Note: I have nothing to do with Haunted Junction and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the series a lot. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as seen in Bandai's subtitled release of the series. I apologize if the subject matter is inconsistent with the original intent of the creators or the original Japanese. Note: episodes during which specific events took place are identified in brackets.

More than anything else, Haruto wanted to be normal. He wanted to be a normal student in a normal school who would graduate and enter a normal university, meet and marry a normal girl, have normal kids, and die happy and normal of something normal like old age.

Trapped as he was at Saito High, however, it seemed less and less likely that his dreams would come true.

Things would probably be better if I had a girlfriend, he thought to himself as he stared out the window of his room at the Saint Marine Church. Unfortunately, he didn't know any girl well enough to even consider asking her to go steady with him. Well, there was Asahina, but her Shouta complex made it impossible for any boy over the age of 12 to have a chance with her.

The problem was simple: he was President of the Holy Student Council. Just being a member of the council was bad enough, since everyone knew that wherever the council went, there were sure to be spirits nearby. He, however, was the president, and therefore more or less the ringleader of the group. People in the halls melted away on either side when he walked by, giving him a wide berth. Of course, he was rarely in the halls when the other students were, so maybe what he experienced was typical.

The other downside of being a part of the council was that he was, basically, always on call. Because of that, the council members received credit for their classes even if they didn't attend a single one. And since the Chairman kept sending them on all sorts of missions, Haruto didn't know the name of a single classmate from any of his classes. So, he didn't know any boys, let alone any girls, that attended the school. With the sole exception of Kazumi and Asahina, of course.

Haruto sighed and turned from the window, resting his arms on his desk. "I wouldn't even know how to talk to them," he said, pillowing his head on his arms. "And I don't know anyone who could even help me."

He didn't trust any advice his father might give him, given the uselessness of his advice on exorcising spirits. And he didn't know any of the boys in school except Kazumi well enough to consult them on how to approach girls. And Kazumi...

Hmm.

"Well, why can't I ask Kazumi?" he said thoughtfully. "He may be obsessed with the nation's Miss Hanakos, but he still knows how to talk to girls, right?"

* * *

"Ohayoo, sempai," Kazumi said as he entered the Holy Student Council room.

Haruto looked up. "Ah, ohayoo, Kazumi. Have you seen Asahina anywhere?"

Kazumi rolled his eyes. "You know her. She's busy chasing Nino-kun. The last time I saw them was out on the soccer field. She was waving around a pair of underwear with a teddy bear sewn on it."

Haruto winced, but inwardly he was glad their fellow councilmate wasn't there.

"Ne, Kazumi, I need your advice on something," Haruto said.

Kazumi sat down. "Oh?"

Haruto felt himself flushing. "It's sort of personal, so please don't tell anyone, okay?"

Kazumi's eyes narrowed, then he suddenly leered at him. "Soo desu ka? Baring your soul, huh?"

"Ieie!" Haruto cried, waving his hand in front of his face. "It's nothing like that!"

"A secret crush?"

"No!"

"Is it someone I know?"

"Kazumi!"

The other boy sank back grinning. "All right, I'll stop teasing. So, what's the problem?"

"Well," Haruto said, swallowing, "it's like this. How do you...ah...uhm..."

"How do I what?" Kazumi pressed.

Haruto bowed his head. "Meet girls?" he said softly.

When Kazumi didn't answer--didn't even react by laughing or crying or something--Haruto looked up.

Kazumi was crouched down on the table. His eyes were wild, and his teeth were bared. There was a low growling sound coming from deep in his throat. He crept slowly towards Haruto, the growling becoming louder and fiercer.

Haruto swallowed. "Kazumi?" he stammered.

With a sudden snarl, Kazumi lunged for him, his hands out and fingers arched like claws.

Haruto gave a sudden "eep!" and dove to the side. He scrambled under the table and darted out the door, Kazumi close on his heels, running on all fours.

"Help!" Haruto shouted as he ran down the hall. "Asahina! Chairman! ANYBODY!"

* * *

Haruto sank back in his chair in the Holy Student Council room, sighing with relief and resignation.

Kazumi had chased him all over the school--even the soccer field, where Asahina and Nino-kun were nowhere to be found--before Haruto had ducked into the boys' restroom where Toilet Hanako usually lounged. Then, it had only taken a softly spoken "Kazumi-kun" to stop Kazumi in his tracks.

And Haruto still hadn't found out anything helpful.

As he stared up at the ceiling, his right hand absently reached up and began toying with the badges pinned to the left side of his shirt.

Abruptly he clapped his hand to his forehead. "How could I be so dense?" he said aloud.

Thanks to the power of the badges, he had the school's seven most powerful spirits at his beck and call. And one of those spirits happened to be the bane of all the teachers in the school, since his sudden appearances anywhere reduced the girls to swooning, love-struck wrecks.

He hated to call upon any of the spirits for personal petty reasons, but he didn't know whom else to turn to. He jumped to his feet and plucked the red badge from his shirt.

"Emergency! Red Mantle, report to the Holy Student Council room, on the double! WELCOME!"

There was a burst of red light. When it faded, a tall red-cloaked figure stood before him. "What is it, Mr. President?" he asked in his deep, vibrant voice.

Haruto bowed. "I'm sorry to call you here," he said. "It was wrong of me to call you for such a petty reason, but you're the only one who can help me."

"You only need to ask," Red Mantle said. "What is the problem?"

"Well," Haruto said hesitantly, "I was hoping...you could teach me how to talk to girls?" Haruto felt himself flushing, and was relieved that Red Mantle didn't burst out laughing.

"Why ask me?" the spirit asked instead.

"Well, you know how I want a normal life after I graduate, right?" Haruto said. "I want to go to the university, become a businessman, and fall in love and get married."

"So where do I come in?"

"I don't know how to talk to girls," Haruto admitted in a small voice. "I don't know many girls in school--only Asahina, actually--but I don't think I'd be able to talk to a girl even if I met one in the hall."

"But you," he continued, gesturing towards the cloaked spirit, "can send grandmothers of 80 years to bed with a fever for three days, just by talking to them. You can just step out of thin air and talk to them as though you've known them for your entire life." He sighed. "I guess I just want to learn how be confident, and I can't think of anyone who could help me more than you."

"I see," Red Mantle said. "So you want me to train you the way I trained Blue Hanten?"

Haruto's jaw dropped. "No!" he cried. He didn't think he could bear it if he had to dance on a stage, or hand out free tissue packs on the street, or any of the other things Red Mantle had tried to build up his younger sister's confidence in approaching living people. "I mean, I just want to know how you do it. Talk to people, I mean."

Red Mantle smiled. "I wasn't going to train you exactly the way I did it with my sister. I realize now that it made her unhappy. But I think I understand what you want now."

Haruto sighed, immensely relieved. "So can you help me?" he asked. "I mean, I'm not a spirit, and I'll never be as handsome or as charming as you, but..."

"You're doing yourself a disservice," Red Mantle chided, "but I'll help you with what I can. First, you have to stand tall."

Haruto whipped out his notebook. "'Stand tall,'" he wrote. "Okay."

"You have to exude confidence at all times," Red Mantle continued. "So whenever you talk to someone, look them straight in the eyes."

"'Straight in the eyes.' Got it."

"But when you look into their eyes, you need to stare with such intensity that you'll see yourself reflected in their eyes, and they'll see themselves in yours."

"'See themselves in...'" Haruto frowned. "But you wear a mask all the time," he pointed out. "How can you be sure you're doing it right?"

"Practice," Red Mantle said mysteriously. "That's what you need, too, Mr. President."

"And who am I going to practice with?" Haruto demanded.

"Anybody. It doesn't have to be a girl."

"Why not?"

"As I said, you need to be confident at all times. When you're with boys, the boys will start to take you seriously. You'll earn their respect, and it will show whenever there are girls around. By getting in with the boys, you'll have a chance with the girls."

"Oh, I see." Haruto wasn't actually sure he did, but Red Mantle sounded sure, so it must work. "But that brings us back to my question. Who am I going to practice with?"

"You can ask Kazumi--"

"If he can keep from being possessed for long enough."

"Oh," Red Mantle said. "Asahina--"

"Doesn't take any boy over the age of twelve seriously and wouldn't understand why I'm doing any of it. And those are the only two living people I know well enough to practice with."

"Well, maybe one of the spirits could help. Nino could--"

"If we could get him away from Asahina."

"Mirror Girl--"

"Is too young and wouldn't understand why a boy would be interested in a girl."

"The Giant--"

"Is too big. Not that I've seen his face, but how is he supposed to see himself in my eyes?"

"Haruo Sato--"

"Has painted plastic eyes that don't reflect back."

"Bones Suzuki--"

"Has no eyes at all."

"The Chairman--"

"Will probably laugh at me again for wanting a normal life."

"Miss Hanako--"

"Will probably mistake my practicing for flirting and drag me into a lavatory stall."

Red Mantle frowned. "This may be harder than I thought."

Haruto sighed. His shoulders slumped over as he sank down into his seat. "Oh, well. Maybe I can just practice in the mirror. Or maybe I could try asking Kazumi again."

"There's no helping it," Red Mantle said abruptly. "You'll have to practice with me."

Haruto's jaw dropped. "But how? I can't see your eyes through your mask, so I wouldn't be able to see my reflection in your eyes."

"Then I'll take my mask off."

"But--but--but you know what happens when you do that!" Haruto protested. And he knew perfectly well, too. After all, he'd been lost in a lovesick daze for nearly three days after seeing Red Mantle's face. He'd been one of the few who'd come to school while the rest of the students stayed home for those three days, and he'd blushed every time he'd seen Red Mantle during those days. [Ep. 8] Just remembering his reaction then was enough to bring a blush to his face now.

"It will be good practice," Red Mantle assured him. "If you can look me in the eyes without reacting, then you'll know that you're doing it right."

"But--" Haruto tried to protest.

"It will be all right, Mr. President," Red Mantle said. He brought his hand up to his face. "Let's give it a try right now," he said, pulling off the mask.

Haruto struggled hard to keep his face averted, but Red Mantle reached out and, cupping his chin, gently turned his head around. Haruto took one look at the perfect beautiful face with its perfect unmarred skin, the perfect lips curved in a smile that revealed perfect pearly white teeth, and the perfect red eyes framed by perfect flowing white hair, and felt his heart leaping. Once again he was in the presence of absolutely perfect beauty, and he was falling in love with it.

Red Mantle sighed. "Maybe you weren't ready yet," he murmured.

"Oh, my God," Haruto whispered.

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