・↷ 𝙟𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙮, 𝙟𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙮. . . ₊ ˚.⁀➷ (hananene)

c h a p t e r 2 1

''Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had we not met.'

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐨𝐧𝐞.
⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

It was painful. A pure, sharp pain that stuck in Yashiro's chest like a shard of glass. Three days had come and gone and it never got easier. Yashiro thought she could manage Hanako's absence, but the days were noticeably gloomier and Yashiro was unable to keep herself from instinctively heading to the bathrooms after school had ended.

Perhaps it was because the two were connected. Not only romantically, but physically, too. Hanako and Yashiro were connected by a curse, so it was only natural for Yashiro to feel as though part of her was missing.

Yashiro thought that Itsuki cheating on her stung. But this felt like she had just fallen into a pile of burning nettles.

She even felt betrayed. Hanako had left her- although for her, it wasn't what Yashiro wanted. There had to be another way, and Hanako had just taken the first opportunity.

And Tsuchigomori- oh, he was furious. Utterly furious.

〜♡〜

"He- he made a deal with Tsukasa and now-" Yashiro sniffled, wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her hand.

"He WHAT?" Tsuchigomori stood straight up from his chair, slamming his hands on the table in front of him. It startled Yashiro so much that she stopped crying altogether.

〜♡〜

Yashiro still got shivers at the memory. It was quite possibly the angriest she had ever seen the calm old teacher.

Tsukasa was overly pleased about the whole situation, running through the school bragging to any supernatural he came across about how he got 'The Hanako, aka Number Seven' to beg him for a wish.

And he loved to rub salt into Yashiro's fresh wound.

She walked out of her classroom, absentmindedly tapping her finger on her bag as she strode down the corridor. She was lost in thought about who knows what- probably her plants in the greenhouse, when she was next going to make donuts for Hanako- or what she would do when her parents found out she had handed in 17 homework assignments late this year.

Whatever it was, it was enough to keep the teen from realising where she was going. Her legs just carried her along, just as they always did every single day. To the place she came to- every single day.

"Hey, schools over! Unless you want to continue with your cleaning duties..." Tsukasa yelled in his annoying sing-song tone from down the hall.

Yashiro looked up, her eyes focusing on her surroundings. She was on the third floor. She felt a pang of realisation and disappointment for a moment.

"Oh. Right."

She turned around towards the staircase, her heart and mood dropping in a matter of seconds. That was right- Hanako was gone. There was no reason for Yashiro to even be up on the third floor.

"Hey! Nene!" She turned her head to see the young boy bouncing over to her.
"You look so depressed and sad! What's wrong?" Tsukasa tilted his head to the side with fake sympathy, enjoying every moment.

"Leave me alone."
"Hey! That's no way to talk to your soon-to-be brother in law!"
"What!?" Yashiro turned bright red.

Tsukasa burst out into laughter.