Sweets are delicious. . until they're gone
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It was the end of a very long day, and you, Nene, and Kou walked into the familiar girls bathroom, immediately grabbing supplies and cleaning. Nene mopped the floors, Kou wiped down the toilets and stalls, and you cleaned the mirrors and sinks. It was the day after the Four O'clock Library situation, and you've quickly noticed how Nene's been acting differently, especially around you. She's been subtly avoiding you. She'd talk to you, sure, but she's been a tad distant lately, it was unlike her. You didn't want to pry about it, but what happened between the times they got seperated, and when they met back up in the infirmary?
Hanako seemed to notice Nene's change in actions, but unlike you, was willing to bring light to the situation. "Yashiro," Hanako called, getting the girl's attention. She hummed, not looking over to Hanako, staring at the floor, continuing her mopping.
"Why have you been acting weird lately?" The apparition asked, crossing one leg over the other, tilting his head to the side. Nene brought her head up, looking somewhat confused. You looked back and forth between Hanako and Nene, curious.
". . .I don't feel any different. ." Nene responded confusingly, going back to her cleaning duties, facing away from Hanako.
"Are you sure? Your reactions are really out of character. . . You don't grumble or complain about cleaning anymore," Hanako stated, floating over to Nene, poking the side of her face.
"Isn't that better for you?" Nene asked, tilting her chin up snarkily away from Hanako. The boy grumbled. "No! You made me laugh." Hanako whined.
You put down your cleaning supplies, deciding to finally confront her."I'm gonna have to agree with Hanako on this one, Nene. You've been acting a little weird lately. I've noticed you've started avoiding me a little. Did I do something wrong or. .?" You asked, leaning against one of the sinks cemented to the wall behind you. Before Nene could respond, Hanako grabbed her face, turning it so she was looking at Hanako, "Exactly! You don't even look at me anymore!" Hanako said, Nene looked surprised by the sudden grab at her face.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm looking at you! I'm looking now!" Nene complained, dropping the mop, it clattered to the floor.
"Hey! Hands off!" Kou shouted, poking Hanako harshly in the side with his spirit-killing weapon.
"Your hands are so cold!" Nene cried. Hanako complied, letting go of Nene's face. Kou stopped stabbing at him.
"Alright, I think it's time for us to go home," You stated, putting away your cleaning supplies and grabbing your books and binder, defusing the situation even more.
"Already?" Hanako wined, floating over to you and wrapping his arms around your shoulders. "Don't go! It's too early!" Hanako said, tightening his grip. You watched as Nene and Kou grabbed their items, and left the bathroom. . .Without you.
"Hey! Wait! Don't just leave me here!" You shouted, but Nene and Kou looked at you with a sorry expression, one that was fake. You gave them a death stare as they waved as they left the bathroom, leaving you stuck with Hanako, who was currently clinging onto you for dear life.
"Hanako. . .could you please let go of me. . .?" You asked as politely as possible, but Hanako shook his head. You sighed, knowing you weren't going to get out of this situation any time soon. . .
(Nene's P.O.V)
They're both right, Hanako and M/n. I have been avoiding them. It's just. . .After seeing their past, I can't look at them the same, especially M/n. I can't look either of them in the eye now, I don't know why, It's just. . .weird now. I don't know how to explain it. I just have so many questions, for both Hanako and M/n, ones I didn't think I'd ever have to ask.
The bell rang. The time went by so quickly. . .Collecting my stuff, I walked out of the final classroom, waving to Aoi. She had to stay after and discuss something with the teacher, so she was going to meet up with me at the garden.
I'm supposed to clean the bathroom's today. . .I know for a fact Hanako and M/n will be there, but I don't want to face them! It'd be awkward, and they wouldn't know why. I started cutting overgrown plants with a pair of small, metal shears.
Every time I try to get the thought out of my head, it just comes running back at full force! Honestly, I don't think I'll ever get it out of my head.
"Nene! That you?" I looked up from the plants, hearing the familiar voice of my underclassmen, Kou.
"U-uhh, Kou? Why are you here?" I asked, noticing the blue apron wrapped around his waist. Was he in some kind of cooking club? Why hadn't he ever said anything about it?
"Why not? I've always wondered who made the garden look so good, who knew it was you! Heh." Kou said, squatting down next to me, tilting his head while observing the greenery.
"Oh, thank you. . .Did Hanako send you to come get me?" I asked, not giving the plants the attention they needed, instead focusing it on Kou.
"Nah, It isn't bathroom cleaning time yet. I actually came down here to ask for a favor," Kou said, scratching the back of his neck with a small tint of pink washing over his cheeks, spreading over the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, what is it?" I asked.
"Don't laugh,"-Kou's blush grew, I guessed from embarrassment-"But uh. .Do you know how to make donuts by any chance?" He asked.
"Donuts? Sure, I'll help." I complied. I need a break from all of this, baking should do the trick, right?
"Thank you!" Kou said, standing and leading me to the small kitchen on the first floor.
(Normal P.O.V)
You were in the home economics room, donut batter on the countertops, some on your apron. Earlier, Kou had asked if you could help with making donuts. A random question, but you agreed nonetheless. So, here you were now, messed up batter, an even messier classroom, and Kou going out to find Nene so she could help. You hadn't been able to speak to the girl today, for yet again she avoided you.
"Found her!" You heard Kou shout from the entrance to home EC. One look from Nene and her expression changed instantaneously, looking over the explosion of food and batter.
"Hey Nene! I'm glad Kou could find you. We, uh. . .Really need your help, as you can clearly see. ." You said sheepishly, washing your hands, ridding them of batter. The water made the batter feel slimy between the webs of your fingers. You grimaced at the feeling.
". . .Yeah. . .You guys really need help. . .'' Nene deadpanned, walking towards the kitchen, looking over the mess. "How did you mess up so badly?" She asked, genuinely surprised at how bad you and Kou were at baking.
"Well. . .Long story actually. . .You don't wanna hear it," Kou said, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh! I almost forgot. Nene, while I was being held hostage by Hanako, he told me to let you know that you don't have to worry about bathroom duties today," You told Nene, and she thanked you. You heard Kou laugh as he walked to the countertop. "Held Hostage?" He said amusingly, questioning your choice of words.
"He wouldn't let me leave! Isn't that being held hostage?" You reasoned. Kou couldn't respond, he was laughing too much, you laughed along with him while Nene let out a few small giggles.
"Anyways, we first should worry about cleaning this mess up. . ." You suggested, hands finding themselves on your hips as you overlooked the sheer mess you and Kou created. Both Kou and Nene nodded, going to find rags.
"Hey, why do you guys want to make donuts?" Nene asked while pouring flour into a sifter.
"Oh! I uh- have a little sister! She said she wanted some donuts. Pretty random, right? But I guess it is what it is, so I went to this room, grabbed M/n, then you," Kou ranted as Nene started sifting the flour, the baking ingredient falling into the clear bowl like snow.
"Sorry, it's a really sudden request to ask for. I'm glad you agreed to help," You said, cracking some eggs into a bowl mixing it with a certain amount of milk.
"No worries at all," Nene responded, giving you a small glance, continuing her sifting.
"To be honest, I'm glad you guys wanted my help. I needed a little break from Hanako," Nene said, placing the empty sifter in the sink. She grabbed some sugar and poured the amount the recipe called for, grabbing a wooden spoon and gently stirring the dry ingredients together.
"A break, why?" Kou asked, curious. He cracked another egg and poured it into the bowl you were stirring. You then poured the wet contents of your bowl into Nene's bowl, combining the wet and dry ingredients.
"It's just been a little awkward between him and I lately."-Nene paused, then started stirring vigorously, seeming embarrassed all of a sudden,-"Not like we had a fight or he did something inappropriate or anything!" She said, embarrassed. Kou noticed her aggressive stirring and walked behind her, gently grabbing the hand holding the spoon and stopping her in her aggressive movements. He started guiding her hand to stir softly. "It says to stir gently, see?" Kou said, gesturing to the recipe sprawled out for you all to see.
You watched the scene unfold, letting a small smile adorn your features. You knew he liked her. It was kind of cute, you weren't going to lie.
"It must be tiring. . .Suddenly being able to see apparitions you thought were never there. I can't understand how you feel, since I've been seeing them ever since I was born. But if you need someone to talk to, I'm here alright?" Kou said, smiling, and backing away from Nene, then looking at you, "You as well, M/n. ''
". . .Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." You responded, grateful.
"Actually, can I get your guys' opinion on something?" Nene asked, fiddling with the hem of her uniform dress.
"Sure." You confirmed, leaning against the table counter, giving your full attention to Nene.
"Shoot," Kou said, doing the same as you.
* * *
"So you got all that from the Four O'clock Library?" Kou asked. Nene nodded, she had decided to tell Kou and M/n what she saw after destroying the Yorishiro, deliberately skipping over the parts M/n was in. Nene didn't want to talk about that when M/n was standing right in front of her.
Speaking of M/N, Nene glanced over in his direction. His expression was different, blank, emotionless. Before Nene could comment on his odd behavior, Kou spoke up. "So, Hanako used to be a student at this school then?" He said, Nene nodded, confirming his suspicions.
"And, I've been thinking. . .Maybe I shouldn't try so hard to be Hanako's friend, it's becoming way too complicated," Nene said truthfully, fidgeting with her hands.
M/n started putting unfinished donuts into the fryer, silently listening into their conversation.
"Besides. . .You can't really be friends with someone who's dead!" Nene said, chuckling.
M/n dropped the air fryer, grease splashing everywhere, unfortunately landing on M/n's outstretched hand. M/n quickly retracted, yelping and running to the sink, running his burned hand under cold water. The cold water under scorching hot grease felt relieving, but it was still a little painful.
"Are you alright M/n!?" Nene asked spastically, walking to his side and observing his burned hand. It didn't look too bad, but a red mark started forming on the majority of his hand, and even parts of his wrist.
"Yeah, I'm fine, no big deal. I'm gonna head to the nurse before she leaves. You guys can finish without me," M/n said, quietly rushing out of the classroom with a cold cloth wrapped around his injured hand, leaving Nene and Kou alone.
"He's been weird lately, I'm kinda worried about him," Kou commented, taking M/n's place by the fryer, refilling it with grease and bringing it under a hot flame. He waited for a little before starting to carefully place donuts in the fryer.
"Yeah. . ." Nene responded, slowly joining Kou with the donuts.
"I'm sure he'll be fine, though." She said, a little uncertain with herself.
"Hopefully. . .Anyways, did you get to know more about Hanako?" Kou asked, concentrating on the donuts. Nene paused, then responded, "I. . .Y-Yes." She responded, her hands starting to shake a little. Kou gestured for her to continue.
* * *
"So. . .M/n. . .Is dead?" Kou asked, surprise washing over his being. Nene nodded, taking out the last donut in the fryer.
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When you left the Home Economics classroom, you never went to the nurse's office. instead, you headed towards the roof, you needed fresh air. The school was becoming suffocating, like you were drowning in a bottomless pool of guilt.
You knew this was inevitable. Nene found out about Hanako, surely she would've found out about you as well. She would've known eventually, so there's no reason to get all worked up about it. You sighed, leaning against the railings that surrounded the top of the school building, looking up into the cloudless sky. It was a nice day today, cool, but warm as well. It's not every day you get such nice weather.
You've always known you were dead, figured it out when every time you would walk out school grounds, you'd end up back inside the building the very next day with no recollection of anything. You forgot everything in your past. You don't remember your life, who your parents were, your friends, it was all a blur. But now you had Nene. Nene, Kou, and Hanako. You had them now, and that's all that mattered.
Still looking up, you saw something fly by, you assumed it was a bird by the wing-like shapes at the sides of its body. But the so-called 'bird' was headed straight towards you, its speed increasing by the second. You backed away from the railing, watching as the object moved closer, and closer, its speed increasing by the second.
Before the object could smash into you, it turned and started circling you, black smog protruding out the back of it. You started coughing, the smell was horrible and it invaded your lungs. Tears brimmed at the corners of your eyes, streaming down your face as you continued hacking aggressively.
The object continued to circle you until you were fully submerged in the darkness of the smoke, coughing and waving a hand, trying to fan the smog away. But it was useless, it was thick and lingered like smoke from the middle of a house fire.
"There you are," A childish voice broke your suffering. The smog finally started to clear, cascading out and disappearing like fog. You wiped your face, attempting to rid of the tears, coughing up any remaining residue of the smog.
"Aww, did I hurt you?" It was that voice again, but where was it coming from? It sounded like it was all around you, surrounding and slowly closing in. You looked all around, turning this way and that. Nothing was there.
"It's been so long since I've seen you." And again the person spoke, pure malice behind its playfulness. The voice was familiar to you, but you couldn't explain from where, or why.
Someone wrapped their arms around your shoulders from behind, your eyes widened and you grabbed at the unfamiliar being's arms, attempting to pull them away from you, ultimately failing.
"How long has it been? 10 years? 100?" The voice said again, they were so close to you, their breath fanning your ear when they spoke.
"Who are you?" You asked, scared but trying to hide it with a strong tone. The person's grip on you tightened. "You. . You don't remember me?" They asked, genuinely sounding puzzled.
It was so sudden, but now the person was right in front of you, their eyes ever so wide, and a smile bore on their face.
He. . .He looked just like Hanako, the only difference was the 'seal' sticker on the opposite side of his face from where Hanako's usually was. His eyes were a bit darker, and his voice, it was way different from Hanako's, playful like his, but malevolent as well.
"It's been so long since I've seen you." He spoke, both hands cupping your confused and scared face. He leaned closer. "Quick question, do you know where Amane is? I'd like to have a chat with him," He asked.
Amane? Wasn't that Hanako's real name? Nene mentioned it was. . .
You didn't respond to the Hanako look alike, worrying what he would do with Hanako if you told. The entity in front of you clicked his tongue disappointingly. "Guess I'll find him myself. . It was nice seeing you again~" And just like that, he was gone, a cloud of smog the only thing left of him. You stayed still for a moment, collecting your thoughts.
Who was he? Someone related to Hanako, maybe?
He's after Hanako now.
The last thought got you to move, you had to make sure Hanako was alright! You knew he was a powerful apparition, he would probably be alright, he was a School Wonder after all. But still, you had to make sure he would be okay.
You took a step back, turning around and sprinting out the door connecting the stairs back into the building. Running down hallways and through the courtyard, not caring how many students you ran into, how many teachers yelled at you to stop running. You didn't care! You kept going.
Quickly sprinting into the familiar abandoned building, you plowed up the stairs. Turning familiar corners, eventually meeting with the girls' bathroom door. Not wasting any time, you ran into the bathroom, met with a confused Hanako, who was currently playing Hanafuda with some of the Mokke.
"What happened to you? You look like a mess," Hanako commented amusingly, teasing like normal. You looked around the bathroom frantically, nothing seemed off, maybe he wasn't going to show up after all.
Hanako looked away from the playing cards, intending to give you a smile. But before that could happen, his facial expression contwarded to a look of terror, fear, and absolute regret. You've never seen him look so scared before.
"What? You. . .Okay?-" A hand lay itself on your shoulder, and you stopped talking. A violent shiver ran down your spine, eyes widening. You already knew who it was. Hanako didn't say a word, just looked above you, eyes wide and afraid. You were right to worry about him.
"You haven't forgotten about me, right?" The grip on your tensed shoulders tightened, making you flinch. Hanako didn't say a word. The apparition behind you pushed you forward, walking along with you, towards Hanako. Once you were standing in front of the Seventh Wonder, a hand reached over your head, caressing Hanako's face. "It's been a while, Amane. Since you've last killed me," His words made Hanako's eyes widen impossibly larger.
"Are you happy to see me?" The boy behind you asked, leaning closer to Hanako, colliding with your back and forcing you to move closer as well.
Up close, Hanako looked even more scared than you had guessed. His breathing was uneven, he was sweating, and just about ready to break down into tears.
Then suddenly, the unknown apparition stopped stalking closer, and the sound of splashing water could be heard from behind you. The malicious apparition let go of your shoulder and moved away, turning around with a smile on his face. You followed the unknown boy's movements, turning around to see both Nene and Kou, Nene holding an empty water bottle. Had she doused the unknown boy in water?
The Hanako look alike started to disappear, he walked towards Nene and Kou. "Wasn't expecting that one~" He said before he fully disappeared. Like last time, the only thing left of him was a cloud of black smoke.
"Are you guys alright!?" Nene shouted. You nodded and turned to Hanako. His head was hung low, and you could see tears falling down his face, his hands closed tightly around each other, shaking.
"Hanako. . '' You said, reaching a slow hand out to the trembling boy. But before it could touch him, Hanako grabbed your wrist, having a strong hold on it. Nothing was said, not a word from you, Hanako, or Nene and Kou. It was uncomfortable silence, suspenseful. You reached your free hand and wrapped it around Hanako's, which still resided tightly around your wrist. But once your hand touched Hanako's, the boy jumped up, letting go of your wrist. A red mark was left on your wrist. Surely, it was going to bruise.
Hanako looked down to the injury on your wrist. The injury on your wrist that he caused. "I. . I'm so sorry," He mumbled before pushing past you, past Nene, past Kou, out of the bathroom and down the hall.
None of you followed him, just watched as he left.
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"Was it really a good idea to let him out into the wild?"
"He'll be fine. Besides, he would've gone anyway."
It was long after school hours, the sun completely gone from the sky. Two people resided in the broadcasting room located in the basement. Two third years, a green haired girl and a guy with a cat-like grin. The green-ette was reading a book, one on the Seven Wonders. The boy with the grin spoke up. "Yeah, and if they find out we're the ones changing the rumors?" He asked, giving the girl a look.
"If that happened, I have no doubt in my mind that we would have to fight all four of them," She responded, not daring to look up from her book. It was far more interesting than the boy in front of her.
"I'd count five, president Minamoto is probably onto us as well." The boy added.
"Well, Natsuhiko, it's a good thing I have you to protect me, right?" The green-ette said, closing her book and giving Natsuhiko a look, she knew he would protect her without a doubt.
The boy blushed and nodded his head, grabbing the girl's hand. "Don't you worry about a thing, I'll be here to prot-" Before Natsuhiko could finish his sentence, the green-ette smacked the back of Natsuhiko's head with the book she was still holding. "Don't touch me," She scolded harshly, yet monotonously at the same time. Natsuhiko, who was currently on the floor holding his head in pain, nodded, giving her a thumbs up as the green-ette reopened her book, reading where she last left off.
Black smoke emerged from the center of the room, a familiar two-faced trickster revealing himself. "Guess who's back!" The boy yelled excitedly, running up and wrapping his arms and legs around the green-ette. Natsuhiko watched the interaction, eyes bulging.
Why can he hug her, and Natsuhiko couldn't even poke her!?
"How'd it go with your brother?" The green-ette asked, looking away from her book once more. The apparition smiled, jumping around. "He actually seemed pretty happy to see me! It sucks though because I'm still not moving too great, so I had to take off really quickly." He exclaimed, a smile never leaving his face.
"So, Sakura! What tasty rumors are we doing tonight?" The floating boy asked, gravitating towards the radio placed on the desk. Sakura placed headphones on. "Let's see. . How about this one," She proposed, looking down at her book, pointing at a page in her book.
She started talking into the microphone.
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Another cleaning day. It was silent, neither Nene, nor Hanako said a word, and Kou didn't show today. You tightened your grip on the rag you were holding, previously using it to wipe down sinks and mirrors. No one mentioned the incidents of yesterday. You didn't want to mention it, not wanting to risk another breakdown from Hanako, which has been proven to be pretty bad.
"Hanako!" An obnoxious voice shouted from down the hall, echoing. Kou quickly revealed himself, another boy with him.
It was clear that the boy with Kou was an apparition, he was floating as Kou dragged him around. The mysterious boy was covered in pink, pink cardigan, pink hair that covered one side of his face. He struggled against Kou's grasp, spewing insults every now and then.
"Who is that?" Hanako asked, walking towards Kou and the pink boy.
"An obnoxious spirit I caught harassing students!" Kou answered, trying to keep his hold on the boy who wouldn't stop moving.
"Aren't you going to exorcize him?" Hanako asked, the pink apparition visibly stiffened, his insults stopped.
". . .Is there another way, besides exercising, to get rid of him?" Kou asked.
"Well, he's here with regrets, right? So, work with that first, help him achieve the things he's regretted before he died," Hanako instructed.
"Great!" Kou shouted, quickly leaving the bathroom and dragging the pink boy along with him. Hanako waved as they left. You watch them turn the corner out of the bathroom, no longer able to see them. You could still hear the complaints and insults from that pink boy though. "Should we. . .Go after them? To make sure they're safe and everything?" You asked, leaning against a sink, facing Hanako and Nene, who were standing next to each other. Hanako shook his head. "No, I'd advise to leave them alone for now," He said.
"Alright then," You said nonchalantly, going back to wiping the sinks.
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"Has anyone out there heard this story?"
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