𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍. ʜᴀɴᴀꜱʜɪʀᴏ

2 4 : 雲の上でも

Even Above The Clouds

—

Fluffy, flurry, sweet and lovely.

Those were the words that were in Nene's mind as she continues to press her forehead and both of her palms against the window panes, staring outside in utter amazement and adoration. "The new setting is kinda cool and it really makes you think of happy-ever-after whenever reading fairy tales, don't you think so?"

"Kind of," Hanako replied as he glances at her before looking up ahead beyond the window.

Clouds — the train was up above the clouds. They were up above their clouds.

Nene still couldn't believe how that was possible — then again, everything relevant to the place they were in are all inexplicable and just didn't make sense at all. Nevertheless, it was still fun.

From the horizon, they could see the mighty sun, with its usual blaring heat and rays. But it was sunset, so maybe the way it shone by then couldn't hurt their eyes as much as when it's high up above during the afternoon. The sky way pretty and it reminded her of Mei's stories about one of her previous paintings — iridescent.

"The sky is pink like my hair," another voice spoke up with a rather proud tone. "Super adorable like me."

"Oh, okay."

Nene and Hanako turns over towards the boy sitting in front of them who really had pink hair and eyes; he had his hair tied up to a small ponytail, along with lots of bobby pins attached so that some of his baby hairs wouldn't go down. In one glance, you might think he's a girl, but no, it's a trap. Sousuke Mitsuba was definitely androgynous.

"What?" Mitsuba narrowed his eyes as he frowns, raising up his sleeve-covered right hand, "Are you really that interested with this poor, adorable and helpless child like me?" And then, his face suddenly morphs into disgust as he gasps sharply. "Or perhaps you even want me to take part into a sudden—"

"Just how vast is his brain to actually think of random things like that, anyway?" Hanako whispers and scrunches up his nose as he jerks a thumb towards Mitsuba's direction. "He doesn't make sense."

"Neither do I know, Hanako-kun," Nene whispers back, shaking her head. "Mitsuba-kun has been saying that ever since he came. Do you think he's—"

"I can hear you," the said boy deadpanned at the both of them. "Loud and clear."

There has not even been an hour ever since Mitsuba came, but Nene and Hanako felt like they already knew him just by those minutes passing by and this was what the both of them concluded, piling up their observations about him: Mitsuba was cocky, foul-mouthed and somehow a narcissistic.

"Hey, Radish-senpai, Crazy Knife," Mitsuba called out once again, using dumb nicknames to describe them individually.

"Wait, before I ask what you want," Hanako crossed his arms. "Why do you keep on calling us like that?"

"Oh!" I call her Radish-senpai because her ankles are really fat, lmao," Mitsuba cackled as she points at her, to which Nene looks away with a deadpan. And then, he points at him. "You remind me of a character at a play I once watched — he was super annoying and he always carried this strange knife around. Ugh, I don't wanna remember him so I'mma just look away."

An irk mark pops at the side of his head as he barked at him, "Well you're annoying, too! I'm trying to help you, okay?"

Mitsuba rolled his eyes and sighed, "Yeah, okay."

Nene looked at him again and tilted her head to the side just a little bit, a worried look on her face, "Mitsuba-kun, do you, perhaps, not want to go back anymore?"

The boy in question momentarily kept his lips into a fine thin line before pursing them and shaking his head, "Of course not. I want to go back as soon as possible, you know. I have so many work still left to do. I can't just leave them," he sighs. "It's so annoying how I was there at that place and at that time, just to be entangled at a dumb traffic incident. Ugh."

Nene lets out an 'oh' as she scoots a bit closer towards him, "Mitsuba-kun, why do you want to go back?"

Mitsuba looks at her with a weirded out expression, raising an eyebrow even, as he crosses his arms. "Duh. Because I have a dream; Radish-senpai, I'm going to be a professional photographer someday. People will be flocking over me as if I'm a rare treasure, begging for me just to take pictures of them," he grins at them whole-heartedly. "I will be a well-known person in the future. I want to continue on living because living makes me happy."

Hanako stared at him and then smiled. "Oh, well. I guess you really have a pure heart deep inside, aside from your foul traits."

"You are the one who has a foul trait for thinking of me like that," Mitsuba stuck out his tounge at him. "You're being so mean to someone as cute as me."

"Okay, it's back; I take back what I said too."

"Hey!" Mitsuba yelled as he huffs and puffs his cheeks out. He was also about to hit Hanako, but then, he suddenly stopped mid-air. His face looked as if he just realized something significant, as his eyes were wide and his mouth was open, like that of a fish. And then, he said, "Oh. It's here."

Nene and Hanako looked at each other.

"Well, I didn't knew someone actually loved me like this," Mitsuba laughed as he shrugged, shaking his head slowly. "I guess it's because of my charm that they immediately prayed for me."

"Oh!" Hanako clasped his hands together, finally realizing what he was talking about. He smacked the poor boy's back and laughed. "Good one! I guess you really are loved, huh!"

"That's so good to hear, Mitsuba-kun!" Nene giggled as she puts a hand on his shoulder. "It was a short time, but we did quite had a lot of fun together."

Mitsuba smiled, "Uh, thanks too. While I was frustrated, thanks for staying with me and for explaining a lot of things, although I still don't really get them at all. Radish-senpai, Crazy Knife," he waved. "I'll be going."

"Have a safe trip back, kid," Hanako crossed his arms as he chuckled. "You can't go dying again and again by a dumb traffic incident like you said."

"Gah," Mitsuba rolled his eyes again, although not in annoyance anymore. "Of course, I know that. Bye."

And then, he was gone.