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You woke up early Sunday morning to the sound of your phone buzzing on your nightstand. A little groan left you as you reached over and picked up your phone, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Wassup?"
"Hi!" Your mood immediately brightened the moment you heard Haru's voice. You sat straight up and unconsciously fixed your hair, as if Haru could see you from the other side of the call. "I'm sorry for calling you so early, but I had the urge to take a trip to Kichijoji and enjoy the weekend. Are you free to come with me?"
"Is the Haru Okumura asking me out on a date?" you teased, scooting off your bed and grabbing a change of clothes to bring into the bathroom. "Of course! What time would you like to leave?"
She hummed. "Well, since you just woke up, I'd like to give you a little time to get ready. Would an hour work for you?"
Even now, after three months of dating, her polite demeanor was something particularly endearing and refreshing compared to what you were used to hearing from the likes of Ryuji and Ann. "Yeah! I'll meet you at the Shibuya Station."
After hanging up, you hurried to the bathroom and took a quick shower, excited to spend the rest of the day with Haru. What with her father's death and the pressures put upon Haru as the heir to Okumura Foods, you had little to no chances to spend time with Haru outside of helping her with her gardening and her desires to become more involved with her father's company. It made you incredibly happy to see her living up to her full potential and finding out her passion in life, but at the same time you wished she had had more opportunities like this to be a normal teenager.
A few days ago, Haru had successfully spoken her mind during a meeting with the other high-ranking officials that belonged to Okumura Foods. You hadn't had the opportunity to see her since then, and you figured that today would be the best opportunity to properly congratulate her on her personal progress.
Around nine in the morning, you made your way to the Shibuya Station and waited in front of the turnstiles for Haru to arrive. You checked your phone, making sure to keep track of both the time and any messages Haru may have sent to you. Thankfully, within a few minutes Haru was calling your name and coming toward you with a big smile on her face, easing your worries. Although she didn't tend to mix up her outfits, somehow she looked even more stunning in the winter wear you'd grown accustomed to seeing her in.
"Good morning!" Haru chirped, immediately moving to your side. Acting on instinct, you held out your elbow, and she giggled as she looped her arm through yours. "I'm so happy we finally have the chance to properly go out on a date again. I'm sorry for having worried you with the current events surrounding the company."
You shook your head and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you were able to discover what you truly want to do. In fact, to show you just how proud I am of what you've done, how about I buy you a gift when we get to Kichijoji? My treat!"
Her eyes widened. "A-Are you sure? I wouldn't want to force you to buy something for me..."
"Nonsense." You tugged her toward the Keiou-Inokashira Line, grinning as she fell into step with you without much difficulty. "Really, consider it my own way of congratulating you on everything that you've accomplished. Besides, we'll be able to window shop and walk around Kichijoji during the day! A perfect way to spend a Sunday morning, isn't it?"
Finally, she matching your expression, her cheeks dusted with pale pink and her eyes seeming to sparkle in the fluorescent lighting of the subway station. "Alright. Thank you again for everything you've done to help me. I think, without your assistance, it may have been harder to stand up to Takakura and the rest of the company officials. Even before then, you were such a huge help in changing my father's heart."
"Haru, seriously, you don't have to thank me for all of that," you said. "It's my duty as your friend, significant other, and fellow Phantom Thief to help you out in any way that I can. Whether we're in the Metaverse or the real world, I'll always do anything to make sure you'll be safe and sound."
She murmured your name, bowing her head and watching her feet. "I sincerely thank you--Ah, there I go again!" You both laughed, and she leaned farther into your side, enveloping the right side of your body in a pleasant warmth. "I'm so happy that you're here. With everything that happened with S-Sugimura, I was scared that you were...going to be like him when we first started dating. But now you've opened my eyes to something far better than I could have ever achieved, trapped in a loveless bond like that one. You gave me the strength to stand up to him as well."
"Well, he was a bag of shit," you replied simply, keeping a steady grip on her as you both entered the train bound to Kichijoji. "Leaving you in something like that, whether or not we were dating at the time, would have made me no better than that. Besides, I wasn't the only one to help you. I'd argue that Akira and Morgana were of far more use."
"They may have helped more with changing my father's heart, but you assisted me after." She smiled up at you and stood on her tippy toes, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. You flinched a little at the unexpectedness of the action, not used to her being the one to initiate any form of physical affection outside of hugs and hand-holding, but you leaned into the kiss and pulled away after a few seconds. "Allow me to thank you one last time. We'll be able to leave all of this behind once we get to Kichijoji!"
You and Haru chatted aimlessly about whatever came to your mind. Being with Haru gave you a certain sense of peace; although you were good friends with the rest of the Phantom Thieves, somehow you clicked more with Haru. Maybe it was a result of having dated her for this long, or maybe it was because you had been friends with her for far longer than even Makoto, but you and Haru understood each other in a way that you could only describe as a connection between soulmates.
The train pulled to a stop in Kichijoji, and you waited for the people in front of you to exit the train before coming off yourself. Haru linked her arm tightly with yours. There was a surprising amount of people in the station even this early in the morning, so you weren't opposed to having Haru this close. You came up the station stairs and emerged in Kichijoji, the bright sunlight glaring off the tall buildings and making the cold November air slightly more bearable.
True to your plans, you and Haru window shopped for a few hours, stopping in one of the stores so you could buy Haru a simple bracelet set with little turquoise stones. Her expression brightened and she thanked you profusely even as you helped her put it on. "This is beautiful, and it's my birthstone as well! I can't believe you remembered something as small as that."
"I pride myself on remembering the smallest details about the people closest to my heart," you said with a wink. "It looks good on you."
She shook it around a little to make sure it wouldn't fall off, and to your delight, she brought the sleeve of her sweater up so the bracelet was clearly visible. You laughed as she hugged you in the middle of the store, the cashier giving you a confused but kind smile. You stood there for a few moments, basking in the familiarity of Haru's warmth, and finally broke away from Haru's embrace to take her hand. "Let's get going. There's so much more to see in Kichijoji. Do you want to check out the Jazz Jin? It's not evening yet, but we might be able to relax for an hour or so in there."
"Oh, Akira had told me about that place!" Haru shielded her face a little as you exited the building, the sunlight almost blinding as it glowed overhead. "Even though it's only been a few hours, I've already had so much fun with you. Thank you for accepting my invitation."
You opened your mouth to reply, a teasing remark on the tip of your tongue, but the playfulness died away as you made eye contact with a familiar guy on the other side of the street. You gripped Haru's hand tightly, praying that the guy wouldn't recognize you and come over, but to your dismay, he began pushing through the crowd, obviously dead set on you as his target. Haru said your name with a definite note of concern, but as she followed your gaze, her own grip tightened on yours so much that you could feel your pulse in your hand.
"Haru!" Sugimura sang with a sickening grin, stopping in front of the two of you with his hands tucked deep into his pants pockets. "And...you."
"Please, save the disgust in your voice for a mirror," you replied coldly, standing slightly in front of Haru and keeping one hand out to the side so as to block her from Sugimura. "What are you doing here?"
Sugimura laughed, moving his hands out of his pockets to place them on his hips. "Can't a guy just stroll around Kichijoji on a Sunday? But to answer your question...I still have a small foothold in Okumura Foods. It was more than easy to find out where little Haru was going, and to think that her 'significant other' was with her as well. It's like killing two birds with one stone!"
"How dare you talk about them with that tone," Haru said, her voice slightly shaky. "And how dare you track me down here! Sugimura, I already called off the marriage. Your contract has no foothold in the company, even if you yourself might. Please, leave us alone, and allow us to continue on our date without any of this petty arguing."
He laughed again, but this time the sound was far more menacing. Haru stiffened, and you shot Sugimura a glare as you fully stepped between Haru and Sugimura. "That's funny! See, I remember a certain little birdie telling me just that, but you must be lying to yourself, sweet Haru. You were so happy to be by my side, to be treated like you were everything! Now, why don't you be a good little girl, leave that puffed-up fool next to you, and come back to me? We can work things out and I'll have a beautiful wife--"
"No."
"Huh?!" The smile disappeared from his face, replaced by a glare that made Haru's hand begin to shake in your vice grip. "The hell do you mean, 'No?' Say it to my face, louder this time! I know damn well you don't have the courage to say it again."
"I-I..." Her breath hitched, and you cast a concerned look in her direction, watching as she averted her gaze to look at the ground.
"That's what I thought!" He took one step toward you, and that mere movement made every muscle in your body tighten in preparation. "Haru, come here!"
"Get away from her."
As he moved to grab her, you acted on pure instinct. Causing any physical harm to him by fighting him would bring far more trouble to both you and Haru than there needed to be, but you could hardly let him be with how he was treating Haru. You decided to take the compromise and stepped on his foot as hard as you could, taking his recoil as an opportunity to put more distance between the two of you and Sugimura.
He let out a little grunt of pain and glared at you. There was hardly anything on his shoe except for a faint scuff mark, but judging by the anger on Sugimura's face, that just added insult to injury. "You brat...You scuffed my shoes! Who do you think you are?"
You gently disentangled your hand from Haru's and stood as tall as you could, spreading your arms out to either side and resuming your position as a buffer between Haru and Sugimura. You tried to make your expression as intimidating as possible. "Your fight is with me now. Whatever kind of 'bond' you had with Haru is a thing of the past now. She doesn't need you anymore; in fact, she never did. As long as I'm here, you're never taking her back. I beat your ass before and I'll do it again. Leave."
He scowled. "I don't know what kind of games you're playing at, but if you're so desperate for a fight, then bring it!"
You looked over your shoulder. "Haru, move out of the way." She stared at you, frightened and confused, but she slowly nodded and heeded your advice. As she moved, Sugimura seemed to take that as an opportunity to attack, and you quickly dodged out of the way, bringing Haru with you.
"Whoa!"
He took a hard fall to the floor, landing on his side and almost knocking his head against the concrete. Haru's eyes widened, and although she didn't move to Sugimura's side, there was some kind of sympathy in her expression as she exclaimed, "S-Sugimura!"
"Ow..."
You looked around, cursing silently as you saw more than a few people watching the scene unfold. You could hear them murmuring between themselves, and you doubted they had anything positive to say. "Haru, let's go. People are staring at us. Leblanc?"
Sugimura looked up, his teeth bared in inhumane anger. "Don't ignore me! Haru!"
Haru stared at him for a few seconds, but she finally looked away and took your hand again. "...Yes. Please, let's go."
You hurried through the crowd, ending back up on the train heading out of Kichijoji. Haru looked disheartened and scared, molding into your side and wrapping her arms tightly around your waist. You wrapped your own arm around her shoulders, trying your best to comfort her without actually saying anything. She began shaking in your grip and you felt your heart break, wondering how anyone could even consider being so heartless toward such a wonderful girl.
You ended up at Leblanc and entered the cafe, Haru still pressed up against your side. She hadn't said a word since you got on the train, which worried you greatly, and you hoped that eating some of Sojiro's famous curry might help calm her down. It frustrated you to no end that you didn't know how best to help her, even though you thought you knew her so well.
"Is she okay?" Sojiro asked the moment you and Haru entered the cafe. "She looks shell-shocked...Let me whip up some curry, my treat, and if you're feeling up to it, you can tell me what happened."
Since Haru didn't seem to have any plans of speaking anytime soon, you decided to take the reins after she gave you a silent nod. You gave Sojiro a brief explanation, not wanting to dive into the explicit details of everything that had happened for Haru's sake, but even with your brevity Sojiro looked pissed.
"Can't believe a bastard would treat a lady like that," he muttered, shaking his head as he began to prepare the curry sauce. "Poor girl looks scared out of her mind, too. You think that asshole would ever swing by here?"
"I don't know," you admitted. "I don't know him as well as Haru does, but I'd assume that since he doesn't know either you or Akira, he wouldn't even imagine her coming here to hang out. Uh, no offense."
He shook his head. "None taken. I know this place isn't the most high-end. But damn...wish he would so I could give him a piece of my mind..." Sojiro shook his head again and turned around. "What do you want to drink, Haru?"
Haru cleared her throat. "U-Um, coffee would be nice. Thank you."
"Don't worry about it."
Sojiro began preparing the coffee, leaving you and Haru to your own devices while he cooked. You turned in your seat, having set up at the bar counter, and put your hand on her knee. "Are you doing okay?" you asked, keeping your voice quiet so you wouldn't frighten Haru. "Maybe I should have roughed him up a little more than just stepping on his shoe."
"No, what you did was perfectly fine." She managed a little smile and looked up at you. "I'm sorry for having worried you again. It's just...seeing Sugimura like that reminded me of everything he had done over the course of our arrangement. I shut down. I should have helped you in some way..."
"You can't blame yourself for acting the way you did," you said. "Shutting down like that is only natural when you come face to face with your abuser. I was a little scared, yes, but I was also proud that you managed to stand up to him before he tried to grab you. It takes a lot of bravery to do that. Maybe even more than it did to tell Takekura how you really felt. Whatever you might think, it wasn't your fault for shutting down and you're not weak in the slightest."
She bowed her head and fell silent for a count of three before looking up and kissing you again, this time on the cheek. "Thank you for protecting me," she said, taking both of your hands into hers. "Thank you for staying by my side throughout all of that."
You smiled and moved one of your hands to cup her face. "I said I'd do anything to make sure you're safe and sound, remember? I have no intention of ever breaking that promise."
She said your name, her eyes wide, but her expression quickly melted into a warm and genuine smile that made your heart flutter. "Well then, I'll make the same promise to you. I'll always be by your side."
"And I yours."