CH. 66 - An Anniversary

A weekend in May, Sugawara sleeps in the middle of his big bed with blankets all around and his limbs spread out. He rolls over as he slowly opens his eyes. He sits up groggily and takes a moment before getting a look of excitement as he remembers something.

He rushes out of bed and to his bedroom window, opens it wide to see across the small side garden and into another window. He stares for a moment before throwing a small pebble he grabbed from a pile on the window frame. After a moment, he throws another pebble, and soon after, Haru opens the window with a yawn.

“Good morning, Suga- WOAH HEY STOP! I’M AWAKE!” He shouts with his hands up as Sugawara lifts a large boulder above his head, getting ready to throw it at the window. Sugawara is surprised then drops the boulder on the ground with a thud. Haru sighs in relief. 

“Thank you…”

“Hey Haru, do you know what day it is?” Sugawara asks excitedly. Haru scratches his head and thinks for a moment.

“Is it a Tuesday?” He answers timidly. Sugawara’s smile then fades, and he gets an upset look. 

“If you don’t know, then nevermind.” He then slams his window shut as Haru stands there with a confused look on his face.

A bit later, Sugawara is now dressed for the day and sits at his counter writing in his diary when he hears a knock at his door. He answers the door and sees Haru standing there with an awkward smile on his face. Sugawara still looking displeased.

“Can I help you?” Sugawara asks with attitude.

“Aw, come on, Suga! Don’t be like that! I just want to spend some time with my boyfriend.” Haru says with a sweatdrop and a smile. Sugawara lifts an eyebrow.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, let me take you out today. We can walk around and maybe go see a movie?” Haru offers. Sugawara begins blushing a bit, but still trying to keep an upset look, he answers.

“You mean like… a date?”

“Yes!” Haru says with a smile. Sugawara pauses for a moment before agreeing, but with a pouty face.

“Fine, but I get any candy I want for the movie!” Sugawara demands. Haru sweats but quickly follows Sugawara as he steps out of his house.

They then spend the day walking around town, enjoying the sights and time together before watching a movie with Sugawara getting any candy he wants. They do all this until the sun eventually begins to set. As they walk down the sidewalk after the movie, Haru looks towards the sky.

“The sun is beginning to set. Maybe we should head home?” He offers. Sugawara looks at him with shock.

“Aw, really? But the date was just getting good..” He pouts a bit. Haru gives him a bit of a smile.

“Well, it could get better if we go home.” Haru says with a soft smile. Sugawara blushes a bit and nods softly.

They eventually make their way back to Sugawara’s home, and Haru stops right before the door. Sugawara looks at him confused.

“Why aren’t you going inside?” he asks. Haru answers with his back facing Sugawara.

“Did you really think I forgot what today was?” Haru asks. Sugawara looks surprised as Haru turns with a warm smile. He then opens the door as the rest of the friend group stands there with big smiles on their faces.

“Surprise!” They all shout as Chizuru and Suiyoubi toss up confetti. Sugawara is surprised and looks at Haru.

“Of course I remembered our one year anniversary.” Haru says with a smile. Sugawara’s eyes begin to tear up for a moment before he starts hitting Haru playfully.

“You big jerk! You made me think you forgot! That was so mean!” Sugawara cries.

“Ouch! I know, I know, I’m sorry! I just wanted the party to be a surprise!” Haru says, giggling at him. He grabs Sugawara’s wrists and pulls him in close while looking into his eyes. “I really do love you, Sugawara.” Haru says softly. Sugawara blushes and looks away shyly. 

“Then show me…” he says timidly. Haru then leans in and kisses him as the others smile and giggle with blushes all around. After a moment, they pull away, and Alice cheers.

“Alright! A party to celebrate Haru and Sugawara’s love! Now let’s get to the partying!” Alice shouts as they all cheer.

They all begin hanging out and having fun with each other, like any good party should. Lucy and Ryuji sit together, holding hands. Alice and Kitaro have a soda drinking contest, which Alice crushes Kitaro, leaving him burping in agony. Hisana giggles as Mormo lies on the table, passed out with his bloated tummy full of snacks. Suiyoubi shakes her head in disappointment. Touma, Chizuru, Shiori and Hikigaya sit on the couch, enjoying watching their friends.

“With Lucy and Ryuji together, even more of the original group is a couple now.” Shiori points out with a soft smile. Chizuru looks at her, a bit worried.

“And you’re okay with that? Ryuji and Lucy, I mean.” Chizuru asks softly. Shiori looks at her, surprised a bit, then at Lucy and Ryuji nudging each other's heads together. She then smiles softly.

“Yeah, I’m not really into Ryuji anymore. I haven’t been for a while.” Shiori says honestly. Chizuru perks up hearing this and leans a little closer to Shiori.

“Oh? Is that role filled by someone else now?” Chizuru asks as she wiggles her eyebrows at Shiori then looks at Hikigaya sitting next to her. Shiori rolls her eyes and gets embarrassed.

“Yeah right. He’s only ever a pain in my ass.” Shiori says with a frustrated look.

“Except for all those times he’s not, right?” Chizuru asks with a smirk, looking at Shiori, who gets surprised for a moment and thinks about a few soft moments between her and Hikigaya.

The time she bandaged up a cut on his eyebrow, the time he comforted her at the Christmas party, him accepting her valentine’s chocolate, the kiss they shared as vigilantes, her crying with him when her dad lost her job, the time she fell on him at the amusement park and the kiss at the end of the play. She blushes a little as she remembers all these little things they’ve been through together.

‘I guess… he isn’t always so bad.’ She thinks before shaking her head and looking back at Chizuru. “Yeah right! Besides, what about you? You’re always into other people’s love lives, what about yours?” Shiori shifts the attention to Chizuru. She blushes slightly, rubbing the back of her head.

“Oh, yeah, that’s not really for me. I’m not even sure how to love right haha!” She laughs awkwardly a bit but smiles warmly. “But who knows what could happen, right?” She says. Shiori smiles and nods at her.

Eventually, the night comes to an end. The group all help to clean the house before saying their goodbyes, leaving Sugawara and Haru alone. Sugawara cuddles up with Haru in his arms, laying on the couch.

Haru looks around with a smile on his face as he looks at the now quiet and empty home. His smile slowly fades as he realizes how empty it really is, and when he’s not around, this is what Sugawara has to deal with. 

“Hey, Sugawara, your home… is it always this empty? I mean, I’ve never even seen your parents or anyone around here.” Haru asks softly, sitting up. Sugawara is surprised for a moment as he sits up too before getting a slightly sad look. He looks away for a moment, hesitant to answer. He sighs as he looks down.

“My family is never around because they're always too busy to be a family.” Sugawara says softly. He chuckles to himself a bit as he shrugs. “But what can you expect? Our name is Ito after all.” Sugawara says. Haru gives him a confused look after he says that. Sugawara pauses, then looks at him confused too. “You know, like Ito Industries? The largest tech company in the world?” Sugawara asks. Haru still looks confused as Sugawara rolls his eyes a bit with a sigh while sitting up a bit more.

“Ito Industries is the largest technology company on the planet. We make all kinds of things, from microchips to medical equipment and even military weaponry. And I am a direct descendant of its founder, Emeritus Ito.” Sugawara explains. Haru looks confused for a moment before finally figuring it out, kind of, with wide eyes. 

“Wait, so you’re like royalty?!” Haru asks, a mix of excitement and shock on his face. Sugawara sweats with a look of disappointment.

“Not technically, but I guess, yes, in a way.” Sugawara says awkwardly. Haru calms down a bit.

“Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why your family is never around. Are they really that busy with their jobs? Don’t they.. care about you?” Haru asks, trying to be soft with it but still asking directly. Sugawara gets a sad look.

“It’s not that they’re that busy. At least, I wouldn’t think so. It’s just the way my family is. The way they always have been. Ito Industries is centuries old, if not a millennium. My family has been running it for generations, and they always do things this way. Once we turn 13 years old, we are sent to live on our own to learn how to survive by ourselves and focus on graduating the top of our class. Then, once we are old enough and have proven ourselves, we are to join the family business.” Sugawara explains with slight mocking tones, obviously not happy about this tradition. He looks down with a sad look in his eyes. Haru listens with a sympathetic look. 

“My close family has always been extra diehard about this tradition, so I haven’t even heard their voices or seen them in a long time. I really do feel like they don’t care at all…” Sugawara admits. Tears form in his eyes a bit as Haru takes his hand. Sugawara looks at their hands together and smiles a bit, wiping the tears from his eyes. “But it’s okay because I don’t need them. I have you and the others to be my family now!” Sugawara says happily, a real smile coming across his face. Haru smiles at him and pulls him in for a tight hug.

“I won’t ever let you go.” Haru says softly. Sugawara’s smile on Haru's shoulder slowly fades as he gets a sad look again.

“Yeah…”

Another day comes as Hikigaya, Haru and Ryuji hangout in Haru’s room.

“Ahha! Finally! Some guy time! It’s been a while since we’ve had some time to ourselves, ya know, cause we have partners now.” Haru says excitedly. Hikigaya pouts a bit.

“Speak for yourself…” Hikigaya mumbles. Haru pats him on the back supportively.

“Oh, come on, Hiki! You and Shiori are basically a couple at this point, right, Ryuji?” Haru says with a smile to Ryuji. He nods happily. Hikigaya blushes and gets mad at them.

“We are not a couple! She doesn’t even like me!” Hikigaya says firmly. Haru smirks.

“Oh? But you like her?” He asks with a smug look. Hikigaya blushes harder at his question.

“N-no… I don’t think so…” Hikigaya stutters out.

“That’s convincing.” Ryuji says casually. Hikigaya gets flustered.

“Yeah, well, who asked you?!” he shouts back angrily. 

“Haha, alright, alright, we’ll stop teasing you. Now, let’s get this Brawlers Tournament on!” Haru shouts excitedly. Suddenly, Hikigaya’s phone rings. He's surprised and pulls it out to see Shiori calling him, so he answers.

“Hey Shiori.”

“Hey, Hikigaya. We’re still going to the movies later, right?” She asks over the phone. Hikigaya sweats a bit. 

‘Ah crap! I totally forgot we made plans today!’ Hikigaya thinks with a stressed face.

“Who is it?” Ryuji asks. Hikigaya whispers to him.

“It’s Shiori. I forgot we made plans to go see the Super Romeo Bros. movie today.” He whispers while covering his phone. Haru and Ryuji get mischievous looks as they giggle.

“Sounds kind of like a date, doesn’t it?” Haru asks.

“It does to me.” Ryuji agrees. Hikigaya rolls his eyes before looking back at his phone.

“Whatever. I’m gonna tell her I forgot, and we’ll watch it another time.” Hikigaya says softly. Haru gets a shocked look before punching Hikigaya in the face. Hikigaya looks back from across the room, shocked as a buff Haru stomps towards him.

“You will do no such thing. A pretty girl has made plans with a loner like you. You cannot waste this chance.” Haru says boldly with steam coming out of his nose. Hikigaya looks more offended and hurt by his words than anything.

“I’m not a loner, am I?” He looks at Ryuji for assurance.

“You’re a loner.” Ryuji says coldly. Hikigaya gets frustrated and lifts up his phone.

“It’s fine, it’s not a big deal.” He says as Haru dives at him, now back to normal.

“No!” He tackles Hikigaya over. Shiori sits in her room with her phone to her ear, looking confused as she hears rustling and fumbling on the phone. Haru pants as he gets Hikigaya’s phone and quickly puts it to his ear. “Hi Shiori, sorry, Hikigaya was just helping me with something, but don’t worry. He’s on his way home now, so he won’t miss your date. Bye!” Haru then immediately hangs up his phone as Shiori sits on her bed confused. She puts her phone down and sits in silence for a moment.

“Date?” she says, confused. She thinks for a moment and starts blushing. “Oh my cos, it is like a date!”

She holds her face in embarrassment as Hikigaya rubs his head, sitting up. Haru hands him his phone as he looks up in confusion.

“You better get going. Don’t wanna be late for your date.” Haru says giggling. Hikigaya sighs as he takes his phone and stands up.

“What about the brawlers tournament?” He asks.

“We can do it another time.” Ryuji says with a soft smile and a shrug.

“Yeah, but this is a one time chance for you and Shiori, so go!” Haru shouts, shoving Hikigaya out of the room before he stops and turns back around.

“And for the last time, it is NOT a date!” Hikigaya says before rushing out of the room. Haru and Ryuji giggle to themselves. 

Later, Shiori and Hikigaya come out of the movie theater holding a small bag of popcorn, happily discussing the movie. 

“That was actually better than I thought it would be. But I guess we aren't exactly the target audience, being older horror fans and all.” Shiori says, pleasantly surprised.

“Still, a solid 8 out of 10 on my scale. Although I would’ve liked to see more Armani and less Romeo personally.” Hikigaya says, tossing some popcorn into his mouth. Shiori smiles and nods before getting a surprised look when a raindrop falls on her hand. She looks at it for a moment before looking up at the sky when it starts to rain lightly.

“Oh man, the popcorn!” Hikigaya says with a suddenly concerned look on his face as he starts running for cover. Shiori laughs a bit as she rushes behind him.

They stand under the entrance cover of a nearby restaurant as she looks at the rain coming down before them. Hikigaya looks at the now soggy bag of popcorn in his hands and whimpers a little. Shiori looks at him and shakes her head.

“Forget the popcorn. How are we gonna get home now?” She asks, trying to think.

“Maybe it’ll go away in a few minutes?” Hikigaya asks quietly. Shiori gives him a look as he looks down awkwardly. “You’re right, sorry.” He says. Shiori thinks for a moment, looking at the rain coming down before a thought crosses her mind.

“Well, there’s no way around it. We’ll have to run for it.” She says, looking ahead casually as Hikigaya looks shocked.

“What?? But we’ll get soaked!”

“Then you walk home, but I’m gonna run.” She says before taking off into the rain. Hikigaya hesitates for a moment before following her. They quickly get soaked from the rain as they make their way back home.

The two pant as they stand in the doorway of their house, dripping wet from the rain. Shiori looks at herself in her wet clothes with an obviously upset look.

“Aw man, this sucks! It was so warm earlier. Why did it start raining suddenly?” She complains.

“I don’t know, but this is so lame…” Hikigaya groans as he looks at Shiori. Suddenly, he starts blushing as he notices something. He can see her bra under her now soaked wet shirt. Suddenly, without warning, Shiori begins to take it off.

“I gotta get out of these clothes. I’m going to take a shower. Want me to grab you a towel?” She offers with her shirt around her hands. Hikigaya blushes and pauses for a moment as he stares at her. She looks down at herself only in her bra and begins blushing too. She slowly covers her chest and turns away a bit. “Stop staring, you perv!” she says, flustered. Hikigaya snaps out of it and quickly walks past her.

“R-right! Sorry! I’m gonna shower. Want me to grab you a towel?” Hikigaya offers, pointing upstairs as she gets angry.

“No way! I said I was showering first! Were you not listening to me at all?!” she shouts at him angrily as he looks away, blushing. She realizes why he wasn’t paying attention and blushes herself. She walks past him with a huff, dropping her hand from her chest as she marches up the stairs. 

“Sorry, I’ll just shower after you then…” Hikigaya says softly as he tries his best not to keep staring. Shiori nods softly as they continue upstairs together.

Shiori steps into the bathroom and puts her wet shirt down on the counter. She leans on the counter as she blushes intensely with a flustered smile on her face.

"That was intense!.. I can't believe I did that!.. I intentionally just took my shirt off in front of him.. I even wore a cute bra just for that!.." Shiori whispers to herself as she slams her towel into her face and lets out a quiet hyper giggle into it before slowly pulling it from her face. She blushes as her eyes shine. “What am I doing?.. I’ve changed in front of him countless times before… Why am I getting embarrassed all of a sudden?..” She looks in the mirror at herself, still blushing. “Was I really distracting him that much?..” she asks herself quietly. She quickly shakes her head and thoughts away. “No way! He wouldn’t think someone like me is cute at all! Not that I want him to think I’m cute! He’s just an annoying jerk who I’m stuck with!” She says sharply before letting her look soften. “Right?..”

Hikigaya closes the door to his room as he leans against it before sliding down with a towel on his head. He blushes as he looks flustered, thinking about what just happened.

“I’ve seen her change so many times before… So why was she so cute just now?.. Do I… really like her?..” He asks himself softly, grabbing the towel from his head and pressing it against his mouth. Suddenly, he then starts coughing aggressively into the towel. After a moment, he pulls the towel away from his mouth and looks at it. His eyes widen a bit as he looks at the towel in his hand. “Is that… blood?”