Chapter Text
A dark mist dissipates into a cloud as strangled cries echo in the empty alley. Haruka lets out a sigh as he lowers his staff. The boy that was being possessed by the Mirage slumps against the wall. He’ll be out for a while.
“Man, the Mirages here are weak,” Haruka says as his clothes transform back to his school uniform.
“Or maybe you’re just really strong!” A cat-like creature pipes up, wings flapping in the air as she floats next to Haruka before settling onto his left shoulder. “It’s been almost a year since you’ve become a magical boy, after all!”
Kokoro beams, placing a gentle paw on Haruka’s cheek and patting it lightly.
Haruka fights down a blush as he shoves his hands into his pockets. “Wh-whatever! There aren’t any more Mirages here, so let’s just head home.”
“What about dinner? We can try that cafe again! The girl that runs it seems nice!”
Haruka shakes his head, ignoring the concerned look Kokoro gives him. “Nah, I’d rather not,” he finally says, “She’ll probably make a big deal out of it if she sees me for like, the third time today.”
“Ah…I guess I can see that. Convenience store food it is, then!”
“You cool with instant ramen?”
“I’m cool with anything!” Kokoro exclaims as she shrinks in size before settling snugly into Haruka’s pocket.
Haruka has a reply sitting on the tip of his tongue when he hears the sound of groaning. He looks down and sees the unconscious boy start to stir. The guy should still be out for a few more minutes, but Haruka shouldn’t take his chances. He quickly dispels the barrier he put up and rushes out before any passerby can see him.
Haruka’s been having a day. That’s really the only way to describe everything that’s transpired. He got a bunch of free food, beat up some thugs, somehow made a friend (or, at least that’s what Kokoro keeps insisting that’s what the blond kid that’s more less become his shadow is), met the world’s most annoying brunet, picked a fight with a really tall guy, and then proceeded to accidentally instigate a gang war.
So, all in all, it’s been a day.
He can feel Kokoro struggling to stay stock still in his pocket as Umemiya waxes poetic about vegetables of all things. And that’s when he feels it. Dark energy so overwhelming that Haruka feels his whole body shiver involuntarily.
“Sakura-san, are you okay?!” Nirei asks, quickly moving to lay fretting hands over his back.
“I-I’m fine,” Haruka says as he quickly fixes his posture. He lays a comforting hand on Kokoro’s head as his gaze flits about the school roof. Whatever that was, it definitely came from some kind of Mirage. And a rather powerful one, at that.
“Sakura-san? What is it? What’s wrong?”
There! He can feel it. It’s not on school grounds, but it’s not very far. Haruka all but jumps out of his seat, ignoring the distressed calls that follow after him. He has to hurry. If he doesn’t, then that Mirage might grow too big for him to be able to defeat.
He climbs down the steps and stops when he reaches the closest window. He looks around to make sure there’s no one else close by.
“Haru-chan!” Kokoro yells, flying out of his pocket.
“I know.”
Kokoro smiles. “Okay then, let’s do this!”
Haruka takes out a necklace that he’d kept hidden underneath his shirt and presses the heart shaped pendant. A bright light envelopes the stairwell, followed by a barrage of cherry blossoms.
“Let’s blossom!”
Haruka’s body is wrapped in light as his school uniform is replaced by a pink and white ensemble consisting of a dress shirt, vest, and matching shorts with cherry blossom motifs. His hands are adorned with a pair of white gloves with pink bows, his high tech sneakers are replaced by bright pink shoes, and a cherry blossom shaped hair clip pulls back part of his bangs. Finally, a pink ribbon with a heart at its center appears around his neck, replacing his necklace.
Haruka hits a pose (one he will never admit he had spent hours practicing in front of a mirror before he was satisfied with it), punctuated by a confident shout of his magical boy name: “Pink Cherry Blossom!”
With his transformation complete, he gets onto the windowsill and jumps. Not for the first time, Haruka is grateful for his ability to fly when transformed. It makes getting around so much easier.
It doesn’t take long for Haruka to find his target. It looks to be a short boy with wavy hair wearing a very familiar looking jacket.
Wait a minute. That really tall guy next to him…Isn’t that?
“Isn’t that the scraggly looking guy from earlier?” Kokoro asks, echoing Haruka’s own thoughts.
“Guess he’s a member of the same gang.”
“He’s the one leading the pack. Think he’s the leader?”
“Most likely. And if he is their leader, then it’d definitely explain why they’ve been acting so lame. That Mirage’s almost completely consumed him.”
Haruka’s gaze slides over to the giant rabbit-shaped Mirage that clings to the short boy in a vice-like grip. Just looking at the way its shadowy tendrils all but consumes the boy feels suffocating.
“But we’re gonna have to separate him from the rest of his buddies. Kokoro, can you back me up?”
“Always!”
Kokoro’s paws emit a glowing light that she flings in the direction of Scraggles and his orange clad friends. Before anyone can react, the ball of light increases in size and envelopes the entire street. It’s just the distraction Haruka needs as he quickly picks up the Mirage blighted boy and separates him from his pack, ignoring the surprised cries that follow after him.
“What was that?!”
“Agh! My eyes!”
“Wha— Choji?! Choji!”
The boy struggles in Haruka’s arms, twisting this way and that. Despite his petite build, the boy is surprisingly strong.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?! Put me down!”
“You asked for it.”
Haruka does as he’s asked and deposits the shorter boy unceremoniously on the floor of an empty alley.
“Haru-chan!” Kokoro exclaims, aghast.
“What?! He’s fine! I didn’t drop him from that high, see?”
And see they did. The boy was already picking himself up, barely a scrape on his person. Haruka has no doubt that the Mirage attached to the boy is partly to blame. It coils around the boy and bares its sharp teeth as it turns to glare at Haruka. The action would look protective to the naked eye, but Haruka knows better. Sees the way that its smoky tendrils pull at the boy’s life force. The way that the boy’s eyes have now completely lost its light.
If he doesn’t act quick, then boy will become nothing more than an empty husk in minutes.
Haruka stretches his right arm out as a pink staff materializes in his hand. He moves to hold it with both hands, aiming its cherry blossom-shaped tip at the Mirage.
“Alright, you’ve had your fun. It’s time for you to go to sleep.”
The creature rears its head back and roars. The boy it encircles follows its action like a mindless puppet.
“Tch. Well, I guess this wouldn’t be any fun if you went down without a fight.” He takes a breath, then yells: “Petal Storm!”
A whirlwind of cherry blossom petals shoot out of his wand and smacks the giant Mirage right on its forehead. Both the Mirage and the short boy let out a pained cry as they rub at the sore spot.
“Haru-chan!” Kokoro yells, flying up to Haruka’s side. He nods at her before he turns his attention back to the enemy. “I know. Aim for its weak spot.”
He aims his wand at the creature again and takes another deep breath. “Waku Waku Blast!”
A bright, glittery light emerges and hits the creature on the same spot. There’s enough power to the attack to push the creature and its host back and Haruka can finally start to see cracks on the Mirage’s skin.
“I thought I would be happier. I thought everyone would be happy once I reached the top.”
Haruka looks up. These must be the thoughts of the Mirage’s host. His eyes narrow, taking in the sight of the host now clutching his head in pain.
"But I feel so empty. I feel alone. It’s so lonely up here."
Wasn’t this guy supposed to be the top dog of Shishitoren? So why was he—
“Choji!”
“Huh?!”
The tall scraggly guy with the glasses comes running into the alley, followed by a few of the guys from his gang. He looks up, eyes widening in surprise as he takes in Haruka’s appearance.
“Othello-kun?!”
“What are you doing here?!” Haruka yells, face flushed. Did they hear him yell that attack name just now? Ugh, why did all the most powerful attacks have to have such embarrassing names?!
“That’s my line!” Scraggles yells back, tone a mixture of surprise, anger, and fear. “And—And is that a flying cat?!”
“How is this happening?!” Kokoro wails as she anxiously flits about. “They shouldn’t have found us with the barrier you put up!”
Barrier? Oh, right. The barrier. Oops.
“Haru-chan, you remembered to put up a barrier, didn’t you?”
Haruka pointedly looks away, ignoring the nervous sweat that starts to pool down his back.
“Haru-chan.”
“I got distracted, okay?!”
“Oh, Haru-chan…”
“Othello-kun! Seriously, what’s going on here?!” He points to the giant Mirage controlling his leader. “What is that thing?!”
Haruka opens his mouth to answer, but before he can say anything, the Mirage lets out a loud roar and turns red.
“Tch!” He turns to Scraggles as his grip on his staff tightens. “I’ll explain later, just keep your distance for now!”
“But—“
“I’m serious! Stay back! I won’t be able to protect you and your friends otherwise!”
Scraggles’ eyes widen even more before he reluctantly nods and gives orders for the rest of his crew to give Haruka space. Well, as long as they’re listening. He can consider the consequences of forgetting to put up a barrier later. For now, Haruka needs to focus.
He flies forward, Kokoro hot at his heels with a glowing ball of energy emanating from her paws at the ready. Haruka stops directly in front of the creature’s face. It tries to swipe at him, but unfortunately for the creature, Haruka is fast and dodging its swipes proves to be an easy task.
Growing frustrated, the Mirage lets out another roar and rears its paws back.
“Kokoro, now!”
“Roger!”
Kokoro finally releases the ball of energy from her paws and throws it straight at the creature’s forehead. It lets out an angry shriek, but before it can recover, Haruka shoots it with another Waku Waku Blast (he tries his best to stifle down the blush that creeps up his neck, knowing full well that he has an audience as he says these needlessly embarrassing words.)
That blast finally causes both the creature and its host to lose their balance.
“Stop it! You don’t understand! Nobody understands! It’s so lonely here!”
“Ugh, will you quit your whining?!” Haruka exclaims, surprising even himself. When the feeling’s of a Mirage’s host starts leaking like this, Haruka usually stays focused enough on the task to not get distracted by their words. But something about this particular host’s ramblings seem to have struck a cord with him.
He aims another Waku Waku Blast at the Mirage. He’s almost there. Then, hopefully, all of the boy’s negative feelings will go away.
Haruka tried his best to focus on the task at hand and not be distracted by the host’s continuous barrage of thoughts that hit him like a tsunami wave.
!s this what I’ll turn out like when I reach the top? Is this my future?
No! He has to focus!
“Haru-chan, we’re almost there! I know it’s embarrassing because there are people watching, but you have to—“
“I know!”
He chances a glance back at Scraggles and his friends, who have taken shelter by a corner further back. Good, that means he can go all out with this last attack.
Haruka lifts his staff up in the air with both hands and twirls in place, toes pointed downwards like a ballerina. The tip of his staff glows with a pink light as cherry blossoms surround it. “Doki Doki!” He shakes his hips. “Waku Waku!” He winks and flashes a big smile. “Happy Dappy Beam!” He lowers his staff and aims it at the Mirage as a bright pink light and a swirl of cherry blossom petals shoots it right in the chest.
“Begone Mirage!”
The creature lets out one more strangled cry before it finally lets go of its hold on its host and dissipates into nothing more than black mist. Its host crumples to the ground, unconscious.
“Choji!” Scraggles comes racing forward, picking up the boy’s limp body. There are a few scrapes on the other boy’s face, but he looks fine otherwise. Haruka finally lowers himself to the ground and tries to catch his breath. That last attack always takes a lot out of him. He’ll have to fuel up before he goes home. He’d hoped to just fly back to his apartment, but he doesn’t think he has enough energy left to keep up his transformation.
He’s about to de-transform when the short boy’s eyes suddenly snap open. That’s weird. People possessed by Mirages don’t usually regain consciousness that quickly. The boy sits up, frantically looking around before his eyes settle on Haruka.
“Choji! Choji, are you okay?!” The boy — Choji — turns his attention back to Scraggles. “Kame-chan! I — yeah, I feel great! Better than I have in ages, actually!” He turns to look back at Haruka. “It’s thanks to you, isn’t it?”
Haruka feels himself stiffen as Kokoro flies to settle on his shoulder. She lays a comforting paw on his cheek. “It’s okay, Haru-chan.”
Choji jumps up, which is also very weird. How does he already have so much energy? If this is what he’s usually like, it’s no wonder that Mirage was so powerful. He runs up to Haruka, looking like he wasn’t being used as a puppet by an otherworldly being mere seconds ago.
“Haru-chan? Your name’s Haru-chan? It’s nice to meet you! Thanks for saving me!” He extends his hand out to Haruka, who stares at it dumbly. Is he supposed to shake it? He’s only ever shook someone’s hand once, and that was today. And with someone he didn’t particularly like, no less.
Choji lets out a laugh. “You’re supposed to shake it, silly! Here!” He grabs hold of Haruka’s hand before he can protest and shakes it vigorously. “Thanks for saving me! My name’s Choji Tomiyama, by the way!”
“Choji, calm down!” Scraggles says with a laugh. Haruka looks up and blinks because Scraggles looks like a completely different person now. He’d taken his sunglasses off at some point, letting Haruka see into kind, droopy eyes and a dopey smile. A far cry from the sinister vibes he was giving off when Haruka had met him earlier that day.
“Er, more importantly,” he looks up at Haruka, brow furrowed in confusion which…is fair considering everything he’d just witnessed. “Could you explain what that giant rabbit thing was?”
“Uh…that was…” Haruka turns to Kokoro, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Hey, can you erase their memories?”
“What?! Of course not!”
“Wha— You can’t?!”
“No, I can’t! That’s what the barriers are for! We went over this when you were first starting out as a magical boy! Besides, erasing people’s memories is unethical!”
Scraggles clears his throat, drawing both Haruka and Kokoro’s attention back to him. “If it’s, uh, top secret information, then you don’t have to share anything.”
Haruka turns to look at Kokoro, who merely shrugs her shoulders. “There’s not really any penalty for having other people know. The whole secret identity thing is really just for your own protection.”
“…Right.” He lets out a tired sigh as he turns to address Scraggles. “Well, you already saw everything, so I might as well give you the run down. That thing was a Mirage. They’re creatures that feed off of negative emotions. The more negative the emotions are, the more powerful they become.” He looks pointedly at Scraggles.
“When did you start noticing changes in your friend here?”
“Um, around the time he became the new leader of our group.”
“And how long ago was that?”
He hesitates before answering. “A couple of weeks ago.”
“Weeks?!” Haruka points an accusatory finger at the taller boy. “No wonder that thing got so big! How could you let this go on for weeks?! If you’d done something sooner, then it wouldn’t have gotten this bad! You’re his friend, aren’t you?! Then you should have smacked some sense into him the moment he started acting up! Seriously, how lame can you get?!”
Haruka has seen enough Mirages to know that when they got as big and aggressive as that rabbit was, then the host had most likely started becoming just as aggressive himself. Just how many people had this guy unwittingly hurt during that time?!
“I…” To his surprise, Scraggles hangs his head in shame. “Yeah, you’re right. I knew something was up and I should have done something about it sooner.” He turns to look at the other members of his gang, who look back in a mixture of awe and confusion. “I owe everyone an apology.”
“Kame-chan, wait!” Choji pulls at the taller boy’s sleeve. “It’s not just you that needs to apologize. I do too.”
They both turn to address the few members of their gang still gathered around the alley. Haruka uses that opportunity to finally let himself de-transform. Black and greens replace pastel pinks as the young teen plops his rump on the ground with a huff. Now that everything’s settled, the fatigue from the fight is finally starting to catch up to him.
Kokoro flies next to him and settles on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
Haruka leans his head against the wall, letting his eyes flutter closed. He can hear the distant chatter between Choji and his gang, but Haruka’s too tired to bother trying to decipher exactly what they’re saying. He lays and arm over his eyes, blocking out the blinding rays of the setting sun.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just need a breather.”
He sits like that for a while, eyes closed with Kokoro nestled atop his head. It’s peaceful, but he knows he should move soon. Get some food. Probably find a bed or something to lay down on and get a proper rest. He should probably turn in early tonight to make sure he completely recovers his strength and —
“Haru-chan!”
Haruka’s eyes snap open to find Choji leaning in way too close. Does this guy not know the concept of personal space?!
“H-hey! Back off!”
Scraggles grabs Choji by the collar and pulls him back. “Give the poor guy some space.” He looks at Haruka, expression morphing into one of…concern? Why would he show concern for someone like him?
“Haru, was it? You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to— Wait, who said you could call me Haru?!”
“Huh? But that’s your name, isn’t it?”
“No! My name’s Haruka Sakura! Haru’s just what Kokoro calls me!”
“Who’s Kokoro?” Choji asks, finally breaking free from his taller friend’s hold.
“That would be me!” Kokoro exclaims as Haruka feels her stand tall from atop his head. “I’m Haru-chan’s partner and Guardian Spirit!”
“Oooohhhh! Now that I’m seeing you up close, you’re super cute!”
“Aw shucks!”
“So then, Kokoro-chan, are you friends with Sakura-chan here?”
“Sure am!”
Choji turns to look at Haruka, smile growing bigger. “So Kokoro-chan can call you ‘Haru-chan’ ‘coz your friends, right?”
Haruka raises an eyebrow. “Yes?” Friends usually had nicknames for each other, right? He’s pretty sure he heard Choji call Scraggles ‘Kame-chan’ earlier and they seem pretty close.
“So then, Sakura-chan, can we be friends?”
“Huh?!”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Kokoro exclaims, clapping her paws together.
“You’re going along with this?!”
“Why not? He seems like a nice boy!”
“Um,” Scraggles raises his hand, “I’d also like to be friends, if you don’t mind. My name’s Jo Togame. Sorry, I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself to you.”
“Oh! Two new friends!” Kokoro is practically vibrating with excitement now. “If we include Nirei, then that’s three whole new friends! Isn’t that great, Haru-chan?!”
Haruka feels himself blush, looking between Kokoro and the two boys before him. They…well they do seem nice now that Choji’s been separated from that Mirage. And they’re both looking at him with such…kindness? Like the expressions from the folks at the shopping district.
He lets out a breath before finally offering his own hand to shake. “I…yeah, fine, we can be friends.”
“Yaaaay!” Choji exclaims, shaking Haruka’s hand vigorously once again. “Since we’re friends now, I can call you ‘Haru-chan’!”
“Wait, hold on, I never agreed to that!”
“Huh? But you said Kokoro-chan can call you ‘Haru-chan’ because you guys are friends!”
“Well, yeah, but—“
“Oh, you can call me Choji! Or Choji-chan! Whichever works!”
“What are you—“
Scrag— Togame, chuckles, coming up to pat Haruka’s head. Huh? Why did people keep doing that?! Was there a giant neon sign on his head that said “Pet me!” or something?
“Anyway,” Togame begins, finally withdrawing his hand, “we should probably head on to Furin for now. We’ve got some apologies to make.”
Haruka moves to stand, but feels his knees start to shake before completely losing his balance. Togame is quick to catch him before his face can get acquainted to the concrete ground.
“Woah! You okay there?”
“I — Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired, is all.”
“Do you live close by? I could take—“
“No!”
Haruka pushes Togame aside, placing a hand against the wall and trying his best to steady himself. He can’t let anyone see his apartment. That pathetic excuse for a home. It’s still leagues better than the place he lived in before, but even he has enough awareness to know that his living conditions are not what most people would consider normal.
He remembers some kids following him home from school once. They hadn’t seen the inside of the shed, but that was enough. It told them enough.
He remembers those kids telling everyone in school the next day. Remembers how quickly word spread. How pathetic, they had said. You’re not even allowed into your own home, your family must hate you, they had said. Laughed. Sneered. Turned their heads away like he’d contracted the plague.
Nobody wants you. No one ever will.
Haruka’s apartment is better than that shed will ever be. Feels more like a home than it did, especially with Kokoro now able to move around more freely. But Haruka knows that his living situation could still draw questions. Curious stares. Assumptions. Assumptions that are probably not far from the truth, but Haruka doesn’t need other people knowing that. Not yet. Not when he’s just arrived and hasn’t even made a name for himself yet.
“Hey, Haru, you alright?”
Haruka snaps back to reality at the sound of Togame’s voice. But before he can respond, he feels a throbbing pain in his head and brings a hand up to try to soothe it as he hisses in pain.
“I’m fine…Just…Just need to get home and rest.” His stomach rumbles. Loudly. Haruka can feel his face heat up as he moves to cover his stomach with both hands.
“Rest and eat,” Kokoro adds.
“Oh! I think I have some cookies in my pockets!” Choji exclaims as he rifles through his pants before finally pulling out a pack of slightly crushed cookies.
“Here!” He says, handing them over to Haruka.
“Oh…Um, thanks.” He takes one and tentatively chews. They may be a little squished, but they still taste good.
“By the way, can I borrow your phone?”
“Huh? What for?
“So we can exchange numbers! Since we’re friends now, we have to stay in touch!”
“Wha— You don’t gotta—“
“Here you go!”
“Hey! Kokoro, when did you—?!”
Kokoro hands his phone over to Choji, then turns to Haruka and winks. What.
Togame leans to peer over Choi’s shoulder, brows furrowing in confusion. “You only have one contact?”
“Yeah. Got a problem with that?” Haruka asks, feeling his heckles rise.
Togame turns to smile at him again. “No, nothing wrong with it,” he says as Choji fiddles with Haruka’s phone before returning it to him.
“Here, Haru-chan! I made a group chat with you, me, and Kame-chan! Be sure to text us when you get home so that we know you made it back safely!”
Haruka takes the phone back and stares. There are two new contact names listed. Huh? Why did seeing that make him feel…happy? They’re just names. Was it because Choji and Togame
were his friends now? And…they wanted him to text them to make sure he got back home safe. Was it normal for friends to do things like that?And what the heck was a group chat?
Before Haruka can stew over his thoughts further, the rest of the Shishitoren members join them and now they’re…bowing their heads? To who? And why?
“Thank you for saving our leader!” One of the guys says, and oh. Are they bowing to him? Why?!
“H-huh?!”
“And we want to let you know, we’re fans of yours now!”
“HUH?!”
“You looked so cool when you were fighting that giant rabbit thing earlier!” Another guy exclaims. “Especially with that last attack when you twirled around and—“
“AHHHHH! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” Haruka’s covering his face in his hands now because he did not need to be reminded of the fact that he said all those embarrassing attack names and did all those embarrassing poses in front of complete strangers.
“You’ll have to forgive Haru-chan, he gets embarrassed really easily.”
“Shut up! No I don’t!”
“Haru-san!” A boy with a shaved head says, and was this going to be a thing now? Were all of the Shishitoren members going to start addressing him as “Haru” from now on?
“We promise to keep your identity as a magical boy a secret!”
The rest of the boys nodded in unison, offering their own words of affirmation.
“Er, yeah. Uh, thanks?” He’s about to turn to leave because all of this attention is getting to be too much when he notices two more familiar faces amidst the crowd. The two guys that were hounding that poor middle schooler from earlier.
“Hey, you two!” Haruka yells, pointing an angry finger at the two boys in question. They both immediately freeze, looking as though they had been caught by a parent with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar.
“If I ever see the two of you do something as lame as bullying a middle school kid again, I’ll shove my staff so far up your as—“
“Haru-chan, language.”
“I’ll shove my staff so far up your posteriors, you’ll never be able to sit down properly ever again.”
“Better.”
The boys nod vigorously, expressions morphed into what can only be described as pure, unadulterated fear. Good. It’s what they deserve.
“Wait,” Togame says, “what’s this about those two picking on a middle schooler?”
Did he not know? Haruka turns to look at the taller boy. He looks justifiably angry. Huh. So he really didn’t know. Togame turns to look at the two boys in question and they both cower in fear under his intense gaze.
“So that’s why Bofurin was in our territory.”
“Yeah, that’s why,” Haruka says as he instinctively reaches for Togame’s arm, keeping him in place. “And so long as they don’t do that again, we’re good.” He turns to look at the two boys again. “Right?”
They both nod again, and that response seems to be enough to get Togame to settle down. Haruka lets go of the other teen’s arm before he feels a familiar pang of dark energy again. He locks eyes with a boy wearing a black turtle neck near the back of the small crowd. It’s faint, but he can pick up the beginnings of a Mirage making its mark on him.
He points to the boy. “You. Fox looking guy.”
The guy looks around in surprise before finally pointing at himself with a confused look.
“Yeah, you. I don’t know what kind of emotional baggage you’re carrying around right now, but you need to get that settled or you’ll end up being targeted by a Mirage like Choji.”
“Oh, you used my first name!”
“Gnrk! Anyway! Settle things! Because I do not want to have to clean up after another one of your gang members again! We clear?!”
“Huh? Uh, yes!” The guy says, still looking a little confused. Did he really get it? Haruka will have to trust that he did, because now he’s so tired he can barely keep his gaze focused. He needs to get home and rest asap.
“Alright, well, I’m heading home,” Haruka says as he pushes himself up off the wall.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Togame asks.
“I’m fine. I’ve got Kokoro with me.”
Kokoro flies up next to him and gives a salute. “I’ll make sure Haru-chan makes it home safe and sound!”
“Okay!” Choji exclaims. “We’re counting on you Kokoro-chan!”
“Will do!” Kokoro exclaims with a laugh. “Oh! And don’t forget! You never saw us! We’re counting on you guys to keep Haru-chan’s secret!”
“It’s like you guys were never here!” Choji replies with a wink.
From there, they all make their separate ways. Haruka can only hope that Choji and the others will make good on their word and not mention anything about their encounter with Bofurin.
“I can’t find Sakura-san anywhere!” Nirei yells as he stumbles back up to the roof. Suo follows behind him, more calm and composed, but Hajime can see the slight worry evident in the way that he holds his hands behind his back a little tighter.
How impressive! Sakura’s only known these two boys for a short time, but it looks like they’ve already become attached! Wait, no! He shouldn’t be focusing on that right now, there are other things to worry about. Like how his new little brother has suddenly gone missing and that whole mess with Shishitoren.
“Sakura-san looked really spooked earlier. I hope he’s okay…” Nirei says, fretfully looking around as if Sakura might just suddenly materialize at any second.
Hajime’s about to suggest checking outside of school grounds when a loud commotion from the courtyard catches his attention. He shares a look with Hiragi before they all look over the roof’s edge to find Togame, Tomiyama, and a few members from Shishitoren make their way to the entrance.
Hiragi curses under his breath before taking out another one of his stomach pills. “They couldn’t have at least waited until tomorrow?”
Hajime puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Well, they’re here now. Why don’t we greet them?”
Hiragi gives him a withering look before sighing and shrugging Hajime’s hand off. “Fine.”
From behind him, Hajime hears Nirei fret over a potential gang war between Furin and Shishitoren which…isn’t totally outside the realm of possibility. But hopefully Hajime can hash things out with Tomiyama so that it doesn’t reach that point.
When he reaches the school courtyard, Hajime expects to find a lot things. A fight. Maybe even a brawl. A declaration of war. Any kind of tension, really. What he finds instead are all of the gathered Shishitoren members with their heads hung low in apology, including their leader and second in command.
“Ume-chan,” Tomiyama begins with his head still stooped low, “I heard that some of my guys caused you some trouble today. I wanted to formally apologize on their behalf.” He brings his head up to look Hajime in the eye, and it’s then that he notices the scrapes littering his face. They’re small, but Hajime has fought Tomiyama before. Getting even so much as a scratch on him would be no easy feat. So who did this?
Well, Hajime can worry about that later.
He places his hands on Tomiyama’s shoulders and smiles. “No harm done, Tomiyama. I’m just glad we could settle things without having to fight.”
Tomiyama beams at him. Huh. When had the light returned to his eyes?
“Oh, thank goodness! Well, Sako-chan, you’re up!
“Huh?!”
Tomiyama slaps the back of a familiar looking boy wearing a turtleneck. Hajime thinks he may have seen him hanging around Hiragi back when they were in middle school? He turns to look at Hiragi and…yup. Judging by the look on his face, Hiragi definitely recognizes the guy. It’s been a while since Hajime’s seen them hang out together, though. Did they have some kind of falling out?
Tomiyama pats Sako on the back excitedly. “You said you wanted to come along because you had something to take care of here, right? So go on! Take care of it! Otherwise Haru-chan might get mad!”
Hajime tilts his head to the side. “Haru-chan?”
Behind Tomiyama, Togame facepalms.
Tomiyama freezes, expression turning panicked. “Oh, uh…Who’s Haru-chan?”
“Wait a minute,” Hajime turns to find Nirei a few steps behind him. He looks at Tomiyama, then Hajime, then shakes his head. “Ah, no, never mind, sorry. It’s probably just a coincidence.”
“What is it, Nirei-kun?” Suo asks.
“Oh, uh, I just remembered that Sakura-san’s first name is Haruka, so I was thinking that maybe Haru-chan might be…Ah, but there’s no way Tomiyama-san’s talking about him, right?”
Hajime doesn’t miss the way Tomiyama reacts to this. The way his whole body seems to freeze up and his hands clench into fists. Huh. That’s weird…
“Tomiyama-san,” Suo says, beating Hajime to the punch, “could you assuage Nirei-kun’s worries, here? This ‘Haru-chan’ you’re talking about, his last name wouldn’t happen to be ‘Sakura’, would it?” Suo’s eye narrows with a knowing glint as he assesses Tomiyama’s reaction.
Instead of giving a proper reply to the younger boy’s question, Tomiyama lets out a loud laugh. “Ha…Ah ha ha! Will you look at the time? We gotta go and…uh, do stuff! We’ll se you later Sako-chan!”
“Huh? Wait, huh?!”
Tomiyama and his crew all make a hasty retreat, quite literally leaving Sako in the dust. Sako looks back at his comrades’ retreating backs before letting out a defeated sigh.
“Well,” Suo says, clasping his hands behind his back, “I suppose Tomiyama-san’s response is answer enough. Isn’t that right, Sako-san?”
Sako seems to wither under Suo’s calculating expression. Hajime doesn’t know much about Suo, but he definitely seemed like the type of guy who wouldn’t want as an opponent. Good thing he applied to be a part of Furin High!
Sako coughs into his hand, looking anywhere but at Suo. “I’m, uh, not sure what you mean.” He turns to look at Hiragi and nods awkwardly in his direction. “We, um, need to talk.”
Hiragi blinks a few times before nodding. “Yeah. Sure.”
As the two retreat further into the school, the remaining students that still surround the entrance erupt into chaos.
“Wait Suo-san, so this ‘Haru-chan’ is actually Sakura-san?!”
“It would appear so!”
“Isn’t Sakura that outsider that just moved in?!”
“He’s a first year, right? Did he fight Tomiyama?!”
“What makes you think they fought?!”
“Then explain the scratches!”
“A cat, maybe?”
Hajime takes in a breath. This is a lot. Shishitoren isn’t on bad terms with them anymore. Sakura is still missing, but is probably safe. He also may or may not have beat Tomiyama in a fight.
“I have so many questions!” Hajime yells to no one in particular.
Haruka Sakura: I’m home
Choji Tomiyama: Yay! Glad you made it back safely!
Jo Togame is typing…
Choji Tomiyama: No way! Kame-chan is actually texting!
Haruka Sakura is typing…
Choji Tomiyama: I forgot how slow Kame-chan is at typing lol.
Choji Tomiyama: Wait, you’re both still typing?!
Choji Tomiyama: I feel like I’m in a group chat with two grandpas…
