to you. There was a staircase a few feet from where you stood, but you weren’t dumb enough to ascend it and get trapped on a higher floor where your only option of escape would require jumping out a window; even from just the second floor, you would have to hope that you could stick a safe landing in your panic-filled state. That left a door next to where you stopped.
There was a sign sticking out from the wall above it, but you couldn’t focus enough to read it.
“The others should be in the dining hall by now, young master.”
“Hey, I thought I told you not to call me that…? I cut your strings for a reason, ya know?”
You tensed up at the sound of a pair of voices coming from the staircase, footsteps starting to descend accompanying them, and your thoughts turned to finding a place to hide as you turned on your heel towards the closed door next to you, flinging it open as you attempted to run inside.
But you only took a few steps before crashing into something and getting knocked backwards.
You placed a hand on your head, rubbing it as you blinked a couple of times and looked at the sight in front of you; in the dim lighting, you were able to make out a girl wearing clothing similar to what a nurse would wear — or maybe it actually was a nurse’s uniform, you didn’t really know — who had also been knocked back onto her behind, a small whimper soon escaping her lips.
“A-Ah, I’m so sorry!” You pushed yourself up onto your feet, crouching down to keep yourself on the same level as the girl. “I-I didn’t mean to knock you down, honest! Are you alright? Hurt?”
You were, unsurprisingly, unable to make out much in the dim lighting, but from what you could tell, the girl was relatively unharmed. You did notice bandages wrapped around a couple of her limbs, but given that they were already there and the girl seemingly had no time to patch herself up after running into you, you assumed that they must be from previous injuries she had gotten.
You crawled a bit closer to the girl as she continued to tear up, stopping only when your hand touched something other than the cold tiled floor. The girl’s cold fingers twitched at your touch as you gently took a hold of her hand, the girl herself quieting down too as she looked at you.
You stood up, your grip firm on the girl’s hand. “H-Here! Let me help you up-”
The weight you pulled up in your hand was surprisingly light, and you looked down at your hand to see the girl’s hand still clinging to yours… and you saw only her hand, with part of her forearm attached to it. Its grip was weak, just barely seeming to hold on without falling to the floor below.
“W-What…?”
You slowly let your gaze fall from the hand you held and down towards the girl still sitting on the floor, your eyes immediately going to focus on her arm that was closest to where you had picked up the hand from to see that she was, indeed, missing an entire hand and part of her forearm.
That of which you were currently holding.
It moved slightly in your grasp, the fingers attempting to tighten around yours, before your own grip loosened completely and the hand fell to the floor. Your knees shook before giving out, your eyelids drooping to partly consume your vision with blurry darkness as you lost your balance.
The last thing you heard was a nervous voice shouting before it all went black.
- - - - -
“Wow, humans are even uglier up close!”
“Hiyoko, don’t say that!”
“What? It’s true!”
You let out a groan, shifting your aching body before noticing that you were laying on something soft, the plush surface under your head feeling like a pillow. Your fingers twitched for a moment before grasping at the thin sheets under you, and your mind finally realized that you must be on a bed right now. That didn’t really explain why you could smell food from the dining hall, though.
“Ah, they’re waking up!”
You opened your eyes and blinked a few times, your vision clearing up before you squinted at the fluorescent light that filled the room; this was the best lighting you had seen so far within this abandoned school building. You rolled your head over to see two figures standing at the side of the bed, and your body immediately reacted by making you sit up and push yourself away from them, but you snapped out of it when you almost fell off the other side of the bed, only managing to barely catch yourself. You glanced around at your surroundings, realizing that you were in the nurse’s office, before you refocused your attention on the two unfamiliar figures, still a bit tense.
The first was a girl with red hair — actually, they looked more like petals that wrapped around her head from the top to form a bob — and skin that had an odd green tint to it that made you feel a bit squeamish. The only other thing attention-grabbing about her was the camera hung over her shoulder, the device resting at her hip with her hands free and clasped in front of her.
The second was a smaller girl — who looked much younger than anyone else you had seen so far — dressed in a traditional kimono; however, ruining the otherwise innocent appearance that she had were the horns sprouting out from her head, the bat-like wings flapping from where they stuck out slightly below her shoulders, and the scorpion-like tail swaying side-to-side behind her.
You froze when the small girl grinned at you, her grin filled with unbelievably sharp teeth.
“H-Hey, you don’t need to be scared…” The redhead smiled at you when you shifted your gaze over to her, her smile much less threatening than the small girl’s grin, even though it seemed to be unsure at the moment. “I’m Mahiru, okay? Everything’s fine, and no one’s going to hurt you.”
“Says who?”
Mahiru looked at the small girl next to her, her smile shifting to a stern frown. “Hiyoko-!”
“E-Excuse me…” The sound of a soft voice cut off Mahiru before she could say anything else, and you looked over at the source, seeing the girl you had bumped into earlier standing a little ways away from the bed you were sitting on. You raised your eyebrows in surprise to see that you had guessed correctly that she was donning a nurse’s uniform, before you noticed that her posture appeared very timid; she was slouching, shrinking in on herself as if to make herself seem as small as possible. “I-If you don’t mind, I need to check to make sure you’re okay…”
Not a single sound escaped you as you stared at her, the girl staring right back at you.
The presence of a proper light source above you allowed you to now notice the varied colors of her skin, all being varying shades of pale green, with stitches connecting the patches that made up her body. You even noticed how her limbs were attached to her body with thin strings as well, meaning that, due to your sudden collision with her, her arm had completely detached from her-
The girl widened her eyes in panic. “Wha-?! I-I’m sorry! Did I do something wrong…?!”
You took a deep breath, your vision blurring slightly as tears pricked at your eyes, and your hands tightly gripping the sheets of the bed you were sitting on, your fingers digging into them.
“No, no, Mikan! You didn’t do anything wrong!” Mahiru looked at the nurse, her lips pulling up into a rather successful reassuring smile. “They’re just scared! It’s okay, this is totally normal!”
The sight of the zombified nurse almost breaking down into tears did help to calm your nerves the slightest bit, undeniable humanity within her action that broke through the dread pooling in the pit in your stomach. You attempted to relax your grip on the sheets beneath you as Mikan wiped at her face with her hands, and you did the same to your own face after a few moments.
“I’m s-sorry! I didn’t mean to-”
“N-No, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have s-scared you…!”
“Oh, god, there’s two of them now.” The small demon girl — Hiyoko, as Mahiru said — rolled her eyes, her lips pursed in annoyance. “I don’t know if I can handle having two crybabies around…”
“See? Everything is fine!” Mahiru ignored Hiyoko as she kept her focus on you and Mikan, her reassuring smile still present on her face. “There’s nothing to be scared of, or to worry about.”
You sniffed, taking a few breaths to calm down before you focused your gaze on Mikan. “S-So… um… you said that you needed to check to… make sure that I’m okay, or… or something…?”
“Y-Yeah!” Mikan nodded, her voice determined despite the stuttering. “I-If you’ll let me…”
You flinched when Mikan drew closer to you, though you still tried to stay as still as possible as you let the nurse check you over for injuries; her touch was ice cold — if her appearance wasn’t enough to tell you that she wasn’t alive, her lack of body warmth was — and you shuddered as you tried to repress the urge to gag at the thought that an undead body was touching your own.
You tried to focus on something else, anything else, to distract your mind and stomach during the inspection, only to find your eyes drawn towards the stitches that littered Mikan’s body. The main thing to draw your attention to them was how they looked unusually loose, the strings that kept her limbs attached to her body specifically appearing to lack the tension needed to keep them from detaching like they did earlier, and it was a little odd that she hadn’t tightened them.
“E-Everything looks fine…” Mikan removed her hands from your body, clasping them together under her chin. “I-I don’t think that you’ll have any lasting injuries from w-what happened…”
“Great!” Mahiru looked at you with a gentle smile. “That means you can come with us!”
You blinked in surprise. “...huh?”
“Yeah… Mr. Fool’s Gold says that we’ve gotta have a meeting!” Hiyoko too had a smile on her face, though hers was a lot more unnerving than Mahiru’s as she smiled wide, letting you get another look at all of the sharp teeth she had in her mouth. “And you’re the guest of honor!”
- - - - -
You looked down at the plate of food that was now in your hands as you left the nurse’s office with Mahiru and Hiyoko, the food being the culprit for why the nurse’s office had smelled like the dining hall — apparently a “Teruteru” had dropped it off for you while you were unconscious after hearing that you fainted, but while it was a kind thing to do, you weren’t very hungry right now.
“Alright, we’ll escort you to the dining hall.” Mahiru was a couple of steps in front of you, looking back over her shoulder at you with the calm and friendly smile that you had come to appreciate greatly from her still present on her face. “It’s where our class always holds our meetings.”
The reason why you appreciated the plant-esque girl’s smile so much was that it was nothing like Hiyoko’s smile, which was always filled with either disgust or malicious intent; you had only known her for about ten minutes or so, so you were baffled as to why she was so mean to you.
The small demon girl raised her hands into the air happily. “Yep, it’s time for you to die!”
“What?!”
“No, that’s not what’s going to happen!” Mahiru put her hands on her hips, leaning slightly towards Hiyoko with her eyes narrowed into a soft glare. “Don’t joke about things like that, Hiyoko. It’s not funny, and we really don’t need them passing out again like they did earlier.”
Hiyoko looked to the side, her lips forming a small pout. “Aw, but that’s no fun…”
Mahiru glared at Hiyoko for a few moments more before she let her lips turn up into a smile again and straightened her posture. “Now, with all of that out of the way, let’s get to the-”
You blinked as Mahiru cut herself off, before you suddenly became very aware of a presence behind you, a shadow being cast over your shoulders even with the dim lighting in the hallway; the lack of fear on Mahiru’s and Hiyoko’s faces was reassuring, only slight surprise within their expressions, and you hesitated for just a moment before turning around to see a familiar face.
There was a hungry grin on Akane’s face as she looked down at you — or, more precisely, the plate you were carrying. You felt your body tense up at the sight, the way the canine-esque girl was towering over you making her expression seem more menacing than it actually was, but when you caught sight of her tail wagging excitedly behind her, you almost felt the urge to smile.
You held the plate out to Akane, your hands shaking just a little, and watched her grin grow as her tail wagged even faster. You felt the plate be hastily torn from your grasp before it clattered on the floor, the food completely gone; not a single morsel or crumb was to be found anywhere.
“Aw, thanks! I was starving!”
“We ate half-an-hour ago-” Hiyoko pointed accusingly towards Akane. “-you overgrown fleabag!”
“Oh, really? Huh, it felt longer than that…” Akane flashed a grin at you and the two girls, the sight of her canines a lot less scary to you now. “Well, training makes me hungry, you know?”
“AKANE! Your speed is admirable, but you shouldn’t run away from your training!”
The ground shook as a figure arrived around the corner in the hallway, both tall in height and wide in length; the silhouette of the new arrival was rigid and jagged, the dull gray of his stone body becoming more obvious to you as he drew nearer to you and the three girls around you.
“Sorry, Coach Nekomaru!” Akane continued to grin as she turned to face the stone man, her demeanor casual without a single care in the world, though her tail was still wagging slightly as if she was an excited puppy. “My nose caught wind of good food and I couldn’t control myself.”
“A healthy appetite is a good sign…” Nekomaru looked down at Akane with a frown etched onto his stone face, his facial features all being very sharp and serious. “...but that’s NO EXCUSE!”
“Hey, that’s enough yelling…!” Mahiru raised her voice as she put her hands on her hips, her lips pulled down into an annoyed frown. “You might scare our… er… guest? …yeah, guest! You shouldn’t yell inside anyway. Now, since they’re awake, we all need to head to the dining hall.”
“Gah-hahahaha! Okay!” Nekomaru shifted his attention back over to Akane, the jagged stone features of his face turning up into an excited grin; it was both unnerving yet fascinating to see stone more so fluidly, appearing both uncanny yet natural at the same time. “Akane, we’ll use this as a part of your training! Go around the school and inform the others to head to the dining hall pronto. I expect you to finish and be in the dining hall yourself within the next ten minutes!”
Hiyoko piped up, an innocent-looking smile on her face that didn’t fit the patronizing tone that came out of her mouth. “Yeah, Akane! And if you manage to do that, we’ll give you a treat!”
“Treat?”
The werewolf let out an ecstatic howl before taking off, disappearing in the blink of an eye and leaving nothing but dust in her wake, which you accidentally breathed in and had to cough out.
Mahiru let out a groan. “Come on, let’s just go already.”
- - - - -
You plopped yourself down into one of the chairs in the dining hall, and fiddled with your hands in your lap as you glanced towards the large windows you had seen earlier; unlike the beautiful sunset you witnessed before, there was just complete darkness on the other side now, the light of the lights inside only helping to make the night outside look even darker than it actually was.
The dining hall wasn’t completely empty when you arrived here.
The chef you saw earlier — who you learned was the “Teruteru” that had dropped the plate of food off for you in the nurse’s office, and had been in possession of your phone that you did, in fact, drop after Akane knocked you over earlier — was still there, cleaning up after having made the whole buffet by himself. Hiyoko had actually taken the effort to point out to you that Teruteru was the class pervert the moment you crossed the threshold into the dining hall, and it was nice to know that your gut feeling about him before was correct, and not just a product of your terror.
But at least he seemed decent enough to return your phone without trouble.
That said, the fear bubbling up inside your stomach still had quite a lot of fuel left.
Due to the lights in the dining hall being brighter than the ones in the hallway, you had to bear witness to what everyone truly looked like as they filtered into the room over a short period of time. You already knew what Mahiru and Hiyoko looked like in good lighting, the nurse’s office also one of the few rooms in the building that had some, but Nekomaru took your breath away when the light revealed the cracks and scratches on his stone body, which he just laughed off.
You had to admit that, even with how unsettling their monstrous appearances were, there was also something so intriguing about them that appealed to the natural human instinct of curiosity within you… but then there were the cases of those who appeared so human on the outside.
Chiaki looked as normal as any girl you might run into in a gaming store, and she had taken a seat right next to you after noticing your obvious discomfort with your current situation. The old handheld was still in her hands, the light attachment removed due to the better lighting, and she tried to pull your focus towards her video game to help distract you and calm you down; it might had worked better if it weren’t for the tingly “static electricity” sensation you got around her that you had felt earlier, the sensation a clear sign that she wasn’t as human as she appeared to be.
Nagito just looked even more ill than before, the bright lighting only making his pale skin stand out a lot more, and his behavior as he conversed with the others — he was seemingly ignoring you, which you couldn’t complain about — made it clear that he was a little off in the head. On the other hand, Hajime both looked and acted like a normal guy, though there was a noticeable scar on his head that was only partly hidden by his hair, the sight of it making you shiver a little.
It didn’t take long for Mikan to enter the dining hall after those three, stumbling a bit like how the zombies in classic horror movies often did when walking around. “S-Sorry for taking so long…!”
Mahiru smiled at Mikan reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Mikan! The meeting hasn’t started yet.”
“O-Oh?” Mikan looked around with a nervous frown on her lips, seeming to take a moment to check who had arrived in the dining hall before she did. “S-So… I didn’t keep you waiting…?”
“No, you didn’t.” Hajime also piped up to reassure the zombified nurse from where he sat at a circular table. “Most of the others aren’t here yet, so… you could say that you’re actually early.”
“A-Ah, okay…”
The nurse looked both relieved and slightly disappointed at that revelation, but she didn’t say anything more as she took a seat at the table Hajime and Nagito were sitting at — needing at least three reassurances that she was actually allowed to sit with them instead of on the floor.
The next to enter was a girl who you had never seen before, and the moment she opened her mouth, you were honestly surprised that you hadn’t at least heard her during your time here; the windows in the dining hall were already cracked, but you swore they grew a bit when she spoke.
“Whoa-ho! It’s true! It’s true! A human’s inside the school!”
Chiaki looked up at the girl calmly. “Ah, Ibuki… you might want to lower your voice a bit.”
You had to take a few moments to focus after your eyes stopped ringing — thankfully, your ears didn’t start bleeding from just how painfully loud Ibuki was being — before you managed to look at and take in the sight of her. Her appearance was a mess, her hair particularly wild with some of it having been dyed pink and blue, though she somehow managed to make it all work for her.
“Oh, sorry!” Ibuki sent you an apologetic smile, rubbing the back of her head as she made her way towards the table. “Ibuki sometimes forgets that humans can’t handle her natural voice.”
You raised an eyebrow as you stared at Ibuki. “Your natural voice is… screaming?”
“Haha, yeah!” Ibuki plopped herself down in the seat opposite to you. “It’s kinda hard to control, but don’t worry! I just gotta use my indoor voice, and then everything’s gonna be all rock ‘n roll.”
She appeared to focus for a moment, closing her eyes and putting her hands up to her head as she repeated the words “indoor voice” to herself over and over again. Even though you were still a little confused, you appreciated the effort she was making to not absolutely destroy your ears.
Your attention was pulled from Ibuki when you saw Sonia enter the dining hall with a nervous anticipation about her, her wings fluttering behind her and sparkling beautifully in the bright light of the dining hall. The worry laced in her expression only lessened the moment she saw you.
“Oh, thank goodness! You are alright!”
There were two guys that followed Sonia into the dining hall, who were also people that you had never seen before, but then you remembered hearing her voice in the halls accompanied by two others earlier; these had to be who she was talking to. The one to draw in most of your attention was a skeleton that had glowing pink hair that was only partially hidden under a beanie, and the other was a guy who had almost every inch of his skin that was visible wrapped up in bandages, though the attention that you gave him was soon lost to the hamsters that sat on his shoulders.
The hamsters were also wrapped up in bandages, which admittedly made them cuter.
“So… this is the foolish mortal that has dared to enter onto this accursed land?” The guy that was wrapped up in bandages crossed his arms as he stared at you with an overly-intense gaze, only breaking it from you when the hamsters sitting on his shoulders squeaked as if responding to him. “It is! My Dark Devas say that their scent is the same as the one lingering in the halls!”
The skeleton let out an annoyed sigh, and you silently wondered how he did that. “Geez, dude, Miss Sonia could’ve just told us if they’re the one or not. She did see them in her room, after all.”
“Oh! Uh…” You looked at Sonia again, your cheeks beginning to warm up from embarrassment that you had almost forgotten you experienced earlier. “...s-sorry about earlier. For both entering your room and then just running off like that… that was probably super rude of me, wasn’t it?”
“It is quite alright.” Sonia smiled brightly at you, her wings fluttering again and sparkling more as they caught the light in just the right way. “As long as you are uninjured, that is all that matters.”
Sonia then sat down in the other seat next to you, and it only took a couple of seconds before the two guys started arguing over who would get the seat on the other side of her; it was hard enough to keep up with the argument as they spoke over each other, but the fact that the guy with the bandages was spicing up his language only added another headache to the situation.
You hesitated for a moment before gesturing to them. “Is this normal, or…?”
“Yes, but please just ignore them.” Sonia continued to smile as if it was nothing. “Kazuichi and Gundham tend to often get into… tussles with each other, so please do not pay it much mind.”
“Kazuichi’s the skeleton and Gundham’s the mummy!” Ibuki piped up, her voice loud but not at all like the painful screeching you heard from her earlier. “They fight over Sonia all the time! It’s a classic love triangle, though… heh, Kazuchi refuses to realize that he’s on the losing side!”
“I’m surprised that both of them aren’t on the losing side.” Hiyoko had a smug smile on her face, her hand held up to her mouth and barely obscuring it from view. “It’s just corpse number one or corpse number two. Tell me, which one would you prefer? A bag of bones or a rotting fleshbag?”
“H-Hey!”
Kazuichi tore his attention from Gundham to look towards Hiyoko with shock on his face, and you were surprised to see how expressive he could be for a skeleton with no facial muscles.
“I’m not a “bag of bones”! I’d say my bone structure is actually quite good!”
Gundham crossed his arms, his hamsters following suit soon after. “Hmph… I’ll have you know, my corporeal form has been purified and treated with the salts of this mortal plane, and wrapped in these mystical strips of flax, to prevent the curse of organic decomposition from taking place.”
“I made it!”
That shout bounced off of the walls of the dining hall as Akane dashed into it, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she panted crazily and her tail wagging violently behind her.
“I did it in under ten minutes, just like you said to, Coach!”
Nekomaru let out a loud laugh. “I expected nothing less! Your speed is always improving!”
“So…” Akane glanced around the dining hall, an expectant glimmer in her eyes to match the excited smile on her lips. “...where’s my treat? All that running around made me super hungry!”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget!” Nekomaru turned in the direction of the kitchen, where you could see Teruteru drying the last of the dishes from the feast he made earlier. “Teruteru, how about whipping up something to reward Akane? I’m never one to discourage a healthy appetite!”
“W-What?” Teruteru widened his eyes as he stared at Nekomaru, before looking between the dishes he had just cleaned and the stone man. “B-But I just finished cleaning up from dinner…”
The chef just stared at Nekomaru, the stone man staring back at him, before he let out a small sigh and began gathering the cooking equipment and ingredients needed to whip up a quick treat for Akane. He soon disappeared into the depths of the kitchen, and your focus was pulled to the entrance of the dining hall as two more — again, unfamiliar — people entered the room.
The girl appeared to be made out of some kind of wood, her movements a bit stiff with a faint creaking sound emitting from her joints as she crossed her arms; she was clearly a puppet of some kind, but lacked the expected strings. “So… this is the human who entered our school…?”
“Well, that’s idiotic of ‘em.” The guy seemed human at a first glance until you noticed the few reptilian features he had, such as his tail and the horns atop his head, which still seemed like they needed more time to grow. He also appeared to have a few scales peppered across his cheeks, which made you think of freckles. “This place is obviously boarded up for a reason…”
“Oh, oh! Almost everyone’s here!”
Ibuki smiled wide as she looked at you, pointing a finger at the girl and then the guy.
“The babe’s Peko and the little guy’s Fuyuhiko!”
Fuyuhiko almost immediately glared at Ibuki, going from zero-to-a-hundred quicker than most would; his temper seemed to go hand-in-hand with his height. “The fuck you just called me?”
“Greetings.” Peko was much calmer in comparison to Fuyuhiko, seeming to pay little to no attention to how Ibuki introduced her, but the way her gaze pierced into you was much more intimidating than you would have expected, and that was when you noticed the sword on her back. “I hope you aren’t here to cause trouble. I would prefer to not have to take you out.”
“Then you can take me out, Peko-Peko!” Ibuki sent a peace sign to Peko, then winked. “Wink!”
You looked around the dining hall as everyone began to mingle with each other, you no longer being the main center of attention, and you realized that if it wasn’t for their — most of their — appearances, they would look like a normal group of teenagers hanging out. It actually caused you to seem even more out of place, being both human and an obvious outsider to their group’s dynamic; you actually started to feel a bit jealous of how close they all seemed with each other.
“Ah, good. Everyone’s arrived in a timely manner, I see.”
“Whoa! You’re the last to arrive?” Hiyoko looked at the last arrival to the dining hall with mock shock displayed on her face, widening her eyes slightly. “That’s not like you, Mr. Fool’s Gold!”
“Hmph, I was just finishing up some last-minute business before coming down here.” The last person was rather large, an almost intense aura of seriousness and regality surrounding him as he stepped further into the room. “This was just an outlier in my otherwise-punctual reputation.”
You couldn’t help but admit to yourself that he looked somewhat familiar, like someone you had seen before somewhere but didn’t personally know. However, there was something seriously off about him, something uncanny that made you tense up as your gaze was solely trained on him.
His footsteps were heavy as he approached the table you were sitting at, and you shrunk a bit in your seat from his piercing gaze, his eyes zoning in on you easily since you stuck out so much.
“Ah… so you’re the human who’s gotten inside our school?”
You swallowed as you stared at him for a moment, before you hesitantly nodded.
“And why exactly are you here? The boarded-up windows and doors clearly suggest that you are not to come inside, and should’ve been warning enough to prevent such irresponsibility.”
“I, uh…” You swallowed again, your mouth feeling dry as your eyes flickered around at all the people surrounding you. You had people sitting on both sides of you, and some even standing behind you, so you couldn’t exactly run away from this. “...I came here with some new friends- well, not really “friends”, but some people I met at my new school. They… they tricked me into coming here and locked the door behind me, so I was just trying to look for a way out…?”
“Hmph.” He crossed his arms, averting his gaze. “...so you’re here because of a juvenile prank.”
“...yep.”
Hiyoko stifled a laugh with her hand. “Oooh, so they’ve sent you to your death?”
“Please stop saying stuff like that!” You clasped your hands in front of your chest, keeping your gaze cast down at your lap. “I’m sorry if I did something wrong! I-I didn’t mean to come here!”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Chiaki placed a hand on your shoulder, and you winced as you felt a small bit of static electricity come from her touch. “You didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no bad guy here.”
“Well, prank or not, this is still a serious matter.” Nekomaru put his hand to his chin, seeming to think for a moment. “This human’s gotten inside the school and seen all of us. That’s not good.”
“To be perceived by a mortal’s eyes…” Gundham crossed his arms, his hamsters resting on his shoulders and snuggling into his scarf. “Truly a troubling situation, a fortune most unfortunate.”
“Oh, I don’t mind being perceived-” Teruteru finally joined the group, placing a plate in front of Akane before wiping his hands with a dishtowel. “-especially when it’s by such a darling human.”
You scooted slightly closer to Chiaki, leaning towards her for comfort.
“I don’t get what the big deal is.” Akane stuffed her mouth full of her “treat”, which turned out to be some kind of meat that smelled really good. “I mean, we let Hajime and Nagito hang around.”
Hajime let a faint smile onto his face, his hand raising to touch the scar on his head with his fingers, letting them trail along it. “Yeah, but… I think our cases are a bit different than theirs.”
“The only thing we share with them is biology.” Nagito also smiled a bit, his elbows resting on the table in front of him as he leaned forward. “But besides that… there’s nothing in common.”
“Well, if you want them silenced…” Fuyuhiko smirked. “I’ve got methods.”
The dining hall went silent aside from a few gasps escaping from some of the members of the group, all eyes on the reptilian boy; the fairy princess sitting beside you notably put her hands over her mouth, her eyes widened, while Chiaki furrowed her eyebrows. There were a few jaws dropped, Ibuki’s and Kazuichi’s more prominent than everyone else’s, and you couldn’t help but be thankful that most of the people here seemed to not want your human blood on their hands.
Peko blinked as she looked at Fuyuhiko, her eyes widened slightly. “Young master…?”
“Huh? What?” Fuyuhiko dropped his smirk as he looked around at everyone, genuine confusion on his face before brief realization and then a glare. “Goddamnit, I don’t mean killing them! I just mean blackmail and threats! There’s more than one way to keep someone silent, you guys!”
The presumed ring leader of the group, Mr. Fool’s Gold — no one had called him anything else — let out a hum. “While that is a solution, this situation doesn’t really call for that kind of action.”
You felt another zap of static electricity shock your shoulder as Chiaki gave it a gentle squeeze, and you looked at her to see her smiling at you; even though her presence meant having to get zapped every so often, she was definitely one of the more approachable people you had met.
She then turned her attention to her friends, her smile unwavering.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. They’re not a threat, and we can definitely trust them… I think.”
“I second that!” Sonia put a hand up into the air, a smile gracing her lips as well. “I do not believe they mean us any harm. Punishment for being the victim of a prank is not needed.”
“Well… if Miss Sonia says so…” Kazuichi looked a little uneasy, scratching his neck before he gave a thumbs-up. “Then they’re also good with me! Miss Sonia’s never wrong, after all!”
The hamsters on Gundham’s shoulders squeaked, and he chuckled. “Both the Dark Fae Queen and my Dark Devas say that the mortal is trustworthy… their judgement is not to be questioned.”
“Ibuki trusts them too!” Ibuki was shouting again, and had to pause briefly as she lowered her voice. “Though Ibuki hasn’t known them long, they don’t seem to be anything to worry about!”
“Well, duh!” Hiyoko giggled. “Even Mikan could easily take them out. They’re totally pathetic!”
Mikan nervously smiled, fidgeting with her hands as she kept her gaze averted from everyone else. “N-No, I’m sure they could maybe fight back… a-a little. If they tried really hard to do so.”
“I don’t think they would fight back.” Mahiru adjusted her camera in her hands, a smile also on her face. “They don’t seem like they want to hurt anyone at all, that picture’s pretty clear to me.”
“Well, then.”
The attention in the dining hall was brought back over to Mr. Fool’s Gold, and you shrunk a little under his gaze, though the feeling of another shocking squeeze to your shoulder comforted you.
“You. Do you have any intention of telling anyone what you saw here?”
You shook your head. “No…”
“You’ll make no mention of anything that happened? About the school or the people here?”
You shook your head again. “No.”
Mr. Fool’s Gold seemed to think to himself for a moment, his arms still crossed and his posture still perfectly straight, and after a few seconds of pure silence in the dining hall, he let out a sigh.
“Then I suppose you may go… but if you do happen to reveal the truths of this place to anyone on the outside, we will find out. That would be troublesome, though, so please do not do that.”
“Okay…”
He glanced around at the others, everyone still focusing their attention on him. “Now, will someone please escort them out? And check the doors while you’re at it as well, please.”
Chiaki stood up, her hand still on your shoulder, and you stood up soon after her, the others in the dining hall beginning to chat with one another again — though some still had words for you.
“Oh! Oh! Since you know everything now, you can totally come back if you want!” Ibuki jumped up from her seat, climbing atop the table to look down at you from her new vantage point as she formed glasses with her fingers. “Ibuki’s spotted a new friend, and she can’t just let that go!”
“It would be lovely, if you could!” Sonia continued to sit in her seat, her hands in her lap before she raised them up to clap them together once, her smile bright. “We don’t get to show our true selves to others often, so it’d be nice to have another person we can just be ourselves around.”
Gundham let out a low laugh as his hamsters squeaked. “The Dark Devas of Destruction give you their blessing to return, if your mortal heart would even be able to withstand their power.”
“Just… stay safe and all that.” Hajime had a slight smile on his face. “You should probably not sneak into any “abandoned” buildings again. You’re kind of lucky that we’re all you ran into.”
Fuyuhiko put his hands in his pockets, his lips turned down into a stern frown as he approached you. “Remember: keep quiet. You don’t wanna know what might happen if you don’t, ya hear?”
You just gave a slight nod before Chiaki escorted you out of the dining hall, the sound of various goodbyes and farewells ringing out from everyone; the shift from a bright crowded room to a dim empty hallway was jarring, but the dusty old building seemed a lot less intimidating than before.
You were finally going to get to leave.
- - - - -
The front entrance door was covered in wooden boards, the glass cracked with some pieces of it missing underneath; it was just like you remembered it being from all those many hours ago.
Chiaki pushed open the door, letting a cool breeze of the night air blow into the entrance hall and into your face — the air was so fresh and crisp compared to what you had been breathing for the last couple of hours that you could almost start crying, but you were also too tired to do so. The area outside the door was empty of life, the sound of city life echoing in the distance.
Those “friends” from before were gone, almost as if they had never been there.
They probably left hours ago after getting bored, while you had been fearing for your life.
“You okay?”
You snapped out of your thoughts as you looked over at Chiaki, a curious look on her face as she tilted her head. You blinked a few times as your brain thought about what she asked you.
“...yeah, I’m fine.”
Chiaki let a smile onto her face, letting out a small hum as she placed a hand on her chest. “...you know, you really can visit whenever you’d like. I don’t think anyone here would mind.”
“That’s… a nice offer.” You smiled back, shifting a bit in place where you stood. “Though… do you guys always meet up in the middle of the night, or was this a special thing, or, like, what…?”
“Yep.” Chiaki nodded her head. “It’s the safest and most convenient time for us to gather at the school. We all have lives during the day, so nighttime is pretty much the only option that works.”
“...got it.”
You took a few steps out into the cool night air, taking in a few deep breaths of air that made it feel as if your lungs were singing at how fresh it was, and you shivered slightly before hugging yourself with your arms. You then looked over your shoulder at Chiaki, who still smiled at you.
“I… don’t know if I’d be able to come here often, but… I could visit every once in a while…?”
Chiaki seemed to perk up as her soft smile brightened a little under the moonlight as she closed her eyes and removed her hand from her chest. “That’s great! We’ll all be looking forward to it!”
You managed to wave at Chiaki, the gamer girl returning it, before she closed the entrance door to the school, a loud click sounding as she made sure to lock it properly. You let your eyes linger on the school for a moment, taking in how it really did look abandoned; there was no hint or sign that there was anyone currently occupying the building, the school grounds just quiet and dark.
You then turned away from the school and let out a small sigh, beginning to walk away from the old school building. Your footsteps crunched under your feet from dead leaves and branches.
Summary: "As a young enthusiastic ghost hunter, you'd go to the ends of the earth in order to find proof of paranormal life. Luckily, you just have to go to a certain Ultimate Academy instead."
Word Count: ~15k
For the sequel, click here.
- - - - -
“Okay… just up and over, and-”
You launched yourself off of the cold metal of the fence, landing on your feet with a thump before immediately going to steady yourself, the heavy bag resting on your back threatening to tip you over if you didn’t.
“...I’m in.”
The area beyond the fence was dark — you were here in the dead of night, so that was to be expected — but it seemed like the moon above was giving you just enough light to let you see where you were going without the use of a flashlight; since waving one around out here would be a surefire way to bring attention to yourself and get yourself caught, you appreciated anything that helped you to stay under the radar of anyone who might be watching this place.
You weren’t sure what exactly the punishment for trespassing was, but since there were various “Do Not Enter” signs posted around the property and a tall fence with a locked gate, you knew that there was something awaiting those caught sneaking onto the grounds.
Shrugging your shoulders, you slid your bag off of your back and brought it around to set it on the ground in front of you before unzipping it. You shuffled through your items, eventually grabbing your camera — the battery fully-charged for the night ahead, with extra batteries packed just in case — and turning it on.
“Hey, hey, everybody!” You smiled, pointing the camera at your face. “I’m officially within the borders of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, and I’m ready to get hunting!”
You set the camera down next to you as you dug around in your bag again, this time grabbing one of the flashlights you had brought with you; while the outside of the academy was illuminated by moonlight, there was no guarantee the inside would be the same. You also strapped a pair of night-vision goggles to your head, an extra precaution should something happen to your flashlights, while the rest of your tools remained in your backpack for later.
After slinging your backpack over your shoulders again, you grabbed your camera from where it sat on the ground and pointed it forward. “Alright, let’s get going!”
You surveyed the area around you, comparing it to the map you had looked at beforehand and committed to memory after hours of staring at it in preparation for your trip; based on what you were seeing, you were currently standing in the area opposite to the actual school building. You would have been surprised at how big the property was if it weren’t for the fact that it apparently served as the grounds of a private academy for the crème de la crème of high school students.
The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles was supposedly some fancy school that exceptionally talented teenagers attended to hone and perfect their talents, securing them a successful future as adults after graduation, but, according to your research, the place only operated for a few years before it shut down. The remains of that promising place were left to the mercy of time, eventually breaking down into the decrepit disappointment before you now.
But you didn’t really care about that.
You were here to hunt for ghosts, not mourn a privileged educational facility that failed to survive; the depressing aura of broken hopes and dreams was actually what pulled you here — you would have preferred something along the lines of murder or other tragedies that ended in death, but your research unfortunately revealed a lack of anything like that — since that kind of aura would definitely attract something that would reside within the crumbling halls.
And you were going to find it.
- - - - -
“Okay, folks, the first place to check out is this building called the… “Shrine of Judgement”? I don’t know why it’s called that, but that’s what the map said the name was.”
Your pace was steady as you moved towards your first destination — the round building closest to where you had entered the property — as your gaze flickered between the uneven terrain you were walking on and the screen of your camera; the absolute last thing you wanted was for your footage to come out all shaky and unfocused when you reviewed it later, making all your ghostly video evidence unusable and making you waste an entire night of your life for nothing.
“Considering how run-down this place is, I was expecting to see, like… animals running about and stuff, but I haven’t really seen any signs of life yet… except for all these plants.” You panned the camera around as you spoke, letting it get a good look at the overgrown plants surrounding the cracked concrete pathway you had stepped onto. “Well, I think I did hear some bugs buzzing around, maybe, but that’s about it. That just means that any weird noises I hear are gonna have to come from one source: ghosts. Not, like, from birds or-”
The sound of a light thud behind you made you pause, your mouth snapping shut as your mind processed the interruption to your commentary; it was such a soft sound, something that would have gone unnoticed within the ambient noise of a normal situation, but in the presence of dead silence that only had your voice and the occasional buzzing of bugs to break it, that sound might as well be compared to the deafening crash of a rock smashing into the concrete behind you.
You swiftly turned on your heel, your camera poised and ready to capture the specter that had made that sound on video, but, to your disappointment, all you saw was a large wall.
The hand holding your camera fell slightly as a frown appeared on your face, before you came to the realization that there wasn’t a wall there previously; the thought of an object appearing out of thin air made a smile return to your face, and prompted you to take a closer look at it.
You took a step towards the wall, your eyes narrowing as you readied your gaze to inspect the potential sign of a nearby ghostly presence, and you immediately noticed that it looked… fluffy.
This wasn’t a wall; it was some sort of fluffy creature.
The low level of light made it hard to make out what exactly the creature looked like, but it was just enough for you to get a decent grasp on a few things about its appearance — namely, it had four arms, a massive wingspan, was incredibly tall, and… had striking red eyes that were staring right back at your own curious gaze, the pair of glasses on its face only amplifying its stare.
You continued to stare at the creature, you and it seemingly locked into an impromptu staring contest with each other, before you took your inactive flashlight and poked the creature with it.
It was tangible.
Darn.
Not a ghost.
The creature blinked and tilted his head, clearly confused. “You not scared of Gonta?”
“No.” You mirrored his actions, tilting your own head with a steady smile on your face. “Why would I be?”
“A-Ah… Gonta scary-looking. Most people run and scream when they see Gonta.”
“Well, that’s rude.”
You finally broke eye-contact with the creature to check your camera; all this standing around and talking about nothing important was wasting the battery, but you didn’t want to just turn it off in case something suddenly came up that you knew you absolutely needed to get on video. You had to return to your search immediately, making the most of this hopefully-haunted night.
“Anyways, nice to meet you. Goodbye.”
You turned around and started walking towards the “Shrine” again, readjusting your camera to get a good shot of the building as you approached its entrance.
“W-Wait…!”
Gonta — as he seemed to be called — followed after you; his footsteps were heavy, a complete opposite to the soft thud you had heard when he first appeared behind you.
You let out a hum, still continuing forward despite the creature following you. “What?”
“Gonta has never seen you before, so Gonta was wondering if you are new student-” His gaze was cast down to the side, appearing almost bashful in a way. “-and wanted to help you, like gentleman. Gentlemen always happy to help!”
“Me, a student? Of this school?” You said, letting your words hang in the air for a moment before you shrugged, “No, I’m just visiting… but you can still help me out, if you want.”
Gonta appeared to perk up at your answer. “Really? Then Gonta do his best to help!”
You just let out another hum in response, most of your attention captured by the building you were currently entering; after carefully going up the crumbling stairs and through the red doors that were basically falling off of their rusted hinges, you finally found yourself in the “Shrine of Judgement”. The round glass ceiling let moonlight into the interior of the building, though a lot of the inside of the “Shrine” was still shrouded in dark shadows, mostly beyond the center.
“Okay, this place is looking pretty spooky-” You panned the camera around, making sure to get a nice shot of the area, especially the rather fancy-looking waterfall-and-fountain feature — you weren’t sure why, but the fountain felt oddly empty, like there was supposed to be a statue there, though you just shrugged it off. “-but I don’t see anything too notable yet.”
“Huh? Who is new friend talking to?”
“Just my subscribers.”
“Sub… scribers?”
You pouted and furrowed your eyebrows as you brought your camera down from your face, your eyes flickering around the interior of the “Shrine”; sure, the spooky atmosphere was nice and all, but lack of good lighting was going to make it hard to capture decent footage of any ghostly activity that might take place here. The problem was solved when you clicked the power button on your flashlight, the beam of light helping to reveal what was hidden in the shadows.
The light revealed dozens of pink and white flowers growing within the “Shrine”, which hardly kept your attention for more than a second as you tried looking for anything of interest.
“That’s much better. You see anything, Gonta? …Gonta?”
You simply stared behind you at the space where the large gentleman had previously been, his sudden disappearance exciting you as you wondered if he actually was a ghost all along… only for you to return your attention to what was in front of you to see him now standing there. Even if your disappointment towards this was immeasurable, it wasn’t crushing enough to stop you from noticing that Gonta was staring intently at the flashlight in your hand, his gaze fixed on the tool.
You just stood there for a moment before moving the flashlight to the right, watching how his eyes immediately followed it; the exact same thing happened when you moved it to the left, and again when you zig-zagged the tool around in the air in random patterns.
“...huh.”
- - - - -
The “Shrine”, despite the promising name, showed no signs of any ghostly activity happening there — you had done everything you could think of, from begging to bartering, to try and incite any spirits that may have been residing there to do anything, but you got no response no matter what you tried — so you were forced to continue your search elsewhere on the school grounds.
You were also on your own again, having decided to split up from Gonta after his help held no results at the first destination; to thank him for his time, you ended up giving him the flashlight that you were previously using since he seemed really interested in it for whatever reason.
That wasn’t even close to the reason you packed extra flashlights, but you didn’t mind losing one if it was for something like that.
After that whole situation, you had tried to check out the buildings near the “Shrine”, but the weirdly-high-tech places were all inaccessible — no amount of force you used against the doors managed to open them, even when you slammed your entire body into them — and the dojo, as impressive as it looked, was found to be completely empty of life, both ghostly and otherwise.
That entire section of the school grounds was just a huge disappointment, but you still hoped that the rest of the property would have a few specters willing to interact with you.
You made your way up the stairs that led to a higher level of ground, once again making sure that your camera wasn’t shaking too much as you tried to not trip on the broken concrete steps, as a renewed sense of energy flowed throughout you at the sight of your next destination.
“Okay, folks, the next place on our list is… the dorms? Oh, this should definitely have something!”
As you approached the entrance to the dorms, you silently noted that it looked relatively nice compared to the other buildings you had seen earlier; it still looked pretty old and was probably not fit for human use, but given how long the academy had been closed, you expected to see a bunch of plants taking over the building or a wall having collapsed or just something other than a decent-looking building that could potentially be used again if someone cleaned it up a bit.
The doors to the building were wide-open, and you noticed that a thin film seemed to be covering the entrance — it kind of looked like invisible silk, the only hint of it being there being the way it reflected the moonlight to make it look like it was slightly glowing.
It was really pretty to look at… but that wasn’t going to keep you from entering the building.
You walked straight on through, shaking off the film from yourself once you were completely inside. The film was actually really sticky, but that didn’t stop you from thoroughly removing it from your clothes and equipment, tossing all of it onto the floor afterwards.
With a click of your new flashlight’s power button, you swept a beam of light around the area, and took a quick look around the interior of the lobby of the hopefully-haunted dorms. It had two floors, metal staircases and walkways allowing people to access the upper floor, and a total of sixteen doors that you guessed led to the actual dorm rooms; the smaller-than-expected amount of dorm rooms made you wonder if only sixteen students attended this school at a time, or if this was just a case of the people in charge stuffing their students into rooms like sardines in a can.
Neither of those options helped make the place look any better, and only served to make it more obvious on why exactly this place failed as badly as it did.
Your train of thought was interrupted by the feeling of a drop of water landing on your head, and you immediately looked up, the sight of a dark shape on the ceiling catching your attention. You moved your flashlight to where the dark shape was, revealing the shape to be a giant spider.
Its six legs were spread out over a decent portion of the ceiling, a variety of items — a few of which you noticed were a bucket of water, a spray bottle filled with some sort of blue liquid, and a cleaning rag — hanging from said-legs… and that was when you realized that it was missing a set of legs, meaning that it couldn’t actually be a giant spider and was a different kind of bug.
Unless you counted the two arms that were attached to the human torso sticking out from the body as “legs”.
The human half of the creature was dressed in typical maid attire — the professional kind of attire, not the type seen in anime — and was holding a sponge in one of her hands, the object clearly related to the rest of the things she was carrying with her on the ceiling.
You and her just stared at each other, your neck craned up to look at her as she craned her neck to look down at you, before you averted your eyes and puffed out your cheeks.
“Darn it, just a spider maid doing whatever a spider maid does.”
Your attention was brought back to the spider maid when she gracefully landed on the floor in front of you, especially due to how she managed to keep all of her cleaning supplies from flying all over the place in the process. She spent only a brief moment glancing at the entrance to the dorms, a hint of confusion on her face, before fixing her gaze onto you.
The expression on her face was serious, and you moved your flashlight to point away from her when you noticed that she was squinting from the beam of bright light being directed at her face.
“Pardon me, but…” Her voice was steady, her tone polite but not overly warm. “...could you explain why you’re here?”
“Oh, I’m just looking for ghosts. Have you seen any?”
“...ghosts?”
“Yeah. You know… ghosts, spirits, specters, phantoms-” You walked around the lobby as you spoke, keeping a smile on your face even as you discovered that every single door leading to a dorm room was locked, making them another area you couldn’t investigate. “-maybe a demon? But I’m mostly looking for the “used-to-be-a-human-but-now-they’re-dead” kinda thing.”
“I’m…” The spider maid hesitated, arms held together in front of her body. “I’m afraid I can’t say.”
You let go of the doorknob you were attempting to jiggle open, turning to the spider maid with a disappointed frown on your face. “Awww… you haven’t?”
“...my apologies.”
“Well, that’s alright.” You began heading towards the entrance to the dorms, a smile returning to your face as you mentally reassured yourself that you still had a lot of ground to cover. “Sorry for bothering you. I’ll figure it out on my own. You can just get back to cleaning.”
The spider maid jolted a little where she stood, reaching a hand out to you. “Ah, I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you’re allowed on the premises…!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll only be here ‘til sunrise, or until I find a ghost. I won’t break anything, promise!”
“I assure you, that is not my concern!”
- - - - -
The distance between the dorms and the school building was incredibly short, and you only spent less than a minute walking between the two locations before arriving at the once-grand entrance to the place where all those talented teenagers were taught all those years ago. The door closed behind you as you took in your new surroundings, an excited smile on your face.
“Whoa, this place looks like it’s straight out of a movie about, like, the apocalypse! Cool!”
You made sure your camera got a good view of the grass and flowers growing out of the floor, before moving it up to see the absolute mess the front hall was; it was hard to imagine what all of this had looked like when the place was still in operation, but it was probably less cool then.
“What are you doing?”
An unknown voice pulled your attention away from your camera, and your eyes darted around the immediate area to find a teenage boy standing a couple meters away from you. He looked to be around your age, and was wearing a plain black gakuran with white buttons; he honestly appeared rather unremarkable, if one were to ignore how unusually pale his skin was and how his white hair shone brightly in the moonlight streaming through the windows.
You shifted slightly where you stood, only one thought running through your mind as you took in how pale this otherwise-average teenage boy was.
“...ghost?”
“H-Huh?”
You took a step towards him, causing him to take a step back. “Are you a ghost?”
“Uh, n-no?”
You took another step towards him, causing him to take another step back. “No?”
“No!” The boy took yet another step back, appearing extremely nervous for some reason. “I am a robot, not a ghost!”
You stared at the boy with narrowed eyes for a moment longer, before eventually deciding to accept his claim of not being a ghost as true; as for his claim of being a robot, it didn’t seem to be true since he looked like a normal — albeit pale — human boy, but you weren’t really all that interested in wasting your time thinking about whether or not he could be one.
All that mattered was whether or not he was a ghost… and he wasn’t one, so that was that.
You turned away from the boy, and towards one of the hallways. “Then I’ll just have to keep searching.”
“W-Wait! Where are you going?!”
“To wherever the ghosts are! Goodbye!”
“H-Hey…!”
- - - - -
The basement gave off the exact vibes you were hoping for: creepy, damp… and, hopefully, haunted by a ton of ghosts of all kinds.
The boy from before — who you learned was named K1-B0, or, as he said you could call him, “Keebo” — followed you around as you inspected the library; it definitely looked like a place where a murder could occur, but, unfortunately, there wasn’t any evidence to suggest that one had taken place there. Even counting the cool door you found hidden behind a bookcase, which Keebo himself didn’t know was there, there wasn’t anything of interest to be found in that room.
It wasn’t until you entered the game room did you find any signs of life, though they weren’t the signs of undead life you were searching for.
There was a short man with cat-like qualities in the room, a pair of holes in his beanie to allow his cat ears to poke through it while his tail hung lazily behind him. He had something that resembled a cigarette in his mouth, but the lack of smoke suggested it was something else; you guessed that it was probably a candy cigarette due to it being nearly-identical to a real one.
The short cat man hummed, taking the candy cigarette between his fingers. “Keebo, who’s this?”
“Oh, this is… um…” Keebo looked at you, an unsure look on his face. “You… never actually told me your name, did you?”
“Why? Is that important?” You asked, your eyes choosing to wander around the room you were in instead of look at the possible-robot boy as you spoke — the machines looked to be in pretty good condition surprisingly, especially when compared to the rest of the school — before they stopped on the short cat man. “But I’m just a humble ghost hunter, looking for… well, ghosts!”
The short cat man raised an eyebrow. “They let a ghost hunter into the school?”
“I’m just visiting.”
“Right…” The short cat man turned his gaze towards Keebo. “I don’t think they’re supposed to be here.”
Keebo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh? Are you sure?”
“I don’t think a school like this would let in a ghost hunter.”
“A-Alright. Then I’ll escort them off the premises immediately-” Keebo looked away from the short cat man and to where you were. “-so I’ll need you to please come with- huh?”
Keebo blinked a few times, staring at the spot where you used to be before looking around and realizing that you were no longer in the room with him and the short cat man.
“Oh no!”
The short cat man sighed, his shoulders falling slightly. “Guess we should go stop them.”
- - - - -
“So the basement was a bust, but there’s still plenty more to check out!”
You held the camera up to your eyes and looked through its screen at the hallway in front of you, your pace steady as you made sure to capture any interesting bits of deterioration that you saw on film to put in your video later. This place was probably one of the coolest places you had ever hunted for ghosts in, though actually finding a spirit or two would make it a whole lot cooler.
The stairs leading to the next floor were the first thing you stumbled upon after coming up from the basement, but you skipped past them in favor of checking out the rest of the first floor first — to no avail, it seemed. The gym yielded no results from any of your devices, the tower that forced you to walk up five floors’ worth of stairs just had a whole lot of nothing at the top, and now you were just making your way back to the stairs a little more disappointed than before.
It was only when you heard noises coming from somewhere on the right of you did you perk up, swiftly turning on your heel and rushing towards the source of the noises.
“Alright, where are the ghosts?!”
You kicked open the doors of the room that you heard the noises coming from as you yelled, revealing a dining hall to the camera that you held up in front of you; just like with the rest of the first floor, it had been overtaken by plants of all kinds, but, unlike the rest of the first floor, there were people present in the room — hopefully ghost people.
“Nyeh?!”
“Don’t worry, Himiko! I’ll protect you!”
There were two girls present in the room: one of which was sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of her and one of which was currently striking a fighting stance after having jumped up from her seat when you kicked the doors open. You noted that a plate of food was also sitting in the spot where the girl that was currently glaring you down had previously been.
You lowered your camera as you looked between the two girls, clear surprise written on the face of the one still sitting down and a protective glare on the one that looked ready to attack you.
“...are there any ghosts in here?”
The girl striking the fighting stance kept her pose as her multiple tails spread out behind her, an obvious attempt to make herself look bigger. “Hold it right there! You don’t get to ask questions!”
“Is that a no?”
“I said no questions!” The multi-tailed girl let out a low growl. “Now, apologize to Himiko for scaring her!”
You simply stared at the multi-tailed girl as she gestured to the one still sitting at the table, before eventually moving your gaze over. The moment you looked at the girl sitting at the table, you noticed that she seemed to shrink, her shaky gaze refusing to connect with yours.
“My bad, g.”
“What kind of apology is that?!”
“N-No, it’s fine…” The girl at the table — Himiko — spoke up, still clearly nervous. “Everything’s f-fine…”
The room fell into silence after she spoke, the girl sitting at the table still refusing to look at you as the multi-tailed girl continued to glare at you. You just let your gaze wander around the room instead of focusing on either of them, debating with yourself how much of the footage you had already captured would make it into the finished video, before your eyes came to a rest on the plates of food sitting on the table; the delicious scent of it made you a little jealous of the girls.
You only had a couple of water bottles and a few granola bars stashed away in your backpack, which helped you not starve during your trip here but still left much to be desired.
“Did you get that food here?”
Himiko jolted at the sound of your voice, before slightly leaning away from the beam of light you were pointing at her and her plate of food. “Mmm-hmm. I made it myself… with magic~.”
She let a smile onto her face as she said the last word, the tone of her voice indicating that she was talking about something she was really proud of; this was also when you noticed the pointy witch hat sitting atop her head, which helped make her claim seem a lot more valid.
“Cool! Say, could you use magic to find ghosts?”
“Depends on the spell. I don’t focus on that kind of magic, though.”
You pouted as your eyebrows furrowed. “I thought witches could do anything?”
“Nyeh… I could, if I really tried, but that sounds tiring…” Himiko scratched the side of her head, her smile falling into a lazy frown. “And I prefer the term “mage” more than “witch”.”
The multi-tailed girl put herself between you and Himiko, dropping her protective glare for a proud smile as she fanned her tails out behind her, still continuing to try and make herself look bigger than she actually was. “And I’m Tenko, her loyal fox familiar!”
“Eh?” Himiko looked at Tenko with her eyebrows furrowed. “No, you’re not.”
Tenko froze in place for a solid few seconds before her tails and ears drooped, the pride in her stance disappearing as she swiveled around to face the mage. “Aw, please, Himiko?! I’ll be the bestest, most loyal familiar in the world!”
“No, that’s gross.”
You just let out a sigh as you adjusted your grip on your camera and flashlight.
Darn.
Yet another room with nothing of value in it.
- - - - -
“Whoever chose the hot-pink polka-dotted pattern for these stairs gets a round of applause from me. A true genius in interior design.”
You were now on the second floor of the school building, ready to face whatever ghouls may be lurking up here, and the very first thing you noticed was that the state of this floor looked exactly the same as the first floor; plants grew out of every crack and crevice they were able to squeeze through, showing how much of a field day nature had with the school after it shut down.
The decrepit state of it all just raised your hopes for finding a ghost within the halls of this disappointment of an educational facility once again, one probably being mere moments away.
You just needed to proceed forward to finally find it.
The sound of multiple voices down the hallway made you perk up, your excitement rising as you headed towards the source to see three figures walking your way.
“Thanks for coming to help me choose a gift for her. I’m not exactly sure what she’d like.”
“Nonsense, it’s a hero’s duty to help his sidekick, right? We’ll get her something she’ll love!”
“Of course we will, but maybe asking him for help with things like this isn’t the best decision. He hardly understands Earth culture as is.”
“Aw, don’t talk like that, Maki Roll! I understand Earth stuff just fine!”
The three figures froze the moment you shined your flashlight on them, and you tilted your head as you took a step closer to inspect them better, a glint of silver flying through the air where your head used to be as you did so. You retracted your step as you blinked, glancing back to see that a knife was now sticking out of the wall, before returning your attention to the three figures.
There were two boys and a girl, all of whom looked to be around your age.
“...so, are any of you ghosts?”
“H-Huh?”
You leaned towards the boy who uttered that sound in response to you, nodding to yourself as you noticed how unnaturally pale he was — okay, yeah, the last pale boy you ran into wasn’t a ghost, but this boy seemed to be even paler than him — which was brought out even more from how dark his hair and school uniform were. He looked like a promising possible ghost.
“You’re really pale, so you must be a ghost, right?”
“No, I’m a…” The boy leaned back from you, squinting his eyes as he brought up an arm to block the blinding light you were pointing at his face. “...a vampire!”
You narrowed your eyes at him in suspicion. “You sure?”
“Y-Yes…?”
You let out a hum as you backed up from him and moved your flashlight away from his face, before turning your attention to the other guy in the trio; his skin was a bright green, the color clashing with his predominantly-purple fashion choices and making him hard to look at.
“You.” You pointed your flashlight at him. “Are you a ghost? You don’t really look like one…”
“No…” His posture wasn’t as timid as the vampire’s, and he was the only one of the three to have a smile on his face. “I’m what you guys call… what’s the word? An… “alien”? The name’s Kaito Momota, Luminary of the-”
You let out a small groan, cutting him off as you puffed out your cheeks. “Darn, I’m not looking for aliens.”
“H-Hey!”
With the two boys confirmed to not be the undead spirits you were searching for, you turned your attention to the girl. She looked relatively normal compared to the boys, her skin neither looking sickly nor radioactive, but on closer inspection, you noticed that some of her skin was stained a dark red color — those areas were her hands and a majority of her forearms, as well a pair of markings on her face that resembled tear streaks in everything but color.
“What are you looking at?”
You snapped out of your thoughts and focused on the entirety of the girl’s face, the expression she was wearing an excellent example of the phrase “if looks could kill”; her eyes seemed to be glowing as she glared at you, her sudden hostility actually managing to surprise you a little.
“...are you a-”
“No.”
“Huh?” The alien looked towards the girl, his smile dropping into a confused frown. “I thought you were-”
“Shut up.”
“But the whole “Bloody Maki” thing-?”
“Do you wanna die?”
The alien rubbed the back of his head with his hand, his eyebrows furrowed as he let out a small huff. “Geez, you don’t have to get all angry about it.”
“Um… guys?” The vampire spoke up, causing the two to look at him. “They left.”
The trio fell into a silence as they looked around at each other, the fading sound of footsteps in the distance as the source traveled further into the second floor all they heard before a group of much louder footsteps ascended the nearby stairs. The vampire looked over to see two more of his friends arriving, glancing between them as he took in the expressions on their faces.
“Keebo? Ryoma?”
- - - - -
The second floor turned out to be nothing but a huge disappointment, and to make matters worse, so did the third; you would be lying if you said you weren’t starting to lose hope in this place being haunted by now, that sour feeling even making it hard for you to find joy in all the non-haunted things of interest within the building, such as-
“Who puts an entire tennis court on the THIRD floor? Man, this place really was eccentric!”
-but your mood took a turn for the better once you entered the fourth floor.
The generic school setting was replaced by something straight out of a horror film, with a wooden floor that creaked with every little movement you made, walls with mysterious stains splattered upon them, and dim red lighting that seemed to serve more as an atmosphere-maker rather than an actual lightsource to let people see their surroundings; it felt like a place where a brutal murder could have occurred, a place where someone could have taken their last breath.
It was perfect.
You felt a smile replace the depressed frown that had settled onto your face as you surveyed your surroundings, your flashlight sweeping over everything as its beam flickered a few times.
And then it completely went out.
You blinked a couple of times as you stared at the darkness around you, your eyes clearly having not been ready for the sudden change in brightness, before you shook the flashlight in your hand and clicked the power button a few times, only for nothing to happen.
“This had new batteries in it… wait-”
You could practically see the glow from the imaginary light bulb that lit up above your head.
“Technology not working…”
You swiftly turned on your heel, only to see a wall — a real wall this time — that most definitely wasn’t there before; the staircase had completely disappeared, vanished into thin air.
“...and changing architecture! This can only mean one thing…!”
You turned to face forward once again, stars in your eyes when you saw that the hallway was now seemingly stretching out to infinity, no potential end in sight. It felt like you had entered into a nightmare, trapped with no other option than to proceed forward even if you didn’t want to.
But you definitely wanted to.
You let a few excited giggles escape your lips as you continued forward, your camera carefully held up to your eyes as you let it get a good view of your endless surroundings; you didn’t want your audience to miss whatever cool thing might happen here, the mere thought of being able to show them such irrefutable evidence of ghostly activity fueling your already-growing enthusiasm and making it all the more annoying to see the screen suddenly become engulfed in static.
The screen had never acted up like this before; something must be messing with your camera.
That wasn’t a very nice thing to do.
You shook your camera around slightly — hoping that you could somehow disperse the static covering the screen doing so, even though you knew it didn’t work like that — before you felt a chill run down your spine, your entire body tensing up from the sudden sensation. The air around you felt heavier as an invisible force squeezed your lungs, the lightheaded feeling from your inability to get enough oxygen almost distracting you from the feeling of being watched.
“Nee-heehee~!”
The strange laugh echoing in the endless hallway made you pause, before you puffed out your cheeks and continued to fiddle around with your camera a moment later; you didn’t like how the ghost wasn’t waiting until everything was okie-dokie with your camera to come out, but after all the disappointment you had dealt with tonight, you were just glad it finally decided to show up.
You could only let out a small gasp once the static on the screen cleared up, your difficulty breathing making you unable to say anything more, before you swiveled around to point your camera down the never-ending hallway. Through the screen, you saw the silhouette of a short boy — he wasn’t as short as the cat man from earlier, but definitely had a good few inches to grow to reach what one could consider an “average” height — standing a good distance away from you, completely cloaked in shadows in spite of the dim red lighting above him.
The figure just continued to stand there as you moved the camera to the side, your eyes narrowing as you brought up your flashlight and repeatedly clicked the power button until it flickered back to life.
The moment the beam of light poured out of the device, you pointed it at the figure to reveal-
“Aw, man… it’s just some kid. Darn.”
You could practically feel all of the excited energy that you had built up evaporate to leave nothing but a desert of disappointment in its wake; this had been the perfect moment for a ghost to show up, but instead all you had gotten was some boy who looked like an asylum escapee.
“Wha-? Who are you calling “kid”?”
The insulted look on the boy’s face only lasted for a moment before easily shifting into a mischievous grin. “You’re pretty bold to say something like that, you know.”
You moved your flashlight away from the boy as you checked your camera, holding in an annoyed sigh when you noticed that the screen was glitching out again; however, instead of static this time, it was just completely black, as if you were recording in a pitch black room.
“See, ever since you stepped foot onto these grounds, I’ve been watching you. You don’t seem to realize-”
“That’s creepy.” You stopped the recording before resuming it to see if that would fix the issue. It didn’t. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Heyyy, it’s rude to interrupt someone when they’re talking.” The smile on the boy’s face dropped into a frown as he furrowed his eyebrows, his hands brought up in front of his chest as he clenched them into fists. “Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?”
You looked up from your camera and towards him. “Oh, sorry. Continue.”
The boy narrowed his eyes at you, you and him locked into a staring contest for a few moments before he appeared to deem your level of attention as acceptable, the mischievous grin that had been on his face before returning as he held his arms out wide beside him.
“You don’t seem to realize the danger you’re in… though, from my experience, humans typically aren’t that smart anyways.”
“Aren’t you a human?”
“Oh, no, no, no. Human I may appear to be, but human I am not.”
You narrowed your eyes at him. “Are you a-”
“-a ghost?” The boy cut you off before chuckling and holding a finger up his lips. “You’ve been asking that question a lot, haven’t you? But, no. Not that, either. I’m something far more powerful than some measly spirit. You see, I’m what you puny little humans call a- where are you going?”
You glanced back at the boy you had walked past as he rambled on about power or whatever, pausing for just a moment in your trek forward as you gestured at the endless hallway in front of you. “I’m off to find ghosts. Don’t you already know that?”
“Geez, don’t you have any patience?” The annoyance in his voice sounded superficial, and the fact that a smile was still on his face supported that. “Most humans would feel — SHOULD feel — honored to be in my presence, and here you are, walking right past me like it’s nothing. Were you dropped on your head as a child?”
“Bold of you to assume I was held.” You blinked. “...sorry, force of habit. I don’t think so?”
A hint of confusion flickered across his face, quickly covered up by the mischievous smile he was intent on keeping displayed. “Well, if anything, you’re not boring like most humans are. Your reactions are a lot more interesting than the usual scared ones I get.”
“Thanks.”
“It makes me wonder how you’d react if you saw how I really look, though I know I should probably just stay in this form.” The boy caught up to where you were, matching your pace as you continued your journey down the hallway. “You should consider yourself lucky that I’m not showing my true form to you, you know. Your mind would shatter from just a glimpse of it alone-”
“Weird flex, but okay.”
You paused for a second at the sight of a door located a little further down the hallway, before rushing towards it to see if it was real… and it was; before you could do anything with it, though, the non-ghost boy popped up into your peripheral vision, a carefree smile on his face.
“Anywayyys, I think I’ve held you up long enough.” He held his arms behind his head, his posture relaxed. “So feel free to go along now. Continue your little ghost hunt. I’ll just continue to watch you from the shadows, okay?”
You tilted your head, a smile also on your face. “Okay! But you should really find a better hobby. I can suggest a few things if you’d like.”
“Nope! Not interested! Bye-bye now!”
There was a sudden pressure pushing against your back, the source of it unknown to you as you clearly saw the boy still standing next to you with both of his arms visible, before you were shoved through the door that you didn’t remember being opened; you felt weightless for just the briefest moment as a loud slam echoed in your ears, and then everything went black.
- - - - -
You let out a small groan as you opened your eyes, the sight of a tiled floor greeting you; you simply stared at it for a moment before you pushed yourself onto your knees and immediately went to adjust the heavy bag on your back that had been knocked askew. With that settled, you picked up your camera and flashlight — which were both thankfully not broken — before getting onto your feet and looking at your new surroundings, your eyes widening at the sight of them.
The room you were now in had multiple floors within it, each one absolutely filled to the brim with relics of all kinds; whether or not they had actual value was debatable, but they looked to be covered in layers upon layers of dust, so you could tell that they must be really old.
And old stuff had a great chance of being haunted.
“Oooh, you think I should take a souvenir from this place? Maybe I’ll end up taking a new friend home too!”
“Please do not treat these objects like mere trinkets… or I’ll tear out your nerves.”
An unknown voice caused your outstretched hand to pause right above a display case, your fingers barely brushing against the glass, and you turned your head to see a man — correction, a person with the upper-half of a man and the lower-half of a snake — sitting less than a foot away from you; his human-half donned clothing that was very reminiscent of a military uniform, as well as a mask that completely covered the lower-half of his face and his neck.
You were surprised at how close he was to you; you had no idea he was even there before he had spoken. His snake-half was rather long, and was spread out across the floor in such a way that it seemed like he was using it as a makeshift wall to keep you from wandering around all willy-nilly. You were confident in thinking that you could just easily step over the smallest end of it — and hoisting yourself over the biggest end didn’t seem like too much trouble either — but it seemed rude to ignore his effort.
“Ah, sorry.” You pulled your hand back. “Are these yours?”
He hummed, gaining a look of thought. “To say that they are “mine” wouldn’t necessarily be the truth. I’m merely the caretaker of these objects at this moment in time. It’s like asking a security guard if they own the works of art they are guarding — I’m simply the one watching over them.”
“So… they’re yours?”
The snake man looked down at you for a few silent seconds, no discernible expression on his face — at least, from what you could see of the half that wasn’t covered by his mask.
“...yes, they’re mine, and I don’t appreciate having others touch them so recklessly.”
“Okay. I won’t touch them then, Snake Man, but-” You turned away from him as you brought your camera up, letting it get a good shot of the items in the glass case in front of you. “-could you tell me if any of them are haunted? Possessed? Carrying a spirit of the deceased?”
“You may call me Korekiyo. I assume you are specifically interested in “ghost”-related supernatural activity…?”
“Yeah! I’m a ghost hunter!” You flashed Korekiyo a confident smile as you held up your camera and flashlight proudly. “Or, as the professionals call it, a “paranormal investigator”!”
“You are… a ghost hunter?”
“Yep!”
He muttered to himself, his limbs close to his body as he rested his hand on his chin. “So, it really is like the others said…”
“Hmm?”
“Ah, it’s nothing important.” Korekiyo waved his hand dismissively, adjusting the position of his tail slightly. “But I’m afraid none of these objects are haunted, at least not in the way you’d like them to be.”
“Darn.” Any disappointment you felt was already gone by your next breath. “Goodbye, then!”
You stepped over Korekiyo’s tail, having to hop forward a bit when your back foot got caught, and headed over to the nearest door; you had no idea which door you came in through, your memory fuzzy between when you were pushed and when you woke up, but all of that wasn’t important to you as you focused on the hallway beyond the door you just opened — it looked exactly like the hallway you were trapped in before, but wasn’t an endless nightmare anymore.
The boy from before was also nowhere to be seen, but you hardly spared him a single thought when you realized you could finally resume making some progress in your investigation. There wasn’t much left of the school to explore, but you weren’t just going to leave a job half-done.
Korekiyo simply watched you leave the room, amusement in his eyes. “Kehehe… humans truly are such fascinating creatures…”
- - - - -
After skipping past the staircase that led to the fifth floor, you came upon another room on the other side of the fourth floor; opening the door to that room revealed an artist’s paradise, a white room filled with everything an aspiring artist might need — paint, blank canvases, blocks of wax, various crafting tables, a huge log for wood carving with chiseling supplies, brushes of all kinds and sizes… and, of course, an overwhelming creative atmosphere encouraging you to create.
You took a step into the room, noticing the splashes of black paint splattered on the walls and floor, before directing your attention to the wax statue sitting in the middle of the room.
It was clearly a work-in-progress, a roughly-carved humanoid shape, but was still impressive.
“Yah-hah! Who might you be?”
You jolted at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, immediately turning on your heel towards the source and scanning the area with a narrowed gaze before your eyes stopped on a painting that was hanging on the wall; it was extremely lifelike, the artist apparently a master at their craft.
The painting depicted a girl staring at the viewer, her body leaning to the side as a curious smile was on her face. You copied the action with your own body, locking your eyes with hers.
You and her just stared at each other as you waited for something to happen; it was a lot like a staring contest, except that you knew that you would lose this one since you were the only party who actually needed to blink. Even so, you still held out for quite a while before you gave in.
And that was when you noticed that the painting changed, the girl now leaning to the other side.
You adjusted your body to match the new pose, causing the girl’s expression to change to a closed-eye smile as she straightened her posture and clasped her hands together.
“Nyahahaha, how fun!”
Your eyes widened as you let out a gasp and raised a hand — the one holding the flashlight — to your mouth, your gaze now glued to the lifelike painting in front of you; while the background of the painting remained completely static, the paint making up the girl herself shifted around the canvas with each of her movements. She was so animated, so unnaturally alive.
“Are… are you a haunted painting?” You tried to keep your camera steady as you pointed it at the girl, your hands shaking slightly. “A spirit trapped within the frame?”
The girl hummed, gently rocking her head back-and-forth as she thought. “I guess so?”
You let out another gasp as a smile slowly began to make its way onto your face; finally, after encountering nothing significant within this school, you had found what you were looking for.
A ghost.
You quickly approached the painting, inspecting it from every angle you could as you held your camera up to your face; you needed to capture every single glorious moment of this on video.
“Okay, this is super amazing! Um… what do I wanna ask you first…?” Your voice rushed out of your mouth, matching the pace of your quickening heartbeat, as you tried to stop your hands from shaking so much; you needed this footage to be as perfect as possible. “Oh, I know! Does it suck being trapped inside of a painting? I imagine you can’t really do much in there…”
“No, no, Angie is not trapped. I can go between any of the paintings hung around the academy to my heart’s content!”
“Is that what those are all for?” You tilted your head, only barely recalling the objects that you had kind of just ignored before now; they had seemed out-of-place within the crumbling interior of the building, but that was about it. “I thought those were just a strange decoration decision.”
“But Atua says that it’s time for me to move up a level!” Angie let out a laugh. “I’ve earned enough points to ascend to the third dimension!”
“What does that mean?”
“You see that wax statue over there?” She turned your attention over to the wax statue sitting in the middle of the room. “Once it is finished, that will become my new body!”
“A spirit transferring from a painting to a wax statue…” You muttered to yourself, tapping your chin with your flashlight as you stared at the blocky humanoid shape, before turning back to look at Angie with a smile on your face. “That should be possible, yeah?”
“If Atua says it is possible, then it is possible! He is never wrong!” Angie clasped her hands together joyously, her smile seeming to become brighter as she continued speaking. “Oh, what joy! With a new body, Angie will be able to mingle with all her friends, playing and dancing and eating Kirumi’s delectable meals! Nyahahaha!”
You nodded, the girl’s enthusiasm proving to be quite contagious, before you furrowed your eyebrows as you thought a little more about what she said. “How exactly are you able to do that, though? Make a wax statue while trapped in a painting…?”
“Oh! It is not I who makes the art, but Atua!” Her arms wrapped around herself as she spoke and closed her eyes, her smile a bit more peaceful now. “Angie offers her body as His vessel, and He creates such beautiful things with it! That’s why Angie needs to be completely alone to do so, so Atua can create without distraction!”
“Ah, understandable.”
Not really, but you felt like questioning her more about it wouldn’t get you anywhere.
“I’m just glad I finally found a ghost!” You said, adjusting your grip on your camera as you let it get a good shot of Angie swaying inside her frame, “I was starting to think that there weren’t any around here, my search having been a complete bust until now.”
“Hmm? That’s strange.” Angie tapped the tip of a paintbrush’s handle on her chin — you spent only a moment wondering where it came from, before assuming that the haunted paint was able to shift into anything she wanted it to — as a look of thought crossed her face. “There may be no others exactly like Angie here, but there should be other ghosts around. I know at least two!”
Your smile dropped from your face as you blinked, your brain pausing for a moment. “...wait, really? But… but I’m almost to the fifth floor and haven’t seen any besides you…”
You shook your head, putting a smile back on your face as you looked at Angie.
“Anyways, I should probably get going. I’ve got one more floor to check, and, hey, maybe that’s where the other two are?”
Angie raised a hand, her smile brighter than the sun. “Okay! Bye-yonara!”
“Bye! Good luck with your art!”
The moment after you stepped out of the room and closed the door, you heard a soft click come from it; you paused before shaking the doorknob, revealing that the door was now locked. There was no possible way Angie had been the one to lock it, her new wax body not ready for use, but then you remembered that “Atua” person she kept mentioning — he must have been behind it.
“...man, he’s so lucky to be friends with that ghost.”
- - - - -
“Thanks again for helping me. I know it can be a plain bother…”
“Hey, it’s no problem.”
The two figures on the fifth floor had their attention suddenly shifted from each other as they heard something thump near the stairs, their smiles falling as they glanced at each other and rushed over to the source of the sound; there was a person they had never seen before spread out over the top of the stairs, breathing heavily as they grasped at the white tiled floor.
You were currently in such a position for multiple reasons, but it was mainly because you had been hit by an unexpected wave of exhaustion while ascending the final staircase; this must be your punishment for not getting enough rest and nutrition before heading out on this hunt, made worse by the heavy backpack resting on your back. You barely managed to crawl up the stairs on all fours before collapsing, arms on the fifth floor as your legs laid behind you on the steps.
You spent a moment more like this before looking up from the floor, taking in the decor of the final floor you would investigate on your never-ending hunt for spirits.
“This place looks religious…” You muttered, before noticing the two figures standing just a few feet away — the girl looked pretty plain, donning a simple school uniform and a pair of glasses, while the boy looked kind of like an e-boy, his skin having a green tint to it — with varied looks of surprise on their faces, “...are either of you guys a ghost?”
The girl and boy just looked at each other before the girl spoke. “N-No…?”
“Oh… well, have you seen anything that might suggest ghostly activity on this floor?”
The two glanced at each other once again, before both of them hesitantly shook their heads at you; you just let out a groan in response before dropping your own head onto the cold floor, one of your cheeks now smushed up against the smooth tile.
The plain girl leaned over to the boy, a hand cupped near her mouth. “Is this the one the others have been looking for?”
“Maybe, but… they don’t seem to be as big a threat as the others said they were.”
The girl flinched as the boy began walking over to you, her hand reaching out to him in slight panic. “Rantaro…!”
“Don’t worry, Tsumugi.” He looked from her to you, crouching down slightly. “Hey, you okay?”
You pulled yourself up, shifting into a sitting position at the top of the stairs, before looking at the boy; the green tint of his skin was more obvious up-close, and you noticed that his hands were webbed, thin skin connecting his fingers together. Your nose crinkled for just a second when you noticed a faint fishy odor in the air, before you gave a dismissive wave and averted your eyes.
“Don’t… don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay after I… after I catch my breath…”
Tsumugi held her hands close to her chest as she glanced between you and Rantaro, before hurrying forth when she saw the boy gesture to the stairs with his head. She quickly descended down the stairs as Rantaro stood back up, giving you one last glance before following the girl at a more normal and relaxed pace, leaving you completely alone on the fifth floor.
- - - - -
You spent the next few minutes sitting at the top of the stairs, regulating your breathing and devouring a few granola bars and a water bottle — you became even more jealous of that meal you saw Himiko eating earlier — before you found yourself feeling a bit better; it helped that you also got to use your little break to admire the atmosphere present on the fifth floor.
Your first impression of it was still highly-accurate, and you wondered why anyone building a school would decide to make the top floor resemble a church of all things. Your research didn’t bring up any information regarding the academy being religious, which was kind of disappointing since places of a religious background tended to be hot-spots for paranormal activity; it was due to the energy of the places or whatever — you didn’t really care about the details.
But besides that, from the weirdly-high-tech areas outside, the hot-pink polka-dotted-patterned staircases, the horror-movie-inspired fourth floor, and the church-like fifth floor, this place really made for an interesting trip; the people who designed it deserved a round of applause.
There was something bothering you, though.
You looked towards the stain-glass windows, ignoring the designs portrayed on them as you focused on the bright light coming through them; according to the schedule you had made for this trip, daylight should still be a few hours away — maybe even more considering the way you had sped through the second and third floors due to the lack of ghostly activity.
You whipped out your phone for the first time in a while, squinting your eyes at the screen once you looked at the time. “What the heck…? That doesn’t seem right…”
The clock on your phone was telling you that it was an hour past daybreak, and the light coming through the windows told you that it was an hour past daybreak, but you were sure as all heck it wasn’t an hour past daybreak. Your biological clock refused to let you believe that.
But all the evidence was there.
You let out a sigh as you turned off your flashlight, stuffing it into your backpack before you got up onto your feet and turned your camera to face you. “Well, folks, I guess this is the end of my search into the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. It wasn’t a complete failure since we got to meet Angie, but I wish we could’ve found those other two ghosts she said were here.”
The sound of your footsteps echoed slightly in the empty halls of the academy as you began your long trek down the various floors, the light streaming through the windows giving the entire place a different atmosphere from before — it no longer seemed eerie, but rather peaceful.
That peaceful feeling was soon accompanied by the sound of a distant piano as you arrived on the second floor, the sweet melody making a smile come to your face. You were a little surprised to find out that there was a piano sitting somewhere in this school, but since you failed to search this floor thoroughly after running into that non-ghost trio, it became less of a surprise.
“Hey, folks-” You held the camera up to your face again. “-since we’re about to leave anyway, we might as well check out that piano, right? Maybe we’ll find one of the other ghosts there!”
That would be a great ending to your trip AND your video.
- - - - -
You bursted into the room where the music was coming from, a sudden cacophony of piano keys greeting your ears. Your eyes locked onto the girl sitting at the large instrument, a startled expression on her face as her hands sat on the keyboard.
“Darn, it’s just some regular girl.”
“H-Huh?”
“Sorry for interrupting your song. I’m just looking for ghosts.”
“You’re…” The girl blinked. “...looking for ghosts?”
“Yeah.” You gave a small nod to the girl before looking around the room, noticing how various music sheets covered the ground; most of them seemed to be near the grand piano sitting in the middle of the room. “I thought I could get in one last chance before I leave.”
The girl stood up from the piano bench, her gaze moving to the camera in your hands and the big backpack sitting on your back. “Oh! So you’ve been looking for a while?”
“I’ve been exploring the school all night to look for them. I was only able to meet Angie — the living painting — though.” You continued glancing around the room, raising your eyebrows at the large collection of CDs you saw on your left. “She said that there were at least two more around here, but I haven’t seen them anywhere yet.”
“Well, Maki’s not really a people-person, so I guess it makes sense that you haven’t seen her around…” The girl averted her eyes from you, a look of thought on her face. “And I know I haven’t seen you at all either. I guess we just missed each other? I was late to school today…”
“Hmm?” You tilted your head. “Sorry, I don’t see what that has to do with ghosts?”
She took another look at you, appearing to think for a moment before eventually nodding and letting a bright smile onto her face.
You found yourself blinking excessively and rubbing at your eyes as the girl suddenly became translucent; you were clearly able to see what was behind her, making the girl herself harder to focus on. However, your gaze was fully locked onto her as she appeared to get taller, your eyes darting downwards to see that she was now floating a good few inches above the ground.
“Wait…” You gasped, causing the girl to chuckle. “You’re a ghost!”
“Ta-da!” The girl clapped her hands together. “I’m a ghost!”
You immediately pointed your camera at her, stars in your eyes when you saw that she was appearing on the screen with no issues. She spun a little in the air as you filmed her, her hair and skirt flowing with her movements and creating a beautifully-haunting scene for you.
“Ah, I knew it was a good idea to follow the music!” You looked between the girl and your camera, a smile on your face. “That’s two out of three! I can now say this outing was a success!”
The girl let out another chuckle at your excitement.
“Say, could I ask you a few questions?” You walked around the girl, making sure to get some different — and appropriate — shots of her at different angles. “Just about some general stuff.”
She nodded, twirling around face you. “Sure!”
“Okay, so-” You went through the list of questions popping up in your head; the questions you wanted to ask this girl were extremely different to the ones you wanted to ask Angie, the types of ghosts they were so vastly different that it excited you to know that you got to see both. “-how easy is it for you to interact with material objects?”
“Oh, well… it’s kind of hard for me to touch things sometimes, except for the piano. I’ve never had any issues with that.” She wore an embarrassed smile on her face. “I know that’s a little bit stereotypical, though, for a ghost to play a piano.”
“No, it’s amazing!”
Her eyes widened. “I’m- I’m glad you think so!”
The room suddenly became a bit brighter as sunlight poured through the windows, the sight of which made the girl direct her attention towards it before she resumed looking at you.
“How about you ask me more questions as we head out? School’s almost over.”
You nodded, continuing to smile.
“Okay!”
- - - - -
Kaede — as you learned her name was — floated alongside you as you walked towards the entrance of the school. She had to remind you to pay attention to where you were going after you walked into a wall, your focus solely on her as you kept your camera pointed at her instead of on what was in front of you, but you hardly felt the pain in your face; it was nothing compared to the excitement coursing through your veins as Kaede happily answered all of your questions.
“I’ve never had someone so interested in me before,” Kaede said, floating backwards to face you, “At least, not like this. Most of the others are just “cool!” and then it’s over.”
“Well, I’ve never seen a ghost until last night!” You glanced away from the ghost girl for just a moment to make sure you didn’t trip over any of the plants spread across the floor; you didn’t care if you got hurt, but you didn’t want to risk breaking your camera right now. “They’ve just probably all gotten used to it because they see you all the time since you’re friends, right?”
Kaede hummed, putting a finger to her chin. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
You just smiled at the ghost girl floating beside you before you walked into another wall; after taking a step back and making sure your camera was okay, you noticed that it was actually the front door to the school building, but a small gasp from Kaede immediately pulled your attention away from it and back over to her to see that there was a look of realization on her face.
“Oh, I forgot to ask! You must be a new student, right?” She asked, swiveling around so that the two of you were both facing the front door, “I haven’t seen you at school before, and considering how you didn’t know how many ghosts were around here…”
“You’re not the first one to ask me that.” You pushed open the door, needing to do so since you, unfortunately, couldn’t go through walls like Kaede could. “But I’m actually just visiting-”
Your eyes didn’t even get a chance to adjust to the light outside before you were tackled to the ground, a strangled gasp escaping your lips as your body was harshly squeezed by some kind of thin binding. Your camera clattered to the ground a few feet away, and you hoped it was okay.
“Kirumi!” Kaede had an expression of confused panic on her face as she looked at the spider maid that had just tied you up with her web. “What’s going on?! What did you do that for?!”
“Ah, Kaede. Thank goodness you are uninjured.”
“Huh?!”
With your face pressed to the ground, you couldn’t see much of what was going on, and was only able to hear multiple pairs of footsteps heading your way, voices full of panic and confusion merging together into a cacophonic mess of sound… but you couldn’t care less about that.
You were just praying that your camera had survived its harsh fall onto the ground.
“W-Why is new friend in web?!”
“Ah-ha! I knew they were bad news the moment I saw them! They scared Himiko, after all!”
“Nyeh, I… I wasn’t scared! Just surprised!”
“Hmph, so they’ve finally been caught.”
“Thank goodness. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that they weren’t a student.”
“Well, I think it’s plain obvious due to their equipment, Keebo.”
You shifted your head to look upwards when a shadow cast itself over you, allowing you to see the boy from before — the one from the endless hallway, specifically; you had seen a lot of boys during your investigation of the school, but, unfortunately, none of them were ghosts.
“Aww… you got caught? How disappointing. I thought you were better than that.” The mock disappointment on his face shifted to a dismissive, and almost smug, smile. “I guess I helped you out for nothing, huh?”
The girl from the trio on the second floor — who you realized must be the final ghost by process of elimination, considering Kaede mentioned a ghost named “Maki” and the alien had referred to her as “Bloody Maki” before you had left — glared at the boy. “What did you just say?”
“Hmm?” The boy put his arms behind his head, an innocent smile on his face. “Oh, nothing important. I just messed with them for a bit on the fourth floor, that’s all.”
“Kokichi.” The vampire looked at the boy with a questioning glance. “Is that why we couldn’t find them when we followed after them? That was your doing?”
The short cat man adjusted his beanie, his ears twitching. “So that’s why it was like they disappeared…”
“I thought they were just able to slip by…” Keebo furrowed his eyebrows as he thought. “...but it was all because of Kokichi.”
“And it was a few hours after you informed me of them that they entered my lab,” Korekiyo added, a frame containing a painting with a concerned Angie in it in his arms, “So I’d say he kept them for… quite a while.”
“Hey, wait a minute!” You tried to adjust your position to glare at Kokichi. “I knew something felt wrong when I looked at the time! You took away precious time from my search, you jerk!”
“Wowww…” He didn’t look even slightly bothered, a smile still on his face. “You learn what I’m capable of, but you still insult me? You really are a bold one! At least you’re not disappointing in that regard… but you should know that I actually helped you. If I hadn’t done anything, you would’ve just been caught, and then you would’ve never gotten to meet Angie or Kaede.”
He knew he was right, you knew he was right, and he knew that you knew he was right, but you puffed out your cheeks in annoyance anyways.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?” Kaede pleaded, glancing around at the others with a distressed frown on her face, “I have no idea what any of you are talking about! Why did you tie them up?!”
She looked at the vampire who came to stand beside her, a concerned expression on his face. “Shuichi?”
The vampire nervously smiled at the ghost girl.
“Sorry, Kaede… this person- they’re a human ghost hunter. We’ve actually been searching for them for hours, after Keebo and Ryoma-” Shuichi briefly gestured at the possible-robot boy and short cat man that were standing together at one edge of the group. “-told us about them.”
“Ghost…” Kaede blinked. “...hunter?”
Maki looked off to the side, fiddling with one of her twintails. “I could tell just by looking at them. These two idiots didn’t even realize at first.”
“H-Hey! Don’t say that about my sidekick and I!” Kaito was taken aback, his eyes wide as he looked at the bloody ghost girl standing next to him. “And how was I supposed to know what a “ghost hunter” is? I’ve never even heard of that before!”
“Please, there is no need for fighting,” The spider maid — Kirumi, based on what Kaede had said earlier — spoke up, “They have been caught, and everything is now under control.”
“Oh, oh! Angie has a question!” The girl in the painting raised a hand up, directing attention to herself as she continued to smile. “Um… what now? We can’t just keep them tied up, right?”
The group looked around at each other, waiting for someone to speak up; as time continued to pass by like this, with not a single word uttered, it became increasingly obvious that no one had thought about what they should do after they had caught you.
“What the fuck is going on over here?”
The sound of a new voice — this one oddly aggressive — caused everyone to look over at the source; you shifted where you laid to turn your head to see a girl wearing a pink school uniform that didn’t seem entirely appropriate in a school setting. She looked pretty normal if you were to ignore the horns, wings, and spiked tail she had — she must be some kind of demon.
“Are you all circle-jerkin’ without me?”
The demon looked around at everyone gathered in front of the school before spotting you on the ground, tied up tightly in Kirumi’s web, and looked at the spider maid with raised eyebrows.
“O-ho-ho! I didn’t know you were into that, Kirumi!”
Kirumi kept a calm expression displayed on her face, her hands politely folded in front of her body. “I assure you, this is a one-time thing. I do not enjoy trapping others in my web, but it is to ensure the safety of the group at this moment in time.”
“Safety of the group…?” The demon repeated, a brief moment passing before an annoyed frown appeared on her face, “Okay, I was joking the first time, but what the actual fuck is going on?”
The demon was answered by a mess of voices as multiple people tried to explain what was going on, the explanations prompting others to pop up with even more questions because they too, like the demon, had little to no idea what exactly was happening here.
You squirmed around on the ground during the confusion, trying to steady the weight of your backpack so that you could properly move around without being tipped over like a domino; your target to get to was your camera — if it didn’t break from its fall, it should still be recording since you never got to hit the pause or finish button before being rudely tackled. You wanted to make sure that the footage you got of Angie and Kaede — you hardly got any of Maki since you were fooled by her ghostly genius — was going to save properly. You knew that you would never get such irrefutable ghostly evidence like this ever again, this footage being your magnum opus.
You managed to wrestle an arm out the webbing, and reached out to grab your camera to-
“Yoink! I’ll just take this!”
The sight of your precious camera being snatched up by Kokichi made you freeze, before a burning fury erupted inside of you as you glared at the boy. “Hey! Give that back! It’s mine!”
He ignored you in favor of turning towards the demon.
“Hey, bitchlet-” Kokichi practically threw your precious camera towards her, your entire body tensing up and a small squeak escaping you the moment he let go of it. “-catch!”
“Wha-?!” The demon managed to catch your camera in her arms — to your great relief — despite her surprise; sure, her grip on it wasn’t the best, but it was better than seeing it crash onto the ground and break into a million pieces before your very eyes. “B-Bitchlet...?!”
You somehow managed to calm yourself down slightly by focusing on your breathing, trying to get yourself into a state of mind where you could think of something to do to save your camera, before your breath got caught in your throat at the sound of Kokichi’s voice deepening, the most unnerving and malicious grin you had ever seen taking its place on his face.
“Delete the footage.”
You began thrashing around in the webbing even before he finished speaking, trying to free the rest of your body as panic settled into your mind. “No-no-no-nooo…!”
The air was knocked out of you once again as you were pinned down, a gloved hand taking a hold of the arm you had already managed to free. You glanced up to see Kirumi standing above you as you struggled against her grip in vain, her strength far greater than yours.
The demon gave Kokichi an annoyed glare. “Geez, can’t you just do it yourself?”
“Well, yeahhh… but I can’t take away your only redeeming trait.” Kokichi put his arms behind his head, a simple smile on his face now. “Without the technology expertise, you’d just be a demonic prostitute, and that’s just too cruel. So get to it — chop, chop!”
The demon let out a “tch” sound, before she started fiddling with your camera.
“Fine…”
She clicked a button.
“There.”
And you just stopped.
Kirumi raised an eyebrow in confusion when you stopped struggling, your body now lying limp on the ground with an unreadable expression. You felt numb — an entire night of your life was just wasted; you had nothing to show for your time here. You finally got evidence of ghosts on camera, irrefutable proof that could have shown the world the truth, and it was just deleted.
It was gone.
Like it never existed in the first place.
You blinked, finding yourself no longer on the ground but hanging from someone’s grasp, the webbing strong enough to support your weight. You tilted your head, looking up to see that the spider maid was the one holding you up; her strength really was something.
“Okay, the human’s been caught and the footage has been deleted,” Tsumugi said, looking slightly nervous as she looked around at everyone, “That's the end of the problem, right?”
Shuichi also looked nervous, but had a serious expression on his face. “No, we’ve still got to deal with them.”
“They know too much.” Maki fiddled with one of her twintails. “It’d be dangerous to just let them go.”
“W-Wait, if we can’t let them go…” Keebo looked at the bloody ghost, a nervous frown on his face. “...are you suggesting that we keep them here?”
“There’s no way we can do that!” Kaede spoke up, floating a little higher to bring attention to herself as she did so; even though you had lost your drive to continue forward, you felt a hint of a smile appear on your face at the sight of her. “We can’t just keep them here! That’s wrong!”
“Mmm, yeah…” Kokichi looked at his hand dismissively. “And there’s no reason to. We’ve already got Kirumi, and I doubt they’d be able to do a better job than her.”
Ryoma took his candy cigarette between his fingers, a calm expression on his face. “Well, we need to figure out something. We can’t let them go because they’re a risk to our safety, but we can’t keep them here against their will either.”
“Easy solution!” The demon placed her hands on her hips, a proud smile on her face. “We just blackmail the shit outta ‘em! Make them not wanna talk about what they’ve seen here!”
“With what information?” Korekiyo held onto his face with one hand, the other still holding onto the painting with Angie in it. “We don’t even know their name… unless you’re suggesting a more violent method?”
“Oh?” Tenko perked up, her tails flaring out behind her. “I can do that!”
“Hmm? No, no, that won’t do!” Angie shook her head, a smile still displayed on her face. “The human has done nothing worthy of punishment! That’s what Atua says!”
“Gonta knows friends are scared, but…” Gonta hesitated. “...Gonta cannot allow new friend to get hurt either!”
Kaede nodded, a worried frown on her face. “Yeah, that’s insane!”
The air was quickly filled with more and more voices as everyone joined the discussion to try and come to a decision on what to do; a majority of them vetoed any idea of violence, but also didn’t agree with the suggestion of keeping you here. It eventually got to a point where the same ideas were starting to be recycled, just with different phrasing each time they came up.
“Hey, I might have an idea.”
The sight of a webbed hand in the air quickly gathered everyone’s attention, their voices quieting down as they all turned to look at Rantaro; a serious expression was on his face as he crossed his arms, the air now completely silent as everyone stared at him.
“What’s…” Kaede paused, uncertainty written all over her face. “...what’s your idea, Rantaro?”
“Well, we erased the footage, right? So… how about we erase their memory too? Making them forget everything will solve both our problems.”
It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, though your shuffling as you perked up at Rantaro’s words went unnoticed as everyone continued to stare at him; the first thing to break the group’s silence was the clap of Kaede’s hands as she clasped them together, a smile now on her face.
“That’s a great idea! It’s perfect!”
“Well, shit. That’s so simple!” The demon looked annoyed, averting her eyes from everyone else. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Don’t worry, Miu-” Kokichi had a wide grin on his face. “-we don’t expect much from you anyways!”
Korekiyo shifted the painting in his arms. “Interesting… how will we be performing this feat?”
“Obviously Himiko can do it!” Tenko exclaimed, a smug expression on her face as her tails happily swayed behind her, “She can do anything!”
“Nyeh..” Himiko lacked the enthusiasm Tenko had, her gaze lazily cast downwards as she frowned. “I don’t know… I’ve never done anything like that before…”
Angie held a paintbrush up to her chin. “I could ask Atua to do it, but he’s actually pretty busy right now.”
“Kokichi.”
The smiling boy looked over at the vampire who had said his name.
“Yes…?”
“You should be able to do that, right? Make them forget?”
Kokichi let out a long hum, continuing to smile all the while. “Maybe… but why should I? That’s the most boring thing we could do.”
His smile just grew as almost everyone started complaining — all of which was directed at him, of course; irritated mentions of his name were thrown around within the mumbling and grumbling and arguing that you couldn’t otherwise make out the words of, though you did hear a “fucking shota prick” somewhere in the mix of angry comments.
“Well…” Kokichi dragged the word out. “...since you’re all asking sooo nicely…”
You jolted when his gaze landed on you, and immediately glared at him as he started walking towards you.
“Absolutely not!” You thrashed around in your silky strait-jacket. “You can’t do this! What’ll I tell my subscribers?!”
Kokichi tilted his head. “Subscribers?”
“Uh, yeah! My subscribers! Followers! Whatever you want to call them!” You kicked your legs, causing Kirumi to hold you a little further away from herself. “I can’t let you disappoint a thousand people by erasing my memory! I refuse! I’m supposed to bring them the latest and best in ghost news!”
“A thousand followers…” Kokichi mumbled to himself, before a cheeky smile appeared on his face as he let out a laugh, “How cute! Come back and talk to me when you’ve got ten thousand!”
“No, no, no!” You tried to lean away from him as he got closer. “You can’t do this!”
“Mmm… yes, I can-” He leaned in closer, raising up a hand. “-and I will!”
He poked your nose with his finger.
“Boop!”
- - - - -
You let out a small groan as you placed a hand on your head, your eyes cracking open slowly as you squinted at the bright daylight that dared to burn your retinas. “...wait, daylight?”
The sight of a bright blue sky was above you, a few white clouds sailing by on the breeze, and you stared at it for a moment before pushing yourself up into a sitting position — your gaze was immediately shifted to allow you to see that you were, indeed, outside. You were currently sitting on a patch of soft grass and dirt, a massive fence just a few meters away from you.
You looked down at yourself, cringing slightly at the dirt stains on your clothing and skin; they almost made it look like you had been tossed onto the ground from the way they were smeared.
That became more of an actual possibility when you noticed how achy your entire body was.
You just shook yourself fully awake and checked the backpack that was next to you — your camera’s battery was low, you were missing a flashlight, and you had a water bottle full of empty granola bar wrappers. “That’s weird… I packed all of this for my trip just yesterday…”
You paused.
“Wait… what day is it?”
You whipped out your phone, your gaze immediately locking onto the date that was displayed on the lock screen: it was the next day — as in, the next day after the day you planned to take your next trip. You blinked, before twisting around to look at the massive fence next to you.
The property beyond the fence was out of your sight from where you were sitting, but you already knew exactly what it was — the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.
You had researched the place so thoroughly that you could probably pass a test on its history and prominence in society; not that it had much, but still. There wasn’t anything about ghostly activity occurring there in your research, unfortunately, but you concluded that was just because hardly anybody had set foot in there since its closure all those years ago. That had just made it all the more appealing to you, the fact that not many had dared to explore inside its walls.
But you dared to.
You were going to be one of the few to venture inside and- you were going to- going to?
But… didn’t you already go inside?
You winced, a sharp gasp escaping your lips as your hands grabbed at your head; a sudden pain struck your brain, making you fall over as your thoughts stopped in their tracks.
Images of a place you didn’t recognize flooded into your head: overgrown plants growing through cracked floor tiles, hot-pink polka-dotted stairs, an endless hallway straight-out of a horror movie, stain-glass windows that seemed like they belonged in a church…
…and a group of blurry figures standing around you, their voices muffled and echoing in the back of your head as you realized that you knew who they were.
The pain stopped as you gasped again, this time being a surprised gasp; a happy gasp.
Your hands slowly moved away from your head as you smiled and sat back up, the wetness on your cheeks ignored as you let out a small giggle. You soon got back on your feet, and turned to face the massive fence a few meters away from you before you hummed, turning away from it.
You grabbed your backpack, throwing your arms through the straps as you began walking away, home being your next destination.
Your footage may have been deleted, and you may have been thrown out…
Please specify the gender of the reader (male, female, gender-neutral). If not specified, the reader will be written as gender-neutral.
Please include a short plot summary for oneshots (ex. "the reader and (character) go on a picnic date".). While not entirely necessary, the more detail = the better your request can be written.
Please avoid sending multiple requests in a single ask, especially if the requests are for different fandoms. If you have multiple requests, you can send them separately.
Please make sure that what you're requesting hasn't already been requested and written before.
Please be patient after making a request. Writing may take a while as the mods work to complete your request. Thank you in advance.
Will Write:
Fluff
Angst
Romantic AND Platonic Relationships
Suggestive
Yandere
Alternative Universes (AUs)
Will NOT Write:
Smut/Lemon/NSFW
Abusive Relationships
Suicide or Self-Harm
Anything promoting racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, or any other form of bigotry.
Rules are subject to change.
Failure to comply with the current rules means your request will simply not be written. The mods reserve the right to deny a request for any reason, although it's not likely to happen as long as it follows the rules.
