Chapter 18

Harima wasn't having the best of days. Well, that was always the case whenever he was in school. It bored him to no end and it felt like a prison with all the imposed rules he had to abide by. How he managed to get into and continue 3rd year of high school was beyond his literal understanding. He knew the reason why he attended 2nd year but he didn't want to think about it anymore.

The class he was in was lively like last year. Nothing much had changed with his classmates except Eri – thank heavens – was in a different class, and Tenma had left... Oh, Karasuma was also gone. So were Imadori and Karen. That red-headed guy whose name he can't recall wasn't here either. He could spot some new students he wasn't familiar with but that was beside the point.

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he gave a crap about the class. Why was that though? Maybe he was starting to get used to the routine. The change of environment was also a big adjustment. Before, Itoko would shoot a blank round just to wake him up for school. Couldn't she have thought of a better way to wake him up? His cousin would also blackmail him to force him to go to school, threatening to either kick him out of the apartment or reveal his secrets to the world.

It was different now. A good meal in the morning was better than being deaf, and being the butt of Sarah's jokes was less scathing because she was a nun and didn't really mean it. It was an entirely different story when the "jokes" came from Itoko.

His assistant, now co-author, Yakumo was always around. Harima didn't have to scramble to go to her for help. She was always willing to lend a hand. This made Harima feel enormously indebted to her. It was only thanks to recent events that he now felt he was repaying her enough. Visiting the zoo with her and showing her not to be afraid of dogs were things he hadn't thought of doing before. Yakumo didn't seem to mind and seemed to be content. Never had he thought that it would be quite easy and natural, unlike with Eri where it was very demanding and tiring.

And one last thing. He had to ask Rich Girl to let him keep Shiba. But he might have to negotiate with her about it. Sarah had also told him to get something for Yakumo. They weren't in a rush and he didn't know what she was going to do with it but he guessed he should add it to the list anyway.

The bell rang, signaling for lunch break. Harima didn't waste any time as he automatically stood up and quickly headed for the rooftop. He should be looking to talk to Eri about Shiba right now but not today. He could do it some other time. She would always pop up at the most unexpected of times. And if he willed it enough, she would –

"Hey Whiskers." Harima flinched. He knew that voice very well. He turned around and saw Eri approaching him.

So much for his plan.

"Oh, Rich Girl. What's up." He greeted flatly.

"What's up?" Eri repeated indignantly. "That's how you greet me? What's up?"

"Yeah. Something wrong with that?"

Eri's blood was beginning to reach boiling point. Why would their conversation always end up antagonistic? It's like they didn't know one another.

"Forget about it." Eri shrugged it off, feeling that it would only get worse if she kept countering. She looked away and twiddled her fingers. "Well, this Saturday, I just wanted you to… you know… I'll be going to… "

"Is it an engagement thing again?"

"No!" Eri snapped back. She composed herself and cleared her throat. "I mean, it's not related."

"So what's the deal?"

"Could you be patient for a second?!" Eri recovered from her tantrums and sighed. "I'm going skeet shooting this Saturday morning so if you want, you can come along." She quickly said.

Harima stared at her for a few seconds.

Crap! I've been too quick! Eri thought in panic. Does he even know what skeet shooting is?

"Well, it's my family's pastime, like golf to other families so –"

"Sure, I'll go."

Eri look startled. "You'll go?" she said disbelievingly.

"Of course."

Eri felt so happy that she could have jumped in delight.

"But on one condition though."

Eri's mood plummeted as quickly as it rose. "Tsk. What is it?"

"About Shiba. I want to keep him for longer than we agreed upon last time."

Eri was genuinely surprised at his request. Why was he asking this? "Ahh, you mean the dog? You want to take care of him again?"

Harima nodded.

"Uhh, sure. It's not that big of a deal." Eri shrugged. It may not have been her plan from the beginning, but she once heard Yakumo was afraid of dogs. And if Harima did something to irk her by keeping something she fears then it would be a strike in their relationship. It was one of the many fortuitous situations Eri found herself in regarding Harima. Fate seemed to be on her side.

Eri folded her arms with a pout. "But your restraining order against me is over. I can bother you whenever I like."

Harima inwardly groaned. Oh, right. That comes with the deal. "Yeah, yeah. So this Saturday morning? I've got to deliver my manuscript first."

"Whatever you want. Just give Nakamura a text and he'll pick you up like usual. We don't have any scheduled meetings this week so it's alright."

Harima turned around. "That sounds good. Well, see you around this Saturday. I've got work to do."

"Work as in scowl all day?" Eri retorted.

Harima started walking away, not even bothering to give a reply. This made the blonde annoyed but she got what she came for. There was a small blush on her cheeks as she walked away.

I did it! I did it! Eri thought, her hand tightly balled into a fist. Her cellphone vibrated in her pocket and she took it out.

Wow, Eri. I never thought you'd be so bold. Asking him directly like that. It seems I've lost another bet against Akira. Good luck. – Mikoto.

Another message popped up.

Don't worry, Eri. Harima knows skeet shooting, if the survival game is any indication. Congratulations to both of you. – Akira.

Eri instantly flipped her phone closed and looked around wildly. She didn't notice the two in any corner or at the windows.

What the hell?! Are those two spying on me?! And what does Akira mean by 'Congratulations'?

Eri quickly went back to her classroom, mad and happy at the same time.

x-x-x

Sarah was walking back home after her shift working in the Chinese restaurant. It was again a very busy day as Mr. Chen had a habit of accepting all kinds of reservations no matter if there were enough tables available or not. Her senior Asou has always been suspicious about it but the added pay somehow made up for it.

As Sarah walked through the gate, she noticed Yakumo was setting something down on the far side of the yard.

"Good afternoon Yakumo." Sarah greeted as she approached.

"Oh, Sarah. Welcome home." Yakumo replied as she stood up. Sarah eyed the things on the ground. There was a plow, water hose, a small rake, and some other various garden tools. Yakumo herself was wearing gloves and a garden apron.

"You seem pretty busy. Are you planning to build a garden?" Sarah asked.

Yakumo glanced at her hands and apron. "Harima told me that we should try something new. I think it's worth a try."

"Harima told you, huh?" Sarah said with a sweet smile. She noticed the expected blush on Yakumo and let it slide.

"When we were walking Shiba, he told me that he thought you asked him to buy some flowers so that we can plant them. Right now, he's out to buy some garden ornaments. We didn't find any in the storage room." Although it was more like Yakumo who went to search for them because for some reason Harima didn't want to go in.

Sarah blinked a couple of times. That wasn't my intention at all. How did Harima come up with that? "That's a nice hobby to pick up I suppose." She conceded. "It looks fun. Can I help?"

"If you're not tired, then of course. I'm just picking out weeds and doing the layout. It's not as physically demanding as I expected though."

After their chore was done, the two sat on the veranda to wait for Harima.

"So… Yakumo." Sarah said.

Yakumo turned to her.

"I've noticed you've been hanging out with Harima more, lately. You're even walking the dog with him. That's really surprising, you know?" Sarah cleared her throat and continued. "Have… have you told him already?"

Yakumo was surprised at the question, but then her expression went mellow. She hung her head low, eyes half-lidded and it quickly gave Sarah her answer.

Sarah put a hand on Yakumo's shoulder and continued, "It's okay, Yakumo. You don't have to force it. The important thing is that you two spend time together and you're happy. He'll come around sooner or later."

Yakumo broke into a small smile. This was what she appreciated with Sarah. She wasn't too intrusive, unlike the others who assumed a lot and jumped to conclusions.

"But really now. You two act like a couple already and that is so cute!" Sarah said with a squeal.

"S-Sarah!"

"I won't interrupt if you two are doing something together I promise." Sarah quickly added.

Before Yakumo could protest, a rumbling of a motorcycle resounded. At this, Sarah stood up.

"Looks like Harima's back." The nun said. "Well, I'll be leaving you two now!" She scurried inside the house, leaving Yakumo alone.

It took a few seconds before Yakumo got her bearings and when she looked back towards the gate Harima was walking towards her. There was bouquet of flowers in one hand and the ornaments he bought were in the other.

"Oh, Imouto-san. I nearly forgot," Harima said, handing the bouquet to Yakumo. "Here are the flowers Sarah told me to get. I don't know what she's going to do with them but you can take your share. There are quite a lot."

Yakumo stared at the flowers. It was a bouquet of purple and blue orchids with some white roses sprinkled around. The blue and white combination looked cool and calming to the eyes and it seemed like it radiated a glow of its own.

How Harima had such a good eye for flowers was beyond her. She knew Harima misunderstood what Sarah was trying to do but the entire scene was just too dreamlike. She couldn't resist viewing it as the man she had fallen for giving her flowers as a sign of his own feelings.

And to be honest with herself, it nearly brought her to tears.

"Uh, Imouto-san? Why you are teary-eyed? Wait. Are you allergic to the flowers? Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know so please –" Before Harima could take the bouquet away, Yakumo held it closer to herself.

"No, they're wonderful." Yakumo said with a sniff.

"Are you sure you're not allergic?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry. I'll just arrange them in a vase and afterward, we can work the garden." Yakumo looked up to him and gave him a warm smile. "And thank you."

Harima felt a slight sense of déjà vu. He had advised her to smile more often but he knew that smile from somewhere. Where and when had he seen it?

"Uh, sure. I'll just set up the ornaments while you're doing that." Harima took the sack and walked away, still feeling a little weird.

Yakumo went inside the house, staring at the flowers with a genuine smile. At the other end, Sarah watched the two with rapt attention. Harima always misunderstood everything, but little by little, her plans were coming to fruition. Those two definitely looked like a cute couple now. She thought Yakumo should have at least given him a hug or something but a sweet appreciative smile would have to do.

Now if only she could get them to attend a mock wedding, starring themselves.

x-x-x

It was Saturday noon. Eri was at the shooting range and was not-so-patiently waiting for Harima. She was at the shooting range with Akira mostly to blow some steam. It was there that she learned Akira not only had a knack for guns, but she was also quite a gun enthusiast. Having guns in Japan was strictly illegal and Eri finding someone like that, no less a high school student, was very surprising. If Akira had joined one side during the survival game, it would have been very lopsided indeed – even with Nakamura against her.

Anyway, waiting wasn't one of Eri's strong points. Had she made a mistake trusting Harima when he was in school feeling out of sorts? No, of course not. He was mostly like that, a man of his word, despite him being a delinquent. Honor among delinquents? A rare breed but Harima was turning out to be a lot of things as of late and tagging him as a delinquent didn't suit him anymore.

Except for his look. Definitely.

Eri was pondering whether to give him a call just to make sure. Nakamura had set out for a while now and still hadn't come back yet.

There was a debate in Eri's mind now. If she called to check on him, she'd look like she didn't trust him and she would seem clingy too. She already acted clingy in their engagements for show and continuing to act like that would rub Harima the wrong way. She wanted this to feel genuine and not one of those engagements. However, if she didn't call, it would insinuate that she didn't care whether he came or not. It would support her snobbish personality further and Harima didn't seem to appreciate that.

The battle between the two imaginary entities on her shoulders continued to rage on but Eri was still undecided. It was another one of those simple things that became very complicated when thought through too much.

In the end, she left the thoughts alone and simply waited. There wasn't much of a reason to think this thoroughly and torture herself.

Eri had been looking at the clear blue sky when she finally heard a familiar voice.

"Yo, Rich Girl. Sorry if it took us a long time."

Harima!

Eri quickly looked at him and, using all her willpower to downplay her excitement, asked, "What took you so long? It's almost late afternoon now."

"I think I should be the one to apologize, Miss Eri." Nakamura said, stepping in. "I fetched him in the publisher's building after he submitted his manuscript. Apparently, someone recognized me as the one who brought his manuscript for a contest. I made a mistake and used my own name back then and so it was recorded as mine. Furthermore, I was also the one who received the award when it won an honorable mention. There was a legal problem concerning that and I tried to fix it by removing my name. That by itself did not take a long time, but the paperwork involved did. I needed to sign a contract of revocation and a vow the manuscript wasn't mine in the first place. It should be with this young master here."

"Wow, Jeeves." Harima said. "That's quite an explanation for Rich Girl here. You could just say we got stuck in traffic. And don't call me young master or whatever."

Nakamura turned to Harima and bowed modestly. "Oh, my apologies, Mr. Future Husba-"

"NAKAMURA!" Eri exclaimed. "Enough of your long-winded explanations and fix us something to eat!"

"Of course, milady." Nakamura answered and went on his way.

Eri was irritated beyond belief. Nakamura was always so direct when it came to matters like this.

"So, skeet shooting, huh?" Harima said, observing the shooting range. "It's just shooting a flying disk or whatnot, right?"

"Yeah, it's like that." Eri answered. "But you're using a shotgun and shooting far off-targets. You don't get to pick which kind of gun you want – and sometimes that makes it tricky." She took a shotgun and showed it to Harima. "Just be careful where you point it. I don't think I have to state the obvious but it is guns we're dealing with here."

"I may be a delinquent but I'm not that stupid." Harima took a gun and inspected it to check if it was loaded. He aimed in a form he knew how.

"For someone not stupid, you sure know how to handle guns." Eri quipped.

"You learn things on the streets. And I also watch movies. They ain't that different."

"Well, they are. It's much harder in real life than it seems." Eri wore earmuffs and protective shades. A disk was flung into the air and Eri aimed at it. There was quick "puff puff" sound and the disk shattered into a very visible fine dust in the air. "That's how you do it," she finished, taking off the earmuffs.

"Huh. I can say I'm impressed, Rich Girl." Harima said. "I never knew you were such a shot."

It was not much of a surprise when Eri's heart started beating faster. As it was, she controlled herself like before as to not make it obvious. "Well, Nakamura was once a soldier and he taught me when I was young. I don't like golf because it involves walking around for hours."

"Yeah. I don't even get why rich folks like golf so much. Seems like a waste of space." Harima put on the earmuffs and protective shades. A disk was flung in the air and Harima took a shot. It missed, however, much to his embarrassment. He took off the earmuffs and saw Eri in a wide grin.

"Ha! So I'm a better shot than you!" Eri bragged.

Harima groaned. "Tsk. I don't remember seeing you making a difference in the survival game back then. How did you manage to not get a single person? And Karasuma, of all people, eliminated you?"

"Hey! Don't go all uppity on me! I'm just being competitive here!"

"And it was just the first try. I haven't used a gun like this before. The ones Akira supplied were automatics – which can be quite hard to use indoors. That's why I changed to handguns towards the end."

"At the end, huh? Who were you referring to when you made that speech anyway?"

Harima paused. "…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hey! I'm asking you a question!"

"Aren't we here to do some skeet shooting, not an interview? I get enough of them whenever people ask what I do for a living."

"Fine! I'll show you how I'm better than you at this! The survival game means nothing!"

"Whatever you say."

Their activity, with the occasional short break, lasted throughout the whole afternoon until it wasn't bright enough to continue anymore. It ended with Eri having marginally better scores than Harima – much to his annoyance. A Rich Girl beating a hardened delinquent like him? Not in his dreams.

"Now you'll admit I'm better than you?" Eri said, looking at the scores.

"Hey, this is my first time here. And I'd say I did well against someone who has been doing this for a long time."

"So you want to do this again sometime then?"

"Uhh, I don't know." Harima simply answered.

A vein throbbed on Eri's forehead. How dare he casually wave off one of her invitations?! "You don't know? What does that mean exactly?"

"As I said, I don't know. You just said we didn't have any meetings today so I agreed. Maybe I'll be busy doing other things. I don't have a well-planned schedule like you rich folks."

"Tsk. Well, the offer is always there, if you want to redeem your honor in a rematch that is."

"We're pretty even. Just leave it at that." Harima walked away with a wave and Nakamura drove him home. Technically, it was the Tsukamoto's residence but he treated it as such nowadays.

Eri sighed. Was she happy? She didn't expect it to turn out like this. It still felt like Harima wasn't opening up to her. It seemed they were competing against each other just for the sake of competition. Was she wrong about this? Where was the unpredictable and carefree Harima? Most of the time he had been calm and somber, unlike his usual devil-may-care personality. Disappointment wasn't the right word here, she was certain, but she had still been expecting more.

Maybe the engagement parties and meetings were taking an unexpected toll on him. Harima looked like a different person during those times and perhaps he was unconsciously reverting to it whenever he was with her, engagements or not.

Sighing heavily, Eri was about to gather her things when her cellphone went off. She flipped it open and read the message.

"Eri! That was your chance! You didn't even leave a goodbye kiss or anything on your date! That is so uncool!" – Mikoto

"You should have at least made a wager that the winner could command the loser to do anything. That would have been a good opportunity for a kiss perhaps. A hug should have sufficed, though." – Akira

Eri once again flipped her phone shut quickly.

How are those two spying on me?!

x-x-x

"Oh, Imouto-san, did you have a good time at work?"

"I can't say I had a good time but it wasn't all that bad. Just tiring."

"That's why I'm here. Well, come on. I'll drive you home."

Yakumo sat on the motorcycle and wrapped her arms around Harima.

"All set?" Harima asked.

"Yeah."

Harima started the motorcycle and they drove home. It was good timing that his cellphone rang when he was dropped off by Nakamura at the front gate. Yakumo reminding him it was the end of her shift. God forbid if she had called whilst he was still with Eri and he missed the call and forgot all about his promise. It still pained him to think he lost to someone like her but at least he got to keep Shiba for Yakumo's sake.

It wasn't all that bad if he thought about it.

Yakumo firmly hugged Harima from behind.

Well, I can say I'm having a good time now, she thought blissfully as she closed her eyes.

x-x-x

Later that night, Yakumo stared at the two plants on her desk near the window. One was a lone surviving bonsai from her late mother's garden which Tenma had unintentionally ruined when they were kids. Her sister had uprooted the plants from their pots and tried to plant them on the ground instead. When that failed, she tried to return them to their pots, but because of her grave mishandling, the abused plants couldn't be returned to their previous state anymore and were ruined completely. The only one left intact was in Yakumo's care and she tried to take care of it as much as she could since according to her father, gardening had been one of the few pastimes they did together - with their mother.

Yakumo smiled at the thought. Her gaze then fell on the other plant, currently sitting in a vase. The flowers Harima had given to her simply because Sarah had asked him to. It wasn't out of love or anything, but she couldn't help herself from being happy at such a gesture.

Had it been the same with her parents? Truth be told, the only things Yakumo knew about her mother were from the stories her dad had told her. It seemed her mother was good at gardening. Now she herself was doing it alongside the man she had fallen for, could it mean something?

"If you put it that way, then it must mean something."

Yakumo was startled at the voice. She looked around and saw the ghost in her gentle green glow, hovering in the corner.

"All this thinking, however, doesn't amount to much in the end."

"How did you –"

"You're sad whenever you think about your mother, no matter the context."

Yakumo remained silent. She genuinely had no clue about what the ghost was planning to do. The ghost once suggested taking their powers but to what end? What would that accomplish?

"It seems you're confused as to what I'm trying to do." The ghost said, getting to the point by reading her mind. "For what, you asked? To be honest, what I do not understand is whatever you're playing with this charade. You once said you wanted to connect with other people from the bottom of your heart. I truly believed you then. And yet, here you are: heart still closed to the one you truly love no less. I'm getting tired of it. What if I try something different this time?"

"And you'll do it by taking our powers?" Yakumo asked.

"You initially got interested in this man solely because you saw something unique about him. Unlike other people, you can't read him. What if I simply took out that obstacle, both for you and your beloved? Would that help? Despite being rare gifts, they are burdens with a cost. I'm only doing this in trying to understand something I cannot grasp. Maybe by having what both of you have, I can finally understand it."

"Then leave Harima out of this. Take mine if you want to."

"But oh, it isn't that easy," responded the ghost. "I'm finding it hard for him, too. Still, it's up to you whether it will happen or not. If I was you, I wouldn't wish for it to ever happen. It isn't pleasant." The ghost turned around. "We'll meet again, Yakumo." At this, she completely vanished.

Yakumo sadly returned to looking at the two plants. Tomorrow was Sunday and it would mean she and Harima would be visiting the zoo again. She was excited for that, but because the ghost had again left vague statements regarding her motives, she also felt unnerved. She decided to look on the positive side and went to sleep.

As the ghost said, thinking too much won't amount to anything.

Author's Corner: Wonder how Harima came up with the bouquet? The white rose symbolizes what he thought of Sarah (since she is a nun and white symbolizes purity). He picked blue/purple orchids for Yakumo because she has a very calm personality and with it, a cool and passive beauty. Orchids are quite oriental so he chose it over a regular rose. Combine those two together and voila, Harima came up with something so simple and yet stunning at the same time. Neat, isn't it?

Here's what it looks like from a Pinterest picture. Just add this after the dot com of the Pinterest website (picture not mine for disclaimer): /pin/143904150567710044/

Sorry for the late update again! I've been updating my other OPM story so I might have left this for a while.

Anyway, any reviews would be appreciated and see you in the next chapter!