That Blonde Guy

Chapter 15

"Nika!"

I just walked out of the school gates that afternoon when I heard someone calling my name. With my brows pulled together, I turned back only to see a tall guy jogging towards my direction.

I stopped walking and looked intently at the approaching guy. My eyes squinted. Is that-- "Haruto?"

He stopped in front of me, panting. He wiped the beads of sweat that had formed in his forehead and smiled. "Hello, Nika."

It was indeed Haruto. He was in a formal outfit--a black coat, white shirt underneath and a tie--and he was holding something in his hand. A paper bag.

I smiled, my forehead creased. "Oh, hello, Haruto."

"I saw you from afar, so I ran," he said. "I knew it was you."

"Wow." I chuckled. "You really recognized me."

"I have the best eyes, you know." He tried winking but struggled, so both of us ended up laughing.

"Are you on your way home?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You?"

He nodded, too. "Do you want to walk together?"

It was something that I didn't expect that day. Walking alone wasn't really a problem for me but these past few weeks, I kind of got used to walking with someone since Kei started showing up in my school to walk me home. Kei doesn't come everyday, though--just like today--so I was kind of glad with someone suddenly showing up to walk with me. I just didn't expect for it to be Haruto.

"What's that, anyway?" I asked, pertaining to the paper bag he was holding.

"Oh, this. It's for Sachi," he said. "I stopped by the pet shop and bought some treats, and then I saw you."

I remember there was actually a pet shop near our school.

The both of us talked about things as we walked together under the trees in the side of the street. Being in his presence surprisingly felt comfortable despite the fact that I just met him just a couple of times before. I thought it was because of the way he talked. I found myself just smiling the whole time as I was listening to him.

"I'm sorry about last time," I said. "The incident with Keisuke, you know."

It was too embarassing that I didn't wanna bring it up, but I knew I had to apologize to him. Being with Kei really brings trouble and embarassment. I probably should just put duct tape to that asshole's mouth next time to keep him from calling random people gay.

He just smiled. "Don't mind it."

"He's just.." I paused, shrugging my shoulders. I didn't know how to describe him, really. I shook my head and smiled. "Just let me apologize on his behalf."

He nodded, smiling. If there's something that one could easily notice in Haruto, it's his smile. He really had this sweet and handsome smile. Charming, I would say.

"I really thought he's going to punch me."

"Oh, no." I laughed. "It doesn't seem like it, but he's actually kind."

I found out some things about him that afternoon. He told me that he was actually sixteen, just a year older than me. When he moved here with his cousin, he transfered in a school nearby as well. I just realized that the formal outfit he was wearing was actually his uniform, and I recognized the logo on his chest which was an exclusive private high school here in Shibuya. He wasn't wearing the formal black leather shoes that was part of the uniform, but a white sneakers. He said he changed when he got home before going to the pet shop.