Phase 2: Aquarium

Hashimoto's chosen first spot was...the aquarium. Of course he would pick the aquarium. It was the go-to date spot for most first-relationship-timers, albeit abit pricey, and featured in any magazine you would find.

Hashimoto had envisioned exactly what would happen - they would stroll hand in hand through the corridors of the aquarium, admiring the colourful fish, and she would gasp at the unique marine creatures while he would whip out his phone and proudly identify all of them by name. Then, they would cosy up together near the seahorse exhibit, enjoying the sight of the little creatures bobbing to and fro. As she snuggled into the crook of his arm, he would talk about how seahorses mate for life, and she would look up at him dreamily...then he would bend his head close to hers...

Ahh. It was a perfect plan and would work without a hitch. That it was a weekend (Saturday) and just before lunch did not deter Hashimoto-kun in the slightest. So what if the place was abit more crowded than usual and there were a few more harried families with screaming kids, or if the queues were just a little longer? All that would be more than worth it when they finally reached their destination.

Alas, what Hashimoto failed to anticipate was the sheer volume of the crowds that thronged the busy aquarium. The building was packed without an inch to spare, and Hashimoto felt crammed like a sardine in a tin (pun intended).

As he frantically craned his neck to look for an inch of spare space, Megumi happily followed behind, clutching his hand in hers while snapping photos with her other free hand.

"Hey Hashimoto-kun, have you checked out this rare species of stone fish?" She called out, suddenly dropping his hand to peer at the specimen. She took several photos and laughed at the severe expression on the fish's face.

"Poor thing, he seems really unphotogenic! Just like you, Hashimoto-kun! Hashimoto…" Megumi turned around and looked for her boyfriend, but couldn't find him with all the crowds closing in. She frantically pulled out her phone to dial his number, only to find the signal was really poor. Suddenly, her claustrophobia senses kicked in and she felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Hashimoto had been scouring the aquarium and had finally found a nice quiet corner. He also found that he had lost Megumi, having dropped her hand whilst preoccupied in finding a spot to kiss her. Cursing the lousy signal in the aquarium, he hurriedly walked around the perimeter of the large room, calling out her name in a low voice. He eventually found her huddled up in the corner of the aquarium, sitting with her back hunched and shoulders slightly shaking.

"Hey…so sorry I lost you…" Megumi looked up, eyes watery. Upon seeing him, she grabbed him in a tight hug and promptly burst into tears.