Time Flies By // TBHK Role Swap AU

Chapter 26: The Pocket Knife

"Haven't you heard? One of the seven mysteries is holding a dark secret. Yashiro of the Garden, formally known as number 7."

"What secret is she hiding?!"

"Its rumored that while she was alive, she was desperate for love, to where she would go to desperate measures. To this day, nobody knows what act she committed.."

———

"OMG THEY FINALLY KISSED!!" Yashiro squealed out, kicking her feet as she brought her book close to her face. It was pretty much silent in the garden apart from turning book pages and distant watering before that.

"They finally what-" Amane glanced over at Yashiro.

"Kissed! Ive been waiting eighty-six chapters for this!"

"Eighty-six?!" Kou jumped into the conversation, also looking in Yashiro's direction.

"Mhm, it all paid off though!" She put her bookmark into the book before laying it down and walking over. "Although... You guys are more quieter than normal, everything ok?"

"Yeah, we're just getting our work done." Kou answered. Amane slid his blue gloves off and laid them down before sitting on the wood.

"Ok then." Yashiro grabbed the weeds that Kou picked off from the dirt onto the floor to put them in a bucket. While she got the second handful, Amane noticed something fall from her skirt pocket. So he walked over to it.

"Yashiro! You dropped your pocket knife." He kneeled down to pick it up, but Yashiro didnt notice what he actually said till he did.

"Ok tha-! WAIT PUT THAT DOWN!" Yashiro hollered from across the garden, she dashed over to where he was.

"Why?" There was something weird about that knife compared to others he's seen, maybe it was that a supernatural owned it, but before he could figure it out, everything went pitch black for him.

"What happened?!" Kou asked as he ran over from his planter. Yashiro was holding him from the side to keep him from falling over.

"This is bad..."

——(TW: implied SH ahead)——

Amane glanced down at the pocket knife before he looked back up, they were in the practice garden with alive Yashiro sitting in her usual spot and Aoi besides her. The energy was awkward and heavy and it was easy to guess something bad happened just from the distant crying.

"I messed up! I cant believe I actually thought it would solve all my problems! Now Im more of a freak than I was before!!" Yashiro cried out, her ankles were the normal size and they were bandaged up. Amane was trying to brainstorm what could of happened.. Bad friendship, inconsistent ankle size, bandages, the pocket knife. Thats when it struck, she would never do that!

"You arent a freak, and if no guy can see you for who you are then hes missing out."

"But you told me-" Yashiro muttered, being instantly shut down.

"I would never. Im the only one who's close with you, you trust me right? Besides, another new rumor is going around!"

Guess that gave him the answer to a burning question thats been bubbling up recently. Why did her ankles always change when she was "human?"

That was why.
She did something.
Just for other people's acceptance.
He couldn't stand the idea of that.

————

When Amane awoke again, he was met to Yashiro's diverted stare in the opposite direction. He was laid down on one of the benches in the garden, it took him a second for his jumbled thoughts to reconnect, and his expression on his face confirmed all of Yashiro's suspicions. She let out her hand as Amane passed the knife back over, she still refused to look in his direction. Kou wasnt there either.

"So, you found out, didn't you?" Yashiro muttered, fumbling with the pocket knife in her hands. Amane just nodded as he sat up next to her. She took a deep breath. "If you desire a better explanation I can tell you." Yashiro added on, Amane desperately wanted that answer even if he hated the sickening truth. He couldnt possible ask it out of her. Yashiro doesnt hide it the best when she dislikes something, especially something as heavy as this.

"Just one question.. Is that why you and Aoi?."Thats all he needed to piece together the main concept, he didnt need a whole backstory.

"Yeah, a big part of it at least." Yashiro took another breath as she brushed her thumb against the colorful handle. "Honestly, the worst part about it all was I genuinely used to love my ankles. I only started hating them because people pointed them out as weird.. as some type of mutation. I just wanted somebody's love.."

Amane couldnt believe what he was about to say next, it was so cheesy but its what he had to do. "Yashiro.. No matter what you look like, I'll always like you."

Yashiro just slowly glanced at him before turning a slight red. "Just as friends right? Cause you're definitely not my type."

"Yeahhhh, just as friends."
And he was friend-zoned, that stabbed him in the heart. He never liked her like that, but he always wondered what it would be like with her. Well if she was alive. People cant really be with a garden ghost like that, it was even weird he was technically bound to her because of his weird flower curse. "Hold up, Yashiro? Is that where the curse came from?" He was hinting towards the knife Yashiro was holding in her first.

"Actually I have no clue."

"And one last thing. What ever happened to Kou?"

"He left after you passed out, I told him to cause he didn't need to be around for this. I dont need more people knowing."

Amane nodded in approval before glancing at the time on his phone. "ITS 5 ALREADY?! I gotta head home!!" He grabbed his backpack from besides the bench. Yashiro took a relieved deep breath as she watched him rush out the garden and onto his bike.

He genuinely thought the whole scenario would of just left him alone after Yashiro told him. But now that it was 11 at night and he was restless, he was seriously worried. The whole past was out of control but is there something else he should of said? Why did he want more of the story? Was this gonna bother him for the rest of the time he was working under her?

"Amane you awake still?" Tsukasa asked, was on the ladder to Amane's bed.

"Yeah, whats up?"

"You wanna stay up and binge The Truth Behind Apparitions? You still gotta catch up."
Tsukasa offered, Amane sat up in his bed.

"Sure, I'll get the snacks and you can set it up." Amane slid off the ladder after Tsukasa did and they brought everything to Tsukasa's bunk. Since Tsukasa was the bunk below he got the perk of building a blanket fort.

They didnt sleep at all that night.