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Words counted-- 1600
Hope u enjoy.
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Runa waited for Aki to arrive on the busy street for about ten minutes, but he still hadn't shown up.
"Ring ring."
Her phone rang, and it was her friends calling.
"Where is he? Why is he letting you wait so long?" complained a girl on the phone.
Runa smiled warily. "Nikoru, don't be mad. He must be busy. He told me to wait near the bus station some minutes ago, so he must be on his way," Runa reassured, defending Aki.
"Ring ring," her phone buzzed again. Runa looked at it and exclaimed, "Ah, it's Shijo-kun! He's calling. I'll hang up on you, okay? And don't let him find you," she pleaded.
"Don't hang up, put us on conference. We will be on mute," Akari exclaimed, wanting to know what they were going to talk about. Though Nikoru wanted to stop her, she didn't, as she also wanted to know more about Aki. After all, it was just a call for the first date, not an intimate call of a dating couple.
"Ok," Runa said, accepting Aki's call.
"Sigh, at least he's calling. Or else I would have beaten him up black and blue," Nikoru scoffed.
"Don't be like that. Aren't we the ones to blame? We forced Runa to pursue Shijo, after all," said another girl.
"But Akari, that's because we thought he was cute and might be different from that guy who left Runa. Who knew he would be that much different? Sigh..."
"He must have his reasons," Akari replied.
"Reasons? What kind of excuses are there for a guy to wear girls' clothes in school? That he's a girl trapped in a male body?" Nikoru retorted, laughing sarcastically.
"Fughhh haha," Akari laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" Nikoru looked angry.
"Because you really care about Runa, even though you look like you don't give a shit," Akari explained her reason.
"Yeah, yeah," Nikoru muttered, "but if he makes her wait any longer, I'm giving him a piece of my mind."
Meanwhile, Aki finally arrived on his bike, wobbling a bit but managing to keep it upright this time. Spotting Runa from the opposite lane, he parked and called her.
After a second of buzzing, the call connected and his first words were spoken, "Sorry I'm late!" Aki apologized, slightly out of breath.
"It's okay, Shijo-kun. Did something happen?" Runa asked worriedly.
"No, no, I'm already in front of you. Here, I'm waving my hand," he said, waving his hand.
"Um, where... Wait, are you on a bike?" Runa exclaimed as she observed. She only saw a man with a helmet still sitting on his bike, waving in her direction.
At first, she wasn't sure if it was Aki or not, but the only one waving his hand was the biker. Surprised, then shocked, she asked, "Is that really you?"
"Yeah, I'll turn there from the next divider. Wait a little and I'll explain, okay?" Aki said, driving to cross the lane.
"Okay..." Runa replied, watching the driving figure of Aki as he drove off. As she was in a daze, her phone rang again.
"Eh, did they hang up?" she whispered but received the call. "What's wrong, Nikoru?" she asked.
"Hey, did he gender switch again? Is he really the guy on that bike? Woow, he really looks goddamn hot..."
"Akari, stop it. You are drooling. Give me the phone."
Runa, hearing the commotion from the other side, smiled. "Nikoru, he's coming on a bike, so try to catch up," she said, hanging up her friends' call.
After a few seconds, Aki arrived and parked his bike by the side of the bus station. He removed his helmet with one hand, revealing his slightly disheveled hair. Runa, still in a daze, watched him as he approached her. He smiled at her and apologized again, "Sorry for making you wait so long."
"No, no, it's okay. It was my fault; I arrived here early," Runa replied shyly, looking at Aki. But then she saw some bruises on his face and, worried, she exclaimed, "What happened?" She hurriedly walked closer to him and examined his face, her eyes full of concern.
"Haha, nothing much," Aki laughed it off, feeling Runa's gentle touch on his face.
"Like hell it's nothing! They are all bandaged, I know these bruises much be deep," Runa exclaimed. "If you don't tell me, I'm going home," she threatened, trying to blackmail him.
Though Aki could easily retort with a nonchalant "Fine, like I care," he was here to win her heart. He decided to come clean. "Don't make me say it. It's embarrassing."
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about in front of me. And if you're really that embarrassed to tell me the reason, then I will share one of my embarrassing moments in exchange," Runa insisted.
"You don't need to... It just hurts my pride to tell you that I was practicing how to ride a bike to go out with you," Aki replied with a faint smile and a slight blush on his cheeks.
Runa, seeing Aki's reaction and hearing his reason, felt butterflies in her heart. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She hadn't felt this way before. 'He injured himself just for me,' that thought echoed in her mind. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed his lips, taking Aki by surprise—and herself, too.
Quickly trying to divert the awkwardness, she asked, "You said you just learned it today, right? So, are we safe to go on this?"
She immediately regretted her words, thinking they might hurt Aki. He had specifically learned to ride for her, and doubting him could be a blow to his effort and pride.
But to her surprise, Aki played dumb and replied, "Oh, don't worry. I know the traffic rules, and I know how to drive. It was some other problems that I've already solved, so we're safe."
"Is that so... Then how do I sit?" Runa asked, glancing at her short skirt.
"Sit like this," Aki explained, demonstrating how to sit sideways on his cruiser bike. It wasn't a sport type, so it was easier for a girl to sit on the side.
"Like this?" Runa asked, holding onto Aki's waist tightly. She had never ridden on a bike before, and she was a little scared.
"Yeah, here's your helmet. Now hold tight. We're going to a park I used to visit when I was young," Aki said, handing her the helmet. After Runa put it on, Aki started driving.
As they drove off, two voices exclaimed simultaneously, "They're gone!" Nikoru and Akari had been watching Runa and Aki drive away.
"Do we follow them? If we do, it's going to cost a lot of money," Nikoru asked, looking at the disappearing figures.
"Don't worry, I want to see this hot Shijo more than that girly version of Shijo, so I'll pay for the taxi," Akari exclaimed.
"If you're paying, then I don't mind following," Nikoru sighed.
As Aki and Runa rode through the city streets, the wind in their hair, Runa couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Aki, on the other hand, was focused on driving smoothly. He didn't want to worry Runa more than she already was. He occasionally glanced back at her through the rearview mirror, catching glimpses of her wide-eyed.
After a long drive, they arrived at the park. "Park? Or a desert... This name really buzzes me, but... I can't remember much," Aki murmured to himself as they stood before the entrance.
"Are you sure you want to go in?" Aki asked Runa, who was holding his arm tightly around her chest.
"Yes, you drove so far here to show me your childhood place, so how can I turn my back just because it looks old?" Runa explained, her determination evident.
"You're right. Maybe there are still some fun places inside," Aki responded. Though reluctant, he and Runa walked towards the counter.
Sighing inwardly, Aki thought, "I hoped this place that the previous Aki remembered as a child would be perfect for a date, but now it seems like it will be ruined. Just by looking from the outside, I can tell this park is facing financial issues. A park in debt can't be any grander than its gate. I hope Runa just gives up on this place, and we can go to a zoo or a movie instead."
Reaching the counter, Aki asked, "Can we get two tickets?"
Hearing Aki's voice, a surprised voice echoed, "Ah, a customer! It really is a customer! Ah, yes, yes, here are your tickets." A hand slipped out, giving them two tickets.
"Um, what's the price?" Aki asked, noticing the person hadn't mentioned the ticket cost.
"Oh, that will be 400 yen," the attendant replied.
"The heck? No wonder you're in bankruptcy. This place is already devastated, and if you're still charging 200 yen per ticket, even those who want to visit will run away," Aki wanted to shout, but he composed himself, handing over the money like a gentleman.
Runa, hearing the amount, was about to say something, but when she saw Aki giving the money, she sighed and blamed herself. "Sigh, if I hadn't insisted on going in, he wouldn't have lost so much money. I just wanted to impress him, not to burden him."
After receiving the payment, Aki's hand tightened around Runa as he gestured for both of them to enter. The cashier shouted from behind, "Welcome to Amani Brilliant Park!"
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Find mistake.
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