Once Shattered, Now Whole

My Money, Time, and Liver

By some god-given miracle, you managed to get away from both Teru and Yashiro but that meant skipping class to do it. You had managed to distract them with random gibberish that seemed to disorient Teru and confused Yashiro to the point of speculating your words and barely notice your little slip-away until you slipped away. The crunch of grass still lurked beneath your feet and crept in your ears, you had circled back outside so they would think you were still somewhere in the school instead of outside again. Your knees ache as they knock against each other from the exhaustion of going up flights of stairs and back down them, why didn't this school have elevators? Probably a lack of funding, for sure, you snort at the idea as you crouch down by the side of the abandoned building where you could get some shade. As your eyes begin to squint to a close, something poked at your cheek. It was cold and an oddly discomforting touch, like if a presence was capable of physical touch, your eyes barely opened before you were met with a close apparition, "So you're awake after all," Amane verbally observed without much concern that he was invading your personal space. Your eyes open more, allowing you to properly see the ghostly apparition without scaring yourself more than you were from the shock of seeing someone there, "What the fuck are you doing?" Your blatant, much less calm and composed, response caught him off guard instantly. Hanako took a minute, almost like a computer when it's unable to process something, before a laugh rattled out from his lips infectiously.
You quirked a brow in his direction but he just waved you off, pushing himself back just enough to wave his hands around without worry he might accidentally hit you; "Such foul language! A student shouldn't say stuff like that!" You narrow your eyes into a glare pointedly at him, yet Hanako wasn't bothered by the little attempt to scare him off, he instead winked at you to catch you off your game.

As odd as he was, he almost made you feel a bit better about skipping class. Even though it probably wouldn't matter here, you would just go home and have your regular lessons to go through. You chuckled for a moment, though it was bitter to the sound as Hanako cringed slightly with a noticeable pained smile sent your way as if it physically pained him to hear you laugh like that. Your lips awkwardly curled to a smile to which he returned, "I can tell you haven't hung around a lot of people, have you?" He squished his cheeks together with his two index fingers, tilting his head to a mock pitiful look, "Are you that lonely, you have to spend time with a ghost?" You rolled your eyes at him, pushing his back via his face with a snort. You recoiled with your arms around you, "I'm not lonely, I just- prefer your company." As the words leave your lips, you perk up at realizing what you said- Hanako tensed as you just admitted to preferring his company over others', if that was taken in a wrong way then you presented yourself with another problem. Hanako, if in love or obsessed over someone, was dangerous as shit and if you were in this isekai bullshit- you saw enough fanfics to know what saying that sort of stuff might get you.

"I was right," Amane started once more, turning his head sheepishly(?), "You're super lonely." You breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully he didn't take that in a wrong way and you kept a decent friendship that you made note to keep at an arms-length distance. You snort once coming back into reality, relaxing enough as you realize Hanako would likely avoid such things and wouldn't consider feelings like that, you shake your head at him; "You're so childish, y'know?" You humor him with another joke before you begin to stand, seeing his head turn at the rustle and displacement of more grass beneath your feet. As you begin to get away, something stops you with a firm grip on your hand. You tense instantly as you look down to the boy, his amber eyes softened as his lips parted slightly, "I thought you said you liked my company?" His voice was zephyr-like and warm as he pulled your hand close to his cheek, leaning his head to tilt his lips close to the knuckles of your fingers.

"I— well-" you weren't sure what to say to that, "I do," your throat dried painfully without knowing what to do or say as it seemed this ghost's touch rendered you speechless. He hovered above the ground suddenly, his feet extending as he 'stood', Hanako chortled at your expression. "Look at you!" He exclaimed, his other hand reached up to the side of your face with his thumb brushing over the bottom of your lip, Hanako was closer than you'd expect for the second time of meeting, "You're all jumbled for words," a smile graced him this time as he pulled away, "It's almost cute." You realize he was only teasing, while relieving it was concerning he was teasing you. He did that shit to Yashiro at first and- oh your damn, you were going about this all wrong. If you were the only one who made the wish, that meant Hanako's touch starved attention is on you but if you got Yashiro in on this then that means his attention would rightfully go to the heroine of TBHK.
"Pervert," you wave off his hand from your face, huffing, "It's not even that anyway, I just need to find Yashiro and find out a way to lengthen her lifespan," at the mention of Yashiro his expression soured for a brief minute. As if the mere mention of someone else, especially the person you were trying to save, annoyed him. Of course you didn't think that, but you weren't going to get caught off guard by some apparition so you were keeping your game up and ready. He pouted, but obliged and reeled his hands back to his own personal bubble instead of invading yours; "Fine, fine- but your wish may be a little impossible to grant since- well," he gestured at you, "You don't exactly have the ability to pay the price for that size of a wish... I don't have the means to grant it." You knew that was a lie, you knew he could grant it but at the cost of Aoi or getting Shijima Mei involved.

You crossed your arms, backing away from him significantly to which he noticed, "I'm willing to pay the price for any wish when it comes to Yashiro."

"Really?" Hanako's head tilts slightly, finger tapping against his chin as he thought to himself, his legs lifting up to allow him to freely levitate on his front, "Anything for her?" He hummed in thought, his legs crossing and lifted at the knees, "Your money, time, and liver even?" The odd question only earned a nod from you, his eyes fixated on every detail of your expression to which he twisted to be floating on his crossed legs with his elbows propped up onto his knees, the ghost boy merely smiled at you whimsically.

"Then, would you sacrifice your all for this girl?"

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