Chapter 98

The Nightlife (Part 1) (び の) is the ninety-eighth chapter of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun by AidaIro.

Summary
Kou and Mitsuba are standing in the middle of the road at night. Mitsuba's grabbed Kou by his right hand. Surprised and confused, Kou calls out Mitsuba's name.

This confusion soon wears off, however, replaced by joy. Kou is excited to to see Mitsuba unharmed after what happened to him during the Severance, and he tells him that Mitsuba made him worried when he disappeared. He says Mitsuba was okay, though, and is about to comment on how glad that makes him, but Mitsuba cuts him off.

Mitsuba asks what he means by that, and with a black speech bubble, he tells Kou that he's not okay at all. This makes Kou a little surprised, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek, but Mitsuba diverts his gaze, and tells him that it doesn't really matter anymore.

Changing the subject, Mitsuba asks Kou if he's busy tonight. This only deepens Kou's confusion, as Mitsuba grabs his wrist and asks him to come with him.

The scene changes, and we see Kou walking on a sidewalk as Mitsuba playfully balances on the guard rail beside it. Kou is yelling at Mitsuba, demanding that he explain what he meant when he said he wasn't okay. Mitsuba tells him to shut up, and that there are more important things to discuss. He asks Kou where he usually hangs out, making Kou yell in confusion. Mitsuba explains that he wants to do stuff he's never done before today, and jumps down from the guardrail.

Mitsuba turns around to look at Kou, and as he points to himself with a grin on his face, he tells Kou to take him somewhere. If Kou manages to satisfy him, he says he'll tell Kou whatever it is he wants to know. Kou yells in confusion again, and asks him what the hell he means by that. Mitsuba then further eggs him on by asking Kou if he's unsure if he can do it, and begins insulting him by calling him a scaredy-cat and such in typical Mitsuba fashion. After a few more mean remarks where Mitsuba compares Kou to a baby, Kou lets out an exasperated sigh, before dialing up Teru.

Teru, clearly worried, asks if Kou is alright, and tells him it's gotten late. Kou affirms his safety, and instead of telling Teru specifics, simply tells him that he ran into an acquaintance of his. Mitsuba notably looks a bit surprised by this. Kou goes on to explain that he'll be back later to clean up, and hangs up on Teru before he can delve into who this acquaintance of Kou's is.

Turning to glare at Mitsuba, Kou flat-out tells him that he doesn't think this is the time for him to be accompanying Mitsuba on a night out. Even so, Kou admits that he has a lot to ask him. Whipping his finger at him, Kou claims with dramatic flair that he'll squeeze every last drop of information out of Mitsuba and give him a good time, one good enough to die for. Mitsuba's only amused, however, and whispers under his breath about how easy that was.

Brightening up, Mitsuba asks Kou where they're going, telling him that he'd like to go somewhere cute, pretty, or fancy, or play some kind of urban game. The urban game part stands out to Kou, and he rather confidently tells Mitsuba to leave it to him. In a gag, Kou begins to play Daruma-san ga koronda, a Japanese children's game similar to Red Light, Green Light. Mitsuba rather humorously questions if he's for real right now.

Back at the Minamoto household, Teru's hand is trembling as he's texting Kou. On the phone screen, we see several messages from Teru sent to Kou, telling him he's worried and such. Teru announces aloud that Kou isn't reading his texts, lays his head on the ground near where Aoi's sitting, and asks her what to do. She comments about how worried he is, and Akane, who is sitting next to her, tells Teru to get away from Ao-chan. Tiara is leaning her weight on Akane's shoulder, announcing that she's sleepy; Fairy is dozing next to her. Across the room, Nene is sweating and wondering what's going on.

With tears in his eyes, Teru says Kou is going down a dark path. Akane comments on how annoying it is when older brothers are over-protective, and tells him not to worry. He clearly doesn't think Kou is having a night on the town with some delinquent friend of his, and tells Teru as such.

Then, Nene's phone buzzes, and she goes to check it. She announces to everyone that Kou made a group chat, and we can see her phone screen. There's a text from Kou with something that looks like a line sticker of a lion begging for help, and he's asking them all a good place to go on a night out. Aoi and Nene are looking at Nene's phone; Nene's brow is furrowed in confusion, and Aoi is gasping with her hands to her face. Akane is shocked as he stares at his own phone, too, and Teru's jaw is wide open as he gazes at his, yelling: "Night out!?"

Back to Mitsuba and Kou, the two of them are playing in a children's sandpit. Kou is making a sand castle while Mitsuba builds a tall pile of sand. He flat-out tells Kou that this isn't fun, and Kou argues that his sister would be having a ton of fun right now. Mitsuba asks how old she is, and Kou says she's 5, leading to an unimpressed pause from Mitsuba. He asks Kou if he has anything else they can do, and Kou tells him to just wait. He gets a notification on his phone, and we see text messages from Nene, Teru, Akane, and Aoi. Nene asks if he's on a date, Teru tells him he doesn't approve of this, Akane tells him to send a pic, and Aoi wishes him good luck.

More messages flood in, and Nene tells him to go to an amusement park if it's a date, and Aoi informs him that zoos are fun. Akane warns him not to get taken into custody, and Teru rather unhelpfully tells him he's lonely. Kou finds Nene's and Aoi's suggestions helpful, muttering that it's not a date though, and looks up the nearest location on his GPS. He's frustrated about how far away it is, but finds out they're closed, anyway. Mitsuba stares at him, unimpressed. Something then draws away Mitsuba's attention, and he turns to see an illuminated building in the distance. He points it out to Kou, and tells him he wants to go there, and that it's bright and looks fun.

They approach the building, which they find out to be an aquarium. The aquarium building is decorated with several fish decorations, including something that resembles the esca, or luminescent organ, of an anglerfish. Mitsuba thinks this place looks much more fun than playing in the sand, and rushes inside, ignoring Kou telling him to wait. Kou goes to buy a ticket for himself, but the one inside the ticket booth tells him it's free, and gives him a special ticket. Kou briefly wonders if there was always an aquarium here, but soon dismisses his concerns to catch up with Mitsuba. In his pocket, Kou's phone is illuminated, showing texts from Teru on the screen. They say that supernaturals come out at night, and to come home soon.

In the aquarium, Mitsuba's eyes are shining as they explore the fish tanks; he's clearly enjoying himself. He asks Kou if he's ever been to an aquarium before, and Kou tells him that he hasn't. He tells him that his school had a field trip to one once, but he got so excited about it that he got sick and couldn't go. As he explains this, we see a flashback to a young Kou, sick in his futon with his mother taking care of him. Mitsuba comments that this is both their first times, then, and Kou affirms that. There's a brief lull in their conversation, before Mitsuba challenges him to a contest to see who can find the biggest fish there. Kou accepts his challenge, telling him the loser gets a punishment, and then they both run off in separate directions to scour the aquarium.

Ten minutes later, Mitsuba shows Kou the biggest fish he found, a shark. Kou chuckles confidently, and shows Mitsuba his biggest fish, a fur seal. While it is bigger, Mitsuba is angry, and tells him a seal isn't a fish. Kou argues that they all live in the water anyway, but Mitsuba isn't okay with using such a broad definition for fish. As they bicker, a large manta ray casts its shadow on them, pulling their attention away from their argument. Together, they stare in awe at the giant manta ray, before both agreeing that it's the winner.

They then go to explore the coral reef section of the aquarium, where Kou rather amusingly compares Mitsuba to a garden eel. Next are the penguins, whose cuteness steal Kou and Mitsuba's hearts. Mitsuba tries to phase through the glass to grab one, but Kou yells and pulls him back. The two then go to the break area, where Mitsuba finds a gachapon machine. It's advertising marine life key chains, with 5 different kinds displayed on it: a super-sized penguin, a shark, a sea turtle, a tropical fish, and some silhouette of a creature with a question mark on it.

Mitsuba thinks it looks fun, and demands money from Kou to spin it. Kou relents, telling him he owes him, and Mitsuba excitedly twists the knob. His capsule comes out, and inside is an isopod key chain. Mitsuba calls it a bug, looking disturbed and disappointed. Kou tells him bugs are cool, and gives the gachapon machine a try himself. Inside his capsule is the super-sized penguin, and Mitsuba comments on how lucky he is. Kou asks if he liked the penguin, and Mitsuba confirms so. He then says he'll trade with him, giving Mitsuba the penguin and taking the isopod himself.

Staring in awe for a moment at the penguin in his hand, Mitsuba tells Kou he's creepy when he's being nice. Kou angrily tells him to give it back, and Mitsuba giggles. His face breaks out into a large smile, and he tells Kou this is really fun. With imploring eyes, he urges Kou to respond back, and Kou awkwardly agrees, a bit of blush on his cheeks. After a pause, Kou reminds Mitsuba that he hasn't forgotten his promise, and that he expects Mitsuba to explain what happened. Mitsuba begins to explain, but before he can, a great maw of spiky teeth looms above them. Kou notices it before it can chomp them, and grabs Mitsuba's hand and jumps away from it.

Kou holds up Raiteijou, protecting himself and Mitsuba as Mitsuba hides behind him. We then see their assailant, a giant anglerfish-like being with a boney tail. Its esca is spiky, and resembles the decoration on the outside of the aquarium. Skeleton fish then begin attacking the other guests, and one hits a man in a business suit. Kou and Mitsuba rush to his side, Kou telling him he'll call an ambulance, but the man erupts into a black mist. Shocked, Kou looks around him, and realizes the people here are all long-dead, just like the fish.

Disturbed, Kou grabs Mitsuba's hand, and tells him they're leaving. Mitsuba protests, but Kou won't hear him out. As they run, Kou hears a squelching noise, and turns around to see that the hand he was holding has detached itself from Mitsuba. Not just that, but it looks cruely stitched together, with some parts off-color. Several eyes are growing out of it, and a little eel-like creature making up the hand lets out a little noise.

Kou's eyes widen, clearly shocked, and Mitsuba apologizes to him. He's collapsed on the floor, and we can see more of his body. Clumps of his body are scattered on the floor, and we can see eyes and mouths popping out from his clothes. There are several holes in him, and his right leg appears almost completely detached from his body. Face sweaty, Mitsuba informs Kou that he doesn't think he can move anymore.

Characters in order of appearance

 * Minamoto Kou
 * Mitsuba Sousuke
 * Minamoto Teru
 * Akane Aoi
 * Aoi Akane
 * Minamoto Tiara
 * Yashiro Nene