This is the chapter before Kita goes back to school. Enjoy!

It was only going to be less than two weeks before I, and the rest of the Gintama High School students, would go back to school. This summer vacation has gone by quickly, which isn't surprising, since time in general flies by.

At least I still had two more weeks of free time. I was able to finish my summer homework, which I was glad, but I didn't have any more plans for summer. Soon, I would have to go back into that class, where chaos would return.

I've pretty much gotten used to the chaos in school, yet the school was still messed up.

It wasn't as hot out today, though there wasn't any wind blowing.

Feeling bored, I took a walk down a few streets. I had my hands in my pockets as I thought, At least I'm not sweating. I don't like it when I sweat.

I blinked my emerald eyes lazily, but then, I saw Rina coming out of a clothing store. She carried a brown bag, and the moment I saw this, I raised a brow with curiosity. I know it was none of my business, but I figured I'd ask Rina what she was up to.

So I went for it, and ran towards her as my hands were pulled out of my shorts pockets. I exclaimed at the orange-brown haired woman, "Rina-Chan!"

Almost immediately, she turned around, but looked at me with wide eyes. Soon after, she gave me a gentle smile, and replied, "Hello, Kita-San."

"Hey. Sorry if I'm barging into what business you're in, but are you up to something? I saw you come out of that store, carrying that bag, which made me curious." I pointed at the bag she was holding.

Rina looked at the bag for a second before answering with a tiny blush on her cheeks, "Well, I'll say that I got myself a dress. I'm not going to wear the dress today, but, uh, I'm going on a date." Her blush grew on her face.

A calm chuckle escaped my lips, and I decided to say, "Rina-Chan, I understand what's going on now. A while ago, when the graduates came to the High School, I heard you and Sakamoto-San talking. And I also heard you confessing your love to him."

The second the words came out of my mouth, Rina widened her eyes with surprise, and had a full-force blush. She covered her mouth as the school nurse turned around, feeling embarrassed.

She whispered, "Y-You heard us?"

I responded, "Yeah. But you shouldn't feel too embarrassed, Rina-Chan."

Rina turned back around, but was still flushing. She cleared up her throat, replying, "I know I shouldn't, but I guess I can't help it. Kita-San, this is actually my first time dating anyone. This date was Tatsuma's idea, but I feel so nervous!" Rina gazed her brown eyes to the ground, then added, "I'm actually glad you came by, because I'm so nervous, I'm afraid I'll mess our date up. Will you help me?"

Now it was my turn to widen my eyes. I exclaimed, "What?!"

"Will you help me? That's what I'm asking."

"Ah…" A cracked smile appeared on my face as I ruffled my black hair. "…Um, to tell you the truth, Rina-Chan, I've never had a boyfriend in my life, so I wouldn't exactly know how dates work. However, I can tell you that you should calm down, and enjoy your date. Where're you going for your date, anyway?"

"We're going to the movies to see 'Merima'."

I raised a brow again as I repeated in my head, "Merima"? Hah, that title sounds unusual and funny.

Right as I was about to laugh, Rina asked, "I hope I calm down. This might sound a little awkward, but can you watch us while we're watching the movie, in case I do start to panic?"

"Wait, you want me to spy on you two? That doesn't sound right, if you ask me."

"I know, but like I said, this'll be my first date ever. If I panic, I won't know what to do."

I thought about it for a moment, but then sighed, and answered her previous question, "Alright, I'll watch you, but only if you start to panic. And it's a good thing I brought some money with me."

"Were you going to spend it on something else?" She asked while blinking her eyes.

"I was, but I didn't know what. Now I know!" I laughed.

Rina gave me a smile, and told me, "Okay, follow me, but don't let Tatsuma see you."

"Gotcha."

With that, we both walked to the movie theatre. The theatre wasn't that far from us, so we were able to get there in a matter of minutes.

I saw Sakamoto-Sensei standing in front of the theatre building, obviously waiting for Rina. Rina gulped, and gave me a nod, telling me to stay where I was. She then slowly walked up to the man, and greeted him, "H-Hello, Tatsuma."

He turned his head to look at her, and smiled, "Hello, Rina. What took you so long?" Before Rina answered, he stared down at the bag. Sakamoto-Sensei added, "Oh, did you buy yourself something fancy?"

"Yes, b-but it's not that fancy. It's just a simple dress."

"Did you buy it to impress me?"

She yelped, "N-Not really, exactly. I'm only planning to wear it on special occasions. The dress wasn't expensive, plus I thought it looked pretty."

"I see. Anyway, the movie doesn't start for another five minutes, so how about we go inside, and get some popcorn?"

"That'd be good."

I was making sure Sakamoto-Sensei didn't see me. Without warning the woman, he kissed her on the forehead. This caused Rina to yelp again.

He laughed, "Don't be so surprised, Rina. I love you, and you love me. Ahahahaha!"

She nodded at him just before they went into the movie theatre.

Now was the time to get moving. I quickly walked towards the theatre, and soon entered it. But I realized that I have not been into this place for such a long time.

Wow, they've made a lot of changes in here, haven't they?

Though that wasn't the case here. I had to get myself a ticket for the movie "Merima", that way I would get into the theatre, watching Sakamoto-Sensei and Rina.

This reminded me of when Michiru was sick, and Kyra was disguising herself to be Michiru since she didn't want to cancel her date with Bansai. Well, for her actual date with him, at least she didn't get Bansai sick.

After Sakamoto-Sensei and Rina got their tickets, they went into the "Merima" theatre, and got themselves a tub of popcorn as they were also going to sit down.

I took a deep breath, and walked up to the counter, saying, "One ticket for 'Merima', please." I pulled out the money from my pocket, and thankfully, I had enough for the ticket. I gave the female cashier the money, and she gave me a smile.

"Enjoy the movie."

I noticed that I still had enough for a drink of soda. So I added, "And I'll have a medium coke, please." She nodded as she filled up the cup with Coca-Cola. As soon as the cup was full, she stopped, and put a lid on it. The woman also pushed a straw through the lid.

I took the soda from her hands, and grabbed my ticket, quickly walking into the actual theatre. Of course, it was dark, but that was because the movie was going to start soon.

To tell you the truth, I've never seen a trailer for "Merima", and I certainly never heard of it until Rina mentioned which movie she and her boyfriend were going to see. Perhaps this is a low-budget film, but I was never so sure, though I've seen some low-budget films, and they were quite intriguing.

Anyway, the lights in here were off completely, and the first trailer for a different movie was starting. I looked down in front of me, seeing Rina and Sakamoto-Sensei sitting next to each other. They were four rows ahead of me, so I was able to hear what they were saying…sort of.

I heard Sakamoto-Sensei say, "Rina, I can tell that this is your first date ever, is that correct?"

Rina nodded, "Y-You're my first boyfriend, and I think you'll be t-the only one."

He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Rina flinched, yelping quietly.

I thought as I took a sip of my soda, Rina, so far, you're doing fine. Just enjoy the movie, though I think I have to enjoy the movie as well, since she asked me to "spy" on them.

I actually felt a little awkward just staring at the back of their heads, without letting Sakamoto-Sensei know that I was here too. But hey, I couldn't really deny Rina's "request", because I'm not mean enough to reject a kind woman.

In a matter of minutes, the movie of "Merima" actually started. The title of it went across the whole screen, written in pink with yellow outlines. I raised a black brow at it.

Is there a meaning behind the name "Merima"? Because I'm getting this close to laughing just by thinking about it.

A smirk appeared on my face as a man was on his boat, catching some fish. One other fisherman yelled out, "KAOJI! HAVE YOU GOTTEN THE FISH YET?!"

The man yelled back, "NOT YET, BUT I WILL GET SOME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

My eyes were strangely more focused on the movie than Rina's date. But I had to watch the two in case Rina was going to panic. So I looked at the couple, only to see their lips touching each other. I didn't know why, but my eyes widened, and my cheeks started to flush slightly.

In the scene of the movie, the man accidentally tripped on his net, and fell into the water. He screamed, "HELP! I CAN'T SWIM!"

As Rina and Sakamoto-Sensei's lips were drifted apart, I turned my head slightly, and covered my mouth with my fist, clearing up my throat (Even though nothing was wrong with my throat).

I looked at the theatre screen again, and saw the man in the movie going under the water. It seemed that he was going to drown. But he didn't, because a mermaid rescued him. The mermaid pulled him out of the water, and magically set him back on the boat. When the man was on the boat, he widened his eyes with shock, and turned his head around, seeing the mermaid.

I realized, Oh, so this is a mermaid movie. Well, that makes complete sense!

My cheeks weren't as hot anymore, but I saw the couple lean their heads together. I gave them a tiny smile, and blinked my eyes as I decided, You know what? I think Rina-Chan will be fine. I'm just gonna watch the movie.

With that, I focused on the movie, not paying the bit of attention to either Sakamoto-Sensei or Rina.

The mermaid in the movie swam back underwater, but the scene changed, going to where the mermaid's home is. Her home was filled with coral, pearls, and all kinds of stuff underwater. She blinked her eyes as she gave herself a smile.

She spoke to herself, "I'll need to see him again."

She swam once again.

Another change of scenes went by, and the man was talking to his boss or whoever. He said, "B-But boss! I swear I saw a mermaid! She looked really beautiful!"

The boss looked at him as if he was crazy. But he gave out a chuckle, and replied as he patted the side of his arm, "Kaoji-Kun, there are no such things as mermaids. Mermaids only exist in fairy tales."

"But…"

"Get back to work."

The man gave up, heaving a sigh.

It's true. Mermaids only exist in fairy tales, though it would be quite interesting to meet a mermaid in real life. Well, this is reality, not a fairy tale.

A few minutes of the movie went by, and so far, I didn't bother to look at the couple a few rows in front of me. I knew Rina was going to be fine, and I knew for a fact that they were going to kiss again.

Why? Because Sakamoto-Sensei was teasing her by making their noses touch each other. He gave out a gentle, but quiet chuckle as I heard him whisper, "Rina, you really do look cute when you blush."

"E-Eh?" She replied as she moved back a little.

Sakamoto-Sensei chuckled once more before kissing her nose softly. Rina lowered her head down in embarrassment when he moved a few inches away from her face.

She hesitantly said, "T-Tatsuma…I-I know I shouldn't be this embarrassed, but I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You mentioned that I'm your first boyfriend, right?"

"Y-Yes, but…"

"'But'…?" He repeated while trailing off, waiting for her to answer.

I heard Rina gulp, and answer in another whisper, "…my face is so red."

I couldn't tell what kind of expression the male had, but the only thing I saw was a smirk. Sakamoto-Sensei kissed her on the lips once again.

Wow, I'm feeling really awkward about this now! And is it just me, or did the atmosphere get heavy all of a sudden?

Their kiss ended in a few seconds, and they continued to watch the movie. I continued to watch it as well.

Another few minutes later, there was a scene where the main male walked up to the beach, and saw a naked woman with her long hair covering her breasts, though her hair wasn't long enough to cover her…you know.

The male flushed, and exclaimed, "M-Miss! Wh-Why're you walking on the beach, naked?!"

The woman chuckled, "Sir, I'm the woman who rescued you." His eyes widened as soon as she said that.

I thought as I lightly bit my lower lip, She's already telling him that she rescued him when he nearly drowned? Isn't this getting to be a bit rushed?

The woman smiled at the man as he continued to flush, just by looking at her smooth, naked body. It was no surprise that her skin looked that smooth, but then again, the people who were making this film probably wanted a woman who was beautiful enough to play the mermaid.

The male, whose acting name is Kaoji, said, "Ah, m-may I ask what your name is?"

She closed her eyes as she was still smiling at him. She responded, "Merima."

I slapped my forehead, thinking, Now I get it! The title is the mermaid's name! Jeez, if I had seen a trailer of this film, I would've known much sooner!

A barely audible chuckle escaped my lips as I rubbed the bridge of my nose with my left hand. But my chuckle died out soon.

I saw Rina lean her head on Sakamoto-Sensei's shoulder. He looked at the woman, but then rested his head on top of hers.

For no particular reason, I gave them yet another smile. I didn't care if Sakamoto-Sensei saw me, as long as their date was going well.

The rest of the movie went by, and when it was almost to the end, the man tried to grab onto the mermaids arm, but the other fisherman grabbed the mermaids' tail, pulling her as they were stabbing her hip. She screamed out in pain, and the man knitted his brows with anger.

He yelled, "DON'T YOU DARE KILL MERIMA!"

The other fisherman stared at him with rage in his eyes. He yelled back, "TOUGH SHIT!" The second those words came out of his mouth; he stabbed the mermaids' tail deeply. The mermaid screamed in pain again, only it was much more severe.

Kaoji clenched his teeth, and stood up quickly, kicking the other men in the heads. I squinted my eyes, and thought, Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

He held the mermaid in his hands, and whispered, "Merima…I love you."

She made a weak smile, and replied, "I love you too, Kaoji." Merima forced her own head to move up, and within seconds, she landed his lips on his.

His eyes slightly widened with surprise, but closed them, accepting the kiss.

At the end of the movie, the mermaid was turned into a human, but would only be a mermaid if she were to go in seawater. They both got married, and the screen said "The End".

The credits on the theatre screen scrolled up, but the lights far up above us slowly turned on. I stood up, and murmured to myself, "Well, that was rushed. How disappointing."

I turned to the right side, and began to walk out of the movie theatre. I finished my soda, and put it in the trash bin.

When I put my hands in my pockets, Rina exclaimed to me, "Kita-San!" I stopped my feet from walking anymore, and turned around, seeing the short, orange-brown haired woman.

I asked with a laugh, "Did you panic at all during your date?"

She shook her head, and instead, smiled. She held her own hands together as she responded, "No. I didn't panic at all, even when I felt embarrassed. Guess you didn't have to 'spy' on us after all. But I'm glad our date went well." Rina bit her lip, but then added, "It will take some time getting used to dating Tatsuma, but at least he knows I love him."

"I'm happy that your date didn't end up in a disaster, but the movie…it was rushed, in my opinion."

"It was rushed, I'll admit that, but it was entertaining."

"Yeah, I guess. It was good, but I wouldn't watch it for a second time."

Rina smiled once again, "Well, bye, Kita-San." I saw Sakamoto-Sensei walking out of the theatre. And since he was just walking through the theatre hall, I'm guessing he didn't notice me. Rina turned around as she waved at me, following her boyfriend.

When she caught up to him, she held his arm, hugging him tightly.

My eyes narrowed, but I walked out of the building, and headed straight for home.

I arrived home moments later. Mom and dad were working, which meant that they wouldn't ask me why I was out of the house for so long.

I thought as I took off my shoes, Only less than two weeks until going back to school. I know I've said this a lot, but why must time fly by so fast?

A sigh escaped my lips as I began to think about going back to school. When all the students at Gintama High go back, I'm pretty sure we'll have chaos as usual.

I made the actual movie part go by fast, because I didn't feel like writing anymore parts of the the movie Kita, Tatsuma and Rina were watching. So you can probably tell that I'm not happy with this chapter. Well, Kita and the rest of the class will go back to school in the next chapter.

Hope you enjoyed chapter 35! :)