1/20, Mon

After School - Shujin Gates

A few days passed since Akatsuki's introduction into Shujin, and for all it was worth, things were very tame in regards to his presence, or at least tamer than how they would be at the start of the next school year, when a certain Fool would enter the academy's gates.

The students' general intrigue in regards to just how secretive he was never did die down completely, but it did wane, if only by a little, as, by the time he was there for about a week, the boy was already being treated like any other student, which was honestly fine by him.

His teachers treated him like any other, without any preferential treatment that would separate him from his peers, and his fellow classmates… well, they were honestly still a tiny bit wary of him, not that he could really blame them, really. Akatsuki had never really been a social person, and him being in Shujin was more or less his attempt at learning how to be social, which was still very much a work in progress. At least a few of them were actually approaching him rather than keeping their distance, though, with them occasionally coming to him for some assistance in their work.

When they learnt that he was actually kinda smart, somewhat above average but not any better than the Honor Student, Niijima Makoto, they ended up coming to him on occasion for some questions, though this in itself wasn't common.

From time to time, however, there would be one or two individuals that would try to dig deeper into Akatsuki's private life. The boy didn't blame them for trying, but still… it was annoying to have to shoot down so many inquiries over the course of a few days. Him doing so probably didn't help his issue with rumors, but sue him, he didn't give a shit about letting others know more about him.

Akatsuki was an enigma, one that no one would ever solve, it would seem, and he was content with that. Like his father before him, the boy was great at keeping secrets and even better at keeping his feelings isolated, something that was somewhat counterproductive to why he was here in the first place… but he supposed that he was still adapting to his new environment, so that was to be expected.

Whilst not much was able to phase the boy in general, however… one thing, or rather… one person was able to make his otherwise expressionless mask falter, if only briefly, that that individual was…

"O-Oh…"

"... hm…"

… that girl with the auburn hair…

Akatsuki was still unsure of why she seemed so familiar to him, but to see that young lady around always made his heart clench rather painfully, and as such, he would always try to avoid her whenever possible. He had come here to try and live a normal life, away from his overly protective mother and slightly controlling, if well meaning, mum, not to be tormented by a phantom pain that he couldn't hold back…

As for the girl, however, she seemed to have a sort of reaction whenever Akatsuki had come into view as well. She would always just… stare at him, almost as though she were trying to identify him, just like he was with her, though he never stood still for long enough for her to allow her to deduce his identity. In truth, if she did know him, then Mixta would have even more reason to avoid her, as, in truth, having his identity be leaked would not be pleasant for a myriad of reasons.

Even when he wasn't in Shujin, the boy would constantly be… bothered by that girl, albeit in ways that weren't caused by her directly. Images of that auburn haired girl would constantly flash up in his mind whenever he tended to the flowers hanging by his door, and whenever he turned in for the night, he always dreamt of a voice that echoed in from an unidentified part of his past. He… recognised this voice, though he couldn't pin down who it belonged to…

(Unbeknownst to Akatsuki, that auburn haired girl was suffering from the same issues as him. It… plagued her almost as much as it did him…)

As an added insult to injury, it seemed as though their few interactions with one another had caught the attention of a few individuals, as a few more rumors had begun spreading around in relation to the duo. Some took their awkward meetings as the aftermath of an awkward breakup whereas others stated that the girl, whose name Akatsuki never quite caught, was being stalked by him. One outlandish rumor claimed that he was a yakuza child trying to kidnap the girl and hold her ransom for cash from her father.

… that last one wasn't completely incorrect, but still…

After about a week of this repetition, however, the whole issue came to a boiling point when Akatsuki had been leaving the school grounds. Whilst doing so, he paused briefly by the entrance to Shujin and observed the plants for a short while. He didn't wish to linger around and risk bumping into that girl once more, so he kept his observation at a distance… though almost immediately after he finished his quick and quiet observation, Mixta took note of…

'Her again…'

… standing not too far from where the flowers were planted at. The auburn haired girl was present once more, with her dressed in the standard issue gym uniform and attempting to push a trolley filled with what appeared to be sealed sacks of fertilizer. A handful of other students were present around the gates, though none seemed interested in helping her, much to Akatsuki's annoyance as he observed the girl for a few more seconds.

She was certainly struggling with the trolley, and even if he was actively trying to avoid her, Mixta had been raised to not turn a blind eye to those that needed his help, and as such, he removed his bag from his arm, set it on the ground and moved to assist the girl in her work…

… and when she saw a hand moving down to grab a hold of the trolley's handle to help her push it forwards, Haru felt her cheeks heating up in embarrassment as she turned towards its owner and smiled awkwardly, lightly waving them off all the while.

"I-I'm sorry, but there's no need… to…" trailed off Haru as her deflection was cut short when she saw who was helping her. That boy again… with his pink, ahoged hair and sky blue eyes all as she remembered. His unexpected appearance by her side was more than enough to startle Haru into jumping back with an awkward EEP!, though thankfully enough, she did not trip over anything as she stared at him in shock.

Vice versa, the boy was staring at her with a mostly neutral look in his eyes as he motioned towards the cart she had been attempting to push.

"I'll help you with this," offered the boy, not sounding polite, per say, but not indifferent either. Haru felt rather grateful towards him as she tapped her fingers together awkwardly at his offer, though moments later, she recomposed herself and spoke up in response.

"T-There really is no need! I can handle this j-just fine!" assured Haru, with her lying through her teeth as she spoke. Evidently enough, she was a bad liar, either that or the boy could see through her a lot easier than he was letting on, as he shook his head.

"You looked like you were struggling, though," mused the boy. There were faint hints of amusement in his voice as he addressed this, and upon processing his words, the young woman felt her cheeks burning red once more as she realized that he wasn't wrong on that front.

"... I don't wish to be a burden to anyone, though…" stated Haru after a few moments of silence, with her reasoning sounding rather hollow as she clasped her hands together tightly. As she said this, though, the boy's gaze softened ever so slightly as he eyed her with a small amount of… sympathy, perhaps? Either way, he seemed as though he could relate to her issue as he sighed.

"It's not wrong to accept help sometimes," stated the boy, eliciting a frown from Haru. He wasn't wrong, but even so… the girl didn't exactly agree with him either in no small part thanks to… past experience. Still though, she did hear the resolve in the pink haired boy's voice, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't waver, not one bit, prompting her to nod in defeat as she allowed him to take over.

"O-Okay then… thank you."

There wasn't a proper response given to her by the boy… but he did grunt in her general direction. Haru wasn't sure if that was a positive or a negative sound, but she said nothing about it regardless.

The boy proved to be much stronger than Haru was, physically at least, as he was able to help her push the trolley all the way over to the point she had specified, a small shed that was meant to house gardening supplies for the absurdly small Shujin gardening club, without pause, and once there, Haru assisted him in bringing the bags of fertilizer into the structure and stacked them up in a corner. Thereafter, she turned towards him and bowed in thanks, something that was, admittedly, difficult to do thanks to the cramped interior of the shed, though she managed it nonetheless.

"Thank you for your help…" thanked Haru, only to trail off when she realized that she didn't know the boy's name, and at that, he appeared a tiny bit unsure on whether or not he should introduce himself properly, though after some consideration…

"Mixta… Mixta Akatsuki…"

… he did, and upon introducing herself, Haru stiffened a little. Both halves of his name sounded incredibly familiar to her, though she was unable to figure out why that was the case…

Before she could put too much thought into that, however, Akatsuki snapped his fingers in front of her face, catching her attention all the while. Blinking a little as she snapped out of her trance-like state, Haru flinched as she did her best to hide her previous bout of stillness with an awkward chuckle.

"S-Sorry! Thank you for your help, M-Mixta-San!" thanked Haru in earnest. Odd… the name Mixta felt so familiar to her, especially when spoken, though she couldn't figure out why that was the case.

"Hm. You're welcome…"

And this time, it was Akatsuki's turn to trail his words off as he realized that he too did not know Haru's name, and at that, the girl opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh! I'm Oku…" began Haru, only to pause when she realized that revealing her name might not bode too well with the transfer student. She didn't wish for him to view her differently, like so many others did, just because of her family name…

"Oku…?" mused Akatsuki, with him tilting his head at her saying the first third of her family name, and at that, Haru widened her eyes and nodded.

"Y-Yes… Oku! I'm… Oku Haru!" lied Haru, with her feigning a bright smile as she 'confirmed' her name. Akatsuki's brows were quick to raise themselves onto his face as he took note of the somewhat forced expression that Okumura was giving him, though outside of that, he found the name Haru to be… oddly familiar. Not that it mattered, really, as he overlooked it for now and nodded in her direction.

"Alright then, Oku-San."

And with that, the duo left the shed, with Haru bringing a watering can out alongside her whilst Akatsuki shut the door. Glancing down at the aforementioned watering can, the pink haired boy grunted lightly as he glanced away, a sound that Haru took note of as she stared up at him curiously.

"... you… like gardening?" inquired Akatsuki, with the soft undercurrent of genuine curiosity catching Haru off guard as they walked back to Shujin's entrance. Still though, she didn't hesitate in responding as she covered a light chuckle and nodded.

"Yes… it's a hobby of mine," answered Haru. Akatsuki nodded at this.

"Hm…"

"And you?"

"I… plant stuff on occasion."

"Oh? Is that so? Do you have a fondness for flowers?"

"Yes. I do. I think they're… pretty."

"I see… they usually are, if grown correctly…"

"..."

"..."

Their conversation essentially ended there, with Akatsuki pausing to pick up his bag whilst Haru went on to water the flowers, with her turning her back towards Mixta in the process. The boy used this time to just… stare at the girl in confusion as he wondered… why he felt so strangely towards her. He had just transferred to this school, had he not? He didn't recall seeing any friends' names on the student list before he did so, which only made his apparent familiarity with Haru just that much odder to him.

Whilst he thought about this, however, Haru, whilst watering the flowers, found herself experiencing a similar situation, with her wondering why Akatsuki seemed so familiar to her as well. Both halves of his name resonated with her in a way that moved beyond mere familiarity… but at the same time, she couldn't properly pin down why she felt as though she's met him in the past.

"... until next time, Oku-San," muttered Akatsuki, with him blurting out a random farewell as he adjusted the position of his bag on his shoulder, and at that, Haru jolted upright and turned to face him.

"Y-Yes, until next we meet, Mixta-San…"

And, in near perfect sync, almost as though they had been trained to do so by private tutors, both Haru and Akatsuki curtsied and bowed to one another, respectively, before the latter turned to take his leave. The former watched him go until he disappeared from view, and once he was gone, Okumura frowned as she held the watering can close to her chest, still confused… but she pushed those thoughts to the wayside as she sighed lightly and went back to watering her plants.

The two of them would remember this little interaction for quite some time, with it lingering in the back of their minds until they went to bed for the day, though what it would end up blossoming into was something that neither of them would expect…

1/22, Friday

After School - Shujin Library

"Say, don't you think Okumura-San's been acting all chummy around that transfer?"

"Yeah… what's that about, huh?"

"F-For Real? Okumura-Senpai's got a secret lover?!"

"Doesn't she already have a fiance? Is she cheating on him?"

"She might be… I never pegged her as being that kinda person, though…"

Ah… so it seemed as though Akatsuki and Haru's little interaction had not gone unnoticed, and the latter was quick to learn of this as she awkwardly walked down the halls of Shujin Academy and towards the library, where she entered it with very little issue. Upon stepping in, she could feel quite a few eyes darting towards her, something that made her feel rather uncomfortable despite the library itself usually being a somewhat calming setting, though she did her best to ignore this feeling as she shuffled towards a random spot and sat down to study.

Setting a math textbook down atop the table, Haru flipped it open and began reading through its contents. Holding her mechanical pencil in her hand, the girl tapped its back against her chin as she began to go through the notes she had taken down during Ms Usami's lesson, though that was easier said than done, as the subject was a lot more of a hassle to properly study than most others.

Haru would never admit to secretly wishing to drown the inventor of algebra in their own shit, but that was probably irrelevant to the issue at hand.

That aside, however, Haru had also found herself distracted by the comments of her peers all around her. They kept mumbling about how she was being unfaithful to her fiance, how the girl was definitely in league with Akatsuki, whom they were referring to as a delinquent for some reason, and how disappointed her father would be of her, especially when one considered how she was dating someone else without his approval.

Their words… hurt her a lot more than she liked to admit, though she had done her best to tune them out as she studied. It… didn't really work, and she was left to bear it all as her heart clenched in on itself with each rumor uttered.

"Is anyone sitting here?"

The sudden voice of a vaguely familiar individual was the thing that snapped the girl out of her initial state of self-deprecation, and upon hearing it, Haru, blinked and turned towards its source, where she made eye contact with Akatsuki, of all people. Widening her eyes at this, the auburn haired girl felt her initial thoughts pausing briefly in favour of a tiny bit of surprise at seeing Mixta essentially appear in front of her, and not a moment later, her mind processed what he had asked of her, and she was quick to shake her head.

"N-No… no one's sitting with me… why do you ask…?" inquired Haru curiously, with her ignoring the various whispers all around her as she spoke. At the back of her mind, Okumura was sure that the rumors would only worsen if she didn't drive Akatsuki off, but still… she could not bring herself to be rude to him, and as such, she had simply heard him out as he shrugged and sat on the spot directly beside her, an act that caused her to flinch lightly as she stared at him in confusion. "Eh…?"

"I… needed a place to study. You don't mind me sitting here, right?" muttered Akatsuki, with him sounding a little… awkward as he spoke. Blinking a little at this, Haru frowned and glanced around, only to frown a little when she realized that all the seats in the library had long since been taken. It… made sense, really, as their final year exams were starting in just a little over two weeks, and they needed to get as much studying in as possible.

Hell, there were so many people present that even the private study booths had been filled up by now. The only spot that was empty had been hers… though that was more the fault of Haru's family name than anything. People were often too intimidated by the Okumura name to even approach her, thus leaving her to do most things on her own, so to even be approached by someone was a surprise to her… though it wasn't an unwelcome one.

"N-No… I don't mind, Mixta-San," assured Haru, with her smiling lightly as she spoke, and at that, Akatsuki nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks, Oku-San."

And that was when it clicked… Akatsuki was treating her normally because he didn't know her true identity! A lot of things began to make sense to her at that point… or at least they seemed to, as she widened her eyes in 'realization', though moments later, Mixta took note of her apparent realization and eyed her curiously.

"Is… something wrong?" asked Akatsuki, effectively snapping Haru out of her trance with his words, to which she squeaked and shook her head. A few snickers could be heard in the background as some of their schoolmates laughed at their expense, though they were ignored by both Haru and Akatsuki as she spoke up.

"No, everything i-is fine, Mixta-San! I… I'm just not a fan of math is all! I might have spaced out a little!" responded Haru meekly. Akatsuki seemed to take her words at face value, as he nodded in understanding and looked back down at his own papers sympathetically.

"Math really is a difficult subject," mused Akatsuki obliviously, prompting Haru to sigh internally in relief as she smiled lightly, glad that he was able to ignore both her nervousness and the comments coming from all around them, and not a moment later, she responded.

"Yes… it really is…"

And from then on, the two simply remained quiet as they went through their respective notes. On a handful of occasions, they would consult one another on a topic they didn't understand, to which the other would explain to the best of their abilities. By the time they had left, the duo felt just a bit smarter than they had started off, and upon reaching the school gates, they bowed and curtsied to one another before parting ways.

To say that the interaction did little to dispel the rumors… would be an understatement, and Haru was quick to realize this when, after she had parted with Akatsuki, she became very much aware of what she had just done, causing her cheeks to erupt into a blast of red as she covered her cheeks in embarrassment.

Brilliant… this wouldn't end well for her reputation in school, she thought… but still… she had to admit that it still felt nice to spend some time with Akatsuki regardless…

1/25, Mon

After School - Shujin

Akatsuki had learnt that Haru really liked to garden, and by all accounts, he found that somewhat endearing.

On Saturday, Akatsuki had walked by Haru watering the plants by the front of Shujin, seeming somewhat at ease all the while. That was quite a sight to behold, as, whenever he would talk to her, Mixta could tell that she was always tense in some way, as though anything she said would set him off into striking her, be it physically or verbally, so to see her in a state of serenity was a nice change of pace.

Then she noticed him and grew flustered, breaking the serene sight in a somewhat amusing manner. The exchange was quickly ended, though, when the duo realized that their classes were starting up, and without pause, they moved on from that and opted to not talk about it from there on.

Earlier today, Akatsuki had encountered Haru once more, this time whilst she was rearranging the positions of various flower pots. The serenity that had been present on her face was almost enough to make the boy smile just a tiny bit, though as with on Saturday, the auburn haired girl had noticed his gaze and quickly tensed up, much to his amusement, before he moved in to greet her. After said greeting, the two parted there, with the pinked haired boy moving to his class whilst the auburn haired girl continued to arrange the pots.

Hours later, Akatsuki and Haru had bumped into one another once more, though this time, Haru was dressed in the red and white Shujin gym uniform whilst trying to lift something over by the shed. Peering over towards it curiously, the pink haired boy blinked when he saw that she was trying to carry an entire bag of fertilizer out of the shed, which, to her credit, she was managing decently well on her own, though he could also tell that she was struggling with the act. Glancing to his side, Mixta saw that a few individuals were snickering at the sight of Okumura trying to keep the bag off ground, seeming oblivious to her efforts, something that made the boy groan in annoyance before he moved towards her.

The way Haru had been holding onto the bag limited her forward facing vision, so somewhat amusingly, she did not see Akatsuki approach her until he called out her name… sort of. As soon as she had heard him call out Oku-San, the girl squeaked and wobbled a little on her feet, which caused her to lose her balance and stumble a fair bit, though before she could land on the ground, she felt a large yet gentle hand grasp onto her wrist, effectively saving her from a fall all the while.

Well, it saved her, anyhow. The bag of fertilizer that she had been carrying, on the other hand, had fallen onto the ground. Thankfully enough, the bag had not ripped open on impact, with it instead laying on the ground awkwardly after its tumble. Sighing in relief at this, Haru turned towards the person that had called out to her in the first place, and she was quick to make eye contact with…

"Mixta-San!"

"Hm."

The somewhat nonplussed reaction from Akatsuki would've been amusing to Haru, were it not for the fact that he was holding onto her wrist. That act in itself caused her to stiffen, something that the boy took stock of as he pulled her back up to her usual height and released her, something she was grateful for, before rubbing her joint.

"I… I'm sorry for that, Mixta-San, and… t-thank you for helping me before I fell!" thanked/apologised Haru as she bowed lightly to Akatsuki, who huffed lightly as he moved over to the bag of fertilizer and picked it up. Okumura watched in amazement as he hoisted the bag up and held it underhanded with seemingly no effort whatsoever, though after she got over this one minor distraction, she blinked and waved her arms around frantically. "A-Ah, you don't have to, Mixta-San!'

"I know," mused Akatsuki, with him adjusting the position of his backpack as he held onto the fertilizer back in his free arm. After getting it into a comfortable position, the boy grunted and glanced back at Haru with a curious expression. "Where are you taking this?"

"I… the roof…" answered Haru, with her frowning lightly as she acknowledged how Akatsuki wasn't going to relent. The guy looked too dead set on helping her with this, and even if it was rather nice of him to do so, it did make Okumura feel a little… inadequate, to say the least. Regardless, she accepted his aid, and at that, Akatsuki grunted and motioned for her to lead the way.

Haru herself was surprised at how easily Akatsuki could lift that bag. She would've no doubt taken a lot of time to just climb up these steps with that bag, and yet, here Mixta was, holding two bags (his school bag and the fertilizer) and ascending the steps with nary an issue. They did bump into their P.E teacher, one Kamoshida Suguru, along the way, who did offer up his assistance to both Haru and Akatsuki, both of whom had turned him down, though the latter couldn't help but feel as though Kamoshida wanted to be alone with Okumura for… whatever reason.

"Oh! Kamoshida-Sensei is a little eccentric, but he means well! The school's volleyball team owes him a lot for their success, actually!" mused Haru with a smile when her companion had asked about the teacher, to which Akatsuki nodded uncertainly. Alright… fine, he could accept that line of thought, but still, something about Suguru rubbed him the wrong way.

Pervy P.E teachers aside, the two of them made it up to the roof, where Akatsuki in particular was surprised to see that it was unlocked. How strange… you typically didn't leave the door to a potentially dangerous place like this unlocked without any proper reasoning, though, almost as though she had read his mind, the shorter auburn haired girl giggled and explained the situation to the boy.

"The teachers were kind enough to leave the door to the roof unlocked from the end of school until the evening! It… i-it was a request that I made, actually. Because I have a few plants up here as well…" explained Okumura shyly, eliciting a light nod from Mixta as he stepped through the door to the roof and out into the open. It came as a small relief to Akatsuki when he saw that there were fences barring anyone from doing anything unsavoury at this height, though he thought little of it as he followed Haru deeper into the roof and set the fertilizer down at the spot she specified.

Said spot was just a few feet away from where a small handful of styrofoam boxes filled with dirt were located, and at a second glance, Akatsuki noticed how there were plant support sticks poked into them, and on a small handful of them, there were roots visibly entangling themselves around their supports.

"You're growing stuff up here too?" mused Akatsuki, with him glancing over at Haru as he spoke. In response to this, the girl blushed and tapped her fingers together meekly.

"W-Well, yes. The plants by the entrance technically aren't mine, though. I just look over them…" answered Haru with a shy smile, to which Akatsuki nodded. That was rather nice of her, he supposed. "These ones are mine, though."

"Hm. Are these flowers? Or vegetables?" asked Akatsuki, with him crouching curiously by one of the plants. He knew that the latter option was more likely as these seemed to be rooted plants, but it didn't hurt to ask for clarification. Seeming surprised at his interest but not wishing to turn down a chance to speak about her hobbies, Haru smiled and answered.

"Vegetables, actually! I've been planting vegetables up here whenever I can! Just as an experiment, really," answered Haru sweetly as she crouched by Akatsuki and gently held one of the small flowers between her fingers. Mixta nodded and hummed at this, interested, as Okumura continued to speak. "I've been trying to cook these to try out their flavours, though most of the time they don't taste all that good. I wonder if I'm planting them wrong…"

"It's usually a problem with the cooking process rather than the gardening that makes something taste bad," hummed Akatsuki as he gently readjusted the position of a support stick. Hearing this made Haru blush lightly as she realized that the boy wasn't wrong there, though as though he had sensed her distress over this, Mixta grunted and added: "But everyone starts somewhere. Keep practicing and you'll get better."

"O-Oh… that's… s-somewhat motivational of you, Mixta-San," smiled the girl as she scratched her cheek meekly, and at that, he huffed as he looked away, the tiniest pinch of pink visible on his cheeks, before nodding awkwardly. He seemed to be just as awkward as she was, even if he was able to hide it more effectively than her, though with that being said, he still slipped up on occasion, and in truth, it was rather adorable.

"Hmph…" mused Akatsuki, somewhat embarrassed, as he avoided direct eye contact with his acquaintance. Haru saw that as him more or less ending the conversation there, which wasn't entirely incorrect, as she huffed and went to work with scooping the fertilizer into the plant boxes. Much to her subdued delight, Mixta did assist her in her endeavor, though he didn't do so much that she felt pampered in the process, which was something that she definitely appreciated.

On occasion, the two did make some small talk, with Akatsuki mumbling about how this felt very different from the flowers he was growing at his apartment, something about Iron Flowers, which piqued Haru's interest. Vice versa, Okumura had been a little guarded in regards to revealing too much about herself, though, through a somewhat Freudian slip of the tongue, she did share that at one point, she did do some ballet, much to Akatsuki's interest.

"I had a friend do ballet once. She was very good at it… I think," hummed Akatsuki, eliciting a blink from Haru as she smiled lightly.

"I see… was she a good friend?" inquired Haru, and when she noticed that Akatsuki's shoulders slumped at that question, she realized that she might have crossed a line by accident.

"I… don't remember."

All conversation more or less ceased there, as Haru didn't wish to push her luck any further in making small talk with Akatsuki, who didn't seem to mind as they continued to garden in peace. Evidently, more time had passed than they had expected, as, by the time the duo had stood up from their work, the sun was already setting down the edge of the horizon.

"Oh… it's evening already?" mused Haru, with her wiping at her brow as she spoke. Akatsuki offered her a mild grunt of affirmation as he nodded, wiping his hands off on his shirt all the while. He didn't seem all too concerned with the timing, though when he pulled his phone out, his face contorted into a look of uncertainty as he sighed and pocketed it once more. Catching onto his expression, Haru decided to chance it and cleared her throat. "Is… something wrong, Mixta-San?"

"Just worried parents. I forgot to call them," answered Akatsuki. His response made Haru's heart shoot to her throat in panic as she got ready to apologise, though before she could do so, the boy stopped her. "It's my fault. My parents can be overbearing sometimes, but they really do care."

"I see…" muttered Haru, sounding somewhat envious as she slouched a little, though she didn't let it keep her down for too long as she huffed and straightened herself back up once more, not wishing to look upset and possibly worry her acquaintance, as unlikely as that seemed, considering how straight face Akatsuki seemed to be.

Regardless, with that exchange over and done with, Akatsuki and Haru both began making their way down from the roof. They would've brought the fertilizer with them on the latter's behalf, but the former responded by tying the opening up and tossing it into a corner, stating that no one's gonna steal a bag of fertilizer. Okumura… reckoned that he wasn't wrong on that front, actually.

Whilst leaving, the duo did take stock of a handful of students eyeing them on the way out. A First Year on the volleyball team had caught Akatsuki's eye as they left, with said First Year seeming a little bruised as he limped out of the school. He would've worried a bit more about him, but before he could, he realized that they were already outside the confines of Shujin, and with a huff, he turned to Haru and bowed his head lightly at her.

In response to this, Haru offered Akatsuki a mild curtsy. The exchange made the two of them feel strangely connected in a weird way, as the former smiled at the end while latter simply huffed in bemusement.

"Thank you for your help today, Mixta-San. It was… fun," smiled Haru, to which Akatsuki nodded, a small yet meaningful gesture that did more to show how he felt about today than any words he could give, and not long thereafter, he turned and waved at Okumura before walking off. If he was fast enough, he could catch the train before it left the station, and the young girl had watched him leave until he had disappeared from sight.

"... he seems to be a rather nice fellow."

Blinking a little as she heard an individual speak from the sidelines, Haru turned towards the speaker and saw a young man sitting inside a somewhat nondescript car. Said man was dressed in a black suit, with greenish-blue hair curled up near the edges and a pair of bespectacled yellow eyes, speaking out of the rolled down window of the vehicle. As soon as Akatsuki was out of view, the man exited the car and bowed slightly to Okumura, who waved him off just as lightly as he did so.

"I apologise for the somewhat… delayed greeting. I figured that you'd want a few more moments alone with your friend," apologised Haru's chauffeur, with him smiling lightly. He didn't seem to mind having to wait several hours for her whilst she was up on the roof, which wasn't exactly a bad thing, per say, though he did seem just a tiny bit annoyed at this, as evident by how his usually hidden foreign accent shone through a little as he spoke, though Haru said nothing of it as she waved him off yet again with an apologetic smile.

"Thank you, Javor-San. I… apologise for having made you wait for so long. Shall we go?" responded Haru in earnest, eliciting a light chuckle from her chauffeur as he gently ushered her into the vehicle. Thereafter, the ride back home was spent mostly in silence… but even so, there was a noticeable shift in atmosphere throughout the entire journey, something the driver of the vehicle noticed as he adjusted the rearview mirror to allow him to look at Okumura.

"That boy… is he…?" inquired Javor with the faintest hint of a smirk in his voice, to which Haru blushed.

"N-No! Mixta-San is just a… a-an acquaintance! We didn't interact all that much before now, a-and him helping me today was just a coincidence!" rebutted Haru shyly, with her cupping her cheeks in embarrassment as she spoke. Javor chuckled lightly at this as he nodded, with him shaking his head and refocusing on the road all at once.

"I see. Well, I'll keep him in mind then, lil' boss. He seems like a good person, even with his rough edges and all that," stated Javor, with him smiling kindly as he said this. Haru nodded in acknowledgement of his words, and moments later, after clasping her hands together uncertainly, Okumura silently wondered to herself on why she had felt a sense of familiarity whenever she interacted with Akatsuki.

Had she met him before in the past…? That was… unlikely, as, to her knowledge, Akatsuki was a commoner, and even back in the day, her father wasn't too big a fan of mingling with them. Perhaps he was the son of a business partner that he had severed all connections to? Or perhaps a long lost relative? Okay that last one was unlikely, though the second one was possible. Her dad was a busy man, after all, and it was very much in the realm of possibility…

That aside, Haru chose not to comment on the issue as she just… thought about stuff during the ride. And, by that same virtue, she also chose to not talk about how the car ride was just a bit slower today, especially since it gave her time to think about who Akatsuki really was… and why he made her heart pump faster than usual whenever she was around him.

1/27, Wed

Morning - Shujin Hallway

Tapping his chin lightly as he stood by a bulletin board, Akatsuki eyed the school clubs that were available for him to join with very little interest.

Volleyball was obviously the one that was advertised the most, thanks to Kamoshida's existence and whatnot, but even so, soccer, drama, dance, basketball and hobby clubs were all present and accounted for, amidst a few other less noteworthy ones. Akatsuki himself did consider joining the drama club at one point for… reasons, but he eventually settled for being clubless for now as he huffed and left the area.

Strangely enough, however, there was also a note commenting on how the Track Team was being disbanded, prior to him being here, for reasons beyond Akatsuki's understanding, though that was none of his concern.

"Hey, isn't that Okumura's boyfriend?"

"He looks so menacing… but his hair kinda ruins it…"

"God he's looking our way! What should we do?!"

Grand… there were those rumors again. Akatsuki had to hold back a sigh as he silently overheard the various comments made regarding his presence. It has been roughly two weeks since he first enrolled, and still, the general student body was still adamant on figuring out whether or not he was a delinquent or just some boring student.

And who was this Okumura, anyhow? Akatsuki was… familiar with the name, as it always echoed in a forgotten corner of his mind like a broken record player replaying something on loop, with said echo becoming noticeably louder in the past few days, though outside of that, he only knew that name through the Big Bang Burger outlet in Shibuya that he's, admittedly, become fond of. Said outlet was apparently part of a chain owned by Okumura Foods.

Regardless of his fast food dependency, however, why would an Okumura even be studying here… wait no that was a stupid question. Shujin was a prep school; if the child of a food industry monolift was to study anywhere, it would be here, but that aside, why were they even assuming that he was this Okumura's boyfriend? He was single, dammit!

"Oh, Mixta-San. I didn't expect to see you here…"

Ah, just the person Akatsuki had been hoping to see today. Haru had more or less just walked right into him, and as she did so, the boy paused and glanced her way. Humming lightly to himself, Mixta glanced down at her and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Is something wrong, Mixta-San?" asked Haru when she realized that Akatsuki was staring, to which he shook his head.

"No, but… I wanted to know if you'd happen to know someone called Okumura?" asked Akatsuki, to which Haru froze a little. Her body tensed up lightly as she processed his words, and at that, she looked away meekly and twiddled her fingers together, a surefire sign of nervousness, as she tried to give him an answer. The boy took note of all of this as he frowned lightly and elaborated. "Everyone seems to think that I'm their boyfriend, but I haven't met them before…"

"O-Oh! W-W-Well, it could be just a random girl you met in the hallways, maybe…?" mused Haru. Her nervous disposition was very much on show right now as she tapped her fingers together shyly, to which Akatsuki shrugged. It was likely to be the case, he supposed, as he did recall helping a random First Year girl just last week. She had overworked herself in Volleyball practice and couldn't even bring herself to the infirmary on her own, so Mixta, being the kinda guy he was, threw her over his shoulder like a ragdoll and raced to the infirmary.

It had been quite an amusing sight, and if he had to guess, it was where the whole rumor of him and Okumura began dating.

"I see. Well, that makes sense I guess," mused Akatsuki, to which Haru sighed in relief, with her smiling awkwardly all the while. Why she was smiling this way was anyone's guess at this point, though regardless, Mixta thought nothing of it as the two left the school premises together.

Just a few days after, one Suzui Shiho would be endlessly confused as to why Akatsuki, when passing her by, referred to her as Okumura, much to the amusement of her best pal, Takamaki Ann, who had taken a picture of her bewildered face to have as a keepsake.

2/2, Tues

After School - Shujin Gates

If she were to be perfectly honest, the past three weeks have been rather… fun.

Akatsuki's presence in Haru's life had made her time in Shujin just a bit more pleasant. The concept of 'hanging out' with a friend was very much foreign to her, Hell she wasn't even sure if the boy considered her a friend just yet thanks to how reclusive he always was, but he was always rather charming in his own way. The boy never treated her like she was beneath him, rather, he spoke to her as an equal, something that she very much appreciated.

Sure, he wasn't always hanging out with her, if anything they saw each other about thrice a week, if they were lucky, but his presence was very much a calming one to her. Such a thing should be strange, as the young Okumura was aware of how they had literally just met three weeks prior, but even so, a small part of her felt as though they had known each other for years, and in a sense, that aforementioned part wasn't entirely incorrect…

Regardless, Mixta was very much a grounding force in Okumura's life, someone that treated her as Haru and not an Okumura, and she very much appreciated that. He was always so straightforward with her, with him treating her like Haru Oku and not Haru Okumura, which was a breath of fresh air when compared to the other individuals that had been trying to worm their way into her favour for the past year plus. He never spoke to her out of obligation, nor did he talk down to her like her… fiance did, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

Sure, she hadn't told her about her family name, and she had a feeling that his attitude towards her would shift the moment she did, like so many others, but for now, she was willing to live this quaint lie of a life as she walked down the school hallways alongside her… acquaintance.

Friend was probably too big a word to use with Akatsuki for now. Acquaintance would have to do… one that treated her like a normal person rather than the daughter of a bigwig.

"Thanks for helping me again, Mixta-San," thanked Haru with a small smile. As with the other times they had met up, Akatsuki had helped her with looking after the plants she was growing on the roof. He proved to be rather knowledgeable in regards to them, especially after he realized that she was growing vegetables, with him offhandedly stating that his father had been into small scaled farming at one point, much to Haru's delight, though when she had asked for more info about his parent, Akatsuki had grown quiet, essentially telling her that she had crossed some boundaries and causing her to apologise. He had shrugged it off, though he remained mostly downcast, even now, as they left Shujin together.

The two had made it a bit of a routine to leave the school together… something that didn't really help their image of being a couple by the general public. Even so, neither Mixta nor Okumura had cared much by now, with the former not caring about the opinions of others whilst the latter was just growing used to it by now, as they occupied themselves by chatting about various flowers. Akatsuki himself spoke of an Iron Flower, which he was attempting to grow in his home. Haru, having never seen one in person, expressed interest in seeing one, and at that, the boy blinked and made an offer.

"If you want, you can visit and have a look at it yourself," mused Akatsuki. The offer was given out rather casually, though it did set Haru a tiny bit on guard. She did trust the boy with her quite a bit, perhaps even more so than she'd like to admit, but he was still mostly a stranger to her, or at least her mind told her that he was, and she couldn't put too much trust in him until she got to know him better, and as such, she waved her hands up and deflected the guy's offer.

"I appreciate it, but perhaps some other time. Our finals are coming up, after all!" deflected Haru, with her using the excuse of her upcoming exams to refute the boy's as she spoke. Akatsuki did seem partially disheartened by her words, though he didn't let it show as he nodded in understanding, with him remembering that their final semester exams were coming in just about two weeks.

"Some other time then," huffed Akatsuki with a shrug, not seeming too bothered by the rejection, to which Haru nodded.

"Yeah… some… other time…"

And right as she said that, the girl's voice seemed to lose… well, everything positive behind it as both she and Akatsuki walked out of the school entrance to see… someone that she really wasn't keen on seeing again any time soon, standing by the gates of Shujin in front of a somewhat gaudy white-and-gold limo. Akatsuki took note of the individual as well, with his gaze sharpening a little, almost in recognition, as he raised a brow, though at the same time, Haru took a preemptive step back, and right as she did so, the person she had been looking at saw her, and when he did, he spread his arms and stepped into the school, smiling slimily all the while.

"... do you know this person, Oku-San?" asked Akatsuki quietly as he took a preemptive step in front of her, shielding her slightly shorter body with his own all the while. In response to this, Okumura could only give out a faint whimper as she did her best to keep herself together, a sound that made Mixta grimace, though he had to refocus on the encroaching man as he ascended the steps of Shujin, only to stop when he was directly in front of Akatsuki himself, staring down at him as though he were a bug.

"Hello there, boy. May I ask why you're with my fiance?" mused the older man, and to that, the aforementioned teen felt bile rising in his throat. Fiance? She was only sixteen, and if this man was who Akatsuki thought he was… he was almost half a decade her senior!

Seemingly noticing Akatsuki's agitation, Haru stepped forwards and gently brought a hand up to his shoulder, resting it there lightly and catching his attention. Opening her mouth, she was about to tell him that it was fine… it would be fine, and that she would… handle this, though before the words could even leave her lips, the pink haired boy held a hand out in front of her in an almost protective manner as he spoke back against the man.

"Fiance? From high school? Sounds unlikely, creep. Now get lost, before I report you to a teacher," groaned Akatsuki. The boldness in his voice made Okumura a little giddy as she unconsciously clung onto the back of his uniform, though by that virtue, her fiance scowled as he spoke.

"Hm, do you know who-"

"No, I don't. And I don't care, now move."

Akatsuki's rude cut-off from the man was more than enough to silence him as the pink haired boy's frown intensified, and likewise, the grin that had been present on Haru's fiance's face disappeared. Mixta presumed that this had never happened before, that he had never been talked back to in the past, but there was a first for everything, and if he kept this up, the boy believed that he would have the honour of being the first person to ever introduce their knuckles to his face.

Was it bad that he hoped for such an outcome? Probably…

Regardless of whether or not it was a good thing, however, the boldness that was being put on display, courtesy of Akatsuki, had emboldened Haru quite a bit as well, and as such, she stepped out from behind him, in defiance of his worries, and moved towards her fiance. Said fiance seemed somewhat perplexed at this, though he seemed to also misinterpret the situation, as he smiled and held his arms up to seemingly welcome her into his grasp.

The thought of her doing such a thing sickened her to her core.

"Oh, Haru, I knew that-"

"Why are you here, Sugimura?" asked the young Okumura, with her voice writhe with authority as she spoke. So rarely did she speak in such a manner, and if he were honest, Akatsuki found it kinda cool, though he said nothing about it as he turned back to the matter at hand. Sugimura, as he was called, seemed surprised that Haru had spoken to him in such a manner, though he was quick to snap out of it and give his atypical sly smile as he answered her question.

"Why, I am here to pick you up from school, my dearest Haru! Your father has requested that I come get you, and we wouldn't want to disappoint him, now would we?" mused Sugimura, and at that, Haru's defense faltered briefly. Akatsuki could see the discomfort in her posture, he was… familiar with it. He remembered having a close friend that reacted this exact same way, one that he hadn't seen for years…

"Father… could have told me beforehand," muttered Haru, sounding hurt that her single parent had not at least given her a heads up before sending this lowlife of a man to pick her up and… bring her home. Goosebumps of the bad kind began blistering all around her body as she felt the distinct feeling of betrayal run through her body, and though unpleasant, it wasn't an unfamiliar feeling, as she had felt it surge through her many times over, and she hated it every single time.

Akatsuki was able to pick up on Haru's discomfort, however, as he turned back towards her and gently set a hand on her shoulder. The gesture made her tense up, albeit briefly, as she was quick to realize that it was a gesture of encouragement, not a threat, prompting her to smile ever so slightly in his direction. Surprisingly enough, Mixta had mirrored the expression before he turned back to Sugimura with his atypical look of neutrality, and moments later, he spoke up.

"If her father wanted to send you to pick her up, he could've asked if she wanted to beforehand," rebutted Akatsuki. He himself spent a good chunk of his life without a father of his own, but even he knew that his old man respected him enough to ask if he needed an escort home from his tutoring centers. He never did anything to him without his express consent, so to hear Haru's dad just skimming over the approval of his daughter before he did something that affected her directly… it made his stomach churn in annoyance as he glared down this 'fiance' individual.

And vice versa, Sugimura simply chuckled lightly, almost as though he were treating Akatsuki like an ant as he did so, though in a way, it wasn't hard to see why he thought of him this way. The manchild was no doubt a rich one, considering how he had apparently been driven here on a limo.

Little did he know…

"And what would you know, peasant? Do you even know who her father is?" inquired Sugimura. To this, Akatsuki raised a brow, frowning all the while. Glancing back at Haru, the boy stared at her curiously, with him having genuinely not known who her father was. He never did care to press for details, and he was great at tuning out the rumors surrounding the two of them, so he never did catch onto her family name.

And for her part, Haru… said nothing, prompting Akatsuki to glance back at Sugimura with a frown, a sign for him to continue, and he spoke out each syllable with a venomous tone, one that poisoned Haru's heart with each passing word.

"Her father is Okumura Kunikazu, CEO of Okumura Foods and a rising star in the world of politics."

And right as he concluded this, Akatsuki's eyes widened as he squared his shoulders in shock. Okumura… Okumura Okumura Okumura…

Okumura…

Okumura Haru…

So that's why…

"When you introduced yourself to me back when we first met… you stopped at Oku… Okumura… Okumura Haru…?"

Haru's silence was more than enough to tell Akatsuki that she was guilty, and at that, she said nothing more as she took a preemptive step back from Mixta…