"𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍, 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍..."

6. - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 4 𝐎'𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐘

'Mystery Number 5...'

'If I could find Hanako-chan's book then I would read it...'

'But I don't know if I would want to go by myself...'

'So...'

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"Yeah, no thanks," Mitsuba said with a laugh, dismissing Amane's request. "As if I would go with you!" he scoffed.

"Come on! I need someone to accompany me!" Amane protested in response, feeling desperate. "What if a supernatural attacks me??" he continued, anxious at the thought of facing a dangerous creature alone. "Well you can deal with it yourself!" Mitsuba said, crossing his arms and standing his ground.

"You're an exorcist for a reason, Mitsuba-san!" Amane responded, his determination undaunted as he grabbed hold of Mitsuba's hand and dragged him along, "C'mon, let's go!" He continued, his steps quickening as he pulled them towards the fifth wonder of the Seven wonders, feeling hopeful that they would make it there safely.

———

Both Mitsuba and Amane were now inside the school's library, looking through the endless bookshelves lining the walls. The library was almost deathly silent, and the only sound came from the pages of the books rustling as they were turned. Amane turned to Mitsuba, saying, "Sorry for dragging you along. I just wanted some company, that's all."

"Whatever." Mitsuba said, his tone showing his disinterest and exasperation. "I'm going to look for her book myself," he said, not leaving any room for further conversation.

"Really, Mitsuba-san, you're still hung up on exorcising Hanako-Chan?" Amane asked, feeling frustrated and confused by Mitsuba's stubbornness on the matter. "You do realize that not all apparitions are bad, right?"

"Yeah, well..." Mitsuba remembered Teru telling him there are no good apparitions, but he hesitated. "I-I realized I don't actually know the first thing about her," he admitted. "I'll just take a look at her book, just to see what I'm up against."

'I guess we both want to learn more about Hanako-chan....'

As Amane and Mitsuba searched through the endless bookshelves, they suddenly noticed a beautiful butterfly fluttering its wings nearby. The butterfly then landed gracefully on a certain book, which immediately caught their eye. Amane reached for the butterfly to examine it more closely, but then a sudden and massive explosion of dust erupted from the landing book, filling the air with a thick cloud of particles.

As the dust began to settle, Amane and Mitsuba both coughed and noticed that a door appeared in front of them.

'Could this be the 4'O clock library?'

With slight hesitation, Amane opened the door and stepped inside.

In front of them was a long, dimly-lit hallway with a domed ceiling, lanterns, and a multitude of cobwebs. Amane gasped in awe as he took in the surroundings around him, his eyes filled with wonder at the sight of the eerie yet beautiful library. Mitsuba, standing behind him, also took a step inside.