The Demon [A JSHK Fanfiction]

Chapter 14

"Were you the one who hurt Ao-chan?" He asked, his voice a sickly sweet that matched his equally sweet smile. But there was something wrong with it. It was unnerving her. Her body lightly shook in fear.

"I-It was unintentional, I swear!" She defended herself, stuttering. The boy, Akane, looked around. His gaze returned to her, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"You're lucky," he spoke lowly, his smile darkened. "Guess I'll have to take care of you later."

Akane left the girl, his gaze trained on the girl from earlier. She let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding, collapsing onto the dusty floor. She placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm herself.

———

She stepped out of the room once she found nothing out of place. As she slid the door open, the sound was accompanied by the shattering glass. She flinched at the sound, and she held in the yelp she was about to release as she saw the group.

She stepped beside them, trying to hide herself. She couldn't face them yet, even after the encounter with Nene. She felt bad for leaving them alone for weeks.

She watched as the girl, Aoi, and Akane interacted with them. She looked down, seeing a large piece of glass at her feet. She crouched down, examining the broken glass.

She took the glass and pocketed it, looking up again and witnessing something strange. Hanako was entering Nene's body.

She watched with her brows furrowed, she didn't know what happened. She worriedly approached them, glancing at the redhead briefly.

"A-Are you alright?" She asked. She placed a gentle hand on the recovering Nene. She looked around, feeling a presence nearby.

As she felt her hand drop down, she saw the poor girl's soul hanging above. She gently smiled at Nene and offered her hand. Confused and scared, Nene reached for her hand.

"Don't be afraid, Nene," she softly mumbled. Nene looked at her in confusion.

"I-I'm see-through now, d-does that mean I'm—?" Nene's question was cut off by Kou's voice.

"S-Senpai?!" He exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief. "That little... he possessed your body, didn't he?"

"Kou-kun!" Nene called, eyes welled with tears. She watched as Kou reached a hand for her, letting go of her hold in the process. She smiled at the two's adorable moment.

"Alright, alright," she interrupted, earning the two's attention. She looked at them and a sheepish smile appeared on her face. "Can you two tell me what's happening?"

"Oh, come on, you two. It's me, Izumi!" The demon smiled widely, gesturing to herself. But the two looked at her with suspicion, making her sigh. "Izumi, your orange haired demon friend?"

"I-Izumi-chan?" Nene floated closer, earning a yell if protest from Kou. Izumi smiled widely, nodding happily.

"The one and only." Izumi's short hair suddenly grew longer, turning orange in the process. The two watched in awe as they witnessed the bizarre thing. "Now, tell me, what's happening?"

"E-Everyone's turning old!" Kou spoke. "And Hanako said it's the work of a supernatural—"

Kou's explanation was interrupted by a certain redhead's scream. They all turned to him, shocked by his outburst. Izumi's eyes slightly narrowed at him, warily watching him.

Akane approached the two girls, pushing Nene's possessed body away from the other girl. He pulled Hanako with him as be took off, screaming in the process.

"Hurry, after him!" Izumi slightly pushed the two to follow after Akane, the urgency in her voice got the two going. Her hair returning to her short brown one, getting annoyed by her hair whipping her in her face.

As they had ascended the rooftop, Nene tiredly panted. "E-Even without my body, I get tired running at full speed."

"Oh, Yashiro, yoo-hoo!" Hanako greeted, turning to them with a small wave. Izumi patted Nene's back, smiling sympathetically.

"You idiot, give senpai her body back, now!" Kou demanded, glaring at Hanako.

"First, what should I do with this?" Hanako asked, whispering to the three, his finger pointing towards the direction of Akane. Izumi hid behind Kou as she saw him.

"He gives me the chills," Izumi remarked from behind Kou. Akane was muttering to himself, crouched down. He was clutching the railings of the bridge that connects to the other part of the roof.

"Um, who is he again? And who's that girl with you?" Hanako asked.

"That's..." Nene spoke up. "Aoi Akane-kun!"

"He's my classmate and an old friend of Aoi-chan's," Nene explained. "Normally, he's mature and hardworking. He's kind and friendly to everyone he meets, no exceptions. Everyone in class relies on him, too."

"But," Nene's expression shifted as she looked away. "He's had a crush on Aoi-chan ever since they were little. And whenever she's involved, his screws get just a little loose."

"Yeah, no kidding," Izumi commented, a frightened expression on her face as she remembered the encounter earlier.

"I've heard about him from my brother." Kou spoke up, recognition in his visage. As he went on about what his brother told him, Izumi turned to Hanako.

"And as for me..." Izumi smiled at him, scratching her cheeks. "I'm the school's rumoured demon, Izumi."

Hanako looked at Izumi with curiosity. He looked at her with his wide curious eyes. "How did you— ack!"

A baseball bat swung towards Hanako, aiming for his head. He was lucky to have avoided the hit. Izumi slightly recoiled at the damage the wall took. Who knew the skinny redhead was that strong?

"What exactly were you doing there," Akane loomed over Hanako, his piercing glare washed the color away from his face. His knees were in his chest as he watched up in fear. "Yashiro-san?"

"Um, I— uh, I was just— you know," Hanako stuttered, struggling to think of a good reason. His face lit up as he managed to pull one. "Oh! Come to think of it, I happened to cop a feel a few minutes ago."

"...And she's actually pretty flat," Hanako stated. His brows were furled as his hands gestured her size. "There's like, this much."

There was a few moments of silence, and the three were waiting for what would happen next. A harsh slap seemed to wake them up from their own thoughts.

"Girl or not, you'll pay for that!" Akane yelled out in anger. "Grit your teeth!"

"But why?!" Hanako shrieked, holding his cheek where Akane's hand had landed.

"You even have to ask?!" Kou and Nene screeched out in unison. Izumi watched, recoiling in utter shock. And then, the redhead turned to her.

"And you!" He pointed at her, earning a gulp from Izumi. "How dare you hurt her!"

Izumi's eyes were fixated on the bat that Akane had raised up on his head. She gulped in fear, knowing what was bound to happen. And so, she shut her eyes tightly.