The next morning, Haruya woke up earlier than usual. The sun had barely risen, and the cool countryside air filled the house as he shuffled into the kitchen.
His mom, Akari, was already setting breakfast on the table, while his grandparents sat sipping tea.
"You're up early," Akari said with a small smile.
Haruya rubbed his eyes and grinned. "Yeah. The Super Peace Busters are gathering today, so I gotta go meet Menma first."
Grandpa Kimura chuckled, lowering his cup. "Super Peace Busters... ah, it's that little group of yours."
"Yep!" Haruya said proudly, puffing out his chest. "It's our team!"
Grandma Kimura laughed softly, shaking her head. "Sounds important. Just don't skip meals, alright? You're still growing."
"I won't!" Haruya answered quickly, already scarfing down a piece of toast.
Akari patted his head. "How about you take them here for lunch later, we'll prepare something nice for your friends."
"Got it!" Haruya slung his little backpack over his shoulder and rushed to the door, waving as he left. "See you later!"
The path to Menma's house was familiar, lined with houses still quiet from the early morning.
When he reached the Honma household, he stopped at the front door and knocked, as he called out.
"Menma! You ready yet?"
Instead of Menma, her little brother Satoshi peeked out first, rubbing his eyes. "Haruya-nii? You came early…"
Haruya crouched down a bit to match his height. "Whoa, is that you, Satoshi? Long time no see! How'd you know I was coming?"
"Yep! I've grown up, too," Satoshi cheered, then suddenly brightened. "Meiko-nee has been talking about you nonstop since yesterday!"
Just then, Menma's mom, Irene Honma, appeared, carrying a folded laundry basket. "Oh, Haruya-kun. It's been so long since I've seen you. You're here to get Meiko, right?"
"Yes, Auntie, we're gathering with our friends today, and then have lunch over at my house," Haruya replied politely, standing straight.
She smiled gently. "She'll be happy. She's been talking about the group since she woke up. Please give my regards to your mom and grandparents."
From upstairs came a familiar, high-pitched voice. "Haru~! Wait for meee!"
Moments later, Menma came rushing down the steps barefoot, her hair bouncing around as she skidded to a stop beside him.
She clasped her hands behind her back, grinning widely. "Hehe, sorry for making you wait!"
"You're late," Haruya teased. "Let's go fetch everyone else."
"Then let's go quickly!" Menma said, put on her familiar sandals, and grabbed his hand without hesitation.
Satoshi pouted. "Take me toooo!"
Menma turned, sticking out her tongue. "Nope! You're too little!"
Haruya laughed, giving Satoshi a quick pat on the head. "Next time, alright? Today's just for the Super Peace Busters."
"But..." Satoshi's voice trailed.
"You know, the Super Peace Busters protect the peace outside," Haruya added. "So you'll have to stay here to protect the peace of the house, okay?"
Satoshi's eyes glistened. "Okay, Haruya-nii!"
Menma's mom smiled as she listened to their conversation. "Don't stay out too late, you two. And take care of each other."
"We will!" Menma answered cheerfully, while shaking Haruya's hand. "Let's go, Haru!"
The two of them set off down the narrow path, the morning sun finally starting to peek through the clouds.
Menma swung their joined hands back and forth like a skipping rope, humming some random tune only she seemed to know.
First stop was Jinta's house.
Haruya knocked on the sliding door, and after a moment, Jinta's dad slid it open. His shaven head could nearly reflect the sunlight.
"Oh, Meiko-chan and... Haruya-kun! Long time no see! You've grown taller since I last saw you," he said with a chuckle.
"Good morning, Uncle," Haruya greeted politely. "We came to fetch Jintan."
From deeper inside the house came a grumble. "...Dad, who is it?"
Jinta poked his head out, hair sticking up all over the place. The second he spotted them, his eyes widened. "Haruya!? You came back?!"
Menma grinned and waved. "Surprise! Come on, we're gathering everyone else today!"
In an instant, Jinta rushed forward barefoot, looking almost like he'd just woken up. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Wait here! I'll get ready!"
He disappeared back inside, his voice echoing through the house as drawers slammed and his dad muttered something about "slow down, slow down…"
Haruya and Menma locked eyes and laughed. "He's still the same, huh?"
Not long after, Jinta reemerged, tugging on a red T-shirt while still hopping into his shoes. "Okay, let's go!"
"Eat breakfast first," his dad sighed, handing him a rice ball.
Jinta grabbed it and stuffed it in his mouth mid-run. "Let's go fetch the others!"
Next was Anaru's house.
Her mom greeted them at the door, looking a little surprised. "Oh my, Haruya-kun! It's been ages! Naruko's upstairs—wait a moment."
Before she could even call, Anaru's voice floated down from above. "Mom, who's at the—" She froze at the top of the stairs, eyes wide. "...H-Haruya?!"
Haruya smiled and waved. "Yo, long time no see."
Anaru's face flushed immediately, and she almost tripped rushing down the stairs. "You—you didn't tell us you were coming back!"
Menma puffed her cheeks. "That's the point! It's supposed to be a surprise!"
"Hurry up, Anaru!" Jinta added.
Anaru stomped lightly. "Geez… I should've fixed my hair…"
Anaru's mom laughed and fixed her daughter's glasses.
"Go get ready, don't keep your friends waiting."
After waiting for a few moments, Anaru returned fully dressed. She wore a purple shirt with a yellow shooting star, a white skirt, and put on a light blue sling bag over her shoulders.
"Have fun, kids." Anaru's mother smiled.
After that, they stopped by Yukiatsu's place.
Besides Haruya, his family's house was a bit bigger than the rest, and Haruya rang the doorbell politely. Yukiatsu himself opened it, dressed neatly as always.
When he saw who it was, his composure cracked instantly. "...Haruya?!" His voice shot up half an octave, disbelief written all over his face.
He looked behind the latter and continued. "Menma, Jintan, Anaru... What are you guys doing here?"
"It's us," Haruya confirmed with a grin. "We're here to gather everyone else and head to the secret base together.
Yukiatsu blinked, then quickly straightened his posture. "W-Well, of course it's you guys. I-I mean, I knew you'd show up one of these days."
Menma tilted her head. "Liar! You're clearly excited to see him!"
"Heeeh~! Are you still trying to act like a tsundere, Yukiatsu?" Jinta teased.
Menma, Haruya, and Anaru laughed at the same time.
A red tick appeared on Yukiatsu's forehead.
"Jintan, shut up!"
Next, they went to Tsuruko's place.
She opened the door herself, calm as always, her short hair revealing a small ahoge on the side.
She looked one by one towards the familiar group, but the moment her eyes landed on Haruya, they softened, and the faintest smile crossed her lips.
"…It's been a while, Haru," she said simply.
"Yeah. Miss me?" Haruya laughed.
Instead of answering, Tsuruko lightly tapped her notebook against his shoulder. "I've waited for us to completely gather again. The whole group."
Hearing this, the rest of the members beside Haruya felt happy as well.
Although they had lived in the same town and gathered anytime, Haruya was different. Tokyo might not be too far, but they were too young to even travel that kind of distance and could only see each other every vacation.
"Let's go. Poppo will definitely be the most excited to see you."
Finally, they went to Poppo's place. They didn't even need to knock. After shouting his name from the outside, the sound of running footsteps came before the door burst open.
"Who's yelling outside—ohhh!!" Poppo shouted, his grin stretching ear to ear. "Menma! Jintan! Anaru! Tsuruko! Yukiatsu! Everyone's here!!"
He then noticed Haruya, who was standing on the side.
"Haru!! You're back!!!" He leaped towards the latter excitedly and hugged him tightly.
Haruya patted his back, laughing. "Long time no see, Poppo!"
After letting go of Haruya, he looked around and stared at everybody with stars in his eyes. "Is it finally that time of the year?"
Haruya nodded. "Let's go, Poppo! The secret base is still waiting for us!"
Poppo pumped his fists in the air, already brimming with energy. "Man, this is awesome! It's just like old times! I'll go grab snacks!" He darted back inside, then rushed out with a stuffed bag slung over his shoulder.
The group finally made its way towards their gathering spot. Everyone talked happily with each other, discussing what they should do for this spring break.
Menma walked beside him, also looking at everyone else chatting happily.
"You know, no matter how much we gathered in the past, the group is never this excited until you're included as well," Menma tilted her head with a smile. "You're really the heart and soul of the Super Peace Busters, Haru."
Haruya said nothing, but the happiness on his face was enough for Menma to see how he felt.
Haruya felt the difference between his city life and countryside life.
Although he also had precious friends like Nagisa and Hazuki in the city, he felt a slight distinction when comparing his group here and there.
'I wonder how Nagisa is doing right now?' he wondered.
Soon enough, they passed the bridge, entered the forest, and followed a pathway, which led up to their secret base near the river.
The Super Peace Busters' secret base appeared ahead, tucked at the edge of the trees near the river.
It wasn't much—just a small, squat shack with a slanted roof and walls patched together with corrugated metal sheets that had seen better days.
On the inside, a single ladder leaned against the side, leading up to a tiny wooden platform that served as a nice spot for the group to sit.
When they first discovered it, the shack had been almost empty—no furniture, no floorboards, just the metal walls, and the ladder. But over time, the seven of them had worked together to turn it into something that felt like theirs.
Haruya and Jintan carried planks of wood, fitting them into a simple floor over the bare dirt.
Anaru, Yukiatsu, and Tsuruko brought rope and nails, helping to secure the ladder and make the platform sturdier.
Menma and Poppo painted crude designs on the walls with paint brought by Haruya, bright suns, stars, and the words "Super Peace Busters" in bold, uneven strokes.
Even little touches like a blanket for sitting, a tin box for keeping "treasures," and a pair of makeshift shelves gradually transformed the shack into a place that was more than just metal and wood—it became their fortress.
Their secret base.
Now, as the group entered, the sunlight passed by small gaps on the metal walls, and the base seemed to resonate with memories of laughter, games and whispered plans.
Haruya stepped forward, running a hand along the edge of the ladder. "Can you believe how far we've come? Remember when it was just this ladder and nothing else?"
Jintan laughed, slapping the wall. "Yeah! It was basically a death trap back then!"
Menma hopped up onto the wooden platform, swinging her legs. "And now it's our perfect secret base!"
Poppo grinned, dropping the bag of snacks on the table. "I can't wait to hang out here all day!"
Even Yukiatsu and Tsuruko, usually quieter, exchanged small smiles as they looked around.
The shack wasn't fancy, but to the Super Peace Busters, it was home—a place they had built together, one material, one laugh, and one memory at a time.
Haruya raised his hands and shouted, "Super Peace Busters, welcome home!"
The rest of the children raised their hands and cheered.
"Welcome home!"
A/N: Extra-long chapter for today. In this chapter, I wanted to highlight and show Haruya's youth and tone down the chapters a bit. Usually, slice-of-life fanfic MCs nowadays are serious, aloof, or cold. Mainly because they reincarnated MCs, or it's easier for authors to write less dialogue with uncaring MCs. But as you probably observed, I like writing the dialogues. It opens up the world much more. It describes the story of youth and the continuation of Haruya's growth. I can't promise that he will stay the same when he gets older, but as a kid, I want him to get angry, feel happy, be embarrassed, and feel sad. I want him to grow into a character who can resonate with others and feel more natural in his story. Honestly, with his ability, I basically plan on making him a Mary Sue, but that isn't really the focus of my story. I just want to focus on the daily life aspect. I have minimal experience as a writer, so I try my best to write a story I personally like, and hope you would love. I have a lot of plans for the future of my novel, And I hope you all continue to support me. Thank you for reading.