[HIATUS] ♕ 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒆 ♕ -jibaku shonen hanako-kun

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟞

hi hi guys how are you doing?? it's ya gurl coming back from the dead XD !!! i made this chapter longer than usual to make up for my long absence so i hope you enjoy it!

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"I tried talking to... every person I thought was my friend. But none of them knew it was me. Only I... remembered."

Kou Minamoto stared wide-eyed at Mitsuba, his hand still holding the camera which was handed to him a while ago. At first he thought Mitsuba was a cocky little brat, but now when seeing Mitsuba looking at the ground with a wistful, dejected expression, he didn't know what to say or do.

"It's starting to rain. Let's go inside."

"Oh, sure," Kou handed back Mitsuba his camera as they walked inside the building, side-by-side.

The two of them met by the lockers at Kamome Academy's middle school entrance this very morning. Kou was in the middle of changing his shoes when suddenly a ghost grabbed his arm and asked him 'Did you forget about me?' in a hoarse and eerie voice.

The other students were already running in fear, but Kou retaliated and pushed the ghost back to one of the lockers, slamming his legs beside its face to prevent it from running away. The ghost turned out to be a former student at Kamome Academy named Mitsuba Sousuke.

Mitsuba has a girlish look, with pink hair covering half of his face. Kou's first reaction after seeing Mitsuba's face was to tie him up and bring him to Hanako, who told Kou to help the ghost take care of his 'unfinished business'. So he did, and somehow it led them to becoming friends with each other.

"I... was bullied when I was in elementary school," Mitsuba wiped the raindrops off his camera lenses, trying to sound unaffected as he tells Kou about his past. "'I look like a girl', 'I'm cocky'... stupid reasons like that."

"Oh yeah..." Kou mumbled, unconsciously agreeing with Mitsuba's words.

"Would you not agree, please?" Mitsuba gave Kou a death glare as a few veins began to form in his forehead, which Kou replied with a small "Sorry...".

"Anyway... that's why I wanted to try to make things work out in middle school," the ghost continued, closing his eyes with a resigned look. "I'd take the hintー I'd be nice, so no one would call me cocky. I'd be friendlyー but not pushyー with everyone. And this is where it got me. 'A boring guy who barely stands out from the background'. Nobody bullied me... but I couldn't make any friends either."

Kou looked up towards the ceiling, remembering the event earlier on the day when Mitsuba grabbed his arm at the middle school lockers. That explains it...

"He's cocky."

"Huh?" Mitsuba looked surprised and confused when Kou pointed at him with his index finger, but Kou kept on talking.

"Looks like a girl. Sarcastic. Selfish. Has an annoying face. Obsessed with his camera. Goes emo sometimes. And is only fake-nice." Kou raised his fingers one by one with each 'personality trait' as if he were counting using his fingers.

"What's your deal?!" Mitsuba snapped. Isn't he supposed to say something nice to cheer me up?!

"If anybody asks me, 'what kind of a guy is Mitsuba Sousuke?'...that's what I'm gonna tell 'em."

"Wha...?" Mitsuba's expression became a mix of perplexion and desperation. Am I really that annoying...?

"I'm sorry... I didn't realize it was you." Kou's gaze was earnest as he looked at Mitsuba in the eye. "I just didn't recognize you, because you were so different from when we met in first year. But... I don't think you have to force anything. Just be yourself..."