SICK DAYS. . .

- - -

"Oi, Hanako!"

Kou stomped into the girls' bathroom - not even ashamed to step into a territory boys shouldn't even be in as it's been, like, what, weeks, months even, since the three started hanging out. The blond noticed Hanako staring outside by the window, brows furrowed.

The younger Minamoto did, at least, close the door.

Kou loudly placed his staff down, catching Hanako's attention. "Where's senpai!?" He demanded.

"So you haven't seen her, too," Hanako said quietly, his eyes drifting back to watch what was happening beyond the window, his lips pursued.

"Huh?" Kou tilted his head confusedly. "What are you saying? You mean she hasn't visited you yet?" He roared, but he wasn't mad, just confused.

Strange.

"Around this hour, wouldn't she be already done cleaning the toilets?" Kou asked Hanako, baffled.

Hanako huffed, glancing at the blond. "I know, that's why I was expecting you to at least tell me something about her."

Kou blinked. "But, I haven't seen her all day?"

Hanako stayed silent.

The door slammed open.

Kou brightened. "Senpai! We were talking about you!"

Hanako's golden orbs snapped towards Yashiro, his infamous Cheshire Cat grin crawling on his lips, until it disappeared when he saw Yashiro's state. "Yashiro. . .?"

To say she looked like she absolutely had a bad day would be an understatement. They didn't even question why she was holding a paper bag because they were too concerned with her appearance. Underneath her eyes, prominent eyebags appeared. Her hair looked like a bird's nest. Her eyes were looked more dead than Hanako is - which is the most surprising. She was slouching, a bitter look on her face. Her skin was very pale. Her eyes looks like they're repeatedly screaming: don't touch me, get away. And, most importantly, she was hot.

And, no, not in that way.

She was literally burning.

Hanako and Kou gaped, already by her side, placing their hands on her forehead, and neck to check her temperature and almost got burnt.

"Senpai!" Kou cried out. "You have a high fever! What happened!?"

Yashiro let out some weird noise that seemed to be a mix of a groan and a gurgle, sniffling. "It started to rain when I went out to get this-" she raised her hand and motioned to the paper bag she was holding- "after school and got sick."

"Why would you go out in the rain, senpai?" Kou sputtered out, not understanding what was so important in that paper bag that Yashiro had to go and get it quickly. "Your fever will get worse! Why did you go to school!"

Yashiro shrugged, slumped in defeat. "I don't know. . .I wanted to see Ha-" she flinched and blushed, shaking her head wildly- "M-Minamoto-senpai!" She sneezed, making the two boys flinch.

The whole time, Hanako was silent, but he was as frantic and worried, if not, even more concerned than Kou. Hanako turned to Kou. "Hey, kid, would you mind giving us time alone?"

Of course, Kou isn't that easy. "What!? Why would I leave senpai to a slimy, perverted ghost like you!?"

Hanako whined. "Come on, I told you guys to stop calling me slimy! And I'm not going to do anything! I just need to talk to her."

Kou didn't move. But then, he eventually saw Hanako's pleading eyes. "Fine. . .but-" Kou raised his staff threateningly-which is really stupid because Hanako sealed that thing long ago- "I'm just going to buy soup!" Kou turned to Yashiro. "The clinic is about to close because school's ending, senpai, so we'll just take care of you instead if you don't want your parents to get worried."

Yashiro nodded and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Minamoto-kun. Be careful on your way!"

Kou gave her a thumbs up and sprinted away, leaving the two alone.

Silence.

Yashiro shifted a bit, feeling a bit awkward now that she was alone with Hanako. "Uhm. . ."

Hanako gently placed his hand back onto Yashiro's forehead, their foreheads almost touching with the proximity. Yashiro's face flushed as she said his name, flustered. "How are you feeling?" He asked, staring right into Yashiro's eyes.

Yashiro gulped, trying to hide her burning face. "F-Fine! I just feel a bit of headache but I still feel normal! It's nothing bad, I promise!"

Hanako hummed. "Did your classmates notice?"

Yashiro shook her head. "No, I kept my distance. Ao-chan was suspicious but I just told her I felt a bit peachy. . ." she mumbled, her eyes averted away from Hanako's.

"Well, you're not going to clean the toilets unless you feel better! So you better hurry and rest up, okay?" Hanako told her, finally inching away.

Yashiro sighed in relief, placing a hand on top of her beating heart.

Hanako then stared intently at the paper bag she was holding, his golden eyes narrowed on it. "What is even in that thing anyway?"

Yashiro then gasped, and shoved the paper bag on Hanako's chest, grinning. "Oh, yeah! This is for you, Hanako-kun! It's sort of a gift for always saving us and being our friend, no matter how slimy you are!"

"I'm ignoring that last sentence." Hanako opened the paper bag and reached his hand inside. He pulled out and his eyes widened. "A donut!" He began searching inside the paper bag. "So many donuts!"

Yashiro grinned proudly. "Yup! I kind of didn't like the way my homemade donuts turned out so I just decided to buy some. Maybe next time, I'll improve on baking and give you some!"

Hanako looked like he wanted to cry.

He hugged Yashiro, his face still beaming with joy.

"N-No, wait! Hanako-kun, you'll get sick!" Yashiro told him, trying to push him away, but Hanako only made his hug tighter.

Hanako pulled away, but his arms were still wrapped around her. "You do know apparitions like me don't get sick, right?"

"Oh."

The two shared a chuckle.

"Besides. . ." Hanako smiled softly, genuinely. . .even if we were. You're worth getting sick for."

They ended sharing the donuts that day, content smile on their faces.

- - -

Chapter dedicated to: CrystalTale

They make me soft aksjdsk

Also, spoiler alert, Kou wasn't left with any donuts :(