The next day comes by in an instant.

  I wake up, on the couch, with Kaguya and Mizuki sleeping on my shoulders.

  Huh…we must have fallen asleep last night in this position.

  “Hey…Kaguya, Mizuki, wake up! It’s already morning!” I said softly, to not scare them.

  Kaguya heard him and woke up, still half-dreaming.

  “Good…morning, Kaito.”

  “Good morning!”

  Mizuki also wakes up, rubbing her eyes.

  “Good morning, you two!”

  “Good morning!”

  “Did I fall asleep on you last night?” as her cheeks rosed up a bit.

  “Yes, I guess we were all tired.”

  “I’m sorry!”

  I look at her with a reassuring face.

  “Don’t stress it out, Mizuki.”

  In the kitchen, Akane was cooking breakfast.

  “Hey, you three, come on, let’s eat while it’s still warm!”

  “Coming!” we replied simultaneously.

  We get up from the couch and sit at the table, where the atmosphere was livelier than ever.

  Akane looked proud of her cooking, holding her hands in her hips, like a superhero.

  “We have omelette, pancakes and salami sandwiches!”

  I look at the food, then put on a smile.

  “Sounds great! Thank you Akane!”

  Akane is a bit shocked, and her eyes widen, then she turns her head away. “You’re…welcome.”

  We all dig into the food, and Mai comes to us with her bag ready for a new adventure.

  “Heyo! What are we doing today?”

  Hikaru replies from his room, while scrolling on his phone.

  “Should we go explore the city more?”

  Akane, Mizuki and Kaguya nod.

  "Yes! Let's do that!" I shouted at Hikaru.

  “Great. It’s set then, let’s all visit the city later! For now, let’s head to the beach, again!”

  We arrive at the beach almost immediately, the sun burning above us, the water calm as a gentle wind breeze and the sound of children laughing was still heard.

  "Guys, let's go take a dip!" said Kaguya enthusistically, grabbing her snorkeling set.

  "Sure!" approved everyone.

  Everyone gets in the water, except Mizuki and I.

  She may not want to come again in the water...

  She was still visibly terrified from last night.

  “Kaito…go on ahead. Don’t stay here out of pity.”

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  “No can do. I won’t let you alone here.”

  She doesn’t say anything, just looking at the sand beneath her.

  “Still…not even with a floatie?”

  “Only…if you come inside the water too.”

  I figured she’d be scared to go again in the sea.

  “Sure! Let’s go.”

  Mizuki grabs her floatie, still hesitating a bit. "Can you grab my hand when we're in the sea, please?"

  "Uh...sure. It's okay!"

  Her face smiled softly, heading into the water with me.

  We splashed water, played beach volleyball, ate corn on the cob, and relaxed on the beach chairs as the afternoon faded into evening, the sky glowing in the same breathtaking orange shade we got used to.

  We are all at the villa, ready for the outing.

  Mai shouts at me with her purse flying through the air.

  “Kaito, come on, are you ready? We are waiting for you!”

  “Coming!”

  I grab my wallet and head to the main entrance, where they were waiting for me.

  Everyone was excited, especially Mai.

  “Let’s go! It’s going to be very fun in the vibrant city centre!”

  “Didn’t you go there yesterday too?”

  Mai sticks out her tongue and gives herself a small knock on the head.

  “We kinda got lost…tee-hee.”

  My eyes drop. Are we actually going to be okay?

  “Let’s see…bus 15?”

  “Yes!”

  “Look, it’s coming!”

  We all enter and five minutes later we find ourselves in the vibrant zone of the city.

  I wonder what will happen today...it has been a bit too quiet.

  Kaguya was the most impressed, snapping photos every now and then.

  “WOOOOW!”

  “Incredible!” followed Mizuki.

  I look at the surroundings. Food stalls, arcades, claw machines, rollercoasters…basically an adventure park in a nutshell.

  “Hmm…where should we go?”

  “Well…we just ate, so, let’s maybe go for the rollercoaster?”

  We just ate, that's the problem!

  Akane and Mizuki were terrified of her idea.

  “We’re good! We are going to explore the zone.” as they drifted behind stalls.

  Hikaru and Kaguya agree to come with us, excited of a thrilling ride.

  “Sure, let’s hit up the rollercoaster!”

  I look at them, being all excited…I couldn’t ruin the mood.

  I’m not fond of rollercoasters but I will make an exception.

  “Okay…let’s go.”

  The rollercoaster was called “Hyperloop”. As terrifying as it sounds, it lives up to its name. Four barrel rolls, with insane twists.

  I can’t even handle kids rollercoasters!

  Mai hops immediately in the rollercoaster cart, putting on her safety gear.

  “Let’s go, guys!”

  I sit next to her, while Kaguya and Hikaru sit behind us.

  “Three, two, one….go!”

  The rollercoaster went at flying speed. I was scared to my bone, expecting to meet my demise.

  We climb up a ramp. I can sense a huge drop ahead.

  Dear gods, please allow me to make it home today. I’m coming to a shrine as soon as I can to express my gratitude for fulfilling my wish.

  “Oh god!”

  The drop came as my cheeks start to fly in the air.

  “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”

  Mai looked happy, screaming her lungs out. “Woo-hoo!”

  Hikaru and Kaguya had the same reactions. "Yaaay!" , "Whooooo!"

  The ride finishes. I am in a state beyond dizzy.

  Am I still alive?

  “It’s…over.”

  Mai helps me to stay on my feet, grabbing my

  “Hey, thanks for coming! I know you’re not fond of them but you were worried for me, right?”

  “I promised to you that I’m not leaving you alone, didn’t I?”

  Her eyes widen a bit, moved by my declaration.

  “I guess you did…haha.” He remembered it on such an occasion!

  “Then, what should we do next?”

  “Kaito, Kaguya and I are going to grab some food. Let’s meet at the bus station in thirty minutes.”

  “Ok, I will stay with Mai then. Should I call Akane and Mizuki?”

  “Go on.”

  I take the phone out of my pocket and call Akane.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes?”

  “Let’s meet up at the bus station in thirty minutes and let’s go home!”

  “Okay. We’re done, too! We caught goldfish!”

  “Great for you girls.”

  Hikaru and Kaguya drifted to the food stalls, as I stay behind with Mai.

  “What should we do?”

  “Well…I saw a photo cabin earlier. Let’s go there and make some fun photos!”

  “Okay!”

  A small but modern booth, about 10 minutes away from the bus station.

  Mai starts configuring the settings on the touchscreen.

  “Okay…there! Prepare!”

  The robotic voice takes over.

  “Make a silly face! Make a serious face! Make a normal face! Make a couple’s scene! Go for a kiss!”

  The last one took us by surprise, freezing for a second.

  We both get red. We just look at each other while blushing.

  Mai was startled, turning her head away after the photo was taken. WHAT?! That sudden?! I didn’t have time to prepare!

  The photos get printed and we both start laughing at the silly postures we were captured in.

  Wait...what's up with the last one?!

  “Kaito…this was funny. WAIT! THE BUS!”

  “Oh no! Make a run for it!”

  I grab Mai's hand, running to the bus station, trying to catch the last one.

  What...is going on here? I'm so happy! Kaito's running with me, like a couple about to miss the train for work!

  We are about fifty meters away from the bus, panting from the sprint we had.

  “WAAAIT!”

  The bus leaves on time for its last departure. The other four were in it, looking on the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of us.

  “What happened to Mai and Kaito?”

  “Let’s call them when we get home. They maybe went straight home.”

  We are both trying to recover. Mai holds her leg, sitting on the concrete under us.

  “Ouch!”

  I look back at her. She was lying down, holding her slightly puffed ankle, her face looking in pain.

  This is bad.