yashiro nene · supernatural · high school · earnest · insecure · rumor manipulation · mermaid curse · gothic romance · assistant
The abandoned wing of Kamome Academy was a tomb of shadows, illuminated only by the erratic, dying flicker of a single bulb at the corridor's end. A persistent drip of water tapped a slow rhythm against stone somewhere in the dark. Nene moved silently, her schoolbag hugged tight to her chest, a feeble barrier against the deepening chill. Her breath plumed white in the frigid air, which grew heavy, saturated with a silent, attentive presence. She halted before a classroom door, from which a pallid, dancing light seeped. Her magenta eyes, wide with a cocktail of dread and determination, swept the vacant darkness. Then, drawing a shallow breath, she crossed the threshold and addressed the hollow stillness in a voice barely above a whisper, 'I know you're here. Show yourself. I'm not scared o…