Blessing in Disguise

The two sat there in silence. It had been a month since they last saw each other. Sayuri had spent those weeks under Shinyocho protection, and Hanako had been ordered by her father to stay away until things “died down.”

They finally did—at least on the surface. The message came in the form of a wooden box from Wanyudo-gumi. Sayuri wasn’t told what was inside, only that it was something she shouldn’t know until she was much older. Whatever it was, it ended the aggression between Wanyudo-gumi and Yukihana-ikka.

But nothing had ended between the Yukiharu and Natsume households.

Hanako set a large box of manju between them. She was grateful Sayuri had invited her over at all.

The window was open, the fan buzzing as it pushed warm air around the room.

“Hey—” they said at the same time.

Another long, awkward silence.

Sayuri swallowed first. “Hanako… are you still the Yukiharu Hanako I liked?”

Hanako blinked, then nodded without hesitation.

“I’m so relieved,” Sayuri whispered, “but… I wish I’d heard it from you directly.”

Hanako lowered her eyes. “I didn’t know how to say it, nor wanted to pull you into that world. You were the only normal part of my life. I wanted to keep that.”

Sayuri nodded slowly. “It must’ve been hard. Keeping all that inside for years.”

“It wasn’t something I could explain,” Hanako murmured. “And the longer I waited, the harder it got.”

They both stared at their tea. The fan buzzed on.

After a long breath, Sayuri spoke again. “Hanako… I have something to tell you too.”

Hanako looked up.

“I think I’ve been lying,” Sayuri said. “To you. And to myself.”

Her fingers tightened around her cup.

“At first it was just a question. Something small. I kept it buried because I thought you had the same question, and I didn’t want to make things weird.”

She exhaled shakily.

“But it changed. It grew. And then I wanted the answer for myself. I hated that. I hated that I was hiding it from you.”

Hanako stayed silent, letting her speak.

“So I made a promise. I told myself I’d stay close to him, and then… when the time was right, I’d help you get your answer too. Really help you.”

Sayuri’s voice wavered.

“You never showed interest in anyone until this year. I was happy. I thought you were finally letting people in.”

She swallowed.

“But after everything that happened… in the middle of all that chaos… I kept wanting to see him. Hoping I’d run into him. Wanting to talk to him. And it kept getting worse. It hurts that I haven’t seen him for almost a month.”

Her eyes glistened.

“He risked his life for me that day. And I never even got to thank him.”

That day.

The day Hanako put on the mask and accepted Yukikaze.

The day she decided she would save Sayuri and Minato, no matter the cost — even if it meant carrying the weight of the lives she took.

That day.

She imagined Sayuri and Minato together.

Holding hands.

Him carrying Sayuri the way Masaki carries her when Yukikaze leaves her shaking.

A future where Sayuri was safe… and Hanako was nowhere in it.

Everything that happened to Sayuri happened because of who Hanako was.

She couldn’t speak now — not the way Sayuri just did.

Sayuri was brave. Honest.

Hanako admired her for it.

But she was terrified that revealing Yukikaze would shatter her.

Sayuri couldn’t handle the school attack.

Or the fireworks.

Even inviting Hanako for a sleepover had been awkward, hesitant — a sign she was still trying to accept Hanako as Yukihana‑ikka’s heir.

Hanako hadn’t even accepted herself fully yet.

How many lives had she taken?

How many more would she take for her family?

She didn’t know.

She only knew that when she was asked whether she would kill for Sayuri…

the answer had come too easily.

She would.

She would do it again.

But would Sayuri accept that?

Accept her?

Accept Yukikaze?

She didn’t want to lose Sayuri.

She didn’t want to lose Minato either.

And whatever Sayuri was about to ask…

Hanako knew she couldn’t give her a straight answer.

And Sayuri wouldn’t wait.

She was sure of that.

The silence settled over them again, heavier this time.

Hanako waited, bracing herself for whatever words Sayuri had been holding back for a month. Across from her, Sayuri looked like she was gathering the courage to finally meet her eyes.

Hanako tried to imagine what those weeks under Shinyocho “protection” had been like—cut off, watched, told nothing. She’d reached out to Minato, but only a voice message came back. If Sayuri hadn’t been able to reach him either… then she must have been unbearably alone.

Hanako could wait a little longer.

Sayuri deserved that much at least.

“Hana-chan, are you not going to say anything?”

“I… felt you had something more to say than I did.”

Her throat tightened. The lie slipped out before she could stop it.

“I do… I…”

Sayuri drew in a shaky breath.

“I think I like Minato Ryuji-kun. I want to put my feelings into words and confess to him when we go back to school next week.”

The fan stirred the air, lifting Hanako’s hair and scattering it across her face.

“I wanted you to tell me… that I’m allowed to tell him that.”

Hanako held her breath, teeth sinking into her lower lip.

“Of course you can.” Hanako answered, thin and breathless.

Sayuri threw her arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder.

“Thank you… and I’m so sorry.”

Hanako’s hands hovered in the air, trembling, unsure where to land.

She forced them to rest on Sayuri’s back, barely touching.

Sayuri cried with relief.

Hanako swallowed the ache rising in her throat.

She had given her blessing.

And in doing so, she felt something inside her quietly break.