Rin/Emi - Storytime [Non-H]

Two faces stare through the dim light, just barely illuminated enough for me to make out the whites of their eyes. The blinds are drawn shut, the door is locked, and the sound of footsteps can be made out through the hum of a rickety fan.

“No, Hisao, you have to move the light over a bit. It doesn't work if it's behind us.”

I wrestle with the stubborn desk lamp, trying to get the bulb to shine over the two girls sitting cross-legged on the floor. Between the loud music being played down the hallway and the constant stomping of the people on the floor above us, it's hard to imagine Emi's 'scary story night' idea working.

Even though she's sitting down in her pajamas, Emi can't keep from bouncing back and forth, clearly the only one excited between the three of us. “Yeah, right there! Now sit that butt down and let's get going!”

I take a seat on the floor with them, having to squeeze in between Rin's dirty laundry hamper and a box of school supplies. “Is this something you two do every year?” I ask.

Rin gives me a vacant stare. “She tries to do it every year but it doesn't work with two. We need more.”

“And I'm more, I take it?” I respond, squinting as my eyes still try to adjust to the light. “Do you two even have scary stories to tell?”

Emi beams and puts on a mischievous smile. “Of course I have a scary story. Do you?”

I shake my head, not even trying to hide the fact. “I've never really done anything like this before. There were lots of Halloween parties on the block where I grew up, but I didn't understand the holiday so I never went. Shouldn't you two be dressed up or something?”

Even though I ask that, the two did at least make some attempt – Rin has a pair of cat whiskers painted on her cheeks, while Emi wears a tattered pirate hat that looks like it's supposed to belong to a bigger costume. That's as far as the attempt goes, however; they're both still in pajamas, with Emi's outfit consisting of a pair of long athletic shorts and a t-shirt while Rin has on a button-down shirt that's only halfway done up and some long pants.

“The Halloween party they throw upstairs every year is always a huge pain so we're not going this year.” Emi winks. She shuffles back and forth for a moment as if searching for a more comfortable position before adding “If you don't have a story, then I guess I'll have to start!”

Rin glances at me and then back at Emi, that same disinterested look in her eye as always. Part of me thinks that she's only here because Emi asked her to be, but considering the fact that we're using her bedroom there's got to be some sort of intrigue there.

Emi takes a deep breath and then tilts forward, as if trying to draw us in. “In a dark room at the end of the Earth, the last man on the planet sat in his armchair...”

She trails off and takes far too long of a dramatic pause, seeming disheartened as our expressions go unchanging. Her voice gets even lower and she continues, “And then there's a knock on the door.”

…

Even though Emi has stopped speaking and continues to look between us expectantly, I say nothing. Maybe it's some kind of pause in the story so she can look for reactions, or-

“Ooh. Spooky.” Rin says in that same, deadpan tone.

Emi's expression shatters and she gives both of us a disappointed look. “You're supposed to go along with it. C'mon, that was really scary.”

“I didn't even know you were finished.” I remark, leaning forward into both hands, unable to hide the boredom on my face. You would think a sleepover with two girls would be more exciting, especially with someone like Emi.

She lets out a deep sigh and leans back. “That's the best I could come up with! It's better than last year when we just told that same old 'ghost girl in the third floor bathroom' story and fell asleep.”

The... ghost girl on the third story bathroom? This isn't even my first time hearing about it either. Both of them have mentioned it at some point or another. “Is that some kind of twist on 'Bloody Mary?'”

Both of them perk up. “You haven't heard about it?” Emi asks.

I shake my head, which causes both of them to glance at each other and then back at me.

“She shows up when there's no one in the bathroom. If you go in while she's in there then she darts into one of the stalls and doesn't say anything.” Rin explains with a slight glint in her eye. “It happens all the time. I saw her this morning, actually.”

“In... the bathroom?”

This time, Emi shakes her head. “No, in the hallway in front of the nurse's office.”

A strange silence hangs in the air as I try to figure out what was just said. I don't want to entertain the possibility that there are ghosts on campus, but... “Let's just move on.”

She shoots me a sly grin. “What's the matter, Hisao? Scaaaaaaared~?”

“I don't think I can get scared at a short story like that.” I say, avoiding her scrutinizing stare. She giggles and then gives me a playful “Hmph, let's hear Rin's story, then.”

Rin gives both of us a blank stare as if she didn't hear what was said. She then drifts into cloudland, leaving me and Emi gazing at her with anticipation.

Neither of us say anything, and soon she's snapping back to reality with one of those Rinnish grins on her lips. “It was a bright and stormy night.”

“Wait, what? Don't you mean dark?” I interrupt, now unsure if I want to go along with this.

Rin eyes drift shut while she thinks about how to answer. “It's stormy. There's a lot of lightning.”

“Yeah, Hisao! Don't cut her off, jeez.” Emi adds.

I open my mouth to counter, but decide to sit back and listen. Between all of the external noise and the complete lack of sense going on in this room, I'd rather just go to sleep than try and wait this out.

The auburn-haired girl waits just another moment to make sure I'll remain silent before continuing. “It was the night before Christmas and not a creature was moving. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in fear that soon Saint Nick would be there. Although I'm not really sure why you'd put stockings up to hide from-”

“Wait a minute.” I jerk out of my seat. “That's... that isn't...” I trail off, unsure what to say as my head begins to throb and my eyelids feel heavy. “That's not scary! And that's not even how the poem goes! I don't think you two understand this 'Halloween' thing.”

“Let her finish her story, then!” Emi counters, nudging me in the side.

A low pout hangs on her lips and it's clear that she's getting irritated with all of the constant interruptions, but I just can't help it at this point. “Finish the story? I've heard the story. You've heard the story. Everyone's heard the story! That's a Christmas story, about Santa Claus!”

Rin tilts her head in confusion, her brow narrowing. “Are you saying Santa Claus isn't scary?”

“Why would Santa Claus be scary?” I ask, crossing my arms in frustration.

“A large person wearing red clothes and covered in ashes appears in a flying sleigh and breaks into your house through the chimney and leaves boxes under the tree in your living room. That's very spooky.” Rin explains.

I open my mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. Instead, the two of them just stare me down as if I were the stupidest person on Earth. “I'm not sure if we're talking about the same Santa Claus here.”

Rin shifts back in her seat, stretching her legs out in front of her. “The one that steals teeth and leaves the eggs under your pillow.”

I have to do a double take once for Rin, and then again as Emi nods in agreement. “I don't... Do you two have any stories other than that? I feel like I have a vastly different idea of 'scary' compared to you two.”

“Why don't you come up with one, then?” Emi returns, also crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at me. “C'mon Mr. Skeptic. Scare my skirt off if you're so big and tough.”

I sit up and meet her gaze. “Fine, then.” With that, I try to remember some of the stories I read while I was in the hospital. “In a secluded town in Japan, there's a boarded up house...”

Before I can continue, Emi pitches in with a mocking tone. “Why's the house boarded up, duuuuh?”

Rin smiles at the comment while Emi bursts into laughter, a short 'Sorry, please continue,' following after.

I let out a long sigh. “There was a boarded up house where a family had lost a child a few years before. They went insane and stayed in the house, refusing to leave. Eventually the place got condemned, and no one ever went there again, except for a group of kids.”

Although I'm able to recite that from memory, I can't actually remember anything else that happened in the story. Both of the girls in front of me seem interested, but I can tell that they're not really buying the 'spooky' element. “They dared one of the kids to go inside, and he did. When he didn't return after a day, though, the rest of them went in to look around for him. That's when-”

“They die, don't they?” Emi interjects, a bored look on her face.

“Of course they die, it's a scary story!” I return, my voice rising just a bit.

Rin's blank expression returns and she slouches forward. “You don't have to spoil it like that. Maybe they all got turned into ghost jello.”

I sit all the way back and rest my head on the floor. “Maybe we need more than three people for the whole scary stories to work. At this point it would be better if you just went back to the bathroom ghost girl.”

“Bathroom ghost girl jello doesn't sound scary.” Rin says, her eyes unfocused as if her mind had just drifted into another place.

Emi shrugs and lies back as well, patting around on the carpeted floor for something to use as a blanket. “I haven't actually seen the ghost girl in a while. Maybe she found a different bathroom to haunt.”

“Maybe it's not a ghost at all.” My voice rises a bit once more, having already had my fill of 'Halloween stories.' “Maybe it's just a normal girl who has to use the bathroom a lot and doesn't like being seen.”

The brunette-haired girl scoffs at the notion. “That's not scary at all, though. Why do you have to take the fun out of this, Hisao?”

“It just makes more sense. I can imagine someone having some kind of bathroom condition in a school like this.” I remark.

At this, Rin glances over to me with another smile. “So the ghost girl has a problem in her pants?”