It seemed Kentaro must have truly been exhausted, since he started dozing off shortly after his friend returned with snacks and beverages for them both to eat. Resting was just something he did after long journeys, and naturally Haruki let him be.

With how lengthy the discussion downstairs was dragging, Haruki doubted the ginger-haired mother-son pair would be allowed to leave the Fukuda premises tonight anyway.

Haruki watched him snooze for quite a bit, and even had the nagging urge to join Ken, before he ultimately pushed off the idea and left the room with the cutlery they’d just used. He too had been a little tired on his way home from school, but that had been instantly washed away the minute he saw his friend. But more importantly, the thought of sharing the same sleeping space with Kentaro after discovering the not so pure feelings he held for him...

... Ah, well, the idea didn’t currently seem so plausible.

It wasn’t that Haruki was being a coward. He just didn’t want to get too comfortable before he himself was a hundred percent certain his feelings for Kentaro had truly stepped over the threshold from friendship into something else entirely. Gods, he wasn’t even sure how Ginger regarded him, and it’d end horribly if Haru rushed while the other guy didn’t feel even remotely the same way.

If only he could turn the clock back to the times hugging Ginger to sleep was still considered ‘normal’ in his mental dictionary.

Having taken care of those dirty dishes, Haruki contemplated on joining everyone else in the living room, but finally decided against it and simply headed outside to catch a breath of fresh air. The noise from the house was completely drowned once he closed the door behind himself, before he found a place to settle on the porch. It had become a habit after Kentaro had left back then. Haruki would find a place to sit and just think, losing track of time while he was at it.

The sun had long since set, the fading daylight giving way to a gradual dimming of the sky which painted the world with muted hues and cast a soothing stillness over the landscape. Haruki didn’t know for how long he sat there, simply reveling in the silence, but his reverie was broken by the faint buzzing of the cellphone in his jacket pocket.

Having already a faint guess of who it might be, Haruki didn’t even bother looking at the I.D and simply answered with a, “Hm?”

“What ‘hm’, you’re the one who suddenly hung up from nowhere earlier!”

“Right...”

“And where were you? Do you know how many times I called?!”

Takumi Shimoda had probably called a hundred times during Haruki’s reunion with Kentaro, and neither of them had realized it, it would seem.

“Oh, that,” exuding a breath, Haru mulled over how he could share the news of Ginger’s return in the calmest voice he could muster. “I got caught up with... some things.”

“Could have at least sent me a short text, dude,” Takumi continued his rants. “I know it was probably nothing, but you know how my mind works. Especially these days, I’d be imagining all kinds of horrible things and—”

“Ken’s back.”

Haruki’s sudden revelation prompted the voice on the other end of his receiver to suddenly go quiet, and the silence dragged for a very long time. He didn’t rush Takumi, since he too would have been stunned if he were in Shimoda’s shoes. Opting to add a third member in their conversation, Haruki still didn’t speak while Takumi was recovering from the shock.

“Hello?” flowed Tadashi Matsui’s voice as soon as he picked up the group call.

“Hey, dude. Uh,” Haruki wasn’t roundabout with him either and directly told him, “Ginger’s back in Ichihara.”

There was silence from Matsui as well, though it wasn’t as delayed. There were hints of relief in his tone as he finally responded with a: “Ah, congratulations. That’s good news.”

“That’s it?!” Takumi on the other hand, was still baffled. “You’re not shocked or anything???”

“I am, but what of it? Isn’t it great that he’s back?” Tadashi inquired.

Takumi Shimoda couldn’t believe his ears, “Hey, hey, am I the only crazy one here! Isn’t everyone else wondering what the hell happened? Earlier today we were all pretty certain he was at the Harada Estate, formulating rescue plans, so how come he’s in Ichihara all of a sudden? Did he teleport???”

“Actually, it’s like this...” Haruki chuckled dryly, now feeling ashamed for having kept his friends in the dark. “My grandfather’s the one who took action.”

Now Tadashi’s silence dragged on just the same as Takumi’s, both clearly confused by the nonsense their friend was suddenly on about. Haruki took the opportunity to explain everything before they’d recovered, thoroughly astonishing them as he explained who exactly his ‘grandfather’ was and how he’d easily confronted the Haradas.

“Now before you say anything judgmental, I genuinely had no idea about this as well,” his voice was mainly directed at Shimoda, whose threatening aura could easily be sensed even through the receiver. “I only realized the kind of person he was yesterday. I didn’t even think he’d pull it off, if I’m being honest, so I apologize for not telling you guys anything.”

Having spoken up to this point, Haruki anxiously waited for their responses. What if they didn’t believe him and thought he’d done it on purpose after all.

Surprisingly, it was Tadashi who spoke first, though it was to say; “You know, it’s a little impressive how unconcerned you are about anyone or anything that isn’t Nomura.” There wasn’t an ounce of displeasure in his voice; just genuine awe as he felt that he finally understood how his friend’s mind worked.

And for some reason those words successfully flustered Haruki. “Th-That isn’t true...” came his weak protest, which was immediately shut down by Takumi’s instant retort.

“The hell it isn’t! Honestly, so much stress would have been avoided if you were even a little responsible!”

“Takumi...” Matsui started.

“I’m not saying this for myself, bro,” came Shimoda’s instant defense, “I’m saying this for this asshole Haruki. Don’t you remember how depressed he was after Nomura left? I felt bad for days, knowing we’d also have to leave soon!!”

“Even if he did know his own background, what guarantees he could have easily thought of a solution?” Tadashi countered. “For all we know, he could have still been depressed.”

“Yet now we’ll never know, will we?!”

Meanwhile, Haruki’s powerless interventions from the sidelines: “Haha, you guys really shouldn’t—”

“QUITE!” came his friends’ simultaneous shout, prompting the boy surnamed Fukuda to immediately shut up as they continued arguing. Haruki wasn’t even certain if they were defending him or straight-up criticizing him, making him almost regret telling them.

Almost.

In the end, he just snickered to himself and listened to the debate, pitching in a few comments whenever he was given the chance to speak. It seemed he’d have to hang around outside for a while longer than he’d intended.

And as for his suspected feelings for Ginger... Maybe Haruki would bring that topic up another day.

***

Ryuji Nakamura wanted to run off— no, attend to other ‘important matters’ soon after dropping the Nomuras, but was successfully stopped by his daughter who claimed having ‘missed her father’. It was rare having the woman tenaciously stick to him like that, thus the Ryuji easily caved and stayed at the Fukuda household for one more day, along with his crew.

Sakuraku was actually relieved having to take the much-needed break from work.

Meanwhile, Haruki, who still had school for two more days before the weekend, had no choice but to leave despite his reluctance. And anyway, his parents were already helping Yumiko with her son’s placement arrangements, and starting next week Kentaro would be joining him. He’d also gotten a place at Ishikawa High after all, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem. Especially since it wasn’t too late into the first term.

Ginger was a hard-worker. He’d catch up with his peers in no time.

“This is probably the first time I’ve seen you in anything resembling formal clothing,” Kentaro commented while perched on the bed, watching his friend prepare for school. He’d come to collect him for breakfast on behalf of Maki, who’d been complaining about how her son would take forever in his room if not directly called over.

Truth be told, Haruki would have been a little earlier, had it not been for the crumpled blazer he’d forgotten to iron the night before.

Ishikawa High’s school uniform for boys had a sleek yet sharp style that exuded a sense of class. It consisted of a cool black blazer that added a touch of sophistication to the attire. The blazer’s dark hue gave it a formal look, while its clean lines brought in a hint of modern flair. Underneath the blazer, a crisp white shirt kept things clean and smart. Its simplicity added a timeless appeal to the uniform, allowing other elements to stand out.

Charcoal grey plaid pants took center stage, and the black patterns complemented the blazer effortlessly, creating a stylish coordination. These pants added a contemporary twist to the ensemble, giving it a fresh and fashionable edge.

Throwing on the last article of clothing which had delayed him last minute, he turned to face Ginger while fixing his collar. “Well, take it all in while you can, coz you’ll rarely see me wearing a blazer.”

“Why?”

“Not my style.”

Kentaro snorted at that.

Ignoring the other person who was evidently making fun of him, Haruki faced away to focus on setting his school bag in order, packing the books he’d haphazardly left lying on his desk the night before after writing his assignment. “The school had important visitors this week, and since they still haven’t left, we’re all required to dress as best as we can.”

“Don’t forget your necktie.”

Haruki had clearly forgotten about it, “Right, toss it to me, will you?”

Ginger’s thought travelled back to the past as he rose to retrieve the strip of clothing which hung on the hanger placed on the closet door. They usually never wore neckties back when they were in middle school, since the rules at their old school weren’t that strict. Students would even opt for t-shirts under their gakuran jackets whenever there wasn’t inspection. Hell, that school even allowed sneakers in place of formal shoes, which had been really cool.

Ishikawa, however, sounded like a stickler for rules. Maybe it was because of the way Haruki often described it. The school couldn’t be that bad, and their rules were mostly understandable. Students would be expected to handle themselves a bit more maturely in high school, after all.

“Here,” Ken didn’t think much of it when he tossed the necktie, which the other caught effortlessly. However, upon noticing how Haruki evidently froze after receiving the object, he couldn’t help asking in concern, “What?”

Draping the necktie over his shoulders, the other person went back to what he’d been doing with a simple, “Hm, nothing.”

Since it really was nothing, Ginger relaxed again. Plopping onto the bed again, he casually reminisced, “I remember how you were so against a necktie in middle school that you even refused to learn how to tie it. Auntie must have finally taught you.”

“...Mhm,” was Haruki’s response. Though internally, he screamed: How the hell did it come undone again??!!

Ah, that’s right. Yesterday he’d been in a hurry to change out of his uniform and see Kentaro, that he’d simply pulled the tie off his neck without considering the consequences. What ‘being taught’? At the ripe age of sixteen (going seventeen), Haruki was ashamed to admit that he still didn’t know how to knot his necktie. He relied solely on his mother or friends who’d helped him tie the thing, and the knot wouldn’t be removed for the rest of the week.

Kentaro, a tie-knotting prodigy since the age of eleven, had tried teaching him a few times after they’d applied for high schools, knowing they’d need the skill in the future. But Haruki had been so reluctant back then, that Ginger’s words had flowed through one ear and decisively left through the other.

Haruki could just go and ask his mother to tie it for him again, but she’d just nag him and most likely embarrass him through the process.

And Kentaro... sigh~ Haruki knew this guy all to well.

“Hey,” he suddenly called out to the person spacing out on the bed, before indicating for the ginger-haired teen to rise.

“We’re going?” Kentaro seemed ready to leave when Haruki suddenly stopped him, making him stand in place and at attention. “What’s happening?”

“Shush,” was all Haruki ordered before casually draping his tie around the other’s neck instead, using him as a mannequin so that he himself to get a ‘clearer view of his work’. He didn’t notice how Ginger’s breathing subconsciously hitched, too distracted by his own speeding heart as he told Ken, “It’s easier for me tying it on someone else.”

He’ll catch on easily, right? Once he sees me struggling, he’ll understand and offer to tie it for me instead, sparing me from the embarrassing inquisitions; Haruki hoped.

Yet who knew Kentaro would just nod with a tiny “okay”, and let him work diligently. He didn’t even make conversation, since he didn’t want to disturb the other’s 'concentration'.

Dude, aren’t you forgetting your lines?! Haruki mentally screamed, but it was too late to back out now. He should have fessed up earlier, had his fill of Ginger’s snarky remarks, and moved on with life. It’d have at least spared him the embarrassment of awkwardly standing in close proximity of the guy he most probably had a crush on, trying to show off tie-knotting skills he clearly didn’t have.

Kentaro hadn’t wanted to pay much attention to the person in front of him either, but after feeling Haruki tie and untie the knot for a questionable amount of time, his gaze finally fell on Haruki’s working hands.

“Haru,” Ginger finally spoke up, having watched the other person for a while and come to a conclusion, “You actually don’t know how to knot a tie, do you?”

“...It’s actually better if I’m the one wearing it.”

Earlier he said the opposite; Ginger thought, lips curving into a tiny smile as he lightly slapped away the other’s hands and took over. “You’re such a horrible liar.”

So he was still caught in the end. Haruki prepared for the snide ‘I told you so’s that Kentaro would no doubt haul at him, but nothing else came from the other guy. Save for the slight upward curve of his lips, Ginger’s demeanor didn’t really change while he did the task for Haru. It seemed he wasn’t going to make fun of him, at least not yet.

Even so, it was still embarrassing.

Especially the moment Ken removed the tie around his own neck to loop it around Haruki’s instead, working his hands while speaking. “I’ll teach you again carefully when we have time. And this time, try paying attention, okay?”

Haruki could only obediently nod with a hum while keeping his gaze focused on anything other than that crystal grey gaze. Who’d given him the wicked idea of using Ginger as a mannequin in the first place anyway? Not only had he revealed his shameful flaws, he could hardly keep himself together in the face of Kentaro’s calm demeanor.

On the bright side, this situation kind of reminded Haruki of the times his mother would also fix her husband’s tie like thi— no, no, NO!

“It really suits you, by the way,” Kentaro said suddenly, earning a strange look from the other person. He added, “The new uniform, I mean.”

Haruki snorted to hide his embarrassment, proudly raising his chin. “Did the previous one not? You do realize that I look good in everything, right?”

“En,” Ginger easily accepted that claim, hands finishing off the knot of Haruki’s tie. His every action— from the moment he’d first begun working on the knot, right up to straightening the now-knotted tie around Fukuda’s collar so it wouldn’t look crooked— had been done subconsciously. Perhaps that was also why his next words naturally flowed out when he said, “So good that everyone else is easily put to shame.”

That’s... not how this was supposed to go; Haruki was instantly rendered speechless.

There was always a certain reluctant expression Ginger pulled whenever he humored his friend, whether it was through compliments or going with whatever Haruki said. However, this one... Ken’s current display wasn’t one of those ‘I’m humoring you’ faces, okay?

His expression and words today felt completely different. Wasn’t this all supposed to be a joke though? Had Kentaro forgotten his lines again?

Seriously, how could Haruki’s own forced-composure not crumble in the face of such softness?

~~~~~~