Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Flourishing Misconceptions- Part 1

[author: Here's another update, since I was slacking... ]

........

Later that day, Kentaro and Haruki sat in the shade on the tier benches near the sports field; with Haru sitting two benches higher than Ken. It was already lunch, and the two had just arrived, they hadn't taken out their lunches yet.

"So are the glasses a new look, or...?" Haruki just had to ask, having been caught a little off guard by his friend's new look.

He'd already returned to his usual cheery-self again, since it turned out that Ken's injuries hadn't been at all that serious.

The two of them had been lucky enough to find the door to the school clinic open, and the school nurse unavailable. Otherwise it would have been troublesome if they'd been questioned on how Kentaro had gotten hurt in the first place.

"I thought you'd have long since guessed that," Kentaro responded, though his mind seemed a little occupied. "You know, since you always made fun of my duck writing."

Haruki chuckled.

"I only wrote big words to avoid wearing glasses all the time."

"Have you ever considered wearing contacts?" 

He hadn't. But putting that aside, Kentaro changed the subject, "Do you enjoy brawling?"

Haruki's smile faltered when he suddenly was asked that. He failed to give an immediate response.

"I'm only curious to know."

Haruki pretended to admire nature, "I-I don't know. Maybe sometimes..."

"Did you really want to beat them all up?" Kentaro asked again.

The other person scratched his head, "Uh..."

"If I hadn't stopped you, would you have really done it?" he asked, his hands tightening round his satchel straps. Haruki didn't respond, leaving Ken to continue, "It's just that... you seemed so different at the time. And during the entire time we were in the nurse's office, you never said a word."

"Oh that," Haruki laughed, "Don't tell me you're afraid of me now."

He'd only meant it as a tease, but seeing the kid flinch made Haruki very concerned.

"Wait... are you really?"

Kentaro had been read like an open book. But he quickly denied it, "No, I was just concerned."

"For them?"

"No, for both sides," he refused to look directly at Haruki. "It wouldn't have looked great if everyone was injured."

After a while of quietly observing the other person's speech and action, Haruki finally puffed a snicker, "Yeah, you're right. It probably would have ended badly."

Kentaro breathed.

"So in the end you decided to attend at this school. You could've given me a head's up you know," it was Haruki's turn to changed the subject, to Ken's relief. He'd taken out an apple from his bag and was already helping himself.

"I've been busy. That's why I didn't communicate or visit. I was out of town."

"Huh, really? Where to, back home?" Haru asked in between bites.

Kentaro nodded, though his expression didn't seem too ecstatic.

"At least now I know you haven't been ghosting me," Haruki felt very relieved and  prepared to take out his lunch. However, he suddenly noticed how Kentaro just sat there with no clear intention to eat. "You're not eating?"

"I'm not hungry..." Just then, his tummy growled, making the situation a whole lot awkward.

"You sure?" Haruki smiled. He already knew that the kid was starving.

"I forgot to buy lunch," he finally admitted.

Haruki suppressed his laughter. He still couldn't get over the fact that the kid was super cute and funny whenever he felt embarrassed.

"Why didn't you mention it earlier? We could've gone to the cafeteria," Haruki mentioned, as he rummaged through his own bag.

"I didn't know there was one," Kentaro's voice was almost inaudible. He turned his head when he felt a nudge over his shoulder, and his eyes were met by a black rectangular item being pressed to his face.

Haruki was offering him his bento box.

"This, this is yours," Kentaro simply looked at him.

"And I'm giving it to you," Haruki told him and waved it around, urging him to take it already, "My hand's getting tired."

After much hesitation, Kentaro finally accepted the lunch box and stared hard at it for a while. It seemed he was still contemplating on opening it or not. Just when he was about to do so,  he heard movement from behind him, only to notice a hand place a can of grape juice on the bench where he sat. He turned to stare at Haru, who'd already taken his seat and looked to the side, acting as if nothing had happened.

"I'm not thirsty."

"I never said you were," Haru still avoided the other person's gaze, and continued to eat his apple.

"What will you eat?"

"Aren't I eating already?"

"... Fine," Kentaro took the can and stuffed it in his bag before turning back to Haru with the bento box in hand. He handed it over to him, "Then you take it."

"I gave it to you," Haruki refused.

"I don't want it."

Haruki's expression turned pitiful, "Don't you like my cooking anymore?"

"That's not it—"

"You hate me?"

Where is this even coming from??? Kentaro dropped the idea and simply kept the bento to himself. He then mumbled a, "Thank you for the food," before opening the box, taking out the chopsticks, and eating quietly.

Haruki dropped his pitiful act in satisfaction and leaned back against the bench behind him. He watched as Ken wolfed down the food, looking like someone who hadn't even had a decent breakfast. Just then, Haru thought of something and casually asked, "Do you always buy your food?"

Ken nodded without thinking.

"All the time?"

He nodded once more.

"Hmm," Haruki raised an interested brow, "Then the nanny isn't doing her job."

Only then did Kentaro recall what he'd told Haru once before. His movements faltered.

Haruki pretended not to notice and went on,  "Is she taking care of you properly?"

"Yeah."

"Yet she doesn't cook for you?" he arched a brow.

"She doesn't need to."

Oh really? "I'd like to meet her someday."

"Why?"

"Just curious to know what she's like."

"There's no need," Kentaro continued to eat his food, but made sure to carefully choose his next words.

"Come on..." 

"It doesn't concern you."

Now Haruki was very much concerned.

"Ginger, be honest, is that housekeeper of yours badly treating—"

"Why don't you just drop it?" he interrupted, his voice a little raised, "I already told you that it's none of your concern."

"This again," Haruki furrowed, "You always get so cold whenever we talk about you."

"Since it's nothing new to you, you should have long since gotten used to it," Kentaro said, his expression glacial.

This ingrate, Haru felt genuinely annoyed by that. "What's that supposed to mean, Nomura?"

"Lay off me," Ken placed the empty box on the bench and stood up to leave. "Thanks anyway."

And with that he left the half-surprised, half-irritated Haruki sitting alone on the tier benches. As soon as he was out-of-sight, Haruki couldn't help but feel even more irritated.

He threw away the apple core he'd been holding for some time and clicked his tongue, "Yeah sure, I get that you're secretive, but how long do you plan on being that way? When will you understand that you're not alone anymore?"

***

Following that meeting were a few days of discomfort and awkwardness between the two.

Haruki still couldn't get his mind off what had happened that day at the benches, feeling as if a lot of things had been left unspoken.

Even though Kentaro behaved as if nothing had happened, he'd grown a little withdrawn. It was much worse since the two of them were in different classes, so they rarely hung out. When they did meet, it would only be for a few minutes for lunch before parting ways again.

In the end, Haru grew a suspicion that the kid was doing his utmost best to keep distancing himself. However, he still seemed interested in interacting with Maki and Akashi Fukuda, even paying them a few visits after school before heading to his own home.

"Did something happen between you and little Ken?" Maki had stopped her son one day before he'd headed to his room after coming home from school. Akashi wasn't around at that time, having stayed at the office for a longer period of time than his wife.

Haruki already knew what his mother's words meant, "He came here again?"

The woman nodded, her face full of concern, "I rarely see you together these days. He only comes to greet us before leaving again."

"It's understandable," Haruki didn't want to talk about it much, "I have after school activities and he doesn't, so he leaves school earlier than me. By the time I get home it's already in the late hours so," he finished off with a shrug.

Maki pursed her lips into a thin line.

"And besides, it's not like we don't see each other at school every day," her son added.

"You don't even meet up on weekends," the woman reminded him, "During the vacation you guys met up every day. You were practically inseparable."

"We're both really busy these days."

Maki didn't look convinced in the slightest, "Then why don't you invite him over for dinner today? I'm sure he'd like that."

He won't agree to it if I'm the one saying it, Haruki thought then thought of a decent lie, "I asked him to come earlier today but he said he'd be eating out with his mom, since she came for a visit."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, bummer."

"Alright then," Maki turned to leave and head back into the kitchen, leaving Haru to continue up the staircase. He stopped in his tracks when she suddenly expressed, "I know that you're hiding something from me Rue-Rue, and it's not just you. Even little Ken's acting as strange as you are."

Haruki was about to joke around when he turned to face his mother again, but all those intentions vanished when he saw the look on her face. She'd crossed her arms over her apron, one hand holding a wooden spoon, looking truly disappointed. It was rare for him to see his mother like this.

So in the end, he kept silent. He couldn't come up with anything.

"You won't talk to Ayame, and now you won't even smooth things over with little Ken."

Haru, "..."

"Isn't he your friend?"

"He is." But how am I supposed to help him if he won't let me? His hands subconsciously tightened around the staircase railing.

Maki spoke, seeing that Haru didn't look like he was willing to continue, "Personally, I like Ken, and I'd hoped that you guys would've been friends for a very long time. I can tell you're happiest when you're together. It's too soon for you guys to end your friendship. It'd really be a waste if you didn't—"

"Mom."

Maki sighed, "I won't say anymore," and with that, she really left for the kitchen, leaving Haru to ponder alone on the staircase.

Haruki slumped onto his bed with his face staring up at the ceiling, his mother's words still lingering in his mind. She'd told him that she liked Ken, and so did he.

But their current relationship was just too hard to comprehend. He didn't know what the kid was thinking at all.

As he sat upright, he shuffled out his phone from his jacket pocket to check out his inbox, a little curious to see if Ken had finally started sending him some again, but to his dismay, he didn't find what he was looking for.

Nevertheless, he still scrolled down to see if there was anything interesting.

His hand stopped when he came across one with a familiar name, and it stayed there for some time while he continued to stare at the screen.

Ayame.

He hadn't spoken to her in a while now. The only times he had done so had been because his mother had always managed to throw her mobile at him while she's been on the phone with her, which' would ultimately force Haru to say something as well.

Otherwise he'd never been the one to initiate a call first.

He opened up the message and read it.

She hadn't written much, only telling him how good she was doing at her University and that she wished he'd talked to her more. After all, they were supposed to be close.

Had he really decided to ignore her just because she'd left without saying a word? She was still his sister. He couldn't ignore her forever.

After much contemplating, he finally decided to dial her number and patiently wait for her to answer.

I hope I won't regret this.

"Hello? Haru?"

He hadn't expected her to answer immediately. "Hey, Mei."

"Oh my god," she sounded excited. "You finally called first???"

"I could just hang up instead."

"No, no, no, I was wrong, don't hang up."

She's way too excited, he thought and took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to say. "So listen, I've got something to ask you."

"You need help with something!!!"

"I..." he'd been about to deny it but decided against it and calmed down instead. "En, you're right."

She squirmed at the other end, feeling greatly honored, "Okay, okay, I'm listening. What's it about?"

"It's about a friend of mine...."

"Kentaro Nomura?"

"??? How do even know about him?" He'd been genuinely surprised at first, considering that he'd never told her about him. But then he remembered he had an interesting mother who liked sharing a little too much. "Never mind. Yes, it is about Ken."

"Let's hear."

And so, for the first time in a while, he told her everything.

***

At school the following day, Ayame's words still lingered clearly in Haru's head, making him behave a little absent-mindedly for most part of the day. In class, he'd have to be called once or twice by his teachers to get his attention back, but since he was already known to be a genius, they'd just assume that the day wasn't his, to have so many things going on through his mind. Thus he never got in trouble because of it.

"Try talking to him again. Like, really talking," were some of the words Ayame had told him yesterday, after hearing his and Ken's story. "If you show that you really care and you're only trying to help, maybe he'll open up a little. Don't force things, and have a little patience with him. Remember, you're the first person he's ever been close to so it's not that easy for him to trust you immediately. It'll take time."

And Haruki seriously considered that advice.

Patience, I shouldn't force things.

During the lunch hour, as he made his way down the halls, he caught a glimpse of Ken headed in another direction, looking somewhat exhausted. At first, he decided to let him go, knowing that the kid would come up with some excuse to avoid having to spend the entire hour with him.

He's alone again, Haru thought. At this rate, he'll never be able to make new friends.

Haruki was a different case though. It wasn't that he had no friends completely. If he wanted, he could always go join Takumi Shimoda's group for lunch like he did every now and then, since those people really enjoyed his company. They'd always seen him like some kind of idol.

After contemplating it for a while, he finally made his approach.

Ken was snapped from his train of thought when he heard someone call him, only to see Haruki coming his way.

He didn't behave strangely or try to avoid him, but simply stood in place waiting for the other person to reach him.

"Hey."

Haruki wore the brightest grin on his face, "It's been a while."

"We saw each other yesterday."

"Which is a very long time," Haru made it sound as if it was something very obvious, "You busy right now?"

"Actually I was just heading to the libr—"

"Great, let's go together!"

"To the library?"

"Nothing strange with going together," Haruki puffed his cheeks.

Kentaro stared at him for a while, as if trying to read what he was really thinking before turning to continue walking, "Alright."

Haruki fell into step with him and started, "Still haven't decided on which club to join?"

Ken nodded.

"Any thoughts?"

He pondered for a while, "It'll have to be something I enjoy doing. So I was thinking maybe the literary club."

"Ha, that's so bo—" Haruki immediately stopped himself and cleared his throat, "It suits you. It really suits you."

"I know what you were about to say."

"Uh, anything else? Anything more interesting?"

Kentaro shook his head.

Haruki sighed inwardly, different likes, different clubs, different dismissal hours... This sucks. Just as he was mopping to himself, he noticed a strange mark on one of Ken's cheeks, which peaked his interest a bit.

"What's that?"

"What?"

Haruki pointed at it, "That?"

Kentaro felt at his cheek and realized something, which made him immediately look away and pick up the pace, "Nothing."

"Hey wait, I'm not kidding," Haru stretched out a hand and grabbed Ginger's shoulder to stop him. What he hadn't anticipated though was that the kid would suddenly wince at his touch, even though he hadn't been rough at all. Haruki immediately retracted him hand, apologizing. But he'd already noticed something strange about that cheek-mark near Ken's mole.

"Whatever, it's fine," Kentaro mumbled and turned to leave again, but before he could do so, Haru stepped in front of him, blocking his way. He was stunned at first before his expression grew unfriendly, "What's with you all of a sudden?"

Leaning in for a closer look, Haruki inquired, "How'd you get a bruise this big?"

"It's not a bruise."

"Whatever it is, it wasn't there before," Haru said.

"This your first time seeing a mole in your entire life?" Kentaro walked past him.

"I'm not talking about the mole," he reached his hand to grab Ken's right forearm arm this time, but the kid still winced. What then? Is it really me?

"Enough already, I'll just go on my own," Ken attempted to take his arm back but failed. Haruki had already subconsciously tightened his grip around it, and before Ken knew what was going on, the guy had already rolled up Ken's right sleeve, causing him to suddenly panic, "Haruki, stop it!"

Of course the guy didn't listen. His eyes widened in shock when he discovered more and more bruises on the arm, "How did you get these?"

"None of your business, I hurt myself okay!" Kentaro yanked his arm away, his anger beginning to flare.

This crap again? Haruki furrowed, grabbed Ken's hand and started dragging him. He was having none of this stubbornness today, "If you won't show me then I'll just see for myself."

He led him to the boy's restroom, which was currently deserted. He made sure to fasten the latch before turning to Ken who was glaring at him, seething.

"What do you think you're doing Haruki?"

"Take your shirt off," he spoke calmly, still facing the door.

"Why? Just because you said so?"

"You don't want to?" Haruki turned to face Ken again, his tone frosty and daring. He looked calm, but god knows what he was truly thinking, or just how pissed he was.

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Ken's heart pounded faster as he subconsciously took a step back. This was almost the same face as the one he'd seen when Haruki had taken down a senior in one blow.

This is exactly what I didn't want, Ken felt a cold sweat drop. He didn't want to admit it but at this point, he felt terrified of Haruki. That face, I just don't want him to be that kind of person.

"Haruki," he sounded as if he wanted to explain but ended up saying nothing, knowing that he'd only make the situation worse.

So in the end he did as he'd been told; starting off with his black gakuran, then his white shirt while he kept his head down during the entire time. After he was done, he waited for Haru's reaction. If he realizes who did this, who knows what he'll do to them?

Haruki stared at the boy with a complicated expression. At one point, he felt shocked, then angry, but ultimately disbelief shrouded over him. The boy had bluish-purple bruises everywhere; all of them in varying shades depending on how long they'd been there.

"Who did this, Ginger?"

I can't tell him, Kentaro thought.

"Was it that nanny of yours?" Haruki's tone was rough.

Kentaro was a little surprised. He hadn't expected him to think this way. Then this is good. As long as he believes it's an adult person.

"Was it her?" Haruki demanded.

Kentaro spoke almost inaudibly, "And what if it was, Haru? You going to beat her up?"

"At the very least I can report her!"

As long as he really believes it's her. But Ken kept on his act and yelled, "I don't want you to report anything!"

"TCH, are you even hearing yourself right now, Ginger?" Haruki couldn't help but be furious as he pointed to the mirror, "Take a good look at yourself and tell me that's okay!"

"So what if it isn't, huh! It's my body, not yours!!"

"You know what, that kind of talk is what really pisses me off about you," he took a step forward, causing Kentaro to subconsciously retreat some steps.

He stopped to stare at him, a little baffled.

Kentaro wouldn't look at him as he started to quietly dress.

"Hey," Haruki didn't want to believe it but still asked, his tone low and full of surprise, "Are you really afraid of m—"

"SHUT UP!"

He is. Haruki stood glued in place, unwilling to move any closer to him for fear of how the kid would react, "I'm sorry."

After wearing his jacket, Ken spoke lowly, "I'd rather quit."

Haruki's heart raced as he felt an ominous premonition, "W-what?"

"I don't think we should remain friends if you keep acting like this," Ginger told him.

This was exactly what Haruki had feared. He couldn't even say a word after hearing that.

"You're always like this. Always meddling," Kentaro refused to meet his eyes, his fists clenching. "You want to report my situation, then go ahead. But this is the last time I'm ever telling you anything."

"I'm only trying to help you..." Haruki started then trailed off, too afraid to even go on.

"Stop it, I don't need your help!" Kentaro finally faced him, but regretted it soon afterwards. He'd never seen Haruki with such a helpless look before, and that only made his heart ache for him. He immediately glanced away again. He knew that if he kept lingering around him for any longer, he'd give away his act.

Thus, without another word, Kentaro stormed out of the room.

Haruki stood there, his mind in turmoil. He didn't want to believe what he'd just discovered.

Even though he didn't say it directly, I clearly saw it. I saw the same look on his face the day I saved him from those seniors.

Ken's afraid of me. He's always been afraid ever since that day.

He had to admit, that thought had crossed over his mind the very first day they'd sat together at the tier benches, but since Ken hadn't admitted it, Haruki had simply brushed over it.

Now though, there was no mistaking it.

He ran a hand down his face, feeling frustrated.

This is exactly what Mei told me 'not' to do.

***

"Mr. Nomura?" Kentaro snapped back to reality the moment he heard his name being called, and immediately sat upright, facing the teacher at the front of the class.

"Ma'am?"

The middle-aged lady in rimless glasses and while and black suit placed her textbook onto the table and asked him, "Are you still with us?"

He nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Good, now I want you to read the next paragraph of the story for the class," she told him.

He blinked. He'd completely forgotten that he was currently in an English lesson, and spacing out was the last thing he needed to do with this teacher around. Reluctantly, he stood to his feet and held his textbook to his face, covering most of it so people wouldn't notice his nerves.

Next paragraph, next paragraph. Where are we exactly? He stood there for a while, not saying a word.

"Mr. Nomura?"

Ken cleared his throat and opened his mouth as if to finally read after choosing a random paragraph, but as soon as the first word was about to leave his mouth, the siren rang. It was already time to break for lunch.

The English teacher sighed, "I guess that's all for today. But I'm still giving you people homework," she turned to Ken who'd just taken his seat again, "You'll be the one accompanying me to go get it, Mr. Nomura."

"Yes ma'am," he felt reluctant. He already knew what was going to happen there.

After retrieving a note with the class' homework and receiving a firm 'No spacing out during my lesson' lecture from the English teacher, Kentaro returned to his class to get his bag so that he could leave for lunch. He knew that by the time he'd get there, everyone would have already left, so he could peacefully write down the work on the board without uncomfortable stares coming from every direction.

Who knew when he finally reached his class, he'd find an idiot from another class rummaging through his bag as if that was a completely normal thing to do.

Crossing his arms, Kentaro silently observed the person.

Haruki was completely oblivious to the change in his surrounding, so it only made sense for him to make a startled jump when he straightened to find a person staring at him.

"Hi! D-Didn't see you there," he tried settling his nerves.

Kentaro approached him and his desk, "What were you looking for?"

"Nothing."

"Then why were you going through my bag?" he asked, arching a brow.

Haruki averted his eyes.

Kentaro turned suspicious and decided to investigate for himself. He opened his bag only to find the pack of rice balls he'd bought from the convenient store in the morning having mysteriously vanished.

"Where's my food?"

"It was cold so I threw it away," Haru admitted.

The other kid stared at him in disbelief, "That happened to be my lunch."

"No, no, I have your lunch right here," Haruki rummaged through his own bag and took out a navy blue bento box and placed it on top of Ken's desk.

Ken stared at it, then back at Haru, his expression indifferent, "I'm not going to eat your lunch."

"But it's really yours this time," Haruki took out another lunch box, the same black one Ken had eaten from before, and showed it to him, "I really did make it for you."

Ginger's expression changed from indifference to a bit of surprise, but he said nothing. He was a little speechless.

"So hey, can I eat with you today?" Haruki suddenly asked, full of hope.

"If I say no, will you go away?"

"Probably not."

"Then why bother asking?"

"Great!" Haruki was ecstatic. He drew a nearby chair and placed it beside Ken's desk, planning to share the desk with him.

"In here?" Kentaro arched a brow.

"Why not?"

"I always pegged you as the guy who loved the outdoors," Ken said.

"I do, but you like eating indoors, don't you?"

Kentaro raised his brows.

Haruki went on, "And besides, lunch's almost over. I wasn't expecting you to come back so late."

Ken gave up and took his own seat, "I had to visit the English office and endure a lecture."

"Oh," Haru's eyes went to the note and marker, "And that?"

"Homework for the class," Ginger spoke as he opened his lunch box. He froze when he saw the contents of the upper section, unsure of whether to laugh or cry. He felt a small muscle spasm on his forehead, "Haruki, what is this?"

Haruki took a look but saw nothing wrong there as he dug into his own food, "I thought you liked tonkatsu. Didn't you say it was your favorite after chicken curry?"

"Not that."

Haruki looked again. Other than those pork cutlets, there was also some rice seasoned with sesame seeds as the main dish. On the smaller sections of the insulated bento were green vegies mainly consisting of broccoli and green beans.

"I hate these, Haru."

He'd completely forgotten about that. Haruki reached over his chopsticks, "I'll take them out."

"No," Ken smacked his hand away, surprising the other teen.

"Eh?"

"You already made it so it'd be a waste to throw them away," Ginger took his own chopsticks.

"I was going to just eat them myself."

"I'll eat them."

Then why mention it in the first place? Haruki thought but still couldn't help but feel relieved as the two of them ate together.

At least Ken hadn't considered cutting ties with him in the end.

Yesterday, Haruki had promised not to say a word about the abusive nanny, and only then had Ken finally calmed down. Their relationship was on the right track again.

However, he still couldn't get the nagging feeling that he was still missing something. Thus, he never planned on cancelling his mission for the day.

After school that day, Haruki took the initiative to visit Kentaro's class again, but it was only to say:

"Sorry, Ginger, I don't think I'll be able to accompany you to the gate today. I'm already late for Judo."

Kentaro, having already slung his satchel on both shoulders, raised a brow as if confused. When have you ever done that anyway?

"Try not to miss me too much, okay?" Haruki teased with a snicker before turning to leave.

"Tsk, screw you! As if I'd—" he trailed when he noticed that he'd already grabbed his classmates' attention and quickly left the classroom.

He didn't have any business left at school since he hadn't joined a single after-school club yet, so he headed straight for the metro station to wait for his three-thirty metro back home.

However, halfway to the metro station, he changed his usual course and took another route through a deserted alley. It wasn't a shortcut as such; it was just that at that moment, he'd simply chosen to take another route home.

The reason? Only he knew.

It took him a little over ten minutes during his metro ride to reach his neighborhood station, and another ten on foot to finally reach his house, which wasn't that much of a long time, and the moment he did enter his front door, he went straight to his room and threw himself onto his bed, breathing a relieved sigh.

I didn't run into them again. How long will it take for them to figure out that I've started cutting through that alley and not my usual route? It's already been four days now.

His stomach suddenly growled, which only added to more of his problems. He stood up and headed for the kitchen, not really expecting much since he already knew what would be waiting for him.

His fridge was huge, but he opened it only to find two cartons of juice, a half-empty milt carton, and three cups of instant ramen. No real food in there.

His cupboards and shelves were filled with all kinds of non-perishables he could ever think of, but simply having them was useless since he didn't even know how to cook them.

"Want me to teach you how to cook?"

Haruki's familiar words crossed through his mind, causing Ken to wear a sad smile. Those had been the times when the two of them had gotten really close over a short period of time, and yet he was ruining it all by giving Haruki the cold shoulder all of a sudden.

And it just so happened that he really regretted it. Whether his behavior was intentional or not, Kentaro was full of suffocating regret.

"I don't think we should remain friends if you keep acting like this."

Yeah, that's what he'd said, even though the other person only wanted to help.

But no matter what, Haruki kept coming back with a smile.

Kentaro's grip tightened round the refrigerator's door handle, while his teeth clenched in self-loathing.

The few people he had ever gotten along with in the past had always left him in the end, so Haruki wouldn't be any different.

Yeah, it's only a matter of time. He'll get fed up with me eventually.

The moment he thought this, he felt a warm trickle down his cheek and slowly lifted a hand to wipe away the tear, surprised.

This wasn't supposed to be anything new, so why did he feel so...

DING DONG!

He immediately snapped back to his senses, closed the refrigerator door, and left the kitchen, wondering who would have bothered to visit him. He hadn't ordered any takeout, and there's no way his neighbors would suddenly start visiting him.

He suddenly paused in his step, feeling too hesitant to continue.

What if it's 'them'? Did they figure out where I live?

DING DONG, DING DONG!

"Uh, hello? You in there, Ginger?"

The familiar voice made Kentaro subconsciously move forward without hesitation, and the moment he swung open the door, his relieved expression was met by an exaggerated smile on Haruki's lips.

"So this is the place, huh?" Haru looked past Ken and examined the interior of the house from where he stood, "You weren't kidding when you said it was huge."

Kentaro finally broke out of his daze and snapped, "How did you get here?! What happened to the club?" Haru's not supposed to know where I live. I never told him.

"Ditched."

"So you followed me here?"

Haruki immediately avoided his gaze, "Yeah."

Ken narrowed his eyes, "Creep."

"It's not like you'd even tell me, so I had no choice," Haru started to kick off his shoes, "Besides, I have a special mission here."

"What are you doing?"

"Taking off my dirty shoes of course. Your floor looks spotless, wouldn't want to ruin it," he moved past Ken as if he owned the place, saying, "Dude, I thought it was huge from the outside, but this is just insane."

"I never invited you in."

"You didn't stop me either," Haruki arched a cocky brow.

Kentaro became speechless.

The other person immediately started his adventure, scouting every room he came across, and awing at its magnificence. At one point, while he was parading the rooms on the first floor, he glanced out the window and gasped.

"No way, you've got a pool too? So unfair." he whined.

Ken was helplessly following behind him, "Yeah, so what? It's not like you can see water in there."

"Then how do you keep it so clean?" Haruki glanced at the kid then at the pool over and over again, "It's so spotless."

He's like a little toddler, gasping and gaping at everything as if it's his first time seeing them, Ken thought.

"I hire pool cleaners."

"Then use the thing," Haruki clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief, "What a waste of good money."

"WOULD YOU GET OUT ALREADY?!"

Haru suppressed a snicker and raised his hands in mock surrender, "Okay, okay, I'll leave."

Good!

"Right after I meet your house-keeper," Haru turned to move again and headed for the staircase, "Speaking of, I haven't been in your room yet. It's not upstairs, right?"

Ken became unresponsive.

Haru didn't pay any mind to Ken's lack of response and descended the stairs, looking for Ken's room.

"You always complained about me being a giant mess but I bet your room's even worse—" his statement broke off when he was met with Ken's neat and tidy room. The only things misplaced were the satchel Ken had casually thrown onto the bed when he'd first arrived.

Super neat freak!

His gaze then landed on the desk and chair situated in the corner of Ken's room, a huge desktop sitting quietly on the desk, looking exceptionally new.

He really wasn't kidding about the computer.

"Sigh, I guess now you can freely tell me to eat my words," he mused as he approached the desk. He then picked up the sketchbook that lay near the keyboard and flipped the pages, raising his brows in surprise as he did so. "What the heck, Ginger, you never told me you were an artist!"

He was genuinely surprised. Kentaro's sketches were really something to awe at.

There were all kinds of sketches in the book; birds, houses, trees and flowers, even people. Wait, more like one person actually, and they appeared to be a young woman.

"Whoa Ginger, you're really good at this. Who is she? She's pretty," he turned around only to find nothing but empty air behind him. "Eh?"

He placed the sketchpad back where he'd found it and retraced his steps. He finally discovered that Ken had never left the staircase. The kid just stood there in a daze, and when Haru finally came back, his gaze slowly shifted to him.

Haruki finally asked, feeling concerned, "What is it?"

"Why won't you quit?"

"Huh?"

"All this housekeeper nonsense. Just give it up already," Ken told him, his voice low. It didn't look like he had the strength to even yell.

Haru gave a small smile, "I know you hate it, but I really can't help it. I just wish you could depend on me sometimes."

Kentaro suddenly felt guilt-ridden as his teeth subconsciously clenched. It was as if trying to prevent himself from spilling out all his problems.

I really want to tell him, I really do. But I know how he'll react. I just don't want him to become the person I saw that day.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Haruki laughed and said, "I guess it's a little silly after all. This really isn't my business. I'll stop it, I promise."

Something about that statement made something in Ken's heart snap, to the extent that he literally opened his mouth and almost spilled the beans. However, he closed it once more before the other person noticed something off.

"But I don't regret finding out where you live though," Haruki chuckled, "Following you around was the highlight of my day. I felt like a spy."

"You mean a stalker?" Ken rolled his eyes.

"Hey, don't make it sound weird!"

"Sure."

"Tsk, whatever," Haru turned to leave for the front door and started putting on his shoes, "Just so you know, Ginger, I'm definitely coming to pick you up tomorrow morning. We'll be going to school together from now on."

And he really hadn't been kidding. The next morning, when Ken had just left his bed and still wandered around the house in his pajamas, Haru arrived at his front door.

.......

 

[author: HEYYYYY! If you're still here, it must mean that you're able to tolerate my writing after all... Thanks a lot!! I really hope you enjoy my story, even though it's probably silly, and I really hope you can watch my two boys grow up with me.]

[Announcement: I'll be updating twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.]

 

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