Mia had nowhere else to go.
Drenched in humiliation and stripped of everything familiar, she clutched her bathrobe tighter around herself as she arrived at the only place she could think of.
She rang the doorbell.
The door opened just a crack before slamming shut in her face.
Inside, Haru turned away from the door, irritation flickering in his sharp gaze.
"Who was it?" Aoi asked from across the room.
"No one," Haru replied coldly, his fingers tightening into a fist. Then, without missing a beat, he changed the subject. "More importantly, I came here to talk about your relationship with Mia."
Before Aoi could respond, the doorbell rang again.
Haru's jaw tensed.
What is her problem? Can she not take a hint? Even after everything at the Halloween party, she still has the nerve to show up here?
Exhaling sharply, Haru stomped toward the door and yanked it open.
"WHAT?!" he snapped. "What do you want?"
Aoi, curious about the commotion, stood up to see who was at the door.
"Mia?" Aoi's brows furrowed as he took in her disheveled appearance. "Are you okay?"
Mia let out a shaky breath of relief. "Aoi…"
"Come inside," he said immediately.
Haru pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He had something important to discuss, and now this?
He turned to Mia, unimpressed. "Why are you wearing a bathrobe?"
Mia hesitated before explaining, "I was kicked out of my house. My parents took everything from me. I don't have any money, and I have nowhere to stay." She looked at Aoi pleadingly. "Can I stay here?"
"Yes," Aoi said.
"No," Haru said at the same time.
They turned to glare at each other.
"Haru," Aoi sighed. "I know you're not happy about my relationship with Mia, but she has nowhere else to go."
Haru crossed his arms. "There must be a reason your parents kicked you out. So tell me—what did you do?"
Mia averted her eyes.
"Haru, we don't need to pry," Aoi interjected.
"If she's asking to live here, then yes, we do," Haru shot back. "We have the right to know what we're inviting into our home."
Aoi frowned. "It's none of our business."
Haru scoffed. "It is when it affects us." His gaze flickered back to Mia. "So? What's the reason?"
Mia clenched her fists.
"Haru! That's enough!" Aoi snapped. "Mia, you can stay."
"I refuse," Haru said flatly.
"I don't care."
"You should," Haru countered, his voice calm but sharp. "This apartment belongs to both of us. And legally, I have just as much right to decide who stays here as you do."
"Haru, don't be like this."
"Are you going to deny me my rights?"
Aoi's mouth opened, but Haru didn't give him the chance to speak.
"You let Sakura stay here once," Aoi pointed out.
"With your consent," Haru said smoothly.
"When her drink was spiked, I asked you first, and you agreed. Or have you forgotten?"
Aoi fell silent.
A smirk tugged at Haru's lips. "Well then, Mia, would you kindly leave?"
Mia's eyes widened. "But—"
"Wait." Aoi pulled out his wallet and handed her some cash. "Here. It's enough for a hotel. Haru can't tell me how to spend my money."
Mia exhaled in relief. "Thank you, Aoi."
Haru's expression darkened. "I hope you're not planning to live off my brother's money forever."
Aoi scoffed. "You're one to talk. I pay for everything you eat and wear."
Haru chuckled, but there was no humour in it. "With whose money?" His eyes gleamed dangerously. "If I recall, Mom and Dad gave you that money to support me until I graduate. Yet you use it on yourself, even though you have a job."
Aoi stiffened.
Haru pulled out his phone and flashed his father's contact. "So… either you tell me that was your money you just handed to Mia, or I call Dad and tell him to transfer my share into my account instead. Your choice."
Aoi's jaw clenched.
Mia was stunned. She had never seen this side of Haru before. Ruthless. Cold. Unyielding.
"…It was your money," Aoi admitted through gritted teeth. "But I'll pay you back."
Haru's smirk widened. "Ah, well, since it's my money, I think 38,024 yen should be enough for you, Mia. It'll last you about a week, so I suggest getting a job in the meantime. Okay then—good night."
With that, he shut the door in her face.
Aoi clenched his fists. "Haru, what the hell is wrong with you?!"
Haru didn't flinch. "I want to warn you about that girl."
"Fuck you!" Aoi growled.
"If you want to keep dating her, that's your decision," Haru said evenly. "But as your brother, I'm telling you—Mia is nothing but trouble. I have no doubt she's using you to get to me."
Aoi stormed forward, gripping Haru's shirt and slamming him against the wall.
Haru remained calm. "At the party tonight, she lashed out at Sakura for dating me. If she truly loved you, why would she do that?"
Aoi's grip wavered. Slowly, he released Haru and stepped back, his expression conflicted.
Haru straightened his collar. "One more thing—I'm not staying at Kei's place anymore. So you can hate me all you want, but we're going to be living under the same roof."
Aoi turned away, refusing to answer.
Haru sighed. "Good talk."
…
Once Aoi disappeared into his room, Haru sighed and leaned against the wall before dialing his father.
It was late in Japan, but in the U.S., it was still afternoon.
After a few rings, his father picked up.
"Haru? It's late for you. What's wrong?"
"I just felt like talking to you," Haru replied casually.
His father seemed mildly surprised. "That's rare. How are you?"
"I'm fine. How's Mum?"
"She's good. Busy with work as always."
Haru nodded, though his father couldn't see.
"And you and Aoi? You two getting along?"
Haru hesitated. "…Yeah."
His father didn't sound convinced but didn't press the matter. "How's university?"
Haru smirked. "I'm at the top of my class."
"As expected of my son." There was a hint of pride in his father's voice. "Well done."
Haru exhaled. "Actually, the real reason I called was because… I want you to transfer my money directly into my account from now on."
A pause. "Why?"
"Did you and Aoi get into a fight?"
Haru ran a hand through his hair. "Not exactly… but it's about Aoi and Mia—one of my classmates. They're dating. And I'm worried he's going to use my money on her."
His father hummed. "Well, in any case Aoi shouldn't be using your money at all and the girl he's dating, Mia, you said her name was?"
"Yeah."
"Do you have a problem with her?"
"She's a terrible person," Haru stated bluntly. "She's obsessed with me and is only dating Aoi to get closer to me. I warned him, but he refuses to listen. You know she even made a scene at a party last night because I'm dating someone else, and—"
His father cut in. "Wait. You're dating someone?"
Haru blinked before realising his slip-up. "…Yeah."
"Who?"
Haru hesitated, then finally said, "Her name's Sakura."
His father chuckled. "Well you look at that the spring tree and cherry blossoms together."
"What?" Haru said confused.
"Haru your name means spring tree in Japanese and Sakura means cherry blossoms. It was as if you two were made for one another."
A faint blush appeared on Haru's cheeks.
"So, tell me about her."
Haru exhaled, but this time, his expression softened. "She's… amazing. She's really smart. In fact, she's second in our class. But it's not just her intelligence—she's kind, too. In a genuine way. And, she's beautiful. Like, really beautiful. But what really stands out about her is her bravery. When I asked her out, instead of giving me a yes or no answer, she kissed me right in the middle of a lecture, saying that's my answer. She's fearless, and doesn't just take but gives. Honestly, I've never met anyone like her."
His father listened intently, then said, "Well, I'm happy for you, son."
Then, shifting back to their earlier conversation, he added, "You did the right thing warning Aoi about Mia, but there's nothing more you can do. He has to see it for himself."
"I know."
"But when he does—when he gets hurt—make sure you're there for him."
Haru was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. "…Yeah."
"Good. I'll handle the money transfer. Get some rest, Haru."
"…You too, Dad."
As the call ended, Haru exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice.