Chapter Text
Rui exited the school building walking along the streets, multiple other spirits lurked around, staring at people or just standing there.
He made it to the shrine and started looking for something.
"Lookin' for me Kami?" A higher pitched voice spoke up from behind him.
He turned back looking straight into Emu's face "ah, there you are. Has Aoyagi visited today?"
"He did, but just swung by and dropped off some some carrots. Does he think I'm a horse or something?? Who eats this stuff willingly?!"
"Humans."
The pink haired girl held up a bag of carrots as she complained heading off topic. He chuckled at her babbling then lowered her arm, "Calm down Emu, you don't have to eat the carrots if you don't want to. I'm sure there's leftovers somewhere".
The girl stopped talking but gave him a baffled look "leftovers??! Gross! It has to be fresh meat, Rui!"
"Yeah, yeah.." he put his hands up in surrender "But I came here to tell you good news, I found a girl who could see me she agreed to help"
"Really?" Emu raised an eyebrow "That's great! If she can help that mean I can get more food then maybe unlimited food!-"
He rolled his eyes and walked away as she started rambling on, it seemed she couldn't really think outside of the topic of food anymore. That worried him, the once cheerful and optimistic girl he knew turned into a voracious ghoul with an endless hunger.
He walked to the back of the shrine to look at sky, thinking.
Perhaps his soul could finally rest? Maybe all those lost wanderers could be freed of torment.
Asahina, I'm counting on you.
————
"Mommy, is that you?"
A small girl looked at the figure staring at her from the opposite side of the room, the thing had no visual appearance besides a shadow.
"Mommy please answer me!-"
"Mafuyu-" her dad rushed into the room walking to her bed "what happened? Do you see something again?" He looked around the room not spotting anything.
Mafuyu pointed towards the front of her closet "there"
Her dad let out a small sigh before covering her eyes and closing them "just close your eyes for a second and it'll disappear"
"But what if it's mom!"
"Mafuyu it's not your mother." He scolded. "Please just sleep, if anything happens yell for me"
He uncovered her eyes, the figure was gone now. He gently kissed her forehead and turned her lights back out.
"Sleep well, sweets"
————
Mafuyu woke up to the sound of her alarm and looked around her room, no figures, no old toys or furniture, just a dream. She looked down at her plush on the ground and picked it up brushing it off and placing it on her nightstand.
She went about her morning as usual, making her bed, getting ready for school, greeting her father then leaving for the day. It was chilly outside and the sun hadn't risen yet but that didn't stop people from already being on the road or walking to work.
She stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the light, looking down at her phone in the time.
"Mafuyu!-"
She looked back at her name being called and saw Ena running up to her. She grabbed her shoulder and panted slightly "I made it first!"
A pink haired girl ran up behind her "eh~ not fair~ you got a head start!"
Mafuyu looked between the two of them, their usual banter "Ena, Mizuki" she greeted.
Mizuki leaned on her shoulder and smiled wanting to make some playful jabs "yuki, were you just gonna leave us~? You're so mean.."
"Be quiet, she wasn't going to do that dumbass!" Ena hit Mizuki on the back of the head and groaned in annoyance "it's barely 6 and you're already giving me a headache!"
"You're so mean~" the other whined rubbing her head.
Mafuyu sighed at the bantering and looked back at the crosswalk sign. Slowly, her thoughts started drifting back to that boy, she was definitely gonna hear more teasing from him and she almost groaned out loud.
Finally the light changed snapping her out of it as she crossed the sidewalk with the other two.
The three walked together in silence for a few minutes before she broke the silence
"I saw a boy yesterday."
"No way you went on a date??" Mizuki looked at her in shock
"What- No!" She quickly protested "a spirit-"
Ena cut her off with a sigh "Mafuyu I swear if you're schizophrenic and you're not telling us. I'm starting to think you're crazy with all this spirit talk."
"Being schizophrenic isn't bad enanan" Mizuki shrugged.
"I-I never said it was!" She stuttered
"You implied it~"
Mafuyu stopped both of them from talking "enough about of I'm crazy or not, I saw a boy and he talked to me."
"Now you're hearing voices?-"
Mizuki grabbed ena's head and quieted her up.
"He said he needed help with something, and kept sneaking up on me. I agreed to help and-"
"Mafuyu, if you're dating someone from a different school just tell us!~" Mizuki chuckled
"I'm not-"
"Look just say you're in love~!"
She groaned and facepalmed, turning back "Mizuki, I don't like him-"
"Mafuyu!-" Ena reached out and grabbed Mafuyu pulling her forward as a car drive into the sidewalk hitting the side of a building. The trunk opener and an arm fell out of it followed by a trail of blood.
"Uhm.." Ena looked disgusted at the sight while Mizuki physically recoiled (and shut up) Mafuyu on the other hand kept her face blank but inside she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of dread hitting her, this whole thing just reminded her of- stop thinking about it please!..
"We should just go.." Ena finally spoke pulling the two.
"yeah.. sounds good"
The three of them walked away as the puddle of blood spread around the dismembered limb. They stayed quiet the rest of the way to school and eventually split to head to their classes, Mafuyu on the other hand headed to one of the empty rooms and turned on a light, pulling a chair over to sit on.
As she sat down a pair of hands covered her eyes from the back "Fuyu~ guess who?"
"Kamishiro get off me." She wasn't in the mood for his games and just about wanted to strangle him.
"Jeez, calm down. I guess someone pissed in your cereal?" He let her go and walked to stand infront of her. "I'm surprised you came back to me."
"Don't make it sound like I'm infatuated. You just have useful information that I want."
"Speaking of—" he pulled a chair over and sat down, resting his arms on the front of it "I have a bit more news."
She watched him sit examining his movements slowly, he seemed to loose, like he'd just let any info slip out if asked. Barely a working investigator , even if he wasn't trying to be one. "What's the news"
"Another kill, I saw it this morning. A girl maybe 16 hung in the bathroom. I honestly didn't see the body but some administration were talking about it but just turned it into a suicide." He sighed "Poor girl, I know it wasn't. I saw her spirit wandering earlier, nail marks dug into her neck like she was trying to free herself from something. Whoever killed her might be our guy."
In the school building? She wouldn't be surprised if Rui was killed in the building too and that's why some rooms were closed off. "Do you think you were killed in the building aswell?"
"No." He didn't even hesitate answering "If I was killed in school I'd be stuck here, I can travel."
"You're not trapped here?"
"No."
"But you're always at school, why do you come back?"
He shrugged "I'm one of the few spirits that can actually wander, might as well take advantage of it."
The school bell for the beginning of class signaled and Rui rose from his chair "Nice chatting with you, Fuyu. Wish we could've talked a bit more"
She grabbed her bag and headed out the room, giving him a small wave before leaving the room entirely and walking to class.
Rui waved back and watched as she left. His hand slowly fell back to his side as she left and he looked around the room.
Shit.
He ran a hand through his hair and gripped his head. He took a few breaths to calm down and slid back on the wall.
Just ignore it, Rui. It'll go away. Don't let it get the upper hand.
————
Mafuyu leaned on her arm spacing out as the teacher spoke, thinking back over the day. That arm from the car, the car crashing into the sidewalk, another murder. They all happened to soon to be a coincidence-
"Asahina, are you listening?" The teacher called her out and she straighted up almost immediately.
"Yes, ma'am. I apologize."
The teacher gave her a look before turning back to the board, she needed to stop thinking about it before she got herself in trouble.
———
At lunch she walked back into a room, looking around before sitting. Rui appeared a few minutes later and sat next to her "you're sitting alone now?"
"I came back to talk."
"I'd rather you eat before talking, it's not healthy to skip lunches"
She mumbled something before eating her lunch, he did have a point but she didn't really care.
After she finished she set her chopsticks down on top of her lunch and looked back up at him. "Now-"
"Come to the shrine with me." He interrupted
Huh
"The shrine? Why do you want me to go with you?"
"I just want you to meet someone, plus I feel it's easier to talk there that to sneak around a school full of gossiping teens." He looked at the door then back at her, and almost pleading look.
Just because he knows something..
"Fine. I'll go, but don't try anything."
"I promise, Mafuyu."
She just looked at him for a bit before leaving the room.
..Weirdo
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