Someone I've Never Met

1 ~ Rumors

"...Hey, c'mere! Have you heard the rumors? About the school's seven wonders?"

Amane glanced up. A little ways away from him and Yashiro stood two young girls. One had eagerly bent toward the other, shaking her head in response to the question her companion had asked. Amane relaxed a little, realizing the rumor of the seven wonders was just being passed around like normal. He wasn't sure why such a seemingly normal question had suddenly set him on edge.

"You really haven't?!" The storyteller remarked, straightening up in surprise and obvious delight. "Oh my gosh, well- where do I start?" The girl crossed her arms, thinking. It wasn't long before a wide mischievous smile appeared on her face, however. "I'll tell you the most famous one first. It's the seventh of the seven wonders. Hanako, one of the bathroom ghosts."

Amane couldn't help but to grin a little at being considered the most famous. While he was the seventh wonder, the leader, it was always a pleasant surprise whenever someone aside from his human cohorts and the supernaturals acknowledged his presence. Plus, he'd never really heard his own rumor before. While it was essential to keep up with what stories the humans were telling at all times, his rumor hadn't changed in a long time. As a result, he hadn't really seen a reason to keep up with it as of late.

Not to say the human girl's choice of words didn't stick out to him. One of? Is there another bathroom spirit rumor passing around? How come he hadn't been aware of it? Amane turned his glance to face the window across the hall, but kept his ears perked and listening intently. That did sound like something he needed to keep up with.

"She's on the third floor of the old building—in the third stall in the girl's bathroom. You can go there and summon her right now, if you want!" Amane narrowed his eyes. Being summoned was the last thing he needed right then. "She'll grant you any wish, no matter what it is. But, she'll take something precious from you in exchange, and you won't know what it is until it's too late."

Amane flinched. Beside him, the peacefully sleeping Yashiro shifted somewhat.

"To call her, knock three times," the storyteller continued. "And then say, 'Hanako, Hanako, Hanako. Do you want to play?'"

The hairs on the back of Amane's neck stood up. It was similar to his actual summoning, but the final part was off. How'd that become a part of the rumor? It was a rather insignificant change, he knew, but it still unnerved him somewhat. The tiniest of changes in a rumor can have the biggest consequences, depending on what those changes were.

And the summoner potentially asking to 'play' with him despite really intending on requesting a wish struck him as rather odd.

The listener straightened up and crossed her arms. "If you want to ask for a wish, why summon her by asking to play instead?" Amane silently thanked the girl for taking the words right out of his mouth.

The storyteller held a thoughtful hand to her chin. "I don't know, truth be told. That's just how I was told you're supposed to summon her. But, I mean, it is said that she's a grade-schooler. Maybe Hanako considers granting wishes playing with whoever summoned her?"

Amane frowned. While it was always entertaining seeing what kinds of wishes humans summoned him to grant, he definitely didn't consider it 'playing'. Amusing or not, it was still his job, his punishment, and he took each wish as seriously as he could. Even Yashiro's wish, despite what the girl initially assumed. He knew if he'd given her those mermaid scales from the get-go, things would have turned out very differently for her.

"That's kind of sad, actually," the listener commented, her gaze softening. "She sounds like she's just a poor little girl who wants friends to play with. It must be so scary being on her own. Do you know how she died?"