[To Live] Revised

A Normal Day

Today was a rainy day.

Pitter, patter, pitter, patter. That was the gentle sound of rain pouring against the glass of young Y/N's window.

"Y/N! GET DOWN HERE, YOU USELESS WORM!"

And that was the gentle sound of her ever-so loving mother.

Begrudgingly, Y/N pulled away from her wistful staring at the early morning sky. She patted her uniform down, her H/C hair, and checked herself in the mirror.

There was a button missing from her uniform.

'Oh dear, I'll have to replace that...'

"Y/N!"

"I'm sorry! I-I'm coming-"

The young girl rushed out of the doorway of her room, then down the creaky stairs of their ramshackle home. She dodged a cloud of dust that nearly fell on her face, and tried not to look at the peeling paint.

'Poor mother. If only I could earn some money...'

"Well, time to go to school!" Her mother snapped impatiently, not even turning to look at her from her cooking in the kitchen.

The delicious aroma of bacon and eggs made up for the acrid stench of their rickety apartment.

"Is that breakfast?" Y/N shyly asked.

"For me." Her mother retorted.

'Ah, I should've known.'

"Mum...." Y/N murmured, fighting her hunger. "A button is missing from my uniform. My chest may show and-"

"JUST GET ON WITH IT!" Her mother finally turned around, wielding a kitchen knife at her face.

Y/N's eyes widened in terror. Her heart raced and her legs shook, but she continued to stand her ground.

'Why is asking a question so hard?'

"M-Mum..." Y/N stammered, shakily steadying her gaze on the furious woman.

"...what about my lunch money?"

"I took it." She said plainly.

"Huh...?"

"DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF, YOUNG LADY?!" The woman's nostrils flared, signaling she was at her worse. Y/N would usually be scared and run away.

But Y/N wanted to change.

"H-How will I eat?" Y/N fought down her fear, trying to put on a brave face. "You haven't fed me for five days straight. I won't be able to pull up my grades, and-!"

A bolt of red.

Tears stung Y/N's eyes as the color faded, and she saw a large gash on her arm.

Y/N's mother withdrew her hand, the kitchen knife splattered with the blood of her own daughter. Y/N opened her mouth to cry, but no sound came out.

"Get out." Her mother growled.

Y/N left without another word.

●●●

"Look at the poor idiot! She's got a gash on her arm now!"

"She looks ugly... oh wait, she was always ugly to begin with!"

"The brat can't take care of her grades... even her very own self!"

Y/N held her bandaged arm closer to her chest, her hair masking her flushed face.

She ignored the rude shoves and jabbering she got as she walked back from the school's canteen.

She had been starving for a week.

Her grades had been dropping very low.

Bullying was a norm for her.

Her mother had slashed her arm.

'Just another normal day.'

Her legs were heavy as she slowly walked towards her classroom.

"Yashiro?" Y/N peeked inside, opening the door by a crack.

At the sound of Y/N's voice, the silver-haired girl immediately snapped her attention to her.

"Y/N!!!" She leapt to her feet, tackling her in a giant bear hug.

"I WAS SO WORRIED!! I HEARD THE RUMOR THAT YOU HAD THIS BIG GASH IN YOUR ARM AND I WAS FREAKING OUT, BUT IS IT TRUE?!"

Y/N blinked, slowly pulling out her right arm to show her bandaged wound.

"GAHHH!! IT IS!!!"  Yashiro gasped. "WHAT HAPPENED?! HOW-"

Y/N clamped a hand on the girl's mouth.

"It's a cat who did it. Now shush." She hissed. "It's still lunchtime."

"S-sorry-"

"Anyway." Y/N sighed, pulling herself up. She walked into the empty classroom, making sure to close the door. The two girls slumped down on the floor. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me during lunch."

"Anything for you!" Yashiro harrumphed determinedly. Y/N turned a little red.

"So why did you ask to meet up?"

"Well, it's about the 7th Wonder..."

Yashiro's eyes immediately darkened seriously.

"...Hanako-san?" Y/N finished for her, astounded.

Y/N felt a little unnerved by the cryptic look on her best friend's face.  Eitherway, Y/N nodded eagerly.

"Why are you asking about that?" Yashiro tilted her head.

"W-well, like any other rumor... I was just curious." Y/N hastily lied.

Yashiro rose a brow, but went along anyway.

"According to everyone else, you can summon her by knocking on the last stall of the girl's bathroom three times." Yashiro thoughtfully put a finger to her chin. "After that, chant, 'Hanako-san, Hanako-san, are you there?' She should come out by then, and grant whatever wish you want, but at a price."

'Whatever wish.' Y/N's eyes filled with hope.

"Anyway, Y/N..." Yashiro turned to face her, planting two hands on her shoulders.

"What do you wish for?"

"I-It's something that would make me happy!" Y/N blurted. She wasn't exactly lying...

"Y/N!" Yashiro babied. "That's not exactly an answer!"

"B-But-!"

BBRRRRRIIIINGGGG!

'Saved by the schoolbell.'

"Sorry, Yashiro-chan, gotta' go!" Y/N swiftly pulled away, forcing a smile. Yashiro's incredulous face pained her, but she knew she had to go.

'Go... for a very, very long time.'

Tears rushed to her eyes at the thought of what she was going to do, but she held it back.

"Y/N! WAIT!" Yashiro cried.  "ARE YOU CRYING?! Y/N!"

But Y/N had already ran away from her only best friend.

'I'm sorry, but I want this day to end.'