CHAPTER XXXIX
~Threads in the Web~
“WHY IS THERE A GRAVEYARD BEHIND THE SCHOOL?” she shouted, her voice almost lost in the roar of the rain.
Kaito reached out, grabbing her wrist with a firm desperation, refusing to let her slip away again. “Come on—we have to get out of here!” he shouted, tugging her toward the sloped path back to the main building. They plunged through the wet grass, shoes splattering mud and water, rain lashing at their faces.
As they ran, Kaito stole a panicked glance at her, his own breathing loud in the storm. “The graveyard isn’t behind the school—it’s outside the boundary! Our school…they built it right on top of the old cemetery. The graveyard’s just beyond the east wall!” His voice cracked with the strain, both from yelling above the storm and the stress pounding through his body.
They sprinted for the gates, Yuzuki’s mind reeling. Every step sent memories of spectral figures, incense smoke, and Mofumi’s enigmatic smile spinning through her thoughts. Behind them, the grave markers faded into the gray downpour, swallowed by shadow and rain.
“PU-HU-KAHHH!” Rin croaked, blood spurting from his mouth as he tumbled across the floorboards, limbs flopping like a broken ragdoll. The impact echoed along the Left Wing’s empty hallway. He lay sprawled on his back, splattered head-to-toe in drying and fresh blood—like some pint-sized punk at the world’s worst paintball match. His kendama’s ball, sticky with gore, dangled limply at his side.
Mofumi stretched and strutted closer, tail twitching. “Purrrrr~” he drawled, his feline eyes glinting as he circled the trembling boy. “Ahh~ I was wondering why the Nakime’s Shrine was so dead quiet this time, hardly any riddles to solve. I started suspecting something...Speculating, even. Looks like someone’s been playing hero and doing my job. Assassinating them, no less.”
Rin cracked a crooked, bloody smile, fangs flashing. “Heh. Buddy, you’re talking to a PRO here. Have you met these mitts? Oh wait, you haven’t—they’re not included in base package.” He waggled his little stubs where hands might have been, as if mocking the universe.
Before Mofumi could retort, a wild commotion tumbled from thin air: the Korobokkurus barreled in, collapsing atop Rin in a living tidal wave—a tower of squirming bodies almost five feet high. The pile jiggled and swayed as Rin disappeared beneath their giggling heap.
Mofumi’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “Ha! That’s a new look for you, Rin. Didn’t know you were auditioning for ‘World’s Largest Hit of Korobokkurus Parfait.’”
With a comedic splork, Rin popped his head from the side of the tower, spitting a Korobokkuru out of his mouth like a watermelon seed. “Bro, next time y’all try dogpiling me, wear deodorant. Some of y’all smell like expired soy sauce.”
Mofumi peered down, voice softer, yet cutting: “Be grateful for your tether. Without her, destroying their Shrine would’ve been impossible.”
Rin froze, mischief momentarily draining from his face. His gaze slipped sideways, jaw clenching. “Yeah… right.” Then he rolled his eyes with exaggerated drama. “Ugh, don’t get all sentimental on me, furball. Like, seriously, next you’ll say I owe her ten bucks and a therapy session.”
He flopped even further to the side, kicking a stray Korobokkuru off his leg for emphasis. “But since you’re serving tea tonight…Hisame, huh? That’s just one of the two freaky-ass spider monsters pullin’ the Nakimes’ strings here, no? Man, this whole thing’s waaay messier than some haunted shrine gig. Besides, you don’t wanna see her sibling—double the legs, double the drama. Arachnid mafia vibes, I swear.”
Mofumi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Yeahh~ I know. The spiders rule the crier’s den now. How AMBITIOUS.”
Rin stuck his tongue out. “It’s a promotion, man. Everybody wants to be a boss until it’s time to handle possessed weeping ladies. You try hosting a supernatural bake sale in that place. Spider drama everywhere. Who even names their spider squad after snowflakes? Like, come on, bro, ‘Hisame’? Sounds like a sad weather forecast, not some deadly overlord.”
Mofumi’s gaze remained steady and measured, his voice calm but edged with grim understanding. ”Names carry power, Rin. They reflect the essence and influence those beings hold over their domain. Hisame is no mere weather pattern; she is a force that weaves despair and control.”
Rin snorted, wiping blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Big bad spider lady weaving webs of doom and gloom. But, yo, guess what? You can’t keep these little Korobokkurus down forever.” He gestured flippantly as a Korobokkuru peeked from behind the tower, blinking. “They’re clingy little dudes, loyal to the last gooey leg.”
Mofumi took a slow step closer, his tone dropping with a hint of warning. “Loyalty is admirable, but blind devotion can be exploited. Those spiders twist their will into the Nakimes, manipulating them to climb the supernatural ranks. They threaten the delicate balance I was appointed to maintain.”
He grinned, winking up at Mofumi through a curtain of bloody bangs. “Sounds like a mess… but hey, isn’t chaos half the fun? Keeps things spicy. Anyway—wanna trade jobs? I get your nine lives, you take my unpaid overtime. Deal?”
Mofumi smirked, flicking his tail. “Hah. With your luck? I’d be out of lives in an hour.”
Rin threw his arms up—or what was left of them, letting the Korobokkurus finally pin him down with giggles and a victorious, “Game over, furball! The handless wins again!”
Mofumi’s chuckle rumbled as the corridor, for just a moment, felt lighter amid the ruin and madness.
Rin scoffed, a sly grin tugging at his lips despite his battered state. “Like, no cap, those spiders be puppeteering the whole shebang from the shadows. Major creeps, right? Though their names sounds more like a fancy sushi roll than an epic villain.”
Mofumi’s whiskers twitched thoughtfully as he nodded. “Indeed. Your survival here was lucky, but luck alone won’t unthread this mess. The Nakimes manipulate sorrow itself, turning it into a weapon to climb the supernatural hierarchy.”
Rin twisted slightly to toss another Korobokkuru casually into the air and catch it with his mouth. ”Luck’s my middle name, dude. Or it’d be if I had a middle name. But hey, big yikes only for them—I’m just out here making chaos look adorable. I mean, who even lets giant spiders run the show? Gross flex but okay.”
Mofumi’s eyes glinted with a cold seriousness. “That’s precisely why this must end. Hisame’s power allowed her to manipulate the sorrow that the Nakimes feed off. And! The Nakime Shrine’s decline wasn’t random at all. It was a calculated strike by them. Knowing that, there are deeper layers we’re yet to uncover.”
Rin pushed himself up on one elbow, smirking as he wiped the streak of blood on his cheek with a finger. “Depths, layers, mysterious strikes...sounds like you’re trying to sell me a season two of a horror show I didn’t sign up for. But okay, I’m hooked. What’s next? We storm the spider lair and throw a block party?”
Mofumi’s tail flicked, amused yet firm. “No, a necessary confrontation.”
Rin shrugged with exaggerated nonchalance. “Aha~ Bring it on. I’m basically the ghostbuster of spirit stuff now. Signed, sealed, delivered. Can’t wait to see those giant spiders get outplayed by lil’ old me. ’Cause when life gives you webs, you gotta swing through ’em like a boss."
Mofumi’s gaze softened, but his voice held weight as he concluded, “Prepare yourself, Rin. The next phase will test both strength and resolve. The spiders’ web is far larger than the shrine.”
Rin grinned wide, eyes glinting with playful defiance. “Bring it on. I’m like, the human glitch in their creepy spider matrix. Time to crash their party.”
Mofumi’s serious tone deepened. “This ‘tether’ of yours—your link—was a key to breaching their defenses. It’s a fragile gift, not to be squandered.”
Rin’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he plucked the bloodied Kendama ball from his hand, spinning it deftly on his finger. “Fragile? Nah, I’m just breaking in style. Ain’t no tether out there tighter than mine.”
“And how tight exactly?” Mofumi’s voice sliced through the heavy air, sharp as a blade, his eyes locking onto Rin’s with an unnerving intensity. “The stronger a spirit-born supernatural is, the faster your tether to her frays and breaks.”
{Interpretation: Mofumi is referring to Tsukihana Shigure as a “spirit-born supernatural,” recalling the time he and Yuzuki walked together in the schoolyard and when he confessed, asking Yuzuki to become his tether. There is a possibility that Shigure might soon attempt again to persuade Yuzuki to be his tether. Rin’s feelings of hurt and reluctance to stay unconnected with Yuzuki could put their tether at risk.}
Rin’s usual smirk faltered, replaced by a subtle frown of quiet irritation—his playful façade pierced for a moment. The words struck a raw nerve, unspoken fears clawing at his mind.
Mofumi continued with a weighty tone, each word deliberate. “If you truly want her to remain your tether, silence won’t solve the mystery. You must face reality, speak your truth. And who knows? Maybe amid this tangled web you’ve barely scratched the surface. There might be a far deeper case hidden beneath—one that changes everything.”
{Interpretation: If Rin remains silent and avoids communicating with Yuzuki, he may never learn about the difficulties she is facing at home. In the darkness of misunderstanding and distance, Yuzuki might break their tether under the influence of her mother, which could cause serious problems for Rin.}
Before Rin could respond, Mofumi’s form dissolved into a swirl of black mist, vanishing from sight, leaving only the faint scent of incense and shadows lingering behind.
Rin looked up at the silent corridor, confusion and curiosity flickering across his face. “Deeper case?” he muttered, the question hanging between him and the empty air as the chill of uncertainty crept in.
He flexed his bloodied stubs, the weight of the unknown settling heavily on his shoulders, yet beneath it all his mischievous grin began to resurface, ready to meet whatever darkness awaited ahead.
The door to Classroom 3-B slid open quietly as Yuzuki stepped in, now changed into her school uniform after the chaotic PE period. The room was already filled with students, everyone dutifully seated and waiting. Water leaked visibly through the classroom’s ceiling in several places, dribbling from the heavy rains outside down the window sills.
Yuzuki took the seat behind Reina, who immediately turned around, clutching Yuzuki’s hands with teary eyes. “Yuzuki-chan! Where have you been? I got so worried when Kaito-kun told me you weren’t with the other girls. I wanted to run with Kaito-kun to find you, but Ayaka-san grabbed me and pulled me back with the retreating crowd!” Reina’s voice trembled with concern.
Yuzuki opened her mouth to apologize, “I’m so sorry for making you worry, Reina-chan. I was—”
Before she could finish, the school’s PA system crackled loudly: “ALL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, PLEASE ASSEMBLE IN THE MULTIPURPOSE HALL DUE TO CLASSROOM LEAKAGE.”
The teacher promptly ordered the students to line up into two neat lines for evacuation.
Quickly thinking on her feet, Yuzuki completed her sentence with a nervous smile, “I lost my way near the gardening club! There were so many plants...though I think most of them died.”
Reina’s eyes lit up in recognition. “Ah! The gardening club! My friends said the pots there are arranged like a maze. It’s easy to get lost since it’s so big!”
“Yeah! Exactly!” Yuzuki replied, relieved her story was holding.
“But how did you end up on the opposite side of the school? We were legit on the other side of the gardening club house!” Reina pressed.
Momentarily caught off guard, Yuzuki stood and gently took Reina’s shoulders as they began walking in line like a train toward the multipurpose hall. With a small chuckle, she added, “Hehe! I found this little pure white cat. It was so pretty I decided to follow it, and that’s how I got lost in the gardening club!”
Reina’s eyes widened with delight and surprise. “Really? A cat on school grounds? And it’s pure white?? You know, I’m a cat lover! If you see it again, please show it to me!”
Yuzuki giggled, flashing a bright smile. “Yep! Definitely!” The two girls exchanged a warmth-filled glance as they joined their classmates walking toward the multipurpose hall amidst the chaotic corridors and relentless rain outside.
As Yuzuki gently dropped her arms from Reina’s shoulder, their playful laughter fading, she suddenly felt a small, unexpectedly firm grip on her left hand’s fingers. She glanced down, and there—just beside her—was Rin, holding her hand with his tiny right hand. The class was weaving tightly along the corridor, pressing close to the wall, making their movement feel almost like a slow, shifting stream.
What’s he doing here? Yuzuki wondered, her heart skipping a beat in surprise.
Rin’s black hood, usually drawn over his head, was now hanging loosely behind him, revealing his tousled hair. He wore his usual snug black outfit, now completed with tight black gloves fitting each tiny finger. When he noticed her gaze, he lifted his head and met her eyes—Yuzuki’s breath caught at the sight of two small black bandages crisscrossed over his right cheek.
Wh-why is he bandaged? Did he get hurt again? she thought, a ripple of concern washing over her.
Softly, she freed her left hand from his grasp and brushed her thumb across the bandages, feeling the gentle texture beneath her touch. But before she could linger, Rin deftly took hold of her fingers once more—with deliberate mischief in his grip—and pulled her hand right away from his cheek. Calmly, he entwined his fingers with two of hers as they descended the staircase together, moving steadily with the crowd.
Yuzuki darted her eyes quickly among the students: Kaito led the line far ahead—thankfully out of immediate sight, or else he might have noticed her contact with Rin. If he knew I could see Rin…The thought unnerved her, imagining Kaito’s reaction. Then, as her glance flicked back and forth, she spotted Ayaka nowhere nearby—a relief that let her relax a fraction.
To be Continued...
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