An hour has passed, and the city was already aglow with the lights of the towering skyscrapers. Since the number of people coming to Café Ai had lessened, Haru told Sakura that she could already visit Kyoko. In fact, he wanted to accompany her, but of course, he couldn't.
"Haru, I could take the train. No need to hail a cab for me," Sakura looked up to him with a smile on her face while they waited in front of the shop.
"I do not want you to get too tired from commuting," he glanced at her. "I know you're very exhausted."
"With all the caffeine from the café, my energy's been boosted up to 1000%!" she grinned. Her mind's still active, but the truth was, she could already feel her body failing on her anytime soon.
"You don't have to lie to me."
"I'm not lying-"
Sakura's brows raised when Haru leaned his face closer to her and looked straight into her eyes. She held his stare for so long and saw the cluster of stars in his jet black eyes amidst the city lights. The cluster of stars were so bright and mesmerizing, yet... so lonely. Have his eyes been so sad for a long time?
"Your eyes really seem tired though," he murmured before standing straight again. "I think it's better for you to go home. You'll meet Kyoko tomorrow-"
Haru was cut off after hearing the arrival of the cab.
"Yes, we'll meet each other tomorrow. You're coming with us, right?" she shrugged of the thought about why his eyes appeared seemingly lonely and supposed that he was just tired due to his busy shift.
"Yeah, I've been told."
"Good. I'll be going now. I really wanna check up on Kyoko, and I told your father that I'll be there, too," she told him as she walked to her ride.
Haru followed her and opened the door of the auto, "Keep me posted about her condition and please let me know once you get to your apartment."
She slid herself inside and sat comfortably on the backseat. "Hai hai!"
Sakura smiled at him after he closed the door and waved her hand goodbye as the cab finally sped off. She was able to update Haru about Kyoko, who was feeling better. However, it was already past 10 in the evening, and she hadn't yet informed him whether she was back to her apartment or not.
Thus, as soon as Haru's shift ended, he cleaned the café in haste, bid goodbye to his colleagues, and rode a taxi to get home immediately. Unfortunately, he arrived home a bit later than usual.
It was already past midnight when Haru entered the front door and noticed that the light in the kitchen was on. He removed his shoes at the genkan and scanned the area. Finding Sakura sleeping on the couch, he finally felt at ease. He then quietly went over to her and stared at her sleeping face. He wasn't sure what he was feeling but just seeing her after a very long day and watching her face as she slept took all the weariness away.
When he was about to reach for the blanket to fix it, he heard some footsteps coming his way.
"Have you eaten?" it was Junichi, who turned on the lights in the dining area.
Haru glanced at him and shook his head, "I've got no time to eat. What's for dinner anyway?"
"Wake up Sakura and eat dinner with her. I cooked Hamburg steak and there's salad, too."
"Huh?" he knitted his brows together, "Why hasn't she eaten her dinner yet?"
"She said she'll wait for you even though I said you'll arrive before midnight. She fell asleep on the couch right after talking to Kyoko though," he stood beside his son whilst he looked at her as well. "She really seems tired and in deep sleep, so I did not wake her up for dinner," his father then headed to the kitchen to preheat their meal and the miso soup.
"Damn. I thought something bad had happened," he murmured.
"Haru?" a small, sleepy voice called out.
The handsome barista turned to her and leaned over her, "Hey… Did we woke you up-"
Sakura pulled herself up and sat on the couch. It was as if she was getting sick; she felt very warm and her head was slightly aching. "No, it's okay… I… I was actually waiting for you, but I-"
"Yeah, you got me worried…" he stared at her sleepy face, but she averted her gaze and pressed her lips together. "But I'm glad you're fine and just fell asleep here," he quickly added.
"What are you two still doing there? Come over here and eat dinner," Junichi called them over to the dining area.
The two complied and walked towards the older man who was setting up the utensils on the table.
"Sakura, was Haru bothering you?" Junichi asked when he saw her in his peripheral vision.
"The hell you're talking about? You told me to wake her up-"
"Why was she avoiding you a while ago?" his father shot a quick look at him.
"She what?" his forehead creased in confusion, "Wait, you did?" and glanced at Sakura who was standing beside him.
"Eeeh?" Sakura blinked.
"Haru hasn't had a girlfriend since birth, so please pardon him if he's being annoying. He probably doesn't even know how to handle girls well," he feigned a sigh as he pulled the chairs for them.
"Huuuuh?" Haru's jaw almost dropped. Why would he annoy and bother her when he was just concerned about her? And why would Junichi even tell her about him not having a girlfriend since birth? He cursed inside his head and couldn't believe that his father would really embarrass him in front of their guest.
Sakura let out a chuckle, "I think he handles girls very well, sir. In fact, someone confessed her love at first sight to Haru this afternoon," and she glanced at the tall handsome man before taking a seat beside him.
"It's not the first time, but it still doesn't change the fact that he's inexperienced with women," Junichi smirked and sat opposite them.
"Man, I think I just lost my appetite," Haru commented as he scratched the back of his head, which made the other two laugh.
"By the way, clean up your room once you're done eating, Haru," Junichi mentioned, and his son looked at him as he drank water from his glass. "Let Sakura sleep there instead of accompanying her back to her place."