He Has No Connection

*Clink~

The sounds of clinking and water being used could be heard from the sink as plates were being neatly placed onto the drying rack..

Haruto was quietly doing his portion of the work for dinner as Mahiru was sitting by the table near him, staring at his face in thought.

"Is something bothering you?"

Her soft voice caught the attention of Haruto who was cleaning and he noticed her eyes looking at him with a worried look.

"Even if you tried to act the same, I noticed that you always seem to be thinking about something ever since we came home."

"You noticed something like that?"

"Of course, I spend my time with you everyday so I would be bound to notice something like that."

Haruto was able to hear the confidence in her words and he just gave her a small smile. He debated in his head for a while, deciding if he should mention something about meeting a man who could possibly be her father.

He knew that she had a bad relationship with her parents so he would rather not bring up this sort of topic.

But he should probably say something in the event they somehow meet without him there, making her somewhat mentally prepared instead of faltering due to his sudden visit.

"How should I say this… right before coming into the apartment I briefly met a person who was standing near the entrance."

"Near the entrance?"

"Yeah and he had the same blonde hair, golden eyes and a face that closely resembled yours."

Still holding some dishes in his hands and letting the water from the faucet steadily fall on them, Haruto continued to tell Mahiru what he saw.before she came down to meet him.

"..A-Are you saying that you met a man who might have been my father…?"

"That's what I think."

Silence enveloped the two of them as Haruto said his response and he closely looked at Mahiru who was sitting near him.

Her eyes flashed various emotions until it finally turned to a frosty and distant look he hadn't seen in a long time.

"You might be wrong. Other than business he has no other reason to look for me and if he did I would know through a simple text message which I have not gotten."

"And if he miraculously wanted to meet me for other reasons, what would he talk about? He had abandoned his daughter for more than 10 years so I doubt he wants to know how my life is."

Haruto heard words continue to spew out of Mahiru's mouth and his heart clenched hearing the thorns in her voice.

Turning off the faucet he quickly wiped his hands and made his way towards Mahiru who was still talking.

"They never placed me in their eyes so why would he suddenly want to meet me."

"Mahiru."

"I can't think of them as being people who cared about how I grew up…"

"Mahiru."

With a face still devoid of any emotion, she continued to spew out words until she felt a pair of hands slowly caress her head and arms that suddenly held her to a familiar spot that she loved.

"You don't need to speak anymore, it's alright now."

"...."

Hearing his calm voice, Mahiru closed her eyes for a bit before wrapping her arms around Haruto's torso while she was still sitting down at the dining room table.

With her eyes closed she felt his hands caress the top of her head, making her feel calm and at home.

"....It doesn't really bother me that much."

"Really."

"..Yeah, that person has no connection with me other than being blood related."

"I see."

"And I'm fine now since I know people that care about me and a new home that I can always go to."

"My mother, father and sister will gladly welcome you with open arms."

Mahiru looked up from her position and couldn't help but give a smile back hearing his words. They stood still for a couple of minutes before separating and Haruto went back to the sink to finish cleaning the dishes.

Mahiru this time decided to follow him and help despite Haruto repeatedly refusing.

"What would you like me to do if I somehow meet him again?"

"It doesn't matter to me since I'm not willing to involve myself with him unless he messages me first."

Wiping the plate in her hands, Mahiru said her words in an adamant tone making Haruto give a troubled smile as he realizes just how deep the gap is between Mahiru and her parents.

"But I still find it strange for him to come by and just look if it really was my father."

"Do you think he's planning something we should be worried about?"

"Probably not. Even him being a failure as a father, I know he is not the type of person to do those types of schemes and harm other people."

"I see. Well if you do hear about something that troubles you, just tell me and I will try my best to help out. Even if it involves snatching you away from them."

Finishing the last of the dishes, Haruto said his final words to the issue making Mahiru look at him with a grateful and happy look in her eyes.

"Is this you finally accepting the title you've received from school?" Mahiru neatly organized the plates on the drying rate and said her sentence with a teasing tone.

"What do you mean by my title?"

"Ah! Will the courageous Prince of the Volleyball Club really appear before me on a white horse and snatch me away~!"

"You…"

Haruto's face darkened when he heard her answer. Mahiru exaggerated her gestures by placing her hand on top of her mouth and repeatedly glanced at him as if she was a shoujo character looking at her prince charming.

"Where did this even come from..?"

"I don't know, I just felt like doing it."

Mahiru answered him with a blank face and Haruto looked at her weirdly. After a while his mouth turned into a wide grin making Mahiru suspiciously on guard.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm~ I don't know what you mean."

"Really? then why are you—Kyah!"

Mahiru squealed out loud when she felt his hand squeeze the side of her waist, surprising her since she felt ticklish.

"I didn't know you were that ticklish~. I thought your only weak point was your ears."

"I don't know what you're talking about—Kyaah! Alright stop, stop please!"

Mahiru giggled between her breathless laughs as she tried her best to swipe Haruto's hands away from her. Seeing that she had enough, Haruto stopped and felt satisfied.

"What was that about?" Mahiru tried to catch her breath as she glared in his direction.

"I wanted to see if angels are also able to be tickled."

"I don't think there's even a single connection between the two…"

"Really? Huh, must be my mistake then." Haruto tilted his head and placed a thoughtful look on his face which Mahiru knew was fake.

"I feel like a villain suits you much better than a prince…"

"Really, do you mind if you tell me more about it?"

"Nope and stop getting closer, I can see your intentions from a mile away."

The two of them stood still for a while before Mahiru decided to quickly retreat towards the living room where Haruto was quick to follow her.

"Pfft! Y-You're definitely a villain!"

"So you finally decided to fight back huh."

Mahiru did her best to escape but eventually accepted her fate and just did her best to tickle him back which she saw to be a bit successful.

The sounds of laughter eventually filled the apartment as their playful fight made them completely forget about the topic they talked about beforehand.

***

I hope you enjoyed it. Peacu.