Ranru ran as fast as she could, trying to catch Asuka.
"Asuka! Wait up!" She shouted after him. She eventually caught up to him in the park. He was leaning up against one of the trees that overlooked a man made pond looking totally depressed.
"Asuka?" Ranru said cautiously once she had caught her breath. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know, Ranru-san." Asuka said, looking away. "All this time I just thought this earth was full of a bunch of loose, extraverted, nudist hippies. Now I find out that to everyone here, having smooth, rounded-off ankles is totally normal and I'm the only weird one. I've been running around the past few days unknowing, and because of that have been exposed, groped, humiliated, infected, and after that big deal Sanjyou made back there, I'm sure to be shunned too! I have completely embarrassed myself and now everyone must think I'm either crazy of a freak." Asuka let out a heavy sigh. "I just really miss Mahoro, now more than ever."
Ranru put a hand on his shoulder. "Asuka, it will be okay. I don't think you're a freak. I'm kinda glad that it was something like this and not what I thought . . ."
He turned to her, confused. "What did you think?"
"I thought you didn't want to hang out with me anymore because you thought I was hitting on you or something. Especially because of the way you kept saying that you were 'A married man'"
"Well," Asuka admitted, "I kind of did. But I don't think that anymore! Really!"
She smiled. "I'm glad, Asuka. And I'm also glad that you're a Dragon Man, and for you, all that stuff is normal. I just wish I had known sooner. Then I never would have brought you to that masseur." Ranru paused for a moment, then shuddered. "And I never would have offered to rub your feet either! That must have been really awkward for you. I am so sorry."
"You shouldn't be. There's not way you could have known." He looked at the ground. "But I still probably shouldn't go back to the Restaurant. You heard what Sanjyou said." Asuka heaved a deep sigh, burdened by his lingering embarrassment. But Ranru wasn't about to let him stay depressed all day.
"You know what you need Asuka?" she asked.
"No, what?"
"Well," she said, "Whenever I'm depressed, I just go to the movies and see a really gushy romance movie with lots of crying. I go in, enjoy the movie, have a good cry, and then I feel much better."
"Do you really think that will work?" Asuka asked, sounding a bit hopeful.
"Absolutely! Lets go right now!" Ranru grabbed him by the arm and started running toward the movie theater.
So Ranru bought them both tickets to see Super Gooey Mushy Crying Love Fest The Movie. Ranru was really enjoying the movie. About halfway through she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and just as they were about to spill over, she heard the sound of sobbing and sniffling. She turned to look at Asuka and he was already bawling his eyes out. Her heart warmed at the sight.
Mission accomplished, Ranru thought.