"HARU! I NEED YOU!"
"EHHHH?!!!!!"
"What?"
I could hear the surprise in Hina and Saishi's voices as they raised their concern in unison. But what grabbed my attention more was the sweet soft and reserved voice of Haru.
"Ha...Haru?"
"Haru?!"
While Hasuga herself was finding it hard to hear, Hina was bewildered to the point that she let out a loud cry. I turned towards her;
"What's your problem?"
"Ha...Haru?"
"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"
"You're calling her like...like you've known her for ages, even though you've barely spoken to her."
"Oh, that! It's a habit of mine, I guess. I don't want to emphasize too much energy into just a person's name. Not that there's anything wrong with your name. It's good, but I think you understand what I'm trying to tell, right?"
I turned towards Haru to just express my opinion, but she was on the verge of tears. Uh, looks like I've done it.
"Oi! Look, you're making her cry."
"Shut up! That was not my intention."
"Well, that's useless at this point."
"Uhm...I'm sorry, I guess..."
She was trying to talk while at the same time, stopping her tears.
"It's just...till now...no one ever talked to me like this. I'm...I'm really happy."
She clung to me all of a sudden. Looks like I have encountered a complication. I hope she didn't fall head over heels for me now. As I thought that, I could feel a scary glare with the atmosphere turning cold all of a sudden. It ran chills down my spine. I knew I shouldn't turn back. My body was against it. But I still turned my head, and if I could see my death in a physical form, then it was standing right in front of me, in the form of Hina.
Flare Blitz? Blast Burn? Flame Charge? Seismic toss? Fire Blast? Which one would I be shot with? Or...is it all of the above? Even the crowd behind us was feeling the chills and the goosebumps. Though, a masochist from an anime or a manga series would have a nosebleed at this point. Surely, that can't be re...Ok, never mind.
"Oh! Then you're fine with Haru..., right?"
"Yes!"
Wow, that spirit, it's something else...
"Umm, Nao, what do you mean by you need her? I think I'm misunderstanding something."
Saishi cut in with a question. Let's see, I still have some time on me, so I can play around with them.
"About that, yeah! You didn't misinterpret anything. I meant every word of what I said."
"OH! Hehe...Hehe..he..he?"
He was barely able to even laugh. I guess he wasn't able to catch on with what was going on. Meanwhile, on the other hand, brimming with flames of hell, was, umm, an angel of fury. Hmm...I was sure I wasn't even close to hitting the limits. Looks like I have to recalibrate my assumptions.
"Umm..."
Meanwhile, with a low voice, and pressing both her index fingers against each other, in a cute way, stood Haru puzzled and embarrassed.
"What...What do you need me for?"
"Agh! Right, firstly remember I asked you whether you were single?"
"Ye...Yes!"
"Yeah, so about that. I want to ask you something. Can I?"
"I...I will try my best!"
Oi! We're not running any marathon. Calm down will ya?
"Yeah, so would you date Saishi?"
"Huh?"
"HUH!"
Well, that's surprising. The ever so carefree guy is suddenly more surprised and concerned than the actual girl who was asked the question. I've known Saishi for a while. Just a little. And from what I know, all this friendly aura, and being a dickhead, is all just an act. The man's a living mystery. I may as well come out and say I'm intrigued by his character and am curious. But, all in all, it's not worth my time. I could probably make an assumption or two which may not be accurate, but close. And from what I perceive of him, it's not worth putting any effort and prying into his personality and his life. He is to be feared and be carefully looked upon.
That's what I knew in the short while I met him, and that's why I chose to hang out with him. Since, at the end of the day, what happens here, stays here. Think what you may, but the fact that we haven't even exchanged our contact and line ID's is just a testament to how much we value our privacy. But the biggest surprise of them all was Hina. Be it coincidence or it's her actual intuition, the fact that she picked this up the instant she met him and kept herself at a safe distance is commendable. The fact that I have these two people around me is bothersome, as I'm having to use a lot of my conserved energy to keep up with them. Huff!
Hina was surprised as she was not expecting that, but her anger seemed to cool down little by little. That's good news for me.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Saishi caught me by the collar of my shirt and with his hand in the air, ready to punch me. Was this an act or is it the actual you?"
"S...Stop it."
"STOP IT!"
Both the girls yelled at us, and we took a step back. I tidied up my shirt and collar and looked at him. He sure was pissed for some reason. But that was a good reaction. In fact, that is what I expected. Thank you for your service, Haru. You have made yourself useful.
"All right, time out. I just asked you casually. I was just curious. You don't have to be bothered about it. If you are, my sincere apologies,"
I bowed down and apologized to Haru. Well, my idea of a prank is just suffering and pain to others. So, I very rarely do it. Now that I have successfully spoken to Haru and made her feel a little comfortable, it's time to get down to business.
"Hey, Haru! Can I ask you something?"
"Again?"
Hina cut in and questioned me. I didn't bother responding to her action.
Haru nodded her head.
"How much money do you have? In your own savings account."
I know normally this isn't something you'd ask a girl. But the case here is different.
"Umm...I'm sorry, I can't."
"Ok! how about this. The closest figure. And you can whisper that into Hina's ear."
She nodded and followed suite. She whispered whatever she was told to. I went near Hina's ear and whispered. Hina suddenly went back a bit, with shock and surprise written all over her face. Looks like I was close.
"See, that's the level you all are in, and that's the level I'm at. It doesn't matter what and age you live in. The only thing that dictates one's life is..."
POWER!