#lazyparallelworld

Hanako-san of the toilet, located in the girl’s bathroom in the old building of Kamome Academy... Shuichi had learned of the rumor surrounding the seventh mystery of the school.  ‘In the third stall of the 3rd floor’s girl’s bathroom, is where you can find her. If you successfully summon her, she will grant you a wish... at the exchange of taking something dear to you.’ ...Or so the rumor goes. Despite the honest slither of skepticism Shuichi felt on the validity of this rumor... his gnawing curiosity to still investigate a supernatural mystery always overpowered the doubts. Or maybe that was just the paranormal investigator in him coming out, he likes to joke to himself.

Shuichi slowly made his way up to the third floor once he entered the old building. “The girl’s bathroom on the third floor...” He mumbles to himself, standing before it once he made it up there. “Entering the girl’s bathroom to find a possible ghost in there: never a sentence I thought I’d say. Thank god no one will see me...” He groans in embarrassment, hanging his head low. “A-Anyway...” Lifting his head back up, he emits a deep exhale. “Time to summon this supposed Hanako-san...”

A slightly hesitating hand goes to slide the bathroom door open. “The third stall...” His eyes lock onto it as he slowly approaches it. As he stands before the door... he could feel that familiar sense of anxiousness bubble up in him. Not out of fear of ghosts, but always the combination of complete silence, being alone in a haunted room, and never knowing what he’ll see or hear, if he does. Will he successfully summon Hanako-san? And will she truly take something dear to him, if she grants his wish...?

“.......” A slightly shaky breath, he supposes he will see once he actually attempts to summon her. Bracing himself, a hand slowly goes to knock on the bathroom stall three times. And after the third knock, he takes another deep breath before saying:

“Hanako-san, Hanako-san... are you there?”

                         thank god for the few late - night trains.

                         one last night at home,  one argument when he was  five minutes late  returning from his set curfew that turned into an altercation  --  that was all it took for akira to decide it was the  last straw  and take the next train he could catch back to tokyo.

                          twelve hours.  more walking than he wanted to do.  and he was standing in front of leblanc,  in the cold autumn rain,  looking for his key.  fuck.  he’d forgotten it upstairs when he visited over the summer,  that’s right ...

                           the first person who came into mind wasn’t sojiro or futaba,  no,  that would only make sense.  it was ryuuji.  his smile,  his warmth ...  they’d been dating since golden week,  and the distance of the last several months had been difficult,  even with the summertime visit.  he  just  wanted comfort ...  he wanted to hold ryuuji and be held in turn.

                            not,  really,  the most convenient time to be lovesick.

Yusuke was starting to appreciate just how much Akira did for the team. Especially now, when it was down to Ryuji and Yusuke to make the preparations for Shido’s palace. Akira couldn’t afford to be seen, and no one would bat an eyelid at someone like Ryuji trying to buy model guns. Yusuke was there because someone had to be, and between the student president, the recluse, Okumura’s daughter and the part time model, Yusuke would draw the least attention. At least, he hoped not.

They were due to meet up after school in Shibuya. Somehow, doing this made what they were doing - or rather, had been doing - feel more concrete. More criminal. More shady. Nothing had changed, and yet...

“Even so, it... surprises me, I guess you could say: if I manage to impress someone that well. H-Heheh... but that makes me so happy to hear, especially coming from you! Thank you, Saihara-kun...” Kaede was a fairly modest girl, so despite how many thought super highly of her skills, she still considered herself just a girl who loves to cook. So high praises like that felt so honorable to receive... and from Shuichi, even moreso.

More people were starting to come in now, the place quickly up more than it already was. “...Looks more people are starting to get off work. That’s when our busy hour especially gets even busier. I invited you here at the perfect time!” She chuckles.

“And yeah, most employees would probably dread these kinds of hours, but... to me, it’s actually kind of enjoyable? You’ve got all these people who want a nice meal after a long day of work or school, and they’re counting on you to provide that for them: and when you’ve done a satisfactory job, they’re happy... which makes me even happier in turn! Sure, it can still get a bit pressuring at times if you really have to rush, but... in the end, it pays off, when you really work hard enough...”

Realizing she kind of rambled on a bit, she waves a hand in the air. “Oh! Sorry, I don’t mean to talk so much while you’re trying to eat.” She didn’t mind if Shuichi only wants to listen, since she didn’t want to just stare at him without saying anything, and she had already cleaned up her station, anyway.

The death game was starting to take a bit of a toll on Jou’s psyche, it took all he had to not be worn down in front of the others. The bar really had become a favorite spot for him. He wasn’t drinking or anything but the way he could lean over the counter and just take some time to himself felt just decompress.

The story of Hanako-san: the most infamous wonder of the school. Shuichi’s overheard conversations between students talk about it before, and being known as a paranormal investigator, just like his uncle: classmates have told him about it, too.

In the the third stall of the girls’ bathroom, knock on the door three times. And then say: ‘Hanako-san, Hanako-san, are you there?’ And if one was successful in summoning her, then she will grant your wish... in exchange for something precious of the person who summoned her.

Shuichi, naturally: was curious about the actual validity of this rumor. So once after school came around: he was going to check it out. Trying to very hard to ignore the fact he was entering the girls’ bathroom, a sigh of relief left him when he saw no one was inside. He’d never live it down if he was caught by a girl in here.

“A-Alright. You’re here because you’re curious about Hanako-san... that’s all...” He tries to reassure himself with a whine. An exhale, Shuichi quickly heads to the third stall, stopping before the door. “......”

This of course wouldn’t be his first time interacting with a spirit if it works, yet this excited, but nervous pounding in his heart arose all the same. With three soft knocks to the bathroom door, Shuichi recites:

“Hanako-san, Hanako-san, are you there?”

                        felix could not sleep  --  at least,  not well.

                         it had been six years since he joined the empire.  six years since a hushed confession,  a brief kiss.  he’d gotten used to his new role  --  he’d gotten used to the fighting of war.  what he hadn’t even thought about since he was last forced to,  though,  was the inevitability of fighting the church,  of fighting the kingdom,  of fighting dimitri,  of fighting  sylvain.  he dreaded it  --  with every breath,  he felt pain in his chest,  with every thought,  the pain grew worse.  he didn’t want to fight him.  he didn’t want to fight him.

                           the sleep he found himself in the night before they were to strike was a restless one.  his hair a mess from tossing and turning,  sweat seeping through his clothing and coating his forehead.  in his dreams,  he saw sylvain.  he felt his lips.  damn,  damn,  damn.

                            the lightness of his sleep was enough to wake him up the second he heard the door to his quarters opening.  felix jumped into action without thinking,  grabbing his sword,  holding it to the throat of the intruder,  fearing for his life ...

                             until,  in the faint light,  he  recognized  their face.

With the rebuilding of Garreg Mach, so too did the academy reopen. Being back here was a strange experience for Ashe. At first, it was his home for a year - then, it was sanctuary five years later. The place was different, yet somehow felt the same. The greenhouse, the lake, the courtyard, the stables - they were all the same.

Ashe was not. He wasn’t that tiny common boy anymore, with hopes of becoming a knight. He was noble-ish now, no longer aspiring to knighthood: he was already there. He smiled to himself. Yes, he was finally where he wanted to be in the world. It felt right coming back here after all this time. He came at the Academy’s behest, to teach a seminar for this year’s students in archery. He wasn’t much of a teacher, but he would do his best. He could afford to leave Gaspard for a little while.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had been invited back to the Academy, but he wasn’t surprised. He saw Annette in the distance, chatting to Hanneman. She waved wildly at him, and he waved back; he could talk to her later, when she wasn’t busy. He passed by Felix, who didn’t seem to be much in the mood to talk and left him to it.