Be My Wonder 8... || HanaNene

Chapter 2 (edited)

Hanako's PoV

"Hanako-kun? Hey, where are you?" I heard of the voice of Kou, followed by the sound of footprints leading towards the girl's bathroom. He knocked the door of the third stall in the bathroom that I was in, asking, "Are you peeing?"

I opened the door slightly, the creaking sound puncturing the silence. I looked intently at the toilet bowl behind me, trying to avoid eye contact with him in case my eyes were still puffy from crying.

"What do you want, kid?" I mumbled under my breath, loud enough so he could hear me.

"Hanako, are you... feeling okay?" Kou asked in a concerned voice. I looked at him with a puzzled expression, forgetting all about my tear-stained face. I didn't know he 'cared' about my well-being. My confusion morphed into a smirk.

"Finally learning to be compassionate, Kou?" I laughed jokingly, earning my second growl from Kou in a day.

"N-No. If you're not feeling well, then Yashiro-senpai would worry about you too much and stumble into dangerous territory," Kou explained, his face flushing red.

She... cared about me?

His eyes lingered on mine, reminding me of my remaining streaks of dried-up tears. Through telepathy or whatever, we had a mutual agreement to not point it out. "Anyway," Kou continued, "Did you let Yashiro-senpai off work early today?" I was lost in my thoughts, so I shook them away and answered him, "U-Uh, yea."

"Huh, didn't know you had a heart,"Kou chuckled.

"Actually, I don't!"I held my teasing grin.

After saying that, Kou rolled his eyes (ugh, attitude), walking out of the toilet. I listened intently to the sound of his footsteps fading away. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, rubbing my head with my hand. I hope Yashiro got home safely, the world's much more of a dangerous place now...

Yashiro's PoV

After dumping my school bag onto the floor, I dropped down onto my bed, overwhelmed by the school day. Why did every day had to feel like I had run a marathon? As I stared at the ceiling with an empty mind, thoughts about what happened today floated into my mind.

Hanako-kun was really nice to let me off early today. I felt nervous around him today, I hope that won't become a norm. I think he... cares about me more than when we first met. And... that thing he did in class just now...

~||Flashback||~

"Yashiro!" Hanako's voice filled my ears. I was taken aback by surprise, but I held in my shriek after I saw Hanako-Kun's choppy hair. I glanced away, peering over my shoulder occasionally. "What are you doing here, Hanako-Kun?" I mumbled under my breath, side-eyeing him. He chuckled, saying,

"I just want you to..." His voice trailed off as he used his soft hands to pull my face towards his. The thought that those same hands that murdered his brother...

I flushed a bright pink, glancing away from him, asking sternly, "What are you doing, Hanako-Kun?"

"I just wanted to-"

"I'm not falling for your trick, Hanako-kun!" I cried, gaining stares from the whole class. I forcefully pushed him away, making the air in his lungs come out of him. Hanako regained his posture and cocked his head to the side, then he chuckled, his face nearing mine.

"So, you aren't falling for me?"

~||Flashforward||~

I banged my fist into the wall, trying to stifle a scream. My back slumped onto the floor, my face looking downcast.

"So, you aren't falling for me?"

Hanako-Kun's voice rang in my mind, constantly replaying itself as if it was a movie.

An adorable movie.

Hold it together, Yashiro! I thought to myself, my knees crunching up to my chest.

No human could love a ghost, a dead human who has already lived it's life before! They've already lived their life, the life that they've lived before. They've already lived their life to the fullest!

"Amane was the only student in this school whom I know has changed his future."

Tsuchigomori-sensei's words popped into my mind. Hanako-Kun never lived his full life. Maybe I could help him feel like he has.