4:30 pm
I finally finished cleaning the bathroom with Hanako, but he left before me. I hope Aoi-chan didn't wait long! Yashiro made her way down the hallway, seeing Hanako outside the drama room. "Hanako-kun!" The boy turned and smiled with a wave as she slowed to a stop and caught her breath. "Where's Aoi-chan?"
"She left. But she hid that note for you in the doorway." He pointed and Yashiro followed his gaze. "She was here for a while, but I guess she got tired of waiting." Yashiro opened the folded paper, reading the cutesy handwriting.
"I had some stuff to take care of, next time? Aoi."
Yashiro sighed in slight relief as she turned to walk away. "So she went home. Well, I guess we're not going to-" she was cut off by Hanako grabbing her hand.
"Whaaaaa, but what about the rumor?" Hanako whined, pouting as he floated next to her. "Please, Yashiro?" He held her hand in both of his, getting close with his puppy eyes. "If we don't find it, then someone else will. Then who knows what'll happen?"
"F-fine! I'll do it." She stuttered, looking away from him with a slight blush on her cheeks. She heard Hanako yell in excitement next to her as he let go of her hand.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's look for that necklace!" He reached for the door as Yashiro nodded, both heading in. The room was cluttered to say the least. Boxes everywhere, costumes thrown around, and props scattered across the room. "Looks like we weren't the first ones in here." Hanako remarked, letting his feet touch the ground as he picked up a costume to examine it.
"Geez, they didn't have to make a mess of the place!" Yashiro whined, stepping over and around the tossed items. She kneeled down and started picking up some of the props.
"Yashiro~" Hanako sang, causing her to look up. "Look look! Isn't this cute?" He held up a purple gown with a cheeky grin. "Why not try it on?"
"No way." She deadpanned, causing him to whine more.
"But it'd be so cute on you~!"
"I said no!" She shouted, getting up and placing the props back on the shelf. One at a time, she placed them in their designated spots.
"Why are you putting everything away? We won't be able to find the necklace if we do that." Hanako picked up a few items, walking towards her.
"It's not like we're going to find it in this mess either. Plus, I'm sure the people of the drama club would appreciate coming into a tidy room. They shouldn't have to worry about a rumor messing up their club room."
"You have what people call a heart of gold, Yashiro." He placed the items down and hugged her from behind, rubbing their cheeks together lovingly. "That's why you're the best assistant a Wonder could ever hope for!"
Yashiro smiled as she returned the embrace. "Aw, I'm not that good. I'm just a normal girl." She said as Hanako nuzzled her cheek more.
"Don't say that~" He chuckled, holding her tighter. "Yashiro, you're the assistant of Number 7 of the 7 Wonders, you're anything but a normal girl." He teased, tapping her nose as he let go of her and smiled.
"I guess you're right." She giggled nervously, picking up some more props and putting them back on their shelves.
The two of them managed to get the club room as tidy as they could, setting aside a few props that had been recklessly tossed and broken from people trying to find that cursed necklace. Yashiro smiled in satisfaction and wiped her forehead of sweat, sighing as she sat at a spare desk. "That took longer than I anticipated."
"After all that, we didn't find that necklace." Hanako pouted, looking around.
"It might be locked up or packed away in a box." Yashiro thought aloud. "Or maybe someone found it already?" Her voice trailed as she scanned the room. Whilst cleaning, she took the time to organize some of the accessories that she and Hanako had found. But none seemed to be of supernatural bend. "Hey, I have a question..." Yashiro started, allowing Hanako to turn his attention to her with a head tilt. "Do lesser spirits have boundaries too, or are the Numbers only allowed to have them?"
Hanako hummed at this. "That's a good question." He remarked, leaning against a bookshelf and examining a knick knack. "It's not so much that they aren't 'allowed' a boundary, but more that they can't create or maintain one because of their spiritual status."
"Status?" Yashiro echoed, tilting her head. "So, supernaturals have social classes too?"
"Sort of, yeah. I guess that's a good way to look at and understand it." He smiled. "There's the lower class spirits, who can only wander. The middle class, who can interact with the living. And I guess you can think of the 7 Wonders as the upper class, who own boundaries and maintain order."
Yashiro nodded, looking up at the boy. The orange hue slowly turns into red from the window as the sun sinks in the horizon. "Then, does that mean you have your own boundary too, Hanako-kun?" He paused at this, fidgeting with the trinket more.
"I do. But I don't really enter it all that often. I mainly use it as a storage for my stuff." He spoke softly, as if tip-toeing around the subject. Yashiro noticed his tone change, but decided not to pry.
"I see." She averts her gaze as Hanako hadn't met hers for a while. Glancing around the slowly darkening room one last time. I wonder, what is Hanako-kun's boundary like? What's his Yorishiro? She smiled to herself. Probably something related to space. She imagined a telescope, or even a model rocket. Just the thought of it gave her a warm yet sad feeling. "Can I ask something else?"
"You're very talkative today." Hanako teased.
Yashiro hummed, picking at her nails. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but I've been wondering..." She started, grabbing Hanako's attention more as he looked at her. "What would happen if I died?" This made Hanako freeze, staring blankly at the girl in front of him; small, fragile, human girl.
"What do you mean?" He managed to speak in a whisper, heart squeezing despite his apparition form.
The girl shrugged, turning her head to look out the window at the setting sun. "Our bond. Ever since I ate that scale, I've been in so many dangerous situations. Yako-san, Yousei-san, and even Tsukasa…" her voice softened at the mention of Hanako's brother. "They've all come really close to hurting or even killing me. And it seems like every other rumor is one circled around death." She slowly turned to Hanako, meeting his eyes as they both shared a rare seriousness of emotion. "What would happen to our bond if I were to die? Would we still be able to see each other?"
Hanako's eyes widened at this, not expecting that to be her question. It made his cold heart feel hot with guilt. He quickly swallowed it down and forced a laugh. "That's your concern? You know, normally humans are scared of death itself, not what comes after."
"Forget it, it was a stupid question anywa-" she was cut off with a hand on her head, guiding her to look up at the boy.
"Don't you worry about a thing. I was there to save you then, and I'll be there to protect you in the future. Of course, I can't promise that there won't be any close calls, but I'll be right there by your side nonetheless. The bond we share is proof of it; our fates are linked from now on." He gave her the most genuine smile she'd ever seen from him since they met. It made her...happy. She smiled in return, nodding. Their smiles and gazes linger for a moment, Hanako gently patting her head and her leaning into it. Moments like this, I wish would last forever. Yashiro slowly turns her head to take one last glance around the room.
A gleam caught her eye as she gazed around the room, squinting to try to find the source. She stood and slowly walked over to it, kneeling down to a lower shelf and reaching behind several dusty items. "Is this it?" She said, catching Hanako's attention.
He walked over and squatted next to her. "Wanna find out?" He smiled, holding out his hand for the necklace. Yashiro hesitates, but nods and places the necklace in his cold palms. Gently, he reached around her neck and hooked the choker. The both of them stood in unison; Yashiro taking a step back and preparing herself. "It's pretty." Hanako said, smiling with his hands in his pockets. It was just a plain black choker with a little bit of lace layered in a simple pattern.
Yashiro felt a slight heat in her cheeks, smiling. "Is it?" Hanako nods, stepping to her.
"On you it is." He said, startling her and causing more heat in her face. He lifted some of her hair in his hand, avoiding eye contact. But Yashiro could see some color rise in his pale face.
"You really think so...?" Her voice wavered as she became slightly dizzy, barely catching her balance. Hanako prepared to catch her, holding her arms for extra support.
"You okay, Yashiro?" Hanako spoke, but it sounded as if he were far away.
"Aoi-chan didn't say anything about getting light-headed." Yashiro remarked, leaning into his hold with a few heavy breaths. Her vision became disoriented. This caused a slight scoff from Hanako.
"Probably a tax on wearing the necklace despite knowing what it does." He adjusted his hold so he's able to keep her stable. "Are you feeling anything else?"
"Not really, but I think it's trying to tell me something."
"It's talking?"
"Yes and no." She placed her fingers on the choker. "There are...several voices." Her hands slide up to her ears, eyes wide. "They're getting louder."
Hanako was starting to grow worried, but he wanted to know what was happening. "Can you make out what they're saying?" Yashiro closed her eyes and listened to the muffled voices. As loud as they are, it's difficult to understand them.
"I can't, there's too many!" She tightened her eyes and clenched her ears. "Make it stop! It hurts!"
Hanako quickly stepped behind her and attempted to take it off. Brushing away her hair from her neck, he searched for the hook. "It's not there. The clasp, it's gone!" Starting to panic, he tried to get his fingers between her and the necklace, but it had already begun to tighten. "Shit." He muttered under his breath.
She shivered violently, falling to her knees as her ears began to ring. Hanako knelt beside her, unsure of what to do. I can't breathe! What should I do? Slowly, Yashiro started losing consciousness. Feeling Hanako pull her close and call her name as sleep came into her view.