It's been a few days since I met Ren-san in the drama room. I managed to spread around a new rumor about her and her necklace, but I'm not sure if it'll stick. Yashiro swung the mop side to side absently as she thought to herself. Hanako-kun has been keeping tabs on Ren-san, making sure that she doesn't get possessed by her rumor again. He doesn't show it on his face or say anything, but I can tell that he's really worried about her. She tightened her grip on the mop. I'd hate to admit it, but I'm sort of jealous.
Hanako sat on the windowsill in his usual spot with a book in his hands. He toyed with the corner of a page as he was about to turn it when he noticed that Yashiro had stopped moving out of the corner of his eye. "You okay?" He asked quietly, but it still startled her out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about stuff, that's all." She stepped over to the mop bucket to get new water and ring it out.
Hanako hummed at her response, turning the page and placing a bookmark between the pages. "Mind if I ask you something?"
"Depends on what it is." Her tone is slightly sarcastic.
"The other day, you mentioned that you had a dream while you were unconscious. Do you remember what it was?"
Yashiro finished mopping, putting it back in the bucket. I wanna tell him, but how? Should I? How would he react? How would I even say it? 'I traveled back in time to see your past self'? That doesn't make sense. She shook her head, feeling terrible for lying but she didn't know what else to do. "It's all fuzzy now that it's been a few days. And my dreams aren't really consistent and tend to blend together. So even if I did remember, I'd probably mix it up with another dream."
"Is that so?" Hanako slowly closed his book, leaning back against the window. "That's fair, I guess. Some dreams are just not meant to be remembered." Yashiro nods, removing her cleaning gloves and hair accessory.
"Um…" a soft voice caught their attention and they both looked to the doorway of the bathroom. "Am I interrupting anything?" Ren stood at the entrance, smiling softly at the two.
"Not at all." Hanako smiles brightly. "Did you need something?" He crossed his legs and placed the book down.
Ren shook her head. "I just wanted to see you." She slowly walked in, giving Yashiro a gentle smile and wave. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Takahashi Ren, Ama- Honorable No. 7's old friend and classmate." She corrected herself mid sentence.
Yashiro returned the gesture. "I'm Yashiro Nene, Hanako-kun's assistant."
"'Hanako-kun,' huh? You two must be close."
"You could say that." Hanako hopped off the windowsill and onto Yashiro's shoulders, hugging her from behind. "Yashiro and I are currently connected through a bond."
"A bond?" Ren echoed.
"Long story short, my cute little assistant here made a couple of rather selfish wishes. In the process, she and I both ate a mermaid scale; tying our fates together through and through." Hanako gently pinched Yashiro's cheeks, causing her to whine.
She pinched the back of his hands and pulled them off her cheeks, making him yelp and pull his hands away. "Since then, I've been his assistant." She sighed. "It's more exhausting than it sounds."
"So what exactly do you do?" Ren asked, laughing. "Other than clean bathrooms."
"She helps me with keeping the peace amongst the students and supernaturals." Hanako said, favoring his hands with a pout.
"So far, the most difficult things I have to do are change the rumors that have gotten out of hand." She said, dodging Hanako's attempts to hug her again. "But challenging the Wonders and exploring boundaries has been rather dangerous too, so I guess they're sort of even."
"Wait, you mean you've met the other Wonders already?" Ren's eyes widened.
"Most of them." Hanako answered. "There's a couple she hasn't met. And, honestly, I'm not looking forward to it."
"Oh? Why's that?" Yashiro asked as the two girls turned their attention to him fully.
"They aren't exactly what you'd call 'social.' They rarely attend the weekly meetings. And when they finally decide to show their faces, it's never a pleasant experience." Hanako sighed as he slid his hands in his pockets. "Dealing with them is such a pain."
"Aren't you the one who manages them?" Ren asked, crossing her arms. "Can't you set up some sort of system to make them work with you better?"
"In theory, I could. But they're stubborn and have been a Wonder far longer than I have. They hold a sort of authority that I cannot control or weaken, so I can't just tell them what to do."
"But you had Yako-san and Tsuchigamori-sensei working together back in the library." Yashiro pointed at him, slightly confused.
"That's because they respect me as a person. And we did make a deal with them, remember?" He smiled.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." She says softly, causing Hanako to chuckle slightly.
"A deal?" Ren echoed, tilting her head.
"Well, it's less of a deal and more of a revision. It's quite complicated, and very difficult to explain." He smiled at her nervously. "Just trust me on this?"
"Oh, uh yeah sure." She fumbled on her words a bit, glancing at Yashiro who just smiled.
"Anyway, how are you holding up? Feeling any better?" Yashiro chipped, smiling sweetly at Ren.
"Yeah, I feel a lot better." Ren returned the smile.
"Good." Hanako started floating a bit next to the girls. "So, have you made a decision yet?"
"Decision?" Yashiro tilted her head.
"Oh yeah, you weren't here when she and I had this discussion." Hanako raised a finger informatively. "Yesterday, I asked Ren to make a decision as to what she wants to do with her apparition form."
"What do you mean?"
"Basically," Ren spoke softly. "he asked if I wanted to stay a ghost, or if I wanted to find a way to let myself move on to the afterlife."
"Wait, seriously?" Yashiro looked between the two frantically.
"Well, we don't know why or how she ended up here in the first place. Other than the fact that someone used the small detail about her necklace in a rumor." He puts his hands behind his head as he floats. "So it's really up to her if she wants to stay an apparition or pass on fully."
"So, wait, does that mean that you had a choice too, Hanako-kun?" Yashiro asked. Hanako froze for a moment, then smiled nervously.
"Well, my case was sort of complicated. Let's leave it at that."
Yashiro let his words echo in her mind. Complicated? Does that mean he was forced to become an apparition? No, Tsuchigomori-sensei said that he took his own life…right? She nodded absently. "Right, sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Both Hanako and Ren noticed her absence, but Ren was the first to comfort her by taking her hand. Causing Yashiro to look up.
"You're done here, right?" Her question raised some confusion in Yashiro.
"Um, I guess, yeah. Why?" Ren just smiled and crossed their arms together.
"I'll be stealing your assistant for the time being!" She directed to Hanako, smiling mischievously. Before either of the two could protest, Ren was pushing Yashiro out towards the hallway. "I promise to bring her back in one piece!" She laughed as Yashiro's voice struggled to find coherent words at the sudden gesture.
"Wait, Ren." Hanako's voice was slightly stern, watching as Ren and Yashiro stopped just at the door.
"What's up?" Ren said.
Hanako shifted his weight to one foot as he let them hit the ground; one hand in his pocket and the other pinching the tip of his hat. "Just be careful out there. The school can be dangerous for low level spirits like yourself to be wandering about, especially at nightfall."
Ren returned a bit of a serious gaze, but it quickly turned into a smile. "Aw, you don't have to worry about me, Amane! I'm not the little girl I used to be in middle school." Yashiro blinked between them, feeling the cold hands of Ren on her back sent small chills down her spine. "Nene-chan and I have a bit of girl talk to do, is all!" Yashiro echoed her, but was cut off by being pushed again. "Come on! I know a great spot where we can chat!"
Hanako stood in the middle of the bathroom as the echoes of the two girls slowly disappeared down the hall. Haku-Joudai swirled around him as he raised his hand to allow it to rest there. "That's exactly why I'm worried." He muttered to himself, letting his hat cover his eyes.