𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 | 𝘠. 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦

ᵀᵉʳᵘ ᵛˢ ᴴᵃⁿᵃᵏᵒ

You stood on the roof, head resting against the railing as you stared at the ground below, a far-off expression on your face as you replayed the events of yesterday in your mind for what felt like the umpteenth time.

'You read what's going to happen to you, but it seems like you're trying to make it happen!'

You could almost still hear his voice yelling at you, but you could also tell that he was just worried. You didn't know what Tsukasa meant when he spoke to Hanako, but it was clear that Hanako did, and seeing Hanako, who was always so carefree, look so scared, scared you as well. You ran your fingers over the bruise on your wrist and sighed, wishing you had never even come to the roof that day.

And what made you feel even more guilty was that when you had tried to go to Hanako's bathroom and apologize, he wasn't there. You could still feel his presence, but no matter what you said, he wouldn't come out.

'He must be mad at me,' you had concluded.

You jumped at the loud squeak of the door behind you and quickly turned to see Kou standing in the doorway, looking from left to right for a moment before he finally noticed you.
"There you are, Y/n!" He smiled as he rushed over to you. "So, hey, do you think you could take this off now?" he asked, holding up his staff which still had the seal that you had placed on it. "I think I've finally gotten in the habit of holding it correctly, so-" He stopped when he noticed your saddened expression.
"Hey, what's wrong?"

You were hesitant about telling him at first but eventually sighed, guessing in the end that it would be better to tell someone how you're feeling rather than keep it inside and let it bother you all day.

"It's Hanako," you said, not noticing the blonde visibly tense. "A while ago, I went to the fourth wonder of the school. It's a library that has records of the past and future of everyone in the school. I meant to read Hanako's to learn more about him, but I ended up reading mine, and I discovered that die soon-"
"What!?" Kou shouted. "Why are we just sitting here then? We gotta protect you-"
"There's nothing we can do," you said, too mentally tired to get upset over it like you've been doing. "I've already been told that it's impossible to change my future."
Your mind briefly went back to what the green-haired girl had said, and you made a mental note to find her and ask her about it later. "Now, are you going to let me finish?" You asked, and Kou hesitantly nodded as he sat down next to you.

Your mind briefly went back to what the green-haired girl had said, and you made a mental note to find her and ask her about it later. "Now, are you going to let me finish?" You asked, and Kou hesitantly nodded as he sat down next to you.

You told him the whole thing, and Kou stayed surprisingly stayed quiet, waiting until he was sure that you had finished your story to speak.
"Is that where that bruise came from?" He asked, and you nodded.
"I'm worried, Kou," you muttered. "It's just that...I said that I'd exorcise Hanako if he harms a human, but I couldn't even bring myself to do it when he was about to hurt me." Kou frowned sadly.
"Y/n-"

"Well, isn't that a shame?"

You and Kou both turned to see Teru standing in the doorway, a look of disappointment painted on his face. You stood up as he walked towards you.

"That might've been the most pathetic thing I've ever heard in my life," he spat. "An exorcist that can't exorcise an apparition that threatened to deal her harm? Sounds like an abject failure to me."

You couldn't help but falter at his words, and he sighed.

"Looks like I'll have to take things into my own hands after all." Your eyes widened as he began to walk away, and without thinking, you took out your staff.
"I don't think so," you growled, and Teru stopped and turned to glare at you.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." You gripped your staff tightly, trying to hide your fear as you spoke. "I won't let you hurt Hanako."