Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Never Leave- Part 2

[author: Still here? Then let me deliver...]

.................

 

Haruki shifted in his slumber and grumbled something before slowly fluttering to wake. He propped himself onto an elbow and rubbed his eyes, yawning loudly as his blurred-vision cleared. In a slightly muddled daze, he examined his surroundings.

Oh, right... the unfamiliar clock on the wall made him recall where he was.

"I wonder if he's awake yet," yawning again, he shuffled out of bed and made his way out of the room. I doubt he even knows I'm here yet—

Who knew he'd be met by a 'crouching figure' the minute he walked out of the door, which made him jump and shriek.

"AHHH!"

Said crouching figure flinched into wake, having been startled by the sudden noise, and stared dazedly up at the person who'd walked out the room he'd been 'guarding'.

The two boys stared at each other for a while; one standing in a frightened stance, the other sitting with his knees drawn up to support his head.

"What the— why are you sitting there??" the older kid griped.

**

"I see, so you had trouble sleeping," Haruki nodded in understanding once Kentaro had explained his reasons for camping outside the bedroom door. The two of them had already settled in the kitchen, with Haruki preparing both of them simple bowls of warm cereal.

It was only eight in the morning, so there was no rush in making any real food just yet. Both of them were fresh from slumber and only trying to shake off the post-wake up exhaustion.

"You could've just come and joined me instead of perching yourself at the door and on the hard, cold floor," Haruki spoke as he placed ne bowl of cereal in front of Ken with a spoon, "You know, since you were awake when I came."

Kentaro's gaze stayed glued on the contents in his bowl while he spoke in a low voice, "I was afraid you'd chase me out."

"I wouldn't have," Haruki started digging into his own food, "I'd have been a little surprised, sure, but I certainly wouldn't have chased you off."

"Don't you think it's childish?"

Speaking with his mouth full, Haruki begged to differ, "There's nothing wrong with wanting company when you sleep, especially for people who have trouble sleeping alone."

Kentaro nodded slightly and picked up his spoon to eat his own food. However, his eyes kept stealing glances at the person across him, as if he feared the guy would suddenly vanish.

"What's up?" Haruki noticed and began examining himself, "Do I have something on me?"

"You're not going to school today?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because your 'Auntie' told me not to," Haru's lips curled into a smile, "She said I had to take good care of her 'Ken-chan'."

However, Kentaro's expression grew a little complicated, "Your parents know about what happened?"

"Yeah, I told them about it," he told him. Just then, he suddenly recalled something important and paused eating, breaking into a cold sweat.

Shit, it wasn't my business to share what he wanted kept secret!!

He gave his lips a few tiny slaps, avoiding the kid's gaze, "My. Rotten. Mouth."

"It's fine."

Haruki was a little stunned, "You sure?"

Ginger nodded and continued to eat his food, "You thought it was okay, so I think so too."

But Haruki felt rather ashamed when Kentaro said that.

Yesterday was a mess. He probably thinks he has no choice but to share what he doesn't want to now.

Clearing his throat, Haruki started, "Uh Ginger, about what I said yesterday, it's fine if you don't tell me anything related to your past. I won't pry anymore."

Kentaro's hand paused mid-air but didn't meet the other boy's gaze.

He only muttered a small, "But I want to."

Haruki pursed his lips, feeling at a loss for words. He then said afterwards, "Don't tell me just because he feel obliged to do so."

Kentaro finally looked up at him, "I'm not."

"Oh-okay."

Ken began stirring at his cereal with his spoon with no clear intention of continuing to eat. He suddenly asked, "Have you heard about Interactive Entertainment Ltd? It's a video game design company."

Haruki thought for a moment then snapped his fingers, "Yeah, I've heard about it from Dad. The company released so many popular games in the past. My folks mentioned something about a request for joint co-operation from one of the other branches a few months ago during one of their many trips."

"Do you know where the main headquarters are located?" Ken suddenly stopped stirring.

Haruki didn't notice anything odd about his reaction and continued with a mouth full of cereal, "Somewhere in Hokkaido, I guess."

"En, Asahikawa to be exact."

"Oh really?"

Kentaro nodded and went on to ask, "What about the Chairman? Do you know him?"

Haruki thought for a while and responded with uncertainty, "Isn't it Harada? I can't remember his name but I'm sure his family name is Harada."

"En, Satoshi Harada."

"You've sure done your homework," Haruki was a little impressed. "But why the sudden interest in him?"

"That man is my father."

Haruki stopped chewing and blankly stared at Kentaro for the longest time. In the end, the only word which left his lips was, "... Huh?"

"Satoshi Harada... he's my biological father," Kentaro's gaze never left the table.

With a 'PLOP', Haruki's spoon fell from his hand and into the bowl.

KENTARO IS WHOSE SON????

"HEY, HEY, ARE YOU FOR REAL??" Haruki sprang off his seat, his eyes wide and round, "DON'T JOKE LIKE THIS, BRO!"

But it didn't look like the kid was playing around at all, seeing how tightly he was gripping that spoon with a trembling hand.

Still, it didn't stop Haruki from having a hard time believing those words. This time, he spoke in a more controlled tone, "You're really Chairman Harada's son?"

"... En."

Haruki instantly beamed, "DUDE, THAT'S GREAT THEN—"

"No, it's not."

Confused, Haruki was stunned into silence.

"I hate that man."

"EHHHH????" Haruki's shock was evident, and for a while he even thought he'd heard wrong. But seeing Kentaro's serious expression finally snapped him back to reality and face the truth.

Kentaro... really hated Satoshi Harada.

"W-why?" he asked.

The ginger-haired looked at him briefly before turning away again. "Because he's a cruel man, Haru."

Haruki honestly didn't know how to respond to that.

"And it's not just him. I hate the entire Harada family," Kentaro spoke stiffly. "They're all despicable. The smiles they wear on screen are only fake."

Feeling that the kid was being a little too extreme, Haruki wondered: "Just... what did they do to you? I know that Chairman Harada has an heir, so if that's you then—"

"It's not me," Kentaro shook his head finally turned to face him with a bitter smile. "How could it possibly be me? I'm just an illegitimate brat."

"That's," Haruki dropped his gaze in disbelief, "No way..."

"I'm not trying to deceive you," Ken told him truthfully. "It's still fine if you don't believe me..."

"I DO!" Haruki's loud assertion startled the other kid. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he repeated in a calmer tone, "I do believe you, Ginger."

Ken's eyes widened a bit. He does?

"The reason I reacted that way before was because I think I finally realized why you hate them so much," Haruki explained while retaking his seat. "You were ostracized, weren't you?"

He'd hit the nail right on the head. Even Ken couldn't help but stammer, "H-how did you...?"

"I wasn't certain at first, but then I remembered this movie I watched way back when, where the main character was also illegitimate and his whole family wanted to kick him out, so it became pretty obvious..." he'd already started rambling when he noticed Kentaro's expression turn hooded, which instantly snapped Haru back to his senses. "Cough~ that's not important, but you get what I'm trying to say, right?"

"Regrettably, yes."

"I-I didn't mean it as an offense. Don't be mad," Haruki coaxed.

"I'm not."

Seeing that Kentaro really wasn't angry, a relieved breath escaped Haruki's lips. He then thought, so that's really how it is? No wonder...

"I'm sorry, you must have been through a lot."

Hearing those words, Kentaro dismally asked, "Aren't you bothered by it? I've been lying to you this entire time."

"Understandable considering where you're coming from. And haven't we already been through this?" Haruki chuckled. "Why would I still be mad when you already promised to tell me your story?"

"But I... my family," Kentaro couldn't think of anything else to say. He'd thought for sure that after Haruki had leant about his family name, he'd probably cut their ties and want nothing to do with him to avoid future problems.

This may have been the real reason why Kentaro had never wanted to bring it up in the first place. He hadn't wanted Haruki to leave him.

"So you're a Harada member. Big deal," the young teen said loudly to himself with a hand on his chin, as if he was thinking about something important, "I'd always suspected that you were a rich kid but just, wow. I also didn't know Mr. Harada was already dead."

Kentaro looked away in shame, "He's not. I lied about not having a father."

"Oh."

"It's not that I wanted to. That's just the story I had to use with my temporary identity as Kentaro Nomura," the younger kid confessed.

"Temporary," Haruki was stunned, "I get that Nomura isn't your last name, but does that mean 'Kentaro' isn't your real one either?"

"No, it's real. Don't worry."

Haruki seemed as if he understood, "So your old man's the one who brought you here?"

But Ken shook his head, "I brought myself here."

Haruki almost face-palmed himself, "Kid, you ran away from home?"

"I did not!" Kentaro immediately denied it and sighed, "Just listen to the entire story first."

And with that, he began explaining his entire background story.

It turned out the kid had been born from one of the lowly maids of the Harada mansion. Kentaro's father who just happened to also be the Chairman, had taken a liking to her and, under drunken circumstances, forcefully slept with her only to deny the entire incident once he'd sobered up the next morning.

When it was confirmed that the kid really did belong to him a few months later, and after confirming his gender, the father agreed to take responsibility for the woman and child.

The legal wife as well as the Harada seniors (Mr. Harada's parents) had almost vomited blood when they'd learnt of his decision, being completely against it. But the man had been so insistent, stating that since the maid had borne him another heir, she could stay at their Estate though her identity would be hidden.

"So from then, everything was put under wraps," Kentaro spoke.

"Another heir?" Haruki raised a brow, "So he already had a son before you then?"

He nodded, "My half-brother. He's three years older than me, and he's got a younger sister who's a year younger than me."

So, because he's the illegitimate child, he's treated differently, Haruki thought, starting to understand. The media doesn't know he exists which is why he's never been mentioned before. It'll break social media if the Haradas ever decide to mention his existence. Still, how'd he get here? I thought he'd at least be in Asahikawa...

As if he'd read Haru's mind, Kentaro continued his story, "My grandparents don't like me."

I knew it had something to do with some old people, Haruki almost rolled his eyes out of their sockets.

"Thing is, they say I'm a stain on their reputation that won't go away. They told me over and over again that I was never meant to be there. To them, I'm nothing but a curse," Ken smiled at himself sourly. "I never quite understood those words when I was younger, but the older I grew, the more I realized that I was unwanted. My mother's the only person who genuinely wanted me, and also the ones who attended her."

Haruki swallowed and asked hesitantly, "And your mom? Is she...?" he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to say.

"She's the only reason I even go back there," Ken explained.

Thank goodness she's alive and loves him! He would have truly been alone if she'd despised him. Or worse, if she was gone...

"But I can't help but think that one day when I go back, I'll find her missing."

Haruki: "???" Are my thoughts that dangerous?

However, Kentaro went on explaining what he'd meant by those words. Sure enough, his mother had been diagnosed with some disease some time after his birth.

"Can't they just take her to pro doctors? Why keep her under house arrest if it's not helping her recover?" Haruki felt a little infuriated.

"The few times I get to see her, she always smiles and tells me that she's getting better," Kentaro's hands slightly clenched as he struggled to keep a calm expression. "Since she says so, I'm sure it's true. She'll be fine even if those people won't let her leave the house."

Haruki clicked his tongue thinking, those bastards. Why do I suddenly feel something off about that story? It just feels like those people want her to get rid of her and act as if it was from natural causes.

"When I was born, I looked sickly. Mom said I was so sick the doctor thought I wouldn't live past three," Ken gave an awkward laugh. "In the end I guess I was just too stubborn to die."

Haruki found it a little hard to believe.

This ball of energy which leisurely climbs up and down a tree, takes a beating like it's second nature, and says idiot words like "Hey, I've gotten used to the pain," was born unhealthy. He's probably healthier than me right now!

Haruki shook his head to disperse those thoughts but didn't mention the issue anymore, thinking that it'd only continue to hurt Ken just thinking about it. He moved on to another question.

"What happened for you to start living here on your own?"

Ken pondered before saying, "Mr. Harada sent me away."

"Mr. Harada senior? Your grandfather?" Haru asked.

"My father," Ken said with a sudden frown, "He mentioned something about me having more potential to run the Company than my elder brother and that sending me out to the world would be good for me. And that if I needed to do greater things I had to receive the highest education. That's why I couldn't be home-schooled anymore."

So he really was home-schooled before junior high, Haru thought.

"More potential than your older brother? What does that mean?"

"Who knows?" Kentaro snorted, "I wouldn't be surprised if he just wanted to get rid of me."

"You said you came here yourself, yet on the other hand you say you were sent away," Haruki seemed a little confused.

"Originally, I was supposed to go live in Tokyo," Ginger began explaining, "But I asked my mother to help me find another place which wasn't a big city. Somewhere near Tokyo though, so that Mr. Harada wouldn't be too suspicious of where I really was. If he knew, he'd constantly keep tabs on me. I didn't want that."

"But, when he paid for the house and tuition, didn't he pay attention to the location change?" the other couldn't help but ask.

"I bought a house in Tokyo with his money but the one here wasn't bought using his money," Ken scratched his head. "I had to do a ton of things to pull this deception off, so it's actually a little hard to explain. As for the tuition, Mr. Harada probably still thinks I have private tutors."

"Why private tutors?" Haru asked.

Kentaro really seemed as if he was raking his brains trying to explain all this, "It's also part of the deception. Just know I had some outside help."

Ack!!! This kid's already able to make grown up decisions and plans while I can barely navigate my way through this stupid town?! What's his life like?

Ken went on, "Although I've got a lot of money under my name now, I never want to depend on my family's wealth in the future. But since I'm still young, I can only play nice and do as I'm told as I'm depending on the things I'm given for the time being. I have no other alternative."

"I see," Haruki nodded in understanding before something suddenly occurred to him.

I feel very misplaced in this story. I mean, how the heck did my ordinary-self suddenly become this rich kid's closest companion?!

But what he was feeling wasn't regret. It almost appeared to be some strange form of excitement. Life had given him a challenge, he was willing to take it. See just how Ken's family of ranks and status would react to someone like him suddenly befriending their heir. Everything was alright for now since those people weren't aware of his existence yet, but what would happen after he was discovered?

Would they freak out? 

Perhaps they'd bribe him to stay away from Kentaro like in the movies?

"This just got exciting all of a sudden," he mumbled before asking Ginger, "When you grow up and you're able to make your own decisions, what will you do?"

"The first thing I'll do is get my mother out of that place. I'll take care of her so that she won't have to suffer another second there," Kentaro determinedly responded without an ounce of hesitation. It was obvious that he'd been thinking this way for some time now: a way to completely cut his ties with the Harada family.

Haruki was quite pleased with that answer and nodded, "And I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines. I'll even help you if you need it."

Ken stared at him for a moment before suddenly asking, "You'll really be there?"

With a snort, the other kid said, "What's with that sorry question? I did say we were going to be friends for a long time didn't I? I wasn't kidding."

We'd still be together at that time? Kentaro couldn't help feeling moved by those words and smiled. "Right."

Haruki leaned back against his seat and stretched, his spirits having been lifted by a lot. Yesterday had been something else completely, and now that they'd completely opened up to each other, he felt a lot closer to Ginger, which made him extremely cheery.

"Well that was an interesting story," he commented with a laugh, "It even got me on the edge of my seat. It's like a movie and you're the main character."

He'd been certain that Ken would gripe at him for making fun of his dreadful tale but the kid surprisingly just smiled and even asked, "And what does that make you?"

"I'm obviously the main character's best friend," Haruki said smugly, "The one who doesn't die, of course."

Kentaro too felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

He didn't have to lie anymore, and he didn't have to keep secrets.

Haruki was willing to accept him the way he was. What more could he possibly want?

Except maybe...

"I've decided on which club I will join," Ginger suddenly announced, grabbing Haru's attention again.

"Really, which one?"

"Judo."

"Judo," Haru nodded to himself then suddenly sprang up straight in shock. "Wait, Judo? As in martial arts Judo? My Judo??"

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Ken nodded and played around with his hands on his lap, "I also want to be able to fight."

"You suddenly want to fight?!" Haru felt as if he was delusional. Kid, who do you want to fight at that household of yours?

"I-I want you... to teach me how you fight and... learn martial arts," Kentaro's confidence had dwindled at Haruki's reaction. He suddenly felt very embarrassed for even mentioning it.

"So basically you want me to teach you how to beat people up," Haru thought for a moment then suddenly burst into invisible tears, "What miracle is this? I never thought I'd see the day. Our Ken-chan really is growing."

"Uh..."

"But tell me though, why do you suddenly want to fight?" he arched a brow, "I thought you said you weren't interested."

Kentaro shifted his eyes evasively.

"Could it be that you really do want to beat those Haradas to bloody pulps?"

"Shut it, it's got nothing to do with those unimportant people," Ken was looking all flustered again, "I just want to be able to protect people important to me. Like my mother and y—people important to me."

Haru became silent again, feeling his heart squeeze. This was too much for him. So touching.

"What's with that dumb look? Are you not going to answer?"

"Okay fine, good grief," Haruki felt a little sour. "You know, you ought to be nicer, Ginger. You'll never have friends with that cold attitude. What happened to the cute little kid from yesterday and this morning?! In fact, he was here just a few seconds ago, asking me to be his sensei."

"He's gone."

"Ah—"

"And I never asked you to be my sensei," Ken mumbled but Haru heard him.

"Huh? Who do you think is going to teach you how to fight, brat?" Haru raised both brows as if daring the kid to say one more snide remark. However Kentaro obediently conceded defeat in silence.

Haruki grinned and leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, and a satisfied wide grin on his face, "Let me tell you now. Training with me is going to be hell for you. I'll teach you everything that old geezer taught me. Only this time, it'll be a hundred times more painful that how he taught me."

Ginger raised his brows in confusion, "Old geezer?"

"Yeah, my maternal grandpa," Haruki raised his chin pompously. "He's the reason why I'm such a pro at fighting."

A ton of strange scenarios blew up in Kentaro head before he finally asked seriously, "Your grandfather taught you street-fighting?"

"PFT, no. He taught me martial arts."

The kid tried to recall what he'd seen the previous day, "I didn't expect to see that kind of street-like fighting in martial arts..."

"Of course I improvised!" Haruki all but yelled with a scoff. "But the foundation of my skill is martial arts. Whatever, just know I'm going to teach you how to fight. Whether its self-defense or hardcore offense will all depend on me."

Kentaro furrowed at him.

Haruki raised a brow, "What?"

"Nothing," the kid puffed his cheeks sulkily and glanced away mumbling, "I'm sure your grandfather would have treated me differently."

"Trust me, Ginger, you don't want that geezer teaching you nothing," Haruki warned and gave an involuntary shiver, "You'll wish you were dead."

"Is he harsh?"

"No, but he's so smug that you'd feel so frustrated and angry," Haruki clenched his fist, his lips curving into a malicious smile, "But I'll get back at him and teach him who's superior."

Kentaro felt a cold sweat drop. Just what relationship does he share with that man? He looks so pissed.

The other person noticed and laughed, "Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. I just want to beat him in a one-on-one match once, that's all."

You looked like you wanted him dead!

"You know, in reality, he's a great guy. I guess he's more like a second dad to me," Haruki admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, "Growing up, I spent most of my time with him after all."

Kentaro suddenly puffed a snicker.

"Eh? What's with you all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing," the kid waved a hand, a smile still lingering on his lips. "For some reason, I thought of some old guy just now."

"Old guy?! What are you trying to say?" Haruki refuted menacingly, "Who is this old guy?"

"I don't know either."

"Are you messing with me, Ginger?"

The kid shook his head earnestly, "I wish I was. But I really don't remember his name. But I do know that he took care of me once."

Haruki listened to him explain.

During the years Kentaro's mother had really seemed like she'd been about to fall over and die, there was an old man who'd visited the Harada estate and taken care of her and Ken for a few weeks. The kid didn't remember the man's face or who he was, but just that all the Haradas seemed to really respect him for some reason.

Apparently, the old man's plan had been to stay for just a few days at first, but he's later on extended his stay just to help Kentaro and his mother.

What's more surprising was that the Haradas hadn't been able to go against the idea.

"Whoa, that man must've been someone important if even the Haradas couldn't do anything about it," Haru commented. "Who do you think he was? Your guardian angel?"

Kentaro rolled his eyes at Haru's attempted joke and went on, "All I know is that the main family knows who that person was. And I know he wasn't related to the Haradas in any way."

"Then why not ask them?"

Ken glanced to the side evasively, "I didn't think they'd tell me."

Haru shrugged, "Maybe he's already dead. You did say he was an old man."

"Not one near his death bed."

"Alright, alright," Haru waved a hand, "In any case, you said I reminded you of him. Why?"

"During my time with him, he always mentioned someone he wanted to pummel."

"Oh?"

"En, but in actuality he seemed really fond of that person," Ken concluded. "You did the same with your grandfather just now."

"Really? That's why you compare me to an old man?!"

"And he had horrible naming tactics like you," Ken added as he propped a hand under his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "He had two dogs he named after their physical features."

This brat isn't serious. Haruki had been just about to ask what the 'names' of those dogs when Ken suddenly spoke again.

"Enough about me. You mentioned growing up with your grandparents," he suddenly changed the subject. "Was your life in Kyoto a lot better than here?"

Haruki nodded with a grin, completely disregarding what he'd wanted to ask next. "Of course. There were a lot of kids my age, so it was really fun."

Haruki grew up with three of his cousins, all her kids from her mother's older brother. The oldest was a boy two years older than Ayame, Ryo Nakamura. The second was a girl, Hanako Nakamura, two years older than Haru. Then the last was the one Haru had been closest to, a boy one year younger than him, Hiromi Nakamura.

During his and his sister's stay in Kyoto, these had been the other three children they'd lived with. Then there were thirteen other kids their ages who frequently visited the dojo as well, all of which Haruki had been able to interact casually with.

"You said you didn't have friends." For whatever reason, the ginger-haired kid sounded upset as he muttered, "Liar, you had a ton of them."

"Hey wait, I only ever met up with those guys at the dojo during the weekends. That's when we all had joint lessons."

"That's still something," Ken scoffed, refusing to look at him, "You always made it seem as if you had no one at all. As if you were suffering there."

"Eh, really? I don't remember saying-"

"You must have had a more of them at school, too."

Haruki: "......"

Kentaro had been waiting for an immediate reply, but hearing nothing he looked up again and met the other person's amused gaze.

Haruki had supported his head with a hand on the table and was staring straight at him with a mixture of slight puzzlement and confusion on his expression. "You're angry?"

"I'm not... I'm not angry!"

"Is it because you think I lied?"

"I'm not—"

"Sigh, I don't know. Maybe because I was introverted like you back then, I never noticed how lucky I was."

Kentaro felt a little ashamed. Was he angry? Why?

Haruki propped his other arm on the table as well, so that both his hands supported his head, "Here's the thing, Ginger. The reason why I said I had no friends during kindergarten and elementary before is so silly I hadn't thought it'd be worth mentioning. I used to be called scary just because people knew I knew martial arts. As for the few who admired me, they only admired from a distance, not daring to approach me. That's all. The situation became different when I moved here though. No one knew who I was, or where I came from, so making friends wouldn't be any problem."

His eyes shifted from the kid, "But I just didn't want to. I didn't want to get too attached in case I had to move again. But I guess all those thoughts vanished when I reached middle school."

Kentaro understood what that meant. This time Haruki had finally made some close friends, which included him (Ken).

"Are you going to move again soon?"

Haruki could tell from a glance that Ken seemed a little unsettled. He told him truthfully, "I don't know. But if we do move, I'll understand."

"If you move," the younger boy proclaimed in a small voice, "Can I come with?"

Haruki just thought the kid was messing around and snickered, "If that's what you want, then why not...

"Yes, it is!"

Haruki laughed even more, "Okay, okay, enough crazy-talk. Look at us talking as if I'm really going somewhere. I highly doubt it's going to happen anytime soon, so you can rest easy."

But Kentaro still felt a little uneasy. The discussion they'd just had left him with a ton of questions like: 'What if?' and even 'when?'

"What about that other kid you mentioned was your only real friend in Kyoto?" Ken suddenly asked, "Did you forget about him?"

"Oh not even," Haruki suddenly beamed and began his unceremonious explanation. "Kim Juwon was a year above me, so he left kindergarten first. The next time I met him, he was a second grader in the same elementary I'd gone to. You wouldn't believe how excited I was when it happened."

"Kim Juwon?" That's not Japanese, Ken thought. "How long were you friends with him?"

"Till the year I moved here," Haruki thought for a while, "I guess that's about the time I completely lost touch with him."

That's about four years of friendship, Kentaro thought and felt competitive all of a sudden. I'll beat that time.

"I wonder how he is now," Haruki smiled in reminiscence, "It'd be great if I could see him again. That way I'd be able to introduce him to you too, don't you think?"

I don't think I want to meet him, the kid sulked. He then suggested carelessly to cover up his displeasure, "Why don't you look him up on social media or something?"

"It's been a while since I've done it, but I guess you do have a point. I'll look him up right now," Haruki stood up to leave the room and retrieve his phone.

Kentaro stiffened in his place, stunned.

He regretted bringing up such a suggestion.

Haruki returned seconds later, mobile in hand, and with a goofy expression as he searched for Kim Juwon on social media. Sure enough, there were some results about him, including his current location.

Haruki exclaimed in surprise, "He moved back to South Korea? Wow, a lot of things can happen in just five years."

Kentaro heaved a relieved sigh.

"I really wished I could've seen him again though. He's really grown up," Haru's tone was evidently that of a disappointed person.

He's not here, so enough about him, Ken thought sullenly.

"Well, that's that," Haruki set his mobile on the table and took his bowl. He then pointed at Ken's, "You still eating that?"

The kid shook his head and pushed the bowl and spoon over to Haru, who took them and headed for the sink saying, "At least now we know why we can't talk and eat at the same time."

It truly was a waste. They'd barely eaten their cereal but because of talking for so long, the food had long since gone cold and soggy.

Kentaro stretched over and took Haruki's mobile from where he'd left it and scrolled through Kim Juwon's profile.

It appeared he was already a Third-Year at one of Seoul's best middle Schools, and ranked in the top 5 of best students in the entire metropolis. The teen had jet black hair and an alluring blue gaze, his skin flawless as if he was some kind of model.

Blue eyes....

"He looks foreign," Ken stated.

Haru snickered, "His mom's American."

Tch, of course he just had to have mixed blood, Ken felt even unhappier as he continued to examine the profile of the person.

Kim Juwon had slender built, and he appeared tall in the picture. He wore a Middle School Uniform ironed with expertise, his neat undercut parted side-ways, the appearance of a perfect student.

"Can he fight too?"

By this time, Haru had finished cleaning up the sink and currently held a dish towel to dry his hands. He thought for a while then shrugged, "He didn't like it though."

This person can do anything then?

"He was a better cook than me, too," Haruki added.

I KNEW IT!

"So he's like the complete opposite of me then," Kentaro gave up and placed the mobile back on the table, where Haru picked it up and stared at the profile again before nodding.

"Yup."

Tsk!

"But I still like your character too," Haruki commented.

The ginger-haired kid narrowed his gaze, "Whose character do you prefer?"

The other person stiffened.

Kentaro patiently waited for a response.

Haruki avoided his eyes, "I-I think you both have interesting characters."

Kentaro kept staring at him. This guy hadn't given him a straight answer at all, and he knew why he'd done it. Finally, he sighed and looked away.

Fine, you little 'friend' wins for now. But I'll change, Haruki. You just watch me.

"Geez, now I'm hungry for some real food," Haruki walked over to the fridge before suddenly remembering what he'd seen inside earlier. His hand pause as the door handle, mouth twitching.

That's right, this kid's got nothing but cup noodles inside. Not even a single fruit.

He'd forgotten that even yesterday he'd cooked Ken's dinner at his house then brought it over once he was done.

He sighed and turned back to Ginger, "Once I'm done preparing your bath I need to head over to the convenience store for some fresh food. This house is in desperate need of it," he told him then started muttering to himself, "But I'll have to ask mom if she left the door open first."

"Why not use one of my cards?"

Right, Haruki almost smacked his own forehead, I keep forgetting how rich he is.

Kentaro rose to his feet and with a tiny limp before straightening, "I'll go too."

"No, you won't."

"But I'm fine," Ken spoke, determined, "You even said it wasn't serious yesterday."

"But I still told you that you needed a full two days of inactivity," Haruki said solemnly as he approached him so that he could assist him to his bedroom, "I don't think we need to argue about this."

Kentaro sealed his mouth but still felt very bitter. He didn't say a word until they reached his room and he'd been seated on his bed, which had been well-spread by Haruki.

"Then I can take care of my own bath," he mumbled, "You hurry up so that you can come back quickly."

Haruki side-smirked, "What's this? Is the little kid afraid that I won't come back?"

Kentaro ignored him and pointed at one of his closet shelves, "They're stacked in a corner up there. Buy whatever you want to and come back, Haruki."

***

A few minutes later Haruki left the house on his shopping mission, even though he was still fresh in his pajamas. It was still early morning, so he really didn't care if he received a couple of stares on his way. That wouldn't be his problem.

He held up a slip of paper he'd written on for his grocery list, making sure he hadn't left anything important.

Meat of course, some vegies, bread, more milk - No more cup noodles, Kentaro, you've had enough. When did he even write this down?

Feeling a slight chill, Haruki shivered and stared up at the overcast sky. He hadn't even realized how quickly the weather had changed. There had still been a little bit of sun earlier, but now it was already threatening to rain.

"Damn, that doesn't look promising," he tucked the list in his pocket and jogged the rest of the way to the store.

..

After what seemed like an eternity in the shower, Kentaro finally finished bathing and changed into something warm before settling on the bed to wait for Haruki. However, one look out his window made him realize that the sun wasn't shining anymore.

Unease instantly filled his body.

Yesterday's forecast mentioned nothing about this kind of weather today. Why all of a sudden—

He'd barely finished his train of thought when he saw a flash briefly accompanied by a loud rumble of thunder!

In fright, the boy closed his eyes and covered his ears, heart racing. A familiar stuffiness crawled in his chest.

Subconsciously, his body had already begun to tremble but he still hesitantly opened his eyes to take a look outside his window once more.

The pitter patter of large raindrops on the glass made his heart sink.

If there was anything he hated and feared more than the Harada family, it was the unsettling sound of thunder.

 

..................

 

[author: Don't worry, Ken-chan, I also find thunder rather unsettling.... Especially that loud piercing crash which makes it seem as if the world is ending! The rain's really coming down where I'm at...]

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