✪ Boundaries || HanaNene ✪

C H A P T E R E I G H T E E N

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《 CHAPTER 18: Epitome of Pain 》

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It has been a week since Hanako erased Yashiro's memories.

It was pretty dead calm for the whole duration of the week. There had been no disturbances around the school, and life went on normally. Soon after it started raining that day, Tsuchigomori got Yako back, and Yashiro woke up with Kou beside her, clueless of what had happened. Tsuchigomori received only a light punishment for his actions since he was forced to do it, and he was stripped of his position for the whole week. Yako felt utterly bitter for letting herself get caught under Judgement's power, and she felt like a burden to Tsuchigomori that she refused to even show her face to him from how ashamed she was. Tsuchigomori had wanted to see her and engulf her in a large hug as soon as she had awoken, though because Yako had been avoiding him, his heart ached and began to start feeling restless.

 Meanwhile, Teru had to be absent for two days to recover from the battle. He had third-degree burns on his palms from performing the exorcism, and his life energy had greatly depleted after using so much power. Akane held the student council down pretty well, but he could never forget what happened a week ago. Aoi heard of what happened and mourned for Hanako. She truly couldn't imagine the pain the boy was going through. Not only did he have to say goodbye to his brother but he also had to sacrifice his feelings for her best friend, for the sake of her life. 

Ever since that day, Hanako completely shut out everyone. He locked himself in the third stall and refused to come out. Aoi had gone to visit multiple times, telling him about Yashiro's status, but he wouldn't reply back. She knew that he was there and that he hadn't moved even a single muscle since then. 

It was sad really, he chose to bear the pain alone when everyone else around him was hurting themselves.

Kou felt angry at both himself, fate, and the laws of the near and far shore. His heart was in pain. He could never get used to the way they were now. He missed how he, Hanako, and Yashiro would go out galavanting around the school like three school children going on a field trip. Akane, as much as he didn't want to admit, also shared the pain Hanako was going through. He couldn't imagine how hard it must be, and he'd die if he had to do the same with Aoi. Tsuchigomori, after finding out what had happened when he was busy clearing up the aftermath of his actions, had succumbed to his smoking habits and had rarely come in contact with anyone since locking himself up in his library. Yako remained in her boundary, ashamed and angry at herself, crying a river at how pathetic she was that she wasn't able to protect Hanako or Yashiro, let alone Tsuchigomori.

Yashiro, however, lived the most normal in a life full of forced smiles and hidden heartaches.

Her life that was always put in danger 24/7, the life where she faced the most danger, had finally turned into a normal one. She woke up in the morning, went to school, did normal things a person her age would do, then go home and go to bed, no longer having to worry about her rendezvous bathroom cleaning, her life placed on a tightrope almost all the time, or about her grief towards her best friend. She had completely forgotten about everything and had become naive, clueless.