It's Okay

Haru was frustrated, to say the least. She had gotten used to what had been happening to Okumura Foods ever since her father's death. But that didn't mean she liked it or that it wasn't affecting her at all.

She hated the way everybody treated her. They all either looked at her with pity or only saw her as a tool to control the company. As if she wasn't an actual person. And yet, she couldn't say anything about it.

She sighed out loud the moment she got to the front door of Goro's apartment. She had already agreed to spend the night with him, and she didn't want to cancel just because she couldn't handle one bad day at work. She forced a smile on her face as she ringed the doorbell.

Goro didn't take long to open the door for her. He seemed to be okay but, after she entered, he sighed as he closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"That's what I was gonna ask."

"I'm fine! I have no idea what you're talking about."

He crossed his arms, frowning at her. "Don't lie to me. I can tell that there's something wrong with you. Spill it."

She sighed, the smile disappearing from her face. She should already have expected that it wouldn't work. Goro was good at seeing through fake smiles, specially when he had forced them so much himself in the past. And as much as she didn't want to burden him with her problems, he wouldn't be satisfied unless she told him the truth.

"I just… Didn't have a great day at work today." She looked down. "I'll be fine, though."

"What happened?"

"Just… The same as always." She looked back up at him, but this time knew better than to force a smile again. "I swear I'm okay though."

"You don't have to hold it in so much."

"Huh?"

He took a deep breath, not looking at her as he spoke. "It's… It's okay to feel angry. It's okay to show that you're frustrated. You have all the right to do so."

You have all the right to feel angry. She remembered him saying that about her being angry at him for what he had done to her father. And yet she didn't hate him for it. At least not anymore.

But she had never been good at showing anger. She had always been taught to keep her head low and listen. And the Metaverse had been one of the few places where she could let out that anger. But now that it was gone, she had gone back to holding it all in and, on some days, the frustration was enough to make her just curl up and cry in her room.

"It's been months already and most of them still haven't changed at all." She sighed, her eyes already starting to get teary. "Just… How long will it take for them to take me seriously!? I am going to be the head of the company! How is it that they still can't respect me!?"

She started taking deep breaths as she wiped her tears away, but they kept coming. And even the sobs were starting to get hard to hold back.

Goro gently pulled her closer to him, hugging her and patting her hair. She hugged him back. It wasn't much, but she appreciated it. She liked the warmth of his arms, the sound of his heartbeat, the feeling of his chest moving up and down as he breathed. It made her feel like she was safe, like she could let out her tears without any guilt.

"I'm sorry." His grip on her arm tightened, but not enough to hurt.

He didn't need to say anything else besides that. Haru already knew what he meant. "This isn't your fault. Even if my father had died of natural causes, I doubt they would be treating me any differently."

He sighed, leaning his chin on her forehead.

She knew he wasn't apologising for killing her father. No. They had already come to the conclusion that apologising for that wouldn't change anything.

What he would always apologise for was for what she felt. He never said it out loud, but his actions were enough to tell her that he hated seeing her like that. As much as she didn't want to burden him with those problems, she also knew he hated to see her pretending to be happy for his sake. He wanted her to be honest with him.

She had started to calm down, sobbing much less as she wiped any leftover tears from her face.

"Do you want some tea?" He asked while caressing her arm.

"I would appreciate that."

He nodded, then kissed her forehead before heading into the kitchen and setting some water to boil.

She sat down at the table and watched him quietly, paying attention to even small details. Like the way he tied up his hair and adjusted his gloves, or to the way his fingers brushed against the packets of different teas before settling on one (she also noticed how he had picked her favorite).

Once the water was done boiling, he put it onto a cup and then put the little packet of leaves in it. She remembered the first time she had taught him how to make tea, since he had mentioned he had never managed to get it quite right before. And she remembered how much she had enjoyed that day. She remembered his smile once they had drank it together. A genuine smile.

It took a while, but the tea was done once Goro gave one final mix into the cup. He set it down on the table as he sat in front of her.

"It's still hot, so be careful."

"I know." She gave him a small smile before blowing some air into the tea to cool it down, then she took a sip. It tasted great, and it warmed her up just as much as his hug had warmed her before. "It's really good. Thanks."

"It's the least I can do." He looked down with a frown. Haru never liked seeing him like that.

"Goro." She called softly as she cupped his cheek.

He looked up at her, putting his hand on top of hers and gently caressing it with his thumb. Then she leaned and pulled him closer, kissing his lips.

His muscles tensed up, but he soon relaxed into the kiss with a quiet sigh. When she parted their lips, he leaned his forehead on hers.

"I love you." She smiled.

Goro was quiet for a moment, blushing. He was never good at saying things like that, but he always managed to push through his awkwardness if it was for her. "I love you too."

She giggled as they sat straight up again, but still held hands on top of the table as Haru drank her tea. Meanwhile Goro had his elbow on the table, holding his head in his hand as he watched her, a hint of a smile on his lips.

Haru could have a few bad days. Or even many bad days. But as long as she had him, she would make it through them.