BLOOMING HEARTS ▹ T. MORINOZUKA [✔]

seven.

"Kazu-chan, I think I found them!" Honey exclaimed in delight.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up," she told him, knowing that, in her condition, she won't be able to walk any faster.

Honey climbed a tree and grabbed a vine strong enough to support his weight. Kazumi was aware that she should've probably chastised him and be concerned, but that boy was Haninozuka Mitsukuni - if anyone could play Tarzan safely, that person was him.

She arrived just a few moments later as, apparently, they were way closer than she had expected. Honey was about to finish knocking down the last of Ootori's Black Onion Squad, but what disheartened her was seeing Takashi holding Haruhi's body close to his bare chest.

She tried to rationalize that Takashi was most likely protecting the young girl from the wilderness of the jungle and the misunderstanding of the Black Onion Squad, but her heartache lasted. It didn't matter that Takashi put Haruhi down soon after their arrival.

Kazumi averted her eyes.

"Don't go being so reckless," Honey scolded them, "picking on my friends is a no-no!"

"Haruhi!" Tamaki yelled, dashing towards them alongside the twins and Kyoya. "Haruhi, are you all right?"

"Ah, Tama-chan!" Honey greeted.

"Honey-senpai?"

"Kazumi-senpai?"

"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried in happiness, rushing to embrace the short brunette girl. "I was worried about you!"

Honestly, Kazumi couldn't even start to comprehend how he couldn't notice that he was completely head over heels for her.

"Not sure what happened here, but they seem okay," concluded Hikaru, poking at one of the fallen soldiers.

"Well, Honey-senpai was the one who did this, right?" Kaoru argued, poking at another man.

"He was holding back," declared Kazumi, who was slightly afar from the group, leaning against a tree. She was still in overwhelming pain, but their presence distracted her from it, and, somehow, her body knew that she needed to remain conscious for a bit longer until she reached home.

"What do you mean by that?" Haruhi asked in confusion.

"You don't know?"

"The Haninozukas have been famous for their martial arts for generations. They've instructed not just the police and SDF, but overseas military forces as well."

"In particular, Honey-senpai has been called the dreadnaught of the Haninozuka family. And by the time he was in middle school, he was the national champion in both karate and judo," explained Kyoya.

"Incidentally," added Tamaki, "Mori-senpai also became the national champion in kendo when he was in middle school."

"Honey-senpai, Kazumi-senpai, what are you doing here?" Kaoru asked.