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7:00 PM (quet314 and king_bakal)

king_bakal

king_bakal

Star
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
"Alright Bianca, I'll see you later at training" says the young man on his cellphone as he strolls towards the campus gates. He is a college freshman and is taking up computer technology as his major. He is also a rising star in the school's Judo team. Tall, lean, black hair with sapphire blue eyes, many consider him gifted both physically and mentally. "Sure! I'll give you a good beating. Ha ha ha. Ok, ok, bye!!!" The line goes dead and the smile on his face turns to a slight frown. "Well, she's all hyped up again, it's going to be a long, painful evening!" He said to himself as his phone transformed into a music player. "Better eat a lot before training then" He continues his stroll outside campus and sets his sights on his favorite sushi place.

This is the daily routine of this scholar. School work, walking up and down the streets with music playing on his earphones, eating sushi after class, occasional phone calls from friends, training hard, homework or research, and music again to lull him to sleep.

"Alright, here we go again" he said to himself as he approached the famous "mini metropolis" as the students here would like to call it. Students from all sides of the town would flock here after school hours. Stores, food, games, you name it. In a town like this where schools are near each other and residences are not far apart, it's really busy during the after school hours.
 
Shizuka pushed her plain dark hair out of her face in frustration. She glanced around the crowded street, she needed food. She spotted a sushi place and figured that would be good. She hadn't had sushi in a while.

She weaved through the crowd cursing her short nature. She felt so typical. Petite with long dark hair and dark eyes, she wasn't super popular or athletic, she was average and she was ok with that. Her friend Ami however was not, and she had barely escaped being forced into some club activity that would have severely interfered with her plans to spend the afternoon with a good book... After homework of course. Geez, why did high school have to be such a pain?

Her mind was running through the homework she needed to get done and she didn't even notice that she wasn't the only one reaching for the door of the sushi restaurant.
 
Larc~en~Ciel's music blasted through his earphones as he made his way through the thick crowd of students. It was crazy in there, groups of students with different ethnicity, taste, and social classifications. There where the nerdy ones, shyly making their way towards the game shop. There where the rocker types, browsing through the catalog with their rebel look and dyed hair. Stereotypes, yes, but that's just how it is.

He felt his belly grumble. He wanted to observe more. He wants to feed his fascination but his body is begging for priority. He needs sustenance and he needs it fast. "No time for sight seeing, damn I'm hungry." He said to himself.

Lost in the music and the urge to eat, he didn't notice that his right shoulder is on a collision course.

"Whoah" He said as he tries to dodge the pretty face beside him. Unfortunately, his Judo training wasn't enough to prepare him for this kinds of situation. Usually, he won't lose his balance but that was not the case on this one. With a thud, he instinctively fell on his side, his arm slapping on the floor, breaking his fall. His eyes on the other hand were glued to the newly seen face.
 
She felt her face flush as she watched him fall, shit! She knelt over him, "I'm so sorry, are you alright? I wasn't paying attention at all!"

She noted that he landed on his arm and immediately worried about if he had scrapped his arm. She began to fumble through her bag for band-aids. This was exactly what Ami was always scolding her for, being lost in her own world and not being paying attention to the people around her. "Are you hurt?" She asked, without giving him time to reply.

"I have band-aids in here somewhere... You were going in weren't you? I'll pay for your food, I'm really sorry, I was thinking about my homework assignm-" she paused finally looking up from her bag.

Blue eyes, gorgeous blue eyes. It reminded her of her favorite character in a novel she had read recently. She lost everything she wanted to say in one breath and felt her bag slip through her fingers and land on the ground with a soft thump.
 
He wished he could lock those eyes with hers for another minute but the pile up of people at the entrance says that he better snap out of it. Rising up, he instinctively brushed his sleeve. "Oh no miss, I am fine!" He gave her a hearty laugh. "Don't worry about me, it's me whose not paying attention. It's just that... Ummm... I've got lost in the music." His smile not vanishing as he says these things. He is not the type to stutter at all. It's just that there is something with this girl that fascinates him.

He knelt down, grabbed her bag, and tried to converse. "Please, don't worry about me. Ummmm.. rather than paying for my food, why don't we ummmm... Just eat together?" Bold move for him. He is not this type of person at all. "I'm a freshie and I'm new to the place. Maybe we can, you know, Chit-chat for a bit? If that's ok with you." He said to her, struggling to hide the jitters.

"So... Let's go?" His fingers nervously clamped to the strap of her bag.
 
She blinked, a college freshman? Chit-chat? Did she even know how to chit-chat? She stood with him, brushing her uniform skirt off in the process.

"I suppose that's ok," she said silently eyeing his arm. He seemed fine, which was a relief, but she wasn't sure about eating with him. She made a mental note to avoid eye contact with him again, and eating with him would make that hard. She reached out to take her bag back but stopped and introduced herself properly. She made a low bow, considering that she had caused him trouble and that he was older.

"My name is Niwa, Shizuka. I'm in my last year of high school at Kyota Private School. " She mumbled the last part, still embarrassed. She figured that was enough of a greeting and again reached out for her bag.
 
"Pleased to meet you, Niwa-san. I am Garcia, Ichigo. Freshman at Kenta University." He gave her a little bow before the awkward moment of silence started. He thinks that she may be one of the shy types so he decided that he'll try to carry this situation. He gestured to her to please lead the way towards the bar.

"Yep, Spanish-Japanese here. Main reason for the blue eyes I think?" He gave a chuckle as they slowly walked. "Honestly? I've never been to Spain yet. My father loved this country so much that he embraced it with open arms." At this point, his mind is already trying to process the next lines to say. "Must not have a stale moment" He thought.

The bar is just a few steps away. Two seats are available. The smiling face of the sushi chef already in front of them.
 
She carefully seated herself on the stool to the left, returning the sushi chef's smile.

Garcia. She felt the need to taste the word on her tongue, but didn't want to embarrass herself by saying it needlesly. "Do you love it here?" She asked him. "I mean the way your father does?" She clarified. She tucked her hair behind her ear and accidentally made eye contact again. God, he was gorgeous.

She felt the need to tug her skirt further down on her thighs and wished she hadn't moved her hair out of her face. Those blue eyes felt like they were looking right through her. She tried to relax and pretend she wasn't so flustered.

She had never really thought about herself as shy, more like she just didn't like talking to people. She often found them to be mean, especially at school, so she just avoided excess contact with people other than Ami. However, she felt very self conscious around this guy. Something about him made her want to crawl into her own skin and hide, or maybe just drown in his eyes. She blushed at the idea and picked up two menus, placing one in front of him, and hiding her face behind her own.
 
"Yeah, besides the height and eyes? I am all Japanese." He said with a laugh. He gave her a slight nod when she placed the menu in-front of him. For a fraction of a second, his eyes met hers. Seeing her reaction to his stare made him think that it's best to look at the menu for now.

Staring at the menu, he continued with his speech. "We're you born and raised here? Me? I spent my childhood hoping from one place to another because of my father's work. I was home schooled when I was a kid." He took a glimpse and her hands holding the menu caught his eyes. He can't help but melt with the sight of her fair skin. His eyes quickly jumped back to the menu. Not that he needs to, he just needs to collect his thoughts.

"Ever been to America? Me and my father would visit my mom there back then. She used to coach a University Judo Team there." He has this big smile on his face. "She's the one who got me into Judo. She was good. Really good. 1990 National Champion. She's back here now. She lives in Tokyo, she's running a Dojo there."

He noticed that patient smiling chef is probably at his wit's end waiting for their orders. He look towards her and with a cheerful voice, he asked "What would you have?" His smile plastered into his face, waiting for her to reply.
 
She responded first to the food question, "Tamago Nigiri." She set down the menu, "ah! and a coke! Please." she mentioned spotting another glass of coke on the bar. She paused to let him order as well before thinking of what to say.

"I was born and raised here, though. My mother died when I was young and my Dad owns a business that requires a lot of travel, so I grew up here in my grandparents home. Though I travel with my dad a lot. America is where we go the most often. He has a house there and a flat in Europe. That's only on school breaks though. My Grandma doesn't let him take me anywhere during school." She tried not to look as uncomfortable as she was feeling. She didn't know what was wrong with her, she didn't need to be so embarrassed by him looking at her. It was normal to look at the person you were talking to.

"Do you do competitions as well? I've been to a couple competitions at college level, they're really intense. I can't imagine getting a degree on top of the training they do." She left out the part where she didn't attend voluntarily but got dragged there. She did pay attention though, and for the most part admired those who were able to do it well.

She glanced at his arm again, that's why he was so built. She pictured him in a Judo uniform but couldn't picture him fighting. He seemed too nice for that. The way he smiled at her made her feel like he wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Um, what are you studying? If you don't mind me asking...?" She tried to look at him while she waited on his reply, and tried even harder not to blush at all. She felt silly and told herself to man up and just look him in the eye, it only worked for a moment before she settled on just below his sparkling blue eyes.
 
"Itadakimasu!" He said, obviously thrilled with the Tako Maki and glass of water in front of him. Usually, he would dig in instantly but today, his hunger was on the back burner. Listening to her is priority. He explained to her that competing was one of the main reasons why he is studying here. The university team's head coach, an American named Bianca Rogers, was a Judoka that his mother met during her time in New York. She recently migrated to Japan and is happily married with 2 children. It was his mother's advice for him to go under her tutelage. He also told her that he is a Computer and Technology Major. "Yes, you can classify me as a nerd, to some extent." He said, jokingly. Trying to cheer up the atmosphere.

"So you're a big traveler too! What a coincidence! I guess for me, that's the reason why I can pretty much juggle school and athletics. I grew up in a very busy and hectic world. It just needs some getting used to." Looking at her, he finds it hard to believe that she's this little cute, rather shy person. Most people whom he met during his travels with his family, kids of the same age, would be blabbering almost instantly. Then again, for him, that's what made her different.

"How's school? Any plans after graduation? I bet you'll miss a lot of your friends." He paused. "Why not enroll at my University? It's not far from here, no need to move away. Right?" He smiled again, he leaned forward, his chin resting on his right hand while waiting casually waiting for her responses.
 
"Um, well. School is fine, I just finished some entrance exams from next year so things aren't to busy at the moment. My friend," she suddenly felt embarrassed that she had to say 'friend' rather than 'friends.' "Ami, plans to go to the same school as her brother, but she doesn't want to. She actually just wants to start working. We live close by each other though, so we'll probably stay friends what ever she decides. As for Kenta University, it depends on what score I got on my test. I took the entrance exam last year, and wasn't happy with the grade. I took it again this year, and I think I did well enough to get an early acceptance. That way I can focus on my final exams instead of worrying about applications. My mom and dad both went to Kenta." She proceeded to settle into that topic because it felt safe and familiar. Talking about her dad being his mom's sempai and how they were competing for the same award, and her mom won. The plaque still sat on a shelf in the living room at her house, and she had decided when she was really young that she would attend the same school and win the award too. She told him it was a writing competition and munched on her sushi she talked.

Shizuka was about to mention how she was practicing already and spent a lot of time reading from the all the authors over the years. But she started blushing suddenly as she realized how much she was talking.

She mumbled an apology, and went to sip at her coke embarrassed.
 
"You're one fascinating person." His eyes fixated on her. Without looking, his chopstick just went for the last piece of sushi and finished it. "I can't really say much about the university since I'm just a lowly freshman but so far so good. I like it there." He grabbed his glass and took a sip. "I bet Ami is a really nice person? From the way you speak of her, it seems that you two have gone a long way. In a way, I kind of envy you for that." He let out a chuckle. Being the only child of a family who travels a lot, he never really had the chance to bond with anybody. Acquaintances here and there. He had a rather different teenage life than most. He did attended school but later, due to the travelling needs, he ended up earning his high school diploma via homeschooling. Online school that is.

"So, do you still have classes?" He looked at his G-Shock. "It's only 3:00 in the afternoon. Since, I caused a commotion earlier by stumbling in front of you, maybe walking you back to school is a good payback. I can be your bodyguard." He said, smiling and giving his arm a tiny flex. He's obviously trying to act funny. "Our training starts at 4. We do roadwork first. Jogging around the streets for 30 minutes then another 30 minutes for stretching and some weight training if Bianca feels like doing it." He paused then gave a big sigh. "Then, it's a tedious grind from 5:00 Pm to 6:30Pm. Throws, submissions, randori, you name it. It's fun but it's tough." He paused and with some hesitation, he continued. "Soooo... May I escort you miss?" He gestured for her to stand up. He is a dedicated Judoka but for some reason, he feels like skipping training today. He knows, Bianca's going to hang him for that.
 
She smiled at his flexing, finding his attempt to be funny kind of sweet. "Sure." She replied before even thinking about it. She liked when he smiled, and liked talking to him. She picked up her bag, and set down the money for her and his meal. She didn't really give him a chance to argue, "we'll have to go now if we don't want to get caught in the crowd." She knew that within the next few minutes the crowd would get big and it would get big fast. So they would need to get out of the main shopping district soon.

She led the way, and started to talk about her next class. "I actually have a study period next, and that's all for the day. I signed up to spend it in the library though. It's normally pretty empty in the evenings so it's a good time to study. I just have to sign into with the librarian...." She paused, feeling a desire to ask if he wanted to stay with her. It would be pretty boring though, she mostly just read and did homework. Ami accompanied her sometimes, but normally spent the time to nap. He had Judo soon, so he should leave as soon as they got to her school campus, asking him would be rude... right? Maybe she could just ask to see him another time? Was that too forward?

She bit her lip and turned to him, accidentally catching his eyes again. This time she didn't look away and was forced to stop mid-step. Her face felt red and she stumbled over her words. "W-would you... I... um," she swallowed, words lost.
 
"Would I...?" He stared at her, waiting for her to continue the query when suddenly, his phone began to buzz. He checked who it was and with the look on his face, it's obviously important. He asked her politely if she can excuse him for a second.

"Alright, alright.. Yes.." He was speaking in English and he's pretty good with it. He can easily fake anyone with his accent. After the call, he looked at her. "Bianca. She told us that some guys from another University would come over and have a tune up game with us." He shrugged. "No wonder she was all hyped up earlier. Anyway, what was that you were about to say?"

Thoughts were already racing in his mind. He was not the nervous type but her trying to fish for words made him one. He's trying hard to hide it and he believes that he's doing a good job.

"Don't worry." He said, trying to break the silence. "We are still on schedule. Training is over at 6:30 PM. Just a quick shower and some packing and I'm out." He paused, his nervousness betraying him now. "How long will you stay at the school's library? Any chance I can meet you at 7:00 PM?"
 
She felt her heart skip a beat, "Yes!" She replied almost too fast, "I- I mean." She blushed. "7 would be good..." Her mind felt like a jumbled mess. "I tend to get a little distracted in the library, so let me show you where it is in case I forget to check the time. You can just tell the librarian you're looking for me and she'll tell you where I am." She motioned at the road ahead of them and began to walk again. "It's just at the end of this road."

She couldn't get her mind to stand still. Was this a date? She was planning on asking him, but did she intend it as a date? She wasn't sure. She didn't really want it to not be a date, but she wasn't dressed for a date. Her school uniform suddenly made her self conscious.

As they reached the school she pointed to the small building to the right. "The big building is all the classrooms, and the one to the right is the library. The librarian's name is Miyaki-sensei, if you tell her you're looking for me she'll let you in." She spoke in a nervous rush. She glanced at him, blushing. She wasn't sure how to say goodbye.
 
The huge building loomed in front of them. He checked his watch and he still has 30 minutes to spare. Enough time to reach campus which is just a few blocks away, go to the lockers, get dressed, and proceed with the training. "Alright, I'll be here later." He paused, trying to think of words to say after his initial statement. "Miyaki-Sensei right? At what time does the library close? Sorry, I promise, after practice, I'll run as fast as I could." He checked his watch again, 25 minutes left. He looked at her one last time, before he says goodbye. "Sorry about earlier. I was so clumsy." He took a deep sigh. "Time is running out. I really have to go. I am really looking forward to seeing you again later." He wanted to at least shake her hand but he figured that it's best to avoid physical contact for now. "See you later miss! Ja!" He gave her a bow and ran off towards the University.

He dashed towards the campus with impressive form. The way he carries himself, his posture, it is of a true sports man. College girls would wave at him, easily recognizing the new rising star of the University team. "Fans obviously." He said to himself. "There are tons of girls in school, but never did I felt such joy. Niwa-san is just different." A few more minutes and he's finally inside campus. As he went towards the gym, to the lockers, he can't help but think about the newly met high school senior.
 
Shizuka waved at him as he walked away, half whispering goodbye.

She stood still outside of the school, her stomach fluttering, when the warning bell rang loudly. She jumped a little and ran to the library.

"Miyaki-sensei!!" She cried out a little louder than intended. She covered her mouth nervously when Miyaki glared at her. "Sorry," she mumbled. She waited patiently for Miyaki to finish what she was doing. Finally Miyaki turned to her, Shizuka had always gotten along well with Miyaki. She was a rather young teacher, that lived near by Shizuka and Ami. The three of them spent a lot of time together over the years, despite the age difference.

"Now, what were you yelling for?" Miyaki asked standing up, "and what room would you like today. No one else is scheduled so you have your pick of study rooms."

"I have a question, and the one with the window facing the courtyard. Room 4C." There was often birds sitting in the tree outside the window. She liked birds.

"What kind of question?" Miyaki questioned, "do you need help with your books, or do you just want the key?"

"Just the key, can you go on a date in your school uniform?" Miyaki froze at her question.

"Date? I suppose if it's a casual date you're uniform wouldn't be a big deal. Maybe just some cute hair and make-up? Nothing too over the top though, since your already casual, just play up your natural beauty...." Miyaki had a feeling she shouldn't press her. Shizuka looked like she was deep in thought, when she was ready to talk to Miyaki she would.

Shizuka thanked her and took her time to browse the books before picking one fictional and quite a few nonfictional plus two text books and an Spanish-English encyclopedia. She went to the room and settled into a table, braiding her hair and rummaging through her bag for her glasses. She also pulled out a notebook and a pen. Once she had everything she needed she sat down and flipped open the Spanish encyclopedia, Garcia... She murmured his name quietly as she looked it up. She knew enough English to look it up, and read the name carefully in English and Spanish. She then wrote his name neatly in her notebook. She didn't want to say it wrong. She blushed a little suddenly felling silly. She closed the encyclopedia and flipped the page in her notebook. "Time to study," she said glancing at the clock once. "Garcia-san at 7..."
 
"Are you sure you're ok? Mr. Ichigo Garcia, I don't want any of your heroics, tell me the truth." Said the concerned coach after the training. With his trademark smile, the young athlete reassured her that he's ok, he probably just needs a day or two to "shake off" the pain. "Don't worry Bianca, I am as tough as my mother. We're both unbreakable. I know you can attest to that." The coach remembered Ichigo's mother. Her work ethic and training intensity was rivaled by no one. Even able bodied men would pass out before she does. She nodded to him and gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Rest well. You deserve it. Things like this do happen." With a bow, he said goodnight to his coach and went straight to the lockers. Only after stripping off his Judo-Gi he saw the severity of the sprained ankle. It is sore, it is blue, and it is not pretty. He smiled, he doesn't need to worry about this. He is looking forward into something magical.

"I am terribly sorry. I should have been more careful." Said a familiar voice. Ichigo turned around and saw the concerned face of the 105kg Judoka from the other University. He gave the big guy a pat on the shoulder and told him what Bianca said earlier. "This kind of things happen." The visitor gave him a bow and apologized again. He reciprocated the gesture and went straight to the showers, fast. "I can't afford to be late." It only took him a few minutes. He was already dressed up and out of the campus gate with 10 minutes left. The private school is not that far so even with a sore ankle, he'll make it in time.

With 2 minutes to spare, he arrived at the library. As instructed, he went to the front desk and as expected, the librarian was there. He introduced himself to Miyaki-Sensei and told her that he is a College student from the nearby university.

"I am actually looking for Niwa, Shizuka. She told me that I'll be granted access here if I mention her name and that you can tell me where she is right now?" The librarian chuckled a bit. Obviously, a rather cute thought popped into her head. The expression on her face made him forget the pain that is now starting to build up on his right ankle. The bad part is, nervousness has taken over.

He slowly made his way towards room 4c. Standing at the door, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and readied himself.

"Niwa-san. It's already 7:00 Pm"
 
Shizuka jumped up, knocking a few books off the table in he process. "Oh!" she put her hand on her heart but smiled at him. "Gracia-san..." She finally had a reason to say his name. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Again."

She bent to pick up the book she dropped and her notebook. She took of her reading glasses and packed up her bag.

She carefully pulled out her braid and threaded her dark hair through her fingers. She thought about what Miyaki said and wished she'd left her hair in a braid. She chewed on her lip, she'd forgotten lip gloss too.

"Um, let me put back the books I got out." She put the encyclopedia on the bottom of the stack embarrassed. "How was practice?"
 
He walked beside her as they made their way towards the shelves. He can't help but notice how cute Niwa-san is with her glasses on. He wanted to see her wear it again. The thought of asking her if she could wear it again crossed his mind but he thought that she might find that strange. As they go on, he answered her question. He told her how friendly and helpful the visitors were.

"It's fun! It feels like it's a real competition there. Playing against new people is challenging because you don't have any idea on their game or style. It really gives you that adrenalin rush. There is this one guy who..." He paused. As usual, he would go on with technical terms, giving detailed descriptions and post game analysis. This is ok with his other friends and of course team mates but with Niwa-san? He thought that it might bore her. He continued. "Ummmm.. There is this one guy... Who flattened me like a pancake! He was really good! I bet he'll win a medal on the next tournament!" As usual, he would finish his sentences by looking at her, smiling at her, trying to figure out how she felt hearing his sometimes nonsensical stories.

Finally, they have reached the shelves. He tried helping her with the books, especially the ones that were higher up on the shelf. After they were all done with the books, he gestured for her to lead the way. He followed her.

"I told you earlier that I'll be your bodyguard for tonight. I'll follow you wherever you go and protect you." He said with a proud, stereotypical cartoon prince tone. "Actually, I take that back." He chuckled and continued. "I'll be your Knight instead."
 
Shizuka listened to his story, and stifled a small giggle as he said 'pancake.' It was nice to know that he wasn't too proud to admit when someone was better than him, and she enjoyed seeing him talk about what he felt passionate about. She felt her face turn a little red as he leaned over her to put a book back that she couldn't quiet reach. She smiled and thanked him as best she could without blushing.

After they put away the books, she stopped at Miyaki's desk and checked out the one fiction book she had picked up. Miyaki smiled at them knowingly and told them to have a good evening.

As they were walking out of the library he called himself her 'Knight.' She thought of King Arthur's court and the way he chuckled made her heart skip a beat. He looked a lot like a knight... blue eyes and dark hair, a princely smile.

"Only for tonight?" the question slipped out of her lips before she could stop them. She covered her mouth instinctively, face red. "I mean since you said you were new to the area," she desperately tried to cover her tracks. "I-I'd be willing to sh-show you around." She began to stutter.

She should've planned this out better while she was in the library, she should've stopped studying early and did something with her hair and makeup while she decided what to say. What did you do when you wanted to become friends with someone? Did she just was to become friends with him? A memory flashed through her mind of Ami and her in junior high. She had moved up a year into Ami's grade and Ami acted like it had only been only a days ago that they had spent all there time together when in reality it had been years. Ami being a year older went to school first and they drifted apart from there... But the moment Ami saw her in class she had handed Shizuka her phone with a smile, 'Shizu-chan! put your number in my phone so we can hang out this weekend.'

Shizuka fumbled around in her bag and pulled out her small white cell phone decorated with bird charm and bell dangling from the corner. Her face was red and she no longer knew what to say... so she just held the phone out to him with both hands and her head bowed so that her hair would hide her expression as she shut her eyes and bite her lip anxiously.
 
Walking with someone is always fun but walking with someone who makes you nervous and happy at the same time is indescribable. He was ecstatic when she said that she would walk around with him, showing him the town. So far, this is going in his favor. He felt that in a way, she is starting to open up. It would be easier for him to talk to her casually now. He wouldn't worry much about messing up. Still, he can't be too careless.

"The town is pretty big. Let's explore the town one place at a time." He looked at her and with a light bulb moment look on his face, he proposed his idea. "How about this, we go on our daily lives, you a highschool student and me a college student but everyday at 7PM, I would pick you up from school and I'll be your Knight? How's that?" He paused. "Don't get me wrong though, I would still love to eat sushi with you every afternoon!"

His heart was pumping now, things are just getting better and better. It may sound cliche but if this is a dream, he sure doesn't want to wake up. It's his first time to talk like this to a girl who has this much of an effect to him and everything is going well. He feels so blessed. Even more so when the thought of asking her number crossed his mind. He got mental blocked and was trying hard to think of the right combination of words when he saw her pulling out her cellphone.

"Oh. I was about to do the same." He paused as he pulled out his cellphone, also white with a transparent casing. He punched his number on her phone then stopped. He smiled at her before speaking up. "I don't know if you'll give me the permission to know your number. Please, if ever you decided that I am privileged enough, please, give me a call." He returned her phone to her and gave her a bow. They resumed strolling, treating the street lamp lighted street as if it was a park.

"You know what? The quiet dark street, street lights, and the stars above reminds me of something. When I was a kid, me and the other kids on our block would come out and play at night. Beautiful memories I must say." He suppressed a chuckle, the nervousness was gone, he stood up in front of her, blocking her way. He patted her on her shoulder. "Tag! Your it!" He started hopping back like a 7 year old kid would, urging her to catch him.
 
She liked the idea of getting to see him everyday, and her heart fluttered at the idea of meeting him for lunch too. 7PM, she repeated it in her mind. She would need to set an alarm to prevent her from getting distracted in the library, and leave enough time to do something with her hair.

After him putting his number into her phone, they began to walk again. She liked that he gave her the option to call him first, and she smiled at his formal bow when he returned her phone to her hand. She liked how he was this pleasant mix of formal and unformal with his carefree smile and happy demeanor. It felt like easing into a good book, one that felt familiar somehow even though she wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

She walked in step with him, enjoying the peacefulness of the early night and the sound of their footsteps and his voice. She very much liked his voice, and she couldn't help but smile as her tagged her.

She followed him with a small leap, his short strides taking up a couple long ones for her. She chased after him with her hand out stretched, her fingers barely grazing the fabric of his shirt a few times. She couldn't help but laugh as she chased him and when she finally latched onto his shirt she could only grin up at him. "Tag," she stepped back laughing and nearly out of breath when her back it a lamp post. It didn't hurt if anything she used it as support.

"I haven't played like that since before grade school," she smiled looking up at the lamp-post and pushing her loose hair out her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she was half out of breath with a giggling grin on her lips as she turned to look up at him. She was hardly even a step away from him and yet the closeness just felt comfortable, "Geez, I didn't get very far did I?"
 
He stood beside her under the lamp-post. He was looking down at her, admiring how she looked with the bright light above her. He envisioned her as if she was a lead on a play, like a princess of some sorts. "You do deserved the spotlight." He thought.

"Well, the important thing is that you got me." He actually felt butterflies on his stomach when those words came out of him. He just thought that there are a lot of ways to interpret that statement. He wished that she doesn't get the wrong idea. He doesn't want to spend the rest of the night in an awkward situation.

"You live with your grandma right?" He asked her, trying to salvage the situation. "Doesn't she get worried when you go home late? I know most high school kids here would be home by 6:00 or 7:00pm."

"Her shiny hair, her fair skin, her glittering eyes under the lamp-light." He thought. "You're very beautiful Niwa-san."

He just stood there, half-waiting for her to answer his inquiry, half-admiring her.
 
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