The small local café of La Caféothèque situated itself smack-middle in one of the many streets the surrounding area provided, boutiques, general stores and another café or two also littering the avenue. It was Spring time, the flower baskets that hung outside the café's doors bursting with life and colour. As it was the afternoon the sun shone it's brightest, naturally warming up the little café inside, the customers basked in the sunshine provided. It was the calm before the storm, the last trickle of a customer or two before the school kids got out. Almost instinctively the café soon cleared, bar a patriot or two, giving Haurji Sohma a good chance to finish early for the day.
"H-e-y, Ji-kun, you sure you need to go n-o-w... ?"
After serving his last customer of the day with a latte and a slice of coffee cake, Haruji was quick in cleaning up after himself, wiping down the counters of the kitchen for the head baker, Eizaborou, to use in the next shift. However the co-owner of the café had yet to arrive, Eizaborou probably running to the café at this point after a morning deep in paper work and paying no mind to the time. Usually Haruji would stay until whatever hour he was required to, however today was different. This change in pace piqued the curiosity of the other co-owner of the joint, Bachigo, who always liked to gossip a bit too much. Bachigo was good natured however very touchy feeling, something her husband Eizaborou scolds her for, especially knowing how uncomfortable Haruji tends to get when Bachigo threatens him with a hug. Without him there to moderate his busy-bodied wife, however, Haruji knew he was going to have a hard time shaking her off his scent.
The twenty-year-old finished cleaning up, folding up his apron with the usual cheerful smile he has plastered across his face, obviously ignoring Bachigo's question, as much as it pained him. Bachigo picked up on this immediately, taking a couple of steps closer to the boy, a sly grin on her lips.
"Ji-kun, you may be a good housewife, but you know you can't keep secrets from Ba-sama!"
Haruji, despite the potential trouble he was in, with Bachigo inching closer to him, ready to attack, could not help but chuckle at her last comment.
"Ba-san, you don't know the half of it..." Haruji thought himself, still trying to avoid Bachigo in the short while left he had before Eizaborou came to save the day. All he needed to do was to avoid the meddling thirty-odd-year-old, who was itching to ruffle his hair or squeeze his cheeks, something she did often to every other employee except Haruji... Unless she got her way right that moment. Haruji continued to get ready to leave, putting his large brown duffle coat on his shoulders, searching through his bag to make sure everything was there. Bachigo, never a fan of being ignored, pouted, feigning a sad and sulky face at the rejection from one of her younger employees.
"Oh, Ji-kun, you're breaking my heart! Come here, listen to the silence in my chest!"
Bachigo motioned towards Haruji at the speed of a devil, causing Haruji to try and escape at the same speed, whacking into the large counter that was in the middle of the kitchen. Slightly injured in his flight Haruji kept on running, heading for the door, nearly bumping into Eizaburou who, instead, bumped into Bachigo who was chasing Haruji out the door.
"Ji-kun, come here, I just wanted a hug!" Bachigo laughed, the large frame of her husband in the door protecting Haruji from her assault, Eizaburou looking around to see the out-of-breath Haruji behind him, giving the boy a sympathetic look.
"Sorry I took so long, Haruji-kun, you can go now... And sorry about Ba-chan."
Haruji gave a relieved smile at the sight of his saviour, giving a grateful nod to the respected baker and a "Thank you Eizaborou-san!" before running out of the café, the disappointing Bachigo watching her prey go.
"You always ruin the fun!" Bachigo pouted, followed by a wide smile and a kiss on the cheek to her husband. In the end, all the fun was in jest, and although Bachigo enjoyed messing around with young Haruji, she much preferred her husband...
... Although the kid never told her where he was going!
Out in the safety of the sparsely populated street, Haruji rubbed the side of his hip and stomach area, feeling the sting of hitting against a marble countertop. However the injury was nothing Haruji couldn't endure and after a while he grew accustomed to the pain. Bachigo always meant the best but she sure was rough; hopefully Eizaborou would lecture her, calming her down for at least a day or two. At that moment, though, the café could wait; Haruji had to head home, or rather, home of the day. It has already been three days since he returned home to his father and although he worried about him… Haruji found it difficult to return. Of course he would probably return home in a day or so, but for now he would enjoy himself in the good company of others.
That day Haruji was heading out to Yuuto’s place, where last he checked Hiiro was staying also. He hoped they were alright; after all, Yuuto was used to living by himself and Hiiro seemed to be having a difficult time at the moment. Although they were his seniors, Haruji could not help but think of them as if they were the same age as him, although he did come across as a bit childish at times. Not that he minded; if having fun around others was childish, he didn’t mind a bit!
After all, Haruji enjoyed it too much, going to other people’s home and sniffing around their houses, talking to them… although he was always careful in Yuuto’s, what with all the computer and glass parts, it was like a house of fragility! Haruji thought of all this as he bumbled along the road, wearing a heavy coat, a long-sleeved white shirt and a pair of khakis, looking quite warm in the mild Spring weather. It did not hinder the sprightly youth much, as he turned off the main-streets, heading into the residential areas, specifically Yuuto’s abode.
Haruji had grown so used to going over to other’s houses that he knew where most of them lived, having no trouble finding Yuuto’s home. Using a spare key that was hidden underneath a pot of flowers outside the door, Haruji opened the front door, unsure on whether or not anyone was there.
The Family Head was meant to see a few people that day, rumour had it, however Haruji was unsure whether Hiiro or Yuuto went to the meet yet, if they were planning at all.
”Hello?”] Haruji called, still standing in the front door, spotting the shoes in the doorway, the evidence that no one had left the house so far. Accustomed to entering other’s houses, Haruji began to take his shoes off at the door, leaving his bag alongside it, wandering in the house in search of others. What he found was Hiiro shaking Yuuto from his slumber, shouting at him about rice of some sorts.
”Hiiro, what are you doing to Yuudyr?” Haruji laughed, glad to see his cousins once more, still quite lively, or Hiiro at least. He always seemed glad to see others, actually, giving a large smile to the both of them before wandering farther into the room.
”Hm?... When did Yuudyr grow legs like those?”
Haruji stood alongside Hiiro over Yuuto with a curious gaze; although it was a common sight to see Yuuto having his afternoon sleep, Haruji could not help but wonder when the furry pair of trousers were added into the mix.
“1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10!”
The couch’s high-pitched voice echoed above the heads of the students in front of her, following them from behind, the assistant coach leading them from the front. It was a medium-sized group of twenty or so girls, all jogging in an orderly three by seven formation, all members of the track & field club of the local all-girl junior high-school. Each time the coach reached the number ten, the running girls would give an enthusiastic shout, almost as though they were participating in army drills. The team quite well in marathons and competitions, passersby who kept up with the local sports clubs smiling and waving at the girls that past, who kept their focus on the jog ahead. They could be heard from quite a bit away, their shouts echoing down the streets around them, causing people on the road, even a bit ahead of them, to turn around, curious of the noise. As the high-school students began to leave school, heading home or somewhere else, the noise mystified them, causing them to stand in place for a second or two, to see where the noise was coming from. Most of them stopped, bar a view disinterested students, who kept looking forward ahead of them, not bothered by the shouting at all. Eventually the team came down the street, and what little school students that wandered that particularly desolate avenue stood out of their way, watching the girls go past. The club members did not pay attention to any of them except for one school girl, also coincidentally a junior high student, who paid no heed to their jogging. Recognising the face, the team captain, Akida Hase, beamed at the rather tall young girl, waving in her direction.
“Miuru-kouhai!” Hase called, drawing the attention of the other club members who also knew the girl, following Hase’s lead and waving at the girl also. They soon began to outpace Miuru Sohma, who was just walking at a normal pace, and thus not much else could be said between the team members. As the coaches nodded in Miuru’s direction, followed by shout directed at the girls, telling them to pay attention ahead of them. However, some still looked behind at Miuru, waving at her in a friendly manner.
“Hey, Sohma-kouhai!” one girl called, her face lost in the jogging crowd that was starting to get ahead of Miuru at this stage “Don’t just laze around tomorrow, run with us!”
Miuru said nothing in retaliation or even in her defense, the girl obviously poking fun at another track & field member. Eventually the group was quite a bit ahead of her, off to continue their practice. All the while Miuru’s expression did not change throughout that encounter, looking blankly into the space in front of her, almost as though she did not actually pay attention to what happened, or perhaps did not care. She simply carried on walk the path, with the intent of going home early for the first time in a while, missing the practice due to the fact that she had business with her father. Miuru was unsure whether she missed not having practice or not, regardless, it did not matter; she would always attend the next day.
However her bright green eyes followed the running group, seeing them just a bit farther in the distance before they turned the corner, leaving the road clear and open once more. Once the team left the street Miuru was able to look ahead of herself a bit down the road. Besides a couple of stray students, the only interesting thing left to see was a girl panting at the side of the road, looking as though she was a straggler of the earlier running group. Miuru knew better; she was not a member of the club. As she drew closer, the fourteen-year-old girl was able to depict who it was with more clarity; instead of being a member of the track & field club, it was Keiko Sohma, looking as though she ran a marathon. She was a bit older than Miuru, however only a little bit taller, another cursed member of the Sohma clan.
”…Keiko-san.” Miuru greeted, standing alongside Keiko, her voice quite dull and her face brimming with emptiness, nothing much to her person.
With a nod in Keiko’s direction, Miuru carried on, never thinking of stopping and conversing with her cousin. Not out of rudeness, more so it never crossed her mind. It was not as though she was in a hurry, as she walked at a normal pace, not quite far ahead of Keiko by much.