Lonely Hearts

Chapter 7: Adventures and Memories

The day had started off fairly normal. There was nothing to suggest that anything was amiss, and the weather had taken a turn for the better. After a few rainy days, the sun was back to its former glory and was shining across the land.

Okay, I've been watching too many Disney films with Yasu. What sort of internal monologue was that?! Mai thought as she began sorting out some coffee to get rid of the cobwebs in her head, following the intense research sessions she had endured while drafting her term paper.

The last few months had been wonderfully packed with trips to various places as per the promise the SPR gang had made. True to their promise, the group had done various activities.

Monk had taken them mini-golfing which turned out to be extremely fun. Who knew John could be so competitive?

Ayako had chosen mystery-themed escape rooms. They had split up into two teams, which they agreed would remain for any future activities.

Team 1 was Monk, Mai and John.

Team 2 was Ayako, Masako and Yasu.

The end result was agreeing to disagree on which team succeeded in escaping first, seeing as how it had been near identical timing. The poor staff member had refused to get involved after seeing the (friendly) rivalry.

John's competitive streak reappeared when they went for a weekend away to a game centre. They had done bowling. This time there was no debating. Team 1 came out victorious, despite Yasu insisting that Monk had distracted him with his beauty, causing a gutter-ball.

Mai, having never gone to such a place, enjoyed the different activities and had even discovered that they had indoor rock-climbing. Masako had sat that particular activity out, as had Ayako. Masako's excuse was due to her outfit, while Asako's was due to a 'perfect manicure'. Unsurprisingly Mai fell more times than the others, although did eventually manage to reach the top.

Masako had taken them to the theatre to watch a musical that she knew Mai would enjoy. Unfortunately this later inspired Yasu to break out into song at the most random of times. Masako refused to take any responsibility for that outcome.

After the haunted house incident at the fair, the group had forbidden Yasu from doing anything similar again. It was too cheesy and a little too close to the work they had done. This left him with a choice which the group later regretted.

Improv!

Monk turned out to be surprisingly good. Mai's enthusiasm bounced off of Monk and Yasu resulting in some great impressions of two certain men. It had taken a bit of coaxing but eventually Masako, Ayako and John broke out of their shells and joined in, although not quite to the level of enthusiasm held by the other three.

The latest trip had been to one of the festivals. Masako had helped Mai pick out a kimono for the occasion. They all dressed up and enjoyed the different foods and activities on offer. Naturally Yasu took pictures of the group and took individual pictures of everyone.

Without hesitating, he sent the solo picture of Mai to Madoka.

Mai had remained oblivious to the plotting and discussions Yasu frequently held with Madoka (and Lin).

Madoka had later informed him that she had purposefully gushed to Lin about how beautiful Mai looked, which had caught Naru's attention. She had shown Naru the picture and carefully observed his face as he took it in. His eyes had softened while looking at the picture, something that she knew only happened when discussing or seeing Mai.

"She looks beautiful doesn't she?" she had casually asked him. His response surprised her (and Lin). "Yes she does..." And quietly added, as if an afterthought, "She always does..."