Finally, he thought.

It was the start of the summer break.

Finally, the start of a long awaited rest from the exhausting trainings and classes they had at the academy.

It's too bad though, it's going to be awhile until he sees them again. They've become so close to each other already, it's pretty amazing. But sometimes, they were too close for his comfort.

He chuckled. I still don't know how Laura sneaks up so quietly…

He was wearing his casual summer clothes; he can really feel that summer season heat already. As he walked along the peaceful street near his house in his hometown, he saw his target destination. He approached the gate and rang the doorbell. The person who came out the door wasn't the one he expected, but he was still happy to see a familiar face nonetheless.

"Hi Ichika!" She opened the gate.

"Hey Ran, long time no see!" He noticed the clothes she was wearing. It was the same loose white summer dress she wore back in his last visit when he was still starting in the academy. Her hair wasn't down however; it was in her usual hairstyle with the ponytail. "Hey, you're wearing that again." Must be her favorite dress…

She held her hands together and glanced away from his gaze a bit. "Y-yeah, since it's really hot nowadays, I thought this is the best one to wear…" That was the only excuse she could think of.

"Yeah, summer's really here now huh? I wasn't able to say it last time, but I think it looks great on you." He smiled.

The compliment made her cheeks glow with a light tinge of red. "T-thank you."

They were in the main dining area of the Gotanda Eatery, sitting across each other at one of the tables.

He was wondering where he was; the reason why he came here in the first place was to play with him. But he was nowhere to be found. "Uhh Ran, where's your brother?"

She had almost forgotten about him, much to her embarrassment. "Oh! He said that he was gonna buy a new game, probably for you and him to play. I guess he didn't expect you to arrive this early though." She chuckled.

He also chuckled at her smart guess. "I guess so."

The short silence that followed made Ran tense. She wanted to talk to him more, but what else was there to talk about with him? She averted her gaze and twiddled her thumbs on the table, getting more nervous every passing second. After some brainstorming, she finally had an idea to at least emerge from this field of silence. "H-hey Ichika, are you hungy? I-I can make something for you."

"The walk did make me feel a little hungry. Well, alright then." He smiled.

She stood up and headed to the kitchen area. She had a really warm smile on her face. I hope Ichika likes it… She shook her head and chuckled nervously at her fantasies of her and Ichika. Being alone right now and all, anything could happen.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that she came back and served Ichika his food. "Here you go Ichika!"

The ramen looked so good he thought it was glowing. He took the contents of the bowl with his chopsticks, and as it entered his mouth, he couldn't believe it. "This is really great! Probably the best ramen I had in a long time!"

She grinned. She felt so good having to successfully impress the boy she liked so much. "R-really?! Thank you!" Maybe it's a good thing my brother's not yet here. She giggled.

Ichika finished the bowl rather quickly; it was just so delicious. "Thank you so much for the food, Ran."

She nodded and flashed him a sweet smile. Without even taking a second to breathe, she suddenly asked, "Ichika, do you wanna go upstairs?"

A feeling of awareness grew over her, making her widen her eyes. Her cheeks heated up. "T-that's not what I meant!"

"Huh?" Of course Ichika didn't get it at all.

"I-I mean you should go to my brother's room, you know, t-to wait?" She giggled nervously. Just keep it together…

She opened the door for him.

"Thank you." He smiled and sat on the place just by side of the bed. In front of him was the TV and the arcade controllers her brother owned.

"I-I'll just leave you then…" Her hopes and expectations to be close to him for longer dwindled down by the abrupt end, but thanks to his sharp vision, he saw that expression on her face. That expression; it was certainly not happiness.

"Ran?"

She immediately turned and looked at him.

Ichika wondered why her expression suddenly changed. "Is there something wrong?"

She only smiled nervously. "N-nothing's wrong! W-why'd you ask that?"

"It's just that, you looked kinda sad…"

Ran blushed. She widened her eyes, feeling like such an idiot for making it too obvious! Now what was he gonna think of her, looking so desperate to get his attention. But there was one trait about him that she has always noticed, and a little part of her hoped he still possessed it after a long time. "I-I… uhh…"

Ichika didn't quite understand. She looked so happy awhile ago. He suddenly began digging for possible reasons. She seemed to get along with his brother just fine, so it's definitely not a sibling issue. Perhaps someone in her school was bothering her? Nah, even he knew just how tough this girl was. If that was the case, they'd be the ones who'll be bothered. Now that he thought about it, the house did seem quiet. It wasn't the kind that relates to sound, but the one where it felt like there was a member of the house missing. Maybe this was the reason? "…is your mother home?"

She shook her head. "She's always busy with work, we rarely get to see her. It's really just my brother and I here."

That was all he needed to know. So that was the reason. She must feel lonely… And to think that he was here right now, perhaps this was a sign to help a friend in need; one that only he could do. "Ran, do you… wanna stay here with me for now?"

Her body froze at this sudden request. She must've been hearing things, but she understood it so clearly. She saw that warm smile on his face, the smile that warmed up her heart. So did he actually want her to sit beside him? She couldn't believe this day would come, but now that it did, she couldn't be any happier. Despite her inner feelings wanting to just burst out of excitement, her response was merely a nod. She was certainly tough. She sat beside him in a side sitting position, kind of like how those mythical mermaids would sit down, but still kept some distance.

Ichika spoke softly, "So uhh… is that why you feel lonely?"

She felt so dumb. Of course, why did she expect such a thing that only could ever happen in a dream when it was about him? But even so, the best she could do was just go with the conversation. She was already satisfied enough that he's right beside her. Alone. Together. In a room.

Ichika noticed the girl had zoned out with a goofy smile on her face, along with her cheeks furiously red like her hair. He can even imagine the smoke emanating from it. He waved his hand in front of her face. "Ran?"

Her momentarily zone out had finally stopped. "S-sorry!" She cleared her throat. "A-anyways, what made you think I'm lonely?" She was feeling the total opposite right now.

"Because it's only you and your brother here like what you said."

She shook her head. "I'm not. Yeah, it's just usually the two of us here, but we're already used to it."

"So what about the eatery?"

"Well, we manage it alone, but we also have some people assisting us. Besides, it's actually pretty fun, cooking food and all."

Ichika smiled. "I totally agree. Eating it is already great, but having to actually cook it yourself makes it much more exciting."

She nodded. "Exactly! People are really missing out on these kinds of things."

The way she talked so enthusiastically made him rethink his questions earlier. She was just glowing with happiness right now! The lights in her eyes, her apparent joyful aura, her cheerful smile? There was absolutely no presence of loneliness at all. "I'm sorry for asking you earlier, about being lonely and all. I guess I was just overthinking things." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

She smiled. "Oh, that's no problem at all Ichika."

"Seriously, you just look so happy right now it's getting contagious."

He laughed and she just followed. It surely was a great moment, especially for Ran. It was a pretty rare moment for her, to be with him, having fun together.

Out of nowhere, Ichika gave her a pat on the head. "You look really cute when you smile."

Ran gasped and her eyes widened. Her cheeks glowed with red. Ichika… h-h-he just called me… c-c-cute?!

He attempted to make a joke. "Maybe I should come here more often huh?" He laughed.

While that was simply his attempt in order to keep up this lighthearted atmosphere longer, she actually hoped that was true, making her cheeks blush even harder. Y-yes Ichika, I would definitely like that… She giggled.

As much as he was liking spending time with her, he still wished he would arrive. Whatever that new game was, he was eager to play it. "When's your brother going to arrive though? I really can't wait to play that new game you were talking about with him."

Of course, she had almost forgotten, the real reason he came here. But she didn't feel so bad at all, because just like that, an idea presented itself in her mind. "I-Ichika… c-can I play with you?"

He turned and looked at her. "Huh?"

"Y-you know, since there's nothing else to do while waiting for my brother?" She smiled nervously.

"Well, alright." Suddenly, a dark aura surrounded him, and a mischievous smile formed on his face. "But be warned, I'm not gonna go easy on you. They don't call me the novice player for nothing!"

Ran was having difficulty restraining her laugh. She just had to cover her quivering mouth. This was some next level obliviousness. That's not something to be proud about you dummy! It was her turn to show her competitive self. That confident smirk on her face, along with that red aura around her which was similar to the color of her hair; she was not gonna go down without a fight. "Ha! You know, there's a reason why some at the arcade are afraid of me." She grinned evilly. "Are you ready, Ichika?!"

"Yes! Let the battle commence!" He pointed his finger at the TV in front of them dramatically like a certain attorney. That was before he realized something. "Oh wait, we haven't turned on the console yet."

Ran said rather cutely, "Oh, right."

After the TV displayed the vibrant and nostalgic retro graphics produced by the console, it was finally ready.

And it was terrible… terrible! Just who was this girl?! Ichika has never encountered someone so powerful. Having to lose ten times in a row, he felt so ashamed of himself. "I admit defeat…" He slumped his back to the side of the bed and set the controller down. "Man, you're really good at this game!"

Ran grinned. "I told you Ichika!"

"Is this where you get your fighting ability from?!" He had seen how tough she can be, and all these reasons he can think of were lining up.

She smiled. "Well, let's just say I learned some from it."

He chuckled. "Some, huh?" That's really hard to believe… "Somehow, that reminds me of them." She was certainly qualified to reach their level of unbelievable strength, which they usually show when he's involved.

Her curiosity can be clearly seen through her eyes. "Them?" She looked at him intently.

"Oh, you know, back at the academy?"

She nodded softly, finally realizing who he was talking about. "Oh, them." She shifted her position slightly, a little nervous at the possible outcomes of her incoming question. "So uhh, how are you guys getting along?" That smile she saw, somehow she felt bothered by it. It's like he already found… someone. The thought made her blush. It's not like she wanted Ichika all for herself. No, no way.

"It's been pretty fun actually. While training was exhausting, it felt pretty nice to see all of us improving our combat skills." He sighed. "But there's just something about them that bothers me a bit."

This intrigued her. "And what's that?"

"I don't know why, but they always hit me. It doesn't look like I do anything wrong when they do. They suddenly get mad for no reason. I really don't get it." He paused for a moment before saying, "Do you have a clue on why they're like that?"

She smiled. As she always knew, that infamous trait of his was still there. While it also bothered her at times, she had to admit that maybe it was a good thing; being surrounded by those girls even she admittedly proclaimed were beautiful, it was surprising that he hasn't set his eyes on even one of them. Well, maybe not surprising if it was him. She giggled. "You'll just have to find that out yourself."

Ichika sighed. "Oh man… I guess that makes sense…" He smiled. "At least you don't hit me, and I gotta thank you for that."

That single pat he did on her head made her cheeks blush furiously. Her excitement was instantly filled up. Just calm down Ran… She had to take a deep breath to recompose herself. "Y-you're welcome…" She said rather nervously. This streak of gentleness she had shown towards him was certainly one advantage she had against them, and she was determined to keep that streak. This excluded what happened earlier though, when she completely devoured him with those straight wins in that game.

Speaking of that… "So, how about that rematch?" That confident smirk she had was back.

The same went with him. "I'm so glad you asked!"

As soon as they were about to play however, they suddenly heard the door creak open.

"Oh! Hey Ichika I brought the g-"

He was shocked at the sight. It wasn't because his sister was in his room. That wasn't something he could get surprised about, rather it was because he saw her… holding the controller. He rushed towards Ichika and held his shoulders firmly. "Ichika! Are you alright?! Please tell me you are!"

Ichika didn't know why his friend was sweating profusely and why his eyes were wide open as if he saw something truly horrifying. "Wh-what? I don't understand…"

After taking a moment to breathe, he looked at Ichika. He said rather weakly, "How many times did you lose against Ran?"

Ichika gasped. "How did you know?!" He must've suffered the same fate as me!

Ran was just there sitting quietly and listening to their amusing conversation. But as amusing as it may be, she couldn't help but frown a little. She was enjoying her time alone with Ichika so much already. I guess that time's up now huh…

"She's called the 'Demon of the Arcade' for a reason!"

And the amusement suddenly became her source of annoyance. The "Demon" gritted her teeth as she looked at her brother. Demon?! "What the heck are you saying bro?!"

"What? But didn't you say you obliterated those people you played against with?"

"In-game! I was talking about in the game! Are you saying I'm some sort of heartless person?"

He can imagine it: the dark aura surrounding her, that piercing glare, and a sword with a hilt made of skulls. She was ready to kill.

She glared at his blank expression. He's totally imagining it!

Ichika couldn't help but chuckle. "You two sure get along well, huh?"

Ran looked at her brother and saw him grabbing the new game he brought. He smiled. "Ichika! I finally got it!"

He returned the smile. "Yeah, let's try it out!"

Her brother turned and looked at her. "Hey, wanna join us?" He saw her nod weakly, but he immediately realized that faint smile she was displaying, only to see that her eyes were showing otherwise. He had a clue as to why she was like that, and it was time he did something for her. He returned his gaze to his friend. "Uhh actually, you two just try the game instead. I forgot to buy something." He chuckled and stood up, and walked towards the door. "I'll be right back."

Ran met his gaze and she returned his smile nervously with a light blush on her cheeks. Thank you, brother…

As soon as the door was closed, Ichika sighed. "Please have mercy on me…"

Ran giggled. "Don't worry Ichika, I'll go easy on you this time!"

This day truly was something worth remembering. Not only was she with him for this long, she was also having so much fun. While there wasn't much of romantic events she had hoped to happen, as if that was ever going to happen when it came to him, she couldn't reject the fact that this day was great, no, not with that wide grin on her face that she just can't control. There was no denying it now: this was her most blissful start to summer ever, and she hoped more of these moments will come.

Am I missing something, or is Ran not in the character selection here? :(

Anyways, I'm still working on the third chapter for Worst Policy, and yes, I apologize for taking so long.