Chapter 13: You & Me
Ibuki was waiting for her when she got back to the hotel.
"God, you look like the final girl in a slasher film," she said when Hanako drew close.
She smiled despite her exhaustion. "There's not nearly enough blood for me to be a final girl. Sorry I ruined your shirt, though."
"That's A-okay. I have a replacement right here." Smirking, she tugged on the hem of her black tee.
"Wow, just like that?" She was too flustered to sound genuinely annoyed. Borrowing each other's clothes was a friend thing, right? But they definitely weren't just friends after last night.
Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. How was she supposed to ask without sounding clingy or cold or plain stupid?
Before she could formulate anything coherent, Ibuki grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the cottages.
"Come on, I need your help with something."
"Can I change first? I still have blood all over me."
"Aww, I kinda like the Final Girl look," Ibuki said, but when they stepped inside her cottage, she tossed her a clean shirt.
It was hot pink with fishnet cutouts in the shoulders—definitely flashier than she preferred, but it was Ibuki's.
"Thanks."
"Yup!" Ibuki grabbed her guitar and flopped onto the bed.
Hanako watched her strum a few chords in quick succession. It wasn't like she was staring, but she wasn't exactly looking away, either.
Fuck it. They'd seen way more of each other last night. She wasn't even sure why she was nervous.
She stripped off the bloody shirt and traded it for the new one. It smelled a little like strawberries, and she wondered if it was from shampoo or perfume.
"So, what did you need help with?"
"Ibuki's planning a concert. I thought everyone could use a little cheering up after—" Her expression faltered. "Wait, Kuzuryu's still alive, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, of course. He's not in great shape, but Tsumiki's taking care of him right now. He'll probably be fine as long as he doesn't do any more stupid shit."
"Super." She let out a sigh of relief and stretched her arms above her head. "Then how about a Once-in-a-Lifetime Out-of-This-World Banger Music Festival for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu's Recovery?"
Hanako couldn't help laughing out loud. "Yes. I'm in."
Ibuki whooped and leapt to her feet. She grabbed Hanako's shoulders and spun her in a circle, then darted back to the other side of the room. Once Hanako regained her balance, she realized Ibuki was digging through empty wrappers on the couch. She spun around and held out a stack of paper and a pack of markers.
"How do you feel about making the invitations?"
"On it." Hanako took the supplies, and Ibuki flopped back onto the bed. "Should I make them personalized or what?"
"Ooh, personalized?"
She sat on the couch and began folding a piece of paper into thirds. "I'll advertise free food on Owari's. Maybe draw little hamsters on Tanaka's."
Ibuki laughed and bounced in place. "I knew you were the right gal for the job, Yukimura."
She glanced up, and they shared a smile. Hanako felt her stomach swoop and her face go hot, and she snapped her gaze back to her paper.
That evening, the finished invitations were stacked neatly on the couch. Hanako was sitting on the floor beside the bed with Ibuki's feet in her lap, drawing cartoon faces in the holes in her stockings. Ibuki was doing warmups with her guitar, which involved some sort of silly memorization game.
"What else do you like?"
Hanako smiled and added freckles to the face she was drawing. "Batteries."
Ibuki strummed her guitar and sang, "Yukimura likes chicken, tomatoes, beans, and batteries with her rice."
She snickered and doodled a battery hanging out of the cartoon's mouth like a cigar.
"Hey, did you put the time on the invitations?"
"Uh, no. I can add it, though." She leaned over and grabbed the stack of paper. "What were you thinking?"
"Nine o'clock sharp! You can just draw an upside-down six."
"Thanks for the tip." Hanako balanced the invitations on her knee so she could write the time. "For what, tomorrow?"
"For tonight, silly. Why do you think I'm warming up?"
"Tonight?" She dropped her pen and checked her eHandbook. "Mioda, it's seven right now."
"What?" Ibuki snatched the eHandbook to confirm. "I thought it was, like, four!" She leapt to her feet, nearly kicking Hanako in the chest. "We gotta get ready!"
"Wait, why are we doing this tonight?"
Ibuki stopped mid-stride, and when she spoke, her voice was just a little unsteady. "Well, why not?"
Hanako thought about the countdown timer in the park. The party in the old building. Byakuya's corpse under the table.
Meeting up for a beach party and finding Mahiru's body an hour later.
Why fucking not?
"Okay." She pushed herself to her feet. "Let's do this."
Ibuki grabbed the stack of invitations and divided it into two piles. "You get these to the girls, I'll do the boys, 'kay?"
"Cool. I'll grab some supplies from the supermarket and meet you at the music venue."
They were about to rush out the door when Ibuki threw an arm out, stopping her.
"Wait a second. You didn't make an invitation for yourself."
"Because I'm obviously coming." Hanako threw her an exasperated smile. "Duh."
"Really?" Ibuki wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her close. "You're definitely gonna be there?"
"Of course." Hanako leaned into her touch, wondering if they could spend another five minutes alone before leaving.
Ibuki smiled, kissed her on the lips, and was out the door before she could process what had just happened.
With a sigh, she stepped out of the cottage and closed the door behind her. She could wait until after the concert. Ibuki would probably be exhausted, but maybe they could at least go back to her place and cuddle for a little bit.
She really needed to figure out how to have the "What are we" talk without sounding like a complete loser.
With a frown, she straightened the stack of invitations in her hand. Ibuki's cottage was in the back corner, so she just had to work her way to the center. On the boys' side, she could already hear Ibuki banging on someone's door.
Suppressing a smile, she walked to the cottage across from Ibuki's and knocked on the door. She shuffled through the invitations while she waited. The ink had started to warp the paper in places—she would have to use a thicker paper next time.
Will there be a next time?
She knocked again and glanced at the window. The lights were off, so whoever it was either wasn't home or was napping. Maybe they'd gone to the restaurant. She backtracked to the mailbox to check whose cottage this was.
Mahiru.
Her lips formed a silent oh. The papers in her hand rustled, and she realized her hands were shaking.
She could still picture Mahiru's smile, the way it made the freckles on her cheeks stand out. Sure, I'll come to the concert. It'll be a great opportunity to take some photos.
Mahiru was dead. She would never lift her camera again.
Hanako made herself take a deep breath and look away. Ibuki was counting on her. She could have her mental breakdown at some other point. Maybe never.
She continued on, pointedly ignoring the cottage next to Ibuki's, which belonged to Peko, and made it to Sonia's door.
Sonia answered after the first knock with a pleasant smile. "Good evening, Yukimura. What can I do for you?"
Hanako pulled Sonia's invitation, which was decorated with white and gold, from the pile and held it out. "Mioda's holding a concert tonight. Wanna come?"
Her eyes lit up as she accepted the paper. "How wonderful! I have only ever been to orchestra performances and the occasional ballet. Am I correct in assuming this will be more…banger?"
She smiled and leaned forward. "It's gonna blow your mind. You in?"
"Absolutely. I look forward to this mind-blowing performance."
Akane was next. She was another easy "yes," though she seemed a little distracted. Hopefully the promise of food would be enough to guarantee that she showed up.
Across from Akane was Hiyoko's cottage. Hanako looked down at her invitation and sucked in air through her teeth. Of course they'd put Fuyuhiko's name on every single one.
Hiyoko opened the door, crossed her arms, and greeted her with a flat, "What?"
"Mioda's having a concert. You should come." She handed over the invitation, which was decorated with a border of cartoon gummy bears.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Hiyoko glared at the paper. "Are you actually inviting me to a concert in honor of that murdering freak?"
"Listen," Hanako said, then stuck her foot in the door as Hiyoko tried to shut it. She suppressed a groan of pain. "Fucking hell, Saionji."
"Get your foot out of my door."
"The concert is just an excuse for us to hang out. Kuzuryu's in the hospital with a hole in his stomach. He's not even gonna be there." She pried the door open so she could look Hiyoko in the eye. "Mioda would be really happy if you showed up."
She glared back. "I'm not going to your stupid concert."
Hanako removed her throbbing foot from the door and tried not to sound desperate. "I'll bring gummy bears."
Hiyoko slammed the door in her face.
"Bitch." She huffed out a sigh and hobbled away.
She'd already expected Hiyoko to be a lost cause, but she was really trying her best to make the concert as not-dead as possible. Ibuki deserved a packed venue for her performance, not the tropical equivalent of an open mic night audience.
Chiaki answered the door with a yawn and inspected her invitation for several moments.
"Oh, that's nice," she said finally. "It looks like an arcade machine."
"You coming?" Hanako tested her weight on her foot, wondering if she'd broken something.
"Definitely. This sounds like a really good idea." Chiaki met her eyes with a soft smile.
"Awesome. See you at nine."
That left Mikan. Hanako didn't have any doubts about getting her to come to the concert, so barring Hiyoko, she considered this round of invitations a success. She wondered if Ibuki was having similar luck—she wasn't sure who would refuse to go, except maybe Gundham.
When Mikan accepted her invitation, her eyes welled with tears.
"This is so nice. I've never been invited to anything like this before."
"Yes you have," Hanako said. "The baking thing? And the beach party?"
"Oh, right." She let out a nervous giggle. "It still catches me off guard, though."
"You're coming, then?"
"Of course." She held the invitation to her chest. "I'll try to l-leave early so I can check on Kuzuryu before the concert."
"Okay. He doing all right?"
She nodded. "So far, he's been good about resting. He'll probably be h-happy to know what Mioda is doing. Or maybe he'll be sad that he can't attend."
Hanako shrugged. "Well, it's his fault he's in the hospital. It'd probably be more appropriate to celebrate the person who saved his life."
Mikan's eyes widened, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"I gotta go get ready," Hanako said before things could get weird. "See you in a few."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the hotel grounds. A quick glance at her eHandbook told her it was half past seven. As long as she didn't have to make more than one trip between the supermarket and the music venue, she would be okay time-wise.
At the supermarket, she grabbed the basics—chips, soda, and after a moment of consideration, a few packs of gummies. She found a box of tiny umbrellas and grabbed those as well. She could at least try to fulfill her bartending dreams, even if there wasn't so much as a drop of alcohol behind the bar.
As she squatted down to grab a bottle of orange soda, something blue at the very back of the shelf caught her eye. Lust Setsugekka.
"Hello, there."
She bent down and stretched her arm across the dusty surface to grab both bottles of sake. Just one had gone fast enough between her and Ibuki. She was going to have to be a little stingy with these.
With her arms laden precariously with various goods, Hanako returned to the front of the store. "Probably should've asked for help with this," she muttered, then stopped when she spotted the grocery cart sitting near the entrance.
Half an hour later, she burst through the doors to the music venue, balanced on the back of the shopping cart.
"Hey, bitch!"
Ibuki cheered and waved at her from the control panel. "Nice wheels!"
"I'll take you for a ride later." She stopped next to the bar and began unloading the cart. "How're things coming here?"
"Mind doing sound check for me? I'll tell you which buttons to press."
After the tech was set up, Ibuki disappeared into the storage closet to touch up her makeup, and Hanako started stocking the bar. She put both sake bottles under the counter, out of sight. She wasn't going to lie if anyone asked for some, but she also wasn't going to advertise it.
She'd just pushed the shopping cart out of the way when the first people started to arrive. Sonia entered with Gundham and shot her a cheery wave before continuing her conversation with him. Kazuichi noticed the pair when he walked in, frowned, and headed towards the bar instead.
"Hey, you serving drinks over here?" he asked.
"Yup. What can I get for you?"
He scanned the bottles lined up behind her and pointed at the coconut juice. "I'll take some of that."
Hanako tossed some ice in a glass, poured the juice in with a flourish, and stuck a mini umbrella on top. "There ya go. Drinks are on the house tonight."
Kazuichi accepted the glass with raised eyebrows. "Where the hell did you learn how to do that?"
She wiped her hands on the towel tucked into her waistband. "I'm just copying what I've seen other bartenders do."
He leaned closer. "You've snuck into bars before?"
She shrugged. "When people see my tattoos, they don't usually bother to check for an ID. That was one of the things that kinda sucked about getting accepted into Hope's Peak—people started clocking me as a high school student."
"So you were already kinda living as an adult before? That's pretty cool." He took a sip of his drink. "Congrats on getting with Mioda, by the way."
Hanako gave him a deadpan glare, but it was undercut by the blush growing on her cheeks. "If you came over here to find out if there was some sort of trick or something stupid like that, don't even ask."
"What? I definitely wasn't going to ask that." He forced a laugh and scratched at the skin beneath his collar. "Well, anyway, I was thinking about what you said yesterday."
She raised an eyebrow. "So you've been leaving Sonia alone."
"I guess. Looks like she's busy right now anyway." His expression darkened as he glanced back to where Sonia and Gundham were still deep in conversation. "But that's not the point. I wanted to say, you know, sorry."
She blinked. "Shouldn't you be apologizing to Sonia?"
"No, I meant about…" He glanced around and leaned closer. "The thing you told me. I'm sorry that happened to you. It's not cool to treat girls like that, you know?"
Hanako stared at him until he looked away. It seemed like he was being genuine. Like he actually felt sorry for her.
"I don't know why you'd feel bad for me." She started digging through the ice in the cooler, just for something to do. "I wasn't the one bleeding on the pavement like a little bitch."
"Okay. Uh, I guess that's one way to look at it." He reached for his drink again, then yelped as someone else approached the bar.
"The hell are you so jumpy for?" Fuyuhiko asked with a sidelong glance. He'd changed into a clean suit, and if the wound in his stomach was causing him any pain, it didn't show in his posture.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" Kazuichi moved his drink out of the puddle of juice that had sloshed over the side. Hanako tossed a coaster at him.
Fuyuhiko shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. "I thought I'd check this thing out. My name's on the invitation, yeah?"
"Is Tsumiki okay with you being up and about?" Hanako asked.
"I don't need her permission."
She raised an eyebrow.
"She's making me take these if I'm gonna stay." Fuyuhiko set down an orange pill bottle on the bar. "Could I get some water?"
"Thanks for the drink, Yukimura." Kazuichi picked up his glass and inched away from the bar.
Hanako waved him off and leaned forward to look at the label on the bottle. "Oh, she got you the good stuff. You sure you don't want something stronger than water?"
Fuyuhiko scoffed. "You mean like alcohol? We're all underage."
"Yeah, well, I don't think it's legal for high school students to kill—" She saw a shadow cross his expression and looked away. "Whatever. I can do water."
There was a beat of awkward silence as she shoveled ice into a glass before he added, "You're not supposed to take pain meds with alcohol, anyway."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. It can fuck up your stomach."
"Oh, and you're, like, an expert on that."
Hanako fully expected him to curse her out for that comment, but a wry smile flickered on his face.
"I guess I deserved that one."
She threw an umbrella in his glass and slid it towards him. It was hard to think of him as the same person that had first come to the island with them. After all his theatrics at the restaurant, it seemed he really was trying to be different.
But that didn't change the fact that Mahiru was dead.
"Thanks." Fuyuhiko opened the plastic bottle and popped a couple of pills into his mouth.
It didn't change the fact that Peko was dead, either.
"See you around," Hanako said, and he took the cue and left the bar.
A few more people came up for drinks. She was surprised not to see Akane among the crowd, since she was usually the first to show up when food was involved. She'd even grabbed the sweet buns she seemed to like.
The stage lights flared to life, making everyone turn to the front. Hanako forgot everything else when she saw Ibuki standing in the center, holding a cherry-red electric guitar.
"What's up, Jabberwock Island? Lemme hear you make some noise!"
Hanako cupped her hands around her mouth and whooped as loud as she could. The reaction from the others was mixed, from Sonia's polite clapping to Nekomaru's thundering roar. It barely qualified as "some noise," but Ibuki grinned anyway.
"Let's get pumped up! My specialty is making beef stew, some say I'm the nurturing type, and tonight I'm gonna try and cheer everyone up with some Ibuki Mioda originals. So put your hands together for From Me to You Too!"
Hanako recognized her cue and sprinted over to the control panel to press the correct button. The lighting dimmed to a moody blue and pink, and she ran back to her spot as the music started. Ibuki strummed the first chord on her guitar and started the song with a wail.
She was electric on stage. Despite her normal high-pitched tone, her voice when she sang was deep and sensual, slender fingers moving quickly over the guitar strings. And when she threw her head back and screamed, it was like a firework going off. It didn't matter that there were only a dozen people in the building. Hanako just felt lucky that she was here to witness it.
If she was being honest with herself, she was a little turned on, too. She wondered how long Ibuki's set was going to be, and if she could wait that long before pulling her into the storage closet.
When the song ended, Hanako cheered, both fists in the air. She could already tell she was going to be hoarse by the end of the night.
Especially since her voice was the only one audible.
She glanced over at the others. Kazuichi had his beanie pulled all the way over his ears. Sonia had gone pale and was struggling to hide it. Chiaki and Hajime had their heads bent together, talking in low voices. Hanako glanced over at Ibuki, but she was busy messing with the control panel for the next song.
"The fuck?" she muttered. "These people never listened to metal before?"
Someone began clapping from the very back of the room. Even with the dim lighting, she could make out Hiyoko's orange kimono.
"Yay! I never knew live music could be so much fun."
"Saionji." Chiaki turned to her with a smile. "I'm glad you decided to come."
Hiyoko's expression soured. "Yeah, well, I was invited, wasn't I?"
By the time she made it over to the bar, Hanako had a bowl of gummies waiting for her.
"You're seriously still trying to bribe me?"
"I mean, you're here." She pushed the candy towards her. "I made sure to get the brand you like."
"It's kind of pathetic that you remember that."
Hanako was about to point out that it had been a point of discussion in a murder trial, then lost her train of thought as Hiyoko grabbed one of the mini umbrellas and started impaling gummies on it with methodical precision.
"You'd better not start with the whole Kuzuryu thing, either," Hiyoko said. "Just because I showed up doesn't mean I forgive him."
"I honestly don't care about that." She leaned closer. "But you like Mioda's music, right?"
"Well, duh." She pulled one of the gummies off with her teeth. "She's the Ultimate Musician for a reason."
"Let's go up front. This is probably the only concert you'll ever be at where you won't have to fight to get a good view."
Hiyoko looked away. "I guess that would be fine."
She counted that as a victory and walked around the bar to join her near the front.
"Sorry for the wait, folks." Ibuki was back in front of the microphone. "We had some minor technical difficulties, but now it's time to move on to the next song!"
Behind them, Nagito sighed. "Oh, there's more?"
Hanako turned around and glared. "Shut the hell up."
"Go step through a sewer grate, you soggy paper straw," Hiyoko said at the same time.
The two of them shared an awkward glance, and Hanako did her best not to laugh.
"Now, grab a partner and slow dance too, I Squeezed Out the Baby, Yet I Have No Idea Who the Father Is!"
Hanako glanced over her shoulder at the small commotion near the doors. Monomi was standing there, waving her arms back and forth.
Hiyoko followed her gaze. "Geez, that smelly rabbit is gonna ruin the party."
"Just ignore her." Hanako turned back to the stage.
"What did you just say?" Nekomaru yelled.
That was enough for Ibuki to stop playing her opening riff. Everyone turned around as Monomi cried, "Owari is dueling Monokuma!"
Hanako's skin went cold. "Is she fucking serious?"
"Where is this happening?" Hajime asked.
"The beach on the first island. Please hurry before Owari is killed!" Monomi gestured to the door.
Hanako didn't know what she expected them to do about it, but Nekomaru had already charged through the doors with the force of a bull. The others were quick to follow.
"I can't believe that idiot is making us leave." Hiyoko tossed her gummy skewer aside and hurried outside.
"Thanks to everyone for coming," Ibuki said, her voice echoing in the now-empty venue.
"Hey." Hanako moved closer and braced her hands on the edge of the stage. "We'll all come back and finish the concert once we make sure Owari's not gonna kill herself."
Ibuki scratched the back of her neck, her smile wavering. "Come on. I know a dead crowd when I see one."
"It's because they all have terrible fucking taste in music." She held her gaze. "Would you come back and finish it for me?"
Her expression softened. "You know, you're pretty clever, Yukimura."
"Huh?"
"This is a great way to look up my skirt."
Her face went hot. "Shut up and get down here."
"You got it." Ibuki spun around and held her arms out to the sides. "Trust fall!"
"What the f—" Hanako watched her tip backwards and scrambled to catch her. She managed to stop her fall, letting out a grunt as her knees nearly buckled under the weight. "That was so stupid, Mioda."
Ibuki tilted her head back and grinned at her. "You're still making the best of it."
Hanako realized her hands were clasped around Ibuki's chest and quickly pushed her into a standing position. "Okay, uh, you good to go?"
Ibuki's eyes sparkled as she laughed, and despite the urgency of the situation, Hanako felt a bubble of happiness in her chest. She wished the two of them could stay here for just a while longer.
There was no time. There was never enough time, it seemed.
Her only choice was to take Ibuki's hand and run out into the night.
Hanako was out of breath by the time they reached the beach. The others were gathered in a tight knot, watching the fight unfold.
Akane was breathing hard, her sweat-soaked shirt clinging to her skin, but she was alive. Her arms and legs were covered in scrapes, deep grooves in the sand showing just how far she'd been pushed back.
"Are you quite done yet?" Monokuma seemed completely unscathed.
"No way am I giving up," Akane panted, pushing herself to her feet.
"Well, it looks like everyone's finally here, so it looks like it's time to wrap this up." Out of nowhere, Monokuma produced a metal weapon with a large barrel. "Pay attention, the rest of you. Remember how I said I wouldn't tolerate anyone breaking the rules?"
"No," Hanako gasped. She wanted to look away. She wanted to close her eyes, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Ibuki was gripping her hand so hard it hurt.
"Disappear!" Monokuma pulled the trigger.
Nekomaru moved faster than what should have been possible for someone his size. A blinding light filled the air, and Hanako flinched.
When the dust cleared, Nekomaru and Akane were both on the ground. Akane rose first, blinking at the dust still hovering above Nekomaru's chest.
It wasn't dust, Hanako realized. It was smoke, rising from the burnt flesh where his shirt had been. And beneath the haze was red, red seeping from torn skin, spilling over his chin as he coughed weakly.
Akane's jaw dropped. "N-Nekomaru!"
"It's all right. Every team manager's duty is to take care of his athletes, right?" Nekomaru said slowly, like each word took a tremendous amount of effort. "Still, I can't believe it ended like this."
"No." Akane reached out, both hands hovering helplessly over his wounded body. "No, just hold on, okay?"
His next words were inaudible to the rest of them, but Akane leaned close. Mikan sniffled, both hands clamped over her mouth. Ibuki was shaking, and Hanako squeezed her hand. She felt like part of her was floating, watching all of his from somewhere far away.
"Hey!" Akane's head shot up. Nekomaru lay motionless next to her, and her gaze was almost manic as she looked at the rest of them. "He's still breathing! We gotta do something!"
"You!" Fuyuhiko marched towards Monokuma, fists clenched. "This is your doing. Save him like you saved me."
Monokuma put his paws on his hips. "And why exactly would I do that?"
"Because he's right. This is your fault," Monomi said, her little body quivering with fury. "Nidai didn't do anything wrong, and now he's going to die. If you punish people who don't break the rules, then the rules don't mean anything."
"Oh, all right. I guess my aim was a little off." Monokuma snapped his fingers.
The wailing of a siren reached their ears, and the ambulance from before rolled into sight.
It took the combined efforts of Hajime, Kazuichi, Gundham, and Akane to lift Nekomaru onto the stretcher and load him into the ambulance. Akane made to climb into the back of the vehicle, but Chiaki grabbed her arm.
"He's gonna be okay, right?" Akane looked lost, like she didn't even register the rest of them around her. "Nekomaru?"
"It'll be fine." Chiaki pulled her back a step as the ambulance doors slammed shut.
The ambulance peeled away, spraying sand in its wake.
"What an unsatisfactory ending," Nagito said. "Death is a much more powerful motivator than mere injury. But perhaps this uncertainty can still inspire hope—"
"Can you shut the hell up?"
"Quit it already!"
"Will you cut it out?"
"Everyone shut up!" Hiyoko snapped, her voice cutting through their chorus of protests. "Can you all just stop? Haven't we all learned our lesson by now?"
"And what lesson would that be?" Gundham asked.
"We need to stop being stupid." Hiyoko was trembling, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. "The more we rely on each other, the worse this is going to get."
Hajime's brow furrowed. "Saionji, what are you talking about?"
"Don't you get it?" She flung a finger in the direction the ambulance had disappeared. "Nidai was stupid enough to care, and look what happened to him. Enough of this 'working together' bullshit."
"Saionji, come on," Hanako said.
"I don't wanna hear it." She clamped her hands over her ears. "If the rest of you want to be stupid, fine, but don't expect me to stick out my neck for any of you."
She stormed away, and no one spoke up to stop her.
She's right, a small, traitorous part of her brain whispered, and Hanako closed her eyes.
She'd seen enough to know there was truth to Hiyoko's words. She'd seen her tears after Mahiru's death, the hollow look in Fuyuhiko's eyes after Peko's execution. And now Akane, staring off into the distance like she didn't know how to look away.
By some unspoken agreement, they all walked together back to the hotel. Ibuki didn't bring up the concert. Hanako just wanted to crawl into bed and not think about anything.
She stopped in front of her cottage. Their hands were still joined and uncomfortably slick with sweat, but she didn't want to let go just yet.
Her stomach swooped with adrenaline, the way it did when she dropped something and had only a split second to catch it. She needed to say something. She needed to make this moment count.
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
She let go of Ibuki's hand and wrapped her in a tight hug. She held her close, strands of her hair caught between her fingers, and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't know why she was suddenly afraid to go inside.
Ibuki let out a sigh. "If I was going to write a song about this moment, it would be Two Hearts Frozen Under the Moon."
Hanako pulled back. "I really wanted to hear that next song."
"I Squeezed Out the Baby, Yet I Have No Idea Who the Father Is?"
"That one." She tried for a smile to hide the fact that her eyes were stinging. "Will you sing it for me tomorrow?"
"You betcha."
"Okay," she whispered. She leaned forward, hesitated, and kissed her.
This one was different than the others. Instead of passion or excitement or fondness, this one was gentle. A promise that didn't need words.
"'Night, Hanako," Ibuki said when they broke apart.
"See you tomorrow, Ibuki," she whispered, then disappeared into her cottage.
Her heart stung. There was no denying the truth, the fact hovering before her like a loaded gun.
If anything happens to her, it is going to ruin me.
So this chapter sort of marks the beginning of the end. There's still a lot more to cover story-wise, but this is like the end of the Fluff Era. We're moving into full angst mode now :)
This chapter is titled after You & Me (feat. W. Darling) by Bassnectar. I think it fits Hanako and Ibuki perfectly.