Hours had passed since they arrived at the secret base. The children had sprawled out on the wooden platform, sitting in front of a table, trading stories and laughter as if no time had ever separated them.
They talked about Haruya's life in the city. School, friends, and the small stories he told, while the others compared it to their quieter countryside days.
Menma listened intently, chiming in with her usual energetic bursts.
Jinta teased about how loud and fast everything must be in Tokyo.
Poppo laughed at every exaggeration.
Anaru rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her curiosity about the big city.
Yukiatsu listened intently.
Tsuruko quietly scribbled notes in her notebook, capturing a few lines of their conversation she thought were worth remembering.
They shared snacks Poppo had brought, argued over which part of the secret base was coziest, and even talked about their plans they wanted to do together as the Super Peace Busters.
Haruya watched all this with glee in his heart. He then suddenly remembered something important.
"Everyone, I have something to give you."
Haruya cleared the table of the leftover bag of chips, brought out his bag beside him, and set it on the low wooden table. Everyone watched curiously as he unzipped it and pulled out six small white boxes, putting one each in front of them.
"What's this?" Poppo leaned closer, eyes practically sparkling.
Instead of answering right away, Haruya slid one of the boxes across the table.
"Open it up," he gestured.
Jinta picked it up, opened the box, blinking at the cover before realization hit. "Wait… is this… a smartphone?!"
The room buzzed with gasps.
"They're all for you guys," Haruya said with a grin. "Each has a SIM card already. You'll be able to call or text whenever. Even when I'm back in Tokyo, we'll still be connected."
For a moment, nobody moved. Anaru shook her head quickly, pushing the box back toward him. "N-no way. This is way too much. These are expensive! We can't just accept them."
Yukiatsu crossed his arms and nodded. "She's right. It's... reckless to hand something like this out. Especially without telling your parents."
Menma tilted her head, fingers already brushing one of the boxes. "But… we can talk to Haru anytime if we have these, right? Even when he's far away?"
Tsuruko lowered her gaze, quiet but thoughtful. "It's definitely useful. But still..."
Before any of them could push further, Haruya leaned back, laughing lightly. "Don't worry about it. I can buy more if I want. Money's not really a problem for me. Besides, these are all within my parents' knowledge."
Of course, that was half a lie.
His dad did, but not his mom.
But he knew that even if his mom found out, she wouldn't say anything.
Money really was not a problem. And she was familiar with his friends, too.
The others looked at him in disbelief. Poppo scratched his head. "Rich kid perks, huh?"
"It's not about that," Haruya continued, tone softening. "It's about us. This is for the Super Peace Busters. Our connection shouldn't break just because I'm not here all the time."
Menma clasped her hands together, nodding. "Yeah! Let's keep them! We can hide it from our parents until later. Like a real secret gadget!"
Jinta glanced at the box in his hands, torn between guilt and excitement. "...A secret gadget, huh?"
One by one, the group exchanged looks. The weight of the moment pressed down, but so did the feeling of being kids again, entrusted with something special.
Finally, Yukiatsu reached out and touched the nearest box. "…If it's for the group… then I'll keep it."
The others followed, hesitating at first, then smiling as they held their gifts.
Poppo pumped his fist in the air. "Alright! Now we're officially upgraded!"
Haruya laughed. "Come on, let me add you all to a group chat on PINE."
Lining them all up, he added them one by one and made their group chat.
Super Peace Busters.
Haruya felt a bit funny watching them all marvel at the power of technology.
I guess the excitement at getting their first smartphones really is universal, huh?
This had been something he had considered in advance with his dad before he had gone abroad.
Thoughtful, huh?
Unlike most city kids around his age with smartphones of their own already, countryside kids were a bit late to the trend.
He knew that after his vacation, he would have to wait another year to see and speak to Menma again. Therefore, he used his other ability that could help him in this predicament, adding his other friends to the fray as well.
The power ofmoney.
For a few moments, Haruya felt that he should stop going overboard with these kinds of thoughts.
"Haru," Menma called out beside him, snapping him out of his strange thoughts. "Thank you for the gift. This way, we can talk whenever we want in the future."
Everyone thanked Haruya one by one.
"You're all welcome," he nodded. "Now, Super Peace Busters' first meeting of the year has officially started! Let's make our plans!"
"Yeah!"
Yukiatsu raised his hand. "Oh! What about maybe… arcade?"
Haruya nodded, "That's pretty good. Anything else?"
"Riverbank fireworks!" Poppo and Jinta cheered at the same time.
"I second that!" Menma also instantly raised her hand, her eyes shining from excitement.
Tsuruko cutely tilted her head. "Isn't it a bit too early for fireworks? It's still quite some time before summer."
Hearing this, Menma pouted. "Don't you wanna see flowers blooming in the sky?"
Anaru suddenly clapped her hands together. "Speaking of flowers blooming, don't forget, the Shibazakura Festival's coming up! I heard some cherry blossoms have already bloomed there!"
"Oh, right!" Poppo's eyes widened. "The hills will be covered in pink flowers, yeah? That's gonna be amazing."
"Mm. They'll be in full bloom by then," Tsuruko nodded.
Menma gasped, excitedly bouncing on the spot. "Cherry blossoms! Pretty flowers! Let's all go, let's all go!"
"That does sound nice," Jinta admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's really been a while since Haru joined us for a trip. I'm looking forward to it."
"Then it's settled," Haruya said smoothly. "How about we all go tomorrow?"
"Okay!"
Seeing everyone agree, he clenched his fist and lightly banged on the table like a ceremonial mallet used in court.
"The verdict is set, we're all going sightseeing for flower carpets and cherry blossoms!"
Everyone cheered.
*GRUMBLE*
A mysterious noise leaked out nearby.
Everyone looked at the source and saw Poppo holding his stomach with embarrassment.
"Hehe," scratching the back of his head, he replied. "I'm pretty hungry already."
"..."
After eating so many snacks, he was already hungry.
Haruya couldn't help but be a little impressed.
The group collectively laughed.
Haruya sighed. "Then you're in luck. We'll be having lunch today at my place. My grandparents have probably finished preparing our meals, and my mom's most likely been preparing desserts for us too."
The reaction was immediate.
"Eh?!" Menma's eyes sparkled. "I love Auntie's cakes! They're the best in the world!"
"And your grandparents' cooking..." Anaru's face softened at the memory. "They're seriously good."
Poppo practically drooled. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go, Haru-chan!"
"Alright, it's settled then." Haruya stood, slinging his bag back over his shoulder. "Lunch at my house."
The group started to clean up their secret base.
With their new "secret gadgets" tucked away and the promise of food pulling them along, the Super Peace Busters spilled out together, their chattering voices surrounding the quiet forest.