Intertwined Fates

Chapter 5 

Inside the old classroom is another day of their tutoring session. As usual, Haruto is discussing the topics Mae couldn't understand. She improves day by day in her academic tasks and activities. Surely, Mae will graduate with the highest grade in no time. The two have already discussed that when the time comes her wish is fulfilled, they will have to go their separate ways. However, Mae wishes to Haruto again to make Felix fall in love with her. 

"And that's it for today's physics mock quiz. I see that you've improved. Good job, Mae." Haruto praised Mae for her achievement.

She smiled at Haruto before arranging her books and putting them into her bag. 

"Oh, I almost forgot... here!" Haruto reached out for a small pouch in his pocket, putting it on the teacher's table.

Mae looked at him with a baffled look, then at the pouch. She took the pouch and opened it to see what it was. "A bunch of... Candies..? Mm these look very yummy. Why are you giving these to me?" Mae asked. Before Haruto could speak, she ate one candy from the pouch. The sweet aroma emitting from it was tempting her to eat those sweets.

"Ah! Why did you eat one…!" 

"What? Why? Are these dangerous??" Mae said while starting to panic.

"I don't think so... I've had them in me for a while now… They're called Matchmaking candies. I met a ghost cupid a few years ago and stole these candies from him. I thought it was ordinary sweets until my fellow ghost told me they were matchmaking candies. Luckily, I didn't eat one- uhh... Don't tell anyone I stole them though..!" he blurted out the words he shouldn't have said. "Anyway, I thought of giving those to you. It will strengthen your bond with that guy and be matched together for life."

"But didn't you say it's dangerous to use spiritual objects or something!?" Mae remembered the wishing conditions and was panicking even more.

"Well, I think it's safe... I used these matchmaking candies in granting wishes to couples before, they were fine. I only expected that you consume those after telling Felix how you felt before giving him the other pair so you both eat the candy together." Haruto clarified.

"Oh no… I ate one without Felix..! Will something bad going to happen!?" 

"As far as I know, I don't think so... I mean, it's not like you both have to eat it simultaneously... You should just give the other pair of matchmaking candy to him, then you'll be matched for life." He said, raising his transparent arms and pointing towards the door. "Go, confess to him, and make him eat the paired candy. I think his class just got dismissed by their teachers. Use this opportunity to tell him about your feelings!" Haruto cheered for Mae.

"Thank you, Haruto! I won't let you down!" Mae said, hastily storming off the old classroom to find Felix.

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Mae ran towards the other school building where the senior high students were using. She went through the halls, then up to the staircases. She passed by several classrooms where students had been dismissed by their teachers. She stopped in front of a specific classroom and looked for Felix. 

He wasn't there. She proceeded to find Felix outside of his classroom, and then outside of the building. She even checked the gym and the cafeteria to see if he was there. Unfortunately, he was yet to be found. She ran again to the next building, down to the corridors. 

Mae immediately ceased running and quickly hid in the nearest column.

She just saw Felix with a girl..!

The girl has eyes as deep and dark as the night sky, and a small, round nose. Her face is flawless, with skin as smooth as a baby's. Her lips are full and pink, and slightly upturned at the corners. Her hair fell in waves over her shoulders and down her back, framing her delicate features. Her body is slim and slender but with a subtle hint of curves.

Wow… she's even prettier than me... 

In front of him, the girl was squirming and rubbing her fingers together nervously. Her lips pursed and her cheeks flushed red as she opened her mouth.

"U-uhm. Felix, I… The truth is... I like you, Felix! I liked you from the moment I saw you! And… I want to know... how you feel about… me…" Mae heard the girl speak. 

Oh no..! I knew she would say that... I hope Felix will say no… 

"Uhm... I'm sorry," Felix gave her an awkward look. "But I don't feel the same way.."

He doesn't feel the same way! It means I still have a chance! Mae received a ray of hope.

"I hope you understand... I already have a girl I like." Felix added.

The ray of hope has been shattered.

"The girl you like… I understand. I'm... very sorry for the trouble I caused." She heard the pretty girl apologize.

Mae gripped the pouch in her hand as hard as her heart squeezed tighter and tighter. That's right... She realized how selfish she was. It dawned on her that she would be forcing Felix to like her if she ought to use the candy on him. She doesn't want to force Felix to be matched with her for life while Felix's heart belongs to someone else. 

If only it's enough for her to be just friends, support him, and help him from his troubles. If only she could accept that things don't simply go in her way. If only...

Mae suddenly felt a throbbing ache in her head. Not long after, the intensity of the pain increased. It was so painful that she screamed and cried, yet no one heard her. She felt something growing out of her head. Wait, not only from her head.. but, from her... buttocks too…? 

She fainted.

Several hours passed

She slowly gained consciousness and realized she was back in the old classroom. When she got up, a loud 'bang' was heard, it was a metal that hit her head. What?

She also noticed the metal bars in front of her, and the walls behind the bars had become enormous.

"You're awake." Mae heard the Wishing Ghost speak. When she turned where Haruto was, she had to lift her head to face him.

The bars in front of her... She's in a.. cage!?? How did she fit in a small cage? She looked around and saw her hands... Only it wasn't a hand. It was a paw. 

"What happened to me!??" Mae said in trepidation.

Haruto opened the cage and carried Mae to put her in a more comfortable place. He brought out a mirror and faced it toward her. 

"Ta-daa~ You're a fox now!" Haruto said enthusiastically.

"HUUUHHHHH!?!?" She furiously grabbed the mirror and saw the reflection of an adorable fluffy fox. She could tell she wasn't an ordinary fox you can see in the wild. The color of her fur has light and dark shades of red that are the same as her hair color. She has 4 tails and her voice is now pitched a bit higher. She also has fluffy ears and paws.

"What happened? Why did I become like this?? And why did you put me in the cage???" Mae asked, totally stupefied of what was going on.

"That's because you look like a dog so I thought of putting you in the cage and making you my pet~" 

Mae bit the ghost hard.

"Gah..!" Haruto jumped out of surprise at her sudden attack. "I was just joking! I knew I should've kept you in the cage!"

"Stop saying nonsense, Haru!"

Haruto sighed. "I don't know much about these Matchmaking candies. I told you that if two people took the candies, you'd be matched for life. I only knew earlier that if the other person failed to eat the other pair, you'd get the opposite of what you desired."

The opposite….?

"You'll be cursed for life." He added. "He didn't take the other pair, right? What happened?"

Mae sat there quietly.

"Don't tell me... You got rejected??? Hahaha!!! Mae got rejected-" Mae bit Haruto hard again. 

"It's not like that! It's just..." Mae sighed in a dejected manner. "I realized that I've been forcing Felix to like me... I didn't even consider his feelings at first, and I was being selfish. That's why, I've decided not to give the other pair to him..." Haruto remained silent and waited for her to finish talking.

"What am I going to do now, Haru? I'm cursed for life. You won't be able to grant my first wish if I'm in this state. I still want to become human..!" She sobbed.

"Crying won't solve the problem. Tsk tsk tsk... You brought this upon yourself." Haruto stared menacingly at Mae "Well, I'm most likely at fault too since I gave you these candies without knowing the dangers it may bring. Do you wish to become a human? Fine, I'll grant you your wish. Hitting two birds in one stone isn't that hard." He added. 

Mae didn't understand what he was talking about, but she didn't pay much attention to those things, only the part where Haruto could bring her back into a human. "Really?? How would you do that??" 

"I'll just eat the other pair of the candy, then you'll be human again."

"Eat the other pair..?"

"You jump on three, okay? 1… 2…"

"W-wait..!"

"3..!"

While he ate the paired candy, Mae jumped at the same time. A light was emitted through her fox body while she was up in the air. Due to Mae's hurried jump, she failed to balance herself while falling. She expected that her body would hit the ground, so she was ready to feel the pain, but someone caught her.

Mae felt a cold hand rest behind her shoulders and the other behind her knees. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the ghost caught her. She could see Haruto's face closer to hers. Her head was resting against his chest while staring at him. This was the first time she felt his transparent body against her skin. It wasn't particularly warm or anything. She couldn't hear any heartbeat coming through his chest. It feels like touching a corpse. 

"...!" She suddenly pushed him away as her feet fell on the ground.

"Haruto… I can touch you!" Mae noticed. "How did that happen??"

"I ate the other paired candy, right? Now we're matched for life" He replied.

"We..? Matched for life..?" 

Haruto held both of her hands and leaned closer. "You want a guy that will like you back, right? And you also wished to become human. Eating the paired candy can turn you back to normal. Two birds in one stone." Like an intertwined fate, they intertwined hands as the two shared an unbreakable bond. They looked at each other for a long time without saying anything.

Haruto eventually pulled his hand away and cupped one of her cheeks. His head leaned closer to Mae's, their foreheads touching each other. 

"Our soul and our fate have now bonded together. Nothing can break this bond or split us apart. Our lives have intertwined and matched for life."

Her gaze glued to Haruto's, still leaving a hand on her cheek. Mae also raised her hand to hold his on her cheek. Dried leaves entered the old classroom and the mighty wind blew through them. Before she knew it, her fate had changed.

Extra

After the whole thing about touching and feeling each other out, Haruto finally let go. The main heroine shivered and sniffed a snot when a cold wind brushed against her skin. That's when she noticed that her clothes had changed. It wasn't the winter uniform she was wearing earlier. 

The dress was maroon in color, suited for summer-themed outfits. It has several layers of skirt, making it more bouncy and fluffy. "Wow, Haru… I didn't know that changing from a fox to a human meant a wardrobe change… This dress is so cute! I might have to show it to my friends and Felix!"

"Cheating on me now, aren't we..? Anyway, I wouldn't want to suggest that."

She crossed her arms. "And why?"

"...You still had those ears and tails."

Mae shot a suspicious glance at Haruto before placing her hands on her head and her back, patting it to check if his words were true. Unexpectedly, she felt a fluffy texture on either of those places. "KYAAAAA!"

"D-don't worry! It'll probably disappear for a few hours or so… Hey, I heard there's an anime convention nearby. No one would question your appearance since you're one of those sexy bunny girls cosplaying!"

"Haru!!!"