White Day (3)

Inside the employee lounge, Laura squared herself in front of Yasushi and his group. "So, what'd you bring me?" she started, her voice laced with a teasing edge. "Chocolates? I hope it's the ones I always liked." She leaned forward, hands on her hips, a grin spreading across her face.

Yasushi let out a chuckle. "You didn't even give us a chance — anyway, here." He held out a small box, meeting her gaze head-on.

Laura took it, eyes narrowing slightly as she flipped open the lid. Her expression shifted, confusion crossing her face before surprise took over. "Wha — are you serious?" she muttered, looking at him as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yeah," Yasushi replied. "Figured you'd appreciate them."

Laura slowly pulled out three boxes, one by one. The first one? Exactly what she expected — chocolates, the kind she always hinted at. But the surprises didn't stop there. The second box held a bottle of perfume, not unlike Alicia's signature scent, but from a different brand. Nestled beside it? Concert tickets, though the location was a stretch to call "nearby."

And the third box… She paused, eyes lingering on the object inside. A stun gun. Plain, utilitarian, and completely unexpected.

"A stun gun?" Laura's voice cracked as she stared at the unexpected gift. "I love the other stuff, but why... why a stun gun?"

Yasushi watched her, eyes narrowing, like he didn't want to push her too far but couldn't avoid saying it. "You know why, Laura. After everything, you're still on edge around people, especially men you don't know well. I mean, except for family or friends you've had forever."

Laura's eyes dropped to the floor, her hands tightening around the cold, unfamiliar device. Her face betrayed the struggle she thought she was keeping hidden. She knew the Moon Weaving event had left its mark.

She tried to convince herself she had moved past it, that it didn't shape her anymore. But she couldn't lie to herself. The weight of it all hung on her every day, no matter how much she tried to bury it.

"I know," she whispered, staring hard at the ground, trying to push down everything rising in her chest. "I just wanted... I wanted things to go back to normal."

"Laura," Jingliu's voice cut through the tension. She stepped closer, silent as she placed a small piece of paper into Laura's palm. "If you want, use it. You're not being forced, but you need help working through this."

Laura stared down at the paper in her hand, already knowing what it held — a list of therapists. She had spent a long time avoiding them, telling herself she could manage. But deep down, she knew it had to happen. She couldn't keep pretending anymore.

"Can you... help me?" Her voice barely escaped her lips. "I don't know if I can do this alone. And... I don't even have enough—"

Jingliu stepped in, cutting her off, her tone firm. "The therapist is someone who knows my family. They moved here from China a while ago. I'll ask them to take this on as a favor. I'll cover the cost myself. Is that okay?"

Laura blinked, stunned by the offer. She felt tears start to well up, a feeling she couldn't hold back anymore. She nodded, words failing her for a moment before she whispered, "Okay... thank you." She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Jingliu. Her body shook slightly as Jingliu returned the embrace without hesitation.

From the side, Yasushi and Yinhaie watched the exchange, their faces showing a quiet relief. Yasushi had debated with Jingliu about whether they should bring it up with Laura, unsure if it was their place.

But in the end, they knew it was right. Laura had helped Jingliu break through her own walls, had been the first real friend she'd ever had. They owed it to her. This was something they couldn't ignore.

After some time, they left, leaving Laura feeling more stable, her thoughts settling for the moment. Yinhaie, though, decided to hang back. She had this pull to stay, wanting to make sure Laura had someone nearby, just in case. Yasushi and Jingliu were fine with it, agreeing to let her know where they were headed and to meet up later when she felt Laura was good.

"Next stop... Catherine," Yasushi muttered, glancing at his phone, "She might be with Furuya or Xinyi." He tapped at his screen. "I'll text her. See where she's at."

It wasn't long before his phone buzzed back, Catherine's reply quick. She was at Furuya's place, so Yasushi gave a nod and said they'd head there instead.

Furuya's home wasn't far from Laura's — about a fifteen-minute walk. The streets passed by in a blur as they navigated through the neighborhood. When they arrived, Yasushi pressed the doorbell. The house in front of them? A simple, modern Japanese home, nothing out of the ordinary.

After a few moments, the door opened, and Catherine stood there, stepping aside. "Come in," she said, leading them upstairs to Furuya's room. "Furuya's parents aren't home today. They're out, celebrating White Day together."

"So, he called you over, huh?" Yasushi teased, smirking. "Sorry for crashing your little love nest, we won't stay long."

Catherine's face flushed as she tried to protest. "W-we weren't—" she began but quickly gave up, knowing Yasushi wasn't serious enough to fight against. They walked into the room to find Furuya focused on his PlayStation, engrossed in whatever game he was playing.

Furuya glanced up, pausing the game and tossing the controller onto the bed. "Oh, White Day presents, huh? You always go all out, man. I'm just chilling today — got the day off, figured I'd relax with Catherine."

Jingliu shot Catherine a look, half-curious. "Did he get you anything for White Day?"

Furuya coughed, almost choking on his own spit, then blurted out, "Y-yeah, I did! You think I'm some asshole? Of course I got her something!"

"I didn't accuse you of anything, Furuya. I just asked if you gave her anything," Jingliu said, her voice flat, though a hint of amusement flickered across her face for a second.

Yasushi exhaled, almost like he was tired of the back-and-forth. "We all know what's going on here. Anyway, I'm not here for all that. I'm just handing out gifts." He reached into his bag, pulling out two small boxes, tossing one to Furuya and holding one out for Catherine. The confusion was clear on both of their faces.

"What the hell? I get something too?" Furuya asked, surprised. Yasushi didn't bother with a reply, just gave a nod.

Furuya caught it and tore into it without waiting, laughing as soon as he saw what was inside. "Oh wow, money and a watch I wanted! Gee, I feel so special. Thanks, man!" he chuckled, but there was some genuine gratitude in his voice despite the sarcasm.

"Mmm," Yasushi grunted, watching as Catherine opened hers, her expression lighting up as she giggled softly.

"Thank you," she said, holding up the scarf, a box of chocolates, and a phone case. They were things she'd planned on buying for herself but hadn't gotten around to yet.

"Well, I guess we'll leave you two alone now," Yasushi said before turning to leave.

"It's not like that!" Furuya yelled, his face heating up, though it didn't stop Catherine's from doing the same. Yasushi and Jingliu both kept walking, a quiet laugh escaping as they left Furuya behind.

Once outside, Yasushi and Jingliu were ready for their last stop — Xinyi's place. Her home was far, though, and neither seemed too keen on walking the whole way. Before setting out, Yasushi shot Yinhaie a message, letting her know they were heading to Xinyi's next.

Moments later, a text popped up from Yinhaie, "Wait, I'll drive you. Just give me a few minutes."

"Looks like we're waiting," Yasushi muttered as they stood outside Furuya's house. They didn't have to wait long, though. Within twenty minutes, Yinhaie pulled up, and they climbed into her car. Without a word, they set off toward Xinyi's place.

+-+

"Huh? Oh, hey!" Xinyi blurted out when she spotted Yasushi, Yinhaie, and Jingliu at her door. She hadn't expected anyone to show up.

Scrambling a bit, she tried to make herself more presentable, glancing at her outfit—white turtleneck, black shorts, and bare feet. "Didn't think you'd actually come over. What's going on?" She felt her heart race, realizing Yasushi was standing in her room.

"White Day. You forgot?" Yasushi shot back, smirking as he walked closer, handing her a box.

"Ah, right... thanks," she mumbled, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers as she accepted the box. Her hands fumbled slightly as she opened it slowly, taking a quick breath. Once she got it open, she froze for a moment, staring inside, her face heating up. "You really didn't have to do all this..."

Inside, Xinyi found a smaller box tucked within, and beside it, a large box of chocolates. She set the chocolates on her bed and carefully opened the smaller box, revealing a silver necklace with a red ruby gleaming inside.

"We hung out a while back, and you mentioned wanting it, but your budget had dried up," Yasushi explained, watching her reaction closely. "It wasn't too expensive, so I figured why not." His words left her speechless, and then he added, "Want help putting it on?"

Xinyi's face burned red as she nodded, unable to say much. Yasushi gave a short chuckle before grabbing the necklace, walking behind her and fastening it around her neck. The clasp clicked into place, and he stepped back, checking his work.

"Looks good," he said, but his tone shifted after. "Anyway, we're not just here to hang out. There's something we need to talk about. It's serious, Xinyi."

Her nerves kicked in, voice trembling as she asked, "S-serious? What do you mean? What's this about?" She looked from him to Jingliu and Yinhaie, her hands fidgeting now, anxiety creeping in.

Yasushi's gaze didn't falter. "Yeah. It's something I need your help with." He raised his hand, which left her even more confused.

"Wait, what are you—" she started to ask, but the words died in her throat as a cold swirl of snowflakes filled the room. A woman, radiating beauty, appeared out of nowhere next to Yasushi, leaving Xinyi utterly stunned.

"Huh?! W-who the hell is that?!" Xinyi nearly shouted, stepping back in shock. "How did she even get here? What is this, some kind of prank? Where are the cameras?!"

Jingliu moved toward her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Enough. Sit down," she said. Xinyi hesitated, wide-eyed, but eventually dropped onto her bed, glancing around, confused as hell.

Jingliu and Yinhaie took seats wherever they could. Yasushi lowered himself onto the floor, unbothered, legs crossed as he stared at her.

Then, without wasting time, they laid everything out: the supernatural, the twisted reality Yasushi was stuck in, his rebirth, and the stuff she never imagined could be real. Hakufubuki stood nearby the whole time, wordless but there to back up every impossible claim.

Xinyi sat frozen, listening, barely processing, torn between disbelief and the truth staring her in the face. After watching Hakufubuki appear like that, though, part of her couldn't deny it any longer. When they finished, she stayed silent for a few long seconds, still too stunned to say anything.

Finally, she managed, "Okay... So, uh... I don't want Yasushi to die, and I'll go along with this." Her words were shaky. "But, uh... What happens now?" She didn't sound convinced, still processing everything thrown at her, completely unsure of what she'd just agreed to.

Hakufubuki stepped closer, standing in front of Xinyi, who looked up at her with wide eyes. A flick of Hakufubuki's hand conjured a strange symbol made of ice, floating effortlessly in her palm. Without warning, a bunch of tiny fairies, also made of ice, fluttered around her. They circled the room, their voices light and almost playful.

"It's Yasushi~ hi, hi~"

"It's Jingling~"

"Yinyin~"

"The Red-Haired Mistress~"

Their cheerful tones left Xinyi stunned. She sat frozen, her mind racing, unable to wrap her head around what she was seeing. The cold against her cheek from one of the fairies poking her face felt way too real to be some kind of trick. It was undeniable now, even if it didn't make sense.

Her thoughts snapped back when she heard the last title. "Wait, who the hell are you calling 'Red-Haired Mistress'!?" Her face turned crimson as her eyes darted between Yasushi and Jingliu, hoping they weren't involved in this teasing.

The fairies didn't care. Giggling, they swarmed her, poking and pinching her, playing with her hair and jabbing at her arms. Xinyi's annoyance grew, and her tolerance hit its breaking point in seconds.

"Enough! That's driving me crazy!" she shouted, flailing her arms, trying to shake them off, her patience long gone.

"Boo~ she's no fun," the little fairies mocked, fluttering back to Hakufubuki, some finding their perch on Yasushi's head like they belonged there.

Yasushi looked over at Xinyi, who rubbed her temples, still trying to process it all. "So, you believe us now?" His voice cut through the confusion. Xinyi let out a long sigh, nodding in resignation.

"Good. Just be ready before we graduate, okay? You might see her again... and others. Some of the gods might send more people to keep an eye on us." He leaned back, not too bothered by what he'd just said.

Xinyi pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache forming. "This is gonna be a nightmare, isn't it?" Her words dripped with exhaustion. "I didn't expect my White Day to go like this."

The conversation dragged on as they spent hours diving into things Xinyi had never even imagined — the supernatural, the gods, the hidden forces that Yasushi was tangled up in. It took her a while to come to terms with it all, even longer to ask the right questions. But three hours later, after they had covered everything they could, it felt like the last bit of energy had been drained out of her.

When they finally left, Yasushi, Jingliu, and Yinhaie headed straight back to the room he shared with Jingliu, ready to settle down and go over what still needed to be done now that Yasushi had finished his other business for the day.

"Here," Yasushi said, reaching into the drawer by his bed. He pulled out two small boxes. Without saying anything more, he handed one to Jingliu, the other to Yinhaie. They took the boxes, looking between them and him before lifting the lids.

The moment they saw what was inside, their eyes went wide, the surprise obvious on their faces.