Chapter Focus: Hikami Itaru
Heroine's Name: Maeda Emiko
Time Frame: Mid-game

Scientifically, it made no difference. Luck had nothing to do with a five yen fortune and everything to do with probability.

"Let me see what you got, Itaru-kun!" The brunette next to him pulled on his arm and looked up at him with bright eyes. Hikami thought that that was perhaps his favorite thing about Maeda Emiko. She was as smart as he was, but she had a wide-eyed wonder about her that he hadn't had since he was a child. She delighted in the world and saw the good in everything and everyone. It had been her idea for him to get a fortune in the first place.

He smiled at her and showed her the piece of paper. "It's not that big a deal."

"Oh, Itaru-kun! You got the best one, that's great!"

He blushed a little at her wide smile. It was New Year's and she had dressed up for the occasion. She had worn a white and silver kimono with a lavender obi. Most of her hair had been done up with a comb and decorated with little white blossoms, except for a few curly strands that had fallen in front of her ears and on the back of her neck. If he wasn't mistaken, she was even wearing pale pink lip loss, which made her lips look especially soft and kissable. God, what was he thinking! He coughed a little and averted his eyes. "Ah, safety hazard! We're congesting the pathway! Keep moving, keep moving!" He stuffed the fortune in his pocket and grabbed her hand (it felt so small and precious in his own!) and half led/half dragged her through the crowd toward the shrine entrance.

"Itaru-kun! I can't keep up when you walk that fast!"

He stopped, remembering suddenly that she was wearing a kimono and her mobility was greatly hampered. He was such an idiot! "I'm sorry, I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's alright, just... Let's walk slowly, okay? It will be safer."

He nodded in agreement and they set off again at a more sedate pace. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally exited the crowds. He was still holding her hand... He suddenly released it, explaining, "I'm sorry I grabbed your hand like that! I just didn't want us to get separated."

As quickly as he had dropped it, she had grabbed his hand again, "No! I mean, it's okay, I want to hold hands with you..." Her cheeks were surprisingly pink. Had she applied blush today when she'd put on that tantalizing lip gloss?

He thought back to the fortune in his pocket. Maybe... But no, that was just silly...

They walked hand-in-hand for a while, talking some, but spending the rest of the time in comfortable silence. She had wanted to hold his hand... He wanted to tell her how happy that made him, but he couldn't find the right words and they reached her house far too quickly for him to amend that.

She looked up at him shyly, "Thank you for inviting me today, Itaru-kun. I had a really great time today and I really appreciate you walking me home... I always feel so safe when I'm with you, I know you'd never let anything bad happen to me and..." She fiddled nervously with her hands, one of which he had been holding up until this point. All at once she took a deep breath and then nodded, her face losing its shyness in a look of conviction, "Calm down, Emiko, you can do this!"

"What do you-" Before he could finish his question, Maeda had risen on her tiptoes and kissed him. If he had been able to, he would have gasped. She tasted like strawberries! He found himself leaning into her, almost without realizing what he was doing. He couldn't breathe, but he found it didn't matter. He needed her more than he needed anything as unimportant as air. They parted, her lips coming off of his with a slow stickiness, as if they were as reluctant to be away from him as she had been to give up his hand earlier.

Maeda giggled and reached a hand up to brush his cheek. "You have lipgloss on your lips..." She moved her hand to wipe it off, but he placed a palm over hers and gently removed her hand from his face.

"Leave it," he leaned down and kissed her again. This one didn't last as long as the other. He was never late and they both knew if he stayed much longer his mother would begin to worry.

She gave him one last look and then ran to her door faster than he'd thought she'd be able to in a kimono. When she reached her front step she turned and waved at him, "See you at school!"

Before he could get his brain working again to answer she had gone in and he was walking home, hands in his pockets and a smile lighting up his face. Maybe there was something to this fortune business after all.