Chapter Text
It was a hot, sunny day in the early days of July, but Haru didn’t mind the heat. She loved days like this, where she could roll up her sleeves and really work up a sweat. It made her feel like gardening was a real workout. And it could be, at that, especially when she had to haul big bags of fertilizer up to the roof on her own. She’d done that today, and now she was slumped against one of the HVAC machines, panting and wiping her brow. She’d had foresight enough to take a bottle of water with her, and she happily took a long, cool drink.
It was hard work, managing the rooftop planters all by herself, but Haru didn’t mind that either. With everything going on in her life, Haru valued moments like these, when she could be well and truly left to her own devices, when she was free to do as she pleased, when she was alone-
The door to the roof of Shujin Academy swung open, and all of a sudden Haru wasn’t alone after all.
The person in the doorway froze, as if they had not expected anyone else to be up here, and Haru realized that she had frozen as well for the same reason. It was if they were both deer caught in opposing headlights.
Her unexpected guest was tall and lanky. A boy, Haru thought at first, before realizing with a bit of a start that, no, it was a girl, just dressed in a boy’s uniform that didn’t quite fit her, and with messy black hair to match that disheveled air. Her grey eyes were wide beneath large-framed glasses, and a bag was slung across her shoulder which seemed to shift around like it had a mind of its own.
Oh. Haru knew who this was. Amamiya-kun, the infamous transfer. Rumors about her abounded at Shujin, barely half of which Haru regarded as even remotely plausible, but it seemed that the one about her preferring boy’s clothes was on the money. Haru had spotted her from time to time around school, but the uniform was new. Had she modified it herself? It looked good on her, Haru thought, even if the fit was a little off-
Haru realized they had been staring at each other for nearly half a minute now without either moving or saying anything. How embarrassing! Her cheeks flushed.
“U-um,” she stammered, the first to break the silence. “A-Amamiya-kun, isn’t it?”
“Uh, yeah,” the girl said. “Ran. That’s- yeah. Ran Amamiya.” She glanced away and scratched the back of her neck. Haru realized she’d never heard Amamiya-kun speak before. She had a nice voice, huskier than she’d have guessed, but rich and full all the same. “Sorry. Didn’t think anyone else would be up here. I can… I can go.”
“No, that’s alright,” Haru said, standing up and clasping her hands together behind her back. “It’s just me. I come up here to tend the planters.”
“Oh,” Amamiya-kun said, glancing over at the planters as if to verify that they did indeed exist. “That’s… nice. Plants are nice.”
“Plants are nice,” Haru smiled. “But I’m guessing you’re not up here for the plants?”
“Caught me,” Amamiya-kun chuckled. “My friends keep… bugging me about something. It’s… important, and I’ve got to get around to it, but I need a little more time to plan things out before I jump in. Didn’t want them to see me flaking out on them, though, so I figured I’d head up here to study for a while.”
“Well, there’s plenty of spare desks up here,” Haru said, gesturing at one of them. “I don’t mind the company.”
Amamiya-kun nodded and took a seat, pulling a textbook and a notebook from her bag. With her not saying anything else, Haru took this to mean that their conversation had concluded and set about busying herself working on the planters.
She opened up the fertilizer and got to work spreading it. It was repetitive work, but this was another thing Haru didn’t mind. It felt like a special ritual between herself and the plants.
She found herself sneaking glances at Amamiya-kun as she worked. It was unusual for her to have company while she worked on the roof - as far as she was aware, the roof of Shujun was off-limits to most students, yet Amamiya-kun had strode out here like she belonged. Was it just confidence, or…
“Um,” she said, almost surprising herself by the sound of her own voice. “Aren’t you concerned you might get in trouble for being up here? The roof is supposed to be off-limits…”
Amamiya-kun gave a laugh that was equal parts bitter and aloof. “What, you worried about me?” she asked. “Look, with the reputation I’ve gotten around here, I have bigger problems to worry about. Plus, one upside is that teachers are usually nervous to get on my case about little stuff like this. I’ve been coming up here all year.” She glanced off the roof, to the streets below and the concrete jungle of Tokyo spread all around. “I like the view.”
“I see,” Haru said softly. “Um, I’m sorry. About all the rumors. The things people say about you… they’re not very kind.”
Amamiya-kun tensed a little before sighing, rubbing the back of her neck again. “Some of those rumors get so out of hand that it’s hard to take them seriously. I’ve… gotten used to the rest. There’s certainly worse things people could be saying about me.”
Haru frowned. That didn’t seem fair to her, but she resisted the urge to say any more on the matter. Amamiya-kun hadn’t come up here to be interrogated on her reputation, after all.
“So…” Haru said, changing the subject. “What’s this thing your friends keep getting on your case about? I’m sorry to pry, but I can’t help but be curious.”
“Ah,” Amamiya-kun said. She scratched the back of her neck again. A nervous tic, Haru was beginning to realize. “It’s… nothing, really. They want us to all go someplace together as a group, but I’m not quite ready. I want to do some more… research first. That’s all.”
Her tone indicated to Haru that this was about as far as she was going to get with this line of questioning, so she simply nodded and returned to her work.
Before long, though, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her. She glanced back to find Amamiya-kun, her books abandoned, staring at her. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes were squinted, while her lips were pursed like she was deep in thought.
“A-Amamiya-kun…?” Haru said nervously. “Is… is something wrong?”
“Sorry,” Amamiya-kun sighed. “It’s just… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. I can’t get it out of my head.”
Haru’s heart raced. Oh. Of course, this had to happen at some point. No doubt Amamiya-kun had seen her in a newspaper or on TV, standing next to her father at some business event or press conference. Or worse, perhaps she’d seen one of those dreadful gossip rag pieces about her betrothal-
Either way, it always caused a shift. Once people realized who she was, it changed things. People would get unnaturally friendly or unnaturally cold to her, and she could never tell which was worse. She never felt as if people could see her, only her father’s company, her father’s money. It always ended with Haru alone again.
And now it was happening again. A bit fast this time, to be sure, but it was happening either way. Another road to a normal friendship was being blocked off for her, just like that.
Well… it wasn’t as if striking up a friendship with a girl convicted of assault was the best idea in the world. Certainly her father wouldn’t approve, even if Haru hadn’t felt unsafe once since Amamiya-kun’s had come onto the roof. She had actually been surprisingly charming, especially the way she kept rubbing her neck-
Amamiya-kun snapped her fingers, and Haru gave a start, realizing to her annoyance that she’d zoned out once again. What was wrong with her today?
“I’ve got it,” Amamiya-kun said. Haru braced herself, but the next words out of the other girl’s mouth weren’t what she expected. “First day of school. Maybe the second. Passed by you in the hall talking to a teacher about working on these planters. That’s where I remember you from.”
Haru was stunned into silence for a moment. Then, not quite sure how to respond, she laughed. “That was months ago!” she said in between giggles. “You really remember me from passing me in the hall?”
Amamiya-kun’s mouth slammed shut, and Haru swore she saw a flash of pink on her cheeks as she glanced away sheepishly. “W-well, yeah,” she said. “You were wearing a fluffy pink sweater. It was… distinctive.”
Well, she had to give Amamiya-kun that. She did adore that sweater.
“I… I never caught your name, though,” Amamiya-kun said, and the anxiety returned to her. Ah. Well, there was no escaping it now. She could give her a fake name, but fat chance of getting away with that. No, she would have to just be honest and accept the inevitable consequences.
“I’m… Haru,” she said, before bracing herself. “Haru… Okumura.”
“Okumura,” Amimiya-kun repeated, and Haru tensed. “Okumura.” She smiled. “Nice name! Glad I know it now.”
Haru stared. Did… did she really not know?
Well… she was from out of town… and it wasn’t like every Okumura in the country was related to the company… but…
“Does it… make you think of anything?” Haru asked, testing the waters.
Amamiya-kun considered that. “Like… a little town, maybe?” she shrugged. “With a river running through it.”
Haru breathed. She really didn’t know. This was… new. This was different.
She really didn’t know.
Maybe… maybe things could be different this time, Haru thought. Maybe she could connect with someone else her own age without the weight of expectations pulling her down. Maybe she could have a friend.
She smiled. “It’s a pleasure to be properly acquainted,” she said politely.
“Likewise,” Amamiya-kun said, returning her smile. “You’re a third year, yeah? Should I be calling you Okumura-senpai?”
Haru covered her mouth to hide her giggle. “If you like,” she said.
“Alright, Okumura-senpai,” Amamiya-kun confirmed. She flashed a grin - something cocky, something playful, mischievous - and Haru had to admit that cocky and playful was a good look on the girl. It felt like it suited her.
“So, senpai,” Amamiya-kun said, rising from her seat and walking over to join Haru by the planters. “What do you grow up here?”
“Oh, different things,” Haru said. She got to talk about her plants! How exciting. “Flowers sometimes, but I’ve also been trying my hand at growing fruits and vegetables.”
“Oh yeah?” Amamiya-kun asked, tilting her head. She crouched down on her haunches to bring herself level with Haru, kneeling on the ground.
Haru nodded. “There’s many health benefits to eating fresh vegetables, after all,” she said enthusiastically, before internally wincing at having made perhaps the most blindingly obvious statement in the world. Health benefits of fresh vegetables… yes, and water is good to drink, she thought to herself. Oh no, was she blowing this?
Amamiya-kun made no indication that she found what she was saying particularly inane, though, instead rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “Yeah, I guess that’s true…” she murmured. “I wonder…”
“I-I’ve been harboring this thought that perhaps I could become skilled at cooking using the ingredients I grow myself in the planters,” Haru said, trying to say something of actual substance. That seemed to get Amamiya-kun’s attention, as her stormy eyes fixed on Haru.
“Yeah?” she said, flashing another grin - and why did Haru keep focusing on that? “I’ve been getting better at cooking too. I’m on my own for most meals, so I’ve kind of had to be. I’ve gotten the hang of a good few recipes since I arrived in Tokyo. Cooking with garden-fresh ingredients sounds wonderful.”
“I see,” Haru said with a soft smile. “Perhaps you could give me some pointers sometime, then?”
“Huh?” Amamiya-kun blinked, rubbing the back of her neck again. “I mean… I wouldn’t say I’m that good yet… but…”
“Even so,” Haru insisted, “I’m sure you’d have a lot to show me - I’m quite hopeless at the moment, I fear. Ah… but I don’t want to take advantage of you…”
“No, no!” Amamiya-kun said, almost in a panic, waving her hands as if to wave away Haru’s concerns. “I… that sounds nice, uh, that is-”
“Let’s make a deal!” Haru suggested, glancing at the planters. “In exchange for your assistance developing my cooking skills, I’ll show you what I know about gardening - and we can split the produce between us! Does that sound fair?”
Amamiya-kun smiled. “Yeah, that… that’d be nice,” she agreed.
Haru gave her a smile and held out her hand. “Then it’s a deal!” she said cheerfully.
Amamiya-kun took her hand and shook. It was a firm grip, firmer than she’d expected, and for some reason Haru found herself examining the other girl’s hand - the length and thickness of her fingers, scattered nicks and scars, callouses brushing against her skin… goodness, this was a strong grip -
Amamiya-kun released her before Haru could think any more of it. “So,” she said, standing and planting her hands on her hips - and Haru found her eyes still following those hands - “should we get started? What’s on the gardening agenda today?”
“Oh! I’m just fertilizing for today,” Haru told her. “Just… spread the fertilizer evenly across the planters, and water it. It’s pretty simple, really. Um… do you think you might want to change? I usually work in my tracksuit…”
Amamiya-kun flashed her another one of those grins. “Nah, I don’t mind getting a little dirty,” she said. “I can always wash this thing when I get home.” She cracked her knuckles - and really, why was Haru so insistent on looking at this girl’s hands so closely - and got to work.
Haru joined her. There were two planters, so the work ended up split fairly evenly between them. All the while, Haru found herself sneaking glances at Amamiya-kun out of the corner of her eye. Every time she did, she noticed something new - how Amamiya-kun furrowed her brow when she was concentrating, how she would periodically have to brush her messy hair out of her eyes… and how her fingers looked running through her hair when she did…
Again with the hands. What was it that kept drawing her eyes to this girl’s hands?
She cleared her throat. “Um… I think that should do it,” she said, seeing that their work was done, at least for the day. “You’ve been a big help, Amamiya-kun. Thank you.”
Amamiya-kun smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I feel like we did good work,” she agreed She pulled her phone out of her pocket and grimaced at the time. “Ah, damn, my train’s gonna be here any minute. I’d better start booking it.”
The younger girl strode over to the desk on which her books still lay, and quickly went about stuffing them back into her bag, glancing back at Haru as she did. For some reason, those grey eyes seemed contemplative as they gazed at her, and Haru felt an unnatural warmness in her chest. It was July, she supposed, and put it out of mind.
“It was really nice getting to actually meet you, Okumura-senpai,” Amamiya-kun told her as she zipped up her bag and stood to leave. She offered her a smile - not the smirk she’d been wearing so often since they’d started talking, but a soft, gentle smile. Her voice seemed to soften as well as that smile spread across her lips. “I hope we’ll get to spend time with each other again soon.”
“Yes, indeed,” Haru said, crossing her hands over her chest. “I hope you won’t forget about our deal, Amamiya-kun. Next time we meet, you’ll help me get better at cooking!”
Amamiya-kun laughed at that. “Yeah, of course! It’s a-” she paused, and seemed to think better of what she was about to say. “I’ll see you then.” Hesitantly, she reached out a bit, then seemed to think better of that as well before deciding to simply nod and walk away.
Haru watched her go. Such a mysterious girl, she thought, and yet Haru found herself wanting to unravel that mystery, to learn more about Amamiya-kun, this kind and friendly delinquent, this infamous convict who had strong but gentle hands, whose grey eyes lit up when she talked about cooking. Amamiya-kun was a mess of contradictions to Haru’s eyes, and she found herself wanting to pierce through them to find the truth beneath. And if she could sneak a few more peeks at those hands of hers, well…
Haru’s hand clenched above her heart. Goodness. Why was her heart beating so fast all of a sudden?
⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫
Morgana popped his head out of Ran’s bag as soon as the coast was clear.
“I see you’ve made yourself another new associate,” the cat said, and by his singsong tone Ran could tell that he had mischief on the mind. Just what she needed right now.
“Yeah,” Ran shrugged, trying to seem as aloof as possible. “She seems nice.”
“Yeah she does,” Morgana snickered, clearly intent on pressing forward with his teasing regardless of how above it all Ran tried to act. “I’ve never seen you stutter like that! ‘I, uh, that sounds nice, uh-’”
“Do you have anything productive to say?” Ran asked, perhaps a little more harshly than she’d intended but this cat was really starting to push it.
Morgana gave his half-meow half-laugh, and tapped a paw on the back of Ran’s head. “Well, those vegetables might end up being useful in the Metaverse, so I’ll allow it. Just try not to get too distracted by her beauty! This is all for the Phantom Thieves, you know?”
Ran groaned and shoved Morgana back down into her bag as she exited the stairwell onto the third floor of Shujun.
She quickly rinsed her hands off in the bathroom before practically sprinting to the train station. It wasn’t typical for her to be cutting this close, but she’d lingered a bit longer than she’d expected saying goodbye to Okumura-senpai. That was unusual. She’d wanted to reach out, maybe squeeze the older girl’s shoulder, maybe shake her hand again. Despite all the work she did with the planters, her hand had still been so soft. It had felt so nice…
She shook her head as she barrelled down the stairs of the station. Nope. Couldn’t think about that right now. Those were thoughts she could process later, when she didn’t have a train to catch.
She slid through the doors of the train just as they were about to snap shut, and found herself once again one sardine in a tin, squeezed on all sides by the commuters of Tokyo as they bore on down to Shibuya. Rush hour was going to be especially rough today, she could already tell.
The train kicked a little as it began to leave the station, and Ran’s thoughts, now unburdened by the pressing need to make her train, began to wander back to Okumura-senpai. The way she’d smiled at Ran…
She wondered when she’d get to see her next.