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With the arrival of autumn came the farewell to the sweltering heat waves of summer and a gusty welcome to chilly winds, pumpkin spice and a hopeful change in scenery. Some like to call it an underwhelming season but it’s what Kou appreciated most about it; unlike winter or summer, it doesn't ask too much of him: no need to bundle up or dress down, battle the A/C unit for some much-needed comfort, or watch out for extreme weather. Autumn was just autumn and that was okay. It’s a wonderful season on its own: the brevity of life expressed in the ever-changing colors of trees, the satisfying crinkle of fallen leaves, and the slow reminder that growth was around the corner.
Speaking of growth, it was just about time for the gardening club’s seasonal harvest of pumpkins, squash and sweet potatoes. Kou doesn't know the first thing about that—he cooks vegetables, not grows them—but the one thing he does know is that Nene asked him to gather leaves for composting and who was Kou to deny a friend in need? And so, he took a rake to Kamome soil and began his quest for these fallen treasures.
It’s not too much of a difficult task; he’s managed to accumulate a decent pile thanks to the abundance of trees in the outfield but Kou knows no quest is complete without its obstacles.
“Isn’t this sorta thing more Yashiro’s job?” Hanako pesters, circling Kou as he rakes.
“Yeah but it's nice to lend a helping hand. I’m guessing you wouldn't know anything about that, huh, toilet breath?”
“Whaaaat, I help you guys all the time!”
As Kou’s leaves reach their destination, he plants his rake in the ground and stares at Hanako’s silly pout. “Yeah, right. All you do is play cards, lose, then bother senpai.”
Hanako gasps dramatically as if hurt at the accusation, then sternly crosses his arms, objecting, “Not true! We don’t just play cards, y’know.” Kou huffs half a laugh and Hanako cracks a smile of his own, fond of the sound. “Besides, I can be helpful too!” He asserts.
“Oh yeah? Name one time you helped me and senpai—” Kou begins and he can see Hanako preparing to answer, raising his finger with the smugness of a snarky know-it-all and opening his mouth, until he continues, “—outside of supernatural stuff.”
Kou watches as Hanako holds his position for a couple of moments, dusty cogs struggling to turn in his mind before he deflates like a balloon. “That’s not fair; you know I have a bad memory.” He pouts.
Kou shrugs it off, smiling knowingly and returns to his work. “Told you.”
Hanako huffs, “C’mon, give me a chance, kid. I can be helpful!”
Honestly, Kou wasn't planning on taking him up on the offer but when Hanako physically came between him and the rake, it forced Kou to confront his ambition face to face. His expression was anything but a joke: eyebrows furrowed, amber eyes cartoonishly stern, lips pulled into a frown. It told Kou that he was serious; real serious indeed. It coaxes a chuckle out of Kou as he finally agrees, holding out his rake to a oh-so-serious Hanako. “Alright, prove it.”
Hanako lights up and practically yanks it from his hands. “Gladly.”
If Kou didn't think Hanako was serious before, he definitely does now because this was a rare moment where Hanako stopped floating and planted his feet firmly on the ground. He gets into optimal raking position: legs shoulder-width apart, one hand on the top of the staff and the other towards the middle. As soon as his rake goes into motion though, all professionalism goes out the window.
Instead of combing through the leaves, Hanako manages to get the rake’s prongs stuck in the dirt. He struggles to move the thick soil but he charges on anyway, miraculously commanding some leaves to move along in an agonizingly long, slow stride. Once they’re put into a pile, Hanako pries the rake out of the dirt and plunges it down once more. Predictably, it gets stuck in the ground.
“Pffft—Why are you digging with it?”
“I’m not digging anything; it's just my special technique!” Hanako answers and Kou laughs. The boisterous sound encourages him to continue. “It's one of a kind, never seen before. You should be honored, kid; you're one of the first to see my work in action.”
Through chuckles, Kou manages, “I’m starting to see why you never do the cleaning now.”
“Hey! You have your ways and I have mine.” Hanako insists. He spots a device by the shed. “Anyways, why don't cha use the... the... you know…” Hanako snaps his fingers like it could jog his memory, “lea—hair dryer for the leaves?”
“...The what?” Kou’s brows furrowed in confusion as he tried to make sense of Hanako’s words. Hanako simply points to the device in question and the revelation hits Kou like an anvil. “You mean the leaf blower?”
“That’s it!” Hanako affirms and Kou laughs again, the sound intensifying by the second. It’s incredibly infectious and Hanako can barely stifle a smile at his own mistake. “Quit laughing; I'm trying to make your life easier, kid!”
“Oh, my bad.” He finally chokes out, the last of his laughter finally fading away. The amusement in his voice never truly disappears though, subtle chuckles bubbling to the surface between each word. “The ‘hair dryer for leaves’ is broken. I tried using it earlier but it just wouldn't work the right way.”
Hanako grimaces at the name but he carries on, “Nonsense! You're probably just using it wrong. Why don't you turn ‘er on and give ‘er a whirl?”
“I don't think that’s a good idea but,” Kou shakes his head, grabbing the leaf blower. “If you say so, genius.”
With one press of a button, the leaf blower roars to life and Hanako cheers, “See? Works just fine. You were just being a drama qu—”
The moment Hanako’s hand comes close to the leaf blower’s nozzle, he immediately notices its power is unlike any other machine he’s seen; it’s strong. Too strong. With the clarity of a far-gone ship crashing into a fatal rock, he realizes the leaf blower wasn’t blowing—it was sucking and sucking Hanako’s hand, then his arm, then his body into its chamber with an insatiable hunger. Frantic, he yells, “GAHHH, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OF—”
A string of curses spills from Kou’s lips as he jumps to switch it off before it's too late. In an instant, Hanako is regurgitated out of the wretched machine and left as a pathetic splat on the ground. He groans, his nonexistent heart thrumming after such a close call. Kou drops the leaf blower and rushes to his side, offering a steady hand up.
“Holy shit, you okay?” Kou asks, cerulean eyes scanning Hanako’s face for injury. He thankfully finds none but Hanako’s lack of response worries him. The ghost can barely parse a response, only stare into the distance like a war-torn soldier. “Hanako?” He asks again and this time, Hanako slowly nods. Kou breathes a sigh of relief.
“I thought I was going to die.”
Kou blinked. “…You’re already dead.”
They stare at each other for a stupidly long time. A snicker bubbles to the surface of Kou’s throat as he drinks in the sight of Hanako’s dumbfounded expression. He tries his hardest to keep his composure but once a huff of air pushes past his lips, it's not long before they burst into laughter.
A smile tugs at the corner of Kou’s lips, and he can’t help the smugness that seeps into his voice when he asks, “Who’s the drama queen now?”
Hanako grins at him and never was there an easier answer than the one that leaves his lips: “Still you.”
To his surprise, his response only gets Kou’s smirk to grow. Not that he could complain—who would with a smile like that? But when he finds Kou’s finger hovering over the switch, Hanako realizes it was a warning. Slowly, he backs up, alarm bells ringing as Kou only comes closer. “Kid, put it down. Put it DOW—“
Kou switches it on and instantly, Hanako takes off sprinting in the other direction. He dashes after Hanako, laughter spilling over the sound of the leaf blower’s raging scream. “GET BACK HERE!”