(Haruna POV)

***

Haruna fidgeted nervously as the elevator took them to the 30th floor, stealing glances at Reiji, who was leaning against the wall.

'I can't believe we're going to be alone!!'

Her mind started racing, considering various possibilities that this situation could bring, with a slight blush on her face. But each time a thought popped up, she instantly threw it out of her mind in panic.

She knew that this didn't really mean anything, and they were likely going to just study, but this was going to be the first time they'd be alone in a closed space, and it was making her a little crazy.

Granny had always been home when they were conducting the sessions at her place, and when they were walking together, they were in public.

For someone like her, who seemed flamboyant and confident on the outside but was extremely inexperienced in things like this, she didn't know what to do or think.

*DING*

The doors slid open as if signaling the start of an eventful battle, and she hiccupped in surprise as it jolted her awake.

"What's wrong?" Reiji asked when he noticed the odd noise.

Haruna studied his puzzled but otherwise normal face, pouting with slight indignation.

'Does he not feel nervous at all??'

She huffed as she stepped out with a stern demeanor, her hands clutching at her bag tightly.

"Geez, you're going the wrong way again!"

Haruna stopped, turned around, and continued walking without a change in her expression, even though she was punching a wall internally.

"What's wrong with you today? Are you sick?" Reiji asked, looking a little worried.

"I'm fine! Just w-worried about the midterms, that's all!"

He scratched his hair, his brows furrowing in confusion, and then followed behind her with a shrug.

"I live here," he said, stopping in front of a large white door that screamed 'rich', and tapped the handle with his thumb.

The door unlocked right away, swinging inwards in a smooth and soundless curve.

"Woah! Was that a fingerprint reader?" Haruna exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, it took me a while to get used to it, too."

"Huh? I thought you grew up rich?"

"U-Uh, yeah I did. But my old place didn't have this, so it was new to me."

He had a strangely sheepish look, but Haruna brushed it off. They both entered one after the other, taking their shoes off next to the cabinet.

Haruna gawked at the extravagance of the apartment in front of her, admiring the marbled floors and modern style that she had never really seen in person.

The furniture looked luxurious and comfortable, with bright white lighting that illuminated the entire living room without leaving that hazy dullness she was used to.

The open-air kitchen looked extremely clean and well-maintained, probably a testament to how much Reiji cared about his craft.

"This place is so beautiful!" Haruna muttered, turning to him with shining eyes.

Reiji smiled at her excitement, striding into the kitchen after placing his bag on the table.

"Want something to drink? I've got water, mango juice, diet sodas, or I can make you some coffee or tea."

"Ummm, I think I'm in the mood for some hot coffee if you don't mind, with two spoons of sugar and some cream," she replied, her attention still on the various features of the apartment.

While Reiji started making the drinks, Haruna opened a door so that she could explore this mystical place.

She looked around at the guest bathroom in awe, marveling at the clean white aesthetic and flowery scent from the air fresheners.

"You don't mind if I look around, do you? Or do you need to hide certain 'magazines' first?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes at her and then waved his hand casually.

"Go ahead, I'll have the coffee ready in a few minutes."

"Yay!"

She entered the first door on the right of the passage in front of her, and a small but well-equipped gym came into view. There was a treadmill, a rack of dumbbells, and a few other machines that she had seen before but didn't know the names of.

'I knew it, he definitely works out!'

She grinned, her mind wandering away with wild imagination as she closed the door behind her.

The next door revealed an empty bedroom being used as a storage area, with cardboard boxes and suitcases tidied up in a neat and orderly manner.

Even though it was obviously not used very often, she could barely see any signs of dust or dirt on the floors or even behind the cartons.

'Is he a germaphobe?'

She tilted her head with curiosity, moving on to the second-last door. It was another empty bedroom, but this one was slightly bigger than the storage unit and also had a bathroom attached to it.

It was being used as a study, indicated by the desk with a PC on it and the shelf filled with books on the adjacent wall.

Haruna stepped up to take a closer look, a mischievous smile gracing her face.

'Maybe he's hiding the magazines behind this?'

Though she thought it would be unlikely, it would be so fun to tease him if she did end up finding something.

But to her disappointment, as well as immense relief, she only saw textbooks, manga, and novels on them.

She moved on to the last one, her nervousness growing because she knew this would be his bedroom.

She entered cautiously and was completely taken aback at what she saw.

It was considerably bigger than the other three rooms, with a plush king-size bed and various other furniture that made it look extremely cozy despite the size and modern design.

There was a large TV mounted on the wall directly in front of the bed for a more comfortable viewing experience, and another bathroom attached to the side.

The bed was made with perfect smoothness, and not a single part of the room looked out of place.

This made her believe once again that Reiji was a germaphobe or had OCD in some way, because the entire place looked like it was adjusted by a neat freak.

She walked out in a daze, only now understanding just how rich his family was. A four-bedroom apartment in such a prime location would not be cheap in any shape or form, especially accounting for the fact that it seemed to be a fairly new building.

She returned to the kitchen to see Reiji serving a hot cup of coffee for her at the table, holding a glass of iced coffee for himself.

He looked up when he heard her footsteps, tilting his head before saying, "So? What'd you think of the place?"

"It's amazing! Everything is so nice and big that I don't even know how to describe it!"

She sat down next to him even though there was a seat across the table, warming her hands on the hot mug, which seemed to calm her down.

"Yeah, but it does get lonely from time to time," Reiji responded with a sigh.

"Why'd you even move here in the first place? Doesn't your family live in the same city?"

Haruna had been wanting to ask this question for a while now, especially after seeing that the place was big enough to house multiple people.

"Well... It's kinda embarrassing, but my dad thought that living alone and being more responsible for my day-to-day life would stop me from acting out like I used to," Reiji chuckled wryly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"...That's a really odd punishment," Haruna blinked with amusement.

"Tell me about it. Anyway, after he saw that I did actually straighten up—no thanks to this idea—he told me to come back. But like I said, I wanted very little to do with the syndicate, so I thought it would be better to continue as it is."

"I don't blame you. It's my dream to live in a house like this!" she sighed, a hint of yearning in her voice.

Reiji turned to her, resting his face on his hand and leaning on the table leisurely.

"Is that your goal?"

"Well, that's more of a side quest, hehe. I want to earn a lot of money so that I can pay off that stupid debt and let Granny live comfortably and in luxury..."

Haruna stared down at the steaming mug in her hands, a mix of despondence and determination blazing in her emerald green eyes.

"You saw how hard she works, and she's too proud and caring to ask for help. I just want to be able to give her anything she wants, which may seem like such a far-fetched goal, but it's the only thing I can do for now until I have a concrete way of making that dream come true," she continued softly.

Reiji, who had been quiet while she spoke, extended his arm and patted her hair gently. She glanced up, feeling both warm and shy at the sudden intimate gesture.

"I promised you, didn't I? Once the midterms are over, I'll think of a way we can earn a bunch of money. The debt will not be an issue for long, trust me."

Her breath caught in her throat when she locked eyes with his deep blue ones that had softened with worry and affection, a slow tremor running through her body as she bit her bottom lip to prevent the tears from forming.

She shifted her focus to her mug, taking a deep gulp of the scalding hot coffee timidly.

"AGH, HOT! HOT!" she gasped, her tongue hanging out in an effort to cool it down.

Reiji immediately thrust his ice-cold cup into her hand, urging her to take a sip.

"Why'd you do that? Did you not see the steam?" he admonished, though his tone was simply worried.

Haruna glared at him with exasperation while drinking heavily from his cup.

'....It's not my fault you big, dumb idiot!'

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