Sorry, short chapter :/ Tryin' to move it along to the good stuff XD

Meanwhile, the pink haired girl began to stir to the sound of her cell phone beeping.

"Hmm...too early..." her hand reached out from under the plush blankets on her bed to pick up the phone. She squinted her eyes to read the message but they suddenly became wide as she saw who the message was from. "Saburo-sempai!" Quickly lunging forward to sit up in bed she read the message closely. He had requested that they meet outside her house, which would have usually delighted her. This time, she just had a twinge of pain in her stomach as she thought about how Giroro would feel about the meeting. "I'll just go see what he wants. No harm done. He's a good friend after all." She quickly got ready, and hurried out the front door to find Saburo casually leaning against the outside wall in his usual fashion.

"Natsumi-chan!" The smile that accompanied his pleasant natured voice was too perfect to be true. "Wasn't sure if you were coming out."

"Why wouldn't I?" Natsumi immediately felt worried, as Saburo never felt unsure about anything.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something important, Natsumi-chan." He walked up to her, closer than he'd ever been before (at least Natsumi thought so anyway). "I've been thinking a lot lately...about you, Natsumi." Her face became red, as it wasn't every day guys came to her door admitting they've been thinking about her, especially no one as infamously cool as Saburo. He was liked by every girl at school, yet there he was at her house...and here she was ready to turn him down. But how?

He took her hand gently. "I feel like we've been through so many adventures together, and I want you to know..." he paused and for the first time said something to her with utmost sincerity, "...that I really like you Natsumi."

It was a bittersweet moment for her. She finally knew that Saburo had the same feelings for her that she once did for him, but now she was dedicated to Giroro. Sure Saburo was an interesting and mysterious guy, but half the time he couldn't even be found. He skipped school frequently, and to be honest, she just didn't know that much about him. It was funny how clear these things were to her now that the infatuation was gone.

"Saburo, of course I like you too..." it pained her to see the smile on his face light up with her words. "...but," as quickly as the smile appeared, it faded slightly after he heard that single word. "as a friend. I'm sorry I just have too much going on right now. I still really hope we can be friends, Saburo-sempai." She forced a sympathetic smile as she spoke. It sounded like a typical rejection speech, but she couldn't think of anything more truthful to say to him. He was a powerful force when it came to fending off against that stupid kaeru's invasion schemes, so it'd be nice to still be on good terms with him. She was surprised at how quickly the words came out though, as if she had been planning the rejection for a while.

He tried to grin in his usual fashion, and actually hid his sadness fairly well with a light laugh. "Heh heh...I see, Natsumi. Can't blame a guy for trying though, eh?" He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and let go of her hand. He stretched his arms up into the air with a nonchalant attitude, turned his back towards her and began walking away. "See you, Natsumi-chan!"

She watched as he walked, until she could no longer hear his footsteps. "Saburo...could your timing have been any worse?" She sighed and shook her head to clear the thoughts of what it could've been like with Saburo. "Well, off to do the groceries I suppose."

"File... save. Kuku!"

You bastard kururu! I guess the lesson is: ceiling Kururu watches you EVERYTHING D!