Work Text:
My best buddy Kai had already had his fair share of absurd ideas in his life, but this one really took the cake.
Halloween was just around the corner, which, in itself, was pretty much the most exciting event of the year in the sleepy little town where we were stuck living. The nearest big city was fifty kilometers away, and there was nothing around us but rice fields and endless boredom.
But that didn’t mean that nothing ever happened here. Unfortunately, it mostly involved weird occurrences. To put it simply: the place was haunted. At least, that’s what the villagers kept telling themselves. I’d always suspected that they just needed something interesting to talk about, given how little actually went on around here.
Still, there was one specific house in the neighboring village where strange things were said to happen. No one in their right mind would dare set foot in it—no one, except for Kai and his strange friends.
“Aoi’s hosting the party, it’ll be fun!” Kai tried to convince me with these flimsy arguments, but all he got from me was a raised eyebrow.
“Even if it were the Emperor of China: I said no.” Seriously. What was wrong with my black-haired buddy? I was only seventeen, and I had no intention of biting the dust just yet.
“Uruha’s going to be there as well, Aoi told me,” Kai suddenly grinned slyly, making me want to punch him in the shoulder. He knew exactly what that meant to me. Where Uruha was, Reita would be too—in my mind, better known as the hottest guy in the whole school. Along with Uruha and Aoi, Reita was a year above me, which meant, in my eyes, he was like the moon to the Earth: always in sight but completely out of reach.
Knowing he would be close by at a private event was the ultimate bait. Kai had definitely pulled out the big guns, and I hated him for it.
“What time does it start?” I grumbled reluctantly. In the next moment, I was practically blinded by Kai’s beaming grin, which outshone even the summer sun over Niigata.
Skeptically, I stared at the abandoned villa, which looked a lot creepier in the dark with the sparse street lighting than it did during the day. The house itself was in a dilapidated state—crumbling plaster, broken windows, and an overgrown front yard.
Years or even decades ago, a family had mysteriously disappeared here—or so they said. The exact circumstances remained unspoken. My guess was that they didn’t want to publicly drag the relatives’ pain into the spotlight. But of course, the secrecy only fueled all kinds of speculation, which over the years turned into legends, providing material for ghost stories among the younger generations. The most popular theory was that they had all died a gruesome death.
And it was in this very house that an illegal Halloween party was supposed to take place tonight. That alone was enough to make every fiber of my being resist going. If the police caught wind of it, we’d all be screwed, and I would definitely be grounded until I graduated from school.
The oppressive atmosphere didn’t help either, instantly giving me goosebumps. But worst of all were the nightmares I had since agreeing to this ridiculous idea. Every night I dreamed of this goddamned house, with the same shadowy figure lurking outside each time. Whenever I tried to approach it, it would retreat, and I could never get a clear look at it. But I knew with unshakable certainty that it was none other than Reita—in demonic form.
I had no idea what my hyperactive brain was trying to tell me with that, but it didn’t help me feel any better about stepping into this half-ruined place.
Inside the house, there was already a lot of activity. Aoi had apparently invited half the local youth from within a twenty-kilometer radius, judging by the number of people milling around. The costumes ranged from cheap junk, like something out of a Don Quijote store, to homemade outfits that varied from poorly made to impressively creative.
The decorations were truly spooky, and it was obvious Aoi had watched too many American movies and found inspiration. The whole house looked like a huge family of spiders had gone wild in it, and I wasn’t even sure if all of it was actually decoration or not. Candles burned in hollowed-out pumpkins, and I fervently hoped that none of the partygoers would get too drunk and stumble into one, setting the whole decrepit house on fire.
The rest of the decor was no less macabre. On the walls, where the yellowed wallpaper was peeling off, sconces flickered as if the power supply was unstable. I couldn’t help but wonder where the electricity was even coming from—perhaps from a generator?
Despite the dim lighting, I could see that the place was covered in dust and dirt. At least the seating was draped with a transparent tarp. Still, they could have cleaned before playing temporary squatters. I didn’t even want to lean against a wall here. First, I feared the termites had already chewed through the wood, and I’d end up crashing to the floor with the wall. Second, there were surely all kinds of germs lurking around. I didn’t even want to think about what I was breathing in right now. Luckily, Aoi had been smart enough to scatter scented candles around, which at least provided a pleasant smell.
“You look like someone’s offered you soap to eat,” Kai teased me from the side.
“Soap wouldn’t hurt this house,” I replied, trying to keep my disgusted expression under control. This party was only going to be bearable with lots of alcohol—preferably something strong enough to disinfect me from the inside and ward off sepsis.
“Don’t be a killjoy, Ruki.” Don’t be a killjoy, I silently mimicked my friend as he walked ahead, turning his back to me. Kai was truly afraid of nothing—or maybe he just desperately needed new contact lenses with a stronger prescription.
Kai led me through the crowd as I continued to look around. The teenagers around us seemed to be completely at ease in this morbid atmosphere, as if they’d forgotten that this house wasn’t just some Halloween set but had actually stood empty for years. Conversations, laughter, and music blended into an indistinct background noise that only reinforced one fact for me: I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.
A loud noise made me flinch. One of the guests had apparently put too much enthusiasm into their movements and bumped into an old, wobbly table where a few pumpkins had been decoratively arranged. One of the pumpkins rolled off the edge, fell to the floor, and shattered into countless pieces. For a moment, the noise level paused before the usual chaos resumed. No one seemed to care that the house could collapse over us at any moment.
I mentally took a deep breath—considering the likely asbestos exposure, I couldn’t do it for real—and continued on, driven by the hope of seeing Reita somewhere. Reita, the reason I’d even agreed to this whole horror party in the first place. If I had already dragged myself all the way here, then not without at least seeing him.
Every time I thought of him, my heartbeat quickened a little, which I secretly hated. Why couldn’t I just be normal around him, like I was with Kai or Aoi? Stupid crush, stupid hormones! Who came up with this nonsense anyway? Probably the same idiot who invented silly Halloween costumes!
I had dressed up too, put on makeup, and freshly dyed my hair tonight, without the slightest clue whether Reita was even into guys or if he’d like this kind of look. While the older boy kept his sexual orientation completely under wraps, everyone at school knew I was openly gay. But I wasn’t about to change myself for him—no matter how hot he was!
“Hey, Kai, and hey, posh bunny,” Aoi grinned broadly as we entered the next room—presumably the former dining room. In return, I flipped him off. I was a mad hatter in a striped suit, and just because I had sewn some mesh ears onto my hat, that didn’t make me a bunny!
“Good evening... whatever you’re supposed to be. Did you leave your fingers in a socket too long, or did a can of hairspray explode over your head?” I asked, staring at his hair, which was sticking out in every direction. In response, he gave me the finger too, paired with a grin.
Sitting next to Aoi at the low table, laughing at my comment, I spotted Uruha, who didn’t look much better, though his long wig was at least just disheveled and didn’t look like it had exploded. Both of their costumes seemed to be some kind of zombie, competing with Kai’s outfit—though he looked more like a gravedigger from the last century.
In the room, there were five other people I didn’t know. Three of them were girls who were definitely underdressed for late October temperatures. Basically, they were wearing little more than bright yellow caution tape wrapped around their private parts!
“Hey, guys, I got us some beer,” a deep voice called out from someone entering the room with a few bottles under his arm. My breath caught for several reasons.
It was Reita, though he wasn’t immediately recognizable. The usually hot guy was completely transformed. His black leather clothes were wrapped in barbed wire, dirt and fake blood clung to both his face and outfit, and he wore a terrifying mask that left only his right eye and the lower third of his face exposed. It reminded me, in an unsettling way, of the Reita from my nightmares.
Looking closer, I noticed his mask was also adorned with barbed wire, and there was something stuck to the left side of his face... What was that, anyway? Some kind of prehistoric weapon or a biface? Whatever it was, it was creepy and fitting for Halloween, and damn it, I still found him insanely attractive even in this get-up.
“Take a seat!” Uruha gestured with a wide smile.
“What’s going on here?” Kai asked, nodding toward the empty bottle placed in the middle of the table.
“Truth or dare, what else does it look like?” Aoi laughed, amused.
“You can’t be serious,” I protested, staring skeptically at the table. Weren’t we all trying to leave puberty behind, and now they were coming up with such a childish game?
Kai, on the other hand, seemed to like the idea. He smiled as he sat down on the floor across from Uruha and grabbed one of the beer bottles Reita had placed on the table.
“I’m in,” he announced confidently, opening his bottle in one swift movement.
I didn’t even bother questioning how they had acquired the beer despite being underage. In the context of all the illegal things happening here tonight, that was the least of the issues.
Aoi grinned even wider and leaned forward slightly, giving me a mischievous look.
“Don’t worry, this is going to get interesting,” he promised. Just hearing that sent a cold shiver down my spine. What the hell did he mean by that?
He then turned to Reita, who had sat down next to him on the other side and was looking at me almost curiously—or was I just imagining that? I couldn’t say for sure, with half his face hidden by the mask and dark makeup obscuring most of his expression.
“Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes, and sat down next to Kai. I didn’t want to be the buzzkill Kai kept accusing me of being. Plus, I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of Reita.
“We need a few more people to join, right?” Reita had grabbed a baseball bat that, like his costume, was wrapped in barbed wire and fake blood, and he pointed it menacingly at the other people in the room.
“Come on, join in,” he grinned widely, and given his get-up, it looked truly terrifying.
The girls didn’t need much convincing and giggled as they squeezed themselves around the table. They had probably already had a few drinks, which I, unfortunately, was far from having—until I remembered my original plan: drinking. Any thoughts of sneaking out as soon as possible disappeared the moment Reita had given me that crooked smile. I admitted it: I was a slave to my own raging hormones, and I wasn’t ashamed of it at all!
Those dumb girls could keep their ogling to themselves and deal with the mess in their wet panties on their own! I knew those hungry looks all too well from the schoolyard—not to mention their whispered conversations. I could kind of understand it. Reita was, after all, ridiculously good-looking, spoke only when necessary, and radiated a coolness that was hard to match. Still! Did they really have to throw themselves at him so cheaply?
Annoyed, I grabbed a bottle, opened it on the edge of the table, and raised it to the group. “Here’s to a fun evening.”
How fun this evening wasn’t became clear after the first five rounds of Truth or Dare, where only dares were allowed—which was already a load of nonsense! By now, Reita had had to kiss all three of those girls, and I felt like my left eye was about to pop out from twitching so violently.
What were the chances that the stupid bottle kept landing on him? And why couldn’t people come up with better ideas?
The guys in the room grinned as if it were entertaining to watch their buddy make out. As for Reita’s expression, I couldn’t really tell what he thought about it. It was hard to say if he was into it or not.
Meanwhile, I kept drinking from my bottle, trying to find something productive to do with my time here. With any luck, I’d get a turn in the next round.
Kai nudged me in the side with his elbow, and instead of rolling my eyes or wrapping my hands around his neck—like he deserved—I simply spun the bottle. I watched it lazily as it spun, slowed down, and finally stopped on Reita!
Surprised, I looked up at him, and saw his mouth curve into a slight smile. Holy crap! Was I actually about to get the chance to kiss him? The thought made me feel hot and cold at the same time.
But there was one annoying rule about this stupid game: whoever spun the bottle last got to pick the next dare for the two people involved.
Cautiously, I glanced at Aoi, who was already wearing a monstrously wide grin, and I had a bad feeling about what was coming next.
“I hope you’re ready, because I have a special task for you,” he began ominously, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “The two of you will go up to the second floor without a flashlight and find a book that I’ve placed there. And hand over your phones first. But since I have a heart, I’ll give you a pack of matches.”
I stared, completely dumbfounded. Was he serious? What was this—a scavenger hunt for broke people?
Aoi kept grinning at me, so I turned to Reita, who was equally unhelpful with his shrug.
“What are you waiting for? You have a task.” Great friends Kai had. I shot a scathing look at my buddy, who was more interested in his beer than meeting my gaze. That guy was definitely going to pay for this soon!
Grumbling, I got up, handed over my phone, and took the box of matches. After a quick check, I saw that it was almost empty!
“Only five?” I asked accusingly, stuffing it into my pocket. I had nothing to expect from Aoi anyway.
Instead, I watched Reita stand up too, taking his barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat. I raised an eyebrow in question as we walked out of the room. I thought I could hear Aoi’s malicious snicker behind me.
“It’s for protection against any attackers,” Reita explained, flashing me a mischievous smile, which nearly made me walk right into the wall of the narrow hallway. This hallway branched off from the back of the dining room, and here there were neither decorations nor other guests, nor any lighting. Apparently, Aoi had herded the entire party crowd into just two rooms. No wonder it was so packed.
Behind one door was the former kitchen, and here stood a small fridge connected to a long cable running outside to what I assumed was the backyard where the power supply was.
To the left was a staircase leading to the upper floor, and just looking at it gave me chills. First, the wood didn’t seem particularly trustworthy, and second, the stairs were uncomfortably narrow and steep. I glanced at Reita, who was standing behind me and giving me a skeptical look when he noticed my staring.
“You go first; I’ll keep an eye out.” Keep an eye out? For what, exactly? My backside?
I stared at him a bit longer, but when no further explanation came, I sighed and started up the cursed steps, which, thankfully, held our weight.
At the top, it was pitch dark. No light came through the windows, making me think Aoi must’ve been responsible. No doubt the joker had hung blackout curtains. So, we’d have to complete our task in total darkness. The eerie creaking of the old floorboards did nothing to calm my nerves, and my heart began to race as I felt my way forward with outstretched hands.
“I already hate this,” I grumbled, and just as I was about to take the next step, Reita suddenly shrieked.
My heart jumped as I spun around to face him. For a moment, I thought he’d really seen something terrifying—maybe the ghost rumored to haunt this house or some other unknown monster.
“What is it?” I shouted, panic edging into my voice as my eyes darted over the floor and into the shadows.
“Something just crawled over my foot. Probably a cockroach!”
“And for that, you scream like a girl and nearly give me a heart attack?”
“I have a phobia, okay?!” he snapped, frantically brushing off his feet as if the creature had latched onto him.
I held back the dumb comment that came to mind; after all, making fun of fears wasn’t cool. Reita, the school’s soccer star and probably the crush of half the student body, was apparently a bit of a scaredy-cat—just like me! And here he was, with his creepy outfit, looking like he could actually scare the living daylights out of others. I hoped his baseball bat wasn’t just for show and could actually take down some demonic skulls if things got real.
“So, how did you come up with your costume idea?” I asked, changing the subject as I peered through the first door in the hallway into the room beyond—not that I could see much.
Reita the Scaredy-Cat stood behind me, supposedly “watching my back,” or so he claimed. I had a sneaking suspicion he’d hide behind me and throw me to the yokai if one actually showed up.
One step at a time, I edged into the first room on the left side of the upper floor. I figured it’d be best to work through the rooms methodically so we wouldn’t get lost.
The room smelled stale, as if it hadn’t been aired out in years. The darkness swallowed almost everything; only a sliver of light seeped through a narrow gap in the window, but it wasn’t enough to make out any details.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could hear Reita breathing softly behind me. A few steps in, I heard him stumble over something, making me jump.
“Sorry,” he whispered, though he didn’t sound apologetic—more like nervous.
“It’s fine,” I muttered back, focusing on keeping my cool. We needed to find this book and get out as quickly as possible.
“So, the costume…” Reita whispered, probably to lighten the tension. “I just wanted to be something other than a soccer player for once. And I like baseball. Besides…” He paused, and I could almost hear him smiling, “I thought it might look pretty cool if I went around smashing demons with it, you know?”
I snorted and shook my head, even though he couldn’t see it in the darkness.
“Sure. Wants to smash demons but freaks out over cockroaches,” I muttered quietly under my breath.
The creaking under my feet grew louder as I moved further into the room. My eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, but it was still impossible to make out more than vague shapes through the curtains. First, I headed to the window, eager to get a clearer view. With a quick tug, I pulled the curtain aside. Moonlight flooded the room, finally allowing me to take in my surroundings. Empty, dusty shelves lined the walls, along with a few leftover objects—but no book. I ran my fingers over the shelves just to be sure, feeling the thick layer of dust coating my fingertips.
“Do you think the book’s in here somewhere?” Reita murmured as he moved around me, also searching for clues.
“No idea. But we’ve got to check every room. I just hope Aoi’s not fucking with us.”
Suddenly, a dull thud sounded behind us, followed by a strange scraping noise. I held my breath and stared in the direction of the sound, which seemed to come from the hallway. My heart skipped a beat.
“Did you hear that too?” Reita asked, sounding uncertain.
“Yes,” I whispered. My entire body tensed as I looked around for anything I could use as a weapon. All I found was a candlestick— splendid .
The scraping sound grew louder, and I felt my throat go dry. Reita was now standing close to me, holding his baseball bat in front of him like a shield. We both froze in silence, hearing only our own breathing and that eerie scraping echoing down the dark hallway.
Then the sound suddenly stopped. The silence was deafening. My pulse pounded in my ears as I stared toward the door, expecting any second now for some monster to burst through and attack us.
“What do we do now?” The tremor in Reita's voice was unmistakable. Bravely, I pushed myself back to the entrance and peeked around the corner.
“Maybe we should check it out,” I murmured, even though every ounce of reason in me was screaming that this was a terrible idea. This was exactly how characters in horror movies met their end! But we were here to find that cursed book, and something in me insisted we keep moving.
Reita hesitated before agreeing. “Okay... but if anything weird happens, I’m striking.”
I smirked slightly. “Deal.”
We crept further down the hallway, deeper into the darkness. The floor beneath us groaned with an ominous creak at every step, and I felt the cold sweat trickling down my neck.
The dragging sound started up again, this time further back in the hall. It lurked, as if watching us, while we slowly pressed on. My breathing grew shallow, and my hands trembled slightly as I finally touched the handle of an old door.
“Maybe the book is in here,” I whispered and cautiously opened it.
This room had minimal light, as Aoi must have forgotten to pull the curtains completely shut. A beam of silver moonlight shone like a spotlight directly onto a wooden chair, where an old, dusty book lay. It seemed so out of place, as though it had been purposefully positioned to be found. What nonsense. That was supposed to be the big challenge? A three-year-old could have managed this.
“We found it,” Reita said, his voice carrying a definite note of relief. “Let’s get out of here.”
But just as we turned toward the exit, we suddenly heard a faint clicking sound. A foreboding, final noise that sent a chill down my spine. I spun around and stared at the door. It was closed.
I rushed over immediately and jiggled the handle, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Damn it! It’s locked!”
Panic flooded through me as I pounded on the door in desperation. “Aoi! This isn’t funny! Open the door!” I shouted, even though I knew this was pure, spiteful intent on his part, and he wasn’t going to do a damn thing.
Reita stepped up beside me and pressed with all his strength against the wood, but nothing moved. That dull noise started up again—the scraping sound we’d heard before. This time, it sounded much louder. Crap! Whatever it was, it was here in the room with us. My throat tightened as I realized we were trapped.
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my temples.
Reita backed away from the door and slowly turned around, gripping the baseball bat with both hands, ready to defend himself against whatever might be lurking in here.
“What is that?” he whispered, as if a louder voice might summon the threat even closer.
I shrugged, unable to utter a single word. I hoped the monster was as blind as we were. The scraping sounded like something heavy being dragged across the floor. In the darkness of the room, it was impossible to make out the source, but the thought that something—or someone—was approaching made my blood run cold.
“We have to get out of here,” I hissed, panicking as I tried again to shake the door handle. My hands were trembling, my mind racing. Why had Aoi done this to us? Did he even realize we weren’t alone up here?
“Calm down,” Reita murmured, though his voice was thick with tension. His gaze was fixed on the darkness, where the sound had suddenly gone silent. The unexpected stillness was almost worse than the ominous scraping before. Whatever it was, it was waiting.
“Before or after the monster eats us?” I whispered desperately.
I could sense Reita’s tense stance next to me, the way he raised the bat slightly, ready to react to the unknown. But there was nothing. Nothing except the oppressive silence and the feeling of being watched.
Then—a faint scratching, like someone dragging their nails along the wall. Right beside us.
I whipped around, my back pressing instinctively against the door.
“What the hell...?” I couldn’t see anything, but the sound was so close, as if it were right by my ear.
“There’s...there’s nothing there,” Reita said, his voice faltering as he scanned the room with his eyes. But we both knew it was a lie. There was something here, even if we couldn’t see it. Something lurking in the dark corners, toying with us like this was all some sick joke.
“Damn Aoi,” I whispered to myself. “This is his fault.”
“That’s not helping us now,” Reita growled, taking a few cautious steps into the room. “We need to find another way out.”
I looked around frantically. The windows? Maybe we could smash them and climb out. But as I stepped closer, I saw they weren’t covered with curtains—they were boarded up with thick planks.
“Great,” I muttered bitterly.
Another sound echoed in the room, this time a quiet laugh. But it wasn’t Aoi’s laugh. It was deeper, more malicious, like it was mocking us.
“Did you hear that too?” I whispered. Reita didn’t answer, and that made my throat tighten.
The eerie scraping started up again, this time across the floor, directly behind me. I could feel the invisible weight of danger pressing down, closing in on us.
“We have to do something,” I panted, my mind racing. Images from every horror movie I’d ever watched—most of them I was way too young to see—flooded my mind at once. Now I understood why age ratings existed, because that knowledge was only fueling my imagination.
The Grudge came to mind, and the hairs on my arms stood up, as if electrified.
“Give me the matches,” Reita demanded suddenly, sounding impatient.
“What? Now?” I asked, confused, while my gaze flicked anxiously around in the darkness.
“Just do it!”
With shaky fingers, I fumbled the box out of my pocket and handed it to Reita. He lit one of the matches, and I thought I might throw up from the tension. The small flame cast narrow shadows over his hands, but it illuminated the room for a moment—just enough for us to see that the room was actually much smaller and… empty?
There was no monster, no executioner, nothing out to get us… just more dust and…
“Do you see that?”
Before I could take a closer look, Reita snuffed out the match with a sharp hiss.
“Come with me,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me in a specific direction. Now my heart was pounding for entirely different reasons.
“Look,” he whispered as he lit another match. “Speakers.”
Sure enough, there was a small black box on the floor in one corner, something I hadn’t been able to spot before.
“Aoi, you little brat,” I muttered in irritation as I realized we’d been the victims of a pretty cruel prank.
“Man, we’re such chickens,” Reita laughed, sounding both relieved and incredulous.
Now that the panic was fading and logic was kicking back in, I could hear that the creaking, the laughter, even the dull scraping that had seemed so menacing earlier, were all repeating in the same rhythm.
“How did you figure it out?” I asked, still in disbelief. Was Reita in on this tasteless prank?
“Well, first of all, because nothing’s attacked us yet, and second, because I noticed the sounds repeating.”
Sounded plausible. I had started noticing that last part myself.
“Oh man, I think I just aged at least ten years,” I sighed, worn out.
“Me too.” Reita’s soft laugh sounded almost cute—definitely a relief compared to the sounds coming from the speakers.
“But how are we supposed to get out now?” Reita asked, clearly a bit frustrated. Excellent question, since the door was still locked, and we could barely see any more than before.
“Aoi locked the door, but he’ll have to check if we found the book eventually. Or we break the window…”
“With what?”
“With your baseball bat.”
“That’s not a crowbar,” Reita replied with a hint of amusement. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to wait.” This suggestion didn’t sit well with me at all. Just because there wasn’t a monster up here trying to end our lives didn’t mean I was happy to be here.
“Waiting? In here? In the dark?” The feeling of being trapped was driving me crazy. I could practically feel the dust in my lungs, and the air seemed to grow more stifling by the second.
“What else are we going to do?” Reita asked with a shrug, though I could barely see it. “We could try kicking the door down, but honestly, I don’t think that’ll do much good.”
I sighed, leaning against the crumbly wall. “I hate feeling helpless. Aoi is such a jerk.”
“If I get my hands on him…” Reita grumbled in agreement. “But hey, at least we found the book. That was the plan, right?”
“Oh, fantastic,” I replied, slowly sinking down to the floor. “Do you think he’ll actually come back?”
“He has to. He can’t just leave us in here forever.” Reita’s voice sounded more reassuring than I expected. He seemed to be handling the situation with more calm now.
A frustrated laugh escaped my throat. “Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him to just leave us here to rot.”
Reita sat down next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, which instantly sped up my pulse. “Oh, come on, he won’t do that. Plus, we’ll have an amazing story to tell when we get out of here.”
“Yeah, the story of two idiots who nearly scared themselves to death because of some damn speakers. Doesn’t sound very heroic,” I said sarcastically.
“Maybe not. But it’ll definitely be entertaining,” Reita laughed. At our expense, of course. But thanks to his positive attitude, I felt my tension starting to melt away. Still, the darkness around us was stifling. The sounds from the speakers faded into their usual rhythm, and a heavy silence blanketed the room like a suffocating cloak.
“Okay, I can’t just sit here doing nothing. Let’s at least try to break down the door. I want out of here,” I said, finally standing up.
Reita did the same, brushing dust off his pants. “Alright. It’s worth a shot.”
We stepped up to the piece of wood blocking our way to freedom, and Reita gripped the baseball bat tightly, lifting it in preparation.
“I probably can’t break the door down with this, but maybe I can bust the lock. It’s old enough, at least.”
He swung with full force at the ancient lock. A dull thud echoed through the room, and I flinched. He swung again, and again, several more times, until the lock let out a creaking noise. A loud groan came from the door as it finally cracked open a bit.
“Oh my god, it actually worked!” I exclaimed, surprised that Reita’s idea had paid off.
“Of course it worked,” he replied with a confidence he hadn’t shown until now, giving the door one last shove.
We stepped out into the dark hallway, leaving the chamber of horrors behind us. The corridor ahead suddenly felt like a refuge, even though only faint light surrounded us. It still felt different—less oppressive now that we had a way out.
“We’d better deliver this stupid book by smashing it over Aoi’s thick skull,” I said, taking a deep breath.
“Or we could use the baseball bat. Since it’s proven to be pretty effective.”
We shared a conspiratorial grin, and I felt my heart racing.
Reita, even in his demonic costume, looked absolutely endearing, and after some initial struggles, he had handled things pretty well, while I’d almost peed my pants.
When we finally made it downstairs, we saw the party was still going strong. The dining room, where the game of spin-the-bottle had taken place earlier, was now empty, which didn’t surprise me. We’d probably been gone forever, which only made me angrier at Aoi and everyone else. Why hadn’t at least Kai come looking for us? Did they actually plan to let us rot up there, or what?
My mood was now at its breaking point as I marched toward the living room, with Reita in tow. I was dead set on giving the culprits a piece of my mind! But just before I could step into the room, Reita grabbed my arm.
I turned to him, confused, and saw a mischievous grin spread across his face.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve got a better idea,” he said with a wink, and I swear, in that exact moment, my brain practically short-circuited from that look. “Let’s just leave. Let them wonder where we disappeared to.”
“Is that your idea of revenge?” I asked, totally baffled. I’d already imagined whacking Aoi over the head with the book in one swift move. And now Reita wanted to deny me that satisfaction?
“Don’t you think he’s just waiting for that reaction from us? The idiot wanted to scare us and then bask in the aftermath. Whether we’re scared or mad about it, Aoi would’ve gotten exactly what he wanted.”
“You have some strange friends,” I said with a sigh. Reita’s bright laugh at my remark made my insides flutter. Could he stop being so cute in that bloody outfit?
“Trust me when I say, just leaving and ignoring him is the ultimate punishment for Aoi.” What he said made sense. I looked down at the book and sighed. I hadn’t wanted to come to this party in the first place, and Reita’s offer to ditch it was tempting.
“Just leave the stupid book here. I’ll take you home. What do you say?”
It felt like Christmas had come early—Reita offering to take me home was the best gift I could’ve asked for. I beamed and agreed enthusiastically. Being brought home by Reita was like hitting the jackpot!
After we retrieved our phones, which Aoi had carelessly left on the dining room table, and I’d grabbed my bag, we slipped outside through the back exit.
The way to my place wasn’t far, but it was dark, and after the horror-house experience, I was more than grateful to have Reita by my side.
“I can’t believe what happened tonight,” I murmured, stuffing my hands deeper into my jacket pockets. I felt a chill. The adrenaline was gone, it was cold outside, and I wasn’t exactly dressed for it.
“Me neither,” Reita sighed, walking next to me, shifting his baseball bat from his right shoulder to his left. In this dim light, he reminded me again of the Reita from my nightmares, and I swallowed hard.
“But…” he began, then stopped. He seemed nervous, and I wondered what was suddenly up when he continued, “I’m kind of glad about the outcome.”
“What outcome?” I asked tensely. Was he planning to leave me to the yokai after all? I quickly glanced left and right, scanning the street for any signs of demonic activity, but there was nothing unusual.
“Well… we’re talking.” I shot him an incredulous look, and he gave me a lopsided smile. “Until now, we’ve only ever watched each other from afar.” We’d been doing what? My mouth dropped open, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, stopping in my tracks for emphasis.
“That I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a long time but was too chicken. So, in a way, I’m not mad at Aoi for locking us up, because I wanted to ask you out but never had the courage.”
Was he messing with me? “If this is another dumb joke… I swear, then…”
“It’s not!” he interrupted hastily. “I think you're interesting, but you always seem so distant. I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me…”
Dumbfounded didn’t even begin to cover how I felt. I stood there, unable to move, while my thoughts whirled around in my head like a carousel. Reita, the guy I’d admired only from afar, was telling me he found me interesting? It sounded too absurd to be true. And yet there was this expression on his face, that reserved, almost uncertain smile, that I didn't recognize from him at all.
“Please say something,” he said quietly as I just stared and didn't say a word. “Or should I have just kept my mouth shut?”
“No!” I blurted out, not wanting him to draw the wrong conclusion. “I’m just so surprised.” I never in a million years would have thought the school heartthrob had given me a second thought. And holy hell… he was into guys?
“Oh God, how was it having to make out with those girls?”
Reita looked a little bewildered by my question until he started laughing.
“I’ve definitely tasted better things,” he said with a smirk that turned my ears red-hot. Thank goodness that was hidden under my hair!
“I bet,” I mumbled, continuing to walk. I just wanted to get home. This night was getting too weird!
Reita trotted alongside me, and I could feel him watching me out of the corner of his eye. I knew I owed him an answer. My question had been a deflection, but he was apparently nice enough to give me some time.
The streets were empty, with only the faint rustling of the wind accompanying us. After everything that had happened, this silence felt almost creepier than the sounds from those speakers.
The sudden loud beep of my phone made me jump; clearly, my nerves were still frayed. With a sigh, I pulled it from my pocket and found a new message from Kai. Had my friend finally noticed my absence? I opened the text, my eyes widening as I read.
“Kai just admitted that he and Aoi set up that whole mess in the house to try and get us together! Can you believe it?” I guess they didn’t have any better ideas. The answer was basically clear. Still, I was appalled.
“Let me see!” Reita demanded, and I handed him my phone. He read the nonsense, then handed my phone back with an indignant snort.
“They really put us through all that just to set us up?”
“Apparently. So… what time are you picking me up tomorrow?” I asked with a lopsided grin.
“Was that a yes to a date?” Reita sounded like he could hardly believe I’d agreed.
“It was,” I said, just as we reached my house.
“Three o'clock, what do you think?” I nodded in agreement, watching as Reita’s face was illuminated under the light by my front door. Suddenly, he leaned in dangerously close, and I suspected what was about to happen.
“Are you really going to kiss me in that outfit?” I asked in horror. But Reita ignored my protests, laughing his typical laugh, and pulled me in for a kiss, going all out.
The kiss was neither tender nor reserved; it was demanding and absolutely overwhelming. It felt like my entire body was engulfed in a wave of heat. Reita’s closeness, his firm grip, his mouth on mine… it was all more intense than I had ever imagined. My mind felt like it was switched off, and I could only focus on the here and now.
My hands found their way to his neck, pulling him closer, as if I was afraid this moment might end. His breath mixed with mine, and the rest of the world faded into the background.
When he finally pulled back slightly, his hands remained firmly around my waist. I was completely breathless, my heart racing, and I looked up at him, utterly flustered by what had just happened. Reita grinned at me, and that grin was just as cheeky as his kiss.
“Was that too much?” he asked quietly, as if he genuinely worried I might cancel our date on the spot. I could only let out a soft laugh and shake my head.
“Not at all,” I murmured, trying to regain my composure.
“Good,” he said, satisfied, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow at three o'clock. I’m looking forward to it.”
I nodded, unable to say anything. My heart was still racing like crazy. As he turned and walked into the night, I stood for a moment under the light by my front door, watching him go.
While I had last seen Reita as a demon in a nightmare, that same guy had transformed into the craziest, most exciting dream I could ever imagine!