Chapter Text
A whisper. "Have you heard? Of the seven school mysteries? You haven't? Well, I'll tell you about one of them. The seventh one, Tsukasa-san of the Toilet. They say she's located in the third stall of the girls' bathroom, on the third floor of the old building. Once you enter, lock the door, knock three times, and say 'Tsukasa-san, Tsukasa-san, are you there?'. She's the ghost that watches over this school. If you happen to meet her, she'll grant you one wish. But if you anger Tsukasa-san, they say she'll erase you with a curse."
"But that's just a rumor. Probably isn't real." Nene shrugged.
Ignoring the past comment, Emu's eyes lit up, "Woah, that sounds fun!! I wanna meet her!!!" cheerful as always, she got up from her chair. She had maybe 10 or 15 more minutes of her break, more than enough to make it to the old building!
"Wait! But it's just a.." Before Nene could finish, Emu dashed off. Damn that boundless energy of hers.
When she got to the third floor of the old building, it was completely abandoned. Well, she wouldn't expect less from the old building, but it creeped her out. But she wouldn't let that dampen her spirit! She ran to the girls' bathroom and to the third stall. She locked it, and knocked three times, "Tsukasa-san, Tsukasa-san, are you there?"
After not hearing anything for 3 seconds, she assumed she failed. She was about to turn around and leave, but she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm here! Did you call?" She turned around and instantly tried to push Tsukasa-san away, but her hands went through... him!? Tsukasa-san was a boy!?
"There's no use! Because I, Tsukasa, am a ghost!" He put his hand through her shoulder to demonstrate.
"Woah! A real life ghost!! I always wanted to see one!!" Her eyes sparkled as she waved her hand through his semi-transparent stomach.
"Finally, someone who isn't scared of me!! They can never recognize a real star!!" He started posing as if he was in a photo shoot.
"Wait, but you're really Tsukasa-san? You look way different than what the rumors said! Wasn't your hair supposed to be brown!?" She began inspecting him, his clothes, and his hair.
He tried to swat Emu away but his hand only went through her, "Yes, people get confused a lot! I am the 3rd Tsukasa-san of this school, so people confuse me with the last one!!! I don't know why they would, since I'm obviously better.. Anyways, what's your name?"
She happily replied, "Emu Ootori!!"
"Well, Emu, what's your wish? I will try my hardest to grant whatever it is!!!" He proudly put a hand on his hip.
"Hmmm... I didn't really think this through..." She put her hand on her chin in intense thought.
"Why did you come here without knowing what to wish for!??!" He tried shaking her shoulders, but his hands just passed through her again.
Emu snapped out of her train of thought, "Well, I was just excited to see you!!!! My legs moved on their own before I could think!!! They went buooooosh andd fuuuuooosh!!" She made hand gestures while talking for an extra dramatic effect.
"Use actual words! Anyways, I'll help you find what to wish for!!" He took out a book, a severely dusty one.
She took it into her hands, inspecting it. "Wishes 101??"
"Yup! It has all the basics!" He grabbed the book from her hands and went to the index. "Love wishes, death wishes, curse wishes, popularity wishes, luck wishes..." He handed the book to her.
The book almost fell from her hands, "Egh!! It's heavy!"
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING
Emu tilted her head, "Huh.. HUH????" Her eyes widened and she handed the book back to Tsukasa, "Gotta go!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
She ran off, almost getting hit in the head by the doorway.
"Hey! Don't leave me here!!" He ran.. Well, floated after her.
When she got there, she saw Nene waiting for her in the seat she always used.
"What took you so long? You're late." She gestured the seat next to her, telling her to sit down.
"Ooh Ooh!! Guess what happened! I-" Before Emu could finish, she was cut off by Tsukasa appearing in front of her, "Don't tell anyone about me!! They can't see me, only you can!!"
"What? What are you talking about?" She tilted her head, confused as to why she would be the only one that could see him.
"Uhh, Emu? Why did you suddenly stop?" As Nene couldn't see Tsukasa, it was as if Emu was talking to herself, "Oh, and did you actually go to check out the Tsukasa-san thing?"
"Oh, uh, yeah! I did go! But, um, nothing happened, I guess it really was a rumor..." Emu sank into her chair, pretending to be disappointed about it.
"Don't be sad, I'm pretty sure there's many supernatural things in this school that aren't rumors." Nene reached out her hand and pat her on the shoulder.
Emu was about to answer, but the teacher came in. Boring class again...
Tsukasa appeared, sitting on her desk, "Don't be bored, for I am here!!"
Emu jumped back a little, startled by his sudden appearance, "Wait, why are you here!? Aren't you supposed to be, like, guarding the school!?", she whisper-shouted.
"My first priority is completing wishes! And I can't do that until you decide what to wish for, so that's why I, Tsukasa Tenma, will help you decide!!"
She thought about it, "Hmmm, do you have any suggestions of what I could wish for?"
He summoned a bag from thin air and pulled the dusty book out of it again. He blew the dust off of it and dropped the book on the desk.
"Well, now we can see this again. I'm guessing you don't want a negative wish, so we can take death and curse wishes off the table. What about a popularity wish!"
Before she could say something, Nene tapped her on the shoulder, "Hey, Emu, stop talking to yourself. The teacher asked you a question."
Nene whispered the answer in her ear, and Emu shouted it, "What, uh, 55!"
"Emu, where'd you get that book from? Wishes 101?" Nene was gonna reach and grab it, but Emu picked it up and put it out of her reach.
"Oh, it's just, uh, for my sister's birthday! Yeah!" She put the book under the desk and Tsukasa grabbed it.
Nene looked at her suspiciously, "Well, if you say so..."
Tsukasa sat on Emu's desk again, but didn't put the book down. "That was a close one!! We need to be more careful!! Anyways, have you decided on a wish yet?"
"Give me the book!! I'll see myself if there's something that draws my eye!!" She grabbed the book from his hands and started reading it.
After an hour or so, the bell rang. And Emu had still not decided on a wish.
"Let's go to the bathroom again!! I have my wish-making tools there, so maybe you'll find something!!" He flew off, leaving her behind.
"Hey!!! Wait for me!!" Before he could get out of sight, she ran after him.
When they were there, he pulled out a bag. While he was taking out stuff of it, a bag that caught Emu's attention fell out.
"Huh? Are these candies?" Without thinking, she opened it and popped one of them in her mouth. Tasted a bit salty.
He pulled out another book, showing it to Emu, "Look at what I got! It's- WHEN DID YOU GRAB THAT!??!??" He snatched the bag away from her.
"It's a bit salty. Are they expired?" She tilted her head, swallowing the 'candy'.
Tsukasa panicked, "AGGGHHHHH!!! EMU!! Those were mermaid scales!!! You'll be cursed!!"
"WHAT!???" Emu was panicking now too. She looked down at her arms, and... SCALES?!?
Tsukasa said something about how the mermaid scales did something, some kind of pairing thing... The rest she didn't hear, because she blacked out.
When she came to, she was.. underwater? It kinda looked like a fish bowl, with the neon stones on the bottom and everything. Tsukasa picked up the thing she was in, and faced her against a mirror.
"Voila!"
"I'M A FISH??!?!?" She started flopping around in the water.
"I can't hear you, but I assume you may not be happy! I'll explain what happened," He put the fish bowl down on the table, "you've been inflicted with the curse of the mermaid. Fish are servants of mermaids after all!"
Before Emu could say anything (not like she could really talk, as he would only hear bubbles), a voice echoed throughout the place they were in.
"Such foolish creatures, these humans are. Be overjoyed, little girl. For you are now my servant." The classroom they were in started shaking, "I'll make sure to treat you well."
Tsukasa turned around, "Show yourself if you're not a coward, mermaid!" The mermaid appeared from a splash of water.
Emu splashed around in her fish bowl, "KYAA! A fish with a human face!!!"
"She's here to retrieve you, but don't worry! I, Tsukasa Tenma, will protect you!!" He put the bowl on another table, away from the mermaid.
"You're in the way, brat." The mermaid tossed Tsukasa into a cluster of desks nearby.
"Tsukasa!!!" Emu wanted to help, but the most she could do was muster up a few bubbles.
"You're weak! I am more than a thousand years old! A mere school ghost stands no chance at defeating me."
The mermaid approached Emu, "Come with me now.." Emu flapped about in the water.
Before the mermaid could get her, Tsukasa got up. "I will not let you take her, for I have not granted her wish yet! Before you take her away, at least let me do that first!!"
The mermaid turned away from Emu to face Tsukasa. "I will not have you ordering me around!"
"Hahaha! Then I'm afraid I'm gonna have to resort to violence!" He took out a knife from one of his pockets and pointed it at the mermaid.
"Quiet!" The mermaid lunged at him. He ducked under her and cut her underside.
"What!? How could a mere school spirit do this!?" The mermaid started to vanish. "This was pure luck! Curse you school legeeend!" And with a poof, the mermaid was gone.
"The mermaid's gone! Ha, the mermaid shouldn't have underestimated a star such as myself!!" He struck a cool pose, "But it did look really stubborn, so we probably haven't seen the last of it. But do not worry! I will protect you!"
"Thank you, Tsukasa!!" She twirled around in the water.
Tsukasa suddenly got an idea, "Emu! Do you wish to be human again? If you were to wish that, I could grant it!"
Emu aggresively nodded in the water.
"Alright!" He grabbed one of the mermaid scales from the bag they were in. "But beware, with every wish comes a price." He then ate the scale.
After a second, Emu turned back to normal, "Woaah! This is super-duper wonderhoy!! I missed being able to walk!!!" She put her hands in front of her, admiring them.
"Now, our fates are tied together, and the curse is split between us!" He helped Emu get up from the floor. "In return, I'll take...." He thought for a second. "your --labor! I've been looking for a human secretary!"
"What!!? So that means I'll have to work!??" She shook his shoulders. "...Wait. How did I just touch you!?"
He dusted off his shoulders, "I told you! Our fates are bound together now!"
"Wait, so that means I can hug you now!!" She hugged him, and she would've squeezed the air out of him if he wasn't a ghost.
Tsukasa wriggled out of the hug, "Oh, and one more thing!"
She tilted her head, "Huh, what is it?"
He grabbed her arm, "When you get too wet, you'll turn into a fish again!" He dried out a part of her arm that was starting to grow scales again.
"What!? So I'll have to shower as a fish!?"
"Yup!"
(im working on this fic again and updated it since there were some parts were it was stiff)