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It was Thursday morning, and Yashiro Nene was barely able to keep her eyes open. At first glance, pulling four all-nighters in a row seemed like an efficient way to study for midterms, but when it led to bleary eyes and headaches and the beginnings of a cold, she started to have second thoughts.
She found her class and rattled out some semblance of a greeting to her friends on the way in. Hardly awake, and the day hadn't even started- she wondered if her teacher would notice if she fell asleep mid-lesson.
Just make it until the end of the day, she told herself.
Nene didn't even make it through her second class.
When she next opened her eyes, she was staring at the cream-colored ceiling of the infirmary, and surrounded by crinkly white blankets. She snapped to consciousness, sitting up too quickly. The room swam around her eyes, doing little to reduce the pounding in her head.
Her first thought was the chilling realization that she didn't know how she got there. After sitting through science, everything turned hazy in her memories. She remembered Aoi whispering, asking if she was okay, her head on the desk, and then nothing. I must have fallen asleep, she concluded, avoiding the mystery of how she went from classroom to comatose in the infirmary.
Nene was regaining her senses, and with it, awareness of how she felt like someone had set her on fire. Her headache was ten times worse than earlier, and her body was shivering beneath the blankets. I’ve gone and made myself sick, she chided herself, feeling her stomach sink in dread. Standing up, she pushed away the plastic curtain separating her from the rest of the room.
"You awake now?” someone asked. Behind her, she turned to see Tsuchigomori shuffling through stacks of paper at a small desk by the window. Instructing her to lie back down, the teacher sighed and began to search through a cabinet on the wall.
"Here, drink."
She was unceremoniously presented with a small paper cup filled with liquid- and Nene knew it would be too thick, too sweet, and taste nothing like cherries. But she took a deep breath and choked it down anyway, fighting the urge to gag.
"You'll have to stay until the end of the day," Tsuchigomori said once she had finished. He placed a glass of water on her bedside table which she gratefully accepted. "It's just a fever, but should take some time to get better."
She thanked him and let herself sink back into the pillows, her guilt beginning to creep in. It was all her fault, really- if she hadn't stayed up to study, or if she'd been more responsible...
"My break's almost over, but ask if you need anything," Tsuchigomori said, getting up to leave. And then, almost as an afterthought- "Ah, and Number 7's been begging to see you."
"Hanako-kun? He's here?" She blinked, surprised.
"I've been making him wait in the science prep room," he shrugged. "Honorable Number 7?!"
Not thirty seconds later, the supernatural was flying into her room and lunging at the bed.
"Yashirooo!" he exclaimed, beaming and waving his arms.
He would have been crushing Nene by then if it wasn't for the fact that Tsuchigomori was holding him back by the collar. Hanako struggled to break free, fixed by a stern glare.
"You get five minutes and then Yashiro-san needs to sleep," he demanded, releasing his grip.
With an unsatisfied expression, he left and the two were alone. Hanako made himself comfortable on the end of her bed, and for a split second, looked almost concerned when he swept his gaze over her.
"How're you feeling?"
"Let's just say it looks like I'll have to skip toilet cleaning today," she answered with a wry smile.
His expression turned to mock despair in a split second.
"What will I do without my assistant?!" he sighed dramatically, clutching her hands. Nene giggled, which he noted with a hint of pride.
"I think you'll manage," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I'll be back before you know it. I'm just tired."
"Right. I should go, let you get some rest."
"It’s okay, you don't have to leave yet,” she said.
"Then I won't," he assured her.
Neither of them moved, and they sunk into a comfortable silence. Nene became acutely aware that Hanako was tracing circles on her palm, so subtle anyone watching could have missed it.
“Get better soon, okay?” he said, breaking the silence.
“I’ll be fine,” she repeated.
The closeness really wasn't anything new- they were constantly touching each other, whether it be from his clingy behavior or casually brushing shoulders. So why did it make her breath catch?
She chalked it up to fever and delirium, and let her eyes slip closed. She’d heard being sick could do things to your brain. Despite this, Nene couldn't deny that having someone familiar by her side made her feel better, just a little. Even if that friend was an annoying, pervy, but sometimes sweet supernatural.
He kept holding her hand until she fell asleep. Then, when her breathing became even he let go, stood up, and fixed her blanket.
"Sweet dreams, Yashiro."
~~~
Nene was not a morning person, and never had been. She’d occasionally sacrifice sleep when necessary, but it was otherwise just another fact of life. Like how the earth orbits the sun, and the sky is blue, she would gladly run to school in exchange for an extra ten minutes in bed. It was rare to find her awake before her alarm, and yet one completely random morning, her eyes were wide open while the clock flashed 5:30.
She opened her curtains to discover that it was dark outside, and the sky was painted a blue between night and day. The streetlights were still casting an orange glow over the sidewalk, the moon was setting on the horizon. Nene decided another hour or two of sleep wasn't worth waking up tired for, so she left her room and began to get ready for the day.
Twenty minutes later she was mindlessly staring at the ingredients in her fridge, trying to figure out what to make for lunch, when an idea flickered to life. Since I have all this extra time , she reasoned, Why not try something different?
It took her all of five minutes scrolling through her phone to decide that she was going to make cookies, and they were going to be delicious.
Sugar, flour, butter and salt- it didn't look all that difficult. Even someone hopelessly confused as Nene could have figured the instructions out. Sure, she was short on flour. And accidentally mixed her ingredients too early. But what difference did it make? There was no way she could mess up something like this- The recipe was practically emblazoned with the words "easy", "simple", and "beginner".
By 7:30 the entire house smelled like vanilla extract, and Nene was beginning to feel quite proud of herself. That was surprisingly simple, she mused, sliding the last pan into the oven. Maybe baking's not so hard after all. Glancing at the clock, she left them to bake while she cleaned the kitchen and retrieved her schoolbag.
She left for school without tasting the finished product, and when lunchtime rolled around Nene decided to head to the bathroom in hopes of bragging about her newfound abilities.
"Hanako-kun?" she called, peeking her head through the doorway. He was sitting on the windowsill, but immediately perked up at her voice.
"Hey, Yashiro!" he grinned, latching onto her in a hug."It's the middle of the day. Or are you really that excited to clean toilets?"
"Trust me, cleaning’s the last thing I want to do," she retorted, squirming out of his hold. "But I had some extra time this morning, and so..." she fished out a plastic container from her bag. "I know they're not donuts, but last time I tried that on my own it was kind of a disaster."
"Oh, I remember. Didn't you nearly burn down the school kitc-"
He found himself silenced by a cookie in his mouth, as well as a look from Nene that could kill.
It took him less than five seconds for him to discover it tasted terrible. He couldn't decide if the cookie was too sweet or not sweet enough, or if she had looked at the ingredients list for more than twenty seconds.
"What do you think?" she asked, waiting intently. The smile on her face was so earnest that he almost hated to have to break the news.
"I think..." he started, suppressing a laugh. "I think if you were planning on a career as a chef, you should go ahead and give up now."
Hanako barely had time to duck in order to avoid her flying punches.
"I'm sure it's not that bad," she shot back, taking a bite. Silence filled the room as she chewed, and her face turned pink with embarrassment.
"I really should give up, shouldn't I?" she sighed.
Then they were both giggling, and even if her baking tasted awful, even if she'd never be able to follow a recipe in her life, Hanako would be lying if sharing terrible cookies and laughter with her wasn't by far the best part of his day.
(And, he'd also be lying if he said flushed cheeks didn't suit her.)
~~~
"Nene-chan, morning!"
The moment she stepped through the doorway of her first-period class, Nene was greeted by the usual wave from Aoi. She was watering the class flowers by the window, where early morning sunlight was streaming through. Students were still milling about the room, chatting, listening to music, and waiting for their teacher to arrive. Nene paused to set her things down, and then joined her friend.
"Good morning, Aoi-chan," she said, returning the wave. "What's up?"
Aoi offered an embarrassed smile.
"You've been so busy lately, I hate to ask, but..." she trailed off. "I promised the gardening club I'd transplant the vegetables this afternoon, but something just came up...and so..."
"And so you want me to take over for you?" Nene finished. She was five seconds away from formulating an excuse, saying that she was otherwise occupied, when Aoi's eyes lit up.
"Really, you will? You're the best! I swear I'll make it up to you."
She was off to reject Akane's first proposal of the day before Nene had a chance to open her mouth.
This was how, after the final bell rang, she started trudging to the bathroom to explain herself. It wasn't that she didn't miss her former club, but instead figured it’d be practically impossible to convince Hanako to let her off for the day.
Sure enough, as soon as she told him she had a question, before she even had a chance to ask, his immediate response was,
"No."
"What?"
"No, you can't skip cleaning today. Unless you miss your fish tank?"
"Hanako-kun, you didn't even listen to what I was going to say!" she protested, indignant.
"But I'm right, aren't I?" he said with a gloating smile.
She hitched her school bag higher on her shoulder and gave him an exaggerated eye roll.
"Fine, you're right."
He wordlessly handed her a mop.
"But I promised Aoi I'd take over the gardening club for her!" she tried, waving her hands in exasperation.
"Come on, this club is so much better!" Hanako retaliated.
"What is this, Clean Bathrooms Until Your Hands Fall Off club?" Kou asked, arriving in the doorway.
"Exactly!" Nene nodded.
"Senpai, if you have somewhere to be," he added, turning to her, "It's no problem to clean for you.”
"Thanks Kou-kun." She smiled, sighed, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You’re sweet to offer, but it looks like i'm stuck here."
What she didn't anticipate was how Hanako was watching their interaction, silently stewing. He couldn’t be sure if it was jealousy he was feeling. But he did know that his friends were standing a bit too close, and he felt the urge to not be left out, to interrupt. And so-
"Fine."
Nene's reaction was instant.
"What did you just say?" she asked.
"Fine, you can go, but...I want to come with you."
To say she was astonished was putting it lightly.
By the time she'd finished her duties, it was mid afternoon and the type of weather where the light shines just right to make everything warm and sleepy. The sports clubs were practicing on the grass, and groups of students were laughing and walking home together. It was practically the perfect snapshot of high school life.
Nene finished putting away her tools in the shed, and wiped the dirt from her gloves. She was exhausted, but satisfied with her work. It had taken twice as long with Hanako's incessant chatter, but she managed to get everything done. Afterwards, she found a large tree overlooking the soccer pitch and sat down to take a break in the shade.
Hanako joined too, lightly nudging her arm. "Next time you're not escaping your job so easily.”
She made a face, but giggled and said,
"I know."
Because as much as she hated sweeping and scrubbing, It had almost felt weird not spending her afternoon in the bathroom. She'd deny it if anyone asked, especially to Hanako, but she had started to look forward to her new routine after school. Even if it was under the constant threat of being turned into a fish.
Idly watching the players on the soccer field, she felt the gentle sunlight lull her into drifting off. Beside her, Hanako was closing his eyes as well. Neither of them realized they were leaning on each other, because by the time Nene's head was on his shoulder, both were asleep.
Half an hour later, Hanako was the first to wake. The sky was fading into orange and pink, but the sun hadn't set yet. The last of the students were beginning to file out the school, heading home from their respective clubs.
He didn't fully take any of this in, or realize why his face was warm and fluttery until he saw Nene pressed up against his side. Her hair falling forward, and framing her face. Her weight against him.
He felt himself go still. His mind was racing too fast. If there was one clear thought he had, it was that he need to wake her up, and soon , or else he’d dissolve into a mess.
Not long after, Nene woke to Hanako gently shaking her.
"Yashiro, it's time to go home," he whispered, and from her perspective his voice sounded oddly strained. He was relieved to see her stir and rub her eyes.
"What time is it...? I must have fallen asleep," she mumbled. "Thanks for waking me up."
"Ah...no problem."
He shifted his hat so she wouldn’t see the pink dusting his cheeks, and helped her gather her things. They walked towards the exit together.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Nene asked, turning towards the gate.
"Yeah, see you."
She waved goodbye, but by then Hanako had his back turned. Her brow scrunched in confusion, leaving her to walk home with her mind spinning. She couldn't figure it out. If she hadn’t imagined it- and she was almost eighty percent sure she didn’t, he had looked- nervous? flustered? as they parted ways. But what for? she asked herself.
Oh well, she resolved, shrugging at no one in particular. I'll just ask him tomorrow.
What she didn’t know then was that tomorrow would be the last day she lived and breathed and spoke as a girl named Yashiro Nene. She couldn’t have known that she would never get a chance to ask her question, or that her goodbye was the last she’d have.
It was kind of hard to say these things when you were dead.
~~~
Her death was nothing like Hanako dreaded it would be. There was no blood, no broken limbs, and no heartfelt last words.
There was just him, clutching the one girl that had meant anything, and she was still and silent and fifteen years old forever.
Incomprehensible sobs were spilling from his throat, burning with pain and anger and bargaining. He was slumped over her, trembling, lacking the strength to hold himself up.
It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. Her number of heartbeats had been measured from the beginning, every breath she took edged closer to her last.
These were facts he’d known from the beginning. But it was too easy to fool himself into thinking she’d have another day, another week. He’d fallen for it time and time again.
Until he was, for the second time, feeling someone grow cold in his arms. The initial out-of-body despair wore off giving way to hatred at the world, and at himself. That he hadn’t been there in her final moments, and that he wasn’t strong or fast enough to save her. And, that were still so many things he wanted to say, like,
"I think your ankles are cute,"
or, "I might have fallen for you,"
or, "I'm sorry."
There is someone else in the room. It’s the one clear realization he has despite the chaos. And then, a hand on his shoulder. He knows this hand, knows it because it’s the same shape and size as his own and attached the same face he sees in his reflection every day.
“I can grant your wish, Amane.”
He hears the voice as if in slow motion.
“That is, for a price.”