#soukawa

She slumped under a tree near her house, covered in oil and sweat. Taking after her father once she was old enough to was difficult. Her father, a mechanic, often had her skip school to help with projects in the auto shop. At least she was gaining some experience (and some muscle) because of it. Toko shifted slightly, feeling a knot of wood poking against her lower back.

And that was when she heard low humming. A piece of paper being picked up and crumpled. Said paper being thrown away. The paper reflected off of Toko's round glasses and landed a few feet away from her. But who could possibly be out here at this time of day? Most people were usually working or at school, not sitting under a tree. Well, besides her, of course.

Toko closed her eyes, trying to ignore her inner thoughts. It was probably a child too young to be in school. What she needed right now was just to relax. No dad, no moms, just nature and a cool breeze. And no belt, no switch, no calloused hand against her slowly tanning skin. A tear slid down her face, though she was so grimy that she barely noticed.

“You okay?”

Suddenly, a crackly voice cut through her thoughts. She looked up, seeing someone with a notebook in hand. They were dressed in a button-up shirt and cargo pants, but Toko couldn't discern any features. The person dropped down next to her. “You're crying,” they said bluntly.

Toko blinked, realizing that her glasses were fogged up. She took them off and smiled weakly. “I- yeah,” she replied, hooking one of the wings of her glasses into her tank top. “Overwhelmed.” That was the simplest way to put it, she supposed. The other person chuckled, revealing sharp teeth.

“I get it. I come out here when I feel bad too. Kazuya, by the way. Nice to meet you.” Kazuya offered a hand to the mechanic. Toko took her hand, getting a proper look at them for the first time. “You?”

“Toko. I work at the shop nearby.” She thumbed in the direction of the auto shop, which Kazuya looked over to.

“Oh, sweet! Pops got his truck fixed there, y'all are great.” She squinted at Toko for a second. “Yeah, I recognize you! You go to Hope's Peak, right?”

“Yeah…” The mechanic wasn't sure what else to say. “So, your notebook. What're you writing about?”

“I'm trying to write about a ghost and her human lover.” Sighing, Kazuya showed a page to Toko, which she read. The first few paragraphs talked about a room which the ghost woman sat in. Her description seemed awfully close to Kazuya's own looks, though she didn't comment on it. “I just can't think of a good way to make her meet the new owner of the house. They stay out of each other's way at first, but then they fall in love.”

“Hmm…” Tilting her head, Toko picked up the pencil that Kazuya had dropped and flipped to the back of the notebook. After tearing out the last sheet of paper, she scribbled down a thought. Kazuya's writing style was complex and wistful, nothing like Toko, but she had an idea. In short, the ghost woman would be startled by the sight of food and try to eat it, only to realize that the human was staring at her. They avoid each other in embarrassment until the human starts crying from loneliness.

Handing the paper to the writer, Toko giggled and glanced away. “I'm not good at this, but maybe it could work.” As Kazuya scanned the paper, she grew more and more nervous. The paper dropped from the other girl's hand. “I, so uhh…”

“It's perfect!” Kazuya lunged forward and hugged Toko, smushing her face into the latter's neck. “It's amazing, Toko, thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Suddenly, Toko became aware of her scent. “I'm sorry, I smell horrible.”

“I do too!” Chuckling, Kazuya pulled away. “Maybe you can come to my house for a bath?” When the mechanic seemed terrified at the idea, she frowned. “Or we can hose off in the backyard?”

Well, it wasn't a bath, and it sounded fun. Toko nodded and stood up, and Kazuya took her hand to lead her away. She didn't live that far away, apparently, and before Toko knew it she was standing behind a single-story, run down looking house. Kazuya picked up a bar of soap and a rag.

“This was for cleaning the dog, but dad let her go…” The girl trailed off, then grinned. “Here! I'll start the hose.” She ran back and started the hose up, then suddenly blasted Toko with cold water. They both laughed as Kazuya directed the hose at her chest, and Toko began to rub the soap along her arms for her new friend to wash away. Then, the writer turned down the pressure on the hose for Toko to wash her face.

When she was done, her tank top and shorts were soaked. “Your turn,” she joked, holding the hose end up for Kazuya to take. They laughed again, and the other girl shook her head.

“No, it's fine. I-”

“BOY!”

Kazuya froze. She ran to turn off the hose, then shushed Toko with her finger. “Oh god, he's awake,” she whispered. “I'm supposed to be at school. I'll get you over the fence, don't worry about me.”

“Will you be okay?” Toko whispered back.

“Just go!”

Shaking her head, Toko ran to the fence and Kazuya heaved her over. She ran all the way back to the tree she had originally sat under. Readjusting her glasses, she realized that Kazuya's notebook and pencil still lay there. Her own father would need her soon. Although her clothes were soaked through, that didn't make her nearly as upset as what happened to Kazuya. Hopefully they'd both be at school tomorrow and Toko could give it back.

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