Note: I'm up to no good again.

Study sessions between Yamamoto and his friends were a usual routine, often gathered around Tsuna's short-legged table in his room. High school could be unforgiving in many different ways, but they had come to learn as they went through it.

The ones who knew how to do something taught the ones who didn't know—that was how things worked for the most part. For their upcoming exams, Gokudera, much to his delight, volunteered to tutor his precious boss, Tsuna, while Haru took on the responsibility of helping Yamamoto with his studies (though she initially wanted to take on Tsuna as her student and had a brief squabble with Gokudera over it). Kyoko had some family matters to attend to, along with Ryohei, so she had to sit out on this one.

While the four of them were occupied with their designated tasks, Reborn was lounging in his little hammock, fast asleep as his nose created a bubble every time he breathed.

Each book stacked in front of Yamamoto represented the hours of studying he still needed to tackle. He had a baseball match next week, despite Squalo insisting until now that he should focus solely on honing his swordsmanship—Yamamoto figured he could balance these passions adeptly. However, they would all amount to nothing if he failed his exams, which was why he was here listening to Haru teach him how to work through a particular math problem.

"You can substitute A with B for this equation."

He was able to follow Haru's instructions without difficulty. "Oh, I get it now!"

She broke into a smile and said, "See? It's easy once you learn this formula."

But out of nowhere, the Storm Guardian interrupted them. "What the hell do you think you're doing, stupid woman?"

"Hahi! What do you think I am doing, Gokudera-san?" Haru replied, frowning.

"You're teaching Yamamoto a shortcut instead of the proper method," Gokudera stated, as if the brunette had committed a crime more heinous than the deeds of the mafia.

"That's right," she said assertively, like she was some kind of diplomat. "If there's a more efficient way to solve a math problem, then Haru doesn't see any reason why it shouldn't be used."

Well, it did make more sense that way, Yamamoto thought.

"I think I'm doing a perfect job at tutoring him," Haru added, fueling Gokudera's exasperation.

"Don't give me that crap!" He scowled. "Mathematics is all about understanding the fundamentals, not taking shortcuts!"

"Are we really doing this right now?" Tsuna sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily.

Yamamoto and Tsuna could only watch Haru and Gokudera exchange more arguments, a little exhausted and not so surprised that the two were locking horns about a superficial thing, which only extended their study session even longer. The night was now growing late.

However, Haru did not back down for a single bit. "You're not getting Haru's point at all!" She huffed and said, "Since Yamamoto-san is tied up with baseball and has little time to study, teaching him this method makes everything easier and helps him perform better at school."

Yamamoto paused, momentarily speechless, as he attempted to grasp the weight of Haru's consideration of his circumstances. She wanted to ease his workload—it was kind of charming how her cheeks puffed as she tried to prove her stance.

She was an angel in disguise.

"Shut up! What do you even know about what helps him perform better at school?"

"I'm looking out for his best interests, Gokudera-san. If you don't like that, then I suggest you stop sticking your nose out of our business," Haru clapped back at the Storm Guardian. "Hmph!"

Gokudera looked like he still had something to retort, but Yamamoto finally intervened.

"Now, now, no need to argue further. Haru's method can definitely come in handy with my busy schedule, so I'll go with that."

She flashed a triumphant grin.

"Suit yourself, simpleton." Gokudera scoffed at Yamamoto, obviously angry about his defeat. "It's not my problem if you miss out on mastering the basics, but as for me, I'm going to make sure Tenth aces the exam," he declared and turned to Tsuna in excitement. "Right, Tenth? Who knows, maybe you'll top our class rank—"

"Don't ask for the impossible!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"What are you saying, Tenth? Believe in your capabilities! Don't worry, as your right-hand man, I'll help you realize your potential!" And so Gokudera went on (possibly for the rest of the night), and the other three couldn't care less about it—or him in general.

"I'd like to learn the easier way, too," Tsuna mumbled under his breath, casting a timid glance at Haru and Yamamoto while they continued what they had left off. When the Rain Guardian noticed this, he laughed with genuine empathy. Tsuna had it rough, for sure, which made Yamamoto think he was lucky to have gotten Haru as his tutor.

Haru was patient and not condescending. She was clever, but she never let that get to her head. She was upbeat, yet quirky and stubborn. Among all the girls he knew, she was the epitome of a natural girl, if that was even a thing.

Yamamoto watched as Haru arranged her notes, sorting out the ones she would lend to him, and he found himself fascinated at how her mind worked in its own amazing way.

—

The afternoon went by easily for Haru as the school bell rang, signaling the class dismissal. For all the exams and aptitude tests she had to endure the entire week, it was no wonder she'd be walking like a ragdoll by now. She absolutely deserved a well-earned rest and perhaps a slice of cake.

As Haru exited the shoe lockers, she caught sight of Midori High students crowding outside.

"Inoue-san, what's all the fuss about?" she asked one of her classmates.

"There's a handsome Namimori High student standing outside the gate."

Being in an all-girls school, the brunette knew she had to put up with the excitement of her peers whenever boys were around, especially when they were good-looking. She walked past the commotion, opting to ignore it.

"Yo, Haru!" someone called to her.

At that very moment, she immediately knew who that voice belonged to. "Yamamoto-san?!"

The crowd parted when the said guy walked toward Haru, and he was sporting his usual charming smile that the brunette swore could've made all the girls around swoon.

"What brings you here? Are you meeting someone?" she asked.

"I came to see you, actually."

"Me? Why?" What could he possibly need from her? Haru pondered, but at some point, she started feeling the murderous aura emanating from the other girls. "Hahi, I think it's best if we first get out of here. Come on!" She tugged at Yamamoto's sleeve to get him to run.

When they managed to get that far, Haru mumbled, panting, "Hahi! I could feel their stares burn into my back." She took her time to catch her breath, in contrast with her companion, who showed no signs of even breaking a sweat. She said to Yamamoto, "So, what is it that you wanted to see me for?"

"I passed the exams, so I just wanted to thank you for tutoring me," he told her.

Haru's face lit up with excitement. "That's wonderful, Yamamoto-san! You definitely earned it! Did you really come all the way to my school just to thank me?"

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yep, our classes ended early, and I didn't have any club activities. Shouldn't I have done that?"

"No, I'm actually honored!" Haru said. On impulse, an idea sprung to her mind. "Hey, I was thinking, would you like to grab a snack at a pastry shop down the street?"

"Sure, I was supposed to ask you that, but you beat me to it," Yamamoto replied.

They arrived at a patisserie just a few blocks away from her school, and the scent of freshly baked madeleines already wafted through the air as they entered.

"The pastries here are good," Haru said with utter conviction. "They're on a par with La Namimorine's, but I prefer the Mont Blanc here."

"Do you come here often?"

The brunette nodded. "My classmates and I sometimes do group study sessions here, and we're already acquainted with the owner, too."

"Well, what do you recommend, Haru?" Yamamoto asked as he scanned the vitrine with a wide range of desserts.

Haru hummed. Yamamoto didn't seem like the type of guy who had a sweet tooth, so she suggested, "If you prefer something less sweet, then their carrot cake is the best choice."

"Okay, carrot cake it is."

As they paid for their orders, Misaki-san, a woman in her thirties and the owner of the shop, couldn't help but leave a playful comment to her regular customer in a whispered manner: "That's an unusual company you brought there, Haru-chan." Misaki winked but moved to get their orders before Haru could even say a word.

It shouldn't mean anything, but now it dawned on Haru that this was the first time she and Yamamoto had found themselves alone. They never got to hang out much without their other friends, and this realization brought a sense of awkwardness to her thoughts. However, Haru didn't want to make this uncomfortable for him—not that there was actually a reason why it should be.

They settled onto one of the vacant seats with their pastries and drinks, and Yamamoto watched her dig into her strawberry shortcake with a fork.

"You really love cakes, don't you?" he remarked, his elbow propped on the table with his head resting in his hand.

"Of course!" Haru beamed. Her eyes were probably glistening in excitement right now. "Cake is like a warm hug—it makes everything better."

He appeared pensive before speaking again, "It's amazing how you can find joy in little things, Haru."

"I can't help it." The answer rose to her lips without effort. "That's what life should be all about, isn't it?"

It was the little things and details in life that added up to everything, and they were what kept Haru going every single day, she mused.

"Right." Yamamoto gave her a knowing smile. "I couldn't agree more with that," he said, tapping his cup of hot chocolate unconsciously with his fingers.

—

They chattered for hours, mostly about school, baseball, Tsuna, costumes, and anything else that came to mind—with exceptions to the mafia, of course. Yamamoto realized he was enjoying himself. Growing up, his life revolved mostly around his favorite sport, so he was always surrounded by guys his age, and although he had some interactions with girls at his school (and his so-called fan club, which he never really understood the concept of), this was one of the first times he had a genuine and meaningful conversation with someone of the opposite sex. He expected nothing less from the bubbly girl in front of him. Haru was so great at carrying on conversations that it felt easy to be with her.

Yamamoto wouldn't mind doing this again with her.

When it was time to leave, he offered to walk Haru home. She turned to him with a warm smile as they reached the gate to her house, saying, "Thanks for today, Yamamoto-san. I had a great time."

"No problem." He grinned, waving. "See you!"

Yamamoto headed back to his house and opened the door to TakeSushi, where he found his dad making nigiri on the sushi bar. The rush hour had passed, leaving only a handful of customers at the moment. He greeted his father upon entering.

"Welcome home, Takeshi," Tsuyoshi said. "You're back a little late. Where have you been?"

"I decided to catch up with Haru at a café."

Tsuyoshi stopped what he was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Meeting up with Haru-chan, eh? The next thing you know, you'll be bringing her home for dinner. I hope you've learned to cook by now!"

"Jeez, pops! It's not like what you think it is." Yamamoto chuckled.

His father chirped, "Don't worry, we've all been there before."

"Just go back to slicing the tuna, will you?" Yamamoto urged his dad, but it only made the older man laugh some more. He can even see his dad's assistant (and maybe some of the customers) grinning through his peripheral vision, definitely tuning in to their conversation. Great, just what he needed.

A few days later, Yamamoto's box animals had gone missing. It all happened when he was training with them at his family's dojo and a tanuki suddenly showed up in the backyard. In a split second, Jirou and Kojirou began to chase after the raccoon dog, escaping from the Rain Guardian's control.

This puzzled Yamamoto, as it had never happened before. He didn't expect them to get sidetracked like that.

Just as he was searching for them around the streets of Namimori, he caught sight of Haru strolling along the sidewalk.

He was about to call her, but she was reading her pocketbook with music blasting through her earphones—in fact, she was so engrossed in it that she didn't notice a speeding motorcycle almost narrowly missing her by inches.

With his lightning reflex, Yamamoto made it in time to leap forward and pull her back to safety. Haru crashed against his chest; their bodies were so close that she might even hear his heartbeat without trying. Yamamoto felt guilty for pulling a little roughly, but he had to do what needed to be done to keep her out of harm's way.

"Are you okay, Haru?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Yamamoto-san," she stammered, looking flushed. "Thanks to you."

The Rain Guardian couldn't help but note how ethereal Haru looked at that very moment, her brown doe eyes locked on him and her lips slightly parted, looking particularly lovely and … kissable. Yamamoto found it very, very weird to focus on these details about her—after all, he didn't want to come across as some kind of wacko fawning over his friend, but Haru seemed to glow with a subtle beauty in his eyes that was hard to ignore.

"Yamamoto-san?" she called, snapping him out of his trance.

"Uhh, oh, sorry." He realized he had kept an arm around her shoulders the entire time, and he remembered something more important to do, which was finding his box animals, so he let her go. "If you're okay now, then I guess I'll see you around. I've still got to find Jirou and Kojirou."

"Hahi! Are they missing?" Haru's eyes widened in surprise. "Can Haru help look for them?"

Yamamoto glanced back at her. "You would?"

"Of course! We've got no time to waste, don't we?" she responded, stowing her MP3 player and pocketbook in her tote bag.

"Thanks, Haru. I could really use your help."

They began to look together for the box animals, and the Rain Guardian even tried different possible ways he could think of to summon them, but to no avail. "I hope they haven't gotten away too far," he muttered.

"We've got the entire day, Yamamoto-san," Haru assured him. "We'll find them."

Yamamoto's lips curled into a smile, Haru's determination rubbing off on him in the most perfect timing. As they continued, they asked more people if anyone had any leads or sightings of a swallow and an Akita Inu.

"Ah, that bird with blue flames and a dog that has a crystal on his forehead? I saw them making a ruckus at the park," a young boy had said to them.

"It's them, isn't it?" Haru asked Yamamoto, with the latter confirming it.

The boy suddenly tugged at the Rain Guardian's pants. "Hey, Onii-chan, what are they?" he asked with curiosity in his eyes.

Yamamoto, however, did not have the heart and time to fabricate a story for him.

"I'll tell you the next time we meet, kid," he said, patting his head. "See you!" Along with Haru, he immediately left for the park.

Upon arriving there, the first thing they saw was Kojirou flying around while being chased by pigeons, and Jirou kept barking at them from below. Yamamoto and Haru looked at each other in panic.

He kept calling for the swallow's attention as they both chased after the animals, but with the unfortunate turn of events, Kojirou ended up being caught in the branches of a tree, rendering him trapped.

"It looks like I have no choice but to climb up there." Yamamoto's smile was lopsided, but he worked his way up to free his box animal from entanglement.

He untangled the swallow meticulously from the branches, and once he was successful, Kojirou flew down to reunite with Jirou. Yamamoto descended from the tree, while Haru drove the pigeons away from them using her tote bag.

"That went well," Haru commented, blowing some stray hair away from her face.

"Yeah, I can't thank you enough, Haru. You were a big help."

"Don't mention it, Yamamoto-san," she said with a smile, modestly dismissing his gratitude. Haru went on to pet Jirou, who in turn jumped excitedly toward her and caused her to stumble back a little.

"Jirou, stop!" Yamamoto said. Pulling the dog away from the brunette, he apologized, "Sorry, Haru. He doesn't usually jump on people like that, so he must've really liked you."

"No harm done. I like him, too." She smiled and continued stroking Jirou's fur while he gave her slobbery kisses. "Aww, he's cute!" she said.

Yamamoto seized the chance to joke, "Even cuter than me?"

Haru tapped a finger against her temple and hummed, as if trying to contemplate. "You're putting me in a tight spot, Yamamoto-san, but yeah, Jirou and Kojirou are definitely on another level of cuteness."

"Haha! I can't believe I got bested by my box animals."

"That means you'll have to work harder with your charms, then," Haru jested, and their laughter rippled through the surroundings.

Yamamoto returned the box animals back to his Vongola Gear necklace, deeming the "quest" over. The exhaustion was now catching up to him from the earlier training and the search itself, and he could tell that Haru was growing tired as well.

"Why don't we sit there for a while?" Yamamoto suggested and pointed towards the bench in front of them.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind taking a breather."

"Wait here, Haru. I'll go buy us some drinks," he said, going to the vending machine within walking distance of where they were.

As the day almost drew to a close, it turned out to be a good one for him, especially since Haru showed up, too—despite the troubles he had encountered earlier.

When Yamamoto returned with refreshments, he found Haru dozing peacefully on the bench, bathed in the warm glow of the evening sun.

She looked cute, but Yamamoto took pity on the way her head bobbed with nothing to lean on, so he sat down next to her and gently led her head to his shoulder, allowing her to sleep for just a little while. Every now and then, he'd brush stray hair falling over Haru's face as his gaze lingered on her delicate features.

In that quiet moment, with the bright gold rim of the dazzling sun falling over the horizon, Yamamoto realized that maybe, just maybe, he had fallen a bit in love with her.

—

Over the course of weeks, it continued like this: they'd meet up from time to time, every so often in the company of their friends and other times alone. Sometimes, it was coincidental, just like now.

"My mom had asked me to run an errand," Haru said to Yamamoto upon running into him by chance in Namimori Shopping District one Sunday morning.

Yamamoto grinned. "Here, hand that over to me," he offered, gesturing at the heavy grocery bag in her hand.

"Hahi? Don't you have somewhere else to go?"

"I just left the batting cages, so I'm free right now."

"Well, if you insist," the brunette said, giving the bag to him. As she did, she couldn't help but notice how surprisingly domesticated he appeared at that moment.

"Is it okay for you if we stop by somewhere?" she asked as they walked along.

"Sure."

They revisited the pastry shop where they first hung out together, but only this time Haru planned to order takeout, so Yamamoto offered to wait outside.

"I'll have one Mont Blanc for takeout, please."

"M'kay," Misaki-san hummed, taking Haru's order. "Anything else, dear? What is your boyfriend over there going to have?" She motioned at Yamamoto, who stood under the shop's canopy in front of the entrance.

Haru turned back to glance at the Rain Guardian. "One angel food cake for him," she replied. "And he's not my boyfriend, Misaki-san," she added quickly, cheeks flushed.

"Is that so? Sorry for assuming that was the case," Misaki said but went on with her good-natured teasing. "You can't blame me for mistaking you two as a couple, though, when you kinda look the part."

Haru felt the warmth of color invading her cheeks even more. "Hahi! Misaki-san, you're incorrigible!"

This wasn't how things were meant to unfold. Tsuna was the object of her infatuation, but these days, Haru found herself drawn more and more to Yamamoto. The way he could laugh through everything, his quiet, unmatched diligence, and his kindness to others, even those who least deserved it—these were the things that stood out to her the most.

How was she supposed to feel about him? Where did he fit in the picture? What even stirred his heart when he thought of her?

Haru wanted to know.

The weather was clear when she and Yamamoto passed by Namimori's riverside. It was good that the sun was not scorching, even if it was almost summer. Overall, it was beautiful and idyllic.

"Do you wanna sit by the riverbank for a while?"

Haru smiled at Yamamoto's question and nodded excitedly. It was kind of funny how he knew her by now, like the back of his hand.

They descended near the water's edge and settled down on the grassy expanse, with Yamamoto gently dropping the grocery bag beside them.

"I'm sorry you had to carry that around the whole time, Yamamoto-san," Haru said.

"It's nothing, Haru. Don't sweat it."

"Here." She handed him the box of cake she had specifically ordered for him. "Just a little thanks for tagging along with me."

Yamamoto carefully opened it and burst into laughter. "I think you're trying to turn me into a cake enthusiast one slice at a time," he joked, "but thanks."

A giggle escaped her lips. "Maybe that was my plan all along," the brunette quipped in a singsong and passed him a plastic fork.

They ate their cakes in silence, their shoulders sometimes touching in the process. The gentle sound of the water flowing and the way her ponytail was swayed by the breeze created an atmosphere of quietude that made it feel as though everything in the world was perfectly in place.

They sat there for what felt like an eternity.

"Sorry, Yamamoto-san," Haru said for probably the nth time that day. "I think I have the knack for losing myself in idle moments—like gazing at this scenery—and somehow, I've managed to pull you into my orbit."

He wiped whipped cream off her cheek using his thumb, his caramel eyes holding a serious yet warm gaze.

"I told you, Haru, I don't mind," he said. "If it's with you."

In every way, the brunette was nothing but taken aback.

Later that night, Haru had arranged a sleepover with Kyoko. Fridays were supposedly their usual nights, yet Haru couldn't shake the feeling of needing her best friend's company right then and there.

Clad in their pajamas, the two girls convened in Haru's room. Typically, they'd begin at first by indulging in snacks and treats, and then maybe experiment with makeup and swap fashion tips. The hearty conversations often came later as the evening went on, but this time around, Haru decided to cut to the chase.

"Kyoko-chan!" the brunette wailed and clung to her.

"What's wrong?" Kyoko asked with a note of concern in her voice.

Haru pulled away and admitted, "I think I'm in love with Yamamoto-san, and that's bad. Like, really bad!"

"Why do you say so?"

"I'm supposed to be in love with Tsuna-san," Haru explained. "Wouldn't it seem like I'm betraying him? After all, that meant all of the devotion I had for him over the years would come to nothing."

Surprisingly, Kyoko wore a very solemn expression on her face as she posed a question: "Say, Haru-chan, does Yamamoto-kun make you happy?"

Haru fiddled with the hem of her pajama top but made up her mind to reply with a short yet truthful answer, "Very."

It was Yamamoto-san who brought her calm and ease. It was Yamamoto-san who always made sure she got home safe. It was Yamamoto-san who complimented her costumes and listened to her incessant talk about cakes. It was Yamamoto-san who let her be authentically herself.

Kyoko nodded, getting the point across. "Good, then I think you don't have anything to worry about."

"Kyoko-chan …?"

The honey-haired woman poured each of their cups with tea. "You see, love is kind of strange in its own way," she began. "Emotions can be unpredictable and evolving, and you might have outgrown your feelings for Tsuna-kun, but it doesn't necessarily make them any less real."

Her hands moved to grasp Haru's, all warm and comforting. "The heart knows the way, Haru-chan, so I want you to listen to it and stop being so hard on yourself," Kyoko said. "It might bring you the utmost happiness, and that's what I desire for you more than anything."

Kyoko seemed so wise and grown up in that moment, and Haru felt grateful that she could count on her at times like these. It was making her tear up even more. "Hahi! Kyoko-chan, I don't know what I'd do without you!" She embraced her tightly again. "Thank you so much!"

"Anytime." Kyoko smiled at her, smoothing out the brunette's flowing locks using her fingers. "Whatever you decide to do, you'll always have my back."

In that sense, the elusive answers Haru sought were almost within her grasp, and her worries seemed to ease up to a degree.

It was going to be alright.

—

"You seem a bit off lately, Yamamoto," Tsuna said during the trio's usual lunch at the school's rooftop. "Is everything alright?"

Yamamoto flashed him a smile. There was no need to trouble his friends unnecessarily. "Yeah, sorry, Tsuna. Nothing's wrong," he answered, biting into his onigiri.

Even so, he could tell Tsuna wasn't satisfied with his response.

"Oi, baseball freak, how dare you make Tenth worry!" the Storm Guardian berated him.

"I-It's okay, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said in an effort to prevent him from going berserk. He turned next to his Rain Guardian. "Yamamoto, if there's something bothering you, you can talk to us."

Yamamoto hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to share his thoughts with them, especially when it was concerning a girl. Haru had been on his mind for quite a while now—his thoughts inevitably kept returning to how her eyes glimmered as she gushed about cakes, the way she stood up for the stupidest things sometimes, her subtle yet profound influence in motivating him to strive harder for his ambitions, and her simply being herself.

He could've played it cool and acted reticent like usual, but then again, he and his friends never delved deeply that often into the realms of romance or that sort of stuff. Yamamoto reckoned that if he broached the subject, they might actually help him reach a resolution. Finally, he decided to open up to them, saying, "I've been caught up thinking about Haru lately."

"What the heck?" Gokudera sputtered, almost choking on his orange juice. For some reason, he looked particularly disgusted.

"Ehh … so it's Haru," Tsuna commented as he processed the revelation.

The rooftop was filled with an agonizing silence, but shortly after, Tsuna was still the first one to break it. "If you care about her that much, then maybe it's worth letting her know?" he offered a suggestion. "Not that I'm one to talk," he added, having yet to shoot his shot with Kyoko.

One of the few things the Rain Guardian liked the most about Tsuna was his ability to understand Yamamoto even without him needing to elaborate further about things—he was certain it had something to do with Tsuna's Hyper Intuition.

However, he needed to be more convinced. "You think so?"

Tsuna scratched his cheek. "If it helps you lessen the weight of those feelings," he replied, but not without muttering to himself, "I hope I'll have that courage as well."

Yamamoto's mind kept circling back to the potential consequences. Haru's affections for Tsuna were clear to everyone, so there was a chance that she might find his confession uncomfortable. Haru might avoid talking to him, or worse, she'd completely distance herself from him and their friends. Jeopardizing their friendship was a selfish thing to do. These thoughts weighed heavily on his mind.

All of a sudden, the Storm Guardian spoke, "Of all the women out there, you decided to go for the obnoxious one." Gokudera shook his head, but despite his initial shock, he decided to offer his … unique brand of support. "But, oh well, she might come around. You're both idiots anyway, so you deserve each other."

Tsuna nodded, further encouraging. "Just go for it, Yamamoto."

With that, he made up his mind.

"I'll take that all on board. Thanks!" Yamamoto was glad to have made the right decision about confiding in them.

For the next few days that came, he thought of how he should make his feelings known to Haru—with the club activities and mafia matters proving to be hindrances—and just when he thought he had found a convenient time that would work for the two of them, Yamamoto came down with a slight fever on the day he had asked Haru to meet him.

It wasn't that often that he felt out of sorts, and his father made sure of that through his healthy means of feeding him. Even as a kid, Yamamoto always had a strong constitution. He figured the symptom would ease up soon, so he took some medicine, drank his usual carton of milk, and put on a facemask, hoping it wouldn't get in the way of what he had planned for the day.

He sent Haru a text and waited in front of the gate of her house. A minute later, she eventually stepped out, all dolled up.

"Thank you for waiting, Yamamoto-san!" Haru said but paused when she saw him with a facemask on. "Wait, are you sick?"

Before Yamamoto could reply, the brunette abruptly placed a hand over his forehead. "Hahi, you're burning!" she exclaimed. "You should have stayed home, Yamamoto-san. Come on, I'll walk you back to your house."

"I can handle it, Haru. It's fine."

Yamamoto could see her brows furrowing as she looked back at him, and her maternal instinct instantly kicked in. "What are you talking about? It's definitely not fine."

Right on cue, the world around him began to spin ever so slightly. This caused him to lean his forehead against her shoulder, even surprising himself with the action. Yamamoto didn't think his condition would worsen to this extent—it was as if he had jinxed himself.

"Yamamoto-san?" Haru called, lightly tapping his back. It did help that she was kind enough to support his body. "You know what? Maybe I should take you inside our house instead."

"I love you, Haru," he blurted out of the blue. "I don't know what you'll do with my feelings, but I have given them freely."

The Rain Guardian could've said that to her on another day—when he was more sensible, clearheaded, and obviously feeling well—but he wondered why he felt like he was out of time. Yamamoto couldn't help but think it was a bit lame on his part.

He managed to pull away and create a distance between them, not wanting Haru to catch his illness even further. "I feel so much better now that I've gotten that off my chest," Yamamoto said otherwise because his fever was actually making him worse by the minute.

However, Haru stood on tiptoes and drew him to lean down a little, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. It caught him off guard, and judging by the way she quickly covered her mouth, it wasn't as if she was not surprised by her own actions either.

"Hahi! I'm so sorry, Yamamoto-san," she said. "I don't know what came over me. It's just that my body reacted after I heard you say you love me back."

Back? Yamamoto was stunned by Haru's words. He felt ecstatic to the point that he had no qualms about passing out at any moment. "Does that mean …?"

Her cheeks turned a rosy hue. "While I'm not exactly sure what to do with your feelings either, I do know that I'm giving you mine as well."

He slowly dissolved into chuckles. "So, I guess we're both in the 'freely giving feelings' club now?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," Haru said, a gentle smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, and one more thing." She reached up again to press her lips against his through the facemask, firm and soulful, and then she withdrew.

"That will have to do for now, won't it?" Haru tilted her head in the cutest way possible.

If that wasn't enough to get Yamamoto back on his feet, then he didn't know what else would.

Note: I love them both so much that it's ruining my life.

I was supposedly gonna have Haru's dad come out for the last part and say something like, "I'm glad that you two have sorted things out, but maybe save the lovey-dovey stuff for indoors next time, okay?" But I guess I didn't have the energy to let him ruin their moment and make the narrative longer. I'll just leave it up to your imagination, guys.

This has been sitting in my notes app for about 3 months already, so I thought of making a deadline for myself to finish writing this within one week before my senior year of college begins.

Anyway, thank you very much for taking the time to read this little self-indulgent fic of mine! We need more of this pairing—well, maybe I need to write more.