7/18

Haru was absolutely giddy with excitement as a maid tied her mint-colored obi into a tight, secure bow.

Her hair and makeup had already been prepped to perfection in the previous hours. Tonight was the fireworks festival, after all, and she actually had a date whose very presence didn't make her want to be buried alive.

She was incredibly happy when her father had informed her a week prior that Sugimura would be travelling on a business trip the day of the festival, rendering him unable to escort her. Her father himself was also to be off on one of his many important meetings for the remainder of the night, unlikely to return any time before the following morning.

So Haru was finally beginning her teenage rebellion at age seventeen… she was disobeying her father's orders to stay home instead of browsing the festival, and it was entirely because of another early-morning text she had received from Akechi.

AKECHI: Sorry if this seems last-minute, but would you be willing to join me at the fireworks festival tonight?

AKECHI: Unless you already have an arrangement with Sugimura, of course. I wouldn't want to cause any trouble.

She knew her father would be dissatisfied, but Haru truly couldn't help herself, and happily agreed to Akechi's proposition. He had even insisted on picking her up in a taxi at her own house!

"Are you excited, Okumura-sama?" her servant asked, adding some finishing touches to Haru's yukata. It wasn't the most elaborate one that she owned, but of course since she was being sneaky she didn't want to stand out too much, right? She had to be sly, especially considering she practically bribed this specific servant into helping her without spilling any mention of this to her father.

"Yes, I am." Haru answered honestly, her voice raising noticeably in pitch from her eagerness.

"It's such a shame that Sugimura-sama is off on business," the servant said with a heavy sigh. "But don't you fret, a little birdie told me he has a big surprise for you coming up… oh gosh, I shouldn't have said that!" she burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth comically as noises of laughter slipped from between her fingers.

Haru blinked, a little off-put by her maid's insinuation. Why does it seem like she knows something I don't…? "Um… what do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing at all, Okumura-sama. You just go enjoy yourself tonight."

Haru plastered on a strained smile in response, still moderately perplexed but deciding to save it for a later time. She began her descent down the stairway, which was made somewhat difficult by the lack of flexibility in her clothing. At the front door she hesitated slightly, not wanting to leave before Akechi had announced his arrival in order to evade suspicion from the guards patrolling the outskirts of her home. She brought out her phone to text him only to be surprised by a recent notification she had somehow missed.

AKECHI: Hello, I'm at the address you sent me, but to be frank I'm not sure if it's the right one…

AKECHI: There's some sort of gate blocking the entrance to what looks like a museum, or perhaps a government building…

Oh, gosh, that's so embarrassing… Haru mused as she frantically typed out her response.

HARU: No, that's right.

HARU: I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you! At the gate, just say you're here to deliver me some study notes or something. They should let you in as long as you mention my name.

She hadn't realized that Akechi wasn't entirely aware of her wealthy status. He might even be off-put by the luxurious appearance of her home… come to think of it, Haru realized that she had absolutely no idea of anything pertaining to Akechi's home life.

She had heard him mention before that he lived alone. She didn't really like to pry, but… didn't it always seem like she was the one blabbering all about herself and her troubles? Did he ever get sick of it? Of her?

Haru opened the front door slightly, her eyes widening as she watched a taxi cab pull forward into her house's massive driveway. She hobbled out quickly, shutting the door behind her and grabbing at the fabric near her ankles in order to help her move away faster from any prying eyes that worked for her father.

Akechi had only just exited the cab, likely to come around and open the door for her, when Haru breathlessly pulled open the backseat door and threw herself inside all in one swift motion. She ushered him back inside the cab and tried ignoring the quaint look of confusion upon his face as he sat down next to her, closing the door and buckling his seatbelt accordingly.

"I'm so sorry!" Haru blurted out, feeling her face heat up from the utter humiliation. "I didn't mean to rush you or anything, it's just that - "

The boy detective let out a pleasant laugh, waving away his friend's worrisome chatter. "I'm not upset at all. I was just unsure of if you were in trouble, that's all."

"Trouble?" Haru blinked. "Oh, no, I'm okay, but… to be honest, Akechi-kun, I'm not supposed to be going out with you."

Akechi raised an eyebrow playfully. "Going out with me?"

"Oh, no, um, I didn't mean…" Haru's face immediately flushed an even deeper shade of red. Did Akechi-kun just flirt with me?! Or is he just making fun of me...? Ohmygodohmygodohmygod... "I meant that... Um, my father asked me not to attend the festival tonight! My fiance notified him of the incident in Shinjuku, you see, so he's been a lot stricter on the places I go recently…"

The boy detective nodded, still grinning from his previous comment. "I guess that makes us partners in crime then. Hm, I never thought I would say that, as a detective…"

Partners in crime? Partners?! All of this was seriously too much for Haru. If her heart starting beating any faster she figured it would just completely shut down altogether.

"Right here is fine, sir," Akechi said loudly, notifying the driver to pull over to the curb. Haru blinked, glancing around at the surroundings she hadn't even noticed up to this point. They were in the heart of the city, and things already seemed to be bustling despite it being just past sundown.

Akechi helped her out, taking her hand into his own for a split second as she made the grand movement from the car door to the curb.

She thought about when they were in Shinjuku a little over a week ago, how he had held her hand the entire way from that grimy alleyway to a cute little bakery. He had bought her a sweet roll and waited while she ate it.

He never complained, not even once. Not about how she needed to lose weight, how she needed to be quiet and compliant, how she needed to shut up, get over here, put out…

Akechi made her feel so much different than when she was with Sugimura.

The boy detective glanced around at the rapidly increasing crowd. "I hope I'm not underdressed."

There was a fair amount of people dressed in yukatas like herself, but Haru still felt a bit silly standing next to Akechi in his normal dress attire. "I have to admit, I do feel somewhat foolish…"

"You look good," Akechi assured her with a smile. "I forgot to mention, you truly have a lovely house. I'm a little jealous…"

"Oh, please don't be!" Haru implored, clasping her hands together in front of her chest out of sheer nervousness. "Akechi-kun, may I ask you a question?"

There was a curious glint in his eyes. "Go ahead."

"Um…" Haru's voice faltered slightly. "Why is it that you hang out with me?"

It was kind of an embarrassing question, but one that she longed to hear the answer to. She didn't want to get the wrong idea, after all. Maybe Akechi just felt sorry for her, and was trying to help make the best of her time before she was shipped off into a loveless marriage.

But she couldn't deny the way he made her feel. She liked him, she really liked him… even knowing he probably didn't reciprocate those emotions.

"Why?" Akechi sounded a little confused as he prepared to answer. "Because we're friends, of course."

Haru nodded slowly as she pondered his response. Her head lifted with a smile.

"Now, why don't we go get some food? I think I saw a yakitori stand over there…" Akechi began leading the way as Haru followed - not behind him, but right by his side.

The rain had just started to fall when Haru's phone began ringing.

Akechi had placed his own jacket over her in order to preserve the texture of her yukata to the best of his ability, despite her constant protests. Her heart dropped as she read the caller ID, picking up the phone rather reluctantly. "Hello, Father."

"Alright, Haru, you've had your fun," her father grumbled. "A car is coming to pick you up."

"What do you mean? I'm… um, I'm at home, so…" she cringed internally. She was a terrible liar.

"I've known the entire time you were out tonight," her father said with a sigh. "I know you've been seeing that boy, too."

"Um... what boy?"

Her denials were useless. "Don't play dumb. I gave you your last day sneaking around with that detective kid. Now you are to be either at school, home, or on a date with Sugimura-san at all times. You will not see that boy anymore, you're to remain intact for your marriage. I'm sure you haven't noticed the men I've sent trailing you ever since that incident in Shinjuku?" her silence only encouraged her father's spiel. "I figured so. The car will be there soon. I may or may not see you sometime later this week."

The line cut, indicating that her father had hung up.

"Who was that?" Akechi asked offhandedly, trying to hail a taxi to the best of his ability through the pattering rain.

"It was my father," Haru's eyebrows furrowed. Had there really been people following her this whole time, that she had remained oblivious to? Was she that much of an idiot?

Akechi paused, glancing over at her. "You said he was unaware you were attending this festival, right? I hope you aren't in trouble."

"I don't know if he's angry," Haru bit down on her lip. "But he knows I'm here. He doesn't want me to… well, I'll tell you about it later."

They had such a nice time together. It was the happiest day she could even remember in recent years.

She didn't want to ruin it.

When Haru was ushered back into her home through the pattering rain, she was a little taken aback by its appearance: burning candles were set on every flat surface, and a long trail of red roses led down the hallway.

Does Father have a girlfriend…? The embarrassing thought creeped into her mind entirely without her consent. Haru shook her head, slowly moving down the pathway which eventually lead to her bedroom.

She pushed the door open, eyes widening at sight of a lit candle nesting on the corner of her desk. A piece of paper resided against it. When she took it into her own hands, the flap of the paper nicked her on the finger.

My dear Haru,

I hope you appreciate this romantic gesture. I look forward to hearing about your reaction when I return from my trip.

Rin Sugimura

The blood trickled down her finger, pooling into a wet spot on her desk.