you tried to drag Akane away from the spot that Aoi was taken from, but he wouldn't budge, "C'MON!"

"NO–" he tries to pull his hand away from your death grip– "WAY! NEVER!!!"

You held your place as Akane tried to go in the opposite direction of where you wanted. Still holding his hand, you almost fell as you pulled his arm again, but other than that, neither of you would budge. The two of you argued, and argued, and argued.

What had happened was that Aoi had been kidnapped and Akane felt like he was about to throw a tantrum. You, on the other hand, wanted to ask Hanako for help, but–

"You may like no. 7, who is dead, " Akane roughly pulled his hand away from your grip, "But I don't trust him. If it was L/N-san, he would help, but I don't think that no. 7 would even move to help Ao-chan."

He then began to walk away, throwing his left hand up in the air, a gesture of goodbye, "So that's why I will go find Ao by myself."

Your forehead irked and you quickly reached out and grabbed his hand – that was still in the air, "As I said…" you looked down, a shadow cast over your face, before you kicked him harshly on the side of his torso, "... IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO BY YOURSELF, IDIOT!"

Akane became even angrier by the second. He grabbed you harshly by the shirt, pulling you forward so your faces were almost touching, "AHHH! COME ON! YOU'RE SO PERSISTENT!"

You then smirked and was about to say something stupid, but was silenced by a person – no, more like a ghost – walking past the two of you. It was muttering something, floating towards an open door at the end of the hallway. It was a figure of a woman. Her body was see-through and the clothes on her were traditional ones, and a bow was placed on the back of her head. She picked up the basket that Aoi dropped and floated towards a door.

"...This way," she said and brought the basket up and in front of her, "I'll take you to that child." She walked into the door.

Akane had let go of your shirt and the two of you were now staring absentmindedly at the door, then looking at one another.

"Wait!" You sprinted after the ghost and into the opened door. Akane dead panned at your stupidity.

"HEY! WAIT!" He jogged after you, "WAIT, L/N-SAN!"

"Eh?"

The two of you were standing inside an elevator, Aoi's basket in front of your feet. Akane looked around, "Looks like an elevator. Let's go back, we need to help Ao-chan–"

"Going down.."

"What the fuck did you do this time, Aka-kun!?"

"It's not me, you moron! The elevator is moving on its own!" Akane then tried to press the buttons, but the elevator wouldn't stop. Then the door opened, and in stepped a bunch of small supernaturals, together with a big one. Luckily for you, they stepped off not soon after. The more the elevator stopped, the more supernaturals the two of you encountered. At the end, you fell to the floor, looking as dead as a corpse.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" you muttered under your breath, scolding yourself for being dumb enough to trust a random ghost.

"This is all L/N-san's fault, following a strange ghost." Akane said as he looked at you with a sour expression, holding his legs to his chest as he sat a bit away from you.

Your face flushed and tears began to well up in your eyes, before you completely broke.

"WAHHH!!!" You clung to Akane's clothes, crying, "I'M SORRY, AKA-KUN!"

Akane looked at you with a disgusted face, before he tried to pry you off him, "GET OFF OF ME, YOU COW!"

"EH?! I'M NOT A FUCKING COW, YOU CARROT!!"

"I'M NOT A CARROT!!" he yelled as he stood up, but you still clung to his shirt like your life depended on it. Your tears were replaced with anger as you began to roughly shake him back and forth. "AND STOP SHAKING ME!"

You were about to say something when a familiar voice started to speak, "Ah– test, test?"

You blinked and let go of Akane, walking up to the speaker that was on the wall next to the two of you. "This is an emergency call centre. Customers in the elevator, can you hear?"

"This voice…" you gasped, 'Hanako!'

You heard a small chuckle on the other side, before the voice responded, confirming your suspicions, "What are you doing at such a place, Y/N?"

You began to hug the speaker and silently cried to yourself, "I'M SAVED!"

"Oh? And no. 1 is also there…" Hanako said, "... possibly being unfaithful?"

Akane raised a fist and looked at you with a closed-eyed smile, "I'll break this speaker."

"CALM YOUR ASS, AKA-KUN!" You took his fist and yanked him away from the speaker, "Hanako-kun is just joking!"

Hanako laughed, "All right, I know the situation. That girl… What did you say, Aoi-chan? She's been taken, right? By no. 6."

"... It seems like you're very familiar with the details, no. 7." Akane said, brows furrowed and eyes set on the speaker in front of the two of you.

"Well~" the ghost smirked, "I was just having a meeting about it right now."

Akane huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Then I'll ask, who was that strange mystery that took Ao-chan? What does he intend to do?"

"That's… a secret!"

"WHAT?!"

"Now, let's think about ourselves. This is a gap between the near shore and far shore. A place that is nowhere, where you can go anywhere. If you act carelessly, you will be farther from helping Aoi-chan. You will end up wandering in a place that is nowhere forever. "

"Hey, Hanako-kun…" you began as you held Aoi's basket to your chest, "if we could go anywhere… could we find Aoi by using the elevator?"

"That is… probably impossible, but…"

It was quiet for a bit before Akane spoke up, "...no.7, can you operate the elevator?"

"Well, yes… I could do it if I came there?" He said, sounding unsure of his words.

"Then, if you–" you began, but Hanako cut in.

"But it's no good…"

You huffed, "Why?"

"Well, if Y/N is helping people, then… Ah… but that's right, Akane-kun is the one who wants to go to Aoi-chan. I'm an apparatus, so," the ghost smiled, "I could take you to the sixth's place, but… What should I do~ It's a little bothersome."

"Hanako-kun!" You scolded.

"All right, all right, how about this?" Hanako snapped his fingers, still smiling, "if no. 1 is going to do what I say, no matter what it is, I'll go over there and help you."

"I do what you…?"

"So that, I'll definitely do it! I swear."

"What are you planning to do, no. 7?" Akane asked.

"Isn't anything fine to help Aoi-chan?" Hanako then closed his eyes while crossing his elgs, holding the telephone up to his ear, "I am Hanako-san so I will grant wishes for a price!" He opened his eyes, a small smirk creeping up in the corners of his mouth, "What will you do, no. 1? Will you ask me for a "wish"?"

It was silent.

"...Hah.." Akane dryly laughed, "A wish? Me to you?" He laughed even more, "do you understand the situation properly, no. 7?"

"What do you mean?" Hqnako asked with furrowed brows, not understanding what the redhead ment by that.

"You must be stupid." Akane brought out his clock, and it swung over his finger, "I mean.." he held his pointer finger up to your head, his hand positioned like a gun. He sweat dropped as he held his arm around your neck, "I mean there is a hostage right here!"

Hanako tensed up.

'Hostage?' you looked back at Akane, "What do you–"

"Just play along." He said quietly.

"No. 1–"

"You know well, no. 7, I can do anything to help Ao-chan. I will have you cooperate quietly."

"...Are you threatening me?" Hanako scoffed, "it's useless."

"...How about…" Akane whispered something to you that couldn't be picked up by the speaker.

"Eh? Wait what? No way!" You protested.

Hanako looked at the telephone with wide eyes, a sweat drop rolling down his cheek, "Ehh, no. 1? What are you doing…"

"Actually, the other day I learned from president Minamoto…" Akane brought your face close to his, "there are various types of threats, honorable no. 7."

Hanako stared into nothingness, his eyes as wide as they could be and he was sweating profusely.

You began to have a serious debate within you. First, you were seriously about to laugh in Akane's face, and second, you didn't know if you should play along or not. But, deciding that you should just play along, you smirked.

"W-wait!" You tried to sound as convincing as possible as you held your laugh, Akane continuing to lean in, his lips almost touching yours, "Hanako-kun!!"

Hanako-kun's hakujoudai popped up and after came Hanako. He stood in-between you and Akane, holding both of your lower faces in his hands, and pushed you away from one another. Hanako hugged you tightly, a blush spreading across his cheeks, "...That was unfair."

Akane brought his hands up and poked his tongue out, "Whatever."

"Now that we have joined forces.." Akane took Hanako by the neck of his shirt, pulling him into the air, "I ask you to guide us to that strange mystery, honorable no. 7!"

"This is the second time a student council member tried to kiss me.."

"WHAT?!"