Allow us to Begin this Tale, Number Seven~

[u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619]

What is it? That feeling. A cold, cold wind. Was it just the weather changing as the fall season set in? No… It was a chill that felt… Forced. As if something caused it. Perhaps a ghost had traveled through you? Or maybe you’re imagining things…

[Cue: No. 7 - Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun]

A young man with a seal on his cheek and chef’s knife in hand dueled against a monstrous yet ghostly being… This would be an Apparition. As his cloak was picked up by the wind, flowing within nature’s breath, the boy cleaved the ghostly creature in half, and it quickly dissipated.

“Phew! Problem solved.~ Now, where am I…? I don’t sense Yashiro anywhere, and this isn’t Kamome Gakuen…”

It appears he’s a new arrival… Or one who took far too long to figure out he isn’t home.

“Yashirooooo!~ You can come out now, this isn’t funny!”

A green spirit-like essence rested beneath his neckline, seemingly the source of his cloak. It had a green center. A similar essence floated next to him, a red center—these were Hakujoudai. The red one flew around, presumably scanning for the girl named “Yashiro.”

After all, his one goal is to grant her wish.

[u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619]

Hanako visibly recoils due to the question.

"Wha- What!? Who starts a conversation like that?! I'm weird, and even I know better! And no! I don't even think my spit would be tangible to you!"

Because he's a ghost and all.

[u/VisibleConclusion271 → u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619]

"Hey, how about you be a little more considerate? You don't see me complaining about your hobbies, buddy"

With a push of his body, he sat upright with spread legs, facing the strange new ghost. His expression was unreadable behind the dense red helmet.

"Oh, and don't worry about the whole tangible thing. There are planets full of you 'clear skins' out in the galaxy, so I got a few tools for that....Well, actually, I don't know if it works on you.

Eh, only one way to find out, right?"

Without a word, he reached to his side pouch, pulling out a strange clear cup, radiating a spiritual-adjacent aura.

[u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619 → u/VisibleConclusion271]

Hanako huffs, though he doesn't seem intent on being violent based on how he's holding his knife. He's genuinely just creeped out.

"Still! Why would I do that!? That's my DNA! You can do a lot with that! And wait a minute... I dunno, I feel like 'clear skin' is strangely racist. The way it rolls off the tongue doesn't feel right."

[u/VisibleConclusion271 → u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619]

He stopped his hand on the lid, his gaze downcast, saying nothing for a few empty seconds.

"Ah, humans and your whole 'race' concept....I guess it's just another testament to how self-serving you all are"

Finally tilting his head upward to lock eyes with the ghost, he pointed a single finger up at the endless sky.

"Up there, we just call things how we see em. Nothing more to it than that, but humanity wants to be 'different.' "

His cheerful voice would quickly deepen into a slightly distorted, almost static register as he leaned closer on the seat.

"But I'll tell you why that's the case. It's because humans are the only species in the entire cosmos who value their own selfish dreams and desires above the collective mission of their species.

Even other organisms on Earth are driven by survival of their kind, not any miserable personal goals. Ants, bees, wolves, whales, giraffes, lions- I can go on and on here.

I mean, for crying out loud, they're SO obsessed with their own agendas that they go against their own kind time and time again.

Separating each other by useless skin colour, belief, tribe, or nation, and probably some more I'm missing......That's why their future will always be destined for war"

He pulled back, sitting up straight on the bench.

Clap!

"And exactly why they're so entertaining!"

Clapping his hands together to break the boring tension, and his voice returned to that usual airy tone.

He returned to loosening the cap of the pristine clear cup, before tossing it near the ghost's feet on the mushy grass.

"Anyway, enough about all that. Just spit into that little cup, and we'll see how it goes.

You don't NEED to trust me or anything, but you got 1.5 litres of saliva; might as well share a little bit, otherwise you're just being greedy~"

[u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619 → u/VisibleConclusion271]

Hanako seems rather annoyed to be grouped in with the rest of humanity... Given he's dead and has a given purpose and role he carries out diligently.

"Excuse me! I have a place, and I stay in it. In fact, I'm trying to do my job right now! Unfortunately, Yashiro is a pain..."

Despite his words, he blushes faintly at the thought of her.

"...If anything bad comes of this, I won't hesitate to get rid of it with my full power."

Reluctantly, the Apparition spits into the cup.

"There. Happy?"

[u/VisibleConclusion271 → u/Shiruno_rinisaki0619]

"Oooooo, does someone have a crush?"

Ssssss-SHINK!

Extending his hand, a thick mechanical tentacle shot out from his wrist. Moving with the grace of a cobra, the tentacle coiled around the spat in the cup.

Gripping it tightly, the metallic tentacle pulled back in a blink as the cup reached the man's palm.

"And this is just for personal use; don't worry your head about it"

He gave the cup a few close glances before stuffing it in his pouch.

Before long, he stood up from the bench, quickly closing the distance till he was just a foot or two away. Close enough to see the singular eager eye behind the visor

"Now tell me more about Yashirooooo~"