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"Y/N-Chan! Thank you for letting me borrow the rest of your candy. You must have a sweet tooth if you carry so much around."

Looking up from your book, you hum in agreement. Thanks to You and Yashiro's help, you've successfully been able to change the rumor about Yousei-san.

"I wouldn't call it a sweet tooth... I just have friends who take candy as offerings!"

You, Yashiro, and Hanako were spending the afternoon on the school rooftop. Yashiro talked to Hanako about her fantasies of her dream man falling from the sky while you studied the clouds in the sky.

"I wish a hot guy would fall from the sky..."

You and Hanako both turned to her, your face was a bit more confused while Hanako's face was unreadable.

"Yashiro..."

"I'm not serious. I can tell the difference between reality and fiction."

"Actually..." You spoke up, pointing towards the blue sky.

"I've seen good looking guys fall from the sky all the time. Sometimes they even land in my house!"

The other two deadpanned, they couldn't tell if you were being serious or not. But what you said was true, sometimes spirits will get lost and fall through the roof of your house. Most of the time they're young boys.

"Plus, we already know of apparitions and things like that. So I don't think that it isn't possible.."

"Ah! Y/N-Chan! You're right! Something like a special encounter wouldn't be out of the ordinary."

You leave the two to chat about Yashiro's daydream and turn back the clouds.

I feel another soul lurking... I think it's a human soul. But their spiritual power is pretty strong.

I wonder what they could be...

"I've finally found you, evil spirit!"

You look up to find a blond-haired boy, you couldn't see him too well due to the light but he looked to be holding an... Umbrella? He stood on top of the higher roof, then jumped down dramatically.

"I'm Kamome Academy Junior High, third year... Minamoto Kou. Remember that on your way to the underworld!"

You place your finger on your chin in thought as you analyze the boy. You've never felt spirit energy quite like his. It was intriguing to you.

You gently tap Hanako's shoulder, curiosity prominent in your eyes.

"Hanako-Kun, do you know him? His spirit energy is different from other humans..."

"We've never met in person, but he must be a member of the Minamoto clan."

"Minamoto-clan?" Yashiro chimes in, looking equally as curious as you.

"Yes, back when the darkness of night was fad deeper than it is now, we apparitions used to be called youkai. We were way stronger than we are now."

"The youkai were dispelled by the brilliant exorcist Minamoto no Yorimitsu, this boy's ancestor."

You turn to the blond-haired boy, eyes twinkling with astonishment. You've never met an exorcist before, you've only read books about them.

"That's right! I see you know your stuff."

He points his weapon at Hanako, you can now assume that what he's holding must be the tool he exorcises spirits with.

"To protect people from wicked apparitions, That's a Minamoto man's job!"

"So, I'm gonna exorcise you!"

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You watch in fear as Kou strikes Hanako with his weapon. At first, you think it did nothing, but then a bright shock rings out and Hanako falls to the floor.

"This is the Raiteijou, an exorcism tool passed down in the Minamoto clan for generations!"

"It's a sacred staff that transforms its wielder's spiritual power into demon slaying lightning! You'd have to be a real moron to touch it directly!"

"This is the end!"

He prepares his staff for the final blow on Hanako, but you and Yashiro were not about to let him hurt your friend.

Jumping in front of the boy, you block him off from getting a clear shot on Hanako. He nearly falls over from the surprising interference.

"Moron! You shouldn't butt in... Like...that."

His anger slowly dissipates when he gets a good look at you, his flushed face from anger dies down into a subtle think on his cheeks.

"U-um, who are you?"

"Y/N L/N, first-year high-schooler!"

Yashiro steps out from behind you, equally as angry and protective.

"And I'm Yashiro Nene, also a first-year high schooler!"

"We're Hanako-Kun's friends and I'm his assistant!"

"If you keep being mean to Hanako-Kun, I'm going to get mad!"

You nodded, trying your best to look menacing but hat only made him blush more.

"Huh? But he's a super, ultra evil apparition... So, umm, I have to exorcise him for the sake of the school and..."

"Hanako-Kun isn't a bad apparition. I would know otherwise!" You swiftly cut him off.

"Mhm! And he even saved me!"

Kou jumps towards Yashiro and grabs her by her arms.

"Th-That's bull-- nonsense!"

"He's not just any apparition. Hanako-san of the bathroom is a super, ultra wicked evil spirit. My grandmother only barely managed to seal him away!"

"Plus, he uses a kitchen knife as a weapon. That's proof that he used it as a murder weapon when he was alive. He took someone's life with that knife!"

Your eyes drifted to your feet, you creased your eyebrows in thought as you tried to process his words.

I know that already... But...

You turn to look at the dazed apparition on the ground. Your eyes filled with pity when you thought back to the day you mentioned his past.

He's trying so hard to redeem himself... Yet, this exorcist is trying to take that away from him.

"That can't be..." Yashiro spoke, looking a bit more unsure of Hanako.

"You're being tricked, senpai! You can't trust him! I'm sure he's just--"

Kou's words are cut short, by a familiar kitchen knife. You knew exactly who's knife it was.

"The cats out of the bag now..."

Kou quickly jumps back from the knife to his neck gripping his staff in his hand. Hanako jumps back as well, leaving both you and Yashiro in the middle.

"Man... I wanted to keep it a secret for a while longer. But I guess it's not much of a secret if more than one person knows."

"Come, Haku-joudai." One of his Haku-joudai glides around his arm, lengthening itself as it circled his body.

"It is true that I killed someone. But God told me... That if I could fulfill this role, my sins would be absolved."

You protectively stand in front of Yashiro, unable to read the emotions of Hanako's soul, you needed to make sure your friend is safe.

Hanako's outfit has changed, it looked similar to the one he more before. So you could only guess that this was his true apparition form.

"I can't let myself get exorcised. Sorry about that."

"I've got no clue what you're talking about."

Hanako floats up above Kou and glides away. Kou notices this and instantly chases after him.

You and Yashiro watched as the two boys battled. In the end, Hanako manages to one-up Kou and gets on top of him.

He raises his knife above his head, and for a second you think the worst will happen. He instead he flicks his head and smiles.

"I win."

Hanako takes the staff and places a white seal on it, similar to the one on his right cheek.

You let out the air you didn't notice you were holding in and smile. You've been on edge since you lost sense of Hanako's spiritual emotion. But it flows back to you, like a flickering light that sometimes burns out.

"Don't worry. You'll be a great exorcist one day. Good enough that exercising me would be a snap."

"I've got high hopes for you." Hanako speaks calmly towards Kou, causing him to let his guard down.

Hanako takes this chance to punch Kou hard in the stomach, Kou falls to the ground, mumbling something before passing out from the pain.

"Winner! Yay!"

Yashiro rushes to the fallen boy's side, you turn towards your belongings and begin to collect your things.

"Will he be alright?" Yashiro asked,

"He's tough, I'm sure he'll be okay."

Yashiro turns to you, noticing how quiet you've been. She watches you as you meticulously place your bento box in your bag.

"Y/N-Chan..."

You turn around with a hum but instantly feel the warmth of your friend's hands on yours.

"Please don't think of Hanako-Kun any differently! He's still our friend despite what he did."

You're eyes widen in surprise from her out of the blue statement. But you smile and nod your head.

"I know! I'm not worried about that..."

She lets go of your hands and watches you grab your bag. Your eyes meet Hanako's and you smile warmly at him.

"I just need some time to think about somethings... I'll see you two tomorrow!"

You wave at them briefly and take your leave, disappearing into the staircase.

Yashiro and Hanako watch you leave, they both seem confused about the way you were acting.

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