"Man, I'm totally beat," Haruki collapsed onto his bed, cradling his head in his arms as he gazed up at the ceiling.
The day had been an absolute whirlwind, leaving him utterly drained.
First, there was the unexpected trip to the hospital, where he discovered his own medical condition, coming face-to-face with the reality of being sick. Meanwhile, Kentaro finally summoned the courage to reveal his true identity to Maki and Akashi, and now it seemed like everyone was connected somehow.
"Who would've thought our dads knew each other to that extent?" Haru sighed. "Next thing you know, we'll be sharing grandparents."
"Who knows?" Kentaro, perched on a chair at Haruki's study desk, grinned. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if I actually did meet them at some point. All sorts of people visit the Estate."
Haruki shot his friend a skeptical look. "You haven't met Ayame."
"But I've talked to her," Ginger stated matter-of-factly.
"Talking on the phone and meeting in person are two different things," Haruki shifted onto his stomach, ready to doze off.
"How so?"
"Well..." Haru trailed off, struggling to find a justification.
"She'd still be the same person, even if I met her face-to-face," Kentaro added.
"Whatever," Haruki surrendered easily. He mulled over Ginger's words for a moment before asking skeptically, "But you were joking about meeting my grandparents, right?"
"I can't say for sure. Remember the story I told you about the old man who took care of me when I was sick?" Kentaro asked.
"How could I forget? You even said I reminded you of him... which I still find highly insulting," Haruki grumbled.
"Maybe he was your grandfather. Auntie mentioned something about both of you having strange naming habits. That old man from my past had a similar habit, and I'm almost certain he called me 'Ginger' too..."
"Now you're just making things up," Haruki lazily dismissed, prompting a chuckle from Kentaro.
"I'm serious, though."
Haruki turned away, closing his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
Kentaro's smile faded slightly. "Are you feeling exhausted again?"
Haru intended to deny it, but ultimately decided to nod honestly.
"In that case, I'll head to my room. We both need some rest," Ginger prepared to leave when Haruki suddenly sat up, crossing his legs in a meditative pose, and glared at him with folded arms.
"I admit I'm a little tired, but I never said I was going to sleep just yet."
"Didn't the doctor say you need plenty of rest?" Ken reminded.
"It's only seven-thirty. If you really want me to sleep, I'll do it in an hour or two." Haruki gestured to the chair. "Sit your butt down."
Kentaro chuckled helplessly and resumed his seat, turning it around and leaning against the padded backrest with his arms folded. With a quirk of his lips, he asked Haruki, "Got something on your mind?"
"You're the one who looks like he's got something to say."
As always, Haruki could see right through him.
"Alright, then. How come you didn't remember the accident? Did you really forget, or were you just pretending?" Ginger inquired.
"I really forgot," Haruki answered honestly. "Why would I want to remember the bad things that happened to me? I'm surprised you remembered every detail of that day."
Kentaro avoided his gaze. "It was the first time someone my age had been genuinely kind to me. Of course I wouldn't forget."
"Good grief," Haru chuckled. "Didn't you say you hated sappy stories the most?"
"Of course, if they come from y—" Ken suddenly trailed off, glancing back at him with a questioning look.
Haruki grinned.
"So you do remember."
"I remember bits and pieces," Haru admitted, pausing for a moment. "Actually, I even tricked you into thinking I had hurt myself because you said something mean. Something like... 'hope your foot never heals,' right?"
"So you admit you tricked me back then?"
"But you saw through it right away," Haruki chuckled, though his smile held a hint of guilt. "Honestly, I thought you would see through my act today too."
Kentaro raised an eyebrow, surprise and confusion evident in his eyes.
Unaware of the trouble he was brewing, Haruki continued babbling. "I wanted to see your reaction when I pretended to have a headache this morning. I didn't expect such a negative response."
"You... You were faking it?" Ginger looked incredulous.
"So you really had no clue?" Haruki suddenly sensed something amiss and broke into uneasy laughter. "Maybe I took the joke a little too far?"
"A little??" Kentaro shot up from his seat, his expression triggered. "Why would you joke about something like that?!"
Haruki raised his hands defensively. "I didn't expect my acting to be so convincing—"
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Kentaro approached him with determined strides.
Scrambling backward on the bed, Haruki stammered, "B-But in the end, it all worked out, didn't it? I saw a doctor and received life-saving results. Thank goodness you were fooled—"
Kentaro halted the other's desperate attempt to flee, seizing Haruki's left ankle and yanking him back with an unexpected surge of strength. Trapping Haru by pressing his hands on either side of his head, Kentaro fixed his gaze upon the face mere centimeters away. "Apologize," he demanded.
Haruki hadn't initially contemplated the situation deeply, but the proximity of their faces unconsciously quickened his heartbeat. Their current position seemed perilously ambiguous, liable to be misunderstood by anyone who stumbled upon them. The thought evoked a suppressed chuckle from Haruki.
"You're laughing?" Kentaro questioned, sensing a lack of seriousness in Haru's behavior.
Trembling shoulders and a hand covering half his face, Haruki shook his head. "No, no... Just imagine if Mom and Dad barged in and saw us like this..."
After a moment of contemplation, an instant blush spread across Kentaro's cheeks, prompting him to coolly retreat. "Seriously, Haru."
Upon hearing that, Haruki abandoned all restraint and allowed his laughter to erupt, clutching his already aching stomach while rolling onto his side.
Kentaro's embarrassment intensified as he scolded the other person. "You're still laughing? Answer your damn cellphone!"
Haruki hadn't even noticed that the device had started buzzing on his dresser, so he moved to take the call. "Poor Ginger would have folded quick if I were a girl."
"As if!"
But Haruki couldn't help but snicker, his eyes landing on the caller ID. "It's Shimoda. I wonder why he's calling so late..."
Suddenly, Kentaro remembered something he had forgotten to mention about school that day but couldn't interject in time, as Haruki had already answered the call.
"YOU-LIAR-DIE-A-MILLION-DEATHS-HOW-DARE-YOU-KEEP-SOMETHING-LIKE-THAT-A-SECRET-FROM-US-DIEEEEEE!!!!!!"
Haruki moved the receiver away from his ear and stared at the screen, baffled.
Was this a wrong number?
But it was unmistakably Takumi Shimoda's voice.
Placing the phone on speaker, Haruki responded calmly. "I'm good, bro. Thanks for your concern."
"YOU-YOU!!!"
"What about me?"
"WHY?? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US NOMURA IS SATOSHI HARADA'S SON? DAMN YOU!"
Haruki felt dumbfounded. His gaze shifted to Kentaro, who had already averted his face as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
"....Huh?"
"DON'T PLAY DUMB! THE GUY TRUSTED YOU TO TELL US, THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU?"
"Oh?" Haruki's lips curled into a smile once again, his burning gaze fixed on the "subject in question." "Did he really?"
"Yes!! But you didn't say a word," Takumi continued, his tone slightly calmer. "During lunch today, he suddenly mentioned Satoshi Harada and casually revealed that the man is his father. He even... HEY BRO, ARE YOU LAUGHING AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"
Indeed, Haruki had started chuckling again long ago, and his attempts to stifle his voice only made him more audible.
"Why didn't you ever tell us?! Nomura thought you already had!" Takumi demanded. "Even Tadashi was surprised, and you know it's hard getting a genuine reaction from his wooden expression!"
"I'm pretty sure I told you guys," Haruki decided to feign ignorance. "Must have been when we were first years."
"NO!"
Haruki chuckled. "I apologize for that."
"THEN IT'S TRUE???"
"I thought you had already accepted it."
"I mean, we sort of knew Ken was a rich kid, but the HARADAS? Damn, dude."
"You do understand why you should keep it to yourself, right?" Haruki reminded.
"Yes, yes, of course," Takumi even lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's because he has a secret mission to fulfill, so not everyone can know about this. Not even our classmates!"
Haruki glanced at Kentaro in confusion, but the guy only shrugged, pretending to be oblivious.
"Don't worry, I won't utter a word to anyone. His secret is safe with me," Takumi assured.
"You were pretty loud earlier. Are you sure his secret is still safe?" Haru rubbed his temples in frustration.
"My room is soundproof. Even if I yell at the top of my voice, no one can hear a thing."
"Then why did you whisper just now?"
"The walls have ears."
Kentaro: "..."
Haruki: "..."
Well, if those walls had already heard more than enough, was there really any point in whispering?
"That aside, why'd you ditch school today?" Takumi abruptly changed the subject, his tone indicating a sense of concern. "Did something bad happen?"
"Why do you say that?"
"You should've seen Kentaro this morning. It was like the whole world had killed his dog," Haruki sensed Takumi involuntarily shudder on the other end. "His expression was downright chilling."
Haruki couldn't resist stealing another glance at Ken, only to find him returning the gaze with reddening ears.
"Really?" Haru's eyebrows shot up in pleasant surprise.
"Yeah, he didn't utter a word until lunch when we met up," Takumi chuckled. "Honestly, he seemed a bit lost without you around. It was simultaneously sad, scary, and hilarious. He wouldn't even touch his food until Tadashi finally coerced him."
Now that would have been a sight to behold. Haruki's lips curved into a smile, his eyes still fixed on Ginger.
Witnessing this, Kentaro finally averted his gaze, coughing softly in embarrassment.
"I'll have to thank Matsui later then," Haruki remarked.
"You should. He practically spoon-fed the poor guy. I've never seen Tadashi do something so comical with such a serious face. I wish I had recorded a video." Takumi added with a hint of disappointment, "But knowing him, he would've probably tossed my phone in the trash. Well, unless Nomura beat him to it."
After wondering for a while, Haruki was now certain that the person on the phone had no idea Kentaro was present in the room, eavesdropping on their conversation. It was understandable, considering the ginger-haired teen just sat there silently, making no effort to announce his presence.
"So, why didn't you show up today?" Takumi inquired once more.
"Another headache," Haruki replied, his turn to avoid Kentaro's gaze as much as possible. Since that was the initial reason given, why not stick with it?
"You and your persistent headaches," Takumi sounded concerned. "Please get yourself checked at the clinic, bro."
"I already did. Turns out I have something called mild T.B.I," Haruki disclosed, sharing the details of his hospital visit and his condition with his friend.
"Well, damn, you really are a sick boy," Takumi commented afterwards.
"Don't be mean about it."
"Since the doctor said it's mild, it's not that serious, right? That's at least something to be relieved about."
"For now, at least," Haruki joked. He didn't notice the displeased expression that washed over Kentaro's face as he continued his chat with Takumi.
After a few more minutes, the call between the two boys finally came to an end.
"So, you couldn't be straightforward and decided to use me as a shield, huh?" Haruki prepared himself for a confrontation, but his smile faltered when he saw the grim expression on the other person's face.
"'For now, it's good?'" Kentaro raised an eyebrow. "Don't you find something wrong with those words?"
Haruki sighed and slumped back onto his bed, stretching his arms wide. "You take things way too seriously, you know?"
"I wouldn't if you acted a bit more reassuringly," Ken complained. Then, with a more concerned look, he added, "Be honest, aren't you even a little scared?"
Was Haru truly unfazed by his situation?
But Haruki smiled and replied, "Of course I am. Who wouldn't be?"
Ken stared at him for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh before joining Haruki on the bed, sitting by his side. "I expected you to shamelessly lie and say you weren't scared. But I'm relieved to see that you're at least aware of your well-being," he said gently.
"Yeah, whatever. And what about you, Mr. 'I have to keep my distance'? You ended up confessing to our friends and my parents," Haruki glanced at him smugly. "So much for keeping your distance, huh?"
"I've decided not to go through with it anymore."
"Is that so?"
Kentaro shrugged helplessly. "There's no point if you're just going to ruin my plans."
"You see, that's being a good boy," Haruki praised, propping himself up on an elbow and giving Kentaro a few pats on the head. "I'm flattered that you know me so well."
"Don't push it," the 'disrespected' Ginger warned, but Haruki couldn't help but laugh.
Most people didn't know the true nature of the Harada family, so naturally, Haruki assumed that Takumi and Tadashi held the same idealized image. There was no need to change their perception and tell them otherwise, as it would only further entangle them in Kentaro's mess.
Perhaps he and Ginger would reveal the truth in due time. There was no rush for now.
Honestly, today had been filled with unexpected surprises.
~~~~~~