Autumn is a beautiful season, where the leaves symbolize the passing into a new year, a new age, even. With a new age comes new grievances, new bonds and...new enemies.
Keomi and Taga would be sitting down in the auditorium of their school Tomo high, all the students were sitting down, listening to the words of their headmaster as he spoke about the coming of winter, and the break in it that everyone was looking forward to. However, he also mentioned that the exams are coming in the next two weeks. Taga would yawn as she leaned back in her chair. Keomi, on the other hand, was paying close attention to the mentions of the exams and the upcoming break. Her face slightly dropping, cause even though she was falling in love with her school, she couldn't help but feel that there was always something taking her away from just a normal life like she wanted.
Especially-
She'd look down, memories flashing of her time in the basement with the spirit and of course, the strange purple liquid from her eye. She would briefly touch her face. "What was that? That strange liquid? ...I've been wondering if I should tell Taga...but I don't want her to be worried or even think of me as-" but as Keomi was thinking, Taga would wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Hey partner! I just had the greatest idea! Want to hear it?" Taga asked.
"Sure." Keomi said.
"I've been doing some thinking on our next spiritual adventure, and I have found some really good picks." Taga said "You up on some?" asked Keomi.
"Pffft- No...I googled." Taga replied with Keomi giggling to the reply. "Well then, don't leave me waiting," Keomi said to which Taga then pulled out her phone and began to scroll through all of the tabs she had open.
"Now, let us pay some respect to our previous headmaster, Karuno Maritsu." said the headmaster, as everyone then bowed their heads for a moment.
Outside the auditorium was a group of boys, who were all laughing and bickering with one another. Talking loudly with one another.
"Tell me, what is it man. How did it go?" asked one of the boys jokingly. The main boy would play with a single red ribbon strand as he laughed to himself. "She said, that love means everything. Though her lips when they went on mine, didn't seem to mean the same thing." He laughed as the rest joined in, except one boy who was in the back looking back at the main boy with annoyance coloring his eyes.
"What you did was wrong. You shouldn't have did that with Mati's girl." said the concerned boy. The main one would look to him in annoyance as he stood in the doorway to the men's bathroom. "Pfft, what he doesn't know won't hurt me. Now wait for me while I go and take a piss." He replied as he walked into the bathroom. As he was there, he would finish using it and then wash his hands. As he did, he'd hear tapping. Like someone tapping on a mirror. He looked around for a few moments.
"Hello?" He asked, he then would look to it's source. The bathroom mirror. He'd lean close and tap on it. "What the hell?"
"....Secrets.....secrets kill....secrets ruin..." said an ethereal voice. The boy looked at the mirror with fear as sweat ran down his brows. "..."
"And those that keep such harrowing secrets....do not deserve to walk with the LIVING!" shouted the ethereal voice, to which would appear a terrifying visage of a ghastly figure before it then pulled the boy into the mirror before he could stifle out a single yelp, the only thing remaining? A single shoe. Once the assembly was over, all the students would be asked to head back to their classes. Keomi and Taga, being some of the last ones to leave.
"We can talk about it over some sweets on the way to the park today." Taga said
"Thank goodness, cause after last week's tests I've been craving some more of those sweets you showed me." Keomi said "Maybe we could even try out that new sweet store again, I heard they just started selling-" Taga would then lean in close to Keomi's ear and say-
"Matcha." Taga whispered, Keomi's head turned slowly to Taga as a large smile came across her face. "Matcha?" Keomi asked with a wide smile.
"Matcha." Taga replied
"Maaaatchaaaa." Keomi said
"MAMAMAMAMAMATCHAAAAA!" Taga shouted in glee as she struck a pose, "MUUUUUUUUUWATCHA!!!" Keomi also shouted with glee. The two girls then began dancing and skipping down the hall as they continued to say exaggerated versions of the word "Matcha."
As they did so, they would pass by the girls' bathroom, and as they did-
"Hey psst!" said a voice to the two. They turned their heads to see the Onigiri-yokai peeking from within the girls' bathroom.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Matcha Matcha Matcha MA-CHA!" Keomi and Taga said as they ignored the yokai in order to still have a fun day.
"HEY GET BACK HERE YOU TWO!" shouted the Onigiri-yokai. After dragging the girls inside, the Onigiri-yokai would groan. "I can't believe my luck, leave it to be two school kids." said the Onigiri-yokai as Keomi and Taga stood not too far away watching him.
"Does this mean we won't be getting any Matcha?" Taga asked, Keomi just shook her head.
"HEY! ARE YOU TWO LISTENING!?" the Onigiri-yokai shouted, getting the girl's attention to snap right to him. The Onigiri-yokai groaned as he then floated atop of a sink and stood on it.
"Anyway, I've brought you here because another hostile spirit has shown itself. This one is much older than the last one you two took care of." said the Onigiri-yokai. Taga and Keomi look to one another in shock and then to the Onigiri-yokai.
"Another spirit?! Already???" Keomi said in shock.
"ALRIGHT!!!" Taga said, jumping up, and when she landed, she would then see the Onigiri-yokai and Keomi staring at her with an unimpressed expression. "...Oh Uh I mean, We have to stop them before they hurt anyone!" Taga said. Keomi just sighed.
"Hmp, too late for that." said the Onigiri-yokai as he then would toss from behind him a shoe. The shoe of a school boy. "Oh no." Keomi said.
"Where is it?" Taga asked, "I found it in the bathroom right next to this one here. I was trying to get to the spirit before it could disappear. As you can see, I did not." said the Onigiri-yokai. Keomi looked down at the shoe with sorrow. Taga with determination.
"Don't worry Onigiri! We'll get this spirit and bring the boy back!" Taga said, Keomi looked at Taga with confusion. "Taga, we hardly did good against the last one." Keomi said.
"Well I was hoping you could use what you did last time ya'know? Talk it down so that it goes away peacefully." Taga said, but before Keomi could respond Onigiri would laugh aloud. Once done, he would wag his finger.
"Foolish girl, spirits aren't all patients at a clinic, waiting to be treated for some long overdue grief. They are a various sort, waiting to either be heard or bring hurt. Not every spirit will hear your kind words and be sent over, many, and I mean many, will attempt to make you feel the same pain as they have. Some even have never felt scorn before, but seek to put it onto others." Onigiri said, "Just continuing to spread pain for the sake of it?" Keomi asked to which Onigiri nodded.
"...Well thats defintley not okay." Taga said.
"It is not." said Onigiri. "Well good thing I have a great list of stuff we can use to combat them! So I was doing some great research, and I think I have found some real bangers ok? So check this out." Taga said as she went over to Onigiri and began to scroll through her phone and show off her findings. Onigiri just stared in confusion at the phone. As Onigiri and Taga were with one another, Keomi would feel something drip from her eye, she touched it and felt the same strange liquid as before.
"No, no not now!" Keomi thought as she turned away from them and began to wipe her eyes. Onigiri would take notice and see her turn, he didn't pay much mind of it till he saw a single purple drop fall from her face. His eyes would shrink upon seeing this.
"Great collector of knowledge Taga, I must ask you to leave Keomi and me alone for a moment. There is something I wish to discuss." Onigiri said, Taga looked at him and then Keomi before shrugging and walking away, leaving the bathroom. Onigiri then would avert his eyes to Keomi.
"Keomi." He said, getting her attention, Keomi hesitantly turned to him as a purple liquid dropped from her eyes. "H-How long has that been happening to you?" He asked.
"....Since we met with that spirit in the basement. It happened after she went away...its been happening ever since." Keomi said with a low voice, Onigiri would then notice the few drops of the purple liquid turning gold and fizzling away.
"...Wh...Whats happening to me?" Keomi asked with baited breath, Onigiri took a deep sigh as he then looked to her once more.
"I know whats happening, or more to say, what you are." Onigiri said.
"What?" Keomi asked.
"...Your a witch." Onigiri answered.