Disclaimer and Author's Notes: Breather chapter 3 of 4. Ah, how fun this story's been to write so far. My only regret in making this is that I didn't take enough time to include some of the other side characters more frequently. Then again, there comes the problem of adding too many characters in a single chapter, and we all know that Mai and her friends won't meet up with everyone in a single day, so a compromise had to be made.

This story (which is about to draw to a close) is based on characters from the Mai-HiME anime series, and should not be interpreted as canon in any sense.


Day 29 - Having a Ball
Theme #16: invincible; unrivaled

The next day after Mai and Natsuki had settled in to their new room, the Fuuka Shrine was open to the public for the Golden Week holiday. Families from all over town came to visit the shrine to forget about their day-to-day problems and enjoy themselves under the fine weather. A handful of Fuuka Academy students had also decided to join in on the festivities, consuming mouthfuls of food and playing games until their wallets were emptied. To them, anything had to be better than school work, and to the HiME, the festival was a great opportunity to allow the girls to relax themselves, instead of constantly rushing to the school's aid and bailing it out of danger from Orphan attacks.

Mikoto came rushing over to the girls' booth with a handful of yen bills, anxious to get something to eat to keep her energy level high.

"Um, let's see," she said, pointing to various items on the menu. "I'd like this, and this, and one of those...hey! That looks good, too."

Natsuki looked at their stash of food and did a double take when she realized Mikoto had selected one of everything they had.

"Anything else?" asked Mai.

"Nope, that's everything," said Mikoto. "Thanks, Mai!"

Natsuki picked up a grab bag and placed all of the items inside, handing it to Mikoto in exchange for her money and trying to put on a smile for her. "Are you sure you'll be able to eat all that by yourself?" she asked, immediately wishing she could have withdrawn the question.

"Oh, this isn't all for me," Mikoto replied. "I'm paying for Takumi and Akira, too."

Takumi stepped out from behind Mikoto, carrying a souvenir folding fan in his right hand. "Hey, Sis," he said. "Enjoying the festival?"

"Well...I'm trying," said Mai, "but I haven't had a chance to take a break yet."

"After we finish eating, me, Akira and Mikoto here were going to check out one of the game booths. Do you want to join us?"

"I'd love to, actually. What about you, Natsuki?"

"I guess so," said Natsuki, "but if we both go, one of us has to stay back here. We can't leave this booth unattended."

"So you both want to go, huh?" asked Akira, producing a small coin from the pocket of her pants. "Looks like we'll have to flip for it. Whoever calls it and wins gets to go first."

Akira tossed the coin into the air. When it reached its apex, Mai called out "Tails!" The coin landed harmlessly into the grass on the "heads" side.

"Sorry, Sis," said Takumi.

Mai's moment of disappointment was brief, for she figured one member of Mikoto's party might come back with something decent. "It's all right," she said. "I'll drop by later."

Natsuki stepped out from behind the counter to meet with Mikoto and the others, eager to play. "Which way are you all going?" she asked.

"This one looks like it could be fun," said Mikoto, excitedly pointing to a booth with a net and a cutout of a baseball catcher. "Let's play that!" She grabbed onto Natsuki's arm and pulled her toward the game. Takumi and Akira walked calmly by as Natsuki was dragged along with Mikoto.

"Step right up, step right up! Three balls for 200 yen! Hit the strike zone and win a prize!"

Yuuichi greeted the quartet as they made their way to the booth, setting out a bucket of baseballs and trying to put on his best "happy" face.

"Care to give it a shot?" he asked.

Mikoto looked around at the assorted stuffed animals hanging next to the booth, unable to decide which one she wanted to win. She gave Yuuichi the last of her money and took a baseball from the bucket, hurling it at the cardboard catcher with all her might. The ball made a resounding thud against the catcher's head.

"Whoops...too high," said Yuuichi.

Mikoto groaned, and threw a second ball, aiming a little lower, but still missing the mark.

"Almost had it that time."

A third ball sailed to the left of its target, leaving Mikoto to walk away from the booth dejected. "Aww, and I wanted to get something good for you guys," she said.

"Don't feel bad, Mikoto," said Takumi. "We're grateful for the food you got us, right, Akira?"

"Yeah," said Akira. She stepped up to the booth next and gave Yuuichi her payment. "Here...let me try this out."

Akira picked up three balls from the bucket and rapidly tossed them toward the catcher, shouting as each of the balls left her hand. The balls flew toward their target swiftly, but not a single one of them was able to pass through the hole.

"What are you doing?" asked Natsuki. "You won't be able to hit anything by throwing willy-nilly like that. Just relax and aim."

Akira shook her head and huffed. "I was relaxed and aiming," she asserted. "That hole is just too small, that's all. I think this game is rigged."

Natsuki took a moment to glance back at Mai, who briefly looked up to wave to her after tending to a customer at her booth. She turned back to watch Takumi hit the target on his second try. Yuuichi applauded, and gave him a small yellow stuffed bear as a reward. Inspired, Natsuki took her place in the booth and picked up a ball. She had her eye on a stuffed golden retriever hanging directly above the catcher. So...cute, she thought. Her first toss bounced off the rim of the hole in the catcher's mitt.

"Come on, Natsuki!" cheered Mikoto. "You can do it!"

A second toss hit the same area, but flew back toward Natsuki and nearly hit her in the head. "Whoa!" she cried. "What was that about? The catcher's not supposed to throw back."

Yuuichi shrugged his shoulders and handed her another ball. "I've never seen it bounce like that before," he said, "and certainly not that quickly. Give it another shot. You might get lucky with this last ball."

Natsuki took up her stance once again, focusing intensely on the target, determined to make that stuffed dog hers. She wound up and tossed the ball forward again, just barely missing the target by a few centimeters.

"That sucks," said Natsuki. "I almost had it that time."

"Well, um...at least you tried," said Yuuichi. "Are you sure you don't want to play another game?"

"No, thanks. I'm trying to save my money for the rest of the week."

Natsuki walked back to the concession booth alone, ready to get back to work. "It's your turn," she said to Mai.

"Couldn't win anything, huh?" asked Mai.

Natsuki shook her head.

"Don't worry. You just wait here and help out the customers. I'll see if I can win something good."

Mai stepped out from behind the booth and raced over to the pitching game with Mikoto and the others, who were surprised to see her come out.

"You're here to play this game, too?" asked Mikoto. "Cool! I'm rooting for you, Mai!"

"Watch yourself," said Akira. "This game isn't as easy as it looks. Takumi managed to win something, but the rest of us weren't as lucky." She took a few sticks of cotton candy and passed them around to everyone. At least the food here's good, she thought.

"Hmm...what's so difficult about tossing a ball into a hole?" asked Mai.

"You'd be surprised, Sis," said Takumi.

Mai stepped up to the booth and waved a pair of yen bills toward Yuuichi, who was relaxed in his chair and ready to sneak in a few moments of sleep. "Hey, Tate-kun!" she called, nearly throwing him out of his chair.

"Oh...uh, hi, Tokiha," he said, taking the money and stuffing it into his pocket. "Ready for a game?"

"You bet!"

"All right...here are the rules. You get three chances to hit the strike zone. If you win, you get your choice of any of these prizes here. Sound good to you?"

"I can do that. Just watch."

Mai took aim at the cardboard catcher, but her throw bounced off its mitt. Her second throw didn't get any closer, sailing just to the left of the catcher's head. Frustrated, Mai decided to employ a different tactic and toss her last ball using a swift softball pitch. With slightly better control of the ball in this stance, she was able to hit her target. Mikoto and the others applauded heartily.

"You did it, Mai!" she said, grabbing hold of Mai while trying not to drop her cotton candy stick. "You won!"

"Great job," said Yuuichi. "I didn't expect you to try that move, but...I guessed it worked for you. So, which one of these fellas do you want?"

Mai examined the handful of prizes dangling form the ceiling of the booth, and stopped and pointed at the same golden retriever Natsuki had her eyes on earlier. "I want that one," she said.

Yuuichi reached for the dog and handed it to Mai, petting its synthetic fur a few times before giving it away. "That is a cute little thing. Take good care of it, okay?"

"I will. Thanks, you guys."

Akira looked down at her watch and signaled to notify Takumi that it was time for them to leave. Mai sat her new toy down next to her so that she could hug her brother and each of their friends before separating for the night. With the dog tucked under her arm, Mai went back to the concession booth to relay the good news to Natsuki.

"Hey!" said Natsuki, her eyes locked on Mai's dog. "That's the same one that I was playing for. How did you win that nearly impossible game?"

"Let's just say I had to take some...'underhanded' measures to win this one," said Mai. "Here. I want you to have this."

She handed the dog to Natsuki, who took it right away and held it to her bosom, giving it a kiss on the nose. The dog stared vacantly back at its new owner, and while it was unable to speak, the expression on Natsuki's face and her instant infatuation with the toy said more than enough.

"You're really giving this to me? Thank you so much, Mai!"

"You're welcome," said Mai. "After all you've done for me in the last few days, I figured I'd repay you with something good. I'm glad you like it."

When it became time for them to close up their booth for the evening, Mai made a quick phone call to Takumi to see whether he and the others had made it back home safely, and wondered what he planned to do with his teddy bear. Natsuki sat and played with her dog, deliberating on what sort of name she would give it, and how she would shower it and her girlfriend with kisses when they got back to their hotel room. They were both perfectly happy with that idea.