Chapter 1: Prologue - Haunting Rumors
"It is rumored that Muraki Highschool is haunted. The haunted corridor is said to be invisible to the naked human eye. This mysterious corridor leads to a room in the Muraki Manor, a pinnacle for spiritual activity. They say the very hallway is a passage to the land of the dead and that only those who know their heart of hearts can come back from it. Traveling down this path would lead most to the tether between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Has anyone survived it?"
"They say when you finally find the secret path that links the Muraki Highschool to the Muraki Manor you'll find the place where a secret cult has meetings. This cult performs seances… they raise the dead… they lure people in to sell their souls or trap them for all eternity. Some say they know how to travel to the land of the dead. That they can speak to your deceased long-lost love. It is rumored these people are students walking around the school, posing as ordinary students. But they should not be trusted. They make deals with the Devil himself."
"It is said that the man who founded the Muraki Manor was an alchemist, a cursed man, a necromancer from England from the 1700s who traveled to the Far East in search of a portal to the Land of the Dead. He was a worshipper of Satan and brought a new kind of evil into Japan."
"Many students have gone missing from that school. Especially outsiders—" The girl slammed her hands on the desk at her hips, making stacks of paper shudder, the legs of the desk protested with a squeak against the wooden floor below.
"So why in your right mind would you go there?!" She shouted at the boy sitting before her. It was his desk she struck, and he straightened the disturbed papers involuntarily. He thought about his answer carefully before looking her in the eye. Shina was a loud girl with even louder opinions. He didn't know her personally, but he'd seen how the other students reacted to her; although sometimes he couldn't tell if they feared her or respected her.
"Why bother asking him anything?" Said the girl standing next to Shina. She folded her arms and sighed. Makoto was her name, he believed. Or was it Motoko?
"Ugh! That place makes my skin crawl! C'mon, let's gooo," said another girl, tugging at Shina's sleeve. He could not remember her name for the life of him. She was the shortest and usually following the other two girls right at their heels.
"The mall's gonna close soon!" she wined again and then grimaced in his direction. She whispered into Shina's ear, eyes glaring right into him, "Besides, he gives me the creeps."
He could in fact hear her. The clock behind them ticked another minute past. His friend, Mafuyu, who was sat next to him during class, nudged him and pointed to the clock. She was a meek girl and usually kept to herself, so having this brazen girl in their faces appeared awfully uncomfortable for her.
"Yikes, that late already?" as he stood, his chair grated across the floor, "I better get going."
"It's Izue, right?" Shina slammed her hands on the desk again, ignoring both of her friends. She did not like her advice being swept under the rug. She was the Class Representative and found her voice to be important. After all, he did come to her asking about Muraki Highschool. This was his first time engaging in a conversation with her that did not pertain to schoolwork. From a distance and during some projects he'd witnessed her expressive personality, but nothing so direct. She was actually refreshingly honest.
"Are you seriously going there?!" Her voice was raspy for a girl. Perhaps it was from all that boisterous talk she did.
"I asked you if you knew the directions… not for a history lesson," Izue said with a nervous chuckle. He slung his school bag over his shoulder and reached for his papers. Shina went to ground the papers to the desk with her palm but recoiled. Her fingers barely brushed his. He looked up to see her cheeks flush lightly.
"Thanks though. I guess I'll just ask around…" He smiled and snatched his papers. There was a strange tension growing in the air. Shina scowled defeatedly, "So, just why are you going there?"
"Oh," Izue blinked as he shifted the weight of his bag, "You're actually curious?"
"Shina, just drop it." Makoto groaned. The other girl agreed, "He can just use his phone for maps or something."
"Don't waste my time now, Izue," Shina crossed her arms, still ignoring her ever-growing impatient friends. Izue made a kind of chortle and reached into his pocket.
"Okay, just humor the weirdo, then," Makoto gave up, "See you outside."
Shina watched with only her eyes as her friends left, muttering under their breath. The classroom was almost completely empty now. If it were wintertime, orange beams of sunlight would be piercing across the quiet classroom. But it was mid-spring and the sun was staying up longer. The large hand on the clock ticked by the twelve again. Izue retrieved a small piece of paper from his pocket.
"This." He pinched the paper between his thumb and finger, twirling it to expose both sides.
"What… is it?" Shina leaned in, bending at her hips. He held it still.
"An invitation," Izue said.
"Invitation?" Shina squinted but Izue was already stuffing the paper back into his pocket. The last time he received an invitation it had been to a birthday when he was in Elementary School. He was eager to learn what this was about and didn't want to lose another second.
"I don't want to get there late and be rude," he gave Shina a wave and a nod as he hurried to the doorway, "Thanks though. I'll find my way there."
"W-wait!" Shina reached out a hand but hugged it to herself quickly, eyes looked at him from behind wispy bangs.
"See you tomorrow!" Izue waved once more, this time smiling at Mafuyu and Shina. Mafuyu waved back at him but all Shina did was scowl and mutter under her breath.
Passing by the lingering students and teachers, he walked through the school without interruption. His high school was huge and it wasn't unusual for students to pass by without greeting each other, but he'd inadvertently ascertained a peculiar reputation. As he ventured down the school hallways, he thought about his lively afternoon. He doubted Shina would even acknowledge him tomorrow—especially in front of their classmates. If this conversation 'never happened' he didn't care. It was fun enough to have talked with her. She was pretty cute when she got flustered too.
He thought, 'I should have asked if she'd been there herself… She had quite an opinion about the place.'
Izue was curious about Muraki Highschool now. Apparently Muraki High was their rival school. Izue himself was never the type to really get riled up by school events and sports so those details about where he did his studies never intrigued him. It would make sense his schoolmates did not think highly of it. It seemed to hold a pretty sour reputation; much like himself. Of course, everything Shina said was all hearsay. Rumors were powerful, though. They spread like wildfire depending on the climate. And the ones about him had followed him school after school. He couldn't really blame people for being wary of him. After all, not all the rumors were actually just rumors. Maybe Muraki High school was the same way? Maybe there actually was a secret spot where a creepy cult met up?
Outside the air was fresh but humid. The bustling sounds of Kyoto such as trains and car horns and intercoms inviting customers into their stores and restaurants could be heard all around. He'd grown up in Kyoto, so the sounds were a sign it was just a normal day. People were going about their business. A few lingering students exited the school grounds alongside him. Their chatter made for background noise just as the sounds city did. It was nice to be outside. The sun was behind clouds. Usually, when Izue looked up he would see the cherry blossoms reaching high into the sky, pink and blue contrasting beautifully. They seemed so out of place sometimes.
But today those perfect little blossoms shone against a gloomy, grey sky.
He looked at the invitation again, "Well, Muraki High… let's find this Ghost Host Club of yours…"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Micah_Hurkett
Micah_Hurkett More to come! Thanks for reading!