[Warning 15+]
[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 5"Welcome Back" and "See Ya Later"
"Eh—coming in."
"Make yourself at home. I'm the only one here anyway, so no need to be formal or anything."
"…You're for real?"
Hayato gave a slightly tense greeting, but Haruki's reply was as casual as it gets, like it was no big deal.
On the outside, Haruki's a total top-tier, elegant beauty.
But when she acts like the same little "tomboy boss" she used to be, it really messes with Hayato's head.
While Hayato was wrapping his brain around that, Haruki suddenly let out an "Oh!" like she'd just remembered something.
"W-Wait right there for a sec! Just stay put, okay?!"
"Hey!"
Haruki scrambled up the stairs, her skirt fluttering as she rushed. A second later, Hayato heard a bunch of thumping and clattering—the sound of total chaos. She's probably panic-cleaning her room or something.
"…Seriously, what am I even supposed to do?"
Left hanging in the entryway of a house he barely knew, Hayato couldn't help but let out a sigh.
And it wasn't just that—since Haruki'd bolted up the stairs like a madwoman, Haruto'd caught a glimpse of some totally un-sexy boxer-style underwear under her skirt. A weird wave of guilt started eating at him.
"Sorry for the wait!"
"…Oh, wow."
A minute later, a panting Haruki invited Hayato into her room. She'd probably just shoved everything into her closet at the last second, but the place looked decent enough at first glance.
The furniture was all black and dark brown, with bookshelves packed with manga, plastic models, and every gaming console imaginable. It was exactly the kind of room you'd expect from a grown-up Haruki.
If it weren't for the mirror and a few makeup supplies looking out of place on her desk, it wouldn't have looked much different from Hayato's own room.
"Just grab a spot anywhere… …and, hop."
"Sure. But hey, Haruki."
"Yeah? You should take yours off too, Hayato. Don't be shy. Your socks must be pretty sweaty, right?"
"…I mean, yeah, but..."
Haruki tossed a cushion Hayato's way and, out of the blue, started peeling off her socks. Unlike back in the day, seeing those bare, pale, and feminine-looking legs suddenly exposed made Hayato's heart race—even though he knew exactly who he was dealing with.
But then, Haruki flopped down on the cushion, sat cross-legged like a total dude, and scooted way too close to Hayato. Just like that, the image of the old Haruki came flooding back. Any romantic tension vanished into thin air, and Hayato had to stifle a laugh deep in his throat.
Haruki, however, wasn't laughing; She was giving Hayato a major look of disapproval.
"So, who exactly were you calling a wild monkey spirit?"
"Eh, well, about that..."
It looked like Haruki was really holding a grudge over what Hayato'd said this morning.
Haruki wasn't just mad; She was more like... ...pouting. Hayato could totally read the room.
Still, seeing Haruki pout those plump lips and crawl toward Hayato with that judgmental side-eye made a cold sweat run down his spine.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? My bad. Let's just call it my 'debt.' I'll owe you one, okay?"
"Hmm, a 'debt,' huh? Fine, I can live with that."
Satisfied with Hayato's answer, Haruki dropped the grumpy act. She mumbled the word "debt" to herself like she was savoring it and started grinning mischievously.
A "debt"—for these two, that word carried a pretty special meaning.
This kind of debt was something one person just handed to the other; It never turned into a "loan" that needed paying back. It couldn't be canceled out or settled, either—it just kept piling up forever.
"A 'debt,' huh? Talk about a throwback. I wonder how many debts you've racked up with me by now, Hayato?"
"That's my line. You've got plenty of debts with me too, Haruki."
"Haha, fair point!"
"…Heheh."
"…Ahaha."
They looked at each other and both started cracking up.
In the middle of that vibe, Hayato finally brought up the one thing on his mind.
"Anyway, that whole... ...'look' of yours? It's totally cheating, isn't it?"
"My face?"
Haruki was a far cry from the "tomboyish boss" she used to be. Now, she looked like this perfect, elegant, classic beauty.
Too bad Haruki's true colors were showing right now—chilling with her bare legs out and sitting cross-legged like a total slob. What a waste of a pretty face.
"Well, a lot happened. That's why I'm rocking this... ...'camouflage' right now."
"Camouflage, huh? So you really are a spir—"
"Hayato!"
"Haha, my bad, my bad. Put it on my 'debt'."
"…Seriously, you're unbelievable."
They'd always been like this—constant little bickering, complaints, and petty fights. Every single time, they'd just call it a "debt" and let it slide. It was basically how they built up all their memories.
Thinking about how they were starting to rack up debts again, just like they used to, felt pretty funny—but also a little embarrassing.
Hayato didn't want Haruki to catch on to how he was feeling, so he scanned the room for a change of subject and spotted something that took him way back.
"Whoa, you still have that?"
"The game's still there, too. Pretty sure it's still inside the console."
"Man, talk about nostalgia."
"Alright, let's go! A rematch after all these years. Loser gets one 'debt' added to their tab."
"That's a cheap debt."
"Fine, best out of five then."
"You're on."
It was an old-school console from two generations back that they used to play all the time as kids. A kart racing game with characters that looked like mushrooms and turtles—they used to be obsessed with it back in the day.And honestly, not much had changed.
"Hey, no fair! That's cheating! How did you pull that item right now?!"
"Maybe 'cause I’m just a stand-up boy in my daily life?"
"Liar! You literally just treated me like a monster!"
"Haha!"
Even though it had been forever since they last saw each other, they barely even talked, just sat shoulder-to-shoulder getting lost in the game. Even when they did open their mouths, it was only to trash-talk about whatever was happening on screen.
But honestly? That was more than enough.
You could just feel the gap that had grown between them over the years finally starting to close.
Before they knew it, the summer sun was starting to dip, letting them know that the day was pretty much over.
"Yeah, I should probably head out."
"Right. Gotcha."
It'd been a blast. And that's exactly why, now that it was time to wrap things up, a tiny wave of loneliness started to kick in.Logically, Hayato got it.
Back then, there was a time when Hayato thought their days together would never end. But that world had come crashing down without warning.
Haruki watched Hayato put on his shoes, her face looking just like a pouting kid who didn't want to say goodbye.
Hayato could feel Haruki's stare burning into his back. He totally got where she was coming from, mostly because he felt exactly the same way.
So, as if trying to shake off that lingering anxiety, Hayato forced himself to sound as upbeat as possible.
"See ya later."
"…Ah."
It was their usual parting phrase.
That one simple phrase carried all the weight of their feelings. And neither of them was dense enough to miss the meaning behind it.
Just like they'd promised, Haruki had come back to Hayato's side. That's why, for Haruki, the real greeting for this reunion was—
"Yeah, see ya later… …and hey, welcome back!"
"Welcome back?"
"To me, it's definitely a 'welcome back.'"
"Haha, what's that even supposed to mean?"
Haruki flashed a smile as bright and beautiful as a flower in full bloom.
It was, without a doubt, the best smile Hayato had seen all day.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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"Eh—coming in."
"Make yourself at home. I'm the only one here anyway, so no need to be formal or anything."
"…You're for real?"
Hayato gave a slightly tense greeting, but Haruki's reply was as casual as it gets, like it was no big deal.
On the outside, Haruki's a total top-tier, elegant beauty.
But when she acts like the same little "tomboy boss" she used to be, it really messes with Hayato's head.
While Hayato was wrapping his brain around that, Haruki suddenly let out an "Oh!" like she'd just remembered something.
"W-Wait right there for a sec! Just stay put, okay?!"
"Hey!"
Haruki scrambled up the stairs, her skirt fluttering as she rushed. A second later, Hayato heard a bunch of thumping and clattering—the sound of total chaos. She's probably panic-cleaning her room or something.
"…Seriously, what am I even supposed to do?"
Left hanging in the entryway of a house he barely knew, Hayato couldn't help but let out a sigh.
And it wasn't just that—since Haruki'd bolted up the stairs like a madwoman, Haruto'd caught a glimpse of some totally un-sexy boxer-style underwear under her skirt. A weird wave of guilt started eating at him.
"Sorry for the wait!"
"…Oh, wow."
A minute later, a panting Haruki invited Hayato into her room. She'd probably just shoved everything into her closet at the last second, but the place looked decent enough at first glance.
The furniture was all black and dark brown, with bookshelves packed with manga, plastic models, and every gaming console imaginable. It was exactly the kind of room you'd expect from a grown-up Haruki.
If it weren't for the mirror and a few makeup supplies looking out of place on her desk, it wouldn't have looked much different from Hayato's own room.
"Just grab a spot anywhere… …and, hop."
"Sure. But hey, Haruki."
"Yeah? You should take yours off too, Hayato. Don't be shy. Your socks must be pretty sweaty, right?"
"…I mean, yeah, but..."
Haruki tossed a cushion Hayato's way and, out of the blue, started peeling off her socks. Unlike back in the day, seeing those bare, pale, and feminine-looking legs suddenly exposed made Hayato's heart race—even though he knew exactly who he was dealing with.
But then, Haruki flopped down on the cushion, sat cross-legged like a total dude, and scooted way too close to Hayato. Just like that, the image of the old Haruki came flooding back. Any romantic tension vanished into thin air, and Hayato had to stifle a laugh deep in his throat.
Haruki, however, wasn't laughing; She was giving Hayato a major look of disapproval.
"So, who exactly were you calling a wild monkey spirit?"
"Eh, well, about that..."
It looked like Haruki was really holding a grudge over what Hayato'd said this morning.
Haruki wasn't just mad; She was more like... ...pouting. Hayato could totally read the room.
Still, seeing Haruki pout those plump lips and crawl toward Hayato with that judgmental side-eye made a cold sweat run down his spine.
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? My bad. Let's just call it my 'debt.' I'll owe you one, okay?"
"Hmm, a 'debt,' huh? Fine, I can live with that."
Satisfied with Hayato's answer, Haruki dropped the grumpy act. She mumbled the word "debt" to herself like she was savoring it and started grinning mischievously.
Logically, Hayato got it.
Back then, there was a time when Hayato thought their days together would never end. But that world had come crashing down without warning.
Haruki watched Hayato put on his shoes, her face looking just like a pouting kid who didn't want to say goodbye.
Hayato could feel Haruki's stare burning into his back. He totally got where she was coming from, mostly because he felt exactly the same way.
So, as if trying to shake off that lingering anxiety, Hayato forced himself to sound as upbeat as possible.
"See ya later."
"…Ah."
It was their usual parting phrase.
That one simple phrase carried all the weight of their feelings. And neither of them was dense enough to miss the meaning behind it.
Just like they'd promised, Haruki had come back to Hayato's side. That's why, for Haruki, the real greeting for this reunion was—
"Yeah, see ya later… …and hey, welcome back!"
"Welcome back?"
"To me, it's definitely a 'welcome back.'"
"Haha, what's that even supposed to mean?"
Haruki flashed a smile as bright and beautiful as a flower in full bloom.
It was, without a doubt, the best smile Hayato had seen all day.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donation really supports us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages:
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
←Previous Table of Contents Next→