"..Good job, Sunomiya. This turned out well."
Two pairs of eyes were both surveying the final result of a piece done by Hana, set up on a wooden canvas. The accompanying party she was with, was none other than her esteemed third year, a boy, fellow artist, and teacher:
Naoto Hachioji.
"Thank you, Hachioji-senpai." Hana gave a very polite and slow bow, her voice radiating humility. "I was afraid of how it would turn out. I've only ever done portraits like these a handful of times."
"No no, you did excellent!" A blush filled Hachioji's cheeks, and his hands found themselves bashfully readjusting his glasses. "If anything, I should've been the one to worry. I've never really modeled for someone before."
What Hana had put on to paper was an intricately detailed and impressively crafted hand-drawing of her Senpai. A simple pose was what he'd done for her: sitting up straight on a chair, hands respectfully cupped and held in his lap.
"Sorry if I looked a little stiff," he continued, cheeks flushing more red. "I.. really couldn't help it, to be honest.."
"You were perfect, Hachioji-senpai." Hana was quick to reassure him. "The position you chose allowed for some good practice for me."
His blush remained, but his lips curved into a grin. A nervous grin, but a grin nonetheless. "I guess you're right.."
The student and pupil took some moments to quietly take in the latter's work. Their bodies shifted and maneuvered to eyeball the piece from all angles. As they did that, Hana took notice of a spot on one of the walls.
A bare spot, one lacking in creativity. Character.
And it flipped a lightbulb on in the pupil's head.
"Hachioji-senpai."
"Hm?" He turned to look at her.
"May I hang this up? This is by far one of my best works, and I would love to display it."
That made him pause, and it brought back his cherry cheeks.
"Well.. You can, but.. It's a little plain.."
"..."
"..not that it's bad or anything! It's great!" He wasted no time to correct himself, knowing full well how that might've sounded. "It's just.. I don't know how I'd feel about having my face on the wall.."
"Please don't be embarrassed about it, Hachioji-senpai." Hana didn't see how that was an issue. "I think it'd be a wonderful thing to share to everyone."
"It's simple, but it's fundamental and, most importantly, beautiful. Sana-neechan always told me to find beauty in all things, and I can see the beauty in this very clearly."
"..that is something your cousin would say," he agreed. Still, the idea of being publicly displayed, as well as being indirectly called beautiful shook him. "..."
"..."
He eyed the wall. "..we really do need some art to display.."
"..."
Then back at her drawing.
"..and it does look like you were passionate about it." He was starting to relent.
She nodded. "Sana-neechan also said to always be passionate with your work too."
"Yup.." No doubt did Sana say that to him as well.
"..."
He finally did. "..Alright. Let's hang it up."
And that did bring joy to the mini-Sana, though her lips didn't form a smile. Instead, she gave another bow.
"Thank you, Hachioji-senpai."
Naoto and Hana worked together to prop the portrait on the wall. They used a frame that was readily available for its dimensions and a wooden stepping stool to reach it. Because it was also her piece, he gave her the push-pin and let her have the honors to do it.
And there they stood. After Hana had stepped off of the stepping stool, they both gazed upon the new creation that had now filled in a gap in the art room's interior.
The two couldn't have looked any more prouder. Hana was doing a much better job at containing herself, but Naoto was as flushed as a toilet.
"Wow," was all that he could say for a moment. "It.. really does look great up there."
And all she did was respond plainly. "It does."
Nothing else was said. Naoto was quick to notice, however, that the frame hung askew. Crooked, lopsided. Uneven. Without a single thought, he took his turn on the stepping stool to straighten it.
Meanwhile, as his back was turned to her, Hana began to speak once again.. in a much softer tone than normal.
"Hachiojj-senpai."
His head turned slightly. "Hm," he muttered a second time.
Her voice lowered more. Closing her eyes, she somberly took another bow. "..Thank you again. For teaching me everything."
Eyes enlarging again, Naoto steadily returned to the ground floor and turned his entire body to give her his full attention, all the while his cheeks ripening with red.
"Oh.. You're, uh.. very welcome, Sunomiya." His words came shakily. A chill ran through his spine, tense with all measure. Nonvoluntarily readjusting his glasses, he went to uneasily scratch the back of his sheepily-floof hair.
"..If anything, you should also thank your cousin as well. She's the one that taught me everything too.."
"You also deserve credit, Hachioji-senpai. Truly." Hana thoroughly believed that.
"..I guess.." Poor little Naoto didn't know how to handle praise.
Then, the next set of words that flew out of Hana's mouth absolutely rocked his world.
Her head angled downward, and he could swear he could see the slightest tint of rose bloom in her face.
"..I'm going to miss you when you leave for high school, Hachioji-senpai."
It was as if time had stopped. His blood froze, growing more colder than the Arctic, and he stood motionless like a statue, unable to even process the words to reply with.
"..O- Oh.. You will? W- Well, uh.."
"..."
"..*ahem*.."
"..It.. won't be that bad. We'll see each other again in a few years, if you'll be going to Kaze High.."
She reaffirmed that statement with a nod, now facing him directly. "I will. My parents want me to go to the same school as Sana-neechan."
He nodded in return, if only to do anything but stand there like a nervous wreck. "Then you won't have to wait long.."
"Indeed. Still, I'll be missing you dearly." Hana was clear and concise, yet her blush remained.
And so did his, just a thousand fold. "..."
"..."
"..me.."
"..."
"..me too."
Once again did they share a brief standoff, and Hana quickly broke it by bowing fully one final time.
"Hachioji-senpai, let's do this again when that day comes."
"Please."
That please, the last word from her request.. stunned him. That single six letter word was enough to confirm to him that not only was she passionate about sketching and modeling..
..but also that she enjoyed their session together.
Naoto's jaw went agape. It took him a bit to do anything, but he finally mustered the courage to accept her wish with a little bow of his own.
"Sure thing, Sunomiya. I'd love to.."
...
...
...
...
...
Hana was breathing heavily. Her rapid, panicked exhales and the running of water were the only sounds emitting from the empty art room.
Shhhhhhhhhh..
She had her hand underneath club room's faucet, cold soothing water running over a big, nasty red bump that grew on her skin and down the steel sink's drain.
It wasn't bleeding, but it was an alarming blemish.
And it didn't do wonders to help her calm down.
Hana was in a fright, trying to process everything. Everything that led up to that point.
The valves made a SQUEAK as she shut the water off, and she stood by the wash to regain herself.
What had happened shook her to her core.
She turned her head back to the wall she had hung another piece on.
It was a picture of a fruitful vibrant fruit basket done with oil. Apples, pineapples, pears, bananas, and a bundle of grapes. All of which she personally brought in as a reference to put on to paper, which she rested next to the pencil sketch of her Senpai she had done two years ago.
There were more drawings which occupied the now-not-as-bare wall in the time that had past, but its main attraction to her was still her Senpai.
Though now, all she could do was look at that very wall with fear.
Hana trotted cautiously to it, a million voices in her head warning her not to. She was trying to find the thing that caused her to be so stressed.
The spider that bit her. The spider that hid itself in her uniform.
She didn't even know how it got in there. She didn't feel it at all. One moment she was hanging up her work, and the next she was almost falling on to her ass frantically trying to slap and shake a giant eight-legged demon off of her.
She was glad everyone had gone home already. She would've surely made a scene.
Hana looked through every crevice, every nook and cranny in the foreseeable area. Underneath the stepping stool, underneath the countertops, table, shelves, and even her own clothes.
The spider was long gone. Not dead. Gone.
Hana didn't exactly fear bugs nor insects, but when it came to spiders that were almost as big as her hand? Especially one she'd never seen before? That gave her the creepies.
And it was enough reason for her to high-tail out of there. She didn't even bother reorganizing the materials she used. She just grabbed her stuff and left.
The prospect of something so large and hideous, creeping inside of her clothes.. existing right under her nose for God knows how long was absolute nightmare fuel for poor Hana, and even after escaping the art room was her heart and mind still racing.
She didn't even notice the two girls she had accidentally bumped into.
Her face dove right into one of their backs. A girl with a black ponytail. She'd never seen her before.
Hana blinked, looking up at her. There were few people in her school that were shorter than herself.
"..excuse me," was all she could say. She gave them a little bow, and marched right past them.
The other girl, a brunette with long hair, was left confused at her antics. The two didn't even look angry or annoyed. They just looked confused.
"It's okay," the ponytail-gal said. Hana was long gone, and it came as a whisper. She didn't even hear it.
When Hana went home, she did everything she could to forget everything that happened. She dove further into her studies than she had ever done before. She read almost two volumes of her favorite manga in one sitting, and her canvas was littered with sketches upon sketches. Erases upon erases. Marks, after marks.
Her parents were none the wiser what was up with their daughter. She hid her distresses well. They brought up the topic a few times during dinner and when they'd noticed her being quieter than usual, but nothing was given by her to ring any danger bells in their heads.
That night however, when the Sunomiya family had all went to bed, Hana had found herself waking up in the middle of the night, three hours past 12, to what she thought was a cold sweat.
Instead, her head was exploding with an eeriness. All of her senses were exploding.
It was like an alarm. An alarm that wouldn't stop.
She laid still, shivering and shaking. It still wouldn't stop. She tried to make it stop. She tried to relax.
It worsened when a breeze hit her window. It caused her to jump up and lock eyes with her blinds, as if there was a danger lurking outside that she couldn't see.
Hana didn't know if she was dreaming. She tried closing her eyes and abruptly opening them to wake up. She didn't.
Hana couldn't do a thing to stop the intense feelings she was experiencing.
Fortunately, it seemed to have subsided on its own. Whether or not it was due to that or her practicing calming breathing exercises in vain was unknown.
She let out one last exhale, and Hana laid herself back down on the mattress, finally feeling as if she'd be okay. The girl grabbed her blanket and pulled it back over her..
..and she couldn't let go of it.
Hana shook her hand. Nothing. She tried shaking it off again, much harder this time. Nada.
She used her other hand to try and pull it off. No success.
Yanking it a second time. Nope.
A third time? It finally came loose.
But she saw the tiniest strands of webbing protruding from her fingertips, bridging them and the fabric together.
Hana wanted to scream.
...
...
...
...
...
The day had finally come. The next school year had begun. Hana passed the entrance exam for Kaze High. Pictures were taken by its front gates with her and Sana, who returned to congratulate her. Soon enough, she joined the crowd of many buttoned-up students marching on to its premises to begin her career.
Her first classes were what many would expect for a first year. English, mathematics. Science. P.E.. They wouldn't be hard at all. Hana was a good student.
Her locker was among the many rows with which her classmates had shared. It wasn't too far away from her first morning class.
Most of her teachers were nice and not overly strict, but she got unlucky with one. One who many students feared and talked badly on. She'd endure.
Her classmates ranged wildly, from the loneliest loners to the super cool and kind of obnoxious popular kids. Hana didn't mind. She floated towards being the former.
She wasn't lonely by any means, but she kept to herself.
The topic of Spider-Man, however, was noticeably widespread. Everyone around her seemed to be thrilled about his most recent tales. His new suit, specifically, earned the praise of many.
A new red and black one with a white spider emblem. The old black and white one was seemingly ditched.
Rumors of a group of students, second years, being acquainted/even friends with their prefecture's hero spread like a wildfire, and flocks of students talked about it to no end, wondering who they could be. One of Hana's classmates was so in love with the Web-Slinger that he had his own drawing of him on the front of his binder.
Hana found all of it amusing, but even a year later, she still held on to her parents wishes.
She wouldn't dive further into the talks of Spider-Man out of respect for them, even as much as she wanted to.
He could still help her..
But, there was something much more important to her. Something she was looking forward to:
Seeing her Senpai once again. She knew he'd most likely be a part of the school's art club, so she tracked it down and headed straight for it when lunch came.
She heard his voice and another's through its wooden door. A girl. Hana assumed it was another member.
She slid it open, and was finally met with her dear old Senpai and a slender, tanned cutie. No one else was in the room with them.
They both stared at their newcomer.
"..Sunomiya.." he said, surprised. His friend looked at him, invisible question marks over her head.
Sunomiya didn't respond, because the blaring in her head came back.