[Hanako] Massive Attack

Massive Attack
[Hanako Extra]

"Hisao, is that you?" The same greeting I came to expect from the room where Lilly and Hanako resided in their free time. "Yeah. How's it going Lilly?" A faint smile and her hands folded over one another. "Very well, actually. Hanako and I were just about to leave and go to the Shanghai. Would you like to accompany me?" She asked. Always so ladylike. It made me feel like I ought to be wearing a suit, monocle and top hat so that I could properly address her as a gentleman.

"That sounds nice, actually." I glanced over to Hanako, who was hiding her face with a book. She had become a lot more... well, I couldn't say she had gotten /more/ shy, but I wanted to say she seemed more reclusive around me. More blushing, less talking, slightly avoidant. It kind of worried me, I really had grown to enjoy her company lately and her soft voice being absent was beginning to leave a small void in me lately.

The two stood up, putting away the tea set and Hanako's books. I moved towards the table to help out. At least this meant I'd get to spend time with her a little more, which was always nice.

We took the same trip as we always did, walking down the hill and through the familiar streets of the town below to the Shanghai. But along the way, I saw something I usually didn't.

A stray cat!

I had a serious soft spot for cats, so I knelt down and extended a hand. I made a clicking sound with my tongue to catch its attention and the stray turned its head towards me. "Hisao, what're you doing?" Lilly asked inquisitively. Of course she'd be confused, she was blind. "Oh, I saw a stray cat so I wanted to pet it a little." The little tabby cat trotted over to me, seeming to assume I was a friendly person. "Y-you like cats H-Hisao?" She asked as I sat down on the sidewalk, petting the cat while it rubbed its head against my knee.

"Yeah, I love them. Some people give them a bad rap for being 'boring' or 'solitary' animals, but they're just smart. They know when someone wants to be alone or if someone wants to be with them. That's why most people who don't like cats never get to see this lovable side of them." The cat jumped onto my lap, putting and headbutting my chest softly, causing me to chuckle. Hanako seemed to blush a little, glancing away but smiling all the same.

"How unexpected, I was slightly under the impression that you didn't care for many animals." Lilly said with a smile. "Well, you're pretty much right. I just really like cats. I've had one since I was a kid and whenever I was in a bad mood, my cat would make sure to cheer my up by just being around me." They were good pets, I sort of missed my cat. How long had it been since I'd seen her?

"Well, I shouldn't hold us up for too long. Maybe I'll run into this stray again." I said as I gently nudged the cat off of my lap and stood up, patting the animal fur off of my slacks. The cat meowed at me for a second and then looked to the other two standing near me. It meowed at Hanako and then approached her, at first nudging her leg with its head and then standing on its hind legs with its front paws against her leg, one paw outstretched towards her hand.

Hanako was a bit surprised, but then pet the cat for a little. "See? The cat can tell that you want it. I've found most cats just want mutual happiness." She nodded quietly. It looked like she was thinking. I wanted to offer her a penny for her thoughts, but I decided to give her space. Hanako had seemed to be giving me a little bit of a berth, so I wanted her to have the space she needed, even if it made me feel a little more lonely not having one of my friends around as often.

Our trip to the Shanghai was same as ever, except Hanako actually brought up some questions about my past and my home life. She asked if I still missed my cat, to which I nodded. Having a pet for a large portion of your life and then being without one suddenly was pretty depressing at times. Sometimes when you just needed to say something and have someone listen, a pet filled that role and always returned your words with love.

A week passed since then and Hanako remained as reclusive as ever. When I asked Lilly about it, she just gave me a coy smile and informed me that it was a secret as to why she was avoiding me. I tried pressing her, but she deflected the topic rather deftly. At the least judging by her expressions, the secret wasn't bad and I didn't do something that had upset her.

I was laying on my bed one day, reading a book when my phone rang. Without taking my eyes from the book, I opened the phone and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked. A stammering soft voice responded. "H-Hisao? Can you come to my r-r-room? I have something important I n-need to talk to you about." I sat up, putting my book down on the bed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my first response being a caring one. It wasn't often that Hanako reached out for any reason, so I felt this must be an important one. "Y-yeah... I just really need to t-talk to you." She said. I nodded, grabbing my jacket and throwing it on. "Yeah, I'll been there in a few." I couldn't shake the strange sense of urgency I had heard in her voice, so I head over as quickly as I could go.

When I knocked on the door, Hanako's voice responded from inside quickly. "I-it's open, c-come in." She sounded nervous. What was wrong?

When I opened the door and closed it behind me, I walked in to be greeted by the sight of Hanako standing in the middle of her room, waiting for me. Her face was bright red and her head was tilted down, although her eyes were angled up at mine. She was wearing a black dress and... a cat headband?

My heart skipped a beat and I felt a dull ache enter my chest as I was overwhelmed with how unbearingly cute this girl was. I understood what had been going on. She had been avoiding me because she didn't know how to handle her feelings for me. But after finding out that I loved cats the other day, she was doing this. Was this... a confession?

She leveled her head with mine and asked me a question while reaching to her headband.

"H-Hisao, d-d-do you l-love me too?"

T K O






"H-Hisao?!"