「きっと覚えて、お前は大切な人」
Remember that you are an important person.

BONUS: One of the OPENING QUOTES will be in the chapter. It is in bold and italic.

Thanks for 21K, guys!!! :))))

WAHH SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG. ><

And sorry that there's no visual!! ><

***

And so, it's been a couple of weeks after that traumatizing event and I've been able to open up to Yuusuke more after that.

I was glad that Yuusuke was always willing to give me a hand.

I woke up kinda early today, forgetting that I had no work. I decided to go get ready anyways.

As I stood up from my bed then walked to my bathroom, my cellphone suddenly beeped.

"Who could it be, this early in the morning?" I asked then opened my phone.

From: 棗 Natsume
To: はるな Haruna
Subj: 付き合う Going out

おはよう。
今日は君何仕事もいらないねえ？
じゃあ、あとお前は俺と付き合う欲しいか？ Good morning. You don't have any work today, right? Then, would you like to go out later?

So it was Natsume. Come to think about it, we don't get to hang out much anymore. Well, sure he tends to visit here, but it's for his brothers. I enjoy Natsume's company alone rather than with all the rowdy boys of the house.

From: はるな Haruna
To: 棗 Natsume
Subj: 付き合う Going out

どこに行こう？私はインだ！Where will we go? I'm in!

Actually, Natsume is the only person who hasn't been acting weird at all. Well, besides, Fuuto who never comes home. That's why I'd really like to spend more time with either one of them rather than the boys in the house who always seem different nowadays.

From: 棗 Natsume
To: はるな Haruna
Subj: 付き合う Going out

ドライブと飲むコーヒーはどうだ？How about going for a drive and some coffee?

Typical, Natsume.

From: はるな Haruna
To: 棗 Natsume
Subj: 付き合う Going out

ＯＫ！またね。Ok! See you then!

I replied before getting ready for a long day.

***

After freshening up, I happily went downstairs.

"Good morni—"

"I am bringing her to my flower shop and that is final!" Iori yelled.

"Haru-san doesn't want to see your stupid flower collection! I'm bringing her to my concert tonight!" Fuuto yelled back.

"Guys—"

"Stupid flower collection? I think your taste in music is bad!" Iori spat.

"My taste in music? What about that freak Natsume?" Fuuto replied.

"Stop bringing other people into this!"

"Guys—"

"You know what? I think you have nothing else to say that's why you keep on saying that."

"Oh, you know what?—"

"GUYS, WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!?!?!" I yelled in irritation.

They stayed silent. I sighed and held in my anger.

"Okay. Care to explain?" I asked calmly.

"It was his fault! He said that I have no right to be here anymore!" Fuuto said, striking a sharp finger at Iori.

"Me? That's preposterous. You obviously started the fight, claiming that you'd take Haru-san out today." Iori said in a sharp tone.

"Oh, so we're back to blaming again, aren't we?"

"Wow, you're actually using real Japanese."

"Shut it, punk!"

"Same to you, you overgrown star."

"Why I'd oughta—"

"You know what, punk and overgrown star?... I'm cooking breakfast." I said with a grin then slapped their heads before walking past them and heading to the kitchen.

***

So after breakfast, I prepared their lunch, then went to prepare for my outing with Natsume.

I was really excited. It was weird, but I'm pretty sure that it's just nothing. I'm just going to enjoy my time with Natsume later. Hopefully, nothing will interfere with my relaxation.

Someone then suddenly knocked on the door.

"Come in." I said as I was fixing my sling bag.

I was wearing a pretty comfortable outfit today. A plain white shirt with a long-sleeved jean polo on top, some khaki shorts, and my favorite pair of sneakers.

"Haru-san, we need to talk."

"Hey, Subaru. Why? What's wrong?" I asked as he closed the door and walked over to me.

"Don't go out with Natsu-nii." He said in a firm tone.

"Huh? Why not?" I asked then looked at him.

"Just don't." He said.

"Hh. That's not reason enough to stop me." I said as I finished fixing my sling bag and wore it.

"I'm warning you. You just shouldn't go." He continued to persuade.

"Fine. Give me a very good reason about why I shouldn't go." I demanded as I crossed my arms.

He stayed silent for about a minute after I spoke.

"Hmph. Thought so. I see that you've still haven't become the grownup you are." I said as I walked past him.

It's really funny to think that all these boys think they're mature and all. So far, I only consider Natsume, Hikaru, Tsubaki, Iori, Masaomi, and Ukyo-san to be mature enough.

Natsume and Hikaru are almost alike in terms of thinking critically. So are Ukyo-san and Masaomi. Iori just has an immature side sometimes but he is pretty mature as well. Tsubaki is just playful sometimes, but he's alright.

The rest are so immature. They fight over the small things and see things in such a miniature view.

As I was about to walk out, my phone rang.

"Hello this is Shiomi." I answered.

"Hey, you all set?"

"Yep, I'm heading out right now." I said as I stepped outside.

"Yeah, I can see."

Natsume and I then stared at each other for a while before having a breathtaking reply at each other.

"Wow."

I then immediately blushed at my remark.

"I-I mean uhm, it's good to see you out of your usual getup. It looks refreshing." I said with my head turned away.

"Uh, yeah, thanks. Same to you.." he replied.

"Thanks for inviting me out today by the way. I was really glad that I didn't have to be stuck in that house." I said.

"Sure thing. Come on, get in." He said as he opened the door to the passenger seat.

"Thanks." I said as I sat back in then he closed the door then got inside his side of the car and buckling his seatbelt before driving off.

"So, do you want to eat first or go for a drive?" He asked.

"Hmm.. you choose." I replied.

"Okay since it's a bit late, let's go eat first, then we can go for a drive somewhere." He said.

"Sounds good to me." I replied.

***

So apparently, Natsume and I headed to my sister's cafe. He's really come to like the place.

"So you're a frequent customer of my sister's, yes?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. I like it here better than the old cafe I frequently went too." He said.

"Haha, my sister always gets the job done right!" I said.

"Green tea coffee, reg modem, panini, and grilled tuna. Order's complete, yeah? Enjoy~!" My sister said as she served us our food.

"Can't believe you get everyone's orders right. You used to bring my bag to school back then but now you face billions of orders and you don't make a mistake! How?" I asked.

"Customer service is amazing as well." Natsume added.

"Uh, I don't know haha! Feel free to come here whenever you like, nee-san! Business has been booming so I've got a free meal for you anytime, any day!" She bid before returning to her work.

"Well, let's eat."

***

After eating, we stayed and chatted for a while before we went for a drive.

"So, where did you want to take me?" I asked.

"Hmm.. just wait. We're almost there."

A few minutes later, we arrived at a flat cliff.

"Whoo, the view's pretty nice here. The breeze is pretty relaxing too." I said as I looked at how small the city was from afar.

"Isn't it? I always come here whenever I need some alone time. Work pretty much stresses me out a lot so I often try to relax here to cool off."

"I see.. that's good." I replied, still admiring the good view. It was even more beautiful since the sun was just about to set.

"Haruna." Natsume said.

I then turned to face him, and when I did, he immediately pulled me into an embrace.

"I know things are going hard for you lately.. at work and at the residence, so I decided to bring you here to relax you. I might not be living in the same household, but I am part of that family so don't worry about counting on me sometimes." He said.

I sighed.

"Thanks, Natsume.." I said as I hugged back.

He then pulled back and took something out of his pocket.

"Here." He said as he placed the object in my hand.

"Uhm, this is.."

"A spare key to my apartment. When you can't handle it at the residence anymore, seek shelter at my place. You are the treasure of the Asahina Family... but, you are the most precious thing to me. Remember that." He said.

"Natsume.."

He then hugged me again. He gently caressed my hair as he did. Tears couldn't help but flow after hearing what he said.

Could he be the one..? No, there's no way I can totally believe that yet. But.. I'd like to give him more of my trust. I want to have faith in his words.

As Natsume drove me back to the residence,.. I couldn't help but think.. is love something I need or want?

SCORES:
HIKARU - 2
UKYO - 2
YUUSUKE - 3
SUBARU - 2
IORI - 2
LOUIS - 2
MASAOMI - 2
NATSUME - 5
AZUSA - 3
TSUBAKI - 2

Published: November 18, 2017; 1:52 pm