Welcome to the Gran Gran Refugee Camp

After what felt like hours of Gran Gran's backseat driving, we finally pulled up to Haruka's place. During the drive, I couldn't help but notice how empty Shibue's streets felt. Everyone probably bailed for Golden Week, hitting up Tokyo's festivals or tourist traps. Smart move, honestly. Who'd want to stick around this ghost town?

Haruka's house sat on the outskirts where Shibue started bleeding into actual countryside. It was one of those cozy single story deals with weathered wooden walls and a slightly overgrown yard. The kind of place that implied 'I'm too busy reading books to mow my lawn.'

Gran Gran marched up to the door and started pounding. "Haruka! You better not sleeping!"

The door creaked open to reveal a tall guy in wrinkled pajamas, hair sticking up like he'd lost a fight with his pillow. His glasses sat crooked on his nose as he blinked at us.

"Ah, Obaa-san..." He yawned. "You're early-"

"Early? It afternoon! Look at you, like homeless person!"

"Ok, ok, I'll get changed soon..." Haruka's eyes drifted past Gran Gran and landed on Sae. "Himuro-chan?"

Sae quickly turned to stare at a nearby shrub.

Wait, they knew each other?

"Come in, come in!" Haruka ushered us inside. "I'll make coffee-"

"I bring better!" Gran Gran bulldozed past him, hauling her bags of snacks into his kitchen. "Your coffee probably instant, like poor college student."

I hung back, taking in the place. Books everywhere, most with titles about rocks and dirt. Random minerals decorated every surface. Definitely tracked with my memories of him.

"Nice place," I said, mostly to break the weird tension between Sae and Haruka.

"Thanks! Did you notice the granite countertops? Its veining pattern-"

"No boring rock talk! Tell us about school! You getting good grades at Shibue University?"

"Oh, uh, yeah! The mechanical engineering program is great. Just finished a project."

"What kind of project?"

"Well, um, you see, um... I mean, uh..."

"Haruka."

Haruka wilted under her glare. "I... I'm actually studying geology. I knew you and mom and dad wouldn't approve-"

"GEOLOGY?! No wonder you look like homeless person!"

As Gran Gran launched into a lecture about wasting potential and disappointing ancestors, I noticed Sae finally looking at Haruka. She gave him a slight nod like she was saying 'go on.'

Haruka took a deep breath. "Actually... I'm not at Shibue anymore. After the Daimen incident, I dropped out. I've been working for the KQ Division."

The room went dead silent. Even Gran Gran stopped mid rant, mouth hanging open.

I had to admire his guts. Standing up to Gran Gran would be the equivalent of facing down a kaiju with a plastic spork.

"I'm not going back," Haruka said, his voice stronger. "KQ needs my help. Besides, studying kaiju composition is way more interesting than mechanical engineering. Did you know their cellular structure-"

"No more!" Gran Gran covered her ears. "I not listening to rock pervert talk!"

I watched Haruka's shoulders tense as Gran Gran's lecture reached new decibels. Then all of a sudden, he spun on his heel and marched down the hallway.

Sae followed him without a word, and I wasn't far behind. No way I was staying anywhere near an angry Gran Gran.

We slipped into Haruka's room, and I shut the door behind us. The space was exactly what you'd expect from a geology nerd turned kaiju researcher. Shelves crammed with mineral samples competed for space with stacks of research papers. A massive periodic table dominated one wall, covered in sticky notes with terrible chemistry puns.

"Welcome to the Gran Gran refugee camp." Haruka sprawled across his unmade bed. "Population: three disgraces to the family name."

"Five if you count Little Shit and Rhino."

"Speaking of, how's Rhino doing?" Haruka turned to Sae, who'd claimed his desk chair.

"He's stable. But we should schedule a check-up before winter."

"Let me guess. Still too shy to let anyone else examine him?" Haruka chuckled. "That big baby."

His eyes landed on me and widened. "Oh crap, where are my manners?" He stood and gave an exaggerated bow. "I'm Haruka, your apparently disappointing cousin and KQ Division's resident rock expert." He shot Sae a flirty wink. "Which is how I met this lovely lieutenant here."

Sae met Haruka's wink with her usual stone-faced expression, the flirtatious comment bouncing off her like rain on a window.

"So!" Haruka flopped back onto his bed. "What's everyone up to these days? Y'know, while the world's still spinning."

"I'm… I'm saving up for a penthouse in Tokyo."

The words came out easier than expected. Maybe because Haruka was the first person who might actually get it. He'd chosen his own path too, despite Gran Gran's disapproval.

"A penthouse? That's brilliant actually. Real estate must be crashing in the city 'cause of the kaiju attacks, right? And you'd get an insane view of the kaiju!"

"…You don't think it's stupid?"

"Are you kidding? The world ending is even more reason to chase what you really want. I mean just look at me, my dream led me to studying rocks. Yours at least comes with a good view."

Something in my chest loosened. I'd gotten so used to defending my Tokyo dreams that I'd forgotten what it felt like to have someone just... get it.

"Anyway, you're awfully quiet, Himuro-chan." Haruka stretched out on his bed hands behind his head. "Not that I'm complaining about having a beautiful woman in my room, but you never drop by without a reason."

"You're right," she replied, slipping a hand into her jacket pocket. "I need your expertise."

"Oho?" Haruka sat up, his glasses glinting. "What weird request is it this time?"

Sae slowly drew her hand out, fingers curled around something small. Then she opened her palm.

There, catching the room's dim light, rested a familiar white crystal - the same one she'd taken from the house of mirrors at Seven Flags. It sat there quietly pulsing, like it still carried the echo of the strange place it had come from.