Chapter Text
⋆˙⟡ The van was dead. Again.
You resisted the urge to look over at Shinichiro, who stood just outside the driver’s door, hands on his hips and rain dripping off the tips of his bangs as he stared at the hood with a sheepish expression like the engine would start if he just looked sad enough.
“So guys—” he started.
“Don’t you dare,” Wakasa cut him off, already leaning out of the back window to glare at him.
The rain tapped a rhythmic pattern on the roof, gentle but insistent, as Waka leaned forward through the front seats to yank open a panel beneath the steering wheel and started fiddling with wires like he was trying to defuse a bomb.
“You’re not gonna hotwire it from the inside, Waka,” you muttered, frowning.
“Sweetie, I’ve got this,” he interrupted, a cigarette dangling from his lips even though it was very clearly unlit and soggy. “It’s just like hot-wiring a Vespa.”
“That’s... incredibly specific,” you huffed, but leaned back in your seat anyway, folding your arms as the chill from outside started to creep into the van.
“You know,” Takeomi sighed from the very back, “if Shin hadn’t insisted on heading up to that damn mansion-”
“Hey guys—” Keizo spoke up, his voice calm.
“I heard there was a cool-ass ghost there!” Shinichiro called back defensively, kicking at the tire like that would somehow help. “We’re the Mystery Krew, aren’t we supposed to chase weird stuff?”
Wakasa, under his breath, “More like the Dumbass Crew.”
You rubbed your face. “Don’t think we ever named ourselves.”
“Oh, yeah. A cool ghost,” Takeomi huffed. “You know what’s really cool? Sitting in a dead van, in the middle of a storm, on a cursed hill, because your dumbass got spooked by an article on the internet.”
“Um. Guys—” Keizo tried again, a little louder.
“I’m telling you, it was a legit lead,” Shin insisted, now leaning on the side mirror, which creaked like it was about to fall off.
“Legit stupid ,” Takeomi muttered.
“GUYS.” Keizo’s voice finally rose above the noise—not loud, but sharp. Everyone froze. Eyes turned.
He blinked, gesturing casually toward the fogged-up window. “Van’s rolling,” he said.
A beat of silence.
You blinked.
Then you looked out the window.
Sure enough, the scenery was starting to move—not forward, but slowly, steadily backward. The hill you’d been trying to climb? Yeah, gravity had decided you were done trying.
“Oh, shit,” you breathed.
“WAKASA, GET OUT OF THE WIRES!” Shinichiro shouted, now running alongside the van like he could somehow catch it.
Wakasa cursed under his breath and jammed random wires together.
Nothing.
Takeomi braced a hand on the back of your seat, the other holding a paper talisman like he was trying to spiritually anchor the van. “This is how I die. On a haunted hill, in a van full of morons.”
You cast him a glare. “You are not helping right now.”
“I’m not dying in a damn van,” Waka snapped, tossing the wires down. “And definitely not because of Shinichiro’s fuckass optimism.”
Keizo calmly reached up and clicked his seatbelt. “This is why I told you to park sideways.”
The van picked up speed, slipping faster and faster in the rain-slick mud. The headlights flickered once, then again, casting brief glimpses of trees whipping past and an ominous curve ahead.
Shinichiro launched himself at the driver’s side door and managed to yank it open—just as the van lurched.
He flew halfway inside, smacked his knee on the gearshift, and landed face-first in your lap.
“Hi,” he grunted.
“NOW is not the time,” you snapped, grabbing the steering wheel even though it wasn’t helping.
“Oh God, there’s a TREE!” Takeomi howled.
“Everyone, brace yourselves!” you yelled, instinctively grabbing the handbrake, and yanking it up sharply.
With a shuddering jolt and a squeal that sounded far too human for your comfort, the van jerked to a halt - causing you all to gain at least third-degree whiplash.
Silence.
Raindrops ticked on the windows like curious fingers tapping, and the thick, grey woods outside stood motionless...watching.
Everyone sat frozen.
Then Waka casually lit his cigarette.
“So,” he said, exhaling smoke through his nose, “I’m guessing this means we’re walking to the mansion.”
You groaned and dropped your head against the seat.
Shinichiro looked up at you with a grin that was far too optimistic for a man who’d just tried to climb a haunted hill in a dead van.
“Adventure time?”
You gave him a deadpan stare.
“Say that one more time and I’m kicking you down the hill.”
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