Part 2
After dark I met up with the community service club. A.k.a my cool exorcist friends who I was talking about earlier. I was also lucky enough to be paired up with Nina. Who is awesome! And nothing like that anti-social prick Itsuki. Together we merrily strolled the mountain path with bamboo trees on either side. Searching the forest for any signs of Yuto Murukami's couple eating monster.
I watched Nina's long brown hair sway behind her as her feet bounced with each step. I may have also been glancing a little further down. But I only did that once, or twice. Definitely not three times.
Nina and I actually go waaaay back. Like a whole four months. She may be two years older than me, and kind of looks like my sister, but she actually used to be one of my potential girlfriends back in my single days.
Although she's never said anything out loud, or dropped any hints, I have a feeling that she's secretly into me. Nina may be skilled at hiding her true emotions, but watching me get taken by another girl must have driven her mad with jealousy.
"It's a lot chillier out here than I expected." She rubbed her bare arms. "I should have brought a jacket."
I knew it was obviously girl code for ditch your girlfriend and hold me Daisuke, but I resisted temptation.
"Where the hell is this monster," she sneezed.
"Don't worry Nina," I merrily replied. "I'm sure it'll pop out soon. Oh, some cans."
I crouched down to pick up some stray beer cans which had been discarded on the side of the path. Some delinquents must have had a party and ditched them there.
Nina also kneeled down beside me and began picking them up. She nervously glanced behind her into the bushes, then turned back to me.
"Daisuke, there's actually something that I've been meaning to talk to you about for a while now."
"Sure, what's up, Nina?" I said as I shoved the cans into my arms. One was still half full, and ended up spilling on my shirt.
"It's about what happened before summer."
"What happened before summer?"
"You know... That incident?... With that Obake?... The Monster King?"
"Oh, yeah," I said while trying my best to hide any unease. "Terrible wasn't it. Just talking about it brings up terrible memories. Oh the trama- "
"He almost killed us. But you knew how to stop him."
"It wasn't like I knew," I scowled. "More like... I just made some guesses and they all turned out to be right."
"Daisuke. You knew the guy's real name, as well as intricate details about exorcist weapons that were over two hundred years old," her voice lowered to a whisper. "You said that you remembered it."
"Remember? Know? Guess? What's the big difference. I was so stressed out that I probably just slipped up and said the wrong word."
"But you used to be-"
"It's nothing," I snapped. "Just forget about it."
Nina bit her lip like she wanted to press the subject more, but instead sighed and walked ahead. She refused to say anymore and the atmosphere between us became super awkward.
I felt bad for brushing her off like that, but there was no way I was going to answer that question.
I said that I was secretly an exorcist, but there's actually another super secret hidden behind my first super secret.
I used to be an Obake.
Of course it was a loooooooong time ago. Maybe like a whole ten years or more. But I was then captured by an exorcist and sealed away into this super handsome human form. So now I'm basically an average human boy like everyone else.
I can't even remember much about what it was like to be an Obake.
Sometimes I get creepy flashbacks, but I've discovered that if I concentrate real hard, and sing I'm a little teacup, I can usually suppress the memories and pretend that they never happened. It's been working pretty well for me until now.
Of course Kaho might be a little apprehensive about dating an ex-monster, so I've been introducing her to a tone of great movies like Frankinsteve and Edward Thumbtack Hands, in order to slowly gain her sympathy. I even saw a small tear roll out one of her eyes when Edward Thumbtack Hands died at the end, because everyone refused to understand how great he was.
"What the hell is this!" screamed my friend Taisei's voice through my radio earpiece. I could see his shadow amongst the trees on my left. "You're supposed to look like a couple, but all I can see is a big sister walking her little brother home from school! Where's the passion! Where's the romance!"
Taisei is a third year student who's kind of like our leader, because he's the oldest and no one else wants to do it. He was hiding in the bushes along with Kiyori, Souta, and Kurumi.
Kiyori is Taisei's best friend and wingman. Souta has all the medical knowledge in the group, and Kurumi is Taisei's girlfriend, Nina's cousin, and one of the scariest girls I know. Her glare could make any guy cry.
"Why do I have to be bait?" I hissed into the microphone attached to my shirt collar.
"Because you're the smallest and most vulnerable looking," Taisei replied.
"And the most expendable," said Kiyori.
"I thought Akito said to stop saying that in front of him," said Souta.
"Fine, I'll do it," sighed Taisei. "Ouch! Why are you hitting me Kurumi?" he cried in pain. "Fine. Kurumi and I will replace Nina and you."
Nina hesitantly bit her lip and clenched her fist. "Negative. I'll do it." She then took a deep breath and spun to face me. "Daisuke!" Nina cried at the top of her lungs. "I...I…" It seemed like it took great effort to get the next words out. "Love you with all my heart!"
"Huh?" I muttered in confusion. Several empty cans fell from my arms. "N...N...Nina...I never knew that you felt that way?"
"She's acting, you fool," hissed Itsuki's irritating voice from the otherside of the path.
"I knew that!" I snapped back.
"I can't hold it in anymore." I could tell that Nina was really putting a lot of effort in, even though her left eye was twitching. "I must profess our secret and dramatic love...which is more secret and dramatic than any love that has existed before."
"Neither can I!" I cried back. Throwing myself entirely into the act. "I'm so glad that we found this secret spot by a bunch of bamboo trees where we can be alone together in the dark."
"Like a real couple!"
"The happiest and most romantic couple that has ever been to this mountain!"
"So happy and romantic that even other couples would want to kill us."
"If anyone were to discover us out here in the woods, by this rock which kind of looks like an old man, it would be terrible!"
"Absolutely terrible!"
"I feel so weak and vulnerable right now!"
"If anyone were to catch us, we'd be completely exposed!"
"Daisuke!"
"Nina!"
"Daisuke!"
"Nina!"
It was about then that I lunged forward and used the opportunity to embrace Nina, but she immediately went as stiff as a board and attempted to subtly struggle out of my grip.
"Daisuke, maybe you should let go," she said.
"Just a moment." Nina's chest was soft and I never knew if I'd get another opportunity again. "It looks more realistic this way."
"Daisuke, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Shhhhh. I'm sure the monster will show up soon."
"Daisuke, those guys won't stop looking at us."
"Huh?"
And it was then that I glanced behind me, only to be temporarily blinded by the flash of a cell phone camera.
When my eyes finally adjusted back to the darkness. I found myself looking at a bunch of teenagers at the end of the path. All staring at us in shock. I was about to tell them to go find their own secret romantic spot in the woods, but then I noticed my beautiful angel, Kaho, standing among them. Her face pale and eyes wide in horror. Holding a magnifying glass and camera like she was out on a scientific exploration.
We'd been discovered by the science club.
I knew that the situation looked bad, (surrounded by beer cans while merrily embracing another woman) but I was certain that our love could overcome anything.
"Wow, Matsumoto gets around," muttered the guy standing next to Kaho. "And with a senior."
"Daisuke is so cool," said another guy until one girl shoved him in the ribs.
"It's not what it looks like!" I protested. Letting go of Nina and taking a step back. "We were just out collecting cans for the community service club."
"Yeah, likely story," said one girl. Hands on her hips. Glaring hate into my very soul.
"Caught red handed, yet still trying to lie his way out," said another.
"You're the worst, Matsumoto!"
"And shame on you too, Nina Ueda!"
"Yeah, you cradle snatcher!"
It was then that Kaho's innocent eyes teared up and her lower lip began to tremble. She instantly spun on her heels and dashed back into the forest.
"No! Kaho! Kaho wait!" I cried and attempted to run after her, but one girl tripped me and I fell face first to the ground. I tried pulling myself to my feet, but then I was surrounded by several of Kaho's friends who began kicking me in the ribs.
"Scum!" They spat.
"Playboy!"
"Trash."
"Alcoholic!"
"Kaaaaaahoooo!" I cried as she fled off into the distance without looking back.
"Abort! Abort!" yelled Taisei through my earpiece.
I somehow managed to crawl my way out from among the furious feet of several vengeful women, and dashed after the love of my life. Desperate to save our precious relationship.
As hard as I tried I couldn't find Kaho, so I instead found a small dark corner of the woods where I could cry my eyes out.
It wasn't fair. I finally overcame my issues about secretly being an exorcist, who was secretly a monster, to finally make a girlfriend, only to be caught pretending to have another girlfriend.
I had no idea what I'd done to deserve such a cruel and terrible fate.
"Why are you crying boy?" came a voice from the darkness.
I wiped my face and looked up to see an old thin lady with short grey hair standing before me. Dressed in a yellow T-shirt and shorts, with a plastic bag in her hand like she was on her way home from doing the shopping.
"It's nothing," I sobbed.
"It doesn't seem that way," she said kindly. "Why not tell your troubles to auntie? I'm certain that you'll feel better afterwards.
I considered running away to find a new hole to cry in, but she seemed like a kind old lady so I decided to try explaining my problems.
"I finally got a girlfriend," I sobbed. "But then I had to pretend that another girl was my girlfriend….but then my real girlfriend saw us…... and now my whole school is gonna think that I'm an alcoholic playboy who drinks like a hobo in the woods!"
"How terrible," she said sympathetically. I was overjoyed to have found someone who finally took my issues seriously. "Why don't I give you a hug?"
It felt strange to hug some random woman I'd never met before, but she looked old, and I know that old people get a kick out of hugging, so I decided to play along.
Her mouth curved up in a friendly smile and she extended her wrinkled arms outwards. I couldn't help but notice that her teeth appeared a little too sharp, and her nails several inches longer, but I just assumed that she'd let her hygiene slide.
I was about to walk forward into her embrace, when suddenly the old lady was hit from the side by a fast moving object, sending her elderly body flying into the bushes.
I was shocked and horrified by the violent assault, but in her place stood Taisei. Grinning triumphantly with a long metal pole in his hand.
"Looks like operation Let Daisuke cry by himself in the dark while we stand back and watch was a complete success." He then spun around and took a quick selfie of himself and the monster. "Justice!"
Justice was the new catchphrase that Taisei had created for himself to use when fighting Obake.
Unfortunately for Taisei, the old lady was still far from dead.
"Exorcists!" she hissed. Pulling herself to her feet. Limbs loudly popping back into place like a creepy horror movie. Body violently shaking as she began to grow larger. Sprouting several extra limbs and a pair of giant green pincers like some creepy insect/human hybrid.
"Prey mantis Obake!" I heard Taisei shout.
It was then that my hero Nina emerged from the darkness to save me. Brandishing a bow and arrow like an Amazon warrior. She loaded the bow and pulled on the string, sending a deadly arrow towards the monster.
For a moment it looked as though it would puncture the deadly beast, but then it missed completely, sailed through the air in a large arch, then landed straight into my left leg.
I stood there in shock as the pain slowly sank in. Staring at my leg which resembeled a tormented voodoo doll.
