𝕂𝕦𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕜𝕖-𝕆𝕟𝕟𝕒: 𝕛𝕙𝕤𝕜

四

『ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 4』

"Kuchisake-onna. . . I always thought you were a grown woman." Yashiro scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

After the two shared a moment, Kuchisake-onna jumped away from the girl. She quickly covered her face again with her fan and turned away from them. Yashiro laughed slightly, she was a lot cuter than she was in the legend.

"Well, that's how the legend goes, but look at me Yashiro-chan! You thought I was a girl too!" Hanako giggled and floated towards Kuchisake-onna. "You're also a lot younger and childish than I thought Kuchi-chan!"

She screeched in surprise, "what kind of nickname is that?!" Kuchisake-onna started to stab Hanako's cheek with her finger, telling him how he shouldn't be giving nicknames to random people like that.

"Ehhh? But you're cute! Saying 'kuchisake-onna' wouldn't make sense since you're only 13!"

She looked like she was processing his words but quickly came to an agreement. "Hnng. . . I guess."

Yashiro sweat dropped: she agreed so fast!

"Having the nickname 'mouth' would be weird wouldn't it. . ?" The radish girl spoke up and reached for Kuchisake-onna's cheek, the spirit melting underneath her soft touch. "I think we should think about a better name for her!"

"If you say kuchi in English it sounds like the word for a female's-!" Yashiro slapped Hanako and quickly told him to shut up as the other girl tilted her head in confusion.

She has never learned English before. She remembers writing on scrolls when she was younger, and Japanese was the only language she is familiar with. Actually what even is English? What did it sound like? She's curious about this mysterious language. She stared at Yashiro and Hanako bickering about a proper name for her. Something about them made her feel slightly off, but it was a pleasant feeling.

"Hanako-kun! She doesn't need to know anything perverted like that!"

"A new name. . ?" The duo turned to face the girl as touched Yashiro's warm hand, "That sounds. . . new. I want to have a new name!" The look of excitement jolted through their bodies, 'Why is she so cute?!'

The two girls blushed at each other, Yashiro's heart and face growing warmer as she looked deeper into her eyes. The Kuchisake-onna had beautiful (e/c) eyes that sparkled whenever something different was brought up. Her curiosity fuels her cute appearance and Yashiro cannot help but wipe away a dry tear from her eyes, a tad bit envious of her.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Yashiro Nene! I'll help you get a new name!" The radish girl smiled at the small child.

The three of them wandered around the school, throwing names left and right to see which one fits Kuchisake-onna the most. Currently, they are in one of the classrooms sitting on the desks. They've gotten nowhere in terms of names and they decided to take a small break within the classrooms after walking around the school. It doesn't help that Hanako either gives perverted or hard to pronounce names, he even offered to call the girl 'scissors' or 'ghost loli of the Edo period'.

"Hanako-kun. . . Your nicknames are really bad." Yashiro sighed while Kuchisake-onna stared out at the window.

"What do you expect me to do? I never leave the school grounds!" He laughed while staring at the spirit girl reaching out towards the bird that was resting on a nearby tree.

"Calling her the ghost loli of the Edo period sounds offensive you know!" Yashiro groaned in frustration and followed Hanako's gaze.

Kuchisake-onna looked extremely peaceful looking at the bird and skies. The breeze gently sliding across her strands of her and the curtains drifting, creating an elegant page that you'd see within a shoujo manga. She still looked slightly gloomy in Hanako's eyes. Her childish smile replaced by a more mature one, the smile you'd give to someone younger than you or when you look back at your own past. Hanako's heart felt uneasy the more he looked at her. She was just as mysterious as Hanako and it made the two of them want to know even more about her. The two of them could hear a faint hum coming from her. Yashiro's ears perked up at the different sounds and tunes she was producing, it sounded familiar to her.

"Do you know anything about her Hanako-kun?" Yashiro asked while walking closer to him.

"No. She's not a school legend, that's why I haven't seen her in person before."

Yashiro frowned in sadness before looking out the window, "Oh no! The sun is already setting. . . Hanako-kun, Kuchisake-onna, I have to go home before it turns dark!"

She ran towards the door but turned around in order to wave, "I'll come back tomorrow okay? I'm sorry for leaving so early!"

Hanako waved goodbye to her, but Kuchisake-onna didn't flinch or turn to say goodbye, her eyes still focused on the bird as she continued to hum. He awkwardly watched her whisper some words which he can only assume is her singing softly. ". . . worked hard. . . forget. . . everything now." Hanako frowned before deciding that this was the chance he was going to get in order to talk to her alone.

"You've been staring at the bird for a long time, do you want us to call you a bird too?" He chuckled and leaned against the windowsill.

"The bird has wings." You replied.

"Hah? Of course they do." Hanako raised his eyebrow in question, "Have you not seen a bird before?"

"This is my first time in a few hundred years of seeing one this close." Her sad smile still plastered on her face. "They're free."

Hanako's eyes widened at that response. Free? What does that mean? He doesn't understand fully because he was bound to this school, but in a way, he could feel what she wanted. Her eyes were so young yet full of guilt and sorrow. Why is that? Hanako peered down at the scissors she held close to her chest. There's no way she could be carrying a weapon if she didn't use it to kill someone. His amber eyes watched her carefully with the clock ticking in the background. Legend says she kills children, but she didn't even raise her weapon against Yashiro earlier. She was nothing like the rumors say, they really are one and the same. She was supposed to be the victim, not the murderer, so why is she holding a weapon? What is that? What does that mean?

Hanako heard a gasp come out of the girl as she watched the bird flap its wings, readying itself for flight. The bird chirped before launching itself off of the branch and into the skies.

"H-hey wait!" Kuchisake-onna stepped onto the windowsill and jumped out with her right hand reaching for the bird. Hanako shouted in surprise as he watched her jump out the window.

"What are you doing?" Hanako gripped onto her hand as they both started to fall from the very top floor, "Are you out of your mind?!"

His voice never reached her and she still raised her hand in order to try and catch the fleeing bird. Hanako quickly wrapped his arms around the girl, turning them midair so that he would take the impact even if they were both ghosts. They both fell into the flower bushes below the window with a crash, the flowers and leaves rustling and flying around them, the petals and long hair caging them.

From this angle, Hanako could see every single detail on her face. The emotions she felt that was locked inside of her, flowing through her like an endless river that traveled to the ocean. He can see them through her eyes as the two of them stared into each other. The sunset shined against her skin and illuminated her beautiful features. That's when Hanako thought of a nickname.

He gently caressed her cheek like Yashiro's, the girl flinching at his touch.

"Jiyuu, the word for freedom and liberty." He smiled at her, this time without a grin or smirk, "I like that name."

Once again, she began to cry above him, her tears of happiness dripping onto his cheek and running down like rain.

"I like that a lot. Thank you. . . Hanako-kun."

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