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Lately, there had been strange rumours. More than rumours, people claimed to have seen things that should not be seen, heard things that should not be heard, and that everything was true, no exaggerations. The Disciplinary Committee had had to deal with several of them - students that came around, looking uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed, but clearly needing to talk to someone in the hopes that something could be done about the whole thing. Hanzawa had decided that the matter needed to be investigated before being taken to the teachers, because strange apparitions and ghostly sounds could have any number of explanations. It didn't help matters that some students had started to whisper that the bathroom was haunted, that somehow, Hanako had moved into it... The third floor bathroom was off limits for students until explanations had been found, and who was the lucky person in charge of (and the only member of) the investigation?
Miyano sighed. He'd really been looking forward to going home as soon as classes were done and be able to read for a bit before taking care of his homework. But here he was, still at school... A very big, empty school with hallways where his every footstep seemed to echo between the walls, and innumerable closed doors behind which lurked... Miyano shook his head to stop the invasive thoughts. There was nothing lurking in the classrooms! All the students had gone home, the clubs were closed and locked up for the day, and even all the teachers had left. There was only Miyano, the borrowed keys in his hand... and the unfamiliar silence.
He knew he shouldn't feel uneasy. The school wasn't really any different from any other time of the day; the rooms were the same, the corridors, the stairs, the roof, the school yard... It was all the same in the evening as it was during the day. The only difference was that it was empty, apart from Miyano. And hopefully no one else... Perhaps that was it? Miyano knew he should be the only one, but what if he heard something, like some of the rumours had it - a knocking sound, a scraping... Or even worse, what if he saw someone... or something?
Miyano stopped as he was about to walk up the stairs to the third floor and took a deep breath. If he did hear something, or saw someone, well, then that was proof that someone other than him was inside the school. Perhaps an especially lovesick student had a girlfriend that was going through a tough time and had run away from home, so they'd hidden her somewhere in the school? It was the only explanation that would make sense, and the best one they'd come up with at the Disciplinary Committee.
Because ghosts weren't real, were they?
"Mya-chan?"
"AAAH!" Miyano spun around as he heard the voice behind him, so fast that he lost his balance and would have fallen if he hadn't been caught in a pair of strong arms. It took him a second before he realized, with a great deal of relief, that the arms belonged to his boyfriend. "Sasaki-senpai? What are you doing here?"
"I came to see if you're all right. Clearly, I should have called out much earlier. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Sasaki smiled at him, and Miyano's heart settled back into his chest again.
"I'm not scared." Miyano smiled back. "You just startled me."
"Mmhmm, yes."
Miyano stretched up to press a small kiss to Sasaki's cheek. "I'm glad you're here though. But, how did you know I was still here this late?"
"Hirano mentioned Hanzawa had said he'd sent you out to investigate the ghost rumour. It sounded a little spooky, so I wanted to see if I could help."
"It's not a ghost."
"Are you sure?" Sasaki looked a little sceptical. "I mean, do you have any proof?"
Miyano thought for a few moments, going over the various reports in his head. "No... not really." There had been several inconsistencies, sure, but not really anything that he could say definitely pointed to an intruder or hidden homeless person. "But how do you prove or disprove ghosts anyway?"
"That's why they're so mysterious." Sasaki raised his hands and wiggled his fingers, making Miyano laugh.
"All you need now is the flashlight under your chin."
"I knew there was something I forgot."
"Don't worry," Miyano said. "I have a flashlight. Just in case."
"Mm, so you have all the ghost hunting equipment one could ever need." Miyano wasn't sure if Sasaki was being sarcastic, but for a fleeting moment, he wondered if a flashlight really was enough.
They started up the stairs to the third floor, where all the reported encounters had taken place, so far. "I don't know, Sasaki-senpai. Isn't there more you need to hunt for ghosts?" Miyano said, doubt still niggling at him. "Anyway, Hanzawa said to look for evidence of a lurker, or a stowaway..."
"Aren't stowaways on ships?"
"Well... someone hidden then." Miyano opened the door to a cleaning closet at the top of the stairs. It was empty, much to his relief. What if the hidden person was violent? Hanzawa had apparently not thought about that!
"So where are people seeing this ghost?" Sasaki looked down the corridor, first to the right, then the left.
"Third floor bathroom. Mostly in one of the stalls... and in the mirror, like someone is standing behind them, and then when they turn around, there's no one there."
Sasaki gave Miyano a worried look. "I'm not sure about this, Mya-chan..."
"Do you believe in ghosts? I think there has to be a girl hidden somewhere... or a cat. One person said they'd heard like an inhuman screeching... Maybe people get so afraid in the moment that they mistake a cat for a ghost?"
"I don't know if I believe or not, but I don't think it's a cat..."
They walked slowly down the corridor, past several closed doors, leading to classrooms. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickered a few times, then dimmed slightly, while they also emitted a buzzing noise. Then they flickered again, once, twice... before Miyano and Sasaki were plummeted into darkness. The moon shone in through the windows, dimly illuminating the corridor and turning the boys' shadows into elongated, distorted shapes on the walls. Miyano was very grateful for Sasaki's steadying hand at the small of his back.
He fumbled a moment to find the switch on the flashlight, and breathed a sigh of relief when the bright beam of light came to life. "Whoa... that startled me... I have to remember to report that the lights are out..."
"It might just be a power cut."
"Yeah..." Miyano looked out the window. "But then it's only in this building... Anyway, I think it's over here." He pointed to the door at the end of the corridor.
They crept up to the door - no need to hurry, after all - and Sasaki pushed the door to the bathroom open so that Miyano could shine his light into it. It was empty. A row of toilet stalls along one wall, and opposite them, a row of sinks with mirrors above them. It smelled faintly of disinfectant and soap; proof that it had been cleaned earlier that day. Miyano didn't think it looked suspicious in any way.
"Hello? Anyone here?" He stepped inside, Sasaki close behind, and carefully pushed the door to the closest stall open to see if anyone was hiding in there. There was nothing but a lonely toilet. Next stall, the same.
"I don't think anyone's here, Mya-chan." Sasaki turned around, scanning the bathroom.
That's when they heard it. A faint scraping sound. Like sharp nails... or claws... on a hard surface.
"H-hello?" Miyano's voice cracked slightly.
H--e--llo...., came an eerie voice, a whisper, that just might have been the wind outside playing with the ventilation. Then the strange scraping sound again, and Miyano's blood froze to ice as he saw something in the mirror, something behind him...
"S-senpai!"
Sasaki looked at him, then into the mirror that Miyano was staring at. Long grey fingers curled around the edge of the door behind them, more shadows than physical shapes... the nails were long, cracked, like they'd been digging through dirt for years... A round, pale face peeked around the door with eyes like dead, empty holes...
"Mya-chan!" Sasaki grabbed Miyano and pulled him out of the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind them, then took his hand as they sprinted down the corridor to the stairs and onwards... He didn't let go of Miyano's hand until they were standing outside the main entrance of the building, hearts racing and both of them panting.
They looked at each other, and Miyano wondered if his own facial expression was anything like Sasaki's - pale, wide-eyed... scared.
"That was no cat," Sasaki said when he'd caught his breath. "I'm not good at fighting under ordinary circumstances, and when it comes to ghosts, I'm even worse, so I thought it better that we run. And if that was a homeless person, I think the school should call the police to let them take care of it."
Miyano nodded.
"Hey, Mya-chan, I'll walk you home tonight."
Miyano locked the front door to the school, keys jingling in his trembling hands, and nodded. "Thanks." They didn't speak much on the train ride, nor on the short walk from the station to Miyano's house.
Outside the gate, Sasaki hugged Miyano close. "I'll have words with Hanzawa. It's not right to send you out alone like this."
"It's not his fault." Miyano looked up at Sasaki and smiled. He felt better already. "Text me when you get home safely?"
"I promise." Sasaki smiled and kissed him softly. "And this weekend, I'm taking you out to do something fun. Like the aquarium or something."
"No horror movies?" Miyano couldn't help but joke, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"No! I'll probably watch a hundred videos with adorable cats, dogs, otters, and whatever for days after this!"
"Well, at least I know to never go to that third floor bathroom, no matter how much I need to go." Miyano tried to keep the light tone, but he knew that there was no way he'd ever stay in school that late ever again...
Next time they had ghost rumours, someone else would have to volunteer.