Haruka's eye flashes with affection.
Or something like that.
Her pouty face like that was actually... quite a sight for him.
Yume suddenly grabs his ears.
Yume: "What is that stare you perv? Quit that already!... and I-it's not that I care or anything! Just tell me... what is bothering you and how... is it possible? Mr. GoodAtHunches."
Haruka was caught off guard when she suddenly grabbed his ears. But he couldn't complain either, because somewhere deep down he kind of liked it. At least she was not as mad as yesterday, which he is grateful for.
Haruka gets on his bicycle, and Yume sits behind as well.
Yume: "Won't you say 'It's Okayyy i forgive you i didn't mind at all!' dumbass?"
Haruka quickly replies.
Haruka: "Y-yes! It's fine!"
Yume chuckles as she sees Haruka obey her command so quickly, like a loyal knight listening to his princess.
On the road, while they were going, Yume decided to ask.
Yume: "Explain now."
Haruka, with a defeated expression, said, "Well, you might not actually believe it-"
Yume: "I saw how you did those predictions so effortlessly and how you rushed towards the staircase before Aurel could fall. As if you had some sort of detector attached to whatever was going on, that itself is unbelievable, nothing can get more unrealistic, c'mon."
Haruka: "True... True... I am not sure where to begin with... it sounds so corny and cringe to put it into words."
While riding their way home, he explained everything to her. He was secretly hating himself; he thought that Yume might consider him to be insane.
When he dropped Yume in front of her house, Yume was grinning.
Haruka said in his mind, "Yeah, that's right, she probably took it as a joke... what an idiot I am."
Yume: "Well... Reduce using it... I am not too smart to comprehend all of that knowledge inside my tiny head. Atience Rideous, whoever those are. Just stay safe... You could've shared before... I don't know how these are possible, but I saw your left eye glow red once and your right eye glow blue once.... So yes, it makes sense in a sort of way. Bye then, see ya."
Haruka was dumbfounded by knowing that Yume actually believed those. But he was happy.
Haruka: "O-oh... see you... thanks..."
Saying it, he went back to his house.
At night, he was on his bed...and looked at the calendar only to get reminded of the fact that days later it is his birthday.
He was actually disturbed by the fact that he is not normal anymore.
Weird guys appearing and weird abilities.
He got up and started to go towards the dining room for a glass of water, but when he went to open the door, he walked through it. As if it were a thin layer of air or water.
He was shocked...
"How... am I standing... shouldn't I be falling forever by that logic... or is it some new abilities? all of it because of a travel with Atience's in 4d and 5d."
Both of his eyes started to hurt... He started to view the world with extra layers again.
Jack... in his room, sharpening knives and sipping on coffee as usual. But wait, his heart, lungs, and organs were visible too.
Haruka couldn't take it anymore. With a blink, he found himself in a classroom. Dark and empty.
He slapped himself.
"Wake up... Wake up... Wake the fuck up... wake up! DAMN IT, WAKE UP!"
But he was wincing in pain each time. Nothing was helping. He forces his eyes shut, but he sees through his eyelids.
It was driving him crazy.
As he was about to hit his head against the wall out of desperation to be free from this weird 'curse', he suddenly found himself on his bed.
Everything was normal again.
But he was tired.
Scared, but then he realizes, it might be new powers if he masters controlling it.
"What was this weird feeling of mastering them? Probably greed. I am no different than other humans, either. I will always sin...but the best sinners are the one who repents... yes..."
Thinking that to himself, he managed to calm himself down once again.
For ONCE in his life, he managed to understand that he is in a real bad situation.
He got weird guys with weird worlds following him and weird powers with weird consequences.
But he did know, beyond every suffering awaited even greater responsibility and sacrifices.
A week later, after school, the garage.
Yume with Aurel and others (Aurel still had a plaster on his leg and arm): "Happy birthday, Ruka!!!!!"
Haruka was surprised but then started to laugh.
"Ruka? Who is that? Ha-ruka? You guys are a hell of a creative team to come up with these cringey names. It takes genuine talent to ruin names."
His friends were all disappointed with his response. It was all over their face, disappointment.
Haruka: "Alright, Alright THANK YOU, GUYS! THIS WAS THE BEST WISH so far."
They all suddenly felt great with his reaction.
Aurel: "I CAME all the way from the hospital just to wish you."
Haruka: "Could've texted me, but that was a real effort, thank you!"
Marcus: "Alright, quiet little jester, tomorrow is when we give you the gifts... You will love it, trust me."
Saito: "I know his favorites, it made it easy-"
Naoki kicks his leg to shut him up.
Naoki: "No spoilers."
Fuyuki: "Spoiling this gift will be like the worst moment, nothing can be worse."
Yume: "No... peeking... GOT IT?" She said with an extra stern tone, knowing about Haruka's Chrono Split. But she knows how to keep a secret, especially an unbelievable one like this one.
They all left. Haruka and Yume left together as usual. Yume told him to stop at the nearby park. From that park, the city looks extra beautiful.
Yume: "Stop here... here is a present personally from me, alright?"
Haruka, in his mind, thought that today he would confess his love to Yume... he quietly got up from his bicycle and went to the park with Yume.
Yume: "It would've been better if we came here at night when the moon is visible... we would be watching the same moon, right?"
Haruka got an idea... he wanted to go for the indirect confession first.
Haruka: "Well, yeah... The moon is pretty beautiful... isn't it?"
Yume looked at Haruka...
In her mind, she was thinking, "He is too stupid to understand that line, isn't he? It is not a confession, I know it... He is just a dumb idiot, there's no way on Earth he would know the meaning."
Yume: "Well, YES IT IS... WE can't see it now. Where are you seeing the moon?"
Haruka was annoyed by the fact that she didn't get what he meant.
Haruka: "I meant..."
He looked away
"I love you... like now the friend or something BUT I REALLY DO! I care for you! You live rent-free in my mind, which is clearly not fair AT ALL! You are out of my league, but nowadays you are too close! especially for the last few months. I have always... loved you... LOOK, I don't mind if you want to stay close friends! I would love to be close to you at least! I am not forcing, I am just sharin-"
Yume caught his mouth with her hand immediately and shut him up.
Yume: "Just shut the hell up already, will you? You were never good with words... Your eyes say it all...And... about... well... I-... I love you, too, you dumb idiot!"
Saying that, she looked away, a light shade of red was visible on her cheeks...
Haruka was surprised....
"S-she does?..."
He thought to himself.
He pulled out his phone and texted Jack that he would be late getting home.
Haruka: "W-well, I am free till the moon shows up y'know... It's beautiful... wouldn't it be much more beautiful to watch it with you?"
Yume: "Still bad with words..."
Haruka: "True... but there is always an ache inside of my heart whenever I see you... Whenever I think of you... Your hair smells... it smells like a field of grass after it rains. Beautiful and astonishing... Your beauty... it is as if the moon reflects it..."
Yume: (chokes on air) "Slow down a little bit, I never thought you had that side of yours."
Haruka: "Maybe saying the truth isn't that hard..."
Haruka takes her to the nearby ice cream stall inside the park.
He bought 2 chocolate-flavored ice creams.
Yume: "You know my favorite, too?"
Haruka: "Call me a creep, but I used to take notes about it instead of taking notes in class."
Yume with a playful tone: "Creep."
Haruka's face heated up. He reached out instinctively...then froze halfway, hand hovering. "Uh… you've got a little…"
Yume's eyes widened. Before he could finish, she leaned in just enough for him to wipe it away with his thumb. The contact was brief, electric. Her cheek felt warm against his fingertip.
She didn't pull back right away. "…Thanks," she mumbled, looking down at her cone like it had personally betrayed her.
They sat on the low park bench, shoulders brushing. The sun had dipped low; the sky was turning that deep indigo where the first stars start to peek through. The city lights below the hill twinkled like scattered fireflies.
Haruka licked his own ice cream, trying to act normal. Failing. "So… um. This is real now, right? You and me. Not just… friends who ride bikes together."
Yume huffed a laugh, bumping her shoulder against his. "You're the one who confessed like a nervous wreck five minutes ago. Don't act surprised."
"I'm not surprised. I'm… terrified." He said it quietly, staring at the horizon. "What if I mess this up? What if the weird stuff...the eyes, the glitches, the Atience and Rideous guy ...drags you into it?"
Yume went still. Then she set her half-eaten cone on the bench, turned fully toward him, and took both his hands in hers.
"Hey. Look at me."
He did. Her eyes were serious, but soft...like broken glass catching moonlight.
"You think I didn't notice how you acted like you were in trouble? Don't worry, you are found now."
She squeezed his fingers.
"So now it's my turn. Whatever this curse or power or whatever is… we figure it out together. Okay? No more hiding. No more 'I'll handle it alone'."
Haruka swallowed hard. His throat felt tight in the best way. "…Okay."
She smiled...small, real, the kind that made his chest ache. "Good. Because if you try to shoulder everything again, I'll grab your ears harder next time."
He laughed despite himself. "Noted."
The sky had darkened enough that the moon finally rose...full, pale silver, hanging low over the city like it was watching them. Yume leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. "Like you said earlier… It's better with you here."
Haruka rested his cheek against the top of her shoulder. Her hair smelled exactly like he always remembered...fresh rain on grass, clean and impossible to forget. "Yeah," he murmured. "Way better."
They stayed like that for a long time...ice cream melting forgotten on the bench, hands still linked, moon rising higher. No words needed. Just the quiet certainty that, for once, everything felt right.
He took out his phone and marked November 2.
Queen's birthday on November 2! QBD!
And saved it as a note.