(Haruna POV)
Haruna yawned tiredly as she stirred awake due to the bright light sneaking in through the thin curtains. She turned over, determined to get a few more minutes of sleep before having to wake up.
Her eyes peeked through the blanket to see if Granny was up, and she saw her empty bed right next to hers.
'How does she wake up so early every time??' She grumbled, feeling a little guilty that she was still lazing around in her warm haven while her frail grandmother was probably cleaning up the house already.
She had told her multiple times to wait for her so that they could do it together, but her stubbornness was at an inhumane level.
She always told Haruna to "rest more and leave it to me"...
"Not this time, Granny!"
She flung her blanket off, jumping out of bed with a newfound energy to force her grandmother into letting her do the chores and other housework.
It was the least she could do when that old woman was always off working to pay her school tuition and the massive debt that the piece-of-shit sperm donor had saddled them with.
Haruna toddled to the washroom, rubbing away the last remnants of sleep as she quickly brushed her teeth and took a shower.
'I wonder how Hina is doing after yesterday....'
Her mind wandered to the events of yesterday as she let the warm water drizzle over her body.
After the carriage ride, Riku's mood was clearly off, so even though they spent an extra hour walking around and playing a game of frisbee, it was incredibly awkward.
Plus, her best friend had clearly taken a big hit to her heart with what that dense idiot had said, and she wasn't sure how to fix it.
Talk with Riku?
No thanks—if he didn't listen to his childhood friend, why would he listen to her?
And it had to be noted that Haruna had an inkling that her mere presence might be adding fuel to the fire, because she had noticed the lecherous look Riku sometimes gave her when he thought she wasn't paying attention.
'It's a little creepy... but what can I do? If I tell Hina-tan about it, how would she react? It's not like he's the only boy in our class who does that, though, so maybe I'm overthinking it?'
She brushed off those thoughts and decided to focus on finishing up her routine so that she could get started on the chores.
She could think about her friend a little later.
Haruna got dressed as fast as she could and flung the bedroom door open, looking around to see what her grandmother was doing.
But the house was completely empty.
There was no need to check other rooms or go looking for her—the bedroom was the only other room in the house, so a quick sweep of the main area and the kitchen was enough to know that she had stepped out.
The place hadn't been cleaned yet, so she decided to surprise Granny by doing all the tasks before she returned.
Coming back to a clean house gave one a good feeling, after all.
She picked up the broom and got started, methodically sweeping up all the dust and dirt that had formed in the last few days, ensuring that she reached under the sofa and other small crevices.
Once that was done, she mopped the floor until there was a neat sheen visible through the drying wetness.
As she moved on to wiping the countertops, Haruna heard the door click open, and someone walked in. She looked over and saw Granny take off her shoes, carrying a couple of shopping bags in her hands.
"Granny! Why did you go shopping? You should've sent me! It's really hot outside!"
The old woman wiped the glistening sweat off her forehead and frowned when she saw the sparkling clean apartment.
"Did you do all the chores?? Didn't I tell you to rest and let me do these things? You should focus on your studies and going out with friends!" she snapped, pursing her lips at her pouting grandchild.
"...You know I'm not gonna listen, so why bother? I got my stubborn nature from you, after all," Haruna giggled, continuing to clean the surfaces in the kitchen.
"What am I going to do with this kid?" she mumbled, glancing at a framed picture on the wall of a young woman with blonde hair similar to the cheeky girl's.
She was just as beautiful as Haruna, but instead of emerald green eyes, she had warm brown ones that radiated kindness.
Her eyes dimmed for a brief second, instinctively raising her hand towards the portrait with quivering fingers.
"Granny? Are you not gonna put the groceries in the fridge?"
She snapped out of her wandering thoughts and realized she was still standing at the doorway in a slight daze.
Haruna raised an eyebrow, noticing her expression. She sighed and walked up to her, prying the bags out of her hands with a scolding tone.
"I told you not to go out in this heat. Now you're all dizzy. Come, I'll make you a glass of iced tea. Reiji-tan gave me his recipe, and it's delicious!" she said, calmly placing the groceries where they were supposed to go.
"Hmph, that brat isn't completely hopeless after all," the old woman chuckled, regaining her composure as she slowly walked over to the sofa.
"Haha, I don't understand if you guys even like each other or not. You're always at each other's throats."
"Hmph, that's his fault! His sharp tongue is no worse than mine. It's like I finally met a worthy opponent!"
Haruna took out some fruits from the fridge to make the infusion from the recipe, but as she was about to reply to the old woman playfully, a loud, thunderous knock shattered the cozy warmth that was building.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"..."
Neither of them spoke, clenching their jaws tightly to prevent any sound from leaking out. After a few seconds of silence, the knock came back even louder—so loud that she was surprised the already flimsy door didn't break down.
"Tch. Are they not home?"
A stern voice leaked through from outside, and after a bit of shuffling around, something was slipped through the small gap at the door.
Haruna and Granny continued to hold their breath as they heard footsteps move away from their apartment, only releasing it once they were sure that the person had completely left.
Haruna quietly tiptoed over to the piece of paper lying on the floor near the entrance, though she already had an idea of what it could be.
She picked it up and read through it with shaky eyes, Granny standing right behind her as she fiddled with her glasses to take in the slightly blurry words.
It was a late payment notice.
They had underpaid their already low rent for the past few months, and it seemed like the landlord had reached his limit.
If it wasn't paid in full by next month, including making up for the existing shortfall, they would be evicted and reported to the collections office.
"...I'm sorry, Haruna," Granny whispered, her voice trembling as tears threatened to fall out.
Haruna quickly hugged her with a confident and unbothered voice.
"Why are you worrying? We just need to find a way to fix this!"
But even though she put up a brave front, her face— which Granny couldn't see— had darkened with nervousness and stress.
"Come, I'll finish making the iced tea and we'll think of something," Haruna said, pulling the old woman along and setting her back down on the sofa.
As Granny massaged her temples to soothe the sudden splitting headache, Haruna stumbled back into the kitchen.
Her hands shook slightly as she cut the fruits on her chopping board, trying to think furiously of a way to make a large sum as fast as she could.
It was no longer possible to leave the money-making duties to Granny, who was insistent that she not take a part-time job and focus on her academics.
'...The midterms. I have to win Top 10 somehow, no matter what! If I explain my situation to Hina-tan, maybe she'll help me? No, she definitely will... but if I want to rank that high, she would have to help me more than she can study for herself...'
Hope and guilt stabbed through her as she considered begging her friend to help.
But even that would just be the start—it would only help with the rent, not the debt.
As she tried to think of another way to raise money, her heart stopped at the terrifying noise at the door.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
They both froze again, in complete disbelief that the landlord would be back again in such a short time. They looked at each other with wide eyes, wondering what they should do, as the second string of knocks rang out.
Haruna bit her bottom lip.
'Just go away and leave us alone!' she prayed.
At least until she managed to discover a way to solve their problems.
But then the voice that leaked through this time was even more shocking than she expected.
"Haruna? Granny? Is nobody home? ...What am I gonna do with all this food?"
A calm, deep, and incredibly comforting voice—one that subconsciously made Haruna relax.
"...Reiji-tan?"