It's been a great month being with Rima as her boyfriend. I love being able to hold her hand and hug her, not as Nadeshiko. She's also asked to see Nadeshiko less, much to my relief, as I've been finding the voice harder and harder to pull off.

Now, it's February 6th, Rima's birthday. Surprisingly, she's an entire five months older than I am.

A local restaurant is featuring one of her favorite comedians on an open mic tonight, and I'd miraculously managed to make a reservation for us before the place filled.

Currently, Rima and I are sitting in the park after school. She's leaning on me, resting her head on my left shoulder. She's still really careful not to touch my right shoulder after my injury last month, even though it doesn't hurt at all any more. Rima is smiling peacefully, seemingly dozing off. I slide my arm around her shoulders and squeeze her gently.

Rima glances up at me and smiles softly. "Can I stay here for a bit, Nagi?" she asks sleepily, "You're really warm."

I grin back at her. I love it when Rima acts cute, even if she hates being thought of as cute. "I actually have a surprise for you, Rima. Shall we head back home for a bit?" Rima sits up and rubs her eyes.

"A surprise?" Rima stands up and crosses her arms. I can see that she's blushing, but she doesn't want me to see that she's excited. "I guess we should, then."

I rise and grab her hand, beginning down the path that leads to our houses. We live fairly close together, so I walk her home and then continue on to my house every day. Rima is walking faster today than she usually does, but I don't mention it, because I don't want to embarrass her. She never shows when she's excited.

We reach Rima's house, and at the gate, I tell her, "I'll be back soon to pick you up again, so go and get dressed to go out." Rima's smile spreads even wider and she squeezes me in a hug, burying her head in my chest, just as she usually does.

I stroke her hair and she looks up at me, beaming. "I'll see you soon then, Nagi!" She turns and opens the gate in front of her house and dashes up the walkway and in the door. Her parents aren't home yet, so she'll be free to leave again without them questioning anything.

I continue on to my house and go directly to my room to change, and as soon as I'm done there, I leave a note on the kitchen counter that says, "Heading out with some friends, I'll be back soon."

It's only been about twenty minutes since I left Rima's house, but she's already standing on the inside of her gate, waiting for me. She's trying not to look impatient, leaning against the gate with her arms crossed.

"Rima!" I call to her. She turns to face me, acting surprised. She blushes, and looks down to fix her dress, tugging the skirt down and brushing it off.

"H-hi, Nagi." Rima opens the gate and approaches me, instantly reaching for my hand. She grabs it and looks up at me expectantly. "Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling you yet. It's a surprise," I wink and start walking toward town. The restaurant is not too far away, and it should take about half an hour to walk there.

The time passes quickly, walking with Rima. There's a sign right outside the restaurant advertising for the comedy show tonight, and when Rima sees it, a smile cracks across her face and she looks up at me, as if to ask if it was real or not. I guide her to the door and tell the woman at the front counter that I had a reservation for "Fujisaki".

I think Rima's still thinking this isn't real.