[To Live] Revised

Spirit Gathering: Recommence!

Lunch, at Kamome Library...

"ORDER IN THE COURT!"

Hanako sighed, not even bothering to meet anybody's eyes. Tsuchigomori, a still disgruntled-looking fox, and the Mokke were all present.

Surprisingly, the pink-haired boy, Mitsuba, had also tagged along at the brink of the moment.

Yashiro and Kou stayed with Y/N in the infirmary throughtout lunch, keeping her hidden from peoples' eyes to avoid question.

"What's all this say that Y/N is back?" Tsuchigomori frowned.

"She is back." Yako hissed crossly. "And she positively defeated me!"

"She grows up too fast." A Mokke wiped an imaginary tear.

Mitsuba let out a small laugh, nodding in agreement. "I remember when she was shy. She'd never lay a finger to hurt somebody!"

Hanako fidgeted uneasily, summoning the courage to finally speak. He forced himself to sound bored and nonchalant.

"So? What is this about?"

A Mokke answered for him.

"We've waited for long enough, Hanako." It narrowed its tiny black eyes. "It's about time you confessed!"

Hanako looked at it in disbelief, before letting out a harsh laugh.

"I already did!"

"You call that a confession?" Mitsuba sneered. "That's hardly anything."

Hanako looked at him with a serene smile, though inwardly he was bursting with anger, wanting to tell him how hard it had been to let out pent-up feelings.

"He's right, 7th Wonder." Tsuchigomori huffed a small plume.

The apparition tensed. When the
teacher said something, Hanako knew he should consider the choice a bit.

"In what way...?"

"It was almost like you acted out of desperation!" The Mokke snapped, making its way in front of Hanako. The spirit shrank under the shrill screech of the little bunny.

"That's not how you confess! You two should be comfortable, not surprise poor Y/N in the middle of her conflicted feelings-"

Hanako felt a small flare of shame; Y/N had looked terrified and guilty. He even knocked out the donuts at one point.

"What's the point of this?" Hanako laughed. "C'mon, it's been three months! That was a mere infatuation!"

All the spirits stayed in stern silence. Nobody laughed with him.

"Alriiiight...." His voice trailed off helplessly.

"Listen," Mitsuba ventured. Hanako was taken aback by how calm his voice had gone; not as cocky as before. "Do you want to live another three months without her?"

Hanako looked at him incredulously. Wasn't the answer obvious?

"Alright." Mitsuba smirked. "What about a year?"

"That won't happen!"

"Who are you to tell?" Yako spoke up after a long, grudging silence. "You are an apparition, 7th Wonder! We were never meant to be noticed! And yet here you are, with Y/N-"

"Alongside noticing, we are meant to be forgotten." Tsuchigomori continued in a steely voice. "We are rumors made to scare and entertain... but eventually, the students grow out of it."

"And so it will be with you," the Mokke said seriously, ears flattened. "You will forget Y/N. Y/N will forget you."

Hanako felt a little pressured by the weight of their words, but he couldn't help but think about it. Y/N had  changed a lot, and so could her attention. She could easily find someone else and treat them like she did to him.

The thought made him feel a little bitter, but he hid it. "Why are you telling me this...?"

"We're trying to help you, Hanako!" A Mokke sighed. "We know you don't want Y/N to forget you. Help her remember."

"By what?"

The spirits groaned, then cried in unison:

"CONFESS ALREADY!"

Hanako turned a deep red where he stood, taken aback by their bluntness. Was he that obvious about Y/N?

"What if she turns it down again?" Hanako shook his head. "And you have a point. If I'm a rumor meant to be forgotten, shouldn't I just let Y/N do exactly that?"

"The Confession Tree himself says he's never seen a more wonderful couple!" The Mokke snapped. Hanako looked away bashfully.

"There's nothing to hinder her this time." Mitsuba shrugged pointedly.

"She won't, 7th Wonder."

Hanako's eyes widened with surprise at Yako's voice. He met her green gaze.

"I've seen what she can do, and she surprised me." The fox continued; her ears were pricked in annoyance by her defeat, but her voice had a strange fondness.

"She's willing to go great lengths to help you. Would you honestly turn that down?"

Hanako looked at the floor, unanswering.

"What we're trying to say is," the Mokke finished, its shrill squeak finally gentle. "Don't lose your chance when you have it."

"Today is a Friday. Y/N will be going back later." Mitsuba added thoughtfully.

"If you don't make a move by tonight, you'll be done for!" Another Mokke warned. "The weekends will pass, and the real deal comes. She'll be too busy to visit, stuck at Sukora for decades!"

"ALRIGHT, FINE!"

The apparitions looked up expectantly. Hanako had been awfully silent, so for him to suddenly burst took them all by surprise.

He stared them down steadily. Finally, he spoke.

"I'll do it."

He held his breath, expecting them all to errupt into a sudden burst of noisy cheers. However, he was greeted only by silence.

It wasn't a tense one, though. What seemed like pride was glowing in everyone's expression, and Hanako shifted uncomfortably, feeling overwhelmed.

"You guys are embarrassing!" Hanako managed a small laugh as he pushed through them to the exit, his hakujoudai following in quiet pursuit.

"But thank you. And if this fails...."

"Just make the most out of it, kid."

Hanako looked up, startled, as Tsuchigomori placed a hand on his shoulder.

He felt unnerved by the demanding look on his purple eyes; as if the teacher were urging him to confess.

It was there, that Hanako thought... did Tsuchigomori know something he  didn't?

He shrugged away the uncomforting thoughts, nodding steadily.

"I will."

●●●

Later...

"Did we really have to scare him into doing it?" Yako piped up uncertainly.

Tsuchigomori nodded, frowning at Y/N's book. Why was it saying she would be killed tomorrow?

He kept the fate to himself; he knew that if Hanako would find out, he would go to great lengths to change hers.

Hanako had done so with his own before. But what he didn't know was that it was reckless and risky.

Tsuchigomori had been the one who urged the Mokke to convince Hanako to repeat his confession; bad death or not, Y/N did not deserve to die without knowing such a meaningful event.

"I hope all will go well." He sighed, closing his eyes and the book.

The Mokke leapt to their feet, shouldering past everyone to head for the Confession Tree.

"We'll watch them!"

"Me too!" Mitsuba cried, hastily grabbing his camera.