Senji made his way over to the school's back door. Leaning against the wall next to the door was Ayame, rocking back and forth. He noticed her and smiled giving a gentle wave towards her. She shyly waved back. He walked up to her and pushed the door, holding it open for her. She stood straight to walk outside with Senji following her. The two walked together down the quiet empty pathway towards the streets. This would be the second time he was walking her home.

"Thanks for walking with me again. The company is, quite pleasant." Ayame murmured with a frail smile. Senji felt his heart pounding as it always did whenever he was around her.

"Y-yeah of course." He replied.

"So... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"That girl... Yunaka... What does she think of me? Truly, think of me? I'm... Quite curious."

Senji began to feel a wave of anxiety washing over him. He wasn't expecting this out of nowhere. Since Yunaka wouldn't dare be caught dead talking to Ayame, she's probably unaware of the comments said towards her from the girl. He had to be honest about this even if it hurt Ayame.

"Well... She thinks you're some kind of freak. A weirdo who's too antisocial to make any friends. N-none of which I-I agree with at all though! I personally think her remarks were rude and offensive..." Senji explained.

Ayame's expression didn't change aside from the grin fading away. She remained silent for a solid minute.

"Hm. Is that so? Makes sense. Someone like her with all the friends and popularity a girl in high school could ask for, would see a nobody like me as inferior. A freak, huh?" Ayame murmured giving the response some thought.

"I don't understand how her mind works. Or why she cares to judge others outside her social circle."

"The human mind... Is a complex machine. Lots of intricate gears and systems wiring our thoughts and behavior. Yunaka is privileged and pampered to the point where she has developed an ego as big as the entire school. Funny how the mind is influenced and twisted by the world you grow up in. Isn't it?"

"Yeah. I-I don't really give it that much thought. I'm just who I am. You're just who you are. And so on so forth. Please, don't dwell on her hollow thoughts of you Ayame. I personally think y-you're a wonderful person."

Ayame and Senji stopped at the edge of the sidewalk before the crosswalk. She turned to look at him, he looked back at her. Their eyes met briefly for but a moment. His gaze was fixated on those piercing violet eyes of hers. She drew in closer, gently grabbing his hand and bringing it upwards.

"You're so nice to me Senji... And I don't know why." Ayame murmured stroking her thumb on the top of Senji's hand. His heart was pounding more then ever. The delicate softness of her palm in his gave him goosebumps. "I think I'll hold onto you... Let's keep going."

Ayame led the way with her hand in Senji's. He couldn't even speak a single word. It felt like his vocal chords were cut off. All he could do was silently follow along and accept this new connection the two were developing. The rest of the walk back to her house was quiet with no further exchanges between them until they had to depart. She kept holding onto his hand, bringing it up again, cupping her other hand over it now. Ayame looked down at it then up to him.

"I'll be looking forward to that party with you. Until then... Good day." She said, releasing his hand with a bit of hesitancy. He watched her head into her house, still unable to speak. With his heart fluttering he left to head home himself.

The small house was dark inside with the only sign of light being the television screen in the living room. Ayame slipped her shoes off next to the black boots and black-and-white checkered sneakers she owned. Strolling by the couch she peered down to see a woman with messy dark auburn hair passed out. Some empty beer bottles littered the floor and coffee table where an ashtray with several cigarette butts sat. Ayame knew why she was out cold. Awakening her would only make her fussy and scold her for even waking her up. Ayame sighed, heading into the kitchen to heat up a bowl of ramen noodles from the scarce pantry selection.

She headed down the short, narrow hallway into her room on the right side and shut the door. Flicking the light on the cramped room was messy with clothes strewn about the floor on the edge of the bed where a laundry basket was. The dresser had it's top drawer cracked open with a purple bra dangling from it. Atop the dresser was a set of books laid out like fallen dominoes with a pair of black and white 'chibi' skull-faced cat figures standing on two legs on both sides of the books. The tiny desk in the corner had a diary with a couple pens and pencils sat next to it. A few posters of some metal and gothic bands hung on the walls. Ayame dropped her bag next to the bed then turned on the radio that doubled as her alarm clock. Angst-fueled rock blared from the radio while she sat down on the edge of the bed to eat her noodles. This was her life at home.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Ayame used to live with her father and mother in a different house until life for her family began taking a turn for the worse. Her mother passed away from a terrible illness leaving her and her father alone for several years. While Ayame adjusted easily, her father not so much. He struggled with a serious case of depression, having to deal with the stress from overworking just to feed his daughter and keep a roof over their head. The depression only got worse and Ayame was unsure how to help him so she just isolated herself when her efforts to comfort him didn't seem to affect his mental state. After a difficult four and a half years, Ayame's father hung himself in the bedroom with the door locked and a note on the bed explaining how he couldn't handle life anymore, how he truly loved Ayame and was sorry he would be leaving her this way. He was only discovered after Ayame, scared and concerned, called her aunt who lived a few blocks over for help. She broke the door down only to make the terrifying discovery, now leaving Ayame alone with both of her parents lives being taken. Her aunt, Usagi, took her in soon after this. The house was condemned and eventually torn down as nobody wanted to buy a home where a suicide took place.

Usagi was living with her boyfriend at the time when Ayame was taken in. The two constantly argued and fought on a daily basis. This led Ayame to further isolate herself in the confines of her room. Eventually, Usagi's boyfriend broke up with her and left her a bitter, broken woman. Usagi adopted an addiction to alcohol and smoking to cope with the heartbreak. While she wasn't abusive towards Ayame, she was cold and distant, even getting angry at the slightest annoyances. But, she was all Ayame had now. She's just learned to deal with the difficulties of living with this woman. At least, Ayame has found some solace in her developing relationship with Senji.

The skies over Nakamura were gloomier then usual with the presence of dark clouds looming over the town. Riding outside the suburbs into the nearby woods on their bikes was Kaito and company. The four boys followed the trail until approaching a sign that pointed towards the river ahead. Kaito stuck his hand up to halt the others. They all stopped immediately. With sharp eyes, Kaito noticed a somewhat hidden narrow trail heading in the opposite direction of the trail leading to the river. The many big bushes and shrubbery were shrouding the deeper areas of the woods beyond the trail he spotted.

"Bikes down everyone. Lock them up against the sign here. I think I found another trail." Kaito stated.

"For real? I don't see one!" Daiki said looking around.

"You won't... It's subtle and hidden by some leaves and shit. C'mon."

Senji, Aoi and Daiki took their bikes to the sign where Kaito's was. The four of them all took their bike locks and strapped them around the sign and their bikes to ensure they wouldn't get stolen. He motioned for them to follow him. He kicked up all the leaves on the dirt trail and pushed the shrubbery aside, taking the lead forward.

"Good eyes! Even I never would have noticed that!" Aoi noted.

There was definitely a trail here according to Kaito. Perhaps a trail from a bygone era that lead to an old fishing spot or former campsite he thought. Pushing past branches, leaves and the occasional log, Kaito was determined to find out where this path lead. That was until after getting a clearer look from inside the woods, obscured from the main trail, up ahead Kaito and the others could finally see something. A chilling sight lie ahead. Aging cracked walls, wooden doors at the front with one hanging off a single hinge and a steeple about ready to collapse from one bad windstorm. There, beyond the narrow trail, was the remains of an old church slowly being corroded by nature.

As the boys approached the decrepit building they were struck with a sense of both excitement and fear. The woods were quiet around all of them with the only sounds being that of cicadas. Kaito swallowed hard, taking the lead as usual up to the front doors. He grabbed the rustic iron handle of the one good door, opening it slowly. It creaked, echoing throughout the empty walls inside.

"This is... Insane." Senji commented.

"I can't believe my eyes. We're really doing this??" Aoi asked.

"Of course. We came all this way. Just... Be wary." Kaito reassured them.

The inside of the church was a sight to behold. Four sets of wooden pews on both sides and a lectern atop a lifted floor where a priest would stand. Hanging on the back wall was a simple wooden cross. A confession booth stood towards the back on the right. Kaito and the others stepped carefully, each step they made on the wooden floors creaking. Aoi took a moment to study the pews. Daiki went up to the lectern to see if anything was left behind. Kaito walked to the confession both, running a hand down the aged wood. Senji noticed something about the floor directly beneath where the cross hung. Partially hidden by all the dust and bits of debris from the crumbling ceiling, there were deep cuts in the floorboards forming what seemed to be a trapdoor of some kind. A rather large one at that. A torn, red linen cloth was lying across a good portion of this area. Senji knelt down to pick it up and toss it aside revealing a handle. Curious, Senji grabbed the handle and pulled up, stretching out his back with the trapdoor slowly rising up from the indentation. He forced the door over to his left, slamming down on the floor next to him. Everyone looked over to him.

"H-hey guys! There was a trapdoor here! Now what's down he-"

Senji froze up. His eyes grew wide, chills began running down his spine upon seeing what he had found. Kaito ran over to him. Aoi and Daiki did the same. All of them now curious as to what was uncovered. A wave of dread and disgust flooded the four boys. Aoi turned, taking a few steps away and began to vomit. A fowl smell arose from below. Down inside the opening were six corpses. Each of their bodies marked with deep lethal cuts or sliced throats. The most disturbing realization that truly struck fear into them, was that each of the bodies were of young girls all wearing uniforms from their own high school.