"𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍, 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐎-𝐒𝐀𝐍..." || TBHK SWAP AU

7. - 𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒

"Hey, Amane-kun..." Hanako said, approaching him as he continued his usual tasks of cleaning the girl's restroom. "Don't you think you've been acting weird lately?"

Amane didn't seem to notice her concern, instead choosing to respond with a nonchalant attitude. "Hmm? Not really. I'm the same as I always am."

Hanako raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by his response. "Are you sure?" she pressed, floating closer to him. "Your reactions have been off lately, you don't even grumble when you clean anymore."

"Isn't that better for you?" Amane said, dismissing most of the apparition'd concern. "Well, that's true in a way," Hanako conceded. "I don't have to worry as much about you anymore, but at the same time, I can't help but feel like something is off about your behavior."

No response from Amane.

As Amane continued to avoid her, Hanako grew increasingly frustrated and eventually lost her patience. "WHY WON'T YOU LOOK AT ME?!" she said, grabbing his face to force him to look at her.

"Ow, ow, ow! Okay, I'll look, I'll look!" he protested, wincing from the sudden pain.

Hanako let go of him, looking at him with concern. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded quickly. "Really, really!"

----

'I know that i'm acting weird...'

'For some reason, ever since i got a glimpse of Hanako-chan's past in the 4 O'clock Library, I can't bring myself to look at Hanako-chan in the eye...'

Feeling frustrated and confused about his strange behavior, Amane decided to head to the school library to try and clear his head. As he wandered through the stacks of books, Picking out a few books related to his passion for astronomy, he went to sit at a nearby table.

As he tried to focus on his reading, he found his mind wandering again and felt a sudden urge to slam his books down on the table. Without thinking, he loudly slammed the stack on the table, causing everyone in the library to shush and give him a disapproving look. Ignoring them, he silently continued his reading, determined to get his thoughts in order.

'I mean...'

'I'M A NORMAL BOY!'

He unintentionally slammed the books down on the table, causing the other students to glare at him with annoyance.

'It's all because of the memories I saw in the 4 'o clock library!'

As Amane continued to flip through his books, his frustration grew, and he began to turn the pages faster and faster.

'They made it all seem weirdly real!'

He eventually became exasperated and let out a deep sigh, putting down the book and resting his head in his hands.

'What would be the best thing to do? It's a bathroom cleaning day, meaning I'll see Hanako-chan again...'

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and figure out what was going on with him. He felt confused and overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions he was experiencing.

"Wow, I didn't know you were such a nerd, too," Mitsuba said, appearing beside Amane with a cocky smirk on his face as he glanced at the books on the table. He seemed amused at the sight of Amane's stack of books, clearly not having expected him to be one for reading. Amane, however, was feeling frustrated with his behavior, and wasn't in the mood for Mitsuba's comments. He glared at him, trying to ignore the fact that he could hear Mitsuba's smug voice.