Introduction (14 oct 2020)

This is chapter 5 already of this story. Didn't expect this when I started writing this fanfic. Trying to update multiple ongoing stories (like 'Graduation Day', my main story for 'Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai!') can be challenging, but so far, it's still a lot of fun. Anyway, I hope I can keep this up for quite some time and take you further along on this 'journey' with these characters in this, and other fanfiction.

Hopefully you will enjoy reading this and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it.

Note: If you want to comment on this story, or any of my other stories, you're welcome to leave a review, preferably as registered member, as this allows much more interaction between writer and reviewer. If there are parts you felt lacking, or disliked, please let me know this as well. Things can appear amazing in my perception, while others might think very differently. I'm eager to hear such feedback as well, since praise is always nice, and can confirm being on the right track, criticism is often what helps more to improve.

Story Prologue:

So far, everything has been going mostly according to how Kazuya had planned it, or even better than he had pictured how it would be. Ruka was having a great time, and as a result, he was too. But then suddenly Mizuhara reached out to Kazuya, sending him a text message, after she had run out on him the day before. And even worse, Ruka was still holding his phone and might easily have seen the contents of the message or at least the sender. Will this spoil their 'perfect' date…?

The Perfect (?) Date – part 2

Kazuya's eyes opened up wide, as he looked at the text on the screen of his phone; 'We need to talk about us!' it showed and Mizuhara had clearly sent it. 'What does she mean by this, and why did she send this now?' it flashed through Kazuya's mind…

Kazuya quickly pulled the phone from Ruka's hand and swiped over the screen, so the regular background image appeared again, then put the device back in his pocket.

"Eh, shouldn't you answer that?" Ruka asked.

"Nah, it can wait," Kazuya replied, trying to act as casual as possible.

"Oh, ok…" Ruka said, apparently accepting his explanation, "…. it did seem kinda important, no?"

'Did Ruka read the message?' Kazuya wondered. 'Or maybe she just noticed who sent it? Even that would be bad enough already…' he thought, feeling even more anxious now. 'No, Ruka probably didn't see anything, otherwise she would have responded instantly. She's just starting to get used to not having to compete with Mizuhara all the time, so a message from her former 'rival' would surely have triggered Ruka to either become mad, or sad, or both…' he reasoned further.

"So, have you decided where you want to go next?" Kazuya asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, let's go to the Merry-Go-Round first!" Ruka cheerfully suggested; "It should also have some special princess carriages to sit in, and you know how every girl wants to feel like a princess from time to time, right? Besides, it probably wouldn't be such a great idea to go on another thrill ride shortly after lunch," she added, smiling.

"Sure thing!" Kazuya agreed, as he had already been struggling to keep his stomach in check during their ride in the Takabisha coaster, earlier today.

'Seems like she must not have seen anything then,' Kazuya concluded, 'Ruka is totally back to being her bubbly self again.'

"Ok, let's have some more fun!" Kazuya said, smiling back, as he was no longer worried about the unexpected message on his phone threatening to ruin their day together.

He reached out his hand towards Ruka, and she readily took it. Together they walked to the next stop on their amusement park adventures. Along the way to the Merry-Go-Round, they stumbled upon a photo booth, where Ruka insisted on getting some pictures taken of them together.

"This is for good luck," Ruka said, as she briefly kissed Kazuya's image on one of the pictures and handed it over to him.

"Eh… t-thanks," Kazuya stuttered, feeling a bit embarrassed, as he put the picture away in his wallet.

After a pretty relaxing ride in the Merry-Go-Round, next up where some more thrill rides, starting with Red Tower, where people got lifted up in the air along a tall tower while being strapped to their chairs, then make a vertical drop. After that, they went to 'Panic Clock', where you take a seat in a cart that moves around just like the hands of a giant clock, then they waited in line for 'Fujiyama'. Another Roller Coaster which had been nicknamed 'King of Coasters', and for a very good reason, as they soon experienced first-hand.

Luckily, Kazuya was soon able to catch his breath again, since Ruka had decided to take it easy, and suggested they would go to 'Fuji Airway', where you experience flying around Mount Fuji in virtual reality. After this relaxing ride, their next stop was 'Nagashimusaka', a water ride, where people get onboard a large circular raft, while moving along a series of rapids and also waterfalls. This naturally ended in both youngsters coming back from the ride with a fair amount of 'splash damage' as result.

"Kazuya, look at you! You're totally soaked!" Ruka laughed out loud.

"Well, you didn't exactly get away unscathed either…" Kazuya said, smiling back at her.

"Hmmm, you're right…" Ruka replied, taking a good look at her appearance, "… it's a good thing we could store our bags in those lockers, for safety, and that I didn't put on that white dress."

'What does the color of her dress have to do with getting splashed with water?' Kazuya wondered at first, as they were standing in one of the full-size infrared dryers, which were located near the exit of this ride. Then Kazuya's imagination started picturing Ruka wearing her white dress, and realizing how 'revealing' it could be when clothing with that color starts to get wet…

"Why are you suddenly turning so red?" Ruka wondered; "You're not coming down with a cold, or are you?" she added, sounding a bit worried about him.

"Uh, n-no, it's just the heat from that dryer, I guess…" Kazuya lied, trying to play it cool.

"Hmmm, it doesn't feel that hot to me, but maybe you should step outside then, anyway…" Ruka suggested, "… we can't have you suffering from a heat stroke. Or maybe it's something you ate, ever since lunch, you've been acting a bit weird…" she added.

'Have I really been different since then?' Kazuya wondered. He had tried to put his worries about Chizuru aside, but that was much easier said than done. A few times he had noticed his thoughts starting to wander off to how Chizuru had been acting yesterday, as well as thinking about today's mysterious text message. 'I'm sorry, Ruka. This day should be all about you, and yet I can't stop thinking about Mizuhara from time to time! I'll have to try harder, before Ruka begins to figure out what's going on!'

"Kazuya? Are you really ok?" Ruka asked.

"Sure, I feel fine…" Kazuya replied, "… guess I'm just not very used to riding all these action-packed attractions," he added, laughing.

"Aww, why didn't you tell me this any sooner?" Ruka said, "I'd be a terrible girlfriend if I would only seem to care about me having fun, while neglecting how you feel. Or… is there something else I need to know?" she added.

This question startled Kazuya even more. 'Does that mean Ruka did see Mizuhara's message after all!?' he thought. 'If Ruka did notice, so far she had seemed pretty much unaffected by it, but then again, that could also just be her positive attitude.' Kazuya further wondered. He decided to try put out feelers…

"Ruka? Eh…. are you still having fun?" Kazuya asked, hesitatingly.

"Huh? Yes…" she quickly answered, "… why shouldn't I?" she added, smiling, but her look seemed a little sad for a short moment.

'What was that all about?' Kazuya wondered. 'Her eyes didn't seem to match her words and smile, or am I seeing things? Does this prove Ruka did read Mizuhara's message after all!?'

"Oh, oh, let's go there now!" Ruka cheered, while pointing at a large Ferris Wheel, which was called 'Shining Flower' and located near the centre of the park.

"Ok," Kazuya replied, still pondering about the expression he'd seen on Ruka's face just a moment ago, but at the same time also feeling a little more relieved she now seemed to be acting like her normal self again.

It wasn't very far to the entrance, and after waiting for a few minutes, one of the people in charge of operating the attraction, helped them get into a vacant gondola in the Ferris Wheel. The 'Shining Flower' was slowly set in motion again, but as they got higher and higher up, Kazuya suddenly began to realize something…

'Wait, now I'm together with a crazy cute girl like Ruka, in an enclosed space, where people can't really see us while we are up there! This could be bad! Did Ruka plan for this when she insisted on getting on this particular ride now!?' Kazuya started to wonder. 'What if… she would suddenly decide to come on strong again, like she has done a few times in the past, and make a move? How on earth am I going to contain myself if that were to happen!?'

"Is something wrong, Kazuya?" Ruka wondered; "You seemed like you were lost in thought for a moment again…"

"Eh, no I'm good, just enjoying the view, that's all," Kazuya replied.

"It sure is beautiful, you can really see for miles from up here…" Ruka said, while she was looking outside, with a dreamy smile on her face.

The Ferris Wheel came to a full stop near the top, putting Kazuya's mind further into overdrive, while some sweat drops started appearing on his face.

"Kazuya?" Ruka asked, as she quickly turned her head around, and then looked straight into Kazuya's eyes, startling him.

Ruka's face suddenly had this very serious look and her intense gaze seemed to indicate she really wanted something from Kazuya. 'There it is!' Kazuya thought, 'but didn't we agree on not rushing things? Or did Ruka really go back to her old self again? Perhaps being here with me on this date made her think we're ready to cross the line?' he pondered, as more drops started to show on his forehead. 'If Ruka did get to read that text message, that could also have made her feel forced to make a move on me right now, to try stay ahead of Mizuhara. Just like it happened a few times during our 'trial' period.'

"Eh, R-Ruka…?" he nervously stuttered.

"Kazuya, what do you think of this day?" Ruka suddenly asked; "Were you really happy to be here with me or would you rather have spent today with someone else?" she added, while intensely staring at his face.

'Why is she suddenly being so serious!? She must have read the message!' Kazuya thought, as this question felt like coming out of nowhere. 'What do I say!? She probably wants to hear I had an amazing day too, and I did enjoy myself a lot today, being with her, but…'

Kazuya started to feel more and more anxious, but then looked at Ruka again. 'She doesn't appear to be mad or anything. Just very serious about this, perhaps she just really wants to know how I feel. I guess I'll just have to come clean. After all I've made her endure, in the past, and maybe also during this day, Ruka totally deserves to hear the truth. Even if that could mean she will never want to see me again after this…'

"Well, If you had asked me this question a couple of months ago…" Kazuya started, while trying to pick his words very carefully, "… and I would have had the guts to be honest to you back then, I guess 'someone else' would probably have been my answer…"

He paused briefly, trying to read a reaction from Ruka's face, but she didn't reveal anything, her eyes were still serious, but only seemed to give away she was listening closely to him.

"And I'd be lying if I'd say I am not thinking of Mizuhara, or even Mami-chan sometimes…" Kazuya continued, "… but, I want you to feel I've chosen you, that's why I wanted to go all out today, to show that to you."

For a moment both were silent. 'Maybe she doesn't believe me at all…' Kazuya pondered. 'What I just said had sounded a bit corny. "I choose you!" that's more something you'd expect from an episode of Pikamon, when a trainer throws a Pikaball. Plus, I've been leading her on for so long, off course she doesn't believe me, even if she didn't see that text message from Mizuhara…'

Ruka closed her eyes. 'Ok, here it comes! Hope she isn't too mad at me!' Kazuya thought, while slightly panicking.

"You silly… for me it was never about you taking me on a trip, spending a lot of money, or getting expensive presents…" Ruka started. "… and that you were somewhat absent minded after lunch, I can handle that too. I know you must still have feelings for Chizuru or even for your ex. That was to be expected…" she continued; "You know what I felt was the best thing today?" Ruka said, as she opened her eyes, took Kazuya's hand and stood up, still facing Kazuya.

"That you wanted to spend some time with me," Ruka stated, with a big smile on her face.

'Wait, that's it?' Kazuya wondered, 'But then… could it be? Yes, of course, it makes sense! All Ruka ever wanted was for me to notice her. All the clingy moments, the frequent text messages when we had just started 'dating' during our 'trial period', I see it now! She was just desperately trying to get my attention!'

"Kazuya?" Ruka interrupted his thoughts.

"Ruka, what is it?" Kazuya asked.

"I love you!" Ruka cheered, with a beaming face.

For a moment there was a silence, before Ruka continued talking.

"I know I've said it a few times before, and I don't expect you to say it back right now. I don't want to force anything…" she further explained, "… but being here with you now, I just felt like saying it."

'She's such a sweet girl…' Kazuya thought, while processing Ruka's words in his mind. 'Why didn't I see this before? Wait, I do remember thinking this way about her a few more times in the past, but then there was always something, or more like someone, distracting me. Wait? Huh?'

Kazuya noticed Ruka taking a deep breath. 'Now what!?' Kazuya thought, thinking back at what Ruka had done after the unexpected sleepover, during their 'trial' period.

"I have the best boyfriend in the world!" Ruka shouted out through the open part of the gondola's window, her arms raised up in the air, a breeze subtly moving her hair and summer dress.

'Wow! She looks even more radiant than ever… And she's really my girlfriend!' Kazuya thought. 'I just want to hug her, but if I do, I'll probably be the one who forgets about taking things slow and easy…'

But before Kazuya could think any further, the Ferris Wheel started moving downwards again, and shortly after this, they had both feet back on the ground, both literally, and mentally. After getting dinner, Kazuya and Ruka agreed on calling it a day, knowing the return trip back home would take quite a while, and headed back for the station. In the train, Ruka quickly fell asleep, her head again resting on Kazuya's shoulder.

However, this time Kazuya did remain wide awake, while pondering about the many things that had happened today. Ruka confirming her love for him, Chizuru's strange behaviour and the mysterious text message, as well as having to come clean with his grandma, parents and friends…

But still, even when having this much on his plate, Kazuya felt happier than he had been feeling for a long time. 'Maybe I could catch just a little shut-eye, Tokyo's lights are still pretty far away…' Kazuya thought, looking out the window, before he finally dozed off too…

(To be continued…)

Epilogue (24 oct 2020)

Well, that was quite the date, wasn't it? For now, the problems that may lie ahead in the future, seem pretty far away for now. But some interesting new developments might be just around the corner…

Please let me know what you think of this story and leave some feedback in the form of a review. If you are logged in on this website, and post a review as registered member, I can even reply to your comments. Looking forward to some more interaction with the people who read my fanfics!

Btw, since I am not a native speaker, there will likely be some silly mistakes in this story. As for the punctuation, maybe I made the same mistakes as in previous stories, or even made some new ones. Hope you can bear with me and see through that. Helpful tips and suggestions are welcome.

Stay safe, and maybe until soon!