1-B's Haunted House

[nakano]

<sub>This whole situation pissed him off to the point he wanted to hit someone in the face. All he wanted was some peace and quiet in a secluded location, away from the noise that the Founder's Festival practically oozed from its figurative pores. He hated this; he didn't want to be part of such a 'grandiose' event, like some teachers told him.

"Okay, next." He sounded impatient, already tired of being here. A line was already formed, gathered for what was 'advertised' to be an full-on emotional and frightening experience.

He could've been an author of a Lovecraftian level. He could've had style. He could've had class. He could've been someone instead of an usher for a thrice cursed haunted house, which he had no choice to become! He had to blame those meddling classmates and their silly idea of making "Koizumi-kun actually do something instead of frowning in his corner like he always does."

Indeed. He was stuck with giving out tickets to people who wanted to enter what his class had been working on for the past few days. The booth had been opened for around an hour, and he just got on his shift.

"Next. Take your ticket and go."

Naoki clicked his tongue, his expression oddly unfitting with the make-up the others had sullied him with. He looked like a clown, albeit a scary looking one. It was a complete facial makeover, starting from the glasgow smile (one that stretched to his ears at that) to having his face painted in white. Both sides of his head were now bearing what looked like to be giant screws that could, apparently, be spun like wheels.

Scratch that. Forget the clown. He looked like the friggin' Frankenstein's Monster. Furthermore, his face had that itchy feeling because of the make-up.

~Tap, tap, tap~

The sound of his fingers tapping in annoyance on the wooden surface of the table faintly echoed in his mind, as if trying to drown out the voices of the people in the line.

"Welcome to 1-B's Haunted House."

He just wanted to leave.</sub>

[Okazaki Tomoya]

"Rejected."

He was casually strolling down the first floor hallway of Hikarizaka High School, hands behind head, opening one eye to glance at the theme of each classroom(often displayed clearly in the front) ahead of him, before closing his eyes and returning to his own private escape, repeating the phrase every time his energetic companion paused in front of a classroom to ask. It didn't take long for him to start rejecting her query before she had even asked, for the question was always the same and she didn't seem to discriminate between which room she had interest in joining, save for an occasional change in pitch ranging from curiosity to excitement. Despite this, she always managed to stay one step ahead of him, running ahead to the next classroom, bouncing on the heels of her feet to see what they had to offer, only to be rejected quickly thereafter and repeat the process anew.

For a noble and gentle man such as he, it only made sense for him to avoid all of the freshmen booths, for it was all too likely one of her freshmen friends, or acquaintances, may recognize her and, by extension, notice the two of them together. With the penchant for rumors in the school, as well as the festivities abound, her name would infamously be known by all. Not a pleasant prospect. Unfortunately he did not consider himself noble or gentle, as the truth was far simpler: It all bored him. Karaoke. Puppet Show. Empty room (some classes accomplished their goal outside their homeroom). Lame. Dull. Empty. It wasn't long before he could give the juniors a chance - the stairs were only a few meters away...but he was forced to give pause as he noticed the ominous aura the next classroom had. 1-B. His instincts were confirmed as her usual question transformed into a statement.

"Oh...this looks...kinda scary..."

"Let's do it."

"Ehhhhhhhh?"

Her hesitance sealed the deal, and before he knew it he was standing in line with the rest, his eyes wide with energy. He wasn't expecting anything in the room to scare him...but that didn't mean his companion would be immune. She seemed to be shaking already...excitement perhaps? Definitely excitement.

[/blockquote]

[Yasuda Erina]

"Wha... Wha... Okazaki-sempai!"

She began to fidget anxiously, twiddling her fingers as she trailed after him into the line. There were so many other fun places to be. Being denied the karaoke room had been particularly disappointing. Why did Okazaki want to go here and not anywhere else? Peering around the crowd to glimpse the entrance, she let out a nervous squeak. "O-Okazaki-sempai, don't you want to see the second floor?" she asked, looking up at him with a mixture of terror and pleading.

“Haven’t you heard about this place? Apparently if you make it to the end, they give you a prize that won’t make you hungry anymore!”

“Ehhhh?!”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him in disbelief. “Will I still be able to eat?!” The prospect of avoiding hunger was intriguing, but the thought of losing the activity she loved most was even more horrifying than the haunted house. Would the school even allow something like that?

“Yes, yes, don't worry. It should only be temporary... though it depends on the person, really."

Erina was silent for a moment, considering the information she had been given. As long as it didn’t last forever, not being hungry might be okay. She could save money for later and her stomach wouldn’t announce its complaints every hour. That aside, for whatever reason, this room had been the only one to catch Okazaki’s interest, and she wanted him to enjoy himself. This was a thank you outing after all. Yes, perhaps… Perhaps class 1-B would be worth looking at. She gave the haunted house another glance and gulped.

“Well… If… If you say so”

[nakano]

If only people weren't as interested in this booth as they actually were. That way, he wouldn't be bothered to constantly give out tickets to people who actually desired to wander around inside a small haunted house that wasn't even that scary to him. He would be doing something else that was far more interesting that being redundant with his own mind, bored as he was.

Another sigh escaped the blonde's lips as he closed his eyes in frustration. He soon opened them once he felt the presence of the next couple who wanted to enter his classroom with hopes of frightening sensations. A nervous freshman and an aloof senior, girl and boy respectively, both looked at Naoki as they waited for him to give them the go ahead. Opening his mouth to mutter the very same words from earlier, the blonde raised his hand to give out the tickets until the girl interrupted him with her clear voice:

"Is... is there really a prize at the end? I've heard there was one and-"

"Gumdrops and ice cream." His interjection came out spontaneously, as if he was used to such banter. The answer was, however, very sarcastic, complete with a raised eyebrow from Naoki's end.

"Really?!" The girl exclaimed, actually believing the lie he just told her. How naive. She sounded so happy about it too.

"She'll hold you to that you know" The senior spoke up.

"Whatever." He mutted under his breath, loud enough to be heard from the two students. He then held out the two tickets of the haunted house. What purpose did they have anyway? He didn't remember.

"Just take your tickets and go have fun or something."

[Okazaki Tomoya]

<sub>His growing anticipation was brought to a jarring halt by the biting tone of the underclassmen before him, his bold faced lie causing his companion, who had obviously missed the sarcasm in his voice, to pipe up with excitement. He replied with a safe warning, unsure if it had been either of them who had brought on the stranger's scathing mood, but feeling wary nonetheless. His attitude rubbed him the wrong way. True, while they weren't exactly walking into a booth of rainbows and sunshine, there was no reason for the ticket holder to be so rude to them...especially when it was a freshmen.

The boy, without a glance in his direction, completely disregarded his response, answering him in turn with a sarcastic dismissal, killing his, until now relatively jolly, mood entirely. He had the eyes and the attitude of a delinquent...but the rest of the formula was missing. He clearly followed the rules if he had been given a job during the festival, was sociable enough towards others that he had been given the responsibility of greeting guests,and had likely made good grades or had excelled at a hobby to make it into the school in the first place. It wasn't that he was a delinquent, or that he didn't care - he was simply above it all. Above the festival, above his position, and, worst of all, above the people around him. It was the one attitude he detested. He struggled not to raise his voice as he plucked the tickets out of the freshman's hand and moved ahead.

"Drop the act. Nobody is falling for it."

If he was going to be a pompous ass he might as well flaunt it - it would only be doing everyone else a favor. With those final thoughts he moved past the curtains, his vision immediately impaired by the dim lighting and his skin crawling with the sudden drop in temperature. He paused for a moment, taking in the sights, before he felt a light bump from behind that signaled they had both made it safely into the room. This was going to be fun.</sub>

[Yasuda Erina]

Was Okazaki upset about something?

Erina watched the exchange between the two boys, tilting her head in mild confusion. Her upperclassman’s final words made little sense to her, but she hurried forward to follow him as he entered the room, stopping only to turn around and call out a hasty “Thank you, um… Monster-san!”

Disappearing through the curtains, she walked into Okazaki, unable to see clearly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness that now engulfed them. Darkness. She was really doing this… The girl stiffened. Simply talking about going through the haunted house for the “secret prize” was one thing. Now that she was actually here, the path before her seemed absolutely terrifying. What lay in the shadows ahead? Surely, students of 1-B remained hidden somewhere, waiting for their victims to pass through. Today, however, they were not students. They were monsters and ghosts, and from where they would come, she couldn’t guess. The anxiety of it all made her hair stand on end.

“Nononononononoooo!”

She repeated the word rapidly, her voice jumping up an octave as she squealed her displeasure and made a mad grab for Okazaki’s sleeve, pulling him back toward her. “I don’t need a secret prize!” she squeaked, her grip tightening. A prize that won’t make you hungry anymore, was what Okazaki had said. Gumdrops and ice-cream, according to the Monster-san outside. That just meant she wouldn’t be hungry anymore because she’d get full from the snacks, right?

“I can just buy candy, and then I won’t be hungry anymore, so it’ll be the same thing! So… so… KYAAAAAAAA!”

The entrance of another student through the curtains behind them alarmed the jumpy girl, and she bolted forward, still clutching her companion’s sleeve as though her life depended on it. There was no turning back now.

[/size]

[Densetsu Karu]

As per usual, he could care less about what could go on at school. Founder's Festival? Really? What a waste of his valuable time. (It seemed like everything was a waste of his valuable time these days.) How bothersome. Not that he had much to do anyhow. At least it kept him momentarily distracted from the shady, quiet corners of his mind.

And so, in the darkness of his class's haunted house, Karu had been tasked with frightening the daylights out of others who had been ushered in by his classmate (a boy who looked even more bored than he did). His outfit, reminiscent of a Halloween night, was of a vampire-- complete with the classic black suit, flowing cape (it was akin to a bat's wings; it was draped over his arms), and false teeth. Thank goodness he wasn't alone in the humiliation. His hiding place was within a large and old wardrobe, waiting for his unsuspecting victim to pass by.

At first, he had chosen the spot so that he could pretend to fall asleep, therefore avoiding the horrendously stupid action; startling people. What was the point of that? Who would want to come in here to be startled by a bunch of underclassmen? However, to his misfortune, the uncomfortable wardrobe was too cramped for him to stay in. He regretted choosing it, and the prospect of jumping out to startle people began to appeal to him. At least he'd get to stand up, if only for a few seconds.

It soon became an endless game of settling uncomfortably into the piece of furniture, jumping out as somebody passed by, standing as straight as he could for a few seconds to offer temporary, meager relief to his back, and then repositioning into the wardrobe once again. He was sick of it, he wanted to leave, but he had nowhere to go.

That is how Karu ended up sitting in a cramped, dark wardrobe, peeking between the small opening between its two doors. He felt like leaving. Maybe he would, right now. He could excuse himself to the bathroom, then sneak away and-

He stopped mid-thought as ahead, judging best he could in the darkness, were two people. He sighed deeply as duty called, once again. They approached. His muscles tensed. With a maddened cackle, he burst the doors of the wardrobe open, landing in front of the pair with his arms (and cape) up in the air. The response was instantaneous.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

It was the loudest scream he had heard since he had begun this boring task. With a sudden stomach-dropping sensation, he realized that the scream had belonged to none other than Yasuda Erina. Guided by primal instinct, she rushed away in the direction of the exit, pulling the arm of her companion, who was a little surprised by the sudden movement but had no choice but to follow, since there was no reason to stand around anyways.

"Wait!" Karu said, to no avail. Guilt nestled into him; her reaction had been too extreme to go ignored. Planning to at least make some kind of amends, the vampire chased after her. Upon catching up to the pair, he stopped in front of them. Probably out of worry that she would run from him again, he introduced himself a little too quickly. "Yasuda-san! It's me, Densetsu! The... the Legendary Hero, remember?" He found himself using the nickname she had given him. Karu shot her companion an awkward glance; this stranger had also heard Karu's odd introduction.

[Okazaki Tomoya]

In as dry and stale a tone he could muster he attempted to mutter his reaction.

"Oh look, somebody popped out of the-"

Before, of course, being dragged away by a ball of bounding energy so excitable he struggled to keep up with her pace. She was surprisingly strong. He watched as a blur of zombies, vampires, and ghosts flew by, some preparing to scare the next group and failing to be ready for the two of them dashing by, some not even bothering to try, simply ignoring them and waiting, while a select few successfully, and surprisingly, managing to pull off there act. There were places with gore, cobwebs, and even a part of the room filled with what looked to be...decapitated heads? If he hadn't been forced to view the scenery at a mile a minute, instead deciphering what he could in the blurry darkness, he may have actually enjoyed the atmosphere. The cheap scares, however, like the first one, completely unfazed him.

That didn't stop her of course. It seemed as if a simple sneeze would garner a squeal out of her. She was constantly running, eyes closed, sprinting on blind instinct towards the exit, somehow, impossibly, increasing in speed and pitch which each successful scare. Needless to say...they ran in a wide loop. Twice. By the time they had finally escaped the wretched place he was trying hard not to gasp for air, legitimately surprised his eardrums were intact.

He resolved to leaning against the wall closest to them, staring at the newcomer with a look of mild interest. It seemed he knew who he had given a heart attack to. Congratulations. Attempted murder. That's at least 10 to 20. You're parents would be proud...Legendary Hero. He managed to keep his face composed, finding humor less in the fact that he had been given such a nickname, but more by the fact that he was actually using it to describe himself. In front of so many people. A legendary audience for a legendary hero eh? Though...considering the racket Yasuda had just made...he wasn't so sure it was the nickname that was garnering so much attention from the onlookers around them. Not that he cared. He was simply too lazy to care.

[/blockquote]

[Yasuda Erina]

It was a blur, but it had been the most terrifying blur she had experienced in her life. Still quivering, Erina finally released her companion’s arm and fell against the wall whimpering. Why were haunted houses even allowed in school? No one would ever want to come to class ever again!

“Yasuda-san!”

“KYAAA!”

At the sound of her name, the girl jumped and nearly tripped over her own feet, disheveled pigtails flying about as her panic levels rose once more. However, the words that followed her name quickly calmed her. “Densetsu… san?” Hesitantly, she peered at the boy from behind Okazaki, eying his attire curiously. Her body had ceased its trembling, and the utter terror left her eyes. For a moment, she simply stared blankly at him… But it didn’t take long for the cheery freshman to bounce back. It rarely ever did.

“Ah, Legendary Warrior-san!” she greeted him with a smile, straightening up and stepping forward to meet him. “So then… Are you actually a legendary vampire warrior? Oh, or maybe you’re undercover to protect everyone in the haunted house!” Giggling, she turned to Okazaki to inform him of the good news. “We were safe the whole time, Okazaki-sempai~!”

[Densetsu Karu]

He had been so focused on Yasuda that he had not paid attention to his surroundings... Or the fact that there were people around when he had referred to himself by that ridiculous nickname. It was sort of humiliating, but at the same time he didn't care too much. What people thought of him at this awful school was of no matter to him.

"Ah, Legendary Warrior-san! So then... Are you actually a legendary vampire warrior? Oh, or maybe you're undercover to protect everyone in the haunted house!"

As he expected, it didn't take long for Yasuda's cheery demeanor to return again. How could she be so happy? Did she have some sort of "storage tank" for joy? She was very strange, but at the same time he welcomed her cheerful attitude. It was a nice contrast from his haunting thoughts.

"We were safe the whole time, Okazaki-sempai~!"

Her words were directed to her companion, a senior with a dull expression on his face. Of course, being dragged around wasn't something to be too cheery about, so his expression was slightly justified.

"...Okazaki, is it? I apologize for causing such a scene. Although, regardless of my presence, I trust something similar would have transpired,"

[/color] Karu said in an even-tone. "You have quite the special companion."[/color]

Why was this senior with such a hyper freshman? Was he babysitt- no, that was too demeaning, "accompanying" was a better term. Were they friends, perhaps? Good friends? He was a little curious; hopefully he would be able to answer his own questions within this brief meeting. The freshman turned to Yasuda.

"Yasuda-san! How in the world did he convince you to go into the haunted hou-" he stopped himself as he realized what the obvious answer was. "Food?"[/blockquote][/size]

[Okazaki Tomoya]

<sub>How fast! He was surprised. Her form, previously small, cowering and likely close to tears, transformed to upright, bright and smiling. Well...she was still small, but save from that her entire mood had changed in a matter of seconds. He had almost felt guilty for traumatizing her...instead it seems his ears took more damage then she had.

"Oh you don't say?"

He said sarcastically, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't very hard. Rolling one's eyes always took...too much effort. Why bother? He was too busy waiting for the ringing in his ears to die down...she had said "It was safe" hadn't she? Well of course it was safe. Until she barreled through the place at mach 5. What had just transpired...was certainly anything but safe. Then the warrior chirped up. He sounded anything but. Young, naive, and the way he spoke...too confusing. But he seemed to know Yasuda and was speaking to him amicably enough, so he had little problem speaking with the boy despite his...interesting name.

"Yes. Special."

He enunciated each word heavily, giving just a bit more weight on the 'special' to emphasize his true meaning. She likely wouldn't understand. Not that it was important she did. Considering the circumstances...it was probably best if she didn't. He gave the boy a curious look as he honed in on the correct answer to his would-be question. Then again...it didn't necessarily take a genius to understand her first and only love was food. Of course...he wasn't completely accurate in his answer...

"For the record, I didn't mention food."

He stated matter-of-factually. 'Scaring the appetite out of you' may have been a more accurate telling compared to 'a prize that won't make you hungry anymore'...but they both essentially meant the same thing. He hadn't lied. Not really.</sub>

[Yasuda Erina]

She was “special”? Did Densetsu think that much of her? The thought made her smile, and when Okazaki seemed to agree with this statement, she beamed. Making friends was easy! Densetsu and Okazaki were both special to her now as well. Maybe if he had time later, Densetsu could join them and…

“Ehhhh?! But you said the prize would make me not hungry anymore!” the freshman squeaked, staring at her upperclassman with a puzzled expression. “And the Monster-san at the door said gumdrops and ice-cream!” Nothing was making very much sense now. What was going on? Unless… someone had lied? But she was certain neither Okazaki nor the boy from 1-B had reason to lie to her. So that meant…

“Ah! Did you trick me, Okazaki-sempai?”

Though she still did not fully comprehend the carefully worded half-lie that had lured her into the haunted house, the confusion on her face made room for realization, and Erina glanced from the older boy to the younger. “Did he trick me, Densetsu-san?” she repeated, sounding honestly curious. However, she didn’t wait for an answer and turned her attention back to Okazaki, looking strangely determined.

“I’m going to trick you back! Really, really good!” she announced, and though her eyes narrowed and she appeared to be attempting to glare at him, she hardly looked threatening, and her tone leaned more toward the playful side. The failed look of defiance evaporated in an instant though as she hastily added, “Oh, but forget I said that, please!”

[Densetsu Karu]

"For the record, I didn't mention food."

“Ehhhh?! But you said the prize would make me not hungry anymore!”

He was already beginning to lose interest in the conversation. However, if he attempted to leave, and returned to his classroom, he would be subjected to the cramped wardrobe again... It was a choice between boredom and discomforting boredom.

“Did he trick me, Densetsu-san?”

As if he'd know; Karu had not been present for Okazaki-sempai's and Yasuda-san's conversation prior to their entrance into the haunted house. It seemed probable that Okazaki had "tricked" her, from what he had gathered from first impressions. (It was quite amusing to try to imagine their conversation.) Thankfully, he didn't have to answer, for she had already moved on from listening to him.

“I’m going to trick you back! Really, really good!” The freshman attempted a glare, but it turned out more adorable than threatening. “Oh, but forget I said that, please!”

He would have found it funny, had he not been too bored to react. Frankly, the haunted house had ruined his chances of enjoying himself. It was a little tough to decide between staying here to visit, or returning to his classroom, but he finally decided he didn't want to disturb the two any longer. (The dull expression on the senior's face may have influenced him a little.)

"Well, I should return to my..." —here, he paused, muttering something about "private hell"— "It was a pleasure, Okazaki-sempai, Yasuda-san. If you will excuse me." He turned to leave, heading back into the classroom, then stopped at the door and sighed. Wordlessly, he returned himself to the cumbersome position in the wardrobe.

It had been a short, sweet break.