#shkkfhhxdg

[kermitbread]

as promised, another one lol it's kinda stupid but enjoy

also it available now in AO3. haha

Sakura didn't know who to thank for this strange sort of miracle.

She didn't know how or why, but Tsukasa's behavior had improved lately, his violent tendencies lessened a little and moreover, he was somehow learning to mind his surroundings more. Something must have happened, because she sure wanted to know all about it.

Of course, their work of spreading rumors over the PA system wasn't over yet, but Sakura was nonetheless glad for the new change. Maybe the boy was still capable of becoming a normal person, somehow.

Calmly taking a sip of her tea, she dismissed the cry-laughing noise coming from behind. Seems like Natsuhiko and Tsukasa were up to some no good again, but wasn't that what they always do?

"Okay, okay, but chibi, what I'm telling you is solid advice here." Natsuhiko ceased his laughing, just right after making some sort of unfunny joke that Tsukasa found hilarious for some reason. "You've got the 'being nice to girls' part okay and all, but there's more to that in lots of ways."

"Really?" Tsukasa leaned in, interested in learning whatever the guy was gonna say next. Natsuhiko beamed at his eagerness, as it somehow fed his own ego right up to an eleven.

"Yep. If you really wanna reach a girl's heart, you gotta show her that you care. Gestures say a lot more than words do."

"Right, right!"

"Do things like hold her hand when she talks about her day, or give her a hug if she's feeling down. They're just ordinary gestures but I can guarantee you, that's more than enough."

From afar, Sakura rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turned another page of the book in her hands. For an airhead, Natsuhiko sure knew an awful lot about that kind of stuff.

Kinda ironic if you thought about it.

--

Ah, today was going so smoothly. It was just Hanako, Nene, and some tasty donuts she had made especially for him. Just the two of them on the rooftop, no exorcist kid to third wheel them, no annoying twin brother to sabotage anything.

"I hope you don't mind me adding some new flavors along the plain donuts too, Hanako-kun." Nene untied the ribbon of the packaging, letting out the delicious aroma of the treats into the air.

Hanako put on a smile. "I don't mind. You make the best donuts either way."

At that, Nene became a little flustered, waving her hand. "It's all thanks to Kou-kun teaching me, though! But thanks."

Ignoring the first part (he would smh), Hanako picked the plain one, popping it into his mouth. The softness and crispiness was just right, with that toasty aftertaste.

Simply putting: it was absolutely delicious.

It was just him, Nene, and donuts. Nothing could possibly ruin this moment—

"Nene! Amane!"

Shit.

"Oh, Tsukasa-kun! Care to join us?" Hanako grimaced internally when Nene gestured for the sudden intruder to sit along with them. Tsukasa nodded vigorously, immediately tackling Nene into one of his bear hugs.

Why did he have to be here? We were in the middle of something important!

"Oooh, are those donuts? Did you make these, Nene?"

"Yeah! Would you like some?" Nene took a donut, handing it to the boy. Hanako narrowed his eyes, making sure Tsukasa didn't do anything else weird.

"Yashiro, you haven't tasted it yet. Why don't you go first? You made it after all." Hanako calmly spoke, but his face said anything but calm.

Nene blinked, confused, but nodded. "Sure. I've been wanting to try them anyways."

"Oh, oh! I'll feed you!" Tsukasa took the donut away from her hand and pointed it to her lips, which unfortunately struck a nerve with Hanako. "Say 'aah'!"

"Y-you really shouldn't... do such things so shamelessly, Tsukasa-kun..." Nene sweatdropped, embarrassed about having to be fed a donut like a little child.

Here comes Hanako to the rescue! He promptly put himself in between them and chomped down on the donut before it could reach Nene, smugly pulling away while he watched as Tsukasa's grin faltered at that.

"Amaneee!! Nene was gonna eat that!"

"Sorry." Hanako said, definitely not feeling sorry at all.

"It's okay Tsukasa-kun! I can just eat it on my own! Why don't you go first instead?" Nene handed Tsukasa another donut, which he took at last.

It was finally quiet once more. Just two ghosts, one girl, enjoying the weather, having tasty donuts. A little strange, but peaceful.

"Guess what? The vegetables me and Aoi planted long ago are ready for picking soon! They were really growing well, too!" Nene then spoke, a proud smile on her face.

"Eh? Like the radishes there?" Tsukasa wondered out loud, eyes automatically going to her legs. Nene felt her resolve crack, and a depressed aura surrounded her.

"That... was uncalled for..."

Way to go to upset her, genius. Hanako mouthed at his twin, as he tried to comfort the upset Nene, patting her head like he would. "He was just kidding, you know."

For the first time in his afterlife, Tsukasa actually felt... bad? Well, whatever it was, it rather distraught him he had upset her.

"You gotta show her that you care." Natsuhiko's words echoed somewhere in his cranium. "Give her a hug if she's feeling down."

Time to put that into action.

Nene jumped when she felt Tsukasa cling to her again, but this time, it wasn't like the usual type of hug he normally went for. In fact, it felt a little eerily similar to how Hanako had hugged her back in that time at the Confession Tree.

He pat her head, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "There, there. I'm sorry. Don't cry, okay?"

Eh? What? Nene was honestly surprised at this sudden gesture, but it wasn't like she hated it either. It was kinda nice of him to apologize, in a way.

Meanwhile, Hanako obviously wasn't taking this in too good. He was about to interfere, but then his conscience began to nag at him.

Let them be for now. It spoke to him, and as much as he hated it, he stayed put, just settling for watching over Nene while Tsukasa continued to comfort her.

Maybe it was about time for him to start being more obvious with his feelings?

One thing was for sure, he definitely had to step up his game now.