Another 15 minutes have passed. Haru grabbed his phone from the dining table, but there was still no message from Sakura. 'Did she go somewhere else, or did she pass out again?' he thought as he headed to the living room.
He was about to send her a text message when his phone suddenly rang, quickly answering it.
"Hey, did you make it home safe?"
"Haru! Sorry, I just got home. Something happened, but I'm alright!"
"What do you mean?' his brows furrowed in worry as he heard her slightly panting from the other line. "What happened?"
"So there were two creepy guys… who kept staring at me during my train ride," she caught her breath before speaking again. "I had to get off at a different station, but when I stood up, they stood up, too!"
He sat on the couch and listened to her intently, "And?"
"When I got out of the train, I hurriedly left and ran into a nearby mall and stayed in the dressing room of the department store. I waited for around... 10 to 15 minutes before leaving the mall. I'm not sure, but I think I lost them in the station," she sputtered.
"What do they look like? What are they wearing?"
She continued sputtering, "They seemed to be in their late 30s, and they're just wearing casual clothes. One had a mohawk buzz cut and goatee, and the other had medium length wavy hair."
"I see," he leaned his back against the backrest of the couch. "Relax now, Sakura. Take a deep breath., and peek outside the window and check your surroundings afterwards."
"Hmmm… I don't see him here," she sighed. "I don't want to be judgemental, so I really hope I'm just overreacting."
He listened to her movements and heard her settling down into the couch. "Nah, you're not. They really seem suspicious, and it's clearly not right to keep on staring at a stranger."
"I know right! I'll really kick their asses if they happen to be goons," she chuckled.
He smiled upon hearing her chuckling, but then his voice shifted into a more serious tone, "I should have just accompanied you home. Should I go there-"
"Should I just go back there instead?" she stifled her laughter.
"What?"
Sakura laughed. "I was kidding!"
"You're a silly girl, aren't you?"
"No!" she laughed once more. "Seriously, I'm fine now, Haru. It was supposed to be a quick ride, but you know… circumstances. It's okay, don't worry!" she assured him.
"Mmmm... alright. As long as you're safe."
"Thank you for making me feel safe. I mean your voice-"
The front door opened, "Tadaima." It was his father, who changed into his slippers before walking into the open space.
Haru shifted his gaze to his father, "Okairi-"
"Oh! Your dad must be home," there was a pause before she spoke again. "Please send my regards to him. I'll text you later. Bye bye!"
"Later then," he waited for her to hang up before putting his phone inside his pocket. "You might look for the berries and peaches you bought yesterday. I already used them."
Junichi saw the newly washed bento boxes on the counter after passing by him, "Who visited?"
"A friend. She sent her regards to you," he squinted his eyes as he waited for his father's answer, not wanting to hear him talk about being a 'grandfather' again like what had happened before.
Only four women came into his father's mind; Nana, Ayaka, Kyoko, and Kiyoshi's girlfriend, Mei. "Is Kyoko back?"
"Kyoko?" Haru creased his brows. He was relieved he didn't talk about being a 'grandfather', but why Kyoko? "The owner's busy with her modeling gig. Why would you think she was the one who came here?"
Junichi went to the countertop and got himself a glass of water, "She's your childhood friend, and it's obvious that she's fond of you." He took a sip from his glass before looking at his son, "And Kyoko's the only one I could think of who'd make a bento for you."
Haru let out a chuckle. "I'm sure she's the one who'd do the eating, not the cooking. The one I'm talking about is a new friend."
"Oh?" his father's brows raised in surprise. "That's great then! I'll be staying at your aunt's the week after next, so bring your friends here and have some fun." Junichi always visited his sister in the countryside once a month and usually stayed there for two to three days.
"You sure, pops?" He stood up from his seat and looked at him. "I should probably go with you. I haven't visited them for months now."
Junichi shook his head and placed the glass in the sink, "Go and have fun with your friends once in a while. Why are you always even at home during your free time?"
"I don't mind just staying at home-"
"And you only go out whenever Kiyoshi invites you," he scratched the back of his head.
As a child, Haru hasn't only witnessed the death of his parents, but also the death of Junichi's wife. It wouldn't be a surprise if he grew up being distant from others, so when his son met Kyoko in high school, and Kiyoshi in college, his father was so overjoyed that he considered and treasured them as if they were his children, too.
"You're definitely wasting your youth, son. You're not getting any younger."
Haru just listened to his father talking.
"So go out more often. Drink more. Party. Travel. Whatever. Have fun with your friends and create beautiful memories with them." After seeing Haru nod in response, Junichi continued, "I'll do the groceries before going to your aunt, so tell me what you wanna eat. My treat."
Haru's eyes widened, "Wait. Are you serious?"
"When was the last time you had a drink with your friends here? Cos I don't really remember," his father laughed.
"Hmm… a couple of months ago?"
"See?" Junichi walked towards him. "You can come visit your aunt next time, so invite your friends here... and don't forget to invite your new friend, too," he smiled at Haru and patted his shoulder.
The two finally came into an agreement. Haru would like to come with his father, but he also got pretty excited inviting his friends at home for a drink.
The following Tuesday afternoon, Haru's shift ended, and instead of his usual routine of directly going home, he went to Cafe Ai's balcony. It's also the shop's smoking area, and a lot of coffee aficionados flock to the cafe during the cherry blossom season as trees surrounding the area could easily be reached by one's hand. While waiting for Kiyoshi, Haru was chatting with Sakura through LINE and couldn't contain his smile while reading her jokes even though they were corny.
The door then opened, and Kiyoshi sneered as he headed to where Haru was, "Boy, you're smiling like an idiot."
"Shut the f*ck up," Haru smirked and glanced to the other side, rubbing the tip of his nose with the back of his index finger to avoid getting teased again. "So what's the meeting about?"
He put down the menu paper on the table before taking out a pack of cigar and a lighter from his pocket, "Didn't she tell you?"
Author's Note:
1. 'Tadaima' is an expression to announce that they have arrived home.
2. 'Okairi' is an expression welcoming someone after their arrival at home.