[color=darkorange]"Ah, well..."[/color] Chunjiro considers it, drawing water from the well. Most of his work consists of yardwork and chores for the elderly inhabitants of the village, usually the widows and the ones without children to take care of them. It is the samurai's duty to care for his lord and his lord's lieges, and in Chunjiro's case, he cares for the weak and the elderly. Many of them are friends he has known since childhood, and now that he is old enough to provide for them, they treat him like a son. 

[color=darkorange]"It's a lot of hard labor, like yardwork for people who aren't strong enough to do it themselves. I'm sure the [i]obasans[/i] ("grannies") would be happy to see, ah, um..."[/color]

Some of the old ladies have expressed their wishes to see Chunjiro find a good and upstanding wife to share his days with. He certainly thinks Haru fits the bill, but he fears she would get embarrassed by the nosy, if well-meaning, nature of some of the grandmothers. He's sure they would love to talk to another girl, but...

[color=darkorange]"...any visitors. I could introduce you to a few of them, since I need to deliver some groceries to their houses."[/color] The idea of Haru by his side is nerve-wracking, but at the same time, comforting. Provided he can keep his cool and not do, or say, anything weird, it might be really nice. [color=darkorange][i]Shopping together... did mom and dad do anything like that?[/i][/color] 

Pulling the bucket out of the well with one hand is difficult, but Chunjiro finds himself hesitant to let go of Haru's hand. He enjoys the touch, simple as it may be. It's hard to tell what she's thinking right now, not that Chunjiro has ever been good at that, but he hopes she isn't put off by it. He doesn't want to spill water everywhere and make a fool of himself, though, so he reluctantly lets go of her (tiny!) hand to lift the bucket out. 

[color=darkorange]"Oof,"[/color] he mumbles, staggering to the side slightly. [color=darkorange][i]It's always a bit too heavy...[/i] "Yeah, I shared a room with all my brothers ever since I was young, and not a big room either... I bet you got a lot more privacy."[/color] Come to think of it, Haru's mother died when she was young, right? So it was just her and her father... a very different and perhaps lonely childhood than Chunjiro's lively, chaotic household. If that's the way she was raised, he wonders if it would overwhelm her, to be the center of attention of six young ones and his slightly overbearing parents. He bets his mother would like her. His dad too. And the kids...

[i]I want to be the one to like her the most, though.[/i]

Chunjiro blushes. What a bold thought. Haru wants to meet his family, therefore he shouldn't feel as if something special is getting taken away from him. There's nothing to be uneasy about. 

[color=darkorange]"I'm sure they would love to meet you,"[/color] Chunjiro answers, walking back to the kitchen to boil the water for rice. [color=darkorange]"Maika, my mom, my dad... Takeru too, he loves a pretty girl,"[/color] he adds, then realizes he inadvertently called her pretty and falls silent. More importantly, this feeling in his chest, it won't go away. What's it called? When you want to keep someone to yourself?

...Jealousy?