"𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍, 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍..."

5. - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄... 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐃???

As Amane walked down the school corridor, he couldn't help but be drawn to the commotion coming from a nearby group of students. Upon approaching them, he recognized the familiar faces of his twin Tsukasa and his friends, Sakura and Natsuhiko. What caught his attention was that the typically calm group seemed to be bickering, something he found unusual.

He listened in on their conversation, hearing Tsukasa attempting to make light of the situation while Sakura and Natsuhiko appeared to be at odds over something.

Amane hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to intervene. "What's going on here?" he asked, his tone gentle but firm. Sakura turned to face him with a stern expression, clearly not in the mood to chat. "It's none of your business," she said curtly before turning her attention back to Natsuhiko.

Natsuhiko, however, appeared more willing to answer, his tone more lighthearted. "M'lady and I are just having a small disagreement," he said, his voice devoid of any tension. "Small disagreement, my ass.." Sakura muttered, her tone full of derision. "You're always trying to impress me as if I'd actually fall for it!"

"Awh, c'mon guys!" As Sakura and Natsuhiko continued to argue, Tsukasa let out a tired sigh before speaking up. "They've been like this ever since Natsuhiko tried to court Sakura from under that tree," he said, his tone sounding almost defeated.

"What tree?" Amane remained puzzled for a moment, not fully understanding what Tsukasa was referring to, before his twin provided him with more information. "The big tree in the garden," Tsukasa explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "It's where Natsuhiko tried to ask Sakura out for the first time."

"Why would a tree turn them like this?" Amane asked, his tone sounding more like a statement than a question. Tsukasa simply shrugged in response. "Dunno."

---

Hanako was seated by the windowsill, braiding her hair as Amane cleaned the bathroom in the old school building. As he mopped the floor, she spoke up. "Hey, Amane-kun.."

"After school tomorrow, would you mind coming to the big tree by the garden?" she asked with a small smile.

Amane paused, his mop stopping in mid-motion as he turned to look at Hanako. "Eh??" he said, sounding slightly uncertain. "But..." he began before trailing off, clearly not wanting to say something that might offend or upset Hanako.

The bathroom ghost kept her eyes on Amane, waiting for his response, "C'mon, it's for something important!" she repeated, her tone almost begging him to accompany her.

"Please?"

Amane was left with no option but to agree to Hanako's request, even though he still had some suspicions about it. "Fine," Hanako's face light up at the affirmation. It was clear that whatever she had planned, it was something that was extremely important.

"Thank you, Amane-kun!" Hanako said with enthusiasm. "I promise, you won't regret it!," she added, her tone sounding confident. Amane was still slightly uncertain, but he just brushed it off.

----

The next day had finally arrived, and Amane's curiosity about the big tree in the garden had only grown stronger. He had overheard a few of his classmates talking about their visit to the tree the previous day, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He had noticed that a few of his classmates had been acting strangely, and he was starting to wonder if it had something to do with their visit to the tree.