47 Inside Haru's Room

Haru choked on his water, almost spilling some of it on his shirt. Junichi chuckled at the sight of his son getting embarrassed, while Sakura quickly grabbed the tissue box and handed it to him.

"Didn't you two sleep together in his room? Or was it just Sakura?" he rubbed his chin with his thumb, trying to remember what Kyoko talked about before.

"It was just me and Kyoko, uncle," Sakura answered.

He patted his face dry with the tissue, "Geez, pops, you're the one being annoying right now." He then glanced at Sakura, "I'll just change my clothes and clean up my room so that you can already tuck yourself to sleep. Will just eat my dinner later on."

Haru, confident that his room was tidy enough, only changed the sheets and the pillowcases as well as organized some of his belongings placed atop his desk. After making sure that everything was set, he checked Kyoko first, who was already in deep sleep, before heading downstairs where he heard his father and their guest chatting about him.

"Is it for real? Haru hasn't had a girlfriend ever since?"

"Do I look like I was lying?" he chuckled.

Sakura let out a soft laugh, "No, it's not like that, uncle! I'm just wondering why and how? I mean… with his looks and personality? With the number of women who like him, I am pretty sure he will like at least one of them…"

"Why am the one getting flattered? It feels like I've raised him well."

"You are his father, uncle. Of course, you raised him very well. He's got his good looks from you, too!" she beamed.

"Ah, right…. You two just met last spring. That figures then," Junichi's voice turned serious.

"Figures what, uncle?"

"That you still don't know much about him."

"I'm still in the process of getting to know him and the others more, but I can truly say that his kindness and artistry are very admirable," a genuine smile formed on her lips.

"I see… so he hasn't told you about it."

"I'm sorry, do I need to know something? Is something wrong?" her voice sounded so perturbed.

"There's nothing wrong and nothing to worry about," Haru butted in as he walked into the dining area. Noticing that she was already done with her meal, he looked at her, "My room's ready, Sakura. You can now have a good night's sleep."

"Oh! I'll wash the dishes first and-"

"I'll wash the dishes after dinner," .

"Go ahead, Sakura. I hope you enjoyed the food and hope you rest well," Junichi smiled and started cleaning up the used dishes and utensils.

Sakura also greeted him good night before standing up. As she followed him upstairs, she kept thinking about what Junichi had said about his son. However, she even got more bewildered upon seeing Haru's reddened face as she was led inside his room.

"Haru, are you alright?" she worriedly stared at him.

But the tall handsome man couldn't look at her directly and ran a hand on his nape before speaking, "Yeah."

"Come on. What is it? Why are you so red?"

It was already ingrained in his mind that he and Sakura only had a drunk kiss with him, nothing more. Despite that, he still felt his heart throb and being alone with her in his room somewhat made him fidgety.

"Well… you're the first ever woman who's going to sleep in my room," he muttered, quickly scanning the room to see if everything was organized, and he puffed some air in relief after double-checking his things. It would really be humiliating if she wouldn't have a good night's rest if ever she wouldn't find his room warm and cozy.

Sakura couldn't help but to chuckle and even felt herself a bit awakened upon hearing his statement, "What do you mean? Kyoko and I slept here before."

He scratched the temple of his head, "But you're together and you're both drunk. The others usually sleep in Kyoko's room and in the living room when spending the night here."

Sakura's gaze drifted around the room. Of course, it was a little bigger than hers, and she could smell his newly laundried sheets, "I see… It's also because you haven't brought anyone here since you haven't had a girlfriend-"

"Come on now," he almost grunted, but he was still not looking at her.

"I should be honored then," she laughed softly as she walked around and had a good look at the interiors . "We're friends, so I don't know why you're getting too flustered."

A big closet was positioned near the bedroom door and adjacent to it was a wooden rack of his clothes and shoes. His bed, which was on top of a wooden slat and was covered with a gray striped bed sheet paired with gray pillowcases, was placed near the sliding door. Next to his bed was a desk and a comfy chair, while at the end of the bed was a shelf consisting of manga and books about coffee.

The scent of the sheets was already luring her to sleep, and for some reason, as she drew nearer his bed, her cheeks felt suddenly hot.

"Okay, that's enough, Sakura. Sleeping time," Haru's voice came from behind. He shouldn't be nervous about being alone with her in his room and that should be more concerned about her sleep and condition. "And I forgot to tell you…. There's an extra brush and towel in the bathroom, and if you need to borrow clean clothes, I took some of Kyoko's new laundry and placed it on the bathroom's counter."

Sakura lightly patted her cheeks, trying not to think about the things that appeared in her mind when Haru delivered coffee last weekend. She glanced at him and thanked him.

"What's the arrangement for tomorrow by the way?"

"Kyoko and I agreed to just meet at Miouji. Let's just all meet there."

Haru nodded his head, "Wake me up tomorrow-"

"Nope," she snickered. "You sleep and we'll just see each other at the store".

"Alright, alright. I'll be downstairs if you need something," he smiled, a dimple appearing on his cheek.

"Ugh, Haru… Before you leave, is there something I need to know about you?"