9/13

Sweat poured down Haru's face as it contorted with intense strain, her hands trembling in weak attempts to move the incredibly heavy bag of soil in front of her.

Students and teachers alike passed her and simply snickered, none making any moves whatsoever to help her. Haru was about to just give up out of frustration when a quiet voice asked, "Do you need any help with that?"

She turned to see a boy around her age standing a little awkwardly with his messenger bag saddled up at his side. She glanced at the number lining his uniform blazer; he was a second-year, the grade below her own.

"Um…" Haru hesitated on taking him up on his offer, not wanting to inconvenience him. "Yes, please, if it isn't too much trouble…"

The boy carried the bag of soil up to the school roof with a relative amount of ease, setting it down before her flowerbeds as Haru instructed with an audible grunt.

"Thank you very much," she said with a kind smile. The boy returned it. He then swiveled on his heel, making his way to the exit when the door swung open only to reveal Akechi standing in the doorway, holding a plastic bag adorned with a bakery logo.

Akechi's lips stretched into an affable grin. "Ah, Kurusu-san. I wasn't aware you and Haru knew each other."

The boy - Akira? - didn't look as happy. "We just met, actually," he responded coolly.

"I come up here often to help out Haru with her gardening," the boy detective explained, motioning to the plant beds shuffled into the corner of the rooftop. That was true; ever since her father had banned Haru from hanging out with Akechi he began assisting her with gardening during the after school hours a few times a week, as to not arouse suspicion from going out.

"That's nice," the second-year mumbled, his mood seemingly soured by the boy detective's sudden appearance. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going." he walked past Akechi and began his trek down the flight of stairs, the door closing sharply behind him.

Akechi turned his attention to Haru, shooting her a smile and dropping the bag he had been holding right into her lap.

"I picked up a sweet roll for you," he said.

"Oh, thank you so much," Haru responded warmly. "But, how did you find the time? Your classes must have just let out less than an hour ago..."

"I wasn't able to attend class today," Akechi admitted. "My detective work has been rather demanding lately, what with the Phantom Thieves becoming so popular…"

Haru mindlessly pulled out the pastry hiding within the bag, biting into it and rolling the delicious taste around on her tongue. Her father had been quite the hot topic among those forums recently... "The Phantom Thieves…"

"What's your take on them?" the boy detective inquired. "I was persecuted for mine, as you know."

"Um… I'm not quite sure." she didn't want to show any outright support, knowing that Akechi didn't particularly like them...

"Do you at least believe in their existence?" he asked.

She shrugged, averting her eyes from his piercing, crimson gaze. She had left two requests on the PhanSite, one for her father and the other for Sugimura.

After a long enough pause Akechi wisely decided to shift the topic. "How do you know Kurusu-san?" he questioned her.

"Ah, is that his name…?" Haru began making her rounds watering the plants, offering her friend the seat she had previously been occupying. "I only met him about ten minutes ago. He helped me carry up that bag of soil."

"Isn't that nice," Akechi let out a strained chuckle. "He actually… erm, lives in a cafe that I frequent."

Haru's eyebrows furrowed. "He… lives in a cafe?"

"Yes," the boy detective nodded. "He doesn't look it, but Kurusu-san has a criminal record. I'm not quite sure of the details, but somehow his probation landed him here."

Haru was a little unsettled at Akechi's expression. It seemed like he was almost… happy to be speaking about this discomforting topic. Still, his words struck a chord of familiarity within her.

"Oh, I guess I do know him then," she spoke with realization. "There used to be a lot of rumors surrounding him, but they seemed to have died down…"

"And why is that?"

Haru put a finger to her lips in contemplation. "Hm… it might be because he started hanging around with the student council president. She wouldn't be friends with someone who's a danger to our school, so…"

"Makoto Niijima?" the boy detective didn't miss a beat.

"Um… yes, that's her." Haru responded, blinking slowly. "How did you - "

"I work with her older sister, you see." Akechi smiled. "Sae Niijima. She's a public prosecutor."

"Oh… yes, of course." Haru returned the smile, albeit a bit tight.

She couldn't quite shake the feeling that their interaction today was more of an interrogation, no matter how many light-hearted laughs and grins were thrown her way.

Later that same night, Haru was dutifully escorted to a Big Bang Burger when she offhandedly mentioned to a servant that she had not yet eaten dinner.

It was actually kind of nice to spend some time outside without being accompanied by her fiance. Even though she was eating alone in a fast food restaurant that her father owned, it still made her feel at least a little bit more connected to society.

"I'm just going to go get some fresh air," she announced to the manager.

The woman blinked, offering a pressed, forced smile. "Of course, Okumura-sama. Please don't stray too far, your father has already sent a car to come pick you up…"

Haru nodded before quickly exiting the store, withdrawing a deep sigh of relief from within her body as the cold air graced her skin.

She set her back against the colored outside wall of Big Bang Burger, lifting her gaze to look up at the blackness of the sky. She wondered how pretty it would look with stars swimming around in that pool of darkness.

She thought about Akechi and his peculiar behavior earlier that same day. That boy she had met, Kurusu… he seemed nice, but he didn't like Akechi. Who in the world didn't like Akechi? Was there a reason to dislike Akechi?

It was true that they hadn't been able to spend as much time together recently, due to her father's orders… and it seemed like Father was really serious about things this time. As soon as she graduated, she would be married, after all… it was unbecoming for her to be seen with another man…

These were the thoughts that plagued Haru's mind as she stood perched in a slough of her own loneliness.

That was, until she heard a croaking meow sound from a few feet to her left.

Haru blinked, her eyes squinting in order to distinguish a small, hunchbacked figure slowly making its way towards the Big Bang Burger.

Is that… a cat?

She absolutely loved animals, she really did, but her father had never once entertained the thought of bringing one into their home. They were too messy, too annoying, too loud, too gross, he didn't have time to take care of it and she was too lazy…

Haru approached the cat, eliciting a small meow from it as she eyed a collar hanging loosely around its neck.

"Are you lost?" she asked, making a risky move and deciding to pick up the little kitty. "You do have a collar…"

The cat meowed back, almost appearing as if in protest. It wasn't very chubby for a cat, with pretty black fur that blended seamlessly into the shadows of the night. Strikes of white painted its paws and tail, but the most impressive of its traits were the crystal blue color of its eyes.

"What an adorable kitty…" Haru marvelled, petting the little thing on top of its head. Her face turned as she heard the familiar hum of a company car approaching. The back door opened, as the driver gestured for her to enter.

Haru looked back at the cat. "Don't worry. I'll take you back to my house, and we'll find your real owner, okay? They must really miss you…"

She continued her words of comfort, along with consistent pats on the head as she entered the car, evoking a steady, low hum of purring the entire ride home.