MAKI.

✿ He was only having a smoke break- he’d told her so himself, so why were the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end? Where was this endless sense of dread coming from? With her eyes transfixed on his every movement, Mio could only watch on helplessly as he played her right into his hands; made to bear witness to an ashen arm and stark white flames.

   With a yelp, the girl hiked her knees upwards, balling herself up defensively. Despite her best efforts to erase their supernatural encounter from her mind, the damned spirit had returned. The girl was reeling- why was her teacher doing this to her? He had to have some form of control over that lionesque figure; it had deigned itself to light his cigarette for him, after all.

   But then again, if that were the case, then shouldn’t he have been able to see it back then, in the school’s hallways? If he’d seen it, then he wouldn’t have pulled her out of class the day after to question her, because he would have known perfectly well what had frightened her so. That was, unless he was feigning innocence? Against her better judgement, Mio took his bait.

   “Mr. Kaufman, did you see something strange just now..?”

———SHE’D FALLEN SO GRACEFULLY INTO HIS WEB. he almost wanted to play dumb and see what would happen. finishing his cigarette, the man tossed it beneath the tire of a moving car. green eyes averted, he entered the car and buckled in.

       _{❝ …did you? ❞
it was a question that hung heavier than the metal trappings of the steel cage. smiling into the rear view mirror, the man adjusted it just so he could easily pull out from the tight space. eyes on the road, he never turned his gaze to look at the girl.}

❝ i saw something too. you may not even remember it, that day you dropped your pencil. ❞
he added, finally. stopped at a light not far from where they began, he let his eyes linger for half of a second. she was young, probably never realizing what it was she had. the innate ability of a stand often manifested in youth, but there were some who only got it after some outside meddling. the stand arrow.

❝ i saw an alien pick it up. ❞