The Warmth of Your Smile - [Haru's Homewarming]

It was shortly after Haru and Rin had gone their different ways.
Haru’s sister had to get to lessons very soon after their reunion, but she left him in what was to be his home with more supplies than he could’ve thought he’d need. A double-bed sat between a wall-bound desk and a wide foam sofa, where a second bed could have been prepared if Haru did not specifically request otherwise. The cream-coloured carpet couldn’t comfort the shoes he still wore; inspecting some lightly illustrated paper and pacing around. His personal effects, clothes and moving boxes were stacked neatly in a far corner, where he’d decided to leave them for now. More important things to worry about.

The hero classes seemed relatively light, all things considered, however, the frequent exercises and overall lack of direction concerned Haru. If the timetable was accurate, the majority of his hours would be spent in the classroom, studying theory, but besides that, there was very little word on what he was expected to do. After-School clubs were mentioned, of course, but he couldn’t word how disinterested he was in those idle things.
He thought UA would have a much tighter grip on the time of its students. Curfews, suffocating limitations on student movement and voice. From what he’d read over and over, obsessively, students could leave campus at any point and without notice to the campus administrators. Surely such a thing was foolishly dangerous? Just what had this principal with that unfortunately-visage been thinking when greenlighting these pathetic regulations?
Such a lackadaisical approach to student safety was grinding Haru’s well-worn gears. Letting the hefty syllabus drop onto his desk with a heavy schump, he took a breath.

‘There must be things behind the scenes, information kept private from students, right? There must be.’

An alarm trilled from Haru’s bedside table. His phone let play one of nine or so tunes, each one designed to mean certain things. This one, a harmonic, electro-synth violin solo, used to be to tell Haru he was to prepare for work.
Now though, it was to signify the time to study.
Discarding his anxieties, Haru tapped off the alarm and wandered to his kitchen space where he’d organised the papers Rin had given him on his long counter. Sadly, the kettle had to sleep in a cupboard until this stuff was cleaned away, so no tea yet. Maybe coffee later? Celebrate the first day of a new life?

The thought still sent a cool shock down his spine.

This gamble was dangerous and horribly hurried.

But it’s not like he could’ve ignored those written words.



Sifting through textbooks and relevant papers, it still boggled Haru how much effort Rin had put into his supply. Not only had she poured her own money into getting him everything, so he could hit the ground running this far into the school year, but she’d also personally annotated notes and scribbled out useless information. He could feel the amount of time and effort she’d put into it and, honestly, it put Haru on edge.
He certainly hoped she didn’t sacrifice any of her study time for him, that’d make him feel awful.
But a Kurama will always seize an opportunity in the exploits of others.
He sat at the kitchen counter, being careful not to allow the papers to spill into the sink and set straight to work studying the skeleton of each textbook; immediately getting that addictive rush of satisfaction that productivity allowed him.

Hours passed and, as the timetable told, classes had been over for the day by about two hours. He’d hoped to visit Rin around now, and she mentioned where her dorm was in the Girls Building, but he didn't want to bother her right after classes, so he stayed behind. Closing one of many notebooks Haru bought for himself for his arrival, he stretched and yawned, getting up from just one day of study to ‘relax’ as he’d call it.

Haru walked back into the living area, eyeing his still-pristine bed before crashing on the sofa, sinking into the devilishly comfortable middle seat. God, he hated how bare the carpet in front of the damn thing was. He’d need to buy a rug or something. He idly scratched his freshly-shaven cheek, gazing into the irritating reflection of the ceiling light on his tv screen. Apparently, such a thing was not standard issue, being unnaturally large for just one person. Haru was neither a fan of tv, nor in the know as to who gave it to him, but a gift was a gift.
Scooping up a white remote and thumbing the rubber buttons, Haru was tempted to take in the decadence of these new surroundings. Did the kids here really live like this?
While the silence was familiar – although there were some odd mutters and buzzing noises coming from the room adjacent – there was an unceasing uneasiness in the air. He was nervous. Of course, he was. Who wouldn’t be in his situation? – He caught his thought and scolded himself.

Reminded himself.

So clearly.
So, so clearly.

‘I am not the only one with problems. Or the only one in a difficult situation. Neither my problems nor my situation, are unique. Stiff upper lip. Buckle up. Carry on.’
As always, before Haru could delve into the philosophies of life and productivity, there came a knock at his door.
Odd.
He wasn’t expecting anyone.
Perhaps it was his neighbours, wanting to introduce themselves. He should do that too… Haru made a mental note to buy a corkboard for his wall.
Getting up from the sofa, tossing the remote onto his bed, he walked to his door, still wearing that same suit he wore when meeting Rin this morning. He’d meant to change, but—
There was no way for him to know who was behind the door before answering, which was irritating, but it was hardly going to be a junkie or cold caller. He wasn’t at his house anymore.
Haru put on his smile, letting his eyes warm up like an old computer forced to chug back to life.

And then, he opened the door.

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