When I told my parents and Joonmyun about my travel plans over dinner, Mom was less than amused. However, it was at the end of summer, and my internship was ending anyway. If I wanted to spend the last few days before classes started again to travel, she couldn’t find much to say. Dad stiffly added that he could get us a last minute place to stay at the Mandarin Oriental or the Ritz. 

“Um, I don't think that's necessary,” I replied. “I think we’re going to stay with Haru. You remember him right, Joonmyun oppa?”

“Yixing’s dancer friend we met last time, right?” Joonmyun asked. 

I nodded. Haru lived in a cozy place passed down by his grandmother that he had turned into a bed and breakfast boarding house. It was in a convenient location, and I felt gave a more authentic Japanese experience than the Ritz. Plus, the auntie there who took care of the cooking and housework made the most delicious food. 

“I would feel better about your safety if you guys stayed at a hotel,” Dad said. 

“They’ll be fine,” Joonmyun said, coming to my rescue. “The place is in a good neighborhood and Haru will be able to show them around and watch out for them.”

Mom remained tight lipped, not adding to the conversation. Ever since the anniversary thing, where pictures of Sehun and me at the club went very public online, she had gotten quieter and less aggressive and pushy. I guess it was almost better this way, than to have her lash out. 

Kris dropped Sehun and me off at the airport for our trip. He told Sehun he was expecting presents when he got back, and left to go see a movie with some friends. 

“I’m going to buy him a pack of hello kitty stickers as a present,” Sehun grumbled as we waiting to board the plane. 

I laughed, imagining Kris’ face if he got them.  
 
We got to Haru’s place around dinner time. Haru was of Chinese and Japanese decent. Unfortunately, I spoke neither Japanese nor Chinese, and Haru knew limited Korean. Instead, we communicated pretty smoothly in English, with a lot of added gesturing.

Because I had visited Tokyo a few times before already, I didn’t need much help from Haru to get around. I took Sehun to the touristy attractions by myself, but he joined us for some shopping in Shibuya the next day. 

“Yixing… still dance?” Haru asked. “How is he? And your bother? Joonmyun is doing well?”

“Yixing might start teaching a dance class soon,” I replied. “He doesn’t really need the money but he loves dancing so much that I think he will accept. Joonmyun is also doing well. He is very busy all the time with work. No girlfriend.”

Haru and Sehun also look an immediately liking to each other. In fact, they two looked a little alike, and were similar in height and weight. The only difference was that Sehun usually had a stoic, emotionless expression while Haru was expressive all the time. However, they share a lot of similar interests, and Haru absolutely loved Sehun’s tattoo. Haru had decided that he was going to teach Sehun Japanese during our trip, but seemed to be teaching him only semi-inappropriate slang to giggle over.  

“How old are you guys?” I asked, rolling my eyes. 

“Twelve,” Haru replied in Japanese.

“Twelve,” Sehun followed in Korean. 

We stayed in Tokyo for almost four days before heading to Osaka by bullet train. Sehun had gotten us seats to wait for our train in a secluded corner away from the crowd while I went to pick up tickets from the ticket window. When I got back, Sehun had his snapback turned backwards and a lazy smile on his face.

“What are you eating?” he asked as I sat down next to him.

“Candy,” I replied, sticking out my tongue to show him. “They had some at the ticketing booth. Do you want to try?” I asked, opening my hand to reveal more wrapped candies. 

“Sure,” Sehun said, a twinkle in his eyes. He reached out, but instead of taking the candy, he wrapped his hand around mine to pull me toward him, kissing me hard on the mouth. “Um, lemon,” he whispered as he pulled back. “Yummy.”

“Yah, Oh Sehun, when did you get so cool?” I asked, checking to make sure no one else had seen. Japan was not really a PDA friendly place. However, we were partially hidden by a pillar, and the station was not very crowded since it was the middle of the afternoon on a work day. 

“I’ve always been cool,” Sehun replied, indignant. The effect was somewhat dampened by his lisp, which made an reappearance at the most inopportune time. He let out a little chuckle, taking off his snapback and sticking it on my head instead. 

It was my first time in Osaka as well, and we spent three days exploring the city and enjoying all the food that Osaka was famous for, and then 2 days in nearby Kyoto for the culture. We explored the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and Kyoto Tower.