Velleitie

10: Operation: Confront!

So, it all starts here at the rooftop.

"Nice day isn't it?" The translucent spectre hummed, tipping her head up to gaze at the vibrant blue sky.

"Yeah," The white and teal ombre haired girl followed suit, momentarily losing touch of the reason she came here. Luckily, her companion was there to bring her back.

"How're you feeling, Isui?" The hint of worry in his stern voice was vaguely noticeable.

"Never better," Isui dismissed the subject with a wave of her hand before tucking it behind her again. "Sensei basically grounded me though, so I won't be able to move around much.

"But enough about that," the spectre stepped forward, yet still kept her distance. It was painfully obvious that tension was in the air. "That's not really why we're here, right?"

Nene gave a nod. "Right…!" She reached for something in her pockets, pulling out a notebook. The sound of pages flipping may have lessened the suffocating air everyone was feeling. Finally, Nene paused on a marked page before looking up to the spectral figure.

"Wow," Isui commented, feeling her hands stiffen as she carefully eyed the two. "You came prepared. I… Do you guys want to take a seat?"

She motioned to the available benches that were laid out on the open area. Taking up the offer, Nene followed Isui whilst Hanako trailed behind.

Before silence could conquer the atmosphere again, Isui cleared her throat. "So, I guess an explanation is due."

A couple of nods came to reply as Nene gave a short glance at Isui's direction before holding up her notebook "Isui-san."

Said girl's smile slightly dropped once she noticed how formal her friend was being with her. She can't blame anyone but herself for it, though.

"Just to be sure, what are you exactly?"

Isui looked down to her hands in thought before looking back to Nene, "I'm a spirit, of course. To be more specific, a wisp. I used to be a wonder but I gave up my seat."

"A wonder?" Nene inquired. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hanako shift uncomfortably beside her. "Which one?" 

Isui cheerfully hummed, holding out an open palm and a peace sign. The overall count of raised fingers were seven. "7th?"

"Yeap!" The spectre chirped, accentuating the 'p' at the very end. 

"Why did you give it away?" Nene inquired, keeping a close eye on the transparent girl.

Silence. 

Nene didn't find it to be the comforting type. She must have opened a deep wound by asking that question as Isui froze instantly. Hanako was also awkwardly shuffling on his seat. Trying to undo her mistake, she changed the question. "Um…! Actually, that isn't really important. What I meant was, why did you start disguising as a student here?"

"Well," she started. Still unnerved from before, Isui traced circles over her now clasped hands. Her pupils slightly dilated. "Have you ever heard about Isui of the wishing well?"

Nene hesitantly shook her head, still not recalling an instance where a rumor about the school well was talked about. Isui continued, "Ok, then. First off, you need to know that all supernatural beings heavily rely on their connection to the near shore via rumors. Hanako must've already said something within those lines, right?" Nene nodded, recalling last week's event when she encountered the Mokke. Isui nodded to this as she held up three fingers.

"There are three ways that a ghost can fade away, or 'die,' in a sense." Isui made air quotes to put emphasis. "1.) They do not follow the rumor given to them, 2.) They fade away with their rumor, and 3.) They are exorcised by a shaman or exorcist.

"After I gave up my number, my rumor didn't spread as quickly as it did before." The spectre smiled, intentionally avoiding the other ghost's haunting gaze. "Eventually, the number of people that believed in me dwindled. It reached a point where I became really weak, so I had to find a way to spread my rumor somehow.

"I asked a friend of mine to make a dummy for me to sneak in as a student so that I could talk my way back up to a decent level in the supernatural hierarchy. Then stuff happened." Isui lazily spread her arms wide to show emphasis. "Then I ended up here. Does that answer your question?"

"Very." Nene peaked at her notebook again before snapping it closed to look at the spectre. "Just to add, were you a human before?"

"No." It was a simple reply, but Isui wasn't comfortable with her answer. "I was created to replace the former Isui. No past lives whatsoever.

She looked back to the radish girl, smiling. "Any more questions?"

"Just one more." Nene tucked the notebook back in her pocket as she suddenly reached to grab Isui's hand.

The act was innocent and unexpected as Isui flinched from shock. "Are we still friends, (Y/n)? I know that's not your real name, but can I still call you that?"

A sudden embrace followed. It came to a shock for Isui considering she wasn't possessing her husk as usual, but slowly calmed down. Is this a side effect of the curse? Nene is technically linked to Hanako now.

"I don't regret being friends with you! Even if you may have been using me for yourself, you weren't hurting anybody! Those moments we had were genuine; I just know it! So, please keep being my friend, (Y/n)!"

"I… " I don't know what to say. Admittedly, after so many years of isolation, she felt foreign to the warmth that people always tend to give. Reluctantly she gave in to the embrace, croaking a bit from the heavy feeling in her chest. "I'm so sorry, Nene."

From her view, she saw Hanako smile. The first genuine one in a long time. She could feel it's warmth reach her too.

It wasn't just a spew in the moment. It was genuine; Isui wanted to make sure it was. That day forward, she made a note to herself. A goal she once had a long time agi.

I'll do whatever it takes to make them happy.

●=======○□{♧}□○=======●

Time passed and once again, the school music chimned to signal the end of the day. Two spectre's lounged at the rooftop, watching the series of cream and blue uniforms cluster together to go past the gates.

"So, I'm guessing you didn't say everything?" Hanako mused, resting his head over the palm of his hand.

"I only said what she needed to know." Isui sighed, picking at the skin on her thumb again. "Hanako."

"Yeah?"

"I… I'm really sorry." This response wasn't what the amber-eyed boy expected as he watched his companion continue to fiddle with her thumbs. "I know, I should have at least said something back then. And… well, I know it was a bit complicated before, but it was selfish of me to leave you alone just like that.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I hope that you'll still listen." Isui looked over to the boy, he had a perplexed look on his face, as if he was expecting the worst. Isui was too.

"Please, don't say that. You are my friend. Still am." Hanako was quick to interrupt. He had his hands reached towards her, but stopped halfway before he shyly stuffed them down his pockets. 

 "I wasn't planning on going back here," Isui finally admitted. Completely avoiding the boy's gaze. "It's more of a last minute decision. While I was there at the far shore, I could feel this awful energy. I wasn't sure enough to tell you guys, so I wanted to delve into it myself."

There was a pause, the tension from earlier came back. Isui took a deep breath before letting it all out again. She looked straight at Hanako, no hint of lightness in her eyes. "I'm not entirely confident about it, but I can feel that something bad's about to happen.

"And it may or may not have something to do with your brother, Tsukasa."