THE FORGOTTEN SPRING

CHAPTER 19

"THE FORGOTTEN SPRING"

by: Dark Flame Master

KAI'S POV

The school day ended without any problems, and I had already messaged my mom to let her know I was going to Haru’s house. She seemed genuinely happy when I told her, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because it was rare for me to say I was going anywhere other than school.

As we stood up to leave the classroom, I noticed Haru suddenly freezing, his usual cheerful expression replaced with hesitation. It was like he just remembered something important.

“Doushita? Aren’t we going to your house?” I asked, glancing back at him.

Haru looked at me, his face slightly pale, and then glanced down. “Um… Kai… well, Okoranaide ne" (don’t be angry, okay?) he said nervously.

“You’re acting weird again. What is it?” I said, frowning.

“My… my house is actually on a different route than yours,” he admitted, looking up at me with wide, almost apologetic puppy dog eyes.

I let out a big sigh, crossing my arms as I stared at him. “So, you really are a stalker, aren’t you? How many more secrets do you have?” I teased.

“I-I told you, I’m not a stalker! And I don’t have any more secrets,” Haru said quickly, his voice rising slightly as he tried to defend himself.

“Then it’s fine. Let’s go,” I said, grabbing his hand without much thought. His hand felt smaller than I expected, warm but trembling slightly.

“You’re not angry?” Haru asked, looking surprised as we started walking toward the school gate.

“No. Why would I be?” I replied casually.

As we walked outside, a strange sense of calm settled over me. This… this felt normal. Like something friends would do. Hanging out after school wasn’t something I was used to, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It even felt nice, in a way. I tried to remember the last time I went to someone’s house, but I couldn’t. It had been too long.

“What’s with you today, Kai? You’re really making me uncomfortable,” Kerk said, giving me a suspicious look.

“Yeah, are you sure you’re Kai? Dare da?” (Who are you?) Hana teased, grinning as she walked beside us.

I understood their reactions. I wasn’t acting like myself, not the way they were used to. It was tiring, this effort to change, but I knew I had to do it. I didn’t want to live my whole life feeling scared and trapped. I needed to change, and this was the first step.

Behind me, I could hear Cyrus and Haru talking.

“What does your mother like?” Cyrus asked.

“She’s fine with anything,” Haru replied. After a moment, he added, “I have a little sister. She’s six now. She likes sweet stuff.”

A little sister? I didn’t know that. Was she his real sister or not? I wanted to ask, but something about the question felt rude. I decided I’d ask him once we were closer.

“Is it okay if I buy cake for her?” Cyrus asked.

“Do what you want,” Haru replied. A few seconds later, I felt Haru’s hands over my shoulder as he walked up beside me.

.

.

.

.

When we arrived at Haru’s house, we all stopped at the gate completely shocked. “T-THIS IS YOUR HOUSE?!” Kerk exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.

All of us were surprised. To be honest, I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely isn't this. This wasn’t just a house, it was more like a traditional mansion. The large gate alone looked so intimidating and it made me feel like I’d stepped back in time.

“Yeah, w-why?” Haru asked, tilting his head as he opened the gate.

“Maji sugoi… Woah,” (It's so awesome) Hana said, looking around the garden as we entered.

“Kaa-san, Yuki-chan, tadaima,” (I'm home.) Haru called out as we entered his house. We took off our shoes at the entrance, following Haru’s lead. “Ojamashimasu,” (Please, excuse us.) the four of us said politely as we stepped inside.

The sound of quick footsteps echoed through the house, and then a small girl came running toward us. “Haru-niichan, okaeri!” (Welcome home) she called out, her voice full of excitement. Haru immediately picked her up, smiling warmly. So, this was his little sister. She was tiny, with big, sparkling eyes and a shy smile. I could see why Haru spoke so fondly of her.

“Ara, Yuki-chan. Sono koto, gomenasai ne." (I’m sorry about that.) a soft, elegant voice said. A woman walked into the room, and I immediately realized it was Haru’s mother. She was beautiful, with kind eyes and a warm presence.

“Hai, douzo. Kiniitte kureru to ureshii wa." (Ah, here. I hope you like it) Cyrus said, handing over the sweets he had bought earlier.

“Ki wo tsukawanakute yokatta no ni, arigatou ne. Yukkuri shitete. Okashi junbi suru wa ne. (You didn’t have to, but thank you. Enjoy yourselves, I’ll prepare some snacks.) she said with a gentle smile before heading off.

“L-Let’s go to my room,” Haru said, his voice a little quieter than usual.

I was still trying to process everything. This house, his family, it was all so cool that it felt overwhelming. When we entered his room, though, the mood shifted. We were all shocked, not because the room was impressive, but because it was the exact opposite. Haru’s room was practically empty. Aside from his bed and a small desk, there was nothing else there.

“Doesn’t he have any hobbies?” Kerk whispered, clearly puzzled.

The room was so plain that it felt strange. There were no decorations, no posters, no signs of any personal interests. It was just… empty.

“I’m gonna prepare the table, so wait a minute,” Haru said, stepping out for a moment.

The silence in the room was thick and awkward. None of us knew what to say or how to start. Finally, Hana spoke up, breaking the tension. “So, let’s share our scores from the math and English tests we had last time,” she suggested.

“I passed both of them. I just wanted to join today,” Cyrus said casually. I already knew he was smart, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Me too,” Kerk said, glancing at Cyrus with a small smile. It still amazed me how these two ended up together.

“What? I failed English! I only needed one more point to pass,” Hana said with a frustrated sigh.

“Well, I barely passed math, so I really need to study,” I admitted.

“Okay then, let’s get started,” Haru said, coming back into the room and sitting down with us.

.

.

.

.

Cyrus and Kerk were busy helping Hana with her English lessons while I focused on solving the math questions in front of me. My attention was stuck on the last problem. It was frustratingly complicated, and I couldn’t make sense of it no matter how much I tried. I glanced at Haru, who was also working on the same problem, his brow furrowed slightly as he scribbled on his paper. He...looks so good and he said he doesn't have any friends. That's impossible.

“Um… Haru,” I said hesitantly, sliding the book toward him. “Can you help me with this? I don’t understand it.”

Haru looked up and gave me a warm smile, which immediately put me at ease. “Come here,” he said, motioning for me to move closer. “That’s easy. You just need to substitute this to x and then multiply it by this number here,” he explained, pointing at the equation. His tone was calm, almost reassuring, and for some reason, being close to him didn’t make me feel uncomfortable at all.

“I-I see,” I replied, nodding as the explanation finally clicked in my head. “Thank you. I think I can solve it now.” I quickly went back to my notebook, determined to finish the problem.

We were all focused on our work when a sudden knock on the door made us pause. Haru stood up and walked to the door. As he opened it, his mom appeared with a tray of snacks and drinks.

“Kyuukei shite, nanika tabenasai." (Take a break and eat.) She said with a gentle smile.

Before anyone could respond, a small figure darted past her and into the room. It was Yuki, Haru’s little sister. “Haru-niichan! Asobou!” (Let's play) she said, jumping onto his bed with boundless energy.

“Ah, Yuki-chan, Jama shinai no. Benkyou shiteru kara." (Don’t bother them. They’re studying.) Haru’s mom gently scolded, though her tone was more amused than anything.

“Iyo,” (It's okay) Haru said quickly, smiling at her. “We actually just finished studying.”

His mom nodded and left the room, leaving the tray of snacks on the table. Haru set everything up for us, and soon we were all munching on the food. As we ate, Cyrus noticed Yuki staring at him curiously.

“Yuki-chan, Kore, iru?" (Do you want some?) Cyrus asked, holding out a snack.

“Hoshi!” (I want some!) Yuki exclaimed happily, climbing onto Cyrus’s lap without hesitation. “Nii-chan, onamae wa? (What’s your name?) she asked, tilting her head up at him.

“Sai,” Cyrus said, smiling down at her, “Sore de, are ga Rei." (And that’s Rei.) he added, pointing at Kerk. Yuki’s cheeks turned bright pink, and she quickly hid her face against Cyrus’s chest.

“Hahaha! You scared her!” Hana teased, pointing at Kerk with a laugh.

“What? I didn’t even do anything!” Kerk said defensively, throwing his hands up.

Yuki peeked out shyly, her wide eyes sparkling. “Sugoi...Eigo?” (Woah...english?) she asked, clearly fascinated by Cyrus speaking English.

“She doesn’t understand English, so—” Haru started to explain, but I cut him off with a whisper.

“Your sister’s really cute,” I said to Haru, leaning closer so only he could hear.

Haru, however, didn’t seem happy about my comment. Instead, he pouted slightly and mumbled, “What about me?”

I blinked, confused. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“Am I not cute?” he asked, his pout deepening. He was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh. I gave him a small smile and lightly smacked his hand. “Stop being stupid,” I muttered, shaking my head.

Yuki, meanwhile, had shifted her attention to Kerk. “ Rei-niichan, kawaii! Sore, hontou no kami no iro? Sugoi! A, are Mirai-chan?" (Rei-niichan, you're cute! Is that the real color of your hair? Cool! Ah, is that Mirai-chan?) she asked, pointing at the keychain on his bag.

Cyrus chuckled as Kerk’s face turned bright red. “Mirai-chan suki? Boku mo suki da yo. Kore, ageru ne." (Do you like Mirai-chan? I also like her. Here, I’ll give this to you.) Kerk said, handing Yuki one of his keychains.

“You two look like parents,” Hana said, grinning as she gestured toward Cyrus and Kerk. I couldn’t help but laugh at how accurate it seemed. Both of them started blushing furiously, and Cyrus quickly changed the subject.

“Aihara-kun—” Cyrus began.

“Hai!” Yuki-chan interrupted loudly, raising her hand. We all burst out laughing because she had answered before Cyrus could finish.

“I meant Haru,” Cyrus clarified, smiling as Yuki giggled. “I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you always wear that wristband? You look childish even though your personality—”

I glanced at Haru. Is that really a big deal? It didn’t seem like something worth questioning.

“Ah, this?” Haru said, holding up his wrist to show the wristband. “I just like it. There’s no real reason for it.”

“Ah, really? That—” Cyrus started, but before he could finish, Yuki grabbed his glasses right off his face and dashed out of the room.

“Yuki-chan!” Haru called after her, but she was already gone. We all started laughing, except for Cyrus, who sat frozen in his chair.

“Woah, you’re so handsome!” Hana said, her eyes wide in surprise. “Let me fix your hair!” she added, brushing his bangs aside to get a better look.

“You look like a different person,” Haru said, staring at Cyrus in amazement. “You should just go to school like that.”

“NO! Get his glasses back!” Kerk said quickly, trying to mess up Cyrus’s hair.

“I can’t really see without my glasses,” Cyrus admitted, laughing softly. “And if I wore contacts and went to school like this, Kerk would get jealous, so I don’t want to do it.”

A few moments later, Haru’s mom returned with Yuki in her arms, holding Cyrus’s glasses. “Kore,” (here) she said, handing them back.

After Cyrus puts his glasses back again he turns to Kerk. “Ah, I missed you,” Cyrus said, immediately pulling Kerk into a hug. I noticed how natural they seemed now, like they were finally comfortable being themselves around me. It made me smile a little.

After that, we all decided to head home, but Haru stopped me before I could leave.

“Kai, stay for dinner,” he said, almost pleadingly.

I hesitated for a moment, but something about his expression made it hard to say no. “…Okay,” I replied, sitting back down.

As we ate dinner with his family, I couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth in my chest. Spending time like this, laughing, talking, and just being around others was something I never thought I’d enjoy. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t so bad after all.