A/N: UWAHHHH~~~ Gomen for such a long wait guys! ;A; Sorry I haven't updated in two whole months! I've been so busy with after school sports and school itself that I haven't been able to devote much time to fanfiction! However, I'd like to announce that I AM BACK~! Again, sorry for such a long and unannounced hiatus, and I hope you enjoy reading this next chapter!

Kyoichi Amaya: Thank you! (:

Chiara: That's awesome! Thank you so much, that's so nice to know!

hitomi: Thank you! I'll definitely try to make my updates quicker.

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Mondo Midnight: Ah! Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! ^^

Chapter Four: The Fair

Haru-chan and I decided that morning to go to the town square nearby. As we walked, he told me about how it had all these cute little shops and a fountain in the middle (I saw his eyes become more alert when he mentioned that part.). Sometimes, shows would be held in front of the town hall, and when he was younger, he'd often go to watch with his parents. I liked this side of him, it was much softer than his usual display on the anime.

"Ah, we're here!" I exclaimed, looking up. There was a fair going on, hosting all kinds of fun rides and serving delicious food.

"Two adult tickets please!" I told the ticket seller, "And ten ride coupons."

Suddenly, I heard a very loud ringing noise above my head.

"WINNER WINNER! Congrats, you two! You're our 100th couple to enter the park, which means that you get a free ride on the Tunnel of Love!"

"EH?" I exclaimed, "No, no, we're not together! We're just fr-"

But before I had time to finish that sentence, I was pushed into a ToL boat by Haru-chan. It was pink, decorated with gaudy sparkles, swan and heart stickers, and pink and red ribbon.

"Might as well take the free ride," he huffed, sitting far on the opposite side. Swiftly, I bowed my head, trying to cover the blush.

"Hey, Haru-," I looked up, "nO NO NO NO STOP STRIPPING HARU I KNOW THE WATER IS TEMPTING, BUT WE'RE IN PUBLIC OH MY GOD."

Needless to say, that was an experience I would never forget. After some arguing with the worker at the Tunnel of Love, we both agreed on a compromise: If Haru-chan wouldn't try jumping in every puddle of water we passed by for the whole day, we could stay at the park, no problem. Reasonable enough. When I told him about our side of the bargain, his blue eyes darkened sadly, as if he wouldn't ever be happy again.

"Come on," I said, desperately trying to cheer him up, "Let's go try that squid burger!"

We ran (well, I dragged him really) from stall to stall, trying all these types of food exclusive only to anime shows. Every now and then, I'd squeal something like "Oh! That's the food that turned Chihiro's parents into pigs!" or "Is this Inui's special juice?" As the day passed by, I saw that Haru was starting to open up just a bit. His eyes eventually softened, leaving a nice, warm blue that I sometimes found myself staring into.

"Haru-chan! HA-RU-CHAAAN!" I heard a high cry from my left. Was that. . .

"Un. Nagisa-kun," Haru-chan spoke, "I see you got out of jail, huh?"

"WEH?" I gawked, "That rumor was true? But I thought it was just a tumblr thing?"

"Yeah, Makoto bailed me out! Again," Nagisa replied with a laugh, "I still can't believe I was the only one out of you and Mako-chan to get arrested for trespassing!"

His colorful magenta yukata swayed slightly in the wind, making his eyes pop, and his delicate facial features stand out . He looked like a cute fairy, ready to take flight. He was. . . PRETTY? Before I had time to cry over the fact that this shota cutie over here was better looking than me, two voices interrupted my thoughts.

"Oi! Rei-chan! Mako-chan!" Nagisa waved to my right, "Over here! Check out this dress!"

"Ugh! How many times do I have to say this?! It's a yukata! YU-KA-TA!" Rei spit.

"Dress."

"Yukata."

"Dress."

"Yukata."

"Dress."

Makoto and I laughed at the way they bickered, thinking about how adorable they were. They seemed like an old married couple, always arguing, but then making up afterwards. I barely realized that my left hand was being taken by Haru-chan's slender fingers, and that we were heading (alone) to the Ferris wheel (alone).

"U-um," I kicked the ground with my black sneaker when we arrived, blushing.

"There's only two ride tickets left, we should use them before the fair closes."

Oh.

Ok.

Yeah, that's the only reason why he held my hand.

Because we needed to get away.

Right.

I felt a stab of pain, keeping quiet until we finally reached the front of the line. There were several girls pointing at Haru-chan, whispering amongst themselves.

"Look at his arms! Kyaaa~"

"Oh my gosh! Did you see that guy that just passed us?"

"Shhhhh! He'll know we're talking about him! Shut up everyone!"

"Why is he with her? I bet they're together."

Before I could protest, the ferris wheel attendant pushed me into half a seat, with my "boyfriend" on the other side. Even she blushed in his presence.

"Have fun kiddos. Don't do anything too crazy," she winked at us, and pressed the button to move the contraption.

The view was absolutely breathtaking. I saw Haru's house not too far from where we were, and the Iwatobi High School building, and where we'd ditched the group. The lights of the fair flickered together in harmony, giving the effect of an almost Chrismas-y style. I was so excited to experience this, pointing out everything in sight, when just as we reached the top. . .

I felt my chin being lifted ever so slightly by a soft hand.

Just a bit.

Enough to almost make contact with a pair of soft lips.

Haruka Nanase's soft lips.

I stared into his eyes, my body frozen. I didn't know what to say, what to do. We stayed in that position for a while, until. . .

"Haru-chan! Misaki-chan!"

Below our bench was Nagisa, Rei, and Makoto all squished into a cart, clearly uncomfortable. I mean, here were three buff swimmers in a bench designed to only hold two. Just imagine that.

Quickly, I fell out of my position, turning my head away. I shifted in my seat a bit, feeling all four guys' stares on me, with only one knowing my awkward situation. Clearly they all saw what happened. Now, all that's left is to who figures this mess out first.

After the ride, I decided I'd walk instead of taking a taxi home with Haruka. I felt like it'd clear my head more than the noxious gas fumes from an automobile. Taking small steps, I made the effort of slowing down my pace as much as possible. I didn't want to admit it, but I was happy. And maybe a bit unhappy. I couldn't be in love with an animated character. Can't be. I can't live my life kissing my computer screen and calling him my boyfriend. But. . . that moment at the top of the Ferris wheel. . . I shook my head, unclear with my decision of what to do next.

"So this is what they call love, huh?" I thought, kicking a pebble out of my way, "Seems pretty confusing."

A/N: I hope you all liked reading this short series so far! :D I will be updating this story this weekend! Gomen for such a long wait guys! See you all on September 14 or 15!