"I love shopping!" exclaimed Risa. She and Daisuke were the "lucky" two chosen by their English teacher Mr. Motozuwa to select a Christmas tree for their study of Western Christmas festivities.

"It's okay." Daisuke pointed to a large sign that said "Christmas Trees-R-Us Going Out of Business Sale! Everything 80-90 percent off!"

"That looks promising! Let's go there!" Risa grabbed Daisuke by the arm, and the two headed off towards the doomed Christmas tree shop.

It was nearly noon, and the mall was bustling with people. Daisuke and Risa had to duck under countless railings and dodge innumerable shoppers and passerby on their way to the store. They finally reached the store and were immediately confronted by a cheesy salesperson.

Not wanting to deal with this kind of excitement, Daisuke and Risa immediately turned around and headed for the mall's exit. Perhaps, they would come back some day when the arcade was less crowded to purchase the tree.

It was cold, and Daisuke had offered to take Risa home. This way, he was hoping to score some alone time with Riku in her house…or perhaps even her bedroom. On the way back, the pair passed a newsstand.

Risa kept walking for a few more seconds but soon realized that she was alone. She looked to her left and right, but Daisuke was nowhere to be found. She retraced her steps and found Daisuke in the "Men's Interest" section of the newsstand.

"Niwa Daisuke!" Risa grabbed Daisuke by the ear and practically dragged him back to her house.

When the two arrived at the Harada Manor, Daisuke's spirits were rising faster by the moment. He couldn't wait to (EDITED FOR CHILDREN UNDER 16).

Riku came down the stairs to greet Risa in the foyer. She was wearing an oversized tee shirt that read "I Love My Daughters". It obviously belonged to Mr. Harada. Perhaps if Riku had known Daisuke was with Risa, she would've thought to put on pants. However, she had no warning of his arrival, so you could only imagine her embarrassment and shock when she saw Daisuke staring at her in such a humiliating state, his cheeks matching the color of his hair.

"I…uhm…hi…oh…BWAAAH!" Riku ran clumsily back up the stairs in a tearful rage. Risa quickly followed her. Daisuke was left alone in the great Harada foyer staring blankly at the spot Riku had been just seconds before.

After a few minutes had passed, Risa came back down the stairs. "I'm sorry, Daisuke," she said. "Riku's so embarrassed. I'm afraid I'll have to bid you farewell. She won't even come downstairs. Good day." With that, she ushered Daisuke out the front door.

As Daisuke walked the long path home, he pondered his situation. How disappointed he was. His entire afternoon with Riku in her home washed down the drain. He arrived home and slammed the door behind him as he entered his room. "Dangit!" Daisuke kicked and punched the wall at the same time. He then sat down at his desk and began to type an email to his pen pal Yusuke in Nagoya who went by the screen name He wrote about his frustrating attempt to find a Christmas tree and his dismal efforts to spend time with his girlfriend.

A few minutes later, miles away at the Harada Manor, Riku logged onto the Internet under the screen name