Tue 5:32PM
The right amount of crazy can be hot, that’s what’s said about Kou’s girlfriend Kiriko. While being the volleyball team’s strongest spiker already intimidates people, her passion for paranormal things puts her on a whole other level of weird. In their school, Kiriko’s younger sister Yukina was a lot friendlier and more well liked in general despite her sometimes sharp tongue.
Kou really liked Kiriko’s crazy side though, and she likes the ghost stories he writes. They were dubbed “Paranormal Pair” whom people would rather leave alone, not that they mind. They've gotten pretty close that their idiosyncrasies no longer confuse them. She doesn't have any discouraging remarks about his researching on a strange old game he read about online. He said it’s all for a new story and she was excited.
“I mean, playing hide and seek by yourself?” Kiriko babbled, her hands making big gestures as she jogged beside him. “How creepy is that! As if playing hide and seek with other people isn’t creepy enough already when it’s night time.”
“Exactly. So many things could go wrong when you play hitori kakurenbo.” Kou replied, pedalling slowly on his bike. Kiriko insisted he ride his bike home so she can jog beside him as some kind of workout. The setting sun and its lazy orange lights on the pinkish sky didn't dim the smile on Kiriko. “How is it played, anyway?”
“Well, the message boards aren't so consistent.” Kou said, looking up to help focus his thoughts for a moment. “You’d need a doll, for starters. To bind the soul on.”
“Oh, and let me guess. Lots and lots of salt?” Kiriko interrupted, happily jogging a little ahead. “I know that much. Keeps ghosts away right?”
“Yup.” Kou nodded. “You’ll even need a salt solution in your mouth when you do it, just to make sure the ghost doesn't possess you instead of the doll. And you have to put a salt line on the doorways you don’t want them to enter.”
“I don’t know, maybe a ghost can make Yuki loosen up a little.” Kiriko chuckled, thinking of her rather austere younger sister. “Maybe the spirits can give her a social life since she doesn't like going out and stuff.”
Kou raised his eyebrow. He too, preferred staying indoors, writing or reading. It didn't make him any less sociable. Kiriko laughed at his expression. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. You’re not like her. All she does is lock herself up and listen to music on headphones. At least you write cool stuff. Speaking of, when’s this hitori kakurenbo story taking off?”
“Bah, I don’t know.” Kou replied as he skidded to a halt at an intersection. Kiriko stopped beside him and marched in place. “There’s a ton of information and whatever, but hardly any good experience stories. Just failed ones and fake ones. Couldn’t think of what I want to happen in the story.”
“Shame.” Kiriko said, doing a few stretches as she took her bag out of the basket on Kou’s bike. “I’m really curious about it. I think I wanna look it up.”
“Tell me when you find something cool.” Kou said with a smile. “I’ll base the character on you.”
Kiriko looked elated by this. “I better be the sexy one who dies last then.”
“And I’m the geeky one who dies first.” Kou chuckled. Goodbyes said, he turned right and sped on his bike. She hung her bag on her shoulders and jogged to the right.
