Haruka released a breath she did not quite realize she had been holding, along with a strained chuckle. She was absolutely livid, but tried her best not to let it show on her face. She really wanted to literally smash the laughing guy's face in or maybe just kick him really hard in the nuts, but she repressed her murderous thoughts in favor of replying to what seemed like a sincere apology from the male prostitute that had now stepped in front of her and was looking for the offender. When his gaze stopped and landed on a man who stood, winded and looking like he still wanted to keep laughing despite his coughing fit, Haruka released another breath, but rather than being accompanied by an awkward chuckle, this one came with a soft sigh.
“It's fine,” she assured with a wide grin, trying to save some face despite her earlier obvious discomfort, “I was just … I wasn't really … I mean,” she tried, but failed to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why she, a trained ninja, would freeze up at something as innocent as a hug. Her face was burning by now and she decided to forgo the explanation and just answer the question she was asked, “It's Haruka,” she blurted, “My name, that is. It's Haruka.”
The slight crowd that had gathered due to the sudden, bombastic laughing fit of the stranger was starting to dissipate and before she could embarrass herself any further, Haruka took a slight step back, just enough to make it clear that she was making distance between the two of them, but not enough to make it seem like she wanted to get away from him. She did not really mind him. However, instead of engaging in further self-humiliation, she turned to the one who had laughed and felt her anger flare again. She was pretty sure the slight twitch of her eyebrow was visible as she, with a slightly strained expression on her face, asked the simple question, “Can we help you with something?”
Otreas
