Chapter Text
𓏲𑁘 𓏲੭
💭 "Yashiro Nene here! As of now, I'm currently in class—and, as usual, Hanako is pestering me..."
It was a normal day. Nothing too crazy was going on. Nene sat in class, listening intently to her teacher. Most would say she was maybe a little too focused. "Most," of course, being Hanako himself. He didn't love the idea of her attention being anywhere but on him.
"What are you doing?" Hanako grinned, poking the side of her face—clearly trying to break her concentration.
"Hanako-kun! Could you please be quiet? I'm trying to listen. We have a big project coming up, and I need to soak it all in." Nene whispered, glancing sideways at him.
"Sounds boring." Hanako groaned, his eyes drifting toward the classroom door. He didn't like how easily she shut him out. Every time he tried to grab her attention, she just brushed him off.
"I can't fail this class again," she muttered, turning fully toward him. "I really can't go back to remedial lessons..."
"Wait, remedial classes? You? A radish in remedial—" Hanako burst out laughing, clearly enjoying himself.
"Shut up!" Nene hissed, pushing him away from her desk. But then, she heard a voice. An oddly familiar voice.
Aoi-chan. Her best friend.
But... wait.
"Nene-chan... are you okay?" Aoi whispered, taking her hand. "You were talking to yourself again. Everyone's staring..."
"E–Eh?!" Nene's face went pale. Panic flooded her. She was the only one who could see Hanako—now everyone must think she was totally out of her mind.
Their literature teacher, Fuji-sensei, turned around with a frown.
"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, young lady?" he asked sharply. His eyes bore into her.
"N-No, Sensei! I'm sorry!" Nene stood up quickly, clapped her hands together, and gave a deep bow. The whole class stared in silence.
💭 "How embarrassing..."
⋆┈┈｡ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ｡┈┈⋆
It was quiet in the bathroom now. Nene scrubbed silently, fulfilling her duty as Hanako's assistant. She still hadn't spoken a word to him since class.
Hanako hovered nearby, clearly aware of the tension.
"Whaaatt..? I said I was sorry," he whined, trying to tug the broom out of her hands.
"'Sorry' won't cut it this time! You embarrassed me in front of everyone. That was even worse than the remedial class incident! Now they probably think I'm crazy!" she snapped, letting the broom clatter to the floor. She covered her face with her hands.
"Hey—come on. It's not entirely my fault," Hanako said, looking away. "You know no one else can see me. And... you didn't have to push me, either."
Nene peeked through her fingers. He was sulking on the windowsill, bathed in soft light. For a ghost, he looked oddly fragile.
"You've been distant lately," he muttered. "Why? Am I really that annoying?" His gaze met hers again—finally.
"D-Distant? I haven't been distant! And yes! You are annoying! You constantly bother me during class, you make dumb comments—" she began ranting, not noticing the way his shoulders slumped with each word.
"Okay! Okay, I get it," Hanako cut in. "Maybe I just wanted to see my special assistant. Is that so bad?" His voice dropped. "We barely talk anymore... and now you're always with Minamoto."
There was a pause. He looked away again, face unreadable.
"Which is fine, of course," he added quickly. "I want you to have friends. It's just... different now. You shut me down every time I try to talk to you." He sat down on the cold tile floor, curling his arms around his knees. "But it's fine. As you said, you've got more important things to worry about. That big project. Your studies. I won't get in your way anymore."
"H-Hanako-kun..." Nene whispered, guilt tightening in her chest. She stared down at him, flashes of all the times she brushed him off swirling through her mind.
"It's fine," he mumbled. "You've got your own priorities."
"No! That's not true!" she blurted out. "I like talking to you, Hanako-kun. I really do! My grades matter, but so do you. You're my... friend. I like you a lot. I want to keep hanging out with you."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she winced. Why did she say it like that?
"Oh, really?" Hanako perked up instantly, a playful smirk spreading across his face. "You like me, huh?"
"Y-You know I didn't mean it like that! I just... I don't want you to feel lonely, okay?" Nene turned away, cheeks glowing, and resumed sweeping furiously.
Hanako watched her quietly from his spot. Despite everything, he admired her. He was glad she didn't hate him.
But the truth was... he was still scared.