#and teru knows without a doubt that Kou is in love

[minamotosousuke]

To keep in heart with the romcom theme of my prince diary au…

Okay the moment that gets caught on camera is the horseback riding lesson… where Mitsuba’s so scared that he insists on sharing a horse with Kou. So there’s a snapshot right there of a couple on a romantic horse ride. And then there’s them getting off and goofing off… in the woods at a pond or something (looking happy and in love 💥 snap💥 snap 💥) and then there’s when Kou’s trying to help Mitsuba back up on the horse (since now there’s no convenient stairs to climb to help him), and Mitsuba’s so scared of the height that he sinks back down and clings to Kou for dear life (‘nother suggestive snapshot)

anyways so when Teru sees these photos he think’s it’s his brother borderline… yknow, making a home run, so he dials up kou with a generic lecture about falling in love and needing to find the right one (he means GIRL but not clarifying this will be his downfall) and waiting until the perfect moment to do anything…

and Kou is on the other line of the phone going 😳 my brother is so cool and intelligent it’s like he knows that I’m falling in love with Mitsuba and desperately want to be with him

[nanabansama]

hi!! I loved hearing your thoughts about ch113!! I am definitely also team I hope in my heart amane and tsukasa are working together lol. one thing that surprised me in 113 was teru, akane, and nene all splitting up, since they’re the only ones we’ve seen who remember the other timeline. I was wondering if there’s anyone you hope or think nene will run into or seek out for help in the coming chapters? or do you think she’ll be on her own for this one? (this is tsutsumi-kurose btw!!)

Oh hello!! Hi!!! As always we are in sync re: the twins. 🤝 Shaking your hand vigorously. (I also loved your thoughts on 113!)

And that is a WONDERFUL thought! I hadn't considered the implications of them splitting up at all. Yes, I imagine they'll all be getting up to some business one way or another...

Regarding specifically who I'd like Nene to meet, obviously Yugi-sensei! But I have little doubt AidaIro will deliver on that, lol. Oh, and I'd just LOVE for her to meet the rumor Tsukasa-kun too... Which I also have little doubt about... ehm... ...

I do feel like she'd want to bring Kou-kun into all this? If she can, at least. He's on her side after all and he wouldn't be happy about this new world if he knew. That said, Kou and Nene are always teaming up to the point it's gotten to be cliché... and I feel he tends to steal the show from Nene when they're together, too, so I really hope it's something else actually!!!

Someone who could be more useful to Nene is Tsuchigomori, who is not only buddy-buddy with the new Hanako but also the school's resident supernatural record keeper. It's a little shocking since everyone's alive rn but Kamome Academy is still haunted and likely has an entire new cast of Mysteries. 😭 Err...probably, anyway. We can't say for sure but most likely...

Anyway, since Team NTA (Nene Teru Akane) are investigating what was changed in the past so that they can undo it, I bet Tsuchigomori could help if he's willing to share his secrets with Nene. I'm not sure if Nene would be bold enough to ask about that, though, and it'd be risky to incur his wrath without Hanako there to keep him in check. Tsuchigomori doesn't have any reason to like Nene yet, after all...still, I'd love to see more about how him and the Mysteries are doing if we can. :)

Also, she's only cameod so far so that might be the extent of it, but I would love for her to formally meet the new Shijima... I feel it'll only be a short scene, but as a school faculty member maybe she could help point Nene in the right direction? ^_^ Having Nene actually MEET her would be really feelsy, too, and it'd be fun to give Nene a reason to hesitate about doing away with this new timeline altogether.

So ultimately I guess I would say I'm leaning towards Nene being on her own for this one...mostly because there aren't a lot of good options to choose from. >_< And heck, Nene almost never does things alone! I think it's about time she had another solo adventure.

But above all I really just want to be surprised! And AidaIro is generally good about being surprising in a good way. :) Perhaps Nene could team up with someone we haven't even seen yet...? And I'm hoping we get some insight into the new lives of Team NTA and the other characters. ^_^ Considering (almost) everyone is alive rn I'm fully expecting to see Mama Minamoto and get kicked in the feels, lol. Aah!! So exciting!!!

Anyway I got kinda rambly there but that's the the fun part of questions like these right!? If you like, let me know what you want to happen!

[hadescabin]

as much as i love the series, one thing that sorta frustrates me about tbhk is how little fleshed out some characters feel even though they're in the spotlight. someone else brought it up on here but i wanted to expand out on it a little bit, where it feels like yeah, characters like aoi, akane, and even nene, don't seem to be seeing much developments. akane can be chalked up for the fact that he's sorta meant to be comic relief, and his relationship with aoi is by extension mostly exaggerated as a result of this. while we've SEEN some development happen between the two because of past chapters, it's not really anything substantial? same thing with nene, it seems like she hasn't really budged much since her confession to hanako. she's back to the same (or at least a similar) problem and seems to have made little to no progress since then. we spend the last few chapters seeing her trying to figure out a way to have a discussion with hanako about the state of their relationship, even though it makes little to no sense on why she'd be this way when they've both made it abundantly clear that they liked each other and even went as far as to kiss. like there is little to no room on how both sides confessing their romantic feelings for one another before kissing should warrant this b plot conflict confusion, or at least a conflict that spans for a good several chapter. especially when that scene was meant to be representative of them both opening up to each other. if anything, that discussion should've happened there or the chapter after it because it's like come on girl, how are you STILL doubting that he likes you.

akane is also a big victim of this, where his character isn't that fleshed out. it doesnt make sense to me since he's been playing a big role in the past 30 chapters or so, and had chapters dedicated to his and aoi's relationship with one another. yet we're just supposed to accept that yep, akane is hopelessly obsessed with her for no reason and it just happened out of the blue ever since he saw her as a kid. dont get me wrong, it made sense back when he was a gag character, but now that he's taking a much more serious role in the story, has a spotlight, and covered some serious topics with aoi about the nature of their friendship and how horrifically complex and messy it is, it just feels out of place? i know that this comes primarily from the fact that tbhk is pretty silly, especially in the early chapters, but i feel that the author is talented enough to work around this, as they've done so already several times within the series. i wish we got more of an explanation of akane's character outside of him being obsessed with aoi, why he dislikes supernaturals so much outside of a few comments, and why he ended up seeing the clockkeepers in the first place when spirits cant make themselves present to anyone who isnt close to death or have exorcism blood. we know its neither because without his glasses he cant see them so its not a nene situation.

now its just back to akane saving aoi when shes in danger, and them having their weird dynamic (albeit toned down, so thats where the development comes from). we dont really get to see them address more outside of being like "oh aoi's hand is a little fucked, we need to take care of that!" we dont really get to see aoi reacting much with the fact that she LITERALLY DIED and came back from the dead and had that whole horrible conflict with her best friends. we dont really get to see her address this with nene and how she really felt about her and their friendship, even though that was a major plot point back during the mirai escaping arc and her being kidnapped. we dont see much of a shift in her dynamic with others and trying to open up and be her true self in front of others. shes just like there i guess and acts like nothing changed. i guess tbf they've been having their festival, and the stuff at the minomoto household was meant to be focused on kou + teru and mitsoukou (both of which were excellently done) but idk, it just feels like we're given all of these plotlines and developments and nothing is being done with them.

its why i sorta have an ooc version of akane and aoi in my head that i really like and is a lot more fleshed out, but i dont really talk about it much here or anywhere really.

[bound-writings]

Hey hey! I was wondering if you could make some amane/hanako fluffy relationship head canons 👀

omg yes sure im sorry youve have to wait like a year for this im sorryyy also i have ur other request i pwomise ill do it soon 🥺❤️

Hanako Relationship HCS

Hanako is just,, the best boyfriend ever... He is just a wholesome ghost who just craves affection from his loved one. Hanako will always be initiating affection at you in a relationship. He’s all over you, a part of him is always touching a part of you. Whether it’s hand holding or pinky linking, he’s always near to you, as if he’s bound to you. One of his favorite pastimes is making you blush, so expect frequent surprise  He likes to squish your cheeks too, it’s adorable to him when he sees your lips all pursed up, furrowed eyebrows and flushed cheeks as you try to get him off you. If you turn the tables on him and squish his cheeks, well, prepare for the most cutest sight you’ll ever see in your whole life. Hanako gets very embarrassed and red when you show affection to him first. Not that he minds, of course, he’s just like “wow I actually have an amazing lover who actually wants to love and kiss me despite me a flipping ghost.” He won’t comment on your affection until a bit later, right now he’s too flustered to say any coherent words. He will most definitely tease you about it though. Ah yes, there is also a lot of teasing in this relationship. No worries, it’s just harmless fun though! He’ll tone it down if you’re uncomfortable.

When I say Hanako is attached to you, I mean it. Even during class, this boy is there with you because apparently he has nothing better to do. So be prepared for people to see you talking to thin air for a while. If you try to shoo him away, he’ll act like he’s hurt by your oh so cruel words and just hug you tighter. Another thing, Hanako loves back hugs!! There’s nothing more satisfying than him squeezing you, his face buried in the crook of your neck, and he wordlessly cherishes your existence. The part he loves the best, however, is when you back hug him! Sneak up on his boy and hug him and he’ll be like putty in your hands. How he loves when your chest presses up against his back, wisps of your hair caressing his body, and your warm breath tickling his neck. It just makes him completely melt in your arms… but don’t call him out on it, at least not later. If you mention it while you’re holding him, he’d snap out of his daze and immediately realize what’s happening, and try to break free from your grasp, all in all ruining the moment. So if you want some wholesome moments… just stay quiet for a bit. He also likes to put his hat on you, especially when you’re feeling down (he just thinks it’s mega cute seeing you wear his clothes.)

Hanako trusts you A LOT. He has never let anyone this close to him, not when he was alive and not now. Well, that’s until he met you. You are someone who he can confide in and not feel like he’s being a nuisance. Whenever he has flashbacks from when he was alive, you’re the first person he would go to for comfort. Even though he doesn’t tell you the full story, he still loves you. He just wants to protect you from his painful past and his brother. Call him “Amane” and he might cry harder and hold you for hours.

Hanako is quite comfortable with PDA. He will probably rub it in Yashiro’s face that he’s literally dead and can still get dates, leading to Kou trying to fight Hanako. You name it, he’s holding your hand, arm around your waist, quick pecks on your cheek around anyone and everyone. Now, he does get a little bit nervous whenever you initiate PDA because he knows he can get a bit blushy and therefore doesn’t want people like Kou blackmailing him for “acting like a schoolgirl in love.” There’s also a lot of pet names! Hanako’s vocabulary ranges quite far, but his favorite and most used names always tend to deal with food. He likes to call you honey, sweet, and sugar in particular and actually anything that makes you flush. Once he called you donut with the most affection he could muster but you got offended because like?? Who calls their partner a donut?? He got all embarrassed and had to explain that you looked as delectable as a donut and tasted as sweet as one. And he left apologetically because he felt kind of stupid but you were like?? Wow that was kind of romantic actually..

DONUTS. Teaching Hanako to make donuts is one of my favorite little headcanon. You were like?? Hanako-kun?? How do you love donuts so much but you have no clue how to make them? So now you took it upon yourself to teach your beloved ghost boyfriend how to make his favorite sweet treat! Now, it’s going to have to be a time where barely anyone is around because you don’t want people to see you screaming and laughing by yourself. Hanako will need a lot of supervision in the kitchen (thankfully he isn’t as bad as Teru.) Hanako is more interested in watching you make the donuts and then him eating them so you’re going to have to discipline this boy. Of course, he comes around and he actually has a good time with you! His favorite part is when he gets to lick the spoon with the frosting. He will also 100 percent throw flour on you which escalates into a full-blown fight and ends up with both of you looking like actual ghosts with how white you are. You’re going to have to hold Hanako down because when it is time to clean up, he’s going to try and escape so don’t let that happen unless you want to be stuck cleaning by yourself. LET HIM FEEL YOUR PAIN WHEN YOU HAVE TO CLEAN HIS TOILETS.

Soon enough Hanako tries to make donuts for you, trying to return the favor (because.. he loves you 👉👈🥺.) He doesn’t even know how he managed to stay in the home economics room for so long without anyone noticing the chaos that’s going on in there. When he finishes the donuts… well they can’t even be called donuts because he messed them up so badly. And so he’s standing there, covered in dough and flour feeling quite sad because the donuts were meant for you and he failed miserably. Now, time to get rid of the evidence before you could come and see - too late… The door slammed open and you immediately winced at the state of the room, trying to fan the burnt smell out of the air. Ah, shit.

“Hanako-kun?! What the heck were you doing in here?”

Hanako rubbed the back of his head awkwardly making a peace sign with his fingers. “Just.. just cooking up some donuts like how you taught me to, (Name)-chan!”

“...I didn’t teach you to make a mess! What were you even thinking… what if someone came in and saw things floating in mid-air!” You hurried over to the ghost with a towel in hand. “If you wanted some donuts, you could have asked me to make-” pausing midsentence, you squinted at the bag on the table. Scrawled on brown paper bag read “For (Name)-chan.”

Noticing your attention at the table, he quickly stepped in front of your line of view with a nervous grin. “Let’s clean up now (Name)-chan~” 

But your attention was directed at the slightly burnt donuts on a plate. Hanako hadn’t made donuts to satisfy himself, he made them to show his gratitude to you! You felt touched as your heart pattered against your chest. You reached towards the burnt donuts.

“W-wah?! (Name)-chan, don’t eat that!”

You munched on the treat. It was burnt, but still had the lingering taste of sweetness, and most important, Hanako’s love. Hanako’s jaw dropped as he grabbed both of your hands.

“(Name-chan), why would you eat that?! It’s horrible and burnt, and all messed up!”

You shook your head, smiling at him while you licked the crumbs off your fingers. “It’s actually not too bad, Hanako-kun. Actually quite scrumptious for being burnt! You just need to learn to bake for a shorter amount of time and you’ll be a master at donut making in no time! Here, have a taste!”

You smashed your lips onto his. Hanako could taste the burnt donut on your lips, but all he cared about was that you were kissing him. Letting go of your wrists, instead he snaked his hands up and intertwined his fingers with yours.

Don’t doubt the wholesomeness of Hanako, he’ll have you busting uwus all day bro. Precious ghost bb most be protected.

[httpbread]

Card Game Interruptions

Pairing: Hanako x reader

Words: 6666 (heh)

this wasn’t a request i just don’t have any vague sense of impulse control

?enjoy? i hope?

---

"Take that!"

(Y/n)’s eyes narrow down at the despicable crime he has thrown at her.

They then flicked up to meet those golden ones glittering at, full to the brim with mirth and mischief.

So pretty...

Such a shame she’d have to crush that smug look.

"Y’know, you don’t have to say that every time you put down a plus-four," she comments, keeping her voice carefully passive as she deposits her card, "Just watch me."

She’s silent after setting it atop the pile and so is he.

The (h/c) haired girl glances up at him under her lashes, fighting valiantly to keep the smile begging to tug at her lips under wraps as their gazes meet, his now frozen on the cards.

"Where... how..."

Now, she can’t even help but smirk as she chimes, oh so happy to remind him, "That’s eight cards in total, Hanako. Think you can handle it?"

The charcoal haired boy puffs up his cheek, lifting a hand to adjust it, "‘Course. It’s just a few. It’s practically nothing."

"What? Compared to my three-"

The aforementioned three cards fell, abandoned by the hands she jerked up to her chest as the door vibrated on its hinges, the slam ringing out throughout the bathroom nothing compared to the yell that followed it.

"(Y/n)!"

Her mitts rested over her jolted heart, gradually uncurling her tense fingers as her eyes caught sight of a familiar friend’s figure.

Nene stands, planted in the doorway as though she might be sucked out at any second, hand gripping either side and her feet apart, face reading pure determination.

While at first, the sight had calmed her, she quickly grew to worry again. 

Something about that demeaned made her stomach flip, right about at the same time it clicked to her that it was, in fact, her name echoing off the walls.

"Yes, Ne-chan?"

Almost out of place now, her voice is much softer in the room, even despite having risen a couple of octaves with panic.

"I need your help!" Her friend declares, marching forward with an unusual firmness, leaving no room for any reluctance she may have on her part.

(Y/n) arches a brow at her as she comes to stop before her, herself shifting in her seat to face Nene, dropping her hands to fold them in her lap, "What seems to be the problem?"

Nene crosses her arms, casting her fiery eyes away to gnaw on her lower lip in peace for the moment.

(Y/n) took the time to peer at Hanako, who coincidentally caught her gaze, sharing a bewildered look with her.

However, his furrowed brows and wide eyes were nearly enough to steal a snicker from her lips, warranting a hand pressing to her lips as Nene turned back to her.

"Well- It’s just... that."

She hurriedly turns away again, making (Y/n) squint.

"I- Uhm... this thing... you..."

"Ne-chan?" She utters, even more, confused now as she watched her friend begin to fiddle with her fingers, "Just spit it out. I’m sure it’s fine."

Nene looks over at her for a moment, expression teetering between frustrated and pleading, an odd look, but she supposed it was sort of fitting to her beloved friend.

(E/c) eyes grew round as the colorful haired girl’s face lit up, flickering down to watch as her hands near frenziedly began to paw at her dress.

"Yashiro, is everything-"

"Got it!" She interrupted Hanako’s inquiry without a batted lash, not allowing for any hesitation as she launched whatever it was she had fished from her pockets at (Y/n).

She juggles it for a moment before just barely grasping it between her fingers.

(Y/n) ogles the crumbles ball of paper.

"Well, unfold it!"

She flashes her friend a glance before doing as told, unraveling a little before setting it on her thighs, smoothing out the wrinkled paper atop them.

Before her became legible words as pictures and phrases galore, a brochure of sorts, she guessed.

However, one word stuck out in particular.

"Prom?" She reads, both brows raising in an instance, Nene still looking down at her intently.

"Yes!" Her rose color eyes light up, fists rising up through the air above her head, "And I need your help!"

(Y/n) bites back a smile, "With what, exactly? How am I supposed to know what you want with me just because there’s a prom?"

Nene’s cheeks puff up.

"You know, if you’re asking (Y/n) to prom, this is a terrible way to do it."

She looks over at Hanako curiously as his words register with the mischievous grin he’s giving Nene.

She then looks back at Nene, "Honestly, Ne-chan, he has a point. I didn’t even realize-"

Nene slaps her hands over her reddening face, "No! No! No! That’s not- This isn’t-"

"For shame, Yashiro. Doesn’t (Y/n) deserve better?" Hanako chirps, drawing her attention again as his arm slipped around her waist, pulling her to his side with no regard for their game of Uno, "At least make her a poster! Maybe throw in some chocolates. A flower. Don’t you think so?"

"I’m not asking (Y/n) to prom!"

(Y/n) pouts her lower lip at her, "Wow. Way to make a girl feel loved, Ne-chan."

Nene peers through her fingers, "I’m sorry, (N/n)-chan. Forgive me?"

"Forgiven!" She chimes, the smile returning quickly to her lips as she prompts, "Now, what’s this about prom? How can I help?"

Nene reaches up to scratch her cheek lightly, eyes chased away once more by the question, "W-Well... I was thinking... maybe you could help... find me... a date..."

It took her a second to even figure out what she was saying, due to the way her voice began to grow quieter and quieter with each pause.

"Oh?"

A date for Nene, huh?

"Why not Teru?"

The arm around her stiffens, and she remembers that, yes, Hanako is still draped around her.

"Minamoto-senpai?!" but she’s a little too preoccupied by the boy next to her.

He does not look too happy with her suggestion, giving her a pointed, silent look that says it all.

"Hey, he’s handsome, and Ne-chan has at least some connection to him," she argues lightly, easily reaching up to tap his nose, "Besides, this is about Ne-chan, not us."

He only huffs, looking away from her as well now.

Geez. Did her friends just think that when their eyes left her she just disappeared? Because if so, she had a shocking fun fact for them.

"Eheh, yeah, I- Uhm. I don’t think I can just... do that..." Nene’s muttering returns her to the problem at hand, "Besides, he’ll probably have tons of promposals bothering him. I don’t want to add to the list..."

(Y/n) hums, lifting a finger to tap against her lower lip, "Uhhh... then, what about..."

She brightens, "Kou-kun! I’m sure he’d be delighted."

Nene only stares at her, making (Y/n) stare back questioningly, before looking back at Hanako who shrugs, "It’s a better option than the last, at least."

She makes a face, lightly whacking his further shoulder, "I make great suggestions!"

"Kou-kun? Really?" Nene makes a gesture that (Y/n) really doesn’t understand, "But he’s so!"

She doesn’t continue.

She supposed the hand motion was meant to cover that.

(Y/n), knowing her lovely suggestion was futile, decides to pretend that she knew what was trying to be conveyed by nodding, "Oh, right, okay."

She promptly turns, dropping her hand on Hanako’s knee as she confides in him, "So? What about you? Any ideas, Mr. opinionated?"

His gaze dips down to her hand, probably in thought.

"I don’t remember asking Hanako for his input," Nene comments sourly, cracking a smile on (Y/n)’s lips.

"Ah, that’s ‘cause I just did. Don’t worry, Ne-chan. We’ve got this!" She chirps playfully, "You don’t want to be a team?"

"Not really..."

"Well, too bad, I’m out of suggestions!" She admits, placing her other hand on her cheek, "It’s come to my attention that I don’t know any other living students."

"Hah? That’s not true!" Hanako promptly sticks a finger in the air, "What about Glasses? He’s definitely single!"

(Y/n) shakes her head disapprovingly, "No, no, Akane-kun is no doubt going to ask that nice blue-haired girl."

Her own words light a bulb in her head, "Oh! Wait!"

She beams at Nene, "How about you go with your friend when she turns him down again?"

This makes Hanako scoff, "Geez, not even wishing him luck, are you?"

"Not if it leaves Ne-chan lonely!" She dismisses, waving her hand, "I’m loyal, unlike you, I suppose."

"I’m loyal to you!" Those golden eyes flare at her defensively.

They’re pretty, but wrong, making her giggle, "When? You tried to peek under Ne-chan’s dress just this morning!"

"(Y/n) has a fair point. I’m a little offended you even tried to make that statement."

(Y/n) nods appreciatively, but quickly guides the conversation back, "Ne-chan, what did you think about it, though?"

At the question look she receives, she elaborates, "If you can’t find a romantic date, I’ve heard friend dates can be just as fun."

“Mm, but I want to go with a boy!" She cries out, wrapping her arms around herself, wiggling dramatically, "It would be fun- but it could be so romantic! What if this is my one chance to fall in love?!"

She hums curiously, eyes falling to the ground as the prospect.

One chance to fall in love...

(Y/n) wondered if her chance had passed when she had.

She blinks, eyes quickly finding the hand that has found hers, the one she forgot about on her friend’s leg, "Well, it won’t be a chance at anything if you keep refusing our suggestions."

"Your guys’ suggestion suck," Nene’s comment draws her lips apart with a gasp.

"Ne-chan! We’re doing our best!" She claims, a pouty frown weighing on her lips.

"Yeah, Ne-chan, how about you start throwing some ideas out there too?" She doesn’t even need to look, as his voice is all she needs to picture that challenging smirk on his lips, "Let the council decided your fate."

She looked anyways, though, simply because she wanted to see the look on his handsome face.

(Y/n) was sure that was one of her favorite expressions of his. It never failed to make her heart skip a beat.

And usually... make her laugh.

Which it did now too, especially as Nene fumbled with her hands, at a loss for words.

---

"Now, look, I’m not saying it’s hopeless, I’m just saying maybe it’s time we ask Aoi-san."

After exactly three days of shenanigans, three days of trying to tangle boy after boy into a date with her beloved friend, three days of varyingly dramatic proposals... three days of failure...

(Y/n) was sure she was at her end.

"That way, there’s at least some kind of a backup plan, y’know?"

Her gaze flitters around, looking for another unsuspecting target, despite her words.

Surely, there had to be at least one boy in this insufferable school who would be over the moon to take her friend to prom!

"Ne-chan? Are you listening to me?"

She turns to flash her friend a sour glance but finds herself pausing at the sight.

The gloomy girl no longer looked so gloomy at all.

Instead, she was actually laughing a little as she looked up at a familiar energetic blonde boy who patted her shoulder lightly, frowning and looking around like he was about to step to someone.

(Y/n) blinks.

Before a gentle smile curves at her lips.

There was a boy who’d be overjoyed to have her as a date.

Now, if only she could get one of them to prompose...

(Y/n) wondered if she could trick them into it, but that little tricking part was more Hanako’s thing...

"Yeah, but your creative flare makes it work better."

She nods. It was true. Their plans usually did work better when they worked together, and so far, none of her plans had worked over the past three days.

(Y/n) stills.

Wait a damned second.

She tears her thoughtful gaze away to squint at the arms snakes around her torso below hers which sat crossed over her chest.

"Hanako?" She utters.

A chin on her shoulder confirms this belief, singing in her ear, "You were mumbling out loud again."

Her cheeks grow hot at this enlightenment, "Then don’t listen! My thoughts aren’t meant for your ears."

"True, but they always sound so nice, I can’t help but listen!" He defends, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

She looks away, scowling so that her lips wouldn’t betray her with a smile, "Okay, but what do you think?"

He only hums where he’s nested, arms giving her a little squeeze to show he was listening, not that she was talking. She wanted answers!

A little sharpness infects her tone due to lack of patience, "Do you think we could do it? Trick Ne-chan and Kou-kun into being prom dates, I mean."

"Why doesn’t one of them just ask each other...? Why do we have to do al the work?" He grumbles, muffled, "They’re getting way too much of your attention."

This makes her look down at him from the corner of her eye, curiosity and his silky locks tickling her neck.

"When is it going to be my turn again?"

She helps herself to lift his hat a little so she can slip her other hand under it, fixing his soft charcoal locks, "Oh hush, they’ll be at prom together at the end of this week."

He hums questioningly this time.

She sets his hat back down atop his head, straightening it, "Well, that means it’ll just be the two of us again. We can play cards or poke fun at the mokke... whatever your heart desires, yeah?"

His head is quick to pop up at this, moving back only a little, making sure she could get a good look at the big grin nearly breaking his bright face, "What-"

"It seems I’ve changed my mind," she turns away, faking a passive look, "I’ll be spending this weekend alone, cleaning my boundary."

"Just kidding!" He chimes, dragging her right back to him, burying her in his clingy arms, "We still have to finish our last game."

He mutters, "Even though I was clearly winning."

"Clearly?" She looks at him, (e/c) eyes narrowing, "Do you need glasses, number seven?"

"Ohoh," he smirks at her, getting closer with those shining gold eyes of his, nearly bumping their noses, "Are you getting catty with me, number eight? It’s no good to sass your superiors."

She smirks right back at him, "Mm. Not sure you can be considered superior if you can’t even beat me at Uno. Maybe I should rule the seven mysteries."

"Well-"

"Okay, I’m gonna ignore whatever weird PDA is going on here."

She blinks, looking out of the corner of her eye to find Nene standing before them with her arms crossed, Kou hovering over her side, shaking his head disappointedly.

The sight is more than enough to make her cheeks dust cherry.

"Ah- uh. Hey, Ne-chan. Got any more bright ideas?"

"No! But I claimed you today!"

She looks down when her friend snatched up her hand, quickly followed by herself, slipped right out of Hanako’s grasp.

"Quit trying to steal (Y/n) back! I need her right now!"

Hanako plants his hand on his hips, lips forming a firm line as he retorts, "Eh? Is there a waiting list now?"

(Y/n) doesn’t look, but the incredulous face that finds Hanako tells her Nene didn’t need a verbal response, "Hey! Wait, can’t I just have her for a little longer?"

He brings his hands up under his chin, leaning forward to bat his lashes at Nene, "Pretty please? We have to talk about supernatural things!"

She glances up to find Nene shaking her head with a harsh ‘no’, "(Y/n) is way too busy! First, she has to help me find a date, and now she has to help Kou-kun too!"

"Wait, what?" She utters instantly at the prospect of more work, looking hastily back up at them.

Kou offers her a sheepish smile, shrugging lightly.

She tears her gaze away, only for it to find Hanako again.

Who she’s a little surprised to find staring at her with an intense look of determination.

He speaks once their gazes meet, "Friday, you, me. We are playing Uno, and that’s final."

Oh?

So, they were going to go on with the plan...?

Well... the lack of planning... they’d plan it, then do it...

Oh wait, he was looking at her. She was supposed to respond.

She smiles, "O-"

"Do whatever! I don’t care. Just shoo! We’ve got important work to do!"

The grumpy look that falls on Hanako’s face makes her heart even fonder.

---

It was quite late when Nene and Kou finally left to go home.

Leaving her alone with a certain boy.

Sadly, there was no Uno happening tonight, as they had more pressing things to talk about.

"How about... we leave a dozen roses in her locker and write Kou-kun’s name on it...?"

"No, no. Too much of a chance he’ll back out and say they’re not from him," Hanako waves his hand dramatically.

She counters, raising a brow, "You really think Ne-chan would let him?"

He hums thoughtfully at this.

Before holding out a hand, "But, at that point, who’s to say we can’t trick the kid into a whole promposal...?"

She makes a face, not following this time.

He catches this with ease, delivering her an answer and a sly smile, "We make sure Yashiro and the boy are walking down the same hall, and when they’re close enough, shove a poster and some roses into his hands and run?"

She sticks up a finger at this, "Wait, wait, wait!"

Hanako deflates, poking out his lower lip at her interjection.

However, there’s a big grin on her lips, "Even better. We pay that Akane boy to stop time, that way we can frame it perfectly!"

Hanako’s face lights up instantly, "You beautiful genius! That’s it!"

Beautiful? Her grin grows a little bashful as she looks away.

"Now It’s foolproof. We just have to figure out a good promposal and how to pay glasses!"

She hums, nodding, "You can leave the payment to me..."

Her sudden reluctance does not go unnoticed, much to her dismay, "Hah? You don’t want to help with the promposal?"

She looks further away from the charming boy, lightly scratching her cheek, "No. I think I’m good. I’ll help when Akane stops time."

Only to quickly find a finger poking her other cheek, "Oooi, we’re a team, (Y/n). Are you really trying to get lazy now? Hm?"

Lazy? She was going to have to make a convoluted deal with Nene to get pictures of the blue-haired friend she had and then make a deal with Akane with them… What part of that was easy…?

She hastily brushes away his hand, turning to glare at his suddenly much closer face, "No! I just- I don’t- I-"

Geez, when had he gotten so close?

"Uhm. I’ve never... I’ve never made a promposal..."

Did he always have to look so handsome? Couldn’t he just look unattractive from one damned angle and give her heart a break?

"Hah? Why not?"

His question makes her brows draw. Why what?

She thinks for a moment.

Then goes red.

"O-Oh. I’ve never been to prom," she mutters, cursing her tongue, always so quick to betray her. Whether it was whispering her thoughts or being unable to even vaguely lie to this boy, it was always something against her!

Though, there are more pressing concerns as those big gold eyes blinked at her.

"Never?" He echoes, making her nod, brows drawing.

"You have?"

He shrugs, "I’ve at least gone to see what it was about."

She tries not to act too interested, "What was it like? Did you have a date? Were there balloons?"

She keeps her eyes away pointedly, even as he’s quiet.

"(Y/n), just who do you know that’s going around taking ghosts to prom?"

She glances over at him to find him fighting back against chuckle, making her fall stubborn, "You didn’t say you went after you died! How was I supposed to know?"

She reaches over, whacking his shoulder, "Oi! And how does being dead prevent you from telling me if there were balloons or not?"

He catches her hand in his, to her surprise, making her eyes find a questioning look on his face, "Wait, you haven’t even gone dead...?"

She blinks, uttering, "But I haven’t been invited?"

He blinks back.

Then closes his eyes, bringing his head down to rest against her limp hand, "(Y/n), (Y/n), (Y/n)..."

She presses her lips together indignantly but doesn’t respond.

At least for a moment.

Her words grow a little more tentative.

"Hanako... Can I have a penny for your thoughts on something?"

"That’s not the phrase," he tells her, "But sure."

She ignores this.

"Ne-chan said that prom could be her one chance at finding love."

She absently tugs at her lower lip.

"Do you think it’s true?"

He doesn’t look up, "What is?"

She mutters, "That people only have one chance to fall."

Hanako is silent at her inquiry.

So, she then asks, "Do you think I missed mine? Since I’m dead, I mean."

He squeezes her hand lightly, and she watches quietly as he lifts his head from it to gaze at her with those big puppy dog eyes of his, face unreadable.

She feels no real threat from it though, she feels quite calm, if not a little melancholy from her thoughts.

"I’d sure hope not."

She bats her lashes at this, curiosity nearly burning her, "What’s that supposed to mean?"

However, Hanako only smiles at her, a soft kindness showing on his face in the dim candlelight of the bathroom, "Don’t worry about it, okay?"

She raises a brow.

"Let’s just take things one step at a time."

She’s not very pleased with this answer, but sighed, nodding, "Yeah, yeah, let’s get this prom thing on its way."

"Atta girl."

---

The promposal went off without a hitch two days later.

The two fell for the scheme, hook, line, and sinker.

It was delightful seeing her friend’s blinding smile and her other friend’s tomato face, too stunned to even try to tell her differently.

Though her work was far from over, she found out very quickly.

"What about this one?"

"Too sparkly."

"You didn’t even look!"

"I don’t even need to. I can see the glitter from here."

Nene groans.

She was happy to help, she really was, but her heart just wasn’t in it.

She couldn't help the thoughts of loneliness from plaguing her each time she tried.

"How about this?"

This one, she at least glances at.

"Neon orange...? Where did you even find these dresses, Ne-chan?"

She slips off the counter, walking over to her offended friend, "My closet! And also Aoi-chan’s closet!"

(Y/n) hums, brushing the girl aside so she could get a good look at the options.

It hardly even took her but a second to find the right one.

She pulled it from the pile with ease, "Try this one on."

(Y/n) knew it was perfect though. She just didn’t want to make it look like she was so certain so quickly, otherwise, Nene would be suspicious.

However, the girl still eyes her for a moment.

"Red? Really?"

"It’s more of a pale rose color, but go off."

Nene groans, taking it from her regardless, "You better know what you’re doing."

As she disappears into the bathroom stall, (Y/n)’s eyes fall back to the dresses.

Maybe they were better than she gave them credit for.

She lifts a dark blue one up to the light, looking it over curiously. Shiny.

She sets it back into the pile, ready to just go sit back down and wait, but...

A thin (F/c) strap catches her eye.

She hooks her finger around it, drawing it from the pile.

It was quite thin, she notes, taking the other strap on her other hand to hold it up properly.

It was silk, so she guessed that was maybe a given.

It had spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. Probably floor-length. Had a slit down the length of one side.

She squints at it, trying not to seem too interested.

However, she makes her way over to the floor-length mirror, unable to help her curiously as she holds it to her body, trying to picture what she’d look like in it.

Not that she would ever-

The stall behind her opens.

"(Y/n)! You were right! This is so-"

She meets Nene’s gaze in the mirror, frozen in her shoes.

A mischievous smile finds her lips, making (Y/n) wince, "Wow, and here I thought you were a lost cause!"

"Lost cause?" She echoes in disapproval.

However, two hands find her shoulders, and she finds herself forcibly changing places with the girl, "Come on! Try it on, (Y/n)! I’m sure it’ll look great! We can both play dress up!"

Her face flushed even deeper, "W-Wait- Ne-chan, I don’t-"

But the stall shuts behind her.

(Y/n) deflates, defeated.

Though, she was happy to see Nene in the dress she picked out.

Absently, she slips out of her blazer, stepping out of her skirt.

It was, as mentioned, a pale shade of rose, with thick off the shoulder straps that reminded her of some kind of princess dress, especially with the way the poofy bell surrounded her friend.

It had the shiny white gemstones Nene had liked too, a little belt of jewels separating the torso of the dress from the bell.

(Y/n) stepped out of her shoes, gaze flickering over to the (F/c) dress.

She was just glad Nene seemed to like it too, judging by the lack of complaints, and the ramble of praise she was hearing.

She picks up the dress she had only wanted to look at, finding herself studying it for another good moment, looking for some sort of entry.

Until she realized she simply had to skip it over her head.

No zippers. No buttons.

It’d been a while since she’d worn anything other than her old school uniform, hadn’t it?

Reluctantly, she pulls it over her head, slipping her arms through the thin straps.

Once it’s over, she pulls it down a little, adjusting how it sat on her hips and the way it hugged at her for a moment.

Before looking down, noticing the small pool of material.

Great. Now the dress was calling her short.

There was a knock at the door.

"I’ll get it!" Nene sings chipperly, not that (Y/n) had felt any need to jump at the wooden question.

She unlatches the door with ease when Kou’s voice greets her ears, "Senpai! Are you still busy picking out dresses?"

"Yup! (Y/n) helped me find the perfect one!" She listens offhandedly as she steps out of the stall, ignoring the cold tile on her feet as she made her way over to the mirror.

She did a simple once over.

She looked nice, she supposed.

Reaching up, she lightly tugged on one of her (h/l) soft (h/c) locks.

In truth, she really couldn’t even remember the last time she had worn a dress.

Two decades ago? Three decades ago?

She just looked the same always though, in her opinion.

Tired. Alone. A little bit like a Victorian woman suffering the beginnings of consumption.

"(Y-(Y-(Y/n)?"

The odd stutter of her friend makes her look over to find Nene staring at her owlishly, hands pulled up to her chest. She takes notice that she’s no longer in the fancy dress (Y/n) had picked out, making her feel like she’d been tricked somehow.

She quickly glances at the mirror, wait, she didn’t think she looked that bad! What was with that look of horror?

"What?" She asks simply, trying not to fiddle with her fingers, but failing.

"Y-You look..."

(Y/n) begins to feel a little fussy, noticing Kou’s round eyes look as well. All she wanted to do was look at the dress! She didn’t want to put it on in the first place. Couldn't they just lie to her and say it looked nice or something?

"Amazing."

She nearly jumped out of her skin, whipping to the side to find Hanako’s eyes hastily looking her over.

Her cheeks grow hot, "Hey! Who let you in here?"

Kou comments at this, "He’s a ghost, (Y/n)."

She shoots him a disapproving look.

But quickly finds her attention back on the raven-haired boy, or more adequately, his hands running up her sides, igniting a rose across her cheeks.

"You look beautiful," he tells her firmly, resting his chin on her bare shoulder, making her face grow warmer, with his hand resting on her hips.

She turned her eyes back to the mirror.

Gosh, this was much more embarrassing seeing him being clingy with her own eyes, especially with her in this dress.

But...

Maybe if Hanako thought so...

She gives the mirror a little smile, "I don’t know. It feels weird."

"You trust me, don’t you?" Those golden eyes find hers in the reflection, a smirk blooming on his lips.

"Sometimes," she admits with a little laugh, unable to hide her nerves.

"I can think of a couple of ways to show you how beautiful-"

"Alright!" Nene clapped her hands, "Nope, nope, nope, none of that!"

(Y/n) realizes his words, quickly lightly her face aflame again, happy to have her friend peeling him off her and pushing him away.

Only to find herself enveloped in her arms.

"You look so gorgeous, (Y/n)! Thank you so much for trying it on!" Nene’s beaming smile was infectious, even though (Y/n)’s was much smaller, "Honestly, who would’ve known a school mystery could clean up so nicely?"

She laughs, "Ne-chan! I can look a little nicer than this. All I did was change clothes."

"Well, I think you should keep it."

The words confuse her, making her turn to look at her friend.

Nene lightly tugs at the strap on the left shoulder, "The dress, silly."

(Y/n) gasps, hastily shaking her head, "No! No! I-"

"Yes, yes! I bought it a long time ago," Nene chides, "I didn’t like how my legs looked in it. At least giving it you I know my money was spent well."

(Y/n) frowns warily, "I won’t ever wear it though..."

"And I would?"

She scratches her cheek, looking up at her with her last resort, "I’m dead?"

"(Y/n)!" Nene gives her a light ‘whap’ atop the head, "Just take the dress and smile more!"

She can’t help the giggle that leaves her lips, "Okay! Okay! Quit fussing at me!"

However, Nene’s smile lingers, "Plus, who’s to say you won’t ever wear it?"

She thinks for a moment.

Then she smiles back, "Oh right. I can wear it to your graduation!"

Nene’s look of dissatisfaction tells her a different story, however.

A story she frankly doesn’t understand that her friend won’t spell out for her.

---

(Y/n) squinted down at the silk dress that she found herself in, once again.

This time, Nene has convinced her to get dressed up with her while (Y/n) was helping her get ready for prom.

The agreement was that if Nene let (Y/n) do her makeup, she had to do her own too, which (Y/n) really didn’t understand.

The only reason she agreed was the stubborn pout on the girl’s face when she said it. Had (Y/n) disagreed, she was sure the girl would make herself late.

So, here she was, dressed up all nicely.

For the first time in a good three, maybe even four decades!

She really needed to get a calendar... or ten...

She quickly looks up at Nene exits the bathroom stall, "Opinions? How cute am I?"

"Cute?" She smiles, admitting, "You look gorgeous, Ne-chan."

"Says you!" She then gets a grin on her face, "I guess you could say you look drop-dead gorgeous."

(Y/n) offers her a flat look.

"I’m sorry."

She turns away, unable to hide her dorky smile, "Okay, what else do you need to get ready? Or are you finally done?"

"Mmm... just waiting on a text from Kou, that’s all."

(Y/n) finds herself suspicious again, "Oh? So the first five hundred didn’t count?"

"He’s nervous!" Nene waves her off.

She doesn’t miss the chance to tease, "Geez, now you’re even worrying about him? I thought you two decided to call it a friend date."

Nene glares at her, cheeks tinging pink,  "I am no longer accepting opinions from you."

(Y/n) sticks out her tongue at the girl, "Wasn’t really an opinion, but okay."

Nene pointedly gives her another glare.

"Okay, okay, I’ll lay off," she sighs dramatically, fanning her face playfully.

Only to then card her fingers through her (h/l) (h/c) locks, "Okay, but is he going to show up or not? You guys are going to be late and it’s starting to make me nervous."

"Depends," Nene raises a brow at her, "How many more times are you going to say ‘okay’?"

(Y/n) makes a sour face at her, "Did you miss the part where I said I was getting nervous?"

Nene smiles at her warmly, "I know, I know, just a little longer and I’ll be out of your hair."

She plays dumb, tapping her cheek, "You’re really adamant about your card game with Hanako-kun, aren’t you?"

Her face flushes, "Wh- No! But I have to wash all of this stuff off before then, and I don’t want to make him wait..."

"I see. That’s all?"

She scratches her cheek, "Well, I mean..."

She looks away, smiling a little, "This week has been so crazy, I haven’t gotten to see him as much as usual..."

(Y/n) glances up at her friend, backtracking, "Plus, I need to beat him. He needs to know I’m better at cards."

Nene raises a brow at this, fond look fading.

"I let him win last time because he gave me the puppy dog eyes and he’s been way too cocky ever since,” she says bluntly, seriously, “I need to put him back in place.”

“Yeah...” Nene laughs softly, “Not too sure about that. I think you’re both going to be winners tonight.”

(Y/n) crosses her arms, “Over my cold dead body! I’m gonna win. Have a little faith, yeah?”

Nene shakes her head with a smile.

Until her phone suddenly chimed.

Leaving (Y/n) to watch, dumbfounded, as she frenziedly pats the small handbag before just about ripping open the zipper, slamming her fingers into its depths.

“Is that-“

Nene is texting back with such an intensity that (Y/n) goes immediately quiet, not wanting to interfere in the slightest.

“Alright, (Y/n), it’s go time!” She slips her phone back into her handbag, expertly zipping it up.

She plasters on a big smile despite her sudden unease, “Go time? Kou is here to pick you up?”

“Mhm!” Yashiro tucks the bag under her arm, hands finding... (Y/n)’s shoulders... spinning her around on her flats...

Pushing her...

Towards the door...

“Ne-chan? Shouldn’t you answer? Wait- he hasn’t even knocked. Shouldn’t-“

“Hush! Quit worrying so much!”

“You make it kind of hard being so ominous!”

Nene reaches past her with a red heel, slamming the door before them open, making (Y/n) jerk her hands up to hide her face defensively.

Nene’s hands only hold her shoulders now, silence finding the space around them.

But the door doesn’t hit her.

Slowly, she peers through her fingers.

Only to meet a familiar pair of golden eyes, rounder than usual.

Her eyes then flicker to his smile, framed by pink dusted cheeks.

Was Hanako blushing?

“Stop looking at Hanako-kun and use your eyes, please,” Nene huffs, knowing her all too well.

(Y/n)’s face grows hot as she pries her hands away, praying her makeup hides her embarrassment.

However, it’s then that she notices the very jarring sign the handsome boy is holding.

A big poster board with big red glittery letters and pictures of... donuts. Interesting.

It’s then that the words hit her like a train.

‘I donut want to go to prom without you’.

She stares, trying to get the situation to process.

She glances at Nene who makes a face at her, “No, he’s asking you. I’m going with Kou-kun.”

The words of her friend really settle, making her gasp, hastily looking back up at Hanako who’s stubbornly looking away, trying to hide his rose-colored face.

“H-Hanako, you’re not messing with me, are you?”

He quickly looks up at this, eyes widening, “N-No, of course-”

However, Kou’s voice finds her, “He better not be! It took us all day to make these.”

(Y/n)’s eyes flicker over curiously to find a plate of donuts held in the blond’s hand, “He wouldn’t keep his hands off it so I could make them, but he can’t cook to save his life.”

They return to Hanako who is now profusely avoiding her gaze, his own trained on the floor as he wrings out his hands, the poster now tucked behind him, like he was trying to hide it.

She can’t help the delighted grin that finds her lips, hidden by her hands.

Gosh, he was all dressed up too!

He looked like everything she had ever dreamed of and more in a fancy tux, he wasn’t even wearing his hat for once, his hair all neat and combed as much as the fluffiness would allow. He was always handsome, but now she was sure he’d upgraded to devilishly handsome!

Though… Her heart leads her eyes back to his exposed hair.

He looked up at her in surprise just as her fingers combed through his soft ebony mop, “Oh, Hanako...”

She smiles at him so warmly, she feels like her heart might just shatter when their gazes lock.

“I’d be over the moon to go with you.”

An adorable grin marks his lips.

“I heard there’s gonna be balloons,” he comments, trying to act casual as she slips her arms around his neck.

“Oh?” She smirks up at him, leaning in close, “Well, I heard two of the coolest school mysteries are going to be there too.”

He breathes a soft chuckle, leaning down ever so slightly as she tilts her head to meet him.

“Well, I heard they both got exorcised for making us late and didn’t make it!”

Nene’s cry kills what was supposed to be the perfect kiss, stealing a laugh from (Y/n)’s lips as Hanako stubbornly tightened his arms around her waist.

She draws her hands to rest on his cheeks, looking at him oh so lovingly.

“You ready to go?”

“I guess so...” he mutters.

She smiles, stepping away from him, not surprised as one of his arms stayed around her hips.

As they began walking towards what would soon become her first dance, she rested her hand atop the one settled on her hip, remembering his words.

If this was her once chance to fall in love...

Well, who was she kidding?

She grins up at him, admiring the glitter in his golden eyes as he gazes back down at her just as adoringly.

(Y/n) was already so, so head over heels.

And she’d fall harder for this boy smiling back at her every chance she got.

[elizabeatrice]

Feeling Blue, Seeing Red (Chapter 69)

Let’s Talk About JSHK Manga #5

Updated: 19/8/2020 (more thoughts)

Bea is back with the lame punny titles~

Warning: !!! MANGA SPOILERS UP TO CHAPTER 69 !!! Duh.

Soooo I opened the raws this morning. Saw the spicy and went 'ohh shoot'. Then some of y'all say that some folks are hating Akane bc of this chap. I proceeded to panic, because fandom war is scary af. So I translated the chap for myself. And I just gotta say:

Aoi, Nene, your boyfriends are idiots. Y'all gonna be punching and headbutting the idiocy out of them for the rest of your lives and I'll be willing to pay for your karate classes.

The teen drama made me laugh so hard ahahahaha I guess this is what you get for hoping sensei will drop a bomb this month lmaoooo.

P.S. Teru you little shit

Man I don’t even know where to begin. This chapter is oozing doraaaaama and I can’t take it seriously no matter how much I try. I remember thinking, “Shoot, this is the ‘I hate you, I hate you too, proceed to make out’ trope in JSHK’s classic ‘oooh serious moment, eh? PSYCHE!’ style,” before bursting into laughter.

I swear I’m not making fun of it.

Because it’s already fun to begin with. Ahahahaha.

I do however, take seriously the long-awaited insight into Aoi’s mind. I hollered in joy, y’all. ‘Cause like ... finally!

(Also like ... ngl the development of Aoi and akaoi in this arc might come into play in my Shrek AU. Pls don’t ask. Yet. That’s not the official AU name I swear I just wanna confuse my readers ahahaha)

Back when chapter 64 came out I wrote something that was supposed to be the first of the Let’s Talk About JSHK Manga series but I ended up not posting it because I wasn’t sure about a bunch of things. Here’s an excerpt from that post, titled ‘Aoi and Her Blues’:

I mean, what did the minions do to her? ‘Remove unnecessary things’. Someone said they removed her inhibitions (I’m terribly sorry I forgot who said this because it’s been so long so I can’t put the link here, but if you know, feel free to send me the link).

But she has to be brainwashed, right?

She remembered enough about Nene. Enough to call her out on her feelings (that she still denies btw lol) and recognize Hanako from Nene’s wonderful description (or because Aoi could see him all this time and never said anything, who knows?).

Most importantly, she remembered Akane.

So apparently they weren’t unnecessary enough to be erased from her memory. Which I’d beg to differ if I were going to make this girl willingly sacrifice herself.

Would she let her best friend fall down into a pit full of giant insects, or let her childhood friend get impaled? I mean this is the same girl that cried when Akane and Yamabuki got together (by accident) and when Nene started talking to herself like a madwoman.

So yeah. Definitely brainwashed. Pretty sure now.

The one thing that bugged me is what she said though.

“I’ve always wanted to go somewhere far away.”

“Nothing will stop me from getting my wish.”

Btw these aren’t accurate word for word I’m just drawing from memory.

Is that a wish forced upon her by the brainwashing, or has Aoi been depressed all this time and ... y’know, therefore thought about ‘going far away’? I’m personally leaning more towards the first, but it still got me thinking.

Remember back in The Clock Keeper arc when she said there was something she wanted to tell Nene?

Can some creepy hands showing up in the gardening club’s album photos really warrant that kind of expression? Is it just me who got disappointed when the thing she wanted to tell Nene ended up being just that?

But if she did have such thoughts, why?

Maybe she was lonely? I mean Nene got so busy with supernatural shenanigans. Akane’s busy with student council stuff (and school wonder stuff). Though I don’t doubt for a second that he’d drop everything for Aoi, but Aoi’s not the kind of person to do that. And to be honest, I feel like so far Aoi hasn’t been shown having genuine interaction with anyone aside from Nene and Yamabuki without the other person being completely enamored by her. And even with Yamabuki that was just in that After School chapter.

So I guess my hunch wasn’t that far off. Still though. Still though. Is she or is she not brainwashed? Because as much as Aoi likes-but hates-but actually kinda likes Akane, I still don’t think she’s the type of person to stab her childhood friend until he’s got a hole through his fucking torso.

Throwing Nene into the bug pit I guess makes more sense if Aoi knew all along that the pit won’t lead anywhere too dangerous, and that Hanako wouldn’t leave Nene’s side. Nene’s perfectly safe with him. Sorta. She did get kidnapped and were about to be sacrificed after all. But heeey Hanako still showed up to save her in the end.

Stabbing Akane like that tho? Even if she knows he wouldn’t die in a boundary especially in his school wonder form? It just doesn’t feel like Aoi, man.

Then again she did say no one really knows her, and that anyone who does would end up being disappointed in her.

I’m really happy to know that she does not, in fact, appreciate all the attention given to her. Comedy framing aside, constantly having some random guy approach you to ask you out presumably every day is ... annoying at best. Kid deserves better.

So ya girl got some extreme trust issues. Strangers, even Akane and Nene, I could understand. But her dad tho? Is something going on in the Akane household? Bruh ....

How long has Aoi not been able to trust anyone enough to let them get close to her? Because if she’s been feeling like that about Nene all this time, Imma be super sad bruh. Nene is one of the most genuine kids ever (perhaps only second to Kou).

I understand that Aoi’s disappointed because Nene’s been keeping secrets, but honestly, who would believe you if you come up to them and say, “Hey so I summoned a toilet ghost and now I’m stuck as his assistant. The rumors about supernaturals are like, totally real, and can endanger everyone in this school for real, too. Also I turn into fish when I come in contact with water.”

Sensible best friends would either a) not believe you, or b) try to get you as far away from supernatural shit as possible ‘cause hello? Ya ain’t Miles Morales ya can’t just blast What’s Up Danger when monster of the week shows up.

Even if Aoi does let it continue, wouldn’t she wanna get involved? Would Nene let her get involved when Tsukasa’s still around? Ya girl got cursed, thrown off the top of a boundary, sent to literally nowhere and everywhere, almost got her body stolen by mirror monsters, kidnapped and taken into a fake world, and now trapped in literal Grim Reaper’s realm. Honestly, who would involve their best friend in this sort of shit?

It just makes me sad to think that all this time Akane and Nene have genuinely cared about her but she didn’t think they were. Aoi, my girl Nene literally threaded hell boundaries and high shallow water to save you!!!

Unrequited platonic love hurts just as much as romantic ones, y’all ....

Speaking of romantic love.

Hey, uh, Akane. For claiming to despise Hanako and calling him a slimy pervert, y’all kinda act the same way with your respective girlfriends when things get a bit heated up, huh? Even the teasing part.

Boy, you’re dumb af. You deserve that.

There it is y’all, it’s official. We got punches for akaoi and headbutts for hananene.

You deserve this too. But Teru’s face here is really annoying, I’ll give you that. Teru you little shit.

At least you’re finally gonna be useful. Let’s just see.

Hmm I guess I have to address the thing now.

Ahem. The thing. The pushing (pulling?) Aoi down, grabbing her neck thing.

Yeah I don’t get it either. Whether it was a creative choice taken in consideration to the actual character’s state or to just pander to the trope that seems to be marketable in Japan or both, I don’t really know.

I do however, have to remind you that none of these kids are in their right mind. One is possibly still recovering from the effects of brainwashing and dealing with not only extreme trust issues and insecurities, but also the sight of a gaping hole on her childhood friend and perhaps crush’s torso, not to mention having to deal with this in the middle of nowhere. The other one is the said person with a gaping hole on his torso, who almost lost his life-long crush, and even got stabbed by her in the first place.

They’re lost. They’re tired. They’re emotional. They’re frustrated. They’re two hormonal teens.

I think Akane thought Aoi wouldn’t listen to him unless he makes her. Which is why he went with exposing her by saying he hated her. Which is still a dumb move in my opinion. But Aoi rightfully got back at him. And honestly I didn’t think he really hurt her. I mean, it’s Akane after all. *shrugs*

The way I see it, the entire thing was a result from not only their current condition but also the uh ... not telling each other how they really feel all this time. Aoi with her issues, Akane with his secrets. They’re a ticking bomb. It’s horrible that they ended up hurting each other because of this (physically and emotionally), but I could see why it went like this. These two are flawed. Most importantly, they’re teenagers. They’re bound to fuck up in this equation.

Heck, I’ve fucked up worse in less endangering situations before.

But heeey once things get cleared between them they fall right back to each other. Sure things aren’t entirely resolved. But they’re gonna be okay. Teru’s there. Should be fine. Probably.

The thing is we as the audience who come into the story with a clear head can easily figure out the best, most sensible way to deal with the characters’ problems. But these problems affect the characters in (physical, physiological, psychological, emotional) ways most of us can’t immediately empathize with, which can make their bad decisions frustrating for us to see. We know it’s wrong. And when these characters have calmed down and healed, they’ll know that it’s wrong, too. If they’re not dicks, that is.

You know how it feels when you’re fighting with someone, and you know the best thing to do is to talk it out, but you just can’t bring yourself to? It makes things worse, right? And you’re frustrated, right? Unfortunately that’s just how humans are.

Even I let my emotions get the best of me when I judged the villagers’ actions back in chapter 68 hahaha (but I still think they’re awful).

It’s just my opinion tho.

And whooo everyone is officially here but Yamabuki (and Sakura and Tsukasa, but they’re bound to show up)! Catch up soon, my citrus child.

Lastly, I have the moral obligation to remind you that if akaoi’s confrontation ended up like this, imagine how hananene’s would be.

I’ll leave you to your deductions.

As always, feel free to discuss. Just ... don’t fight, onegaishimasu.

[anime-grimmy]

Sooo, I watched TBHK ep 7...

AND THEY STILL CUCKED US.

(I’m rambling about the young exorcist arc for a while, further down are my thoughts on the actual episode)

No Young Excorcist Arc, sadly. I know it’s kinda getting repetitive and all but for being just 2 chapters long that little arc did so much developing for Kou, Hanako and the relationship between those two. Though, with how they portay Teru in the Anime it feels like they’re building up to something. Quiet a few people think they’ll push it back to the finale of the season and I dunno if I like it. Right now I kinda don’t like Kou’s relationship with Hanako. I mean, yeah, they make it seem like Kou kinda cares about Hanako, but it feels like the real reasons are still a) protect Yashiro and b) ‘keep an eye on him’ so Teru doesn’t get too antsy. They do show Kou having doubts about exorcising and stuff and he even says ‘I’m kinda done with that’ but without the stuff happening in the Young Exorcist Arc it lacks context/motivation. Not wanting to exorcise Hanako anymore? That I can kinda believe. Being doubtful of exorcising in general? Nah man, doesn’t add up. Also, the whole donut thing feels kinda dishonest. In the manga, you know it’s for Hanako and Yashiro to both feel better, but in the anime it feels like he’s only doing it for Yashiro (or at least mainly). 

(k, ‘nough rambling about what we can’t have)

What we got in this episode was actually reaaaaally nice. I feels like they cranked up the budget a bit cos the scenes looked more consistently well made without (many) jarring scenes. Lol, of course the episode that introduces Tsukasa gets more money. Also, the voice acting in this episode was AMAZING. I found a new appreciation for Kou’s voice actor, honestly. I did always like him, but the way he switched from fumbling with his words to encouraging speach to his perky self, it sounded SO GOOD. Tsukasa....I mean, they’re twins, of course he has the same VA as Hanako, but as I said before, I don’t think it fits him. For me, he needed a more child like voice, I dunno. But since I love the current VA anyways, I’ll grow to like Tsukasa like that too. Btw, did anyone notice, that, when he got to the broadcasting room he wore the Uniform, the next scene he hugged Sakura and had his normal clothes and then in the next Sakura asks him about his strange clothes, cos he has the uniform again? I dunno, I thought it was funny. Ok, on to Mitsuba! I really wasn’t expecting him this week (again, thought we’d get the YE arc), but I was kinda apprehensive of his VA, cos I didn’t like the character he had played, BUT DUDE. THAT MAN GOT TALENT. I dunno, he really surprised me and I’m so looking forward to his performance next week.

Soooo, best thing for last, my fav scene of the episode. I really liked the donut making session, but my fav got to be the reveal of Tsukasa. Alone for Hanako’s reactions. The VA brought so much to the scene, with the tiny gasps and stuttering breaths. And fuck, the way they animated Hanako pushing down Yashiro? The way his face was all shadowed but you saw the tears glistening through? And the way his voice wobbled so much? FUCK THAT SCENE WAS SO GOOD

Anyways, I do look forward to next week and I’m interested how they’re gonna spin and shuffle around things.

Edit: So, I’ve been brooding about why the scene in the broadcasting room felt so short. Then I realized that the whole Little Mermaid Arc aspects are missing. We didn’t get to see Tsukasa sinister face and him stabbing a fish .(

[currentlyreadingmanga]

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun Chapter 11: The 4pm Bookstacks (Part 1)

Previously: we had quite a heavy chapter last time. Teru and Hanako faced off. It was a very one-sided confrontation and simply put: Teru is not someone to mess with. Not only was one of the most action heavy scenes we’ve had so far, but it was also very emotionally heavy. It provided a good amount of character development for the three boys, and specially for Hanako and Kou (and helped solidify the foundation fir their friendship to grow). One very crucial point was how Hanako feels about the crime he commited and his need to atone. Overall, I had a lot of feelings and seeing my two children cry broke my heart. Then we finish the chapter with Yashiro finally meeting the suspicious green haired girl in the school’s library and boy I’m sure nothing bad or dramatic will happen hahaha...haha......ha

Now onto the next chapter!

Ohhhhh that’s right, this is the start of the new volume!

Well, this is an interesting cover right here. We have an almost apathetic looking Hanako facing the white haired dude that I think it’s gonna be the next apparition/mystery. There’s something about his expression that makes quite the contrast with the rest of the element of the picture. Like, there’s a pair of hands that are trying to grab him from behind and he’s also bound by what seems to be a red rope. Maybe it’s just me, but it directs my focus to his face because it makes me wonder why he looks so indifferent but also kinda defeated?? idk maybe I’m reaching again ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we’ll see

Okay, yes it definitely looks like the white haired dude will be our next mystery, and that at least Kou and Yashiro are gonna run into him. Hanako seems to be doing soemthing else and it looks like he’s not on the same scene as the other two. He’s sitting on what looks like a school desk, with Yako on his head and holding various gem stones? There’s a lot to unpack here that will probably make sense after I read some more 

Next is the chapter index and it looks like the this next arc is called “The 4pm Bookstacks” and it will be a four parter. Going by the usual formula, these bookstacks will be the next mystery

Also

I’m so incredibly curious like.......what could this even imply, why is there a chapter dedicated to donuts

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling because we haven’t even started the chapter yet

Our suspicious green haired girl is asking Yashiro if she’s interested in the seven mysteries and it seems like she knows about Hanako? and that according to her, he’s “the one that’s like a cat” and I have......so many questions.......

Oh, okay, I was thinking about the comparison in a more cute light but the description “capricious, selfish and childish” really makes it seem like she doesn’t hold him in high regard.

.....................excuse me, what? “is yours like that too?” That’s very specific wording. Hanako mentioned before that not many people can or do summon him, right? Could that mean that she’s one of the people who summoned him? And that like, he adapts his personality according to whoever calls upon him? Or could it be that there’s multiple Hanakos going around? Like different versions of the same apparition that can exist at the same time? Or maybe there’s different spirits that take on the same title? Because we know Hanako is not his real name, since it’s the name of a common urban legend.............I now have even more questions

So Yashiro is also wondering if this girl knows Hanako personally and that her description of him doesn’t really match the boy Yashiro has come to know so far.

Bless your very active imagination, Yashiro. As entertaining as that mental image is, I really doubt that’s the case.

Green haired girl is telling Yashiro that she should check out the fifth mystery if she wants to learn more about Hanako. Yashiro will probably find information, but still, this is a very convinient piece of information drop without expecting anything in return and I don’t trust this girl clarifying in case me calling her suspicious at almost every chance I get didn’t get the message across

Hey! There he is! The white haired dude has finally arrived. What an entrance

Also I see you back there you suspicious pretty boy, don’t think you can escape my eye

Oof, Yashiro crashed into him so hard that they ended up on the floor. Poor guy. Also, I remember that I saw this guy in one of the first episodes (in the background) walking around, so I’m guessing this dude is a teacher of some sort, or maybe the librarian. If that’s the case, I wonder how the hell did an apparition ended up working at the school. Also why would he want to do that, just why (then again, maybe that’s just because I don’t particularly like the idea of teaching and it’s one of the possible work options I’ll have once I graduate so.....yeah, maybe he likes teaching and I can’t relate)

Wow the suspicious duo really moves fast, the practically vanished into thin air

Ohhhh the cover page is really pretty! It seems like butterflies are a really strong motif during this arc. Also the little bubbles with their names are really cute to me for some reason. Is HanaNeneKou their three way ship name? I bet it is. And if it isn’t, it should be

It’s the next day and Yashiro decides to ask Aoi about the fifth mystery and of course Aoi knows since she’s our designated exposition fairy.

Okay so, according to the rumor, in the school library there’s a special room you can only enter at 4pm (hence the name). The room is full of books with people’s names and each of them has a record of that peron’s life at the school. And what’s really interesting is that these books show not only the past but also the present and the future. 

That sounds like it could bring a lot trouble for a lot of people. But if it’s true, then it makes sense why the suspicious girl told Yashiro to check it out, since all she would have to do is check for a book with Hanako’s nam-wait..........Yashiro doesn’t know Hanako’s real name, so would she even be able to find anything? Because not only we would have to count on the bookstacks containing records of people who are already dead, but also that they somehow would know of his “new identity” and changed the name in the cover. So I feel like the chances of finding his book are pretty slim. Well, I guess she could look into her own book to see if she would learn his name in the future?? Would that create a paradox? .......possibly, idk, I should keep reading

Ah, and now we have the downside of going to the 4pm bookstacks. Aoi says that there are three kinds of books there: white (records of living people), black (records of dead people) and red (books that you should never ever read, because you’ll probably get killed or something, that seems like something the new rumors would say). Okay, that answers one of my questions: yes, Hanako’s book could be there since there are records of dead people. Still, I would think his book would have his real name and that will make it harder (if not impossible to find it). Also, Yashiro will probably end up reading one of the red books because of course things are not gonna be easy here.

Yashiro would like to go see if she can find Hanako’s book but she (thankfully) thinks that going there alone would not be the smartest idea. And (again, thanfully) she also thinks there was something suspicious about the suspicious girl and that she maybe probably most definitely should talk with Hanako about it. Though, if she goes with Hanako, she (and I) feels like he wouldn’t let her read his book. I mean, if he hasn’t told her anything about the details of his past already, that would indicate that he’s not ready to share yet. In the end (an judging by one of the color pages), she’ll probably go with Kou without telling Hanako.

And speaking of the devil, there he is. And he’s talking to the white haired dude! What a coinkydink. 

Ohhhh he’s Kou’s homeroom teacher and Kou says he’s being mean. But sensei (I’ll call him that until we learn his name, okay? okay) says he only wants to ask him for a favour.

.............pfffft. Yeah, that, that probably looks hella suspicous,huh? Like, he’s not doing anything bad, but the others don’t know that.

Oh! It seems like Hanako is not here right now. Apparently he’s at a meeting??? Interesting.

Well, if the art of this guy in the anime opening and in the color page hadn’t already told me he’s a supernatural, then this would really bring it to light. What would be the odds of him having a meeting at the same time Hanako’s gone for a meeting and have it not be the same meeting? Like, that could be the case, but I doubt it. I wonder if they’re meeting to discuss about the recent events and changes that have been happening with the school’s apparitions. I mean, probably, but we shall see

And yep, Yashiro’s taking Kou with her.

Precious boy, bless him.

He adds that he agreed to come because he also wants to read Hanako’s book. And it makes sense, since it could possibly help him find more evidence to prove to Teru that Hanako is not a bad guy. And he’s telling Yashiro about his change of heart, too! That’s great! They need to know where they all stand, and even if he doesn’t tell her all the details of the fight, it’s good that Yashiro now knows that he doesn’t really want to exorcise Hanako without a good reason.

This is a nice parallel to the realization Yashiro had during chapter 8. Again, good foundation for their friendship to grow! I love it!

Precious baby, bless her heart. Why are the main trio so cute omfg I shouldn’t be so attached already

Arrow straight to the heart. Man down, man down, Yashiro’s cuteness has reach critical levels, Kou’s heart can’t handle it

Ohhhh a butterfly appears and it leads them to the door to the bookstacks. Okay, so that’s why we had such a strong butterfly motif 

Wow, indeed. It’s both pretty and creepy at the same time. Also there’s the lamps and the gem stones that appeared in the colour pages.

And there’s water! So this is indeed another boundary (in case there was any doubt left) like when we were in Yako’s territory.

Yashiro is thinking back to Aoi’s warning about not reading the red books. But Yashiro, dear, I need you to do more than thinking. Please tell Kou about it if you haven’t done so already. Please. I beg of you.

Okay she’s telling him about the white and black books, but she’s only thinking about the red ones and Yashiro p l e a  s e I’m dying over here ／(￣ロ￣;)＼

Ahhhhh anyway there seems to be a lot of white ones, only a couple of black ones and no red ones. That’s suspicious and we’ll probably end up finding one by accident while looking around and ahhhhh ple a se just tell me if Kou knows 

They spent hours looking but they didn’t found anything. And I’m not surprised, since I think that his book would have his real name on it

Kou’s poor heart can’t catch a break, Yashiro is just too cute

But it seems like our butterfly friend(?) might know where we could find a clue.

Ohhhhh it’s Yashiro book! And it’s very possible we could find information about Hanako there if the records really have their entire time at the school. According to the index, it does have everything up until her graduation and it all seems very detailed.

OH MY GOD

THAT’S SO PRECIOUS oh my god!!!

Yashiro, sweetie, you’re writing poems about this boy. You can be in denial only for so long, come on. You have to admit you like him, even if it’s just a little bit.

Kou seems to have the same idea I had earlier: if they can’t find Hanako’s book, they might as well check the future section of their own books and see if they can learn something from there.

Omfg t h a n k y o  u!! Now I feel a bit better

Oh........the page that reads “the future” is red.............and Yashiro says that it could be a place marker but knowing that we shouldn’t read the red books, reading a red page doesn’t sound safe to me. But Yashiro is gonna read it, because she’s braver than me and her sense of self-preservation is almost non-existent

..................yeah, this looks fantastic, nothing bad will happen by reading this, no sir

Yashiro, baby, you need to find better people. Because most of the guys you like seem like trash. Like, honestly, who tf says things like this when turning down someone??? It’s just rude

Anyway! She finds a page that talks about Hanako’s “true identity”! But she hears a scream in the distance and she’s not sure if it was Kou..........nothing bad will happen, no si-

OH.............that’s. that’s not good. Does this mean that the whole book is turning red now? Why? Do the books turn red if one looks into the future section, is that how this works? Either way, girl, you need to close it right now because this smells like trouble

But of course she doesn’t because she’s so close to finding out about who Hanako is and

......................well, hello there. That’s nice and terrifying. Is she(?) made out butterflies? Is this the thing that comes for you if you read a red book? Does it just....eat you?? Also what about the sensei? Thanks to the colour page I’m pretty sure he’s part of this boundary, so is he not here because he’s at the meeting right now? Is this butterfly thing something he controls, like Yako did with her dolls? 

Anyway, It would really be a great time for Kou or Hanako to show up right now ple a se 

Ahhh and there’s our cute boy, thank god.

....................holy shit it does look like her. It has her hairstyle and her skull brooch, I didn’t even notice. That’s so creepy. Does that mean that the apparition’s appearance would change depending on who had reads the red books?  (EDIT: now I realize that Kou was the one saying that since later on the apparition that does look like him appears behind Tsuchigomori, so.....yeah, that answered my question)

Oh noooo they’re trapped inside! Kou tries to use his staff but it doesn’t work because of the seal that Hanako put on it ahhhh this is. not good. And speaking of the boy himself, there he is, just at the right moment before our children could be eaten. 

And just like that, he’s got it under control. Like, I know he said it’s his job to keep the rest of the supernaturals in check, but still, I wonder why he’s so powerful. I’m sure we’ll learn in the future, but it’s still an interesting mystery

He really isn’t subtle about it and I love it. You jealous baby pfffft

Aaaand there’s sensei. And this overall confirms that he and Hanako were at the same meeting since they arrived at the same time. He’s not happy about the state the books were left in.

(；☉_☉)  oh no

He’s grabbing them with his creepy extra arms and he’s confirming what I said before: yes, the books turn red when you read entries from the future, and boy he’s really not happy about it

Annnnnd there’s his face from the intro and from last chapter’s preview.

He’s kinda hot ngl

The situation looks pretty bad, but Hanako (with an adorable smile on his face) tells him “no bullying” and sensei lets them go.

Huh. Interesting. “Honorable number 7″ and “the boss’s guests” imply that Hanako is in charge. Like, it was implied in the fact that he’s the one that has to maintain balance between the supernaturals and the humans, so I guess this is more of a confirmation? Also, I wonder if that means he’s just overall more powerful than the other mysteries and that’s why they consider him “the boss” or if there’s another reason.

Other than that: we finally got a name! Tsuchigomori. That’s a mouthful. I’ll try my best to remember it. But this is the barely the beginning of this this arc, so I’m sure I’ll remember it soon enough. (EDIT: I just noticed that Yako is there, too! Did they all come here together? Or maybe she’s just there as imagery because she’s also a school mystery? Either way, we’ll see next chapter)