The ghost of Onmyou appears. 'Don’t run to the light, Kurihara!’

The eerie stillness of the living room enveloped Kate as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings, as the morning light filtered through the kitchen windows. She approached the old furniture, remarking.

‘Well, it’s quite neglected.’ Glancing down the hallway leading to the changing rooms upon hearing a sound, she called out, ‘Sakai? Is that you?’ As she walked, the temperature suddenly dropped, causing her to rub her arms and her face to turn red. ‘Damn, it feels like I’m in a freezer,’ she rubbed her shoulders, trying to warm herself, glancing at the backdoor. ‘Come on, Sakai, don’t hide from me! Stop playing games!’ Haru’s shout reached her.

‘Aki, be careful!’ Kate wondered and stopped in the hallway.

‘No way I’m gonna be fooled.’ Aki’s sentence was cut off, and distant screams, followed by a loud crash, shattered the silence. Haruna’s voice came again.

‘Aki!’ Kate’s voice rose. She was a little startled.

‘Hey, you two! Stop, you hear me! I will not fall for your stupid antics!’ Kate snorted before reflecting. ‘They want to scare you. It’s alright, the three of them are probably in cahoots. It’s a revenge scheme by the twins for constantly teasing them, and Sakai must be the one behind it all. Despite my warning that this place could crumple, she still opted to come in. And now, those two who never keep quiet, they suddenly shut up. It’s just a stupid act…’ The door to the dressing room, connecting to the thermal baths, opened but, it was a noise from the second floor snared her focus. ‘He- Hello?’ Her body quivering in fear, she faced the stairs, striving to appear confident. ‘Sakai, stop wasting time. You won’t scare me.’ A muffled scream escaped her when she heard the sliding door behind her. ‘Calm down, Kate Kurihara. Ghosts don’t exist, it’s all nonsense, don’t let them humiliated you…’ She could hear the creaking of the steps. ‘Okay, we’ve all had our fun, now…!’ Something tugged at her skirt, making her freeze. Masami’s voice came from the stairs.

‘Kurihara? Weren’t you supposed to stay outside and keep watch?’ She kept descending, and the stairs creaked with each step. Kate felt another tug at her skirt, but she didn’t see anyone out of the corner of her eye. She swallowed hard. ‘Are you okay? You went quiet suddenly.’ An electric shock ran down her spine, weakening her legs in fear. A third tug on her skirt made her realise that something, or someone, was behind her. Slowly and rigidly, she turned and came face to face with the silver-haired girl, who resembled a porcelain doll. Wrapped in something white, trailing like a wedding dress train, Natsu raised her voice.

‘Why won’t you let me rest?’ Kate let out a thunderous scream, alarming her companion, Masami.

‘Kurihara!’ Masami jumped over the railing, finding Kate unconscious at Natsu’s feet. Natsu looked at her with concern, gently tapping her cheeks.

‘Hey! Are you okay? Don’t run to the light, Kurihara!’ Masami let out a nervous laugh and exhaled with relief.

***

Yumiko opened her handheld mirror, and her reflection greeted her with a radiant smile drawn on her colourful cheeks. She tapped it lightly before closing it. The ribbon in her hair that morning was black.

‘Yesterday was a disaster, but today is my lucky day, I can feel it! Miss Sawari is not showing up; the meeting, and the morning training, have been cancelled; everyone else should be eating breakfast now; and that usurper isn’t here.’ The image of Eleonora offering her hand crossed her mind.

‘Ayumi Nonomiya, nice to meet you.’ She put on an annoyed expression.

‘I hate her! Who does she think she is!?’ she shook her head, flinging her locks as she resumed her trek along the forest path. ‘Forget about her… You have Ayu waiting for you, ALONE, in the hot springs. I’m sure he’s still sleeping; poor thing must have been exhausted since yesterday. Will I have time to prepare breakfast for him?’ Her face turned red, and her gaze drifted into the distance. Her heart started racing, and she had a silly, dreamy expression. ‘Or maybe he wants to have me for breakfast, hehe, hehehehehe…’

‘I need help!’ she heard Ayumu’s scream bring her back to reality as she quickly located him, running towards him with a terrified look. She let out a small laugh of satisfaction and averted her gaze.

‘I knew today was my lucky day…’ She ran towards the boy with open arms, overly excited, avoiding the reality of the young man. ‘I feel the same, Ayu!! Let’s consume the flame of our passionate and forbidden lov…!’ he passed by her like an arrow, leaving her static in place. ‘Eh?’

‘Stop interfering between my beloved prince and me, you stupid eel, and accept that I’m the big sister!’ Aki tried to hinder her sister.

‘Get lost, torch! My darling and I don’t need a third wheel like you! Just give up already and accept that you’re the little one!’ Haru kept up with her sister. She was tackling her with her shoulder, trying to throw Aki off balance. Both passed by the president’s side.

‘Wh- what?’ the breeze blew Yumiko’s hair, causing her to turn around with a ridiculous expression and an even more ridiculous smile plastered on her face. ‘Prince? Darling?’ she clenched her fist in anger, a whitish aura surrounded her legs, and she sprinted after the twins and Ayumu. ‘What does this mean!? You damn disgusting womaniser…!’ she visualised Ayumu’s face, frantic and in need of aid. Her face underwent a drastic shift. She jumped and swiftly moved among the branches, passing over the twins. Ayumu tripped and fell to the ground. He turned and let out a muffled cry as the two twins pounced on him without mercy.

‘You’re mine!’ both claimed. Yumiko jumped off the branch and flew to Ayumu, hugging him, barely avoiding being zapped and burned. The sisters hit the ground, while Yumiko and Ayumu tumbled over each other. The girl ended up with her back on the ground, still embracing him as they slid along the ground, tearing her uniform jacket to shreds. Opening his eyes, he found himself face to face with the girl, who smiled at him. Blushing, he pushed himself off, freeing himself from the girl’s embrace, much to her surprise and momentary frustration. He got on his knees and apologised.

‘I’m sorry!’ Yumiko’s sweet smile come back. She stood up and patted his head.

‘What’s the apology for? You’re silly. I’ll always protect you.’ The boy looked at her. ‘It’s my duty to protect my dear…’ The last words Yumiko spoke did not reach Ayu’s ears. A distant memory flashed through his mind, the face of a smiling girl. Yumiko felt anxious when she noticed the boy's emotionless face. ‘Are you okay!? Did you get hurt!?’ she leaned towards him, surveying him. The boy reacted by blushing and pulling back. Aki took the floor.

‘I don’t know who you think you are, getting involved in our argument!’ Yumiko became serious. She turned around, giving him her back. Haru tried to intimidate her with lightning crackling around her body.

‘We’ll have to teach you not to meddle where you’re not wanted by force!’ Ayu raised his voice to alert her.

‘Be careful’ Yumiko did not dodge the blows. She wore a confident smile, the whitish aura manifested in her arms, and she effortlessly blocked two punches aimed at her in a powerful attack by Haru and Aki. Flames and lightning flew everywhere. The boy was left bewildered, just like the two twins.

‘Step back!’ she spoke with authority, her eyes fixed on Ayumu. He swallowed hard in the presence of the regal girl, who shielded him with her body, preventing the flames and lightning from reaching him. Ayu nodded and ran away from the fight. The twins looked at each other. They jumped backward, using the president’s arms for support, performing an acrobatic move in the air.

‘Let’s go, Haru!’ Aki threw her sister a few meters higher in the air. Yumiko observed the circus-like acrobatics without being amazed. Electricity erupted violently again, emanating from the other sister’s body. ‘Now!’ Haru clasped her hands, pointing them towards Yumiko. Another dazzling magic circle, larger than the previous one, appeared in the air, a few inches above the palm of her hands.

‘Bite of the Raiju!’ a massive blue lightning bolt swiftly descended from the magic circle toward where the president was standing, accompanied by the roar of thunder. Aki closed her eyes, avoiding being blinded by the intense light, although it only lasted a few seconds. A whirlwind of dust and fire erupted upon impact.