Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Never Leave- Part 3

[author: Updated earlier today since I have time....]

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Haruki made his way back to Ken’s doorstep about thirty minutes later, his pajamas mostly soaked by the sudden rain he’d encountered on his way back. He’d been lucky enough hitch a free taxi ride from a cabby who’d taken pity on him, afraid that he wouldn’t reach home in such weather.

“I was just as surprised while I was parading around the neighborhood,” he’d made idle chat with Haru, “This rain came from nowhere. Must be a passing storm.”

I wouldn’t have suffered this fate if I hadn’t delayed at the store, Haru clicked his tongue after opening the door and entering with two full shopping bags full of food and other necessities. I wonder what Ken wants for brunch…

He slipped out of his dirty, wet shoes and left them at the door then casually made his way to the kitchen where he set the groceries on the table. He was relieved to find that nothing had been ruined when he stole some peeks at the contents. 

Running his digits through his damp messy hair, he stared out the window. The rain had become so much heavier by now.

It’s really coming down, he thought and looked around. He’d hoped to find Kentaro waiting for him anywhere near the kitchen. But if he was still in the shower, with all the commotion outside he definitely wouldn’t have heard Haruki’s return.

“Ginger?” Haru called out just as he opened the door to Ken’s room but found no one within, though he didn’t fail to notice the missing bedcover from the bed. He glanced around, but there really was no sign of the kid.

Thinking that he’d gone to the living room to distract himself with some TV, Haruki headed there next. However, he only discovered an empty room with a switched off television.

“Kentaro?” he called out once more, but his voice was drowned by the sound of thunder. Where is he? Is he hiding?

The next room he visited was his own room, yet there was still no sign of the kid. Haruki scratched his head in confusion as he left the room and stared at the staircase. He wondered and shook his head to himself, doubting the possibilities of Kentaro having gone up there with that injured leg of his. And in any case, there were still a few more rooms to check downstairs.

Just as he passed by Ken’s room again, something made him pause to give the room one more sweep. He still found no one but didn’t immediately move on to the next room, trying to ignore the noise from outside and concentrate on any sound of movements within.

Without much thought, he headed for the closet which had it’s doors slightly ajar this entire time.

“Ken?” opening the door wide, he discovered a trembling bundle of blankets hidden at the very corner, too scared to even move.

Kentaro hadn’t heard the other person’s call just now, nor did he sense movement from outside. As far as he knew, he was still hidden away safely in his closet.

Haruki squatted and reached out a hand to touch him, and when he did, the figure flinched.

However, in the next moment, a snort-nosed puffy-eyed Kentaro slowly lowered the blanket and met Haruki’s helpless smile. One look and a person could tell just how frightened this kid was, and how much he’d been crying.

“Haru—” the word had just left his mouth when another loud crash and rumble interrupted him, causing him to immediately pounce on the unprepared Haruki who stumbled and fell on his butt.

However, Haruki didn’t complain. He raised his hands and embraced him protectively, whispering soothingly while trying to calm him down.   

His entire body’s shaking, he thought and felt Ken’s grip tighten round his clothes when there came another low rumble this time. He used a hand to smooth down the boy’s hair in comfort. If I’d known he’d be scared, I wouldn’t have delayed. It must have felt like an eternity to him alone with all this noise.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” he whispered, which only made the kid snivel up even more.

Even if he wanted to, in his current state, Kentaro really had no strength to throw a tantrum. Nothing felt more important than knowing he wasn’t alone anymore.

“It’s probably a passing storm,” Haruki stole the cabby’s words from earlier. “It’ll go away soon.”

Kentaro nodded but didn’t plan on letting him go anyway.

Haruki sighed. I’m kind of freezing in these clothes~ ‘choo!

The other person finally looked up at him in concern, having heard the tiny sneeze.

With a little rub of his itchy nose, Haruki assured him, “I’m fine.”

It was only then that Kentaro realized just how damp Haru’s clothes were, thus he backed away hesitantly and gave him some space. He’d failed to realize how much Haru had been freezing. However, he still subconsciously kept clutching at the hem-corners of Haruki’s long-sleeved pajama shirt with an unwillingness to let go.

The other reason why he wouldn’t look at Haru directly was probably because he didn’t want his puffy face to be seen. Perhaps he was too ashamed to be called a cry-baby.

Haruki smiled, “Are you okay now?”

The kid slowly nodded.

“Enough to let me go take a quick shower and change?”

Evidence reluctance showed on Kentaro’s expression, but after a while he finally released him.

***

The downpour dragged on until later that day, but by the time evening arrived, the outside world had completely calmed. If not for the muddy ground and dripping vegetation, one would almost think it’d never rained that day.

Haruki received his usual evening call from his mother, although she mostly asked about Kentaro and even spoke with him for a while, wishing him a quick recovery.

Later, the more Haruki pondered about it, the more he realized that main reason why she’d even called had been to check up on her ‘Ken-chan’.

Maki hadn’t even asked if the boys had ‘studied’ that day.

It was around 9p.m. when the boys finally decided to switch of the television and turn in for the night… or at least Haruki had made that one-sided decision since he felt tired and Kentaro just silently complied.

Speaking of which, the kid hadn’t spoken much the entire day. It was very strange.

“Hey, you okay?” Haruki finally inquired while tucking the person into bed. He raised a questioning brow, “You’re not sick, are you?”

Kentaro shook his head quietly, though his expression seemed a little complicated.

He obviously has something on his mind, Haru thought.

Haruki stood there lamenting for a good while before he suddenly turned and headed for the door. Kentaro, who’d been mute for almost the entire day, instantly sat upright and made to call for him.

However, his words stuck in pleasant surprised when Haruki came back only after switching off the light.

“Move over,” he gestured.

Though confused, Kentaro still did as asked and watched the other person join him on the bed. He felt genuinely stunned.

Haruki made himself comfortable and slept facing the ceiling, using his hands to cushion his head.

“Are you dumb all of a sudden?” he dissed at the kid who was still staring holes at him. “Didn’t you say you’ve been having trouble sleeping?”

Kentaro blinked and lay back down staring up at the ceiling as well. He remained very motionless and well-behaved in that position.

“What’s with you today?” Haruki suddenly asked, “The silence is creeping me out.”

He’d only meant it as a joke but Kentaro still responded with a barely audible, “Sorry.”

“That’s not what I want to hear.”

Ginger didn’t know what else to say.

“You looked like you had something on your mind but won’t share it,” Haruki mentioned, “What is it?”

“When I wake up tomorrow, will you still be here?”

“Tsk, what kind of lame-ass question is that?” Haruki puffed his cheeks and feigned annoyance, “I told you I’d be here for the next three days.”

“…Sorry.”

“Sigh~ Enough already. Why do you always think I’ll suddenly just up and leave for good?”

Kentaro remained silent.

“Stop worrying so much, I’m not going anywhere.”

Ginger lifted the blankets further up so that he could cover the lower half of his face before mumbling, “I keep thinking about what happened yesterday, and the days before. That you’re still angry about everything I’ve done.”

“I will be if you keep bringing that up,” Haruki warned.

“It’s because I thought you weren’t coming back today.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” Haru mumbled then added to relieve the boy from his distress, “It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Sometimes even the closest friends fight only to make up in the end. Don’t stress over it. Go to sleep.”

Having nothing else to say, Kentaro shifted to sleep on his side facing away from Haruki, which was the more comfortable position him than facing the ceiling.

“Goodnight Haru.”

“Goodnight Ginger.”

However, more than twenty minutes passed with Haruki still wide awake. He’d been tired before, but sleep now seemed like it was completely rejecting him.

He narrowed his eyes in self-irritation. He’d told Kentaro not to think too much, yet now he was the one stressing out over nothing.

He thought about a lot of things. He thought about yesterday when he’d fought, and today about Ken’s background, and it occurred to him just how different the two of them were.

He thought about the way Kentaro had behaved coldly all this time and suddenly understood it all.

Our backgrounds aren’t the same at all. You’ve only ever had your mother, not because it was your choice, but because the rest of your family members are just…

His teeth clenched and shifted to sleep on his side with his back to Kentaro.

Now I really want to meet those bastards. I hope that business that they love so much collapse!

Just as he was thinking of different curses for the Haradas, the person behind him suddenly shifted in his sleep and curled up against his back, having been drawn to the warmth beside him.

Haruki stayed still for a while and listened to the kid’s slow and even breathing to make sure that he was really out cold, before slowly turning to face him.

Kentaro slept soundly and innocently, dead to the world.

Who in their right mind would even consider hurting this kid?

Haruki stretched out a hand and drew Kentaro into a small protective embrace.

“Don’t you worry, Ginger,” Haru’s soft whisper carried a lot of promise and reassurance, “As long as I’m here no one’s ever going to hurt you. I’ll make sure you’ll never feel alone again.”

A few minutes later, he finally drifted into a deep slumber.

Not long after that, Kentaro’s eyes fluttered slightly, but never opened, his small hands slightly clutching at Haruki’s clothes.

The only thoughts that ran through his semi-conscious mind were:

Haru didn’t push me away.

***

“That kid’s got some serious dedication,” Takumi commented as he, Tadashi, Haruki and Akira watched Kentaro facing off with one of the Judo students in their club.

Right now, the two having the match were the center of attention for everyone, even being a good show for some of the senior students who had paused their practice to watch the juniors’ matches.

“Tell me about it,” Akira nodded in agreement, “Despite getting beat down, he always gets up.

Tadashi only glanced at Haruki who had his eyes glued on the match in front of him in silence. It was clear he was observing the Kentaro’s movements carefully, taking note of every mistake he made.

“The win goes to Nomura,” the instructor’s voice snapped Tadashi from his thoughts and grabbed his attention, and sure enough, Ken had finally pinned down his opponent and taken the victory after much trouble.

Tadashi was surprised. He’d only taken his eyes off the match for a few seconds.

“All newcomers with me,” the junior instructor spoke to the six students, including Ken, who’d recently joined his class before turning to the rest of the juniors, “The rest of you regroup. I want the next pair to be ready in five.”

With that, the crowd started to disperse, each person joining their own group to share strategies for their upcoming matches.

He keeps making mistakes in offense and stance. Most of his attacks are too obvious so a person with a good eye can easily see through his moves… 

“Did you see how much Nomura’s improved,” Akira’s voice disturbed Haru’s train of thought when he suddenly pounced on him and gave him a playful choke-hold as he laughed. “It kills me to think he’s going to surpass me soon.”

“If you were serious to begin with, then he wouldn’t easily surpass you,” Haruki freed himself from the tackle and easily pulled a reverse on the other person. 

“Ow, ow, okay, I get it,” he surrendered without much of a fight but continued to complain once Haruki had released him. “Of course you’d get to say that, Fukuda. No one’s a match for you.”

“Akira deserves to be with the newcomers,” Takumi snickered, causing the boy to feel more wronged.

“Tsk, you guys are just mean,” Akira sulked and turned to Tadashi who hadn’t said a word, seeking exaltation, “You don’t think I’m that bad, do you?”

However, the other person seemed too deeply engraved in his own thoughts to even notice Akira’s pleas. Or maybe he was just pretending to be air so that he wouldn’t have to give a response.

Haruki and Takumi saw through his act and suppressed a few snickers, causing Akira to feel even worse.

“All you guys are annoying,” Akira crossed his hands and turned a cold shoulder to them in displeasure.

Once the four boys reached their allocated station to refresh themselves with some bottled water, Takumi conversed with Haruki. Tadashi was too busy lecturing Akira at the moment, so the two of them missed most of their conversation.

“How long has it been since you started giving him lessons? I noticed he caught on to a few of your moves.”

Haruki didn’t deny it as his eyes travelled to the newbies group which had been called by the instructor, “A little over two weeks.”

Takumi nodded and took a sip from his bottle, his eyes following Haru’s gaze. They both stared at the small boy who had his forehead coated in sweat, his attention focused on the junior instructor who was giving his group some pointers.

“You know, I never pegged Nomura as a fighter,” Takumi commented, “He seemed more interested in books than sports.”

You’re not wrong.

“Ever since that incident three weeks ago, he’s been determined to learn how to fight and defend himself,” Haruki tore his gaze from Ken’s group and set his bottle down to do some stretches.

Takumi knew about the incident Haruki was talking about.

“Did you guys ever get two meet those two Upperclassmen after that?” he asked about those two seniors.

“No. Kazuo-sempai visited me when Ken and I came back to school. Apparently Jomei Sugimoto could hardly remember what had happened to him after that day, and Yasahiro Oihama hasn’t come to school ever since,” Haru explained then snickered, “They suspect he’s not coming back. He must be too embarrassed to face me.”

Or just to terrified, Takumi thought, giving Haru a weird look. 

He hadn’t been there to personally witness what happened that day, but he knew more than enough when it came to Haruki’s temperament. After all, it hadn’t been the first time something like this had happened. Rumors about his strength had already been floating around during their first week at this Middle School.

You really don’t know just how frightening you are at times.

“Anyway, the worst is over. I don’t think we’ll face any problems like that in the future,” Haruki went on with an unconcerned shrug, “If it does happen though, I’ll just beat those people to a pulp too.”

“Do you always solve your issues by beating someone?”

“Not unless they ask for it.”

Scary. Takumi shook his head to shrug away those thoughts and set his bottle down, “You’re lucky none of the teachers knew about it, otherwise all of you could have been in real trouble for it. I just hope Nomura won’t be as scary as you by the time he perfects his skills.”

Haruki chuckled, “Too bad. Right now he’s aiming to be exactly like me.”

What a waste. Takumi shook his head in dismay. A demon raising another demon.

“Hey, Shimoda,” his attention was grabbed once more when Haruki called to him, his expression a little different, “In your opinion, do you think Kentaro has a dislikable character?”

“Hm…” he scratched his head.

Haruki quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll respect your answer either way.”

The other boy pondered for a while before speaking honestly, “I guess all I can say is that once you get to know him, you’ll start to understand that he’s not bad. A little awkward, but I can tell he’s trying to change. He’s willing to interact with others too, which is a very good thing.”

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Haruki felt a little relieved after hearing that, “You think so?”

“Oh, so you think we don’t want to gossip too, eh?” Akira joined the conversation with his usual loudness, attracting a lot of attention from the other students, “Well I personally think— OOF!”

“You’re not the only one in the room,” Tadashi concentrated back on the other two as if the one who hadn’t decked Akira in the gut just now wasn’t him. “We heard what you said, and I personally think Takumi’s right about the current Nomura. He’s doing his best to blend in well with others, and it shows he at least has the will to be around other people.”

Tadashi, who was like the big brother amongst the four of them despite being only a few months older than Haruki, spoke supportively of Kentaro as he too threw a glance at the newcomers’ group.

“At first glance, Nomura looks cold and intimidating, which makes him a difficult person to approach. It was quite clear during his first days here that he really did harness that kind of personality, and I almost thought it’d remain that way. I noticed your early relationship with him. And I’ll be honest with you, it really pissed me off how you kept going after a person who clearly didn’t give a damn. Even missing our group meetings for him.”

Every time Tadashi Matsui spoke, the people around him always felt a strange sense of respect towards him despite him being a fellow peer. That’s why his words often weighed a bit more than any other’s, especially with his frankness.

Haruki scratched his head in shame, “Sorry.”

Even Takumi and Akira felt second-hand embarrassment for him.

“However, I see now that your efforts weren’t in vain,” Tadashi finally continued and gave a rare smile with crossed arms, “You worked hard to get him out of the shadows and succeeded. I don’t think any of us here would have had that kind of patience or dedication. I’m a little envious of you.”

Haruki returned a genuine smile, now feeling very much relieved. If he was the one who said it, then it really meant something. It was as if Tadashi’s words had lifted a heavy burden from his shoulders.

“Huh, what’s this?” Takumi suddenly complained, “I’ve been friends with you since elementary yet you never smile when you’re around me. What kind of treatment is that?”

Tadashi’s smile vanished as quickly as it’s came when he threw Takumi a frosty side-glance, “You’re not that important.”

“Ah!”

Akira sniggered and said slyly, “Call him ‘sempai’ and maybe he’ll consider it.”

Takumi seriously considered it before confidently saying subconsciously loud, “MATSUI-SEMPAI~”

The other three stared at him strangely. Even everyone around them around them had stopped what they were doing to glance oddly in their direction: “???”

Takumi anxiously glanced around, feeling very much embarrassed for the attention he’d grabbed then apologized for the noise.

Akira tried holding back his laughs.

Tadashi on the other hand had already turned away with his face hooded, probably muttering an incantation for Takumi to die at the very spot.

Meanwhile, Haruki’s eyes travelled across the room to where Kentaro stood, who just so happened to be looking in his direction as well. He raised a ‘thumps-up’ as if to assure the kid that he was doing a great job, and Ken’s expression relaxed as he noted Haruki’s acknowledgement with a nod before turning back to listen the junior instructor.

You don’t have to worry anymore, Ginger. Your efforts aren’t in vain.

***

The days flew past and Winter Break finally arrived, giving the boys some time off from their books during their short holiday.

Ginger will be eager to continue his lessons the second he gets back. I’d better start preparing, Haruki thought. He was currently in the midst of shopping, so he thought these things while busying his hands. Stretching out an arm to retrieve a large package of chicken cutlets from the store’s freezer, he weighed it a bit before placing it back down to weigh another package.

He’d been sent to town by his mother to buy a few things from the supermarket, which included the meat he was currently weighing and feeling undecided to pick.

I sure hope he’s alright back there, his thoughts were filled with what Kentaro had told him about his family before, which constantly worried Haruki a little.

“Huh, Fukuda, is that you?” a familiar voice made him turn to look behind him, and to his surprise he was met by a stunned Takumi, “Wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Same. “I thought you’d be on your way to your hometown by now,” Haruki spoke, finally deciding to take the meat package he was already holding and placing it in his basket.

After all, Takumi Shimoda often travelled back to Saitama to see his parents whenever he was on vacation.

“Nah, I’ve decided to spend the holiday with my relatives here. My parents will be the ones coming this side this time,” Takumi spoke as he searched around for something. “Where’s Nomura? He isn’t back yet?”

Takumi, Akira and Tadashi already knew that Haruki and Kentaro stayed in the same neighborhood. They had even done group projects at both their places during the term at some point and had even coaxed Ken into letting them use his pool. However, what had stunned them the most had been that Kentaro had an entire mansion to himself.

The very first time they laid eyes on Kentaro’s house, they knew he came from a rich background.

Knowing fully well how Kentaro wanted to keep his identity hidden, Haruki had even played along with Ken’s fake background story which had nothing to do with the Haradas when he acquainted him with the rest of the group.

At first they’d felt complex emotions upon realizing that Kentaro lived on his own at such a tender age, but they quickly got reassurance knowing that Haruki’s parents liked him and took care of him.

Thus, the question Takumi had just asked about Ken’s whereabouts didn’t strike Haruki as weird. After all, most people at their school already knew that he and Ken were practically inseparable.

“He’ll be back tomorrow,” Haruki responded casually.

Kentaro had asked for school leave a week before schools closed for vacation and left for Asahikawa. If his words were true, he’d be back early tomorrow.  

“What about Yoshida? Have you been in touch with him?” Takumi continued to ask.

“I spoke with him once, but he’s out of town too.” Haruki said.

“I figured,” Takumi didn’t seem too surprised about that. Akira would leave this town whenever he had the chance.

“What about Matsui?” it was Haruki’s turn to ask this time, since Takumi and Tadashi lived closer to each other.

“He’s around but he had to go to  some Judo gear from his home in Tokyo earlier today. He’ll probably be back in the evening.”

I didn’t expect almost the entire group to be around, Haruki thought.

“I know,” Takumi suddenly beamed, “How about we go to the arcade this Sunday? Nomura will be back by then, right?”

“Uh, I guess—”

“Perfect, then I’ll be sure to tell Tadashi about it,” Takumi grew even more excited.

Haruki gave an uncertain smile, “But are you sure he would be even willing to go anywhere with a lot of people? Matsui once said he disliked crowded places.”

“It’s fine, just leave it to me. You just meet us at the arcade at the given time. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted. Or we could just make the decision on our group chat… No wait, Akira will start complaining non-stop if we chat via that group. Fine, I’ll just keep you posted.”

“Alright,” Haruki said then began pondering to himself as Takumi rambled on about the possible games they could play at the arcade.

As sheltered as that brat is, will he even agree to go to a crowded place like the arcade?

***

What was this?

Kentaro had actually agreed!

“You sure you want to go through with this?” Haruki was surprised when the other person gave his response when the day finally arrived. “If it’s too sudden then we don’t have to. Aren’t you tired?”

The two of them were already on their way to the arcade when Haru asked this, both of them draped in warm clothes and shoes. It was cold outside, but still the perfect weather for an outing. And since they would be indoors for most of the time, they wouldn’t have to worry about the cold.

Kentaro walked with his hands buried in his jacket pockets, his eyes focused ahead while he wore a determined look on his face. “It’s a day especially planned by Haru. Of course I’ll go.”

It wasn’t really me though, Haruki thought then shook his head at himself helplessly before frowning to himself. That Takumi! He can’t just suddenly change the dates from Sunday to Saturday like that. Ken had a late flight yesterday, so of course he’s tired. This was supposed to be his resting day!

Then again, the amount of begging Takumi had done to finally convince Tadashi had been awe-inspiring. It’d have been too cruel to suddenly say ‘no’ to him.

“Please, it’s got to be tomorrow,” Takumi had called Haruki the previous evening, crying tears of blood through the phone. “Tadashi said he’s busy Sunday so he won’t be able to make it. And I’m sorry I completely forgot to mention Ken’s flight today. The guy won’t even answer my calls anymore. I suspect that he even blocked me, that jerk. And he threatened to feed me to his huge dog if I dared to step foot in his yard. The guy has his mind set already. PLEEEEEEEEEASE, it’s tomorrow or never!!!”

And after that, it’d been Haruki’s job to convince Kentaro.

Who knew the kid wouldn’t hesitate at all in agreeing.

What’s done is done, Haruki finally stopped pestering him and focused ahead as well. We might as well enjoy ourselves since we’re already on our way.

..

They met up with Takumi and Tadashi at the arcade’s entrance as planned and entered the huge building together.

“There are so many people here,” Takumi anxiously glanced around, “I hope we’ll find a couple of free games and machines. This is crazy.”

“There’s an entire complex, don’t rush,” Tadashi simply stated, though he probably wished he’d just stayed at home.

“Games and machines?” Kentaro suddenly asked, to everyone’s surprise.

Takumi wasted no time at all and quickly pulled him to his side. He’d been given the chance to work his magic and he didn’t plan to let it slide. He suddenly felt like a teacher who’d found the perfect student.

“Yes, games. Loads and loads and games and machines. And you are free to go anywhere you want in this entire building.”

“Really?” the kid seemed genuinely interested.

Takumi pointed in a certain direction, “And it’s not just games. You get to eat too. Anything you want.”

“You do realize that we didn’t come here to blow all our money on food, right?” Tadashi reminded him.

“That’s okay, coz I brought all the money we need,” Takumi said conceited, “Even buying an entire food restaurant wouldn’t be an issue.”

Tadashi rolled his eyes. He knew how much this person exaggerated.

Haruki on the other hand smiled helplessly. I forget sometimes that Takumi’s another rich kid.

Just then, an unsettling feeling crawled up his skin and made him instantly glance over his shoulder. His surroundings seemed normal, with everyone minding their own business. He focused ahead again, but a strange sense of foreboding crept over him.

Just now, I felt as if…

He suddenly felt a nudge at his side and glanced at Tadashi, who wore the same complicated expression as his and immediately understood.

Tadashi had felt it too. They were being followed.

Good grief, trouble upon arrival? What cliché manga sub-plot was this?

Kentaro and Takumi were in front, too engaged in their conversation to even notice any strangeness around them.

How are we supposed to tell them without alerting the stalker?

Just as Haruki was busy raking his thoughts, Tadashi mentioned for them to stop once they’d reached a certain point.

“Hey, how about we separate for now and cover more ground in checking out the games here,” he suddenly suggested.

“Separate?” Takumi’s tone was full of rejection, “We can’t do that. What would be the point of bringing us all together?”

Even Kentaro was confused but didn’t say anything.

“We’ll regroup soon afterwards. I just want us to cover more ground,” Tadashi turned to Haruki. “What do you think?”

He was quick to read what Tadashi was planning and nodded in agreement, “I think that’s a great idea.”

Takumi, “Huh—?”

“Listen, we’ll meet exactly at a certain point in about forty minutes,” Tadashi pointed to the miniature clock tower and the center of the building complex. “We’ll use that clock as our guide. Right now it’s a minute to 10a.m. Let’s meet there at exactly 10:40, then we can exchange info about what we find out. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Haruki nodded before Tadashi dragged the complaining Takumi with him.

Now that it’s only the two of them, it’ll be much easier to relate to Takumi about what’s going on, he thought as he and Ken headed the opposite direction. By separating like this, at least we’ll know who this stalker is really after.

“Haru?” Kentaro was still looking at him, watching his worried expression, “Is something wrong?”

“Come here,” Haruki suddenly draped an arm round Ken’s shoulders to make it seem as if they were close buddies just having casual conversation.

Kentaro on the other hand, was too stunned to even process this sudden action.

“Listen, earlier we were being followed,” Haruki explained in a hushed voice while his eyes unnoticeably shifted to examine their surroundings for any suspicious figures. “I think Tadashi realized it too, and that’s why he told us to separate for a while. We’re trying to figure out who’s following who, so you should stay close until we regroup.”

Now Kentaro understood.

He furrowed slightly, “What’s the person wearing?”

“I didn’t see any suspicious figure at the time. If we really are being followed I will—” Haruki suddenly tensed again, trailing in his sentence.

It was that weird feeling again. They really were being followed.

What the hell?

“Haruki, listen. I think—”

“Let’s go in that restaurant,” he immediately cut him short and led Ginger straight to a café nearby.

Having picked a secluded window seat for them, Haruki ordered them both some refreshments. It’d have been too suspicions if they’d just sat there without ordering a thing.

“We’ll wait here and see what happens,” he told Kentaro as he ordered them strawberry and chocolate milkshakes, “Maybe he’ll follow us inside.”

After a few minutes, a man with tamed short dark hair wearing a neat black tux and shades stepped into the small dining area and was quickly attended by a nearby waitress. He also chose a window seat in the same row as the two kids, and settled down only after ordering a cup of coffee.

Haruki observed him for a while, but couldn’t see his appearance since he had his back to them.

Whoa, is that dude meeting his date here. He really went all out with the suit…

“What do you see?” Kentaro snapped him back from his thoughts, and Haruki’s eyes went back to the entrance.

“I don’t see any potential stalker. Just a guy in a really neat tux…” the word ‘tux’ had barely left his lips when Ken suddenly shot angrily from where he sat and turned to leave.

“Wait a minute, where are you going???” he’d thought the kid was leaving but was very surprised when he went in the direction of the guy in the suit. Wait, huh?

The man young man raised his head when a small figure suddenly approached him with a red face and snapped, “Why are you here?!”

Of course such a scene would only grab people’s attention, so Haruki also stood up to try and calm the raging Kentaro down.

“Just a minute, Ginger, I don’t think he’s—”

“Young master, please calm down.”

“???”

Haruki glanced at the man in the tux, then at the tomato-faced Kentaro. His eyes travelled between the two for a while before he finally came to a shocking realization.

Ehhhhhhh????

“I already told you, I don’t need you stalking me,” Kentaro hissed.

“I’m afraid that decision isn’t yours to make,” the young man took off his shades before placing them on the table, “Please try to understand, Young Master.”

Young Master? Now who is this???

 

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[author: Ah, welcome, welcome, new individual...]

[Announcement: I'm probably gonna change my Update Schedule to three times a week for now, since I have so much time on my hands. I'll be updating on SATURDAYS, TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS until further notice...]

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