Divine Madness [Free!] [2]

🌸 Chapter 5 🌸

"Come on, we've got to hurry," Heisuke called over her shoulder at Makoto and Nagisa as she raced up the stone steps, having run all the way here following their little meeting with Matsuoka Gou. "What if Haru-Kun was sick and waiting for us?"

"Hei-Chan, slow down!" Makoto called out back at the pink-haired girl in front of him. "If you run like this, you might trip and fall!" He tried to use his long legs to catch up to her but unlike Heisuke, he was scared to fall and get hurt.

"Let's convince Haru-Chan to come with us to go visit Samezuka Academy!" Nagisa cheered in his sugary voice. "Then, we can meet Rin-Chan and ask him what happened!"

Heisuke reached the first torii in the lead, and turned around by the chouzuya to head toward the Nanase House. Rather than going around the backdoor, Heisuke just tried and found the front door open. She knew that Haruka would've left the door open for her.

Now smiling slightly, Heisuke pushed all thoughts of the strange new Rin and the Samezuka Academy as she headed inside. She had already taken off her shoes and was well into the house by the time Makoto and Nagisa reached in the Genkan, closing the door behind them.

"Haru-Kun must be in the bath still," Heisuke said as she walked up the stairs to Haruka's bathroom, Makoto and Nagisa trailing behind her. She reached out to knock on the bathroom door. "Haru-Kun?"

"Yeah," Haruka's voice sounded muffled from behind the door. Heisuke knew he was wearing his jammers and easily pushed open the door to look at him. "You're here, huh,"

"Sorry, we got a bit late," Heisuke said and Haruka looked up when at the word 'we', noticing Makoto and Nagisa outside the door. He sighed. He had hoped she would come by alone. "You didn't catch a fever, right? It's not good to stay in a bath for this long..."

"It was just the sun," Haruka said once more but Heisuke's hand found its place against his forehead. Seemingly not satified by it only, it slipped to feel both of his cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Oh, you're perfectly okay," Heisuke acknowledged as she removed her hand from his face. "It really must have only been the sun after all," She chuckled and Haruka gazed at her.

Since she was kneeling down next to the bathtub, Heisuke's face was not that far from Haruka's face. Just like how they were at recess... Haruka swallowed slightly and continued to stare at her. Heisuke's eyes were the prettiest today. Haruka could see that clearly. His cheeks darkened when he realised that she was looking back at him, too.

"Come on out of the bath now, Haru," Makoto called to the pair and Haruka pushed himself up, sprinkling water droplets onto Heisuke's face, which caused the girl to move back immediately.

"What are you two doing here?" Haruka asked as he walked out of the bathroom. Heisuke passed him the blue towel that he used to dry off his hair. She found it cute because it matched Makkou's.

"Why?" Nagisa asked. "Was Haru-Chan only waiting for Suke-Chan?" Heisuke felt a chill of embarrassment run through her spine while Haruka hid his face with the towel as he tried his hair.

"What are you talking about..." Heisuke muttered as she walked out of the bathroom, now realising just how strange Nagisa would've thought of such actions. She wasn't a pervert!

"Leaving that, what we came to say was that how about we go visit Samezuka Academy?" Makoto asked, changing the subject. "We heard that Rin's going there,"

"No," Haruka responded immediately. There was no reason for them to go there, and he didn't want to see the disappointment and hurt in Heisuke's eyes whenever she saw Rin's stupid actions.