After running off from the marketplace, Yuki relaxes on a park bench while her father comes back with two ice cream cones.
"That was pretty weird." Yuki said.
"What was pretty weird, sweetie?" Byron asked.
"That encounter I had with that boy in the marketplace. I felt a weird... spark when our eyes met and our hands touched."
"Honey, you just encountered a mortal boy for the first time in your life. You just felt a little excited."
"Maybe. But he was pretty sweet, and also a little weird. But in a good way."
"What do you mean, Yuki?"
"He stuttered a little, he asked if I was new in town, and he wanted to show me around the village."
"Well, I heard that Knuckles isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's a good person."
"Dad's right. I could tell he was really sweet. He helped me get my glasses back, he gave me a hand when I fell on the ground. I should've given him my extra food to thank him."
Then, Yuki realized that she didn't have her basket with her.
"Dad, do you have my basket with you? I don't have it with me."
"I thought you had it, sweetie. You must've dropped it when you were in the marketplace."
"You think someone took it when we ran off?"
"Maybe, but I'm sure we'll get it back if you remember where you dropped it."
"Alright. I remember that it fell out of my hand when I crashed into that boy earlier. He probably has it or it could've been taken by someone else."
"Okay, sweetie. I'll go back to the marketplace and see if your basket is still there. If not, I'll ask around and see if someone grabbed it."
"Should I come with you?"
"How about you stay here and relax? You should enjoy this nice day, and I don't want to drag you around the village and make you feel anxious."
"Alright, daddy."
Byron kissed his daughter on her forehead and headed in the direction of the marketplace. Yuki begins eating her ice cream and was still thinking about her encounter with the echidna.
"He seemed pretty sweet. I could sense he has a kind heart to go with that muscular body of his. But, he did have an archaic vibe about himself, and he doesn't seem to be very smart too. But what was that spark I felt I looked into eyes? Like it was a little electric. Weird. Very weird."
Yuki continued to eat her ice cream and enjoy how beautiful the day was.
"I wonder if he likes eating ice cream on days like this. Wait, where did that come from?"
Yuki couldn't fathom why she said that statement. It was like it just slipped from her mouth when it wasn't even connected to her brain.
"Get a grip, angel! He couldn't honestly be thinking about you! Just try to forget him. Odds are he probably forgot about me after he helped me."
As Yuki was relaxing by the park, her father was still trying to look for the basket in the marketplace.
"Where is that basket? It should be around here."
While Byron was looking around, Knuckles, Sonic, & Tails were trying to find Yuki and her father as well. They waited in the same spot where Yuki and Knuckles walked into each other earlier in the day.
"You think she'll come back to get the basket back?" Knuckles asked.
"If she worked hard to make this food, then she'll probably want it back. Then you can confess your undying, eternal love for her!" Sonic teased.
"I don't love her, you jerk! I just met her, and I talked to her for like a minute! That's it! Stop teasing me about it!" Knuckles shouted.
Just as Knuckles was about to punch Sonic in the eye, he spotted Yuki's father walking around.
"Hang on, I recognize that guy. That's Yuki's dad!"
Knuckles walked through the crowd of villagers towards Byron. Knuckles hoped that Yuki was with him so he could talk to her again, and that Byron wasn't a very overprotective father that didn't like guys around his little girl.
"Excuse me. You're Yuki's father, right?"
"I'm guessing you're the boy that helped my daughter off the ground earlier?"
"Y-Yes, sir. Is Yuki with you? I grabbed her basket after you two left, and I wanted to give it to her."
"Oh, thank you! I was looking for it. Actually, Yuki's not with me right now. She's at the park."
"Oh. Well, here you go. We didn't eat any of the food that was in there, by the way." Knuckles said, with a hint of disappointment in his voice as he handed the basket to Byron.
Byron could hear the disappointment in the echidna's voice and came up with an idea.
"Hang on. Thanks for returning this basket, but how about you personally give it back to Yuki? I'm sure she'd appreciate if you gave it to her yourself."
"Really? Are you sure, Mr...?"
"I'm Byron Sinclair, and yes. I'm sure she'd appreciate it. Follow me." he said, ushering him in the direction of the park.
"O-Okay!" Knuckles said, eagerly following Mr. Sinclair.
Sonic and Tails just watched as Knuckles walked away.
"You think he's going to lose his cool when he talks to her?" Sonic said.
"Oh yeah, big time." Tails replied.
"You wanna spy on him with me and get the footage of him acting like an idiot on camera?"
"Heck, yeah!"
Sonic and Tails headed to the park with sly smirks on their faces, hoping to see their best friend act like a fool in front of Yuki.
Sorry if this chapter sucks. I've been busy with a new semester, but I finally got time to write. I hope everyone is liking my story so far.
