I haven't seen Kon'ya Gakuru since Christmas Break, or any Yokai for that matter. It's peaceful, and after meeting the Haradashi and even having my conversation with Kon'ya, I'm not so scared of them anymore. Sure, the sometimes-deadly creatures of Japanese legend are still kinda freaky and all, but I guess I'm learning that not all of them are bad. 

The weather is still pretty bad, but I skateboarded anyway because Leo can't stop what he doesn't find out about...hehe. I love the feeling of the biting-cold wind in my hair and on my cheeks, and for the first time in a little while I'm feeling pretty good! 

Things aren't just suddenly perfect, but they sure are okay. (Words to live by, guys)

As I kickflip my board and walk into school, I'm greeted by a mass of people. I catch sight of Donnie and wave to him. He waves back quickly before he gets surrounded by his new tech club friends and that makes my smile even wider. 

"Yo, Mikey!!" Mondo throws an arm around my shoulders and grins. "Think I'll get in trouble for this?" He holds out his arm to display his lizard, Lars, resting lazily on his shoulder.

"Only if I get in trouble for this." I counter as I jump back on my skateboard and whisk through the hallway- Which was a super bad idea and I end up slamming into the lockers. But it was so worth it. 

"OH- Good morning, you two!" Renet laughs as she closes her locker and helps me up. "Is that Lars? He's adorable! Mikey, you need to bring in Klunk next time." 

"Will do!" I smile at her (only her hehehe) and admire the fact that I have the best friends a guy could ask for. 

I don't think the Yokai are going to stay gone. I think I'm going to keep seeing them, even though I don't know exactly why I can in the first place. I'm learning to accept the fact that I can see them, though, and that maybe there's more to life than meets the eye. Plus, I have my brothers and my friends to help me through this, if I can manage to explain it to them.

The most important thing I've learned, though? No one is truly alone.

And pizza with apples and onions on top is the bomb. Dot com. 

Hey!! It's me, Turtle-Chan, the author! Thank you for staying throughout this journey. I hope this story brought at least a small smile to your face, and I hope you'll look forward to the sequel. Remember to laugh, love and pizza hahaha. 

"Well excuse me for being a glass-half-full kinda guy!!" -Mikey, 2012