"High hopes? But I'm tryna exorcise you..." Kou tilted his head in confusing with a questioning tone.

Hanako only smiled, walking towards Kou while balling his fist ready to give him a punch. "Of course, you're a weakling now." He remarked before swiftly punching Kou on the stomach to knock him down.

"N-No fair." And that was the last time Kou said before passing out cold from Hanako's punch. [Name] blinked repeatedly as she starts to question Hanako's strength knowing that Kou fell to the ground unconscious because if she punched someone she'll be sent to the guidance office, so sometimes luck is not always by her side.

"Vibe check."

Hanako threw his arms up to the air and cheered for his victory. "Winner! Yay!"

[Name] facepalmed at the situation at hand. It was supposed to be a peaceful lunch time but after that Kou and Hanako battle thing, she doesn't have the mood to finish her tea. Yashiro ran up to the unconscious Kou in worry. "Is he going to be alright?"

"I doubt that, he would have given up otherwise." Hanako stated while looking at Kou, it was only a slight fatal blow to the stomach that would have rearranged his guts—not in the way you are thinking right now—but Kou is still okay and muttering curses about exorcising Hanako.

[Name] bent down to take a look at Kou, then realization hits her because she knew that he was familiar. "Eyo wait a second, this guy is Minamoto-senpai's brother." She pointed out because she managed to remember his name so maybe the two of them are related. "He bumped into me yesterday after I gave the two girls some candies to help out the mokkes."

Yashiro left the rooftop quickly since it is now time for class while [Name] told her to go ahead since she will be a little late in class. [Name] picked up the staff next to Kou and showed it to Hanako. "Should we do something about this thing though?" [Name] asked gesturing to the weapon.

"Are you worried about me, [Name]?" Hanako glanced at [Name] with a smile, seeing that his assistant is worried about him. [Name] had her mouth hang open trying to find some words to hide the fact that she was actually, although she didn't know what to say first.

"H-Heck yeah, I'm worried about you!" [Name] gripped on the staff with a look of worry on her face. Her face softened as she lowered the staff and it felt like there was an angel that passed by because of how quiet it is. "You're my friend..." She tells him.

"I see." Hanako grinned and moved closer to [Name] as their noses slightly touched while slightly lifting the staff to protect her face but Hanako lowered it down with a smirk on his face. "You can even make friends with murderers, [Name]." Hanako takes the staff along with him, walking away from [Name] to go back inside leaving her in complete silence.

"Hanako-kun."

He stopped, but he didn't look back. [Name] had the urge to hug his back, reassure him that no matter what she will stick by his side, she doesn't have the whole story of what happened anyways. Who is she to judge? [Name] pulled her hand back, looking down in shame for thinking such things. "It's nothing."

'Even if we are friends...I don't know anything about him...'

"Who am I to interfere anyways...?" [Name] looked up to the sky, tucking her hands inside her skirt pockets as the wind passed by. Hanako didn't show up after that incident, so [Name] was left alone to clean the bathroom, making sure it was squeaky clean when he comes back, maybe that would make him happy.

➽───────────────❥

"[Name]-chan, I think you should stop hanging out with Hanako-kun." Yashiro blurted out of nowhere as the two girls walked home together alone after waving goodbye to Aoi. [Name] was silent but she continued on listening as to what Yashiro's saying next. "He's a murderer, who knows what will happen to you—you might be killed—"

"Yashiro, do you realize that he's already dead?" [Name] bounced a question to her friend. She couldn't believe that she was defending Hanako even though he took another life when he was alive, because no matter what backstory they have, they will always be a murderer. [Name] was stuck between choices: Continue being friends with Hanako or keep the status quo as bathroom cleaner and assistant.

"But still—!"

"I don't know okay?!" [Name] raised her voice at Yashiro made her silent. "We don't know if this Minamoto kid is telling the truth because I will one hundred percent believe it if Hanako himself admits that he murdered someone." She whispered with a hissed tone or else the people who passed by will take their conversation out of context.

Yashiro rubbed her chin trying to analyze the situation, [Name] is defending Hanako and that could only mean one thing. She's not sure if she's right but she's going to ask [Name] anyways. "Do you perhaps have a crush on him?" Yashiro questioned while narrowing her eyes at [Name].

[Name] almost got tripped from walking when Yashiro asked her that question. She barely knew him plus she and Hanako only met for like a week. "Ha? What makes you think of that?" [Name] asked, completely weirded out from the question. "Bruh, I just got ghosted then I go falling for a ghost immediately? Of course I don't." [Name] chuckled while waving her hand.

"I see, this looks like a forbidden love trope where a human falls in love with a ghost and they can't be together because their lover...is dead." Yashiro clasped her hands together with a dramatic tear falling from her eye. "And they go through highs and lows just so they could prove their love but in the end—tragedy!"

[Name] lets out a chortle. "You're overthinking things."

"You really are a Tsundere, huh?" Yashiro sweat-dropped.

"I'm not, shut—and no I'm not falling for a ghost, not today. I may like love stories between a human and a supernatural but I'm not looking forward to that experience..." [Name] suddenly stopped talking when Yashiro pulled out her phone to record the whole thing. "What the hell are you doing...?"

"Recording what you said so that when you told me you like Hanako-kun, I'll repeat this for you." Yashiro answered. [Name] could only chuckle sarcastically at her antics, just wait till she slides into the student council room and announce to Minamoto Teru that Yashiro has a crush on him, that'll be a good payback. [Name] arrived home shortly after Yashiro bids farewell to her to go to the direction of her apartment.

"I'm home." [Name] announced, taking off her shoes, slides them inside the shoe rack and enter her house. Yana, her mother, was cooking dinner by the kitchen—her dad, Hachirou was still working so it's just the two of them. She didn't expect her mom to welcome her home, her relationship with her mom is on the gray side which is they're not that close and not that distant either.

Well ever since she died, things were different. [Name] went upstairs to change her attire, a black shirt and shorts, then going back downstairs to eat dinner. "You're not going home with that Souho kid anymore...?" Yana questioned because she would often see Souho taking [Name] home back when they were still dating. [Name] nodded slowly. "I'm guessing you two broke up."

"Mhm. We don't really have time for each other so we decided to call things off." [Name] lied, not exactly because she only cut off the part where Souho ghosted her. "He even told me that we'll start dating when we turn 18 because he lost at hanafuda with Dad."

"This is why you shouldn't be in relationships at your age, you still have plenty of time for that so you should focus on yourself first."

[Name] finished dinner quickly, heading upstairs after washing the dishes to search for something out of curiosity. "Ghost Brides..." She typed on the keyboard.

There are a lot of results containing the search like there are rituals performed in China about ghost marriages, then there's another one where families sent their children to be wed off, specifically sacrifice them, in exchange of wealth. The most famous myth that has been around in her state is the well known Myth of Hitomi.

[Name] was quite familiar of the myth because she remembered her childhood friend telling her about it when she was little, she never paid attention to it of course. The myth of Hitomi in which she was married to a ghost in order to save her from sickness—then some supernatural thing happened and now that her descendants were destined to have the same thing as hers. "Pfft, why am I searching for a ghost marriage, it's not like I'm going to marry Hanako for reals—"

"Though I can't help to think about Hanako-kun..." [Name] closes the tab and turns off her laptop. She moves away from her desk using her swivel chair and headed towards her bed. [Name] turned off the lights, grabbing her phone to scroll down some memes. Soon after, she slept.

The next day, [Name] was helping out Aoi to water her plants by the window in their classroom. While organizing the arrangement of the flowers, she was in deep thought about what happened yesterday between her and Hanako. Aoi couldn't help but to notice that [Name] was spacing out. "[Name]-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"You always have your head in the clouds lately."

[Name] scratched her head sheepishly. "Ahaha~ I'm sorry if that worries you, it's that a lot of things had happened recently—and Souho and I broke up recently." She said. Aoi puts her hand in her mouth in shock by the news, she knew she had to apologize to [Name] considering she was the one who gave Souho her contacts and that's basically how they started communicated.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Aoi bowed.

"N-No, it's fine." [Name] waved her hands. "I mean you only did that since Souho wanted you to set us up...but don't blame yourself Aoi-san because it's my fault for replying first." [Name] explained to Aoi that Souho ghosted her for a week, then she decided to end things on the spot, basically their relationship was strained ever since he distanced himself from her.

"Then, is there someone in your mind lately? Do you have a crush on someone?"

[Name] smiled while placing the potted plot by the window. "Well, I don't want to have a lovelife as of now, I recently got ghosted and I'm going to rely on fate for letting me find a boyfriend and girlfriend." She said, she does miss being single considering she can simp on anime characters without someone getting jealous.

"Cheer up, [Name]-chan!" Aoi held her shoulders, then she huddled closer to [Name] as if she was about to tell her a secret. "I know you love scary stories but have you heard this story?"

[Name] raised her eyebrow. "What story?"

"The Second of the Seven Wonders is..." Aoi paused for a dramatic effect while wiggling her fingers to make the mood around them spookier. "The Misaki Stairs."

➽───────────────❥

man, i keep making amane stories like bruh other tbhk characters need to shine too, i'm thinking whether i should make teru or akane