This Warmth Of Yours

Chapter 12 - The Bane of Summer Knocks

"Score!" Rika jumped out of her seat and cheered. "Yuki owes everyone ice cream now!"

Yuki stared blankly at the TV screen, controller in hand. The TV displayed a leaderboard on the screen, Yuki's username right at the bottom. Nami snickered, covering her face and looking away. Kyoya stood up, "I'll go with you."

The boy flinched, immediately masking his reaction with a smile. "Oh, uh, it's okay. Thanks, Kyo. I can go buy em myself."

Kyoya remained silent, scratching the back of his head. "... Alright, my bad."

"..."

Haru watched the two boys struggle to speak to each other. She had always been worried about their relationship, knowing their history. It was clear they were at the very least tolerating each other's existences, yet it was also clearly difficult for the two of them to coexist. She wondered if introducing Kyoya to the friend group was the right choice to make.

Rika looked between the two of them, sweat dripping down her forehead. "Uh, Yuki, I can--"

"GUYS! STOP TALKING! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!" Kana busted into the living room, tray of snacks and drinks in her hand. It was a miracle none of them fell off the tray. "SUMMER VACATION IS IN A FEW DAYS! Clear your schedules! We have to go to the beach-"

"Oh no you don't," Kana's mother pulled her ear and interrupted. "The bakery stays open during the holidays, and you have to help out, young lady."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kana collapsed onto the floor, full dramatic flair as the tray of snacks was thrown into the air- No, she made sure to place it down gently on the table before flopping onto the ground. Food can't be wasted, that is a cardinal sin! At least, that was Kana's opinion.

"Buuut, I can allow it if..." Kana lit up, beaming. The woman crouched and smiled. "You bring your brother with you on your trip! He's spending summer with us this year. It's been a while since the two of you last saw each other, right?"

Kana's smile gradually faded away, avoiding her mother's gaze as she looked away. "Ah! Yeah, I will. I... I miss him." She plastered a grin on her face, jumping into her mother's arms. "Thank you!"

Her mother stood up and waved the kids goodbye. "You kids have fun now, I'll be in my room!"

Haru recognised Kana's eyes.

They were reminiscent of her own in a way. It was strange. Kana and her mother had always seemed to be on good terms, great, even. Haru didn't have much of a point of reference in terms of her own life, though, a mistake or two on her part was negligible. It was possible that she was wrong. How difficult relationships are, Haru thought.

"Wow that was a rollercoaster," Nami commented, pushing up her glasses. Haru chimed in, "Kana, you never told us you had a-"

"IS HE HOT?!" Rika excitedly asked, leaning onto Haru on the couch to get closer to Kana. Nami grinned, "Girlie's got 3 annoying younger sisters, she's starved for older brother types."

In the corner of her eye, Haru noticed Kyoya furiously writing into his notepad, as if he had just stumbled onto a goldmine of inspiration. She chuckled just as Kana stood up from her position on the ground. "Y'all disgusting, that's my brother!"

"Show pictures! I need to see him," Rika pleaded. "Huh? You'll see him in person soon, anyway. What's the point?" Kana replied.

Rika winked, "Does this hesitation mean he's prettier than you?"

"No! We share the same genes so he has to be somewhat attractive but 98% of the beauty went to me, okay?! You'll just have to take my word on that. I'll introduce you to him for sure!" Kana exclaimed. Rika did a victory dance, not noticing Kana's smirk. "Can't guarantee that he doesn't already have a girlfriend though, heh," she muttered.