Chapter Text
Something was wrong.
On the surface, it seemed like a day that would be filled to the brim with mundanities, but that was a miscalculation, much to Teru's dismay. For once, he had been led to believe he'd have just one slightly ordinary day, a day where supernaturals weren't actively trying to ravage the students of Kamome Gakuen as the school gates had initially indicated, but as soon as he entered the student council room, he knew that wasn't the case.
Cold chills shot down his spine at the supernatural presence he could sense within the room. He was used to feeling weak presences, but this one was far stranger: powerful yet weak at the same time, fluctuating in an imbalance. It didn't make any sense. Not only that, but he couldn't see any supernaturals. Of course, Akane would be the closest to one, just with a giant asterisk bleeding out for attention. Besides, his supernatural presence was hardly all that noticeable, in fact, Teru had been lucky to have figured out what he is as quickly as he did.
Although, that wasn't important.
Cautiously, he walked over to the vice president, the supernatural stench only growing more intense as it burnt inside Teru's mind even further, causing him to subconsciously reach for the handle of his sword.
"Aoi." Barely even a whisper as he choked the name out, somehow paranoid, something he very rarely experienced — such a shame he couldn't have relished in the turmoil that ravaged his insides while the chance was there.
Not looking up from the paperwork he was stapling, Akane responded in the same below-whisper as he had been addressed in, "President."
"Do you sense that?"
"Sense what?" This managed to grasp the half-supernatural's attention, as he now put the paperwork on the table behind him and looked up to make eye contact with the exorcist.
"That."
"You don't make sense, has anyone told you that?"
Teru forced a laugh, a hollow chuckle that was just reflex to him now, "Oh, Aoi. Aren't supernaturals meant to be able to sense other supernaturals, or are you just stupid?"
"I'm still wearing my glasses, dipshit," He spoke as he slid the frames from his face, pausing to assess the room, before reaching to his pocket, "Besides, if anyone's stupid, it's you."
Click.
All the students came to a standstill: a still-life full of only the most irritating and monotonous duties.
"That's quite interesting coming from the one with the second place score in the final exams—"
"You have five minutes. Explain."
Despite the harrowing anxiety buried deep in the pit of his stomach, Teru managed to crack a laugh. A small one, but a genuine one nonetheless.
"Well, Aoi..."
"Minamoto-Kaichou, please get to the point."
The exorcist's smile faded slowly from his face as the sense of disquietude returned, and continued to trouble him as he considered his words, "There's a supernatural presence here."
"...I can't sense anything."
"Why aren't you looking at me in the eye, Aoi?"
Akane seemed to shudder at this question, and their eyes interlocked again, only no response was given.
"Aoi."
He put his hands up in resignation, "Listen, I don't know what you want me to do about it."
There were a millions words Teru could've uttered to wind him up, but he just couldn't bring himself to, "It's just... Strange." Now it was his turn to avoid eye contact.
"Um... I've been here since earlier this morning, and I haven't noticed anything. All the students in here are perfectly ordinary—" unlike us "—so... I don't know what you expect me to say."
He's being awfully hesitant, and the blond denotes this much, "I'll be back, I'm going to investigate it. Tell everyone I had to look for someone, you can plead ignorance as to who," Reaching for his bracelet, he had already begun to leave the room, despite time being in a stasis at that present moment.
"Wait—"
At the door, he paused, looking Akane in the eye, awaiting some kind of sarcastic remark...
...Only for him to suddenly stare at the ground, as if in resignation. "Nevermind."
Resignation of what...?
Such a question didn't matter now that he was out of Akane's field of vision.
The impending sense of dread dulled as he left the student council room, all because that supernatural stench had finally vanished.
So he was right, it was indeed within that very room.
It'd still be best to survey the school, he acknowledged, knowing full well the most likely culprit of that energy but... It just made no sense. None at all. Despite this incessance on ignoring his instinct, he knew deep down he was right.
Coming back to the student council room, he couldn't sense it at all. Perhaps it was pure delirium and his fears were just getting the best of him. Reading into people's behaviour usually leads to nothing, after all. It couldn't be a half-supernatural. What were the chances that he was just going somewhat insane? The lowest of the Clock Keepers was in the same room, so surely he was just imagining everything. That's right — it's unlike him to be so afraid. He just didn't get enough sleep last night, he did spend a long time on patrol so surely—
But the half-supernatural wasn't in the room.
Teru was right.
It was Akane.
Something was seriously wrong.
"But Mirai doesn't want Akane to die."
As he breathed in, his breath suddenly hitched at the cracking of the childlike supernatural's voice.
"Ojii-Chan, please tell me Akane's not gonna die..."
The highest of the Clock Keepers just stood, impassive and solemn. His expression seemed pained, somehow, at Mirai's pleas and the dire situation before the three of them.
Deep down, they all knew there wasn't a thing they could really do, so the silence continued to ring out through the innermost reaches.
After a long, tormentuous pause, finally something was said, "I'm sorry."
It sounded quite disturbing to Akane, hearing the old man apologise, completely unprovoked. It made sense as to why, but it simply felt so uncharacteristic, so he surmised that Mirai's soft sobs are what reached his conscience.
He knew all along that if he wasn't careful enough, he'd become fully supernatural. Kako had told him from the very start that the more he interacted with the supernatural, the more his time was modified, the more of his humanity would be torn away from him.
He brought this upon himself.
This was all his fault, and now, what exactly can he say for himself?
Life was something he always believed was worth absolutely everything, and now, he had become what he loathed the most: one of the inhuman sadists that didn't understand the value of a life at all.
And he brought it all upon himself.
Subconsciously taking his glasses off to wipe away the grime that had accumulated, he was greeted by the unfortunate sound of, "Hey, No. 1?"
As the memory of yesterday evening crossed his mind, he was abruptly ripped out of his thoughts by the last... Well, second-to last, person he wanted to see.
"What do you want." Accompanied with a huff, the question came out as more of a statement due to its rhetorical nature, and perhaps, in part, due to sheer annoyance.
The leader of the Seven Mysteries bobbed around in the air as he floated, grinning to himself as if amused by how irritated the half-supernatural before him was, "Well, y'know, you seemed like you were in a bad mood!!"
"I am because you're here."
As Hanako tried to reach his shoulder, he was swatted off as if he was a fly, something that was just a simple annoyance.
"How blunt!"
Akane sighed, wistfully in a way, before forcing his glasses back on so that he didn't have to speak to No. 7... All his face reminded him of was what he has now become. Something he wanted to avoid acknowledging. Of course, this did make Hanako frown at the rude gesture, ah, what a shame, just as he'd gone into the new building just to take a look, he'd already been brushed off by one of the few people who can actually see him, but it was nothing he wasn't used to. He just watched Akane continue walking down the corridor, shrugging at the Mokke that stared deep into his soul after the interaction.
If only his glasses could hide Teru from him too.
It wouldn't be too long until he figured out that Akane was the weak link — he wasn't an absolute moron. It would've been easier just to be honest, to laugh it off and say 'Well, y'know, we all die sometime but I was just unlucky enough to die before my contract expired, so...' then perhaps he wouldn't lose every ounce of respect the president once had for him, but it was all too late now. By the time he's confronted by him, it'll be over.
He really was a roach in human clothing by this point.
He had managed to time everything in flawless syncopation so that his human body was in a permanent stasis, so that he could at least pretend to be human. It wasn't fully clear if this helped him more than it hindered him...
'At least I can say goodbye to Ao-Chan,' was truly the only excuse he had, even if the truth was just 'I don't want to die. I don't want to be this. I want to have my humanity back. I don't care if it's all nothing more than a lie.'
Ever since the severance, Aoi could see supernaturals, that much was true, but he didn't want her to see him like this. Even if he lies to his beloved, beloved, Ao-Chan, it didn't matter.
He can't heal her hand if he has no human body, correct?
At least this body's time is paused, so that he can try to heal her before he can't anymore. At least there's still a vague hint of a chance.
Well, whatever. At the very least, he can still see the school festival, say his goodbyes, then finally accept what he has become.
'Shit,' Immediately crossed his mind at the realisation, pausing in his stride as a cold chill ran down his arm, 'I have to prepare equipment for the festival; Minamoto-Kaichou will definitely be in the student council room.'
Going there just wasn't an option, was it? He really had to avoid Teru as much as (in)humanly possible, if he ended up confronting him, he'd be exorcised. He didn't want to think about his death anymore, and he knew he'd make him face the cold, hard reality.
His legs won't move.
He seriously wasn't that scared, was he? Seriously...
"Good afternoon, Aoi."
Oh, fuck.
He'd run if his legs could just move, if they could just pick themselves up.
"Good afternoon, Pres."
He didn't once turn to face him, not wanting to look at those icy blue eyes, because he knew they'd be the last thing he'd ever see if he did, and that just won't do.
"Good to see you're doing well."
He could hear the malice in his voice, and it made him feel ill.
Click.
That was his only resort: cowardice.
The sounds of the clock ticking brought him such a disgusting sense of comfort, one he hated with every fibre of his being.
Once he turned to face the exorcist, he saw the lightlessness of his eyes, and a smile that didn't at all reach them. Somehow, he couldn't tear his gaze away from them, but once he did, he saw the stance at which he was poised: perfectly ready to strike with his sword, almost entirely encased in lightning.
Yeah, it really didn't take him all that long to figure out where that supernatural energy was coming from.
Akane couldn't even blame him, that was the worst part. He'd lied straight through his teeth, insisting that he couldn't sense any supernatural energy at all, despite knowing he was the root cause of that paranoia.
Now that he thinks about it, it was weird how the president was so offput and terrified by what he sensed. Of course, Akane was well aware that exorcists of the Minamoto family have a strong Sixth Sense, but Teru never once broke a sweat. Going to the far shore to save Aoi and Akane where plenty of ancient supernaturals resided? Perfectly fine. Feeding an entire group of four the hand of an Oni to become something 'not completely mortal'? No problem. Throwing himself in the way of his brother and taking a severe blow from Mystery no. 6? No big deal.
Why was he cracking so much because of one instance? He's sure the president could kill him in a matter of seconds, it's not like he'd even mind that much.
He stared at Teru, frozen in place. He really was an excellent exorcist, it's no wonder he's so renowned.
It's funny, he could stare at him all he likes, there's no limit now that he's no longer just a half-supernatural, not that Akane wanted to even think about that fact.
At long last, he finally tore himself away, running as fast as possible despite the lack of a time limit and lack of moving students.
He was lucky he wasn't bound to the school, just slightly unlucky that he had to exert more energy to keep his human form paused in time when he wasn't there, but of course that was irrelevant.
Only once he was in the comfort of his own room, so many dozens of minutes away from the school, did he resume time, knowing his parents weren't home.
He hated how much relief he felt at that, knowing nobody could question him there.