บท 185: In the Name of Halloween (4)

Later that same day, Yasushi finally made it back home. He stepped through the door, and in an instant, something hit him — hard. The force sent him crashing to the floor. Blinking, trying to make sense of what happened, he realized it was Yunxue wrapped around him. Her arms locked tightly, she clung to him as though he might vanish again.

When he pulled himself up, Yunxue still clinging, he glanced around the room. Jingliu, Xinyi, and — oddly enough — Furuya, were barely being held back. From the looks on their faces, it was obvious they wanted to rush him too, but whoever was holding them back seemed to think better of letting them all pile on.

"I'm back," he said, untangling Yunxue from his waist. "What's with the intense welcome?"

"You pretty much disappeared, man," Furuya piped up, loosening up after a moment, although his grin didn't erase the tension in his shoulders. "It's already eight at night. Where the hell have you been?"

Yasushi frowned, blinking at Furuya's words. He pulled out his phone, seeing the time glaring back at him — 8:04 p.m.

"Damn," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got caught up talking to the principal and the cops. Thought it was earlier. My bad." He flashed them an apologetic look, but no one seemed too mad, just relieved.

He chuckled briefly before leading the way into the kitchen. The others followed, and once everyone settled around the table, Yasushi picked up the food that had been set in front of him. As he began eating, they all watched him expectantly, waiting for him to explain.

"So," Yasushi started between mouthfuls, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "after I knocked the bastard out for biting Senbarisu, the cops were called — yeah, no surprise there. You guys probably heard them rolling up to the school." He paused, eyes scanning the room as a few of them nodded, confirming they'd heard the whole mess unfold.

"Anyway," he continued, leaning back slightly, "I made sure to get all the evidence in order. I even had Yinhaie send over more to my phone, just in case. Plus, we had the two teachers who were in the room give their version of things. Pretty much sealed the deal. Once we had all that, it was time to bring in Tomoya's parents and lay out what the hell was going to happen with him."

Yasushi took a slow sip of coffee, setting the cup down before glancing at Jingliu, who sat beside him. Her hand slipped into his under the table, but he didn't draw attention to it. His gaze stayed for a second before shifting back to the group.

"To make it short," he continued, though the words came out in a way that felt anything but short, "Tomoya's getting pulled out of school. Senbarisu isn't going to sue his family, but let's just say there's a hefty payment coming her way to keep things quiet. And that asshole's going to be shipped off to some institution to get his head fixed, spend time in therapy or whatever they plan on doing to straighten him out." His voice dropped, "Things should start getting back to normal by tomorrow."

Laura, who'd been quiet until now, finally spoke up, concern creeping in her voice. "What about Hana? We haven't seen her all day. Bhaqui and Alicia didn't tell us anything." Her words hung heavy in the room.

"She's alright. Tomoya's parents coughed up some cash, and Hana's family took the offer, so they're not going to bother with any lawsuits. As for Hana herself, she's holding up. A little shaken after everything, but she's tough. She was even cracking jokes when I stopped by to let them know what was happening," Yasushi said, his voice steady as the tension in the room finally broke. A collective exhale followed, everyone visibly relaxing, though it had hung over them like a storm waiting to hit.

"That's good to hear. Hana deserved better than dealing with that psycho, seriously," Reina muttered through a mouthful of chocolate, almost as though she needed the sweetness to balance the bitter thought of it all.

Yasushi nodded in her direction, his focus then shifting back to the rest of them. "How'd things go on your end? Or was the class too fucked up after we left to actually get anything done?"

Furuya leaned back, stretching his arms before answering, "Nah, Captain Goddess Xinyi took charge, got everyone back on track. Jingliu helped out, too. Between her, Xinyi, and Catherine, Yunxue, and Layena, they picked up the slack. Honestly, we made way more progress than I expected. It was weirdly productive considering the shitstorm that hit earlier."

Xinyi rolled her eyes at Furuya, cutting through his words with a quick remark. "I'd say we're about 80% done now. If everything goes smoothly tomorrow, we'll have those extra two days for rehearsals and fixing any props that don't meet the mark. Appreciate the heads-up."

"Don't mention it. And thanks," Yasushi replied, giving a slight nod.

The conversation drifted from topic to topic, with their group lingering a little longer, talking through the events of the day and winding down from the chaos. Eventually, the night wore on, and they all began to go their separate ways, the clock creeping closer to ten.

Once most had scattered, Yasushi made his way through the house, looking for Yinhaie. He found her in one of the quieter living rooms, her attention elsewhere, but he approached without hesitation. "Thanks again for the backup," he said as he came closer. "I wonder if Yunxue will be able to do half of what you're doing someday," he added, the thought making him chuckle.

Yinhaie gave him a soft smile, her response coming with ease. "Don't worry about it. Yunxue will get there eventually. She's got time, and once she's ready, I know she'll handle it. Might even surprise you."

"I get the feeling I'm the topic of discussion," Yunxue muttered, drawing both their gazes toward the doorway. She stood there in her nightwear, looking at them with an unreadable expression.

Yasushi gave a small shrug. "Just wondering if you'll turn into the next Yinhaie someday," he said, smirking as Yunxue let out an exaggerated huff.

"Just wait and see. I'll get there. I'll be doing incredible things, lifting cars or whatever you throw at me!" she shot back, defiance in her voice as she reached for his wrist, tugging him along with little effort. "Lady Jingliu wants you in your room now, so stop stalling…" A yawn escaped her as she said it, cutting through her serious tone.

Yasushi couldn't help but grin, his hand ruffling her hair before she could react. "Alright, alright, I'm going. Thanks again, Yinhaie. Really. Couldn't have done this without you," he said, sincerity in his voice as he started to turn away. He glanced back briefly. "You too, Yunxue. I mean it."

Yunxue huffed again, the sound punctuating his exit as he disappeared around the corner, his chuckle still hanging in the air.

Once Yasushi had gone, Yunxue turned to Yinhaie, her earlier confidence slipping for a moment. "Do you really think I can do any of what you do?" Her voice carried a note of unease, betraying the worries she usually hid.

Yinhaie gave a nod, her expression unwavering. "Yes, Yunxue. Like Bhaqui and Alicia, you have the potential. Anfeng and Heinz wouldn't have suggested you for Lady Jingliu's future assistant if they didn't see it. Even though that path changed, their expectations for you haven't. They still believe in what you're capable of."

Yunxue's eyes dropped to the floor as she absorbed the words, her fingers curling slightly at her sides. She drew in a breath, then looked back up. "Alright... I need to get better. I can't slack off. I want extra training while we're here. Teach me, please," she said, her voice steady with the request.

Yinhaie chuckled lightly, the sound brief, almost gone as quickly as it came. "Of course. But don't think about running off once we start," she replied, her tone teasing yet firm. Yinhaie pushed herself to her feet and motioned toward the door. "We'll get started now. There's an underground area in this place. Let's head there," she said, leading the way as Yunxue followed behind without hesitation.

+-+

"Showtime!" Furuya yelled, spinning wildly around the room, flinging his limbs in every direction as though the energy had taken over completely. Nearing the end of his chaotic display, he snatched his hat from his head, tossed it into the air, and landed in a pose that left him panting. "Well?" he asked, turning toward Hana and Senbarisu, who had helped piece together the choreography.

"Horrible," Senbarisu replied flatly, her expression hard as she stared at him like she couldn't decide if he was actually serious.

Hana, standing beside her, struggled for words. "W-we can fix it, Furuya! I-I mean, with more practice, we can make it better!" Her attempt at encouragement came through with cracks in her voice, clearly unsure about what they'd just witnessed.

Laughter broke out from the back of the room. Xinyi, who had been leaning against the wall, decided to join in, stepping forward and mimicking Furuya's dance with an exaggerated version that only made things worse. The movements were awkward, almost painful to watch, which sent another wave of snickers through the room.

Yasushi shook his head before walking over to where Furuya stood frozen in his pose. He placed a hand on the guy's shoulder, leaning in just enough. "You can get better, but that was a disaster. What exactly were you trying to do with those moves?" His brow furrowed, his voice dry.

"Michael Jackson?" Furuya answered, the confidence he'd had a moment ago evaporating into uncertainty. The laughter only grew louder.

Yasushi rubbed his temples, fighting off his own amusement. "Yeah, well, that was nowhere near what MJ did." He gave Furuya a pat on the back before moving off to assist others, leaving the room buzzing with more laughter in his wake.

"I'll get it done, damn it! Again!" Furuya yelled, the frustration clear in his voice as he stomped back to his original position. Sweat ran down his neck, but he refused to let it get the better of him. He wasn't about to give up, not in front of everyone.

Yasushi walked over to where Xinyi stood, her smirk still playing on her lips from earlier. Without missing a beat, he gave her a light karate chop to the head. "Don't mock him like that. He's busting his ass, and you're just making it harder. So, how's everything coming along over here?"

Xinyi glared up at him in a way that was more teasing than serious. She tossed her hair back in a quick motion and crossed her arms. "We're doing just fine, thank you very much! We've been running through our lines too, so I'd say we're more or less ready. Though, I'll admit, some of these lines are a pain to remember. Hana said if we forget anything, we can just improvise on the spot. It's not like it's some professional stage play; it's a haunted house, so no one's really gonna notice."

Jingliu, who had been fiddling with an earring nearby, didn't seem as convinced. "She's full of herself. We're maybe 50% there when it comes to knowing our lines. Half the time, we mess them up so badly it's embarrassing. She just doesn't want to admit that, right now, we're barely doing any better than Furuya."

Xinyi rolled her eyes at the comment but didn't argue. The whole class was still a mess, and they all knew it.

"Sis-Sis, at least back me up, jeez!" Xinyi's voice rang through the room, sharp with frustration. Her eyes locked onto Jingliu, who had already crossed her arms, unimpressed with the plea for support. The two wasted no time slipping into their usual back-and-forth, jabs flying between them like it was second nature.

Yasushi, watching the exchange, shook his head. He wasn't about to waste time on this. They could handle their little spat without him. Turning away, he resumed his rounds, moving through the room, checking on everyone. Here and there, he offered a few corrections or lent a hand. It was all part of the job, and he didn't mind doing it. But something kept nagging at him, pulling his attention elsewhere.

Outside, more people had joined in, helping with the setup. He spotted some working on props, others putting together the large archways out of cardboard. His eyes wandered across the scene, remaining on the growing activity, until something near the entrance caught his attention.

His brow furrowed. For a moment, just a second, he thought he saw Tomoya standing there, leaning against the gate. The recognition hit him, quick, unexpected. But that couldn't be right. Tomoya wasn't supposed to be anywhere near here. He was at the institution. Yasushi felt a strange pull in his gut. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was just seeing things. Still, that hint of doubt stayed.

He pulled out his phone, fingers moving quickly across the screen. The message to Yinhaie was short but to the point. "Can you check on Tomoya for me? Also, check the CCTV around the school? I thought I saw him by the entrance, but I could be wrong. Better to be sure." With that, he hit send. The nagging doubt gnawed at him, but at least he was doing something about it.

When Yasushi looked back at the entrance of the school, he noticed Tomoya had disappeared. Confusion settled in until his phone buzzed, the alert pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen, eyes widening as he read the message.

"We received an email earlier saying that Tomoya had gone rogue and is loose somewhere in the city. We are working with the police and Tomoya's parents to find him. We have sent word to the school to lock up the entrances so he can't get there," Yinhaie had typed.

Yasushi clenched his jaw. "God, I hate the psychos in this school," he muttered, frustration swelling within him. He turned around, intent on informing his classmates about the situation.