Chapter 22:

It was Sunday, now Yakumo's most awaited day of the week. Before, it was just a day of preparing for the coming days of school and an extension of doing any chores left undone on Saturdays. Her sister, Tenma, was almost always out with her friends. It wasn't any different now with Sarah who had to go to church for the whole day. Having Harima around, however, changed the routine.

Since it was also the end of the dreaded exam week, it was like a breath of fresh air after an eternity buried under books and papers. It only added to the day's appeal and Yakumo wished Sundays would come more often.

While having breakfast, Harima and Yakumo talked about what they would do for the rest of the day. It seemed they had neglected some things while studying for exams. The small garden, although kept tidy, needed more than just rocks on display. Weeds that kept appearing out of nowhere needed to be removed before it looked like they were only good at planting grass. They also hadn't walked Shiba for a few days. In the afternoon, they would go to the zoo and spend their time there until sunset. It was a simple schedule but she knew the time would fly by and the day feels much too short. Studying for exams felt like months had gone by but spending time in leisure was like a flash of lightning. It was over before you knew it.

Still, Yakumo would likely remember these flashing moments over the obligatory knowledge one must acquire to pass exams. It should have been the other way around but exams were like a sort of vacuum, sucking away the knowledge after you just studied it. Tenma had demonstrated this phenomenon many times before. All the learned facts and formulas simply erased along with her worries as soon as the exams were over.

Yakumo shook the thoughts away while in the process of trimming the bonsai. How time flew so fast that they were already at work in the garden before she realized it.

"That takes care of that." Harima said after putting the weeds in a sack to be thrown out. As the amateur gardeners that they were, they hadn't bothered to even out the rocks on the ground before, so grass could grow between the gaps and keep coming back. The rocks had been randomly scattered giving it no visual direction. Grouping them up by type, size and color gave it a nice overall flow. Now that they were arranged in a more proper way, they highlighted the plants inside the garden. It was more subdued but orderly as a Japanese garden should look like. No wonder it looked like there were more rocks than plants before because they had simply put rocks where they thought they would look nice.

Yakumo finished her part just as Harima finished his. They stood back to see their work.

"It may not look it but gardening is actually quite relaxing." Harima said.

"It takes some work, though." Yakumo replied taking off her gardening gloves.

"That makes it the more satisfying." Harima grinned. He looked back at the garden and continued, "It's great to see when your hard work pays off. From waking up and going home, this garden will always greet you and will always be there."

Yakumo had never thought gardens were supposed to be like that.

"Sorry if I sounded a little sappy there. It just slipped right out of my mind." Harima sheepishly admitted. Yakumo now wished she could really read his mind if things like that came from his mind.

The two walked Shiba around the neighborhood. Yakumo didn't hold the leash this time since it was more tiring to be the one leading the big dog. Once back, they played some fetch because Shiba seemed unsatisfied with such a short walk. Yakumo had been completely unaware until Harima pointed it out to her that Shiba felt cheated and wanted to play some more before calling it quits.

There it was. His power to communicate with animals by simply looking at them. Although perhaps it was just Yakumo's inexperience with dogs. Regardless, playing fetch was entertaining even if monotonous. Yakumo had seen on TV that some dogs could fetch mail or newspapers or even just something their master needed and pointed at. It made them rather cute to watch.

Cute.

Now that was a word Yakumo would not have used to describe a dog. Maybe it had something to do with their owners. Harima was Shiba's owner and it was getting normal for her to extend her admiration to the dog too. A dog was a testament to an owner's character. Man's best friend, as they say.

Harima should have been a great humanitarian if his relationship with animals was any indication… Maybe he wasn't quite there yet, but Yakumo could really appreciate a man being this tender with animals. It showed how deep he could love a person if they were being accepted for who they were, just like he said that one time.

The two had lunch after their morning chores. Midway through, Harima remembered something.

"Imouto-san? Thanks for recording the previous episode of the Three for the Kill the other day. I didn't even ask you to do it for me."

"That's alright." Yakumo replied. "I'm used to recording episodes whenever Tenma isn't home so it wasn't a bother." Upon the mention of Tenma, Yakumo noticed Harima's expression mellowed ever so slightly and it made her feel down too.

Harima chuckled. "That reminds me of the time Tenma went out to help me with my manga," he said. "We missed that special episode but luckily you were recording it. You really are a good sister." Despite his expression earlier, his smile after saying those words swept away Yakumo's unhappiness instantly.

Yakumo simply smiled in return, not knowing how to answer a compliment from Harima without her mind wandering all around.

Harima washed the dishes while Yakumo prepared to dress up. She typically didn't dwell too long on what to wear whenever going out because boys would think the same things regardless of what she wore. Dress to impress wasn't her forte. Harima wasn't one to be smitten by fashion with how many times he had seen Eri in a gown and other luxurious clothing. It might be said it had no effect on him whatsoever.

His words last time though rang back in Yakumo's mind.

You just look lovely today.

Perhaps she would make an exception for today.

x-x-x

Harima waited outside the house, the motorcycle by his side. He was wearing his casual leather jacket and a plain white T-shirt. Now that the exams were over and he had submitted a new chapter for his manga, it felt like he had tossed a pair of dumbbells off his shoulder. The pressure of a deadline and studying for exams in the same week would have broken lesser men.

Well, it nearly broke him. Yakumo had helped with his manga and Itoko's advice proved to be far more useful than her usual unsolicited 'teachings.'

Best not to admit that to her face.

To Yakumo, he would always be grateful. Without her, he would have been broken a long time ago.

Lesser men? Not with someone by their side.

The fresh cool breeze he felt last time wasn't here anymore, Harima noticed. Summer had arrived, along with its scorching heat and that sweet, sweet summer break. He could still remember the memories of last year. From the day he first stepped in here to fix an air conditioner, to that somewhat awkward camping adventure.

Harima still wondered how in the hell had Eri popped out when he had pulled a stray cloth out of a hole in the wall of some abandoned dormitory. If he didn't know any better, Eri must have a radar on him or something with how many times he had bumped into her. This made Harima look around out of paranoia.

And what he saw was Yakumo.

Harima blinked a few times. She was wearing a thin, white, long-sleeved cardigan unbuttoned over a black t-shirt. A silver pendant hung around her neck and there was a watch on her left wrist. Dark blue jeans and white sandals completed her outfit. Her clothes were actually an inverted color scheme of Harima's black leather jacket and a white T-shirt.

It seemed even in the choice of clothes they were the same.

"Harima?" this broke him from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Imouto-san. It seems black and white is the theme for today. I'm wearing it too so perhaps that's a good sign." Yakumo smiled a little. A good sign of what didn't seem important.

"C'mon. Let's go." Yakumo sat behind Harima and they took off.

x-x-x

The two arrived at the zoo looking very much like a couple with how they were dressed. It was a coincidence, really, but other people didn't know that. Harima wasn't fazed in the slightest even if they were getting looks from other people. But Yakumo's mind reading was in full effect. In the deluge of thoughts, she found solace in Harima's silence.

As usual, Harima and Yakumo visited Pyotr first. Instead of standing on the platform above the pen like last time, they went down inside it to be more close and personal.

"How in the world does Pyotr escape from here?" Harima absently asked looking around. Unless the giraffe could hop out of the pen like a rabbit, it was impossible.

"Can you ask him?" Yakumo suggested. Animal mind reader or not, she was still curious about it.

"I doubt it." Harima shrugged. "It's like asking a magician to reveal their secrets." A giraffe was by no means a magician but Yakumo could get his point. It was just amusing hearing it from him.

Harima and Yakumo peeled some cabbages and put them into a feeding trough that would be raised to accommodate Pyotr's long neck. Yakumo fondly remembered that she once tried to feed the giraffe by raising her arms as high as she could and Pyotr needed to do some strange squat to reach her. She even got the bright idea of passing around a volleyball to exercise the young giraffe.

After Pyotr was done eating, Harima stood up and brought out… a volleyball.

"Does Pyotr know how to play volleyball?" Yakumo asked Harima. The question sounded really silly even to her.

"No, but he can bounce it around like this." Harima tossed the ball up in the air a few times until Pyotr joined in and tried to bounce the ball with his head. It was very awkward and the ball landed on the ground.

"It takes practice." Harima said. Yakumo picked up the ball and tossed it high. Pyotr followed the ball and hit it with his head.

"It's more like soccer we're playing." Yakumo remarked.

"At least he can get some exercise." Harima said, tossing the ball again. "We can't play fetch because he can't nod his neck down."

They did this for a while until the giraffe started showing signs of fatigue. He was getting slower and he couldn't hit the ball in mid-air consistently anymore. Despite being tired, Pyotr looked happy and content. Before they left the pen, Pyotr stroked Harima and Yakumo's cheeks to bid them goodbye.

"That turned out better than I expected." Harima said, walking to their next destination.

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't try to lift me up or nibble my head." Yakumo giggled. "It looks like you wanted him to, Imouto-san."

"Of course not." Yakumo said waving her hands.

"Haha I know. Let's head to the next one."

The two went inside the gorilla's pen but to their surprise, the gorilla was outside of his den already, as if waiting for them. It was odd because Igor was a reclusive ape that would only go out if he was hungry or needed something. He was not looking in their direction though and would only take short glances at them. His shyness hadn't completely disappeared.

"Now that's a surprise, Igor." Harima declared, patting the gorilla's back. "I think you're starting to like her, aren't you?" Yakumo felt a little strange being in the conversation.

Igor gave Harima a look of slight consternation and began ambling towards the den.

"H-hey! I'm just kidding!" Harima led the gorilla back. "Here, we brought you some food. Imouto-san, would you please hand him some fruit?" Yakumo took a banana and handed it to Igor. Hesitantly, Igor took it and began to peel it.

"He's improving. Somewhat." Harima said.

"Why is he always so shy?" Yakumo asked. Gorillas were supposed to be fearsome creatures as far as she knew.

"I could ask you the same thing." Harima laughed when he saw Yakumo blush a little. "Well, Igor here was all by himself in the wild. He grew up alone without a family. I don't know what happened to them but I guess it took a toll on him."

Yakumo knew how it felt. The loneliness. The pain of loss. Being the one to take care of responsibilities knowing no one would do it for her anymore.

Ironic to relate with a gorilla of all things.

"He's much better now, I think." Harima handed Igor another banana to keep him occupied. "No sense mulling on things that cannot be changed." Yakumo noticed Harima's expression soften and wondered who exactly was being addressed now.

"But hey! I'm no gorilla so I might be wrong." Harima laughed faintly, scratching the back of his head.

"No. It made sense." Yakumo said. "You're helping him out so there's nothing wrong with it."

"And you're also helping, so that makes the two of us." Once again, Yakumo would've preferred Harima chose his words more carefully. Then her heart wouldn't flutter before she realized he was oblivious as usual.

The two stayed in the pen for a while to keep the big gorilla company. They spent the time mostly in silence, the two of them giving the gorilla fruit that he pointed at. They bid goodbye once they were out of stock but before they left, Igor approached Yakumo and gave her a banana. Without further ado, he quickly went back to his den almost as if embarrassed.

"See? He likes you." Harima teased. Yakumo stared at the banana and then held it out to Harima.

"Hey, I'm no gorilla." Harima quickly said.

"No, it's … never mind."

"He gave it to you so you might as well accept it. He won't be too happy to know that you gave away what he just gave you."

"Oh." Yakumo put the banana inside her purse.

Their next visit would be to the penguin Anastasia. Since it was the beginning of summer, the penguin was always in the water and shade. When the arctic bird saw the two coming, she waddled her way towards the two.

"You okay there, Anastasia?" Harima asked, stroking the penguin's back. "It's getting hot now so you better be careful." Again, Yakumo couldn't shake the image of Akira in a penguin's costume. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't thanked Harima yet for rescuing them from the mess Akira's prank had caused.

"Hey Harima? Remember the time when you were dressed up as Santa at school one night?

Harima turned around. "What about it?"

"Well, we haven't thanked you for saving us. We really didn't know how long we would all be stuck there for."

"Don't mention it." Harima replied. "I could have done something other than hitting you with a toy hammer. That's all I could think off to get you all out of there. Now that you mention it, what were you all doing there stuck in the floor?"

Yakumo watched the penguin wagging its flippers. "Akira asked us to go there. She dressed up as a penguin so we would be curious enough to enter the room and fall through the old wooden floor once we got too close to her. When Sarah, Sis, and I got trapped, she revealed that she intended all of it to happen so she could take a picture of us like that. But Akira happened to get stuck too so we all ended up there."

"That's kinda… weird – even for Akira." Harima said. "To tell the truth, I was about to bolt out of there when I heard a ruckus. I couldn't afford to be thrown out again." Harima grinned in embarrassment, having reminded them both of his brief stay in the Tsukamoto house. "But the strangest thing was that when I was about to leave, I felt something…calling me back. I don't know, gut feeling, I guess. And then I saw you all stuck there halfway through the floor! I got the Santa suit from a part-time job and I used it to hide it was me and, you know the rest."

Yakumo could've guessed what happened, except for the part about him going back. She remembered that at one point, Sarah had vaguely suggested using her mind to call for "him". Strange suggestion but she had tried anyway. She didn't realize Sarah had actually meant for her to call Hanai. In the end, it seemed that the person she had chosen did show up, although Akira must have thought to use him as a backup if something went wrong with her prank.

Had… Harima really heard her call?

"If you're in that situation again Imouto-san, just call me." Harima stood up, watching Anastasia waddling back towards the pool. "Well, I mean, if you need help, not just stuck on the floor beside a giant penguin. You get my drift."

"Yes, of course. Thank you." Yakumo said with a smile. He said to give him a call next time, but using her mind would probably be quicker than a phone.

The animals they visited next were the lion and the tigress. Yakumo had always seen them as cats, just bigger. She could read their minds but could not understand them. They were friendlier to her than Iori initially. Harima had teased her, saying the big cats were so friendly to her because she was such a catgirl. Yakumo couldn't admit that they were friendly because she could read their minds, so she just accepted it.

"Neko" Yakumo. It sounded like a manga character.

The two then went to the aviary to wrap up their visit. After a few minutes of walking inside, the red robin they saw before flew to them and perched on Yakumo's shoulder.

"He's definitely the bird from before." Harima said. "Have you thought of a name for him?"

"I have." Yakumo answered. "Umm, how about… Haru?"

"Haru? Why Haru?"

"Well, it means 'spring' and we first met him during the end of the spring so that's what I came up with."

"Haru, huh? That sounds nice. Cute, even. I might even include that in our manga."

Our manga. Yakumo still wasn't used to hearing that and it always made her feel happy.

The two continued their walk around the aviary, looking at the assortment of colorful birds. They sat at a bench after walking for so long. Yakumo even felt relieved after sitting down. She had never walked that much in one day.

"I think I've done so much today." Harima said stretching his arms. "And I'm not even doing the manga."

"It felt good visiting the animals." Yakumo said. The break from walking made her sleepy.

"True. If you make everything a chore to do, you'll start to feel really tired about it instead of enjoying it. And that's the reason we're here: to have some time for ourselves once in a while."

"Yeah."

"It's still tiring though. But hopefully, it's not boring too. I'm not boring you, am –" Harima felt Yakumo leaning on his shoulder. He looked to his side and saw her closed eyes.

"I think I'll take that as a yes." Harima said.

"No." Yakumo suddenly answered, her eyes still closed. "I'm just… tired. That's… all." At that, she finally fell asleep. Harima wrapped an arm around her, causing the red robin to perch on his other shoulder. He pulled her closer so she would be more comfortable having her body leaning on him instead of her neck and shoulder only. She was so close to him that he could feel the rising of her breathing, and smell the scent of lavender on her hair.

The chirping of the birds echoed around and the setting sun basked the trees with gentle warmth. The golden sky peeking from the foliage of the trees seemed like rays of bright stars shining down from all angles.

The hottest days made the greatest sunsets.

It was so bright and alluring that he wished it to stay like this forever.

Harima took it all in.

The silence.

The peace it brought.

It felt surreal.

It felt light.

As if the whole world had changed in that very instant.

To a world he had always wanted.

And created.

With…

With…

Harima's eyes suddenly shot open. The world around him warped back before his eyes, clashing and ever-changing. The golden rays had turned darker and the chirping of the birds was gone.

But he could still feel her breathing. And that scent. The surprising calm it brought him was enough to stop him from jumping out of his seat despite the suddenness of his wake.

He had fallen asleep too.

Harima rubbed his eyes.

What just happened? He felt confused like he didn't know where he was. Crashing back into reality wasn't always pleasant. He looked to his side and saw Yakumo leaning on him.

Yakumo.

It was her presence beside him that made him calm after that unwelcome jolt of wakefulness. With this in mind, now he could put it into words. That peace he had felt before, at the end of the day they had first visited the zoo together.

A glimmer of a dream in a reality full of cruelty and indifference.

A tranquil island in a sea of chaos.

A soothing silence amidst the disorder around him.

This was a kind of peace that he couldn't leave behind.

And that was the reason why he wanted to stay for a while way back when Yakumo slept at his side the first time.

Harima felt Yakumo stir in her sleep and she began to sit up straight. He unwrapped his arm around her to give her space.

"Did you have a good nap?" Harima asked.

"Yeah." Yakumo said, rubbing her eyes. "Had a good dream, actually. How long was I asleep?"

"Judging from the sun, not that long."

Yakumo glanced at her shoulders. "Where's Haru? Did he fly away?"

"I guess. I didn't notice. Perhaps he's telling his friends he has a name now. We better leave or the employees will lock us in here with the birds."

The two stood up and walked towards the exit.

x-x-x

Harima drove smoothly as he had always done. Being the one in control of where he was going, the one making the decisions, was always a good feeling he associated with riding his motorcycle.

There was something on Harima's mind though.

What had he been thinking about on the bench earlier? It was very strange for him to think in such melodramatic expressions. He would be more of a poet than a mangaka if he continued to think that way.

And then he became aware of her arms around him and her head leaning against his back. Both Tenma and Eri had also ridden in this manner before but just like last time, he felt that uncrossable gap. Eri had been holding on to him not knowing it was he. Tenma held on to him out of fear for Karasuma.

This time, it was out of trust. He knew she would trust him as much as he trusted her. Despite the kind of person other people saw him as, she still held on, much tighter than Eri and Tenma, like she refused to let go.

Harima wouldn't let her go too until they arrived at their destination. He would keep her safe no matter the cost.

Now that he could put into words the kind of peace she brought which had eluded him for some time.

x-x-x

Yakumo and Harima returned home just as the sun disappeared from the horizon, leaving a faint afterglow. They entered the house quite refreshed since they had both taken a nap earlier.

"I should prepare dinner early this time." Yakumo said.

"Right. We forgot to get some snacks earlier. So much for feeding the animals and forgetting to leave some for us."

"I still have my banana right here."

"That'll do until dinner." Harima took the banana, peeled it, and took half of it, giving the other half back to Yakumo. Yakumo could only smile when she remembered that it was Harima himself who advised her not to give the banana to anyone, and here he was eating half of it.

"Any idea what you'll be cooking tonight, Imouto-san?" Harima asked after eating his share of the banana.

"Not really. I usually cook whatever comes to mind."

"Let's make that more interesting." Harima took two of the notes stuck to the refrigerator and began writing on them.

"Okay. I wrote something on each one and you'll pick one at random. Based on what is written, that's what you'll be cooking for tonight."

Just like Tenma, Yakumo thought fondly. This time, she couldn't read his mind so it would be a 50/50 chance instead of knowing what to pick.

Harima hold up his hands. "Choose. The left one or the right one?"

Yakumo took a few seconds to decide since she couldn't figure out what was on the paper. "The left one." she answered.

Harima flipped the paper in his left hand. "It's decided! We'll be having meat and potatoes tonight!" he handed it to Yakumo who was looking at the paper quite perplexed.

"Umm, Harima? When I said left, I meant my –"

"Welcome home Sarah." Harima said. Sarah entered the kitchen, still in her Sunday attire.

"I thought you didn't want to welcome me home properly." Sarah said to Harima.

"You can go outside and come back again so I can greet you more properly." Harima answered in a lighthearted manner. Sarah though wasn't going to go along with it.

"I'm not expecting you to do it any differently." Sarah countered.

"Fine. We're having meat and potatoes for dinner."

Yakumo sighed. Meat and potatoes, it is.

"Meat and potatoes? Don't tell me Yakumo is going to cook all by herself and you do nothing."

Harima's cowlick twitched. This girl won't give up. "Okay. I'll help her out if it means so much to you."

"Oh, if only you knew." Yakumo didn't miss the smirk from Sarah. "I'm gonna take a shower. Call me if dinner's ready."

"Yes, milady." Harima flatly said, watching Sarah leave the kitchen. "Seriously," Harima said to Yakumo. "How is she a nun?"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"We better get started, Imouto-san."

Yakumo smiled and then went to make dinner.

x-x-x

"You two made this?" Sarah asked. "It's like a gourmet meal from a fancy restaurant!"

"It was Imouto-san who cooked and put it together." Harima answered. "I simply peeled the potatoes and sliced the meat."

"But you also mixed the seasoning and sauce." Yakumo said. "I say that's quite important in the dish too."

"Proper cooking and handling are important too. Otherwise, we might be eating charcoal instead, no matter how good the seasoning or sauce is."

"You two work so well together." Sarah said smiling.

"It's just meat and potatoes." Harima said. "You couldn't mess that up even if you tried – which we wouldn't."

The three ate dinner while talking about how their day went. Harima and Yakumo talked about what they did for the whole day while Sarah listened. Listening to the two who were not yet a couple for some reason, Sarah was tempted to blurt out that they should just be in a relationship already. After all, didn't they do what couples usually did? Come to think about it, their relationship was even better than most couples'.

She really knew the reason why she needed to tread carefully in such things. One wrong, careless move could derail everything they'd done so far.

Sooner or later they would have to choose whether or not they would take the next big step. No matter the decision, there would always be someone left behind. Sarah hoped that it would not be Yakumo, for that would break Sarah's heart to see what the two had done so far to be in vain. She didn't think that they would remain friends as if nothing had happened. Would they continue to act the same around each other if a line was drawn? Whether Yakumo knew it or not, her heart was very fragile and Sarah could not bear to witness it happen in front of her. There was a payoff for all of this, but Sarah needed to consider both outcomes to ready herself.

There was too much at stake now to back away and cut their losses.

Romance wasn't as easy as movies portrayed them out to be.

The three finished their dinner and Sarah was very impressed with the dish Harima and Yakumo had made. "That's some meat and potatoes if you ask me!" she exclaimed.

"You're welcome by the way." Harima said. "Oh, you're washing the plates this time since we cooked dinner."

Sarah slumped on the table. "But I already washed so many plates and utensils at the church earlier! I don't think I want to see another plate ever again."

Harima rolled his eyes. "Except when there's food on it – Ack! Did… did you just throw a slice of potato at me?"

"I may have been late this morning but a lady can only take so much." Sarah whined her head down on the table.

"If you're this tired Sarah, I can wash the dishes tonight." Yakumo offered.

"Maybe Harima should help you too since he helped you earlier."

"Okay, Sarah." Harima said. "I might as well wash the dishes too. But I'm doing this for Imouto-san, not because you asked me to."

"Same difference." Sarah shrugged. "Well, I better go to bed early. See you two tomorrow and good night." She stood up and left.

The two washed the dishes in relative silence. It didn't take them long and soon they were finished.

"It's been such a long day for the two of us." Harima said after taking off his apron.

"It's just once a week." Yakumo said. "Just as you said, it's good to have a time for ourselves once in a while. And I really did enjoy it so thank you."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it. It's getting quite repetitive, though. We can visit the zoo in the morning and then go to other places for a change."

"I don't really have much preference where to go. What are your suggestions?"

"We can drive around and stop by at random places to see the sights. Itoko likes to drive around with no location in mind so we might as well try that one out."

"That sounds good. It's getting me excited now."

Harima laughed. "It'll be next week before you know it. Well Imouto-san, I better hit the hay. See you tomorrow." He waved a hand and then went to his room.

Yakumo wished that Sundays would come more often.

Author's Corner: Whelp! I survived another wacky year! This story has been going on for years now and still not finished! Perhaps this year it will finally conclude. I have a beta reader in the name of sumodog now so the updates should come faster. I hope.

This chapter didn't move the plot overall but it will have an effect later on. I'm not that good at thinking of "dates" but I thought that Harima and Yakumo were likely to do such things together given their preferences for simpler things - aside from manga that is. This chapter also contains a lot of references from the series itself so good luck locating them all!

We're in 2018 now and I hope that I finally finish this long-standing story of mine! Any reviews are greatly appreciated! See ya next chapter ;D