I'm Right Here ||Hanako-Kun x Reader||

The Dare

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     "Come on, Y/N!" The boys cheered. You had accepted a petty dare to do the Hanako-san summoning ritual. Of course, they wanted you to do it, since they were guys and all, and you were the first unsuspecting person. It was so silly you thought to indulge them. You rolled your eyes at their eagerness. You stepped up to the third stall door and knocked three times, no more, no less. "Hanako, Hanako, Hanako, are you in there?" You asked flippantly. What utterly shocked you was a response. At first, you thought the boys were messing with you. But when you went to look at their unfazed faces, you started to worry, especially when something touched your shoulder. You sucked in a breath. "Please let go." You whispered, squeezing your eyes shut. There was a quiet pause before someone replied. "That's a first. Well, since you asked nicely,~" The ghost hummed, backing a few inches away. You noticed the ghost looked boyish, and his uniform seemed out of date. "Wait, a second." You peered over at the peeping guys, "Can you not," you trailed as you gestured from the ghost to them. They blinked back in confusion. "They can't see me because you're the one that summoned me." The boy pointed out with a cheeky grin. You stood there idly, eventually walking away and dismissing him entirely. "See? Just a silly rumor." The boy they called Hanako-san huffed and called after you as you left the room. He then crossed his arms, childishly sticking his tongue out. "That's not true, and you know it!" Hanako protested, grumbling.

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     You hardly paid attention in class, as all you could think about was the boy from the girl's bathroom. You suppressed a chuckle; what a pervy ghost. You sighed outwardly, though, to your dismay, it caught the attention of your teacher. "Is there something the matter, Y/N-chan?" He questioned, eyes narrowing slightly. You inwardly gulped. That was your strict teacher. You swore to never get on his bad side. You were extra sweet when he called on you, made sure to study hard and keep quiet unless you were sure you knew something. He must've figured you weren't paying attention, but thank goodness for your great memory. All that studying would come in handy at this very moment. You made direct eye contact with him, "No, sir." You stated respectfully. "Then you wouldn't mind answering the question, would you?" You took but a second before you responded. And to the surprise on his face, you knew it was exactly right. You held a smirk, not wanting to pat yourself too hard on the back. He muttered under his breath, a bit annoyed, but didn't press you any further.

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     You debated it back and forth in your mind. If ghosts were real, you shouldn't interact with them. That would lead to more paranormal problems attached to whoever this Hanako was. Despite your reasoning, you saw yourself getting closer to the bathroom. Eventually, you had stopped yourself at the door, cursing silently when the boy noticed your presence. "Ah! There you are." He cheered, smiling brightly. In some ways, he seemed like a kid, but you knew he was probably way older than that. "You can go back. I don't have any wishes for you." You stated seriously. He seemed confused at your tone, tilting his head like a cat. "Is that so?" You blinked, furrowing your eyebrows. "Yeah." You answered, finding yourself moving into the bathroom. You internally screamed, but instead of walking away, you sat in your usual spot, now whipping out your notebook. "Whatcha got in there?" He questioned, leaning over your shoulder. You tensed, shutting it instantly. "None of your business." You responded harsher than you meant to. He leaned back slightly, holding his hands up. "You sure are touchy." He mused aloud. "It's just that I don't.." You trailed, now finding it hard to express yourself. You rarely talked to people outside your family, especially about things you did or what interested you. You had practiced many times with flashcards to enhance your communication skills and small talk starters. But you'd never put them to use, nonetheless with an actual living being. Well, technically, this guy wasn't living; he could still outwardly judge you. You huffed, eyes constricting. "I don't like to show people my works before they're finished. And when they are, I don't like to talk about them." You pushed out, now relaxing your face. "Oh, I see. Why's that?" He asked, laying back. You glared at him, envying his easygoing nature. You softened your expression as you saw him look at you in question. You now gazed at the floor. You sighed loudly, running a hand through your hair. "Well, It's not that I don't want people to read my stories. It's that I don't want people to judge them before my stories are done. And when they are, I'd like them to judge me when I'm not present." He let an 'ah' sound escape his lips. "Well, I personally think you are too hard on yourself." He spoke quietly; you had to strain your ears to hear him. "Maybe I am, but it's better this way. I don't want the awkward feeling of knowing I failed someone with something as stupid as a book." You crossed your arms, hugging your writing book close to your chest. "Failed someone? But it's your writing! How could you fail someone with something you made?" He asked, his animated tone coming back. "Well, I- it's complicated." You mumbled, biting on your nails. "Is it now?" "Yes! Now stop pestering me!" You snapped, shielding your face with your book. He glanced away from you, looking a tad hurt by your outburst. "I didn't mean to upset you." His change in tone made you think twice. "I'm not upset. I'm just not that good at talking to people? I didn't mean to raise my voice. I was just uncomfortable." You cursed the uncertainty in your voice. "Oh? I make you uncomfortable, do I?" His now playful gaze had you look away. 'Gosh, he got over that quick.' You thought to yourself, shaking your head lightly. "Not in that way." You plainly stated. "In what way~?" You stood up as your cheeks burned. "In the normal way, you perv!" You hadn't meant to call him names, but it just came out of you before you could stop yourself. Was this what it was like to feel embarrassingly angry? "Ouch." He said with a smirk. "Goodbye." You seethed, walking away. "Wait, wait, Y/N! I'm sorry! Come back." And you did, you turned to face him with a questioning gaze. "How do you know my name?" You glared at him, and he shrank back a bit. He thought twice about calling you by your name before you had properly introduced him. "Well, I-" "Yes?!" You cut him off, still bitter from before. "I've been here for a while... uh. You just couldn't see me." The realization smacked you in the face like a tone of bricks. "You.. have been here.. the whole... time?" You felt so much smaller now. "Yeah." He scratched his neck awkwardly. "Even that time when I spilled oatmeal on my pants and-" "patted them down, jumped up and down as you practiced a bunch of ballet poses while waiting for them to dry?" You instantly flushed, "But I took them off-" "Yep." He cut you off, deciding not to let you finish that. He found himself heating up slightly, embarrassed for you. "Oh, my God." You stared at him in horror. "On the bright side, nice ballet moves!" He gave you finger guns, and you died a little inside. "Alright. Bye." You stalked off, not wanting to be in the room with someone you shared so many embarrassing moments with, and you didn't even know he was there! "Y/N-" He tried to say, but you were already long gone. He sighed, draping an arm over his face, laughing lightly. He probably should've brought it up smoother than that.