Maybe the ongoing heat wave should play a role.

As Yusei continued to maintain his runner, Luna resorted to just…watching him from behind his car. Their small talk dried up and he didn't mind that she was sitting there, eyeing him on.

"He moves just as gracefully as he did back then," the young woman sighed mentally. "Now that I've seen him for the first time in forever, I can truly appreciate what Yusei's capable of." He splashed his face with water from his bottle in an attempt to stay cool. Despite the sudden rush of liquid, his hair still kept its shape even with beads of water bouncing around. That's when a sudden phone ringing pierced the otherwise calm garage environment. It was Yusei's cell phone.

"Hello?" he answered. "Yeah...yeah...jus-just keep watch of the generator and put out an advisory or something. Everything's gonna be fine." He clicked his phone off and returned it to his pocket.

"What's going on?" Luna wondered out loud.

"With a string of scorching days starting today, there's a red flag going up, so to speak, that may put the reactor out of commission," the scientist explained. "Even though it puts out more energy than in the past, it's just as susceptible to failure in high heat conditions. "

"What's this about an advisory?"

"Fortunately for us, the people of the city do heed warnings that could take away from personal comfort," Yusei continued. "They take action to make sure there aren't any unused appliances or electronics draining the generator output. But I like to do them one better."

"What's that mean?" the college student asked, looking puzzled.

"In days like this, I try to give the AC a break by doing some stuff outside," he explained further.

"But aren't you concerned that you might suffer from heat collapse or something?" the girl pondered concerned for Yusei's well-being.

"There's always that risk, but I have a few tricks to help endure the heat," the scientist winked. "First, I'm well conditioned. Having a stronger tolerance for heat helps me in that regard." Luna looked over him to see that he wasn't kidding. To the untrained eye, Yusei looked almost the same as he did eight years ago. Closer examination revealed that his extremities and torso were a tad more sinewy compared to before.

"Second is a no brainer: constant access to hydrating fluids." He shook his reusable bottle for emphasis.

"Plus, the awning on the back porch, designed by me, offers better shade compared to those shown on TV, a twenty-seven degree difference versus twenty."

"I'm not going to disagree with you there," Luna pointed out. "And I'm willing to try that awning for myself." Yusei obliged and took her through the kitchen to a serene viewpoint. His awning, decorated in a light blue/royal blue stripe formation, extended over a smooth wooden porch, where a hot tub was perched on the end to the left.

"I think I'll stay out here for a while," she suggested. "It feels warm, but not the overbearing kind of warm, rather the kind of warm that makes you feel all fuzzy inside."

"Interesting logic," Yusei noted. "Enjoy it out here." He slipped back inside through the open sliding door and disappeared for a few seconds. With no one watching, Luna stripped into a light pink tank top but kept her bike shorts on. Although her small and meek stature as a child wouldn't grant her much of an "endowment", in a sense her "endowment" was 75% of what Akiza had. Maybe Yusei would take notice of it.

While her roommate continued to fiddle around inside the house, the girl took a seat in a patio chair and took some time to behold what she saw around her. In spite of Yusei's probably hectic schedule, he had found time to keep his backyard groomed, like one would find on a golf course, and brighten it up with different kinds of flowers.

"I never figured him as someone who'd do plant stuff, but maybe that's due to all the limited interaction he had before with plant life," Luna theorized mentally. "In any case, he has an excellent touch." Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door slide open and Yusei step out. He was in black swim trunks, sporting sunglasses, had a towel in hand, and along with a dark bottle.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

"I'm getting my tan touched up," the scientist answered. Apparently, he also paid attention to personal appearance. The girl kept her eyes on him as he laid the towel over one of two lawn chairs and basted his skin with tanning oil.

He laid out in the intense sun, letting the rays "burn" his skin just enough to take a darker color. All the while, Luna had quickly abandoned her chair and balanced her head on her crossed arms over the wooden porch railing, watching him.

"Why is it that I can't stop looking at him?" she asked herself. "Perhaps it's possible that...I'm getting a crush on Yusei." Even though she gulped at this, it actually had a somewhat plausible shot at success. Even though she was younger than her idol/close friend, the fact that she matured considerably and gained some wisdom along the way made it a real possibility. Still, there was a lot for her to figure out.

"Hey Luna, I could use a hand here," the tanning man called out from his chair.

"Uh...sure," she quickly agreed, standing up and stepping over to him. "What do you need?"

"Can you oil my back?" he requested while flipping over on his stomach.

"Uh..." the girl stammered, trying to look away.

"Come on, I don't bite," Yusei teased. "Go on." Luna gave a sharp exhale, squirted some tanning oil over Yusei's back, and laid her hand upon it and started moving them around.

"That's it, get it all over," he encouraged her.

"This is actually happening," Luna told herself. "His back looks like just like the rest of his body: sculpted and muscular. It feels good on my hands." She came close to pressing her chest against his back.

"That's good enough, thank you," he dismissed her efforts. "It's good." The young woman stood up and backed away and went back to watching him tan.

"His touch is now on my hands," she thought. "This only makes things difficult. Now I feel like I need to get another fix."

Yet another filler chapter, but this is all I had for today, considering "Sweet Nothing" has been shelved for now. I used the heat wave gripping much of the US as a plot device for Luna to see Yusei in the buff and start gathering thoughts of love/romance for him. Should I keep it? Review and rate if you choose.