Against Time

A Stubborn Past

Complete utter disappointment.

Hanako-san reached out a book from his pocket. It was a battered time-worn book that had a chipped corner which has lamely taped back into place. At the top it read: "Love Strategies: A Hundred Ways!" and a picture below it showed a shining heart surrounded by gold rays, and on either side was a silhouette of a boy and a girl facing each other.

Yashiro was disappointed. She admitted that she doesn't know much about ghosts further than their rumors. But she had hoped this ghost would grant her wish with something more- hm, how should she put it- something more magical and less old-timey.

She couldn't help but blankly stare at the apparition. He didn't seem to notice her dismay.

Yukito jabbed at her ribs. She shook her head, making her dusty- sky blue hair which was held up by a ponytail, gently swish to the side. She understood the unspoken message: 'Be grateful. Don't try to force or pry at his secrets. He has his reasons.' She nodded.

Sometimes, Yukito reminded her of a sister she never had. She was thankful for her occasional advice and also for her respect for privacy. She was a quiet girl who never meddled with anyone else's business. She usually kept her thoughts to herself and paid attention to her books more than people, really.

"I bet you were hoping for something cooler," Hanako-san broke her thoughts.

"Buuut, this is for your own good. Anyhow, I don't have any magical thingamajigs. Really sorry, there."

He continued, "But still, I feel bad to just leave you here in the dust. So I'll just tag along and try to help you win his heart." Hanako-san opened the book to a random page and started scanning.

He shut the book and exclaimed, "Yashiro, do you have any special abilities?"

The trio arrived at the school's garden. The gardening club was provided with a small field with fertile soil to grow vegetables in and in a nearby small shack, the tools essential for gardening, which included- gloves, packets of seeds, extra potterware, a sack or two of soil, hoes, rakes, watering cans and other special items. The area was filled with varieties of colorful blooming flowers, a wide sturdy tree, and the occasional rocks and bushes. A small few butterflies fluttered pass as they tracked the cobblestone trail.

"I specialize in using the ground to grow stuff!" Yashiro proudly said while gripping a hoe almost in a posing manner.

Hanako-san narrowed his eyes, "Uh...-huh." Yashiro felt a figurative rock fall on her head. And boy, did it hurt.

"Basically planting," Yukito commented from under the cool shade of a tree. She sat and hid her hands underneath the center pocket of her hoodie. Yashiro still hasn't figured out what color it was exactly. Was it bright red-orange or violet? It made her head spin.

She sighed, "Well... gardening wasn't really a hobby for me." She loosened her grip around the tool. "You see, I only tried it when I heard that my ex-senpai liked girly girls. The other girls in my class loved to sew and some knew how to cook. So I decided, maybe if I mastered all three, he might notice me and then I could confess."

She glanced at the ghost boy standing beide her and went on. "It wasn't easy. I either got pricked, burnt or stumbled on the mud but I managed. When I thought I was ready, I walked up to him while no one was around and confessed. I even brought along a bag of pink roses and a box of chocolates."

She closed her eyes. Yashiro could still remember it all clearly. She could remember what day it was, the month, the time, even the weather. Most of all, she couldn't forget what she had felt. She tried and tried to ignore it, the throbbing sensation in her chest, but...