White Anemone Petals

Chapter 6

"W-what?" Cupa stuttered in disbelief before she coughed another bloody petal. She never thought she would get Hanahaki disease. She knew it could be a death sentence, and that petrified her.
"The petals are obviously a result of Hanahaki Disease, even a fool could see that. You absolutely have to confess to Taro as soon as you can." Ayano told her. Cupa shook her head as she collapsed to the floor. She was petrified that Taro would reject her.
"N-no. S-someone might t-take him f-from me." She stuttered sadly, hit by a sudden wave of nausea. Nobody could say anything else before Cupa threw up a small pile of petals and blood on to the rug. "H-he might r-reject me." She stuttered, the taste of blood filling her mouth. A tear started to run down her cheek.
"He had no reason to reject you." Ayano said a little softly, sitting done beside Cupa and lightly brushing away the tear. "I'll murder anyone else who even tries to steal him from you." She muttered darkly. Oka hadn't said anything at all, but made a small squeak in fear when Ayano mentioned murdering rivals for Taro's love. She had a crush on Taro, and didn't want to die.
"I won't confess." Oka said quickly. Cupa and Ayano turned to look at her, confused. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I had feelings for Taro, but I won't take him away from you."
"Y-you sure?" Cupa asked hesitantly. Oka smiled as she also sat down with Cupa and Ayano, nodding her head.
"Yeah. It's not like not being with Taro will kill me." She laughed awkwardly. She stopped laughing a moment later as she realised Cupa would actually die without him accepting her love confession. "Don't worry about me, I'll find someone else." Oka laughed.
"T-thank you." Cupa stuttered. Oka smiled and put her arms around Cupa, and the smaller girl did the same. Ayano didn't say anything, silently standing up and sitting on one of the chairs in the occult club room. She took out her phone and decided to text Info-chan, her childhood best friend. She knew Info-chan had info on everyone, including who they had crushes on. She needed to know who liked Taro so she could eliminate them.
Ayano: I need your help.
Info-chan: What do you need.
Ayano: I need to know who has crushes on Taro other than Cupa if they plan to confess their feelings to him.
Info-chan: Sure. May I ask why?
Ayano: Cupa has Hanahaki Disease, and I'm going to eliminate everyone with a crush on him.
Info-chan. You're asking the right person. I'll tell you who plans to confess and when as soon as I know.
Ayano: I really appreciate that.

"So... miss. Kurosagi, correct?" The doctor asked, looking at Cupa. Ayano had taken her straight to the doctor after school, and they were now sat in the doctors office. "And miss. Aishi, am I correct?" He turned to look at Ayano. She nodded her head at the doctor as she turned to look back at Cupa. "It says here you have... Hanahaki Disease?" She asked, looking at something on the computer.
"Y-yeah." She stuttered, coughing a couple of bloody petals and showing them to the doctor. The doctor took them from her, frowning.
"How long have you been coughing the petals?" She asked. Cupa shrugged her shoulders as she leant back a little. She was sat on the bed thing they have in doctors offices while Ayano was sat in a chair next to her.
"About a month..." she said, unsure. She didn't keep track of how long, she probably should've. The doctor typed something into the computer before looking back at Cupa.
"How long have they been bloody?" She asked.
"Today." She said gently. Ayano nodded her head to confirm what Cupa was saying. She hadn't been told how long Cupa had been coughing up the petals, as she had only found out.
"Do you have a crush on anyone?" She asked as she typed something else into the computer. Cupa nodded her head as the doctor looked up. "The only way to cure this type of disease is to confess your feelings to your crush and have them accept." The doctor told her. Cupa's face turned pale as she shook her head.
"What about surgery? Isn't that an option?" Ayano asked. She knew that Hanahaki Disease meant that a flower grew inside the sufferer's lungs, and it could be surgically removed. The doctor shook her head, frowning.
"No, the disease is too severe. Any surgery would be dangerous." The doctor told the girls. She stood up and opened the door, ushering them out. "The only cure would be an accepted love confession." The doctor told the girl's as she closed the door behind them.

"I'm scared, Ayano." Cupa told her later that evening. They were sat in Cupa's bedroom after Ayano had taken Cupa to the doctor. They hadn't told their aunt and uncle, who took care of Cupa because her parents were no longer around, because they wouldn't care.
"Don't be scared, Cupa. I won't let anyone take Taro from you." Ayano promised. Cupa frowned and coughed up a couple more bloody petals. "He won't reject you, either."

Sunday night, just before Ayano went to bed, she received a message on her phone. She internally sighed and looked at the message. It sent mixed feelings throughout her body. The message was from Info-chan, and it included a photo of Ayano's first rival.
Info-chan: Osana Najimi plans to confess her feelings to Taro on Friday under the cherry blossom tree. I wouldn't mind if something bad happened to Osana-chan.