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The fifth of the seven school mysteries – the 4PM Bookstacks. A grand library hidden within Tsuchigomori’s boundary, containing books which told the lives of all students which attended this school: past, present future; alive, or deceased.
That girl… Yashiro Nene. Hanako’s chest tightened as an image of her brilliant smile appeared in his head.
To be able to summon him as a normal human… She was going to die soon, wasn’t she?
Only humans who met a few specific conditions could see spirits. Not having much time left to live—that was one of them. Surely, she wasn’t part of any exorcist clan… so…
He had to find out. What did her future hold in store for her?
“Tsuchigomori-sensei.” Hanako stood before the fifth, his expression set in an unusual, serious grimace.
“It’s about that girl, isn’t it?” Tsuchigomori quirked a brow, nonchalantly blowing smoke out of his pipe. “I knew you would come, Number 7.”
“I want to read the book of Yashiro Nene.”
“You just met her. Why is she so important to you all of a sudden?”
“She’s my assistant.” Hanako clenched his hands into fists, finding himself frustrated and impatient.
He was well aware Tsuchigomori knew of Yashiro’s importance—of how they had met when he lived as Amane Yugi, of the fact she was able to see and interact with spirits (implicating her short life span)—and most likely, he knew of how her future would play out. Why should he have to explain himself?
“Hmmm…” Tsuchigomori leaned forward, propping his chin up with his hand, his elbow resting on his desk.
“You’ll grant me access. Right, sensei?” Hanako’s eyes darkened. Clearly, the fifth wasn’t convinced, and he wasn’t afraid of threatening even his beloved teacher to get what he wanted.
Tsuchigomori looked at his ex-student for a minute, before sighing, and leaning back in his chair. He exhaled another puff of smoke and shrugged. “I had no intentions of stopping you in the first place.”
Hanako breathed a sigh of relief, his demeanor relaxing considerably. “Then—”
“I had no intentions of stopping you,” the teacher interrupted, “but I wanted to convince you to reconsider.”
“Why?!”
“You came here to confirm something. Isn’t that right? If that’s the case, I’ll just tell you directly.”
Hanako paused.
There had to be a good reason Tsuchigomori would try to dissuade him. Out of all the wonders in this school, the fifth was the one he placed the most trust in—coincidentally, he was also the one who knew Hanako the best. Tsuchigomori wasn’t even denying him access, in this case, but trying to talk him out of it… so the decision was ultimately still up to him.
Nothing good was written in her future then, huh.
Hanako’s heart sank, and his eyes fell to the ground. Of course. That could be the only reason why Tsuchigomori wouldn’t want him to read Yashiro’s future. Ignorance really was bliss—he was most likely being spared from the pain.
Before he gathered his thoughts again to ask, the fifth spoke first.
“Yashiro Nene… will die within a year.”
“… So it’s true…” A sad, vulnerable expression befell Hanako’s face. The wish he had made as Amane Yugi at the festival—to meet her again—came true. He had waited 50 entire years for it to happen. Even in the best case scenario, he would have the chance to spend her high school years with her before she graduated and left his life forever, but now… now… their time was even more limited than he had thought.
“Make the most of it while you can. Good things will happen too, you know.” Tsuchigomori set his pipe down on his desk and watched Hanako carefully. “Your relationship with her will be quite strong.”
“… I’m going to change it. Her future.” Determination washed away the sadness in Hanako’s eyes as he met Tsuchigomori’s gaze. “There’s a way, right? What do I have to do?”
“… Ah.” The fifth deadpanned. “Of course, this is Number 7 we’re talking about here… only you would think you could change the future.”
“I’ve done it before.”
“That wasn’t exactly a positive outcome, was it? Look at you, you’re stuck as a school mystery.”
“I still did it.”
“You’re really unbelievable. You know that?” Tsuchigomori facepalmed. After a moment of exasperation, he peered through his fingers at Hanako, watching his expression. He seemed lost in thought.
“… We have quite a few interesting school mysteries,” Tsuchigomori offered a minute later, waving a hand in the air. “Why don’t you start there? Like Number 1, for example.”
“… The Timekeepers. Ah—” That’s right. The school mysteries had abilities that could very well change the timeline of a normal human’s future. But apparitions weren’t normal humans, and their interference could have abnormal consequences.
It wasn’t only Number 1. Number 4 could help in some ways, too. He had a lot more to work with at his disposal than he previously thought.
The future could be changed. He had proven that once before, with his own death. The question was, could he do the opposite? Could he circumvent Yashiro’s premature death and give her the life she deserved?
“Tsuchigomori-sen~sei~!” Hanako sung out happily, clasping his hands together. “You’re the best! What would I do without you?”
“You change tune quickly, huh,” the fifth muttered. A small, content smirk made its way onto his lips and he tilted his head at Hanako. “It’s good to see you energetic, anyway. It’s unlike you to be so solemn.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Hanako denied cheerfully. Even if Tsuchigomori was one of the few souls to ever see him vulnerable, he would never openly talk about it or admit to it.
“Yes, yes… look, Number 7.” Tsuchigomori picked his pipe up from the desk and pointed it straight at his leader. “If anyone’s capable of changing her future, it’s you. So it’s in your hands to take care of her—got it? This is my assignment, as your teacher.”
“Hehe.” Hanako adjusted his cap and threw Tsuchigomori a confident smirk. “I am the captain of the seven school wonders, after all. I control what goes on in this school. And—so long as Yashiro is attending here—I’ve decided she’s not allowed to die. She’s my assistant, after all! Who else would clean the bathrooms if I lost her?”
“That-a-boy.”
“Just you wait, Tsuchigomori-sensei! You’re gonna have to give me an A+!”
As Hanako moved to leave, he paused momentarily, and looked back at his teacher over his shoulder. “… Thanks.”
Later that night, when he was alone, Hanako contemplated his conversation with the fifth wonder that day.
Yashiro’s current future spoke of her dying young, but there were still things he could do to prevent it.
He felt bittersweet, as well as apprehensive. Momentarily, he pondered what would happen if Yashiro did lose her life, and became a school wonder in the process.
… No. He couldn’t let himself think so selfishly. Becoming a school wonder wasn’t for girls as pure and kind as her. She deserved a life of her own, and to pass easily into the afterlife once it was over. Not this. Not limbo. Even if it meant he could spend all the time in the world with her, he would never forgive himself if he didn’t exhaust every possibility to give her a long life.
There had been something else sensei had said, too. Something about his relationship with Yashiro… what was it again? Good things would happen?
Your relationship with her will be quite strong.
Eh? What was that supposed to mean? Strong in what way? And plus, ‘relationship’? Why not just say friendship?
He couldn’t possibly mean—
…
Thankful to be alone, Hanako’s cheeks became tomato-red, and he buried his face in his hands.