Chapter 13: The Best Day

Two months had passed since he had met those girls, but there had been no contact from them.

Did they not have smartphones? Or did they not feel the need to contact him? Well, either way, it didn't really matter. He wasn't close enough to them to be concerned.

He just figured they would get by on their own.

"Hah..."

Kenji exhaled a puff of white air and looked up at the sky.

The last of the year.

Early December.

The weather was bitterly cold, fitting for the dead of winter. Even though he was wearing a thick coat, a turtleneck, a scarf, and gloves, the cold chill penetrated to his bones. He felt a stinging pain in his ears, and the tip of his nose was tinged red.

Still, it was better than being hot. Kenji touched his reddened nose once, then took out his smartphone from his pocket to check the time.

10 AM. Thirty minutes left until their appointment. Kenji thought about going straight to the meeting place, but he stopped by a cafe to buy one hot drink and one iced americano. Thanks to that, he only had ten minutes left, but since the place wasn't far, he walked at a leisurely pace.

And so, he arrived at the park.

In the distance, Kenji saw a girl with pink hair sitting on a bench. She was more glamorous than usual, as if she had dressed up a lot. Her white skirt reached her knees, and a white turtleneck and a thick beige cardigan over it made her look even more radiant.

"She put a lot of effort into her makeup too."

Kenji chuckled and walked towards Mika. She was checking her face in a hand mirror, then whipped her head around at the familiar footsteps. And then, she smiled brightly and waved at Kenji.

"Kenji!"

"Yeah, here you go."

"Huh? You bought something?"

"I thought you might be cold, so I bought you a hot chocolate."

"Ah, thanks☆"

Mika accepted the hot chocolate he handed her with a beaming smile. The warm drink warmed her cold hands.

"Why aren't you wearing gloves? I saw you wearing them the other day."

"I lost them!"

"Sheesh, you're hopeless."

Thwack.

Kenji chopped Mika on the top of her head with the side of his hand. It didn't hurt at all, but Mika let out a faint groan and puffed out her cheeks.

"Why did you hit me!"

"Ah, sorry. It was just in a good position to hit..."

"Are you making fun of me for being short right now?"

"Yeah."

"Hmph!"

Mika tapped Kenji's chest with her fist. But even with that small gesture, Kenji gasped, keck, and took a few steps back. It was a fist like a small cotton puff, but the power that came from it was beyond imagination.

"You crazy gorilla..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Kenji averted his gaze from her murderously gleaming eyes and straightened his posture. Then, he brushed off his wrinkled clothes and asked Mika.

"So, what's the reason you suddenly wanted to meet today?"

The reason Kenji was meeting Mika at the park on a weekend morning was simple. Yesterday, she had contacted him via messenger, saying that she had something important to do today and to meet her at the park. And she had said that they had to meet without Nagisa knowing.

Even when he asked why, she just said she would tell him when they met, so he had no choice but to come out. But he still hadn't heard a proper answer.

"Do you remember the MomoTalk I sent you the other day?"

"...You've sent more than one, so I don't know which one you're talking about."

"Oh, come on! The one where I asked you to go shopping with me!"

"Ah, that one. I remember. You're talking about the one where we couldn't go in the end because Nagisa found out, right?"

"Yup yup! That's the one!"

Mika feigned a relaxed smile and placed her hands on her hips.

"Today's meeting is to fulfill the promise from back then! I left Nagi-chan behind because I thought she would just be a hindrance!"

"...If Nagisa heard that, I think she would stuff a roll cake into your mouth."

"If Kenji doesn't tell her, Nagi-chan won't know. So please don't tell her, okay?"

Mika sent him a wink.

Kenji let out a deep sigh and threw the empty americano bottle into a trash can. The bottle flew in a clean arc and went straight into the trash can. Mika disposed of her paper cup in the same way.

"...My hands are cold."

She clasped her reddened hands as if in prayer and blew a warm breath onto them. As she did, she kept glancing at Kenji out of the corner of her eye. It was a gesture that anyone could see meant she wanted something. Kenji noticed this and looked back at her.

"Want me to take off my gloves for you?"

"...N-no. Then you'll be cold, Kenji. So instead..."

Mika trailed off. Then, she tentatively extended one hand towards Kenji.

"Hold... my hand."

Her voice trailed off towards the end. Mika ducked her head as if to hide her reddened face, whether from the cold or for some other reason. Even so, her amber eyes were fixed on Kenji. Her trembling pupils were filled with a mixture of anxiety and embarrassment.

"...If you don't want to... then never mind..."

"I don't mind."

Kenji chuckled, took off his gloves, and took her white hand in his. At the warm touch, Mika let out a small gasp, ut. They often hugged or patted each other, but this kind of skin-to-skin contact was unfamiliar. Every time they did it, her heart would pound and her face would turn red.

'It's embarrassing... but I like it...'

Mika held onto Kenji's hand tightly, as if she would never let go.

"There, you happy?"

"Y-yeah... it's warm."

"Glad to hear it."

Kenji grinned. At his smile, Mika felt a ticklish sensation in a corner of her chest. Whenever that happened, the same thoughts always came to her mind.

'I like you! I love you! Hug me! Kiss me!'

But those thoughts never made it out of her mouth.

At least for now. Until she found the courage.

'Let's be satisfied with this for now.'

Mika thought to herself and smiled brightly.

*

Inside the department store was much warmer than outside. Because of that, they took off their coats and put them in a department store locker. It seemed like they would just sweat if they kept wearing them. When he said that to Mika, her breathing became ragged for some reason, but she also took off her cardigan and put it in the locker.

"Where are we going first?"

"To buy you a t-shirt! You said you lost one the other day. I'll buy you that, as promised."

"Ah... right. Let's do that. And let's buy some more clothes while we're at it."

"Okay!"

Mika hummed a tune and walked ahead. Since they were still holding hands, Kenji was pulled along by her movements.

The clothing stores were mostly on the second floor of the department store. As if she had been here a few times before, Mika entered the most expensive-looking store among them without hesitation. Then, she began to look at a few white t-shirts.

"Hmm... hmm..."

She frowned in thought, alternating her gaze between the t-shirts and Kenji. After a few minutes, she picked out three t-shirts from among the ones that all looked similar and handed them to Kenji.

"Go try them on! I'll see if they suit you!"

Without a word, Kenji went into the fitting room and changed into the clothes she had given him. When he came out, Mika smiled brightly and nodded her head.

"Yes! It suits you perfectly! Much better than I thought!"

"Really? It just seems ordinary to me."

"Not at all! You look much cooler than usual!"

Mika gave him two thumbs up. At her reaction, Kenji let out a chuckle. Unlike Nagisa or Seia, Mika's reactions were big, so it was fun to watch. That's why she was the most fun to tease.

If he wanted to play like he was really this age, Mika was the best. The other two were like old souls, and the atmosphere was such that he felt like he should be playing go with them. In fact, since he did play chess with Nagisa, that wasn't far from the truth.

While Kenji was changing back into his original clothes, Mika paid for the t-shirts. Kenji said she didn't have to, but Mika smiled awkwardly and explained that she just wanted to buy them for him. She could never say that it was because she felt sorry for taking his shirt.

In return for Mika buying him clothes, Kenji bought her a meal. The restaurants in the department store were surprisingly decent.

After their meal, they stopped by a small accessory shop with Mika. Mika said that decorating wings was a trend in Trinity recently, and she wanted to buy some ornaments for her wings.

"Is that so?"

Being sensitive to trends was a natural thing for a girl of her age. Kenji, despite feeling a bit lazy, helped Mika find an ornament that would suit her. What they found was a crescent moon-shaped accessory that was slightly larger than the others.

"This one is nice, isn't it? I think it's pretty."

"Hmm... you think so? Should I try it on?"

When Kenji nodded, Mika attached the crescent moon-shaped ornament to her right wing. The golden ornament contrasted well with her pure white wings. After adding a few small accessories to decorate the area around the moon, one of her wings was transformed into something gorgeous.

"It's pretty. It suits you well."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Hehe. I got a compliment."

Mika let out a foolish laugh and bought all the ornaments she had put on her wing on the spot. She said she wouldn't decorate her other wing because she wanted to be different from the other students. It was a reason that was very much like Mika. He didn't think it was a bad idea. In fact, the combination of the plain wing and the decorated wing looked good.

After leaving the accessory shop, Mika checked the crescent moon-shaped ornament on her right wing several times and smiled shyly.

An accessory that Kenji had picked out for her. And he had even complimented her, saying it suited her!

From now on, this accessory became one of her most treasured possessions. Just like her Kenji Collection items 1 through 5, even if her house were to burn down, she would make sure to save this. Mika thought to herself as she stroked her white wing.

Kenji looked at her strangely, but he soon lost interest. It wasn't like Mika being strange was a one-time thing. It was just the usual Mika.

"Where should we go now? Should we go to a cafe and catch our breath?"

"I heard that a bunch of game machines from Millennium just came in to the rooftop of this department store! Let's go try them out!"

"Game machines...?"

At the word 'game', Kenji's eyes sparkled. Men and games were an inseparable pair. After falling into Kivotos, he hadn't played games often due to the threat to his survival, but it was different on Earth. Kenji loved games so much that he would always try out new releases.

"Let's go right now."

At Kenji's excited expression, Mika also became excited.

The two of them hurried to the rooftop of the department store, to the game center. It looked similar to the arcades in his old world. Kenji let out a gasp of admiration at the magnificent sight. Mika also jumped up and down on the spot, checking out the various types of game machines.

Among them, what caught her eye the most was the punch machine. A machine with a maximum score of 999. Mika looked at the simple machine and tugged on the hem of Kenji's clothes.

"That one! I want to try that one!"

"They have that here."

Kenji grinned and inserted a coin into the punch machine. And then, the punching bag shot up. It was a bit harder than the ones he used to hit on Earth, but it was enough to land a solid punch on.

"Hmph."

Kenji held his breath. He took a few steps back. Mika watched him with sparkling eyes.

And so, he slammed his fist in front of Mika. With a loud thud, the punching bag flew back. Kenji, with an excited face, checked the number that appeared on the machine.

"...?"

For a moment, Kenji doubted his own eyes. But the result didn't change. His score was a pathetic score that was not even half of the maximum. He thought he had gotten a little stronger from using the simulation room recently, but it was nothing of the sort.

'Ah, I was a weakling!'

As he realized that fact, a benevolent smile appeared on his lips.

"It's my turn now!"

Mika, leaving the staggering Kenji behind, stood in front of the punching bag that had shot up again.

'As low as Kenji's score as possible!'

I have to instill the perception that I'm a more delicate girl than she thinks!

Mika thought to herself and gently pushed her fist forward. Still, she couldn't completely let go of her strength, so she controlled it a little.

"Take this☆"

The punching bag that collided with her fist flew back.

-Boom!

With a huge roar, the number on the screen shot up. Kenji, with a dazed face, checked the number.

[Bam-ba-ba-bam! Congratulations, a new record!]

"Huh...?"

Fireworks erupted from the punch machine. Kenji stared at the fireworks that shot through the roof of the game center and exploded, then lowered his gaze to Mika.

Her shoulders were trembling, and she was clenching her fists. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"...I think this is bugged. Yes, I'm sure of it."

"...I thought so too."

Kenji echoed Mika's words. The two of them, ignoring the hologram dancing on the screen, left the game center. As they did, a photo sticker booth caught Mika's eye.

A booth with lots of cute photos plastered on it.

'A chance to make up for it!'

Mika, clenching and unclenching her fists, grabbed Kenji's arm and entered the booth. Before Kenji could say anything, the two of them were standing in front of the booth's camera.

"You wanted to take this?"

"Y-yeah. To make some memories. And to show off to Nagi-chan and Seia-chan later☆"

"Alright, let's take it."

Kenji operated the machine with a skilled hand. He had been here a few times with his bitch of a girlfriend on Earth, so he had no hesitation in operating it.

There was only one theme, so there was no need to choose. It was a machine that specified the poses, so there was no need to rush to strike a pose as if they were being chased by time. They set the number of people to two and the number of photos to four.

"All set. Now, now, strike a pose."

"Ah, okay!"

Mika nodded and looked at the screen.

The first instruction that came out was 'natural'. Kenji immediately rested his chin on Mika's head, and Mika held Kenji's cheek with her hand. Since it was a contact they didn't usually make, Mika's cheeks turned red.

The second instruction was 'show off'. This time, Mika struck a pose first. She put on a slightly mischievous expression and looked back at Kenji, and Kenji also smiled slyly and looked down at her as if looking down on her.

The third instruction was 'smile'. Kenji smiled brightly, grabbed Mika's cheek, and pulled it to the side.

"Mmph?! Mmmph!"

"That's right."

Click.

The flash went off, and a photo of Kenji's bright smile and Mika's ruined and flustered face appeared on the screen. Mika opened her mouth to protest, but the fourth instruction immediately appeared, so she swallowed her anger. Kenji chuckled and checked the screen.

The fourth instruction was 'telepathy'. It seemed the two of them had to make a single motion together. They understood the instruction at once and struck a pose at the same time.

Mika blushed and made a half-heart shape.

Kenji, with a nonchalant expression, gave a thumbs up.

Click.

The flash went off just like that. As soon as Mika checked the photo on the screen, she turned to Kenji.

"..."

"...What, what, what."

"...Hah."

I was a fool to expect anything.

Mika let out a deep sigh and checked the photo stickers that came out of the machine.

The first photo, where they looked like lovers. The second photo, where they looked like close friends. The third photo, where they looked like siblings. The fourth photo, clumsy but revealing their feelings. Mika looked at those photos and smiled faintly. Kenji also took the photos and let out a chuckle.

"They came out pretty well, though?"

"Yeah. They did."

The two of them said, and left the booth.

Just then, snow began to fall from the sky. The light snowfall soon increased in number, enough to pile up on the ground.

"...Hehe."

There were things that didn't go according to plan, but Mika looked up at the snowing sky and smiled in satisfaction.

'Nagi-chan, I'm sorry☆'

I'm sorry for cutting in line. But you also interfered between me and Kenji last time, right? So I'm sure you'll understand.

Mika ignored her buzzing smartphone and turned to Kenji.

"Let's go to a cafe!"

"Alright. It wouldn't be bad to take a little break."

"Yeah! Oh, Kenji. Do that thing for me!"

"...Now? There are people around, you know?"

"Hurry up! You lost the bet!"

"...Hah. I must be crazy."

Kenji let out a heartfelt sigh, then smiled brightly at Mika and extended his hand.

"At your service, my princess."

"Yes-"

Mika smiled happily and lightly touched Kenji's hand.

Today was the happiest day of her life.