"Good Morning, Ichi-chan!"
Ichigo turned around and smiled as she threw her backpack over her shoulders and walked over to the Mitsuya siblings, who were waiting for her by the stairs. "Morning, girls," she greeted the girls giving each of them a pat on the heads before letting them run off in front of her. Ichigo shook her head and smiled at the girls as she slowed down and walked next to Takashi, nudging his arm as she greeted him. "Morning Pretty Boy," she winked at him.
It had been a month since she started walking with the Mitsuya siblings to school. They had their own routine going for them. Every morning Ichigo would leave her house by 7:30am and meet up with the siblings by the stairs, and then they would walk over to the elementary school first. Drop off Mana and Luna before heading to the convenience store where Ichigo would pick up breakfast and lunch. Then she and Takashi would make their way to school, arriving five minutes before homeroom started.
Takashi chuckled and rolled his eyes fondly as Ichigo gave him a nudge and one of her usual playful glares. "Morning, Little Strawberry," he teased before turning back to look at the stairs where Luna and Mana were.
Ichigo huffed and shoved him even harder in response earning more laughter from him as they reached the bottom of the staircase. Once they made it down, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. "Here," he offered it to her.
Ichigo looked curiously at the tin foil wrapped-up sandwich before taking it from him. "What is it?" She asked as she turned it around, looking at it from all angles.
"A breakfast sandwich," he explained as he watched her unwrap the tin foil and pull out the sandwich. A small smile appeared on his face seeing her mouth drop open with excitement. He noticed that she did that every time she saw his food.
"Looks good," she commented, eating away at it. He watched with amusement and looked over at Luna and Mana waiting for them at the stoplight. "So, what did I do to earn free breakfast this morning?" She finally asked, finishing her first bite.
Takashi shrugged his shoulders, not taking his eyes off his sisters. "Nothing, I'm just tired of having to stop at the convenience store every morning," he answered nonchalantly.
Ichigo shook her head as she took another bite, savoring each bite. "Well, we still have to head over. I need to get lunch," she pointed out.
"I've got that covered as well," he told her, pulling out a spare bento box. He held it out to her, but she didn't take it. "I don't need you making my meals for me," she huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away from him, walking ahead of him.
He shrugged as he casually picked up his pace and handed it to her again. "Don't go thinking I went out of my way for it. It was leftovers from the lunch I made the girls. So shut up and take it. Like I said, I'm tired of going to the convenience store," he explained, not letting her deny the gift.
She stopped and stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say or do as she made it across the street with the girls. "But what about my pocky?" She whined. Even though she knew she wanted to accept the gift, she was still trying to find some excuse on why she couldn't.
Takashi gave her an annoyed glance as he shoved it into her hands. "I put a few sticks in there. Now, will you please shut up and just take it already?"
Ichigo looked at the box and then back at him. She knew that look in Takashi's eyes. It was a look that told her she would lose the argument, so she might as well give up. She rolled her eyes and took the bento box from him with a defeated sigh, and nodded in thanks. "Well, thanks, I guess. You didn't have to," she told him honestly, mumbling the last part.
He shrugged his shoulders as he rested his hands behind his head, "No big deal. Just wanted to make sure you actually eat something that isn't crap."
She looked down at her bento box and laughed lightly before nodding in affirmation and smiling at him, "Thanks. So is this going to become a thing now? Free breakfast and lunch?" She asked as she played with the box in her hands.
Takashi didn't say anything as he nodded back. He smiled as he glanced up at his sisters, who were skipping in front of them. The girls were laughing and chatting about something or another, not paying attention to him or Ichigo.
"So, what do I have to do to repay you?" Ichigo asked, looking at him. Takashi shook his head quickly in response. "Nothing really," he told her simply as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, not looking over at her.
But Ichigo shook her head. "Hey, that's not how it works. I have to give you something in return," she reminded him. But Takashi shook his head again, picking up his pace. Trying to get some distance from her in case she decided to hit him out of annoyance. "Seriously, no need."
Ichigo sighed before running in front of him, stopping him in his tracks as she put her hands on her hips and huffed in annoyance. "Don't even with me," she told him as she aggressively shoved her finger into his chest.
Takashi raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged once again. He tried to walk around her, but she grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "Alright, fine, fine," he rubbed the back of his nape. "If you insist then." Ichigo rolled her eyes at him. "How about this. After you get done developing your pictures, I want the ones that you aren't going to put in your portfolio," he suggested. "Seem fair?"
She cocked her head to the side as she let go of him. "Why do you want them?" She asked him, confused at his request.
The corner of Takashi's lips twitched upward into a smirk as he glanced away from her. "I like using them as inspiration. Also, if I see something I want to use, you have to take a picture of it for me." He watched her nod and agree to his terms and conditions.
She hummed softly to herself for a moment before giving him a bright grin, "You have yourself a deal."
He returned the smile before cashing in his first request. "I want that picture of the graffiti wall you took last month."
She tilted her head, trying to remember where she put the picture. If she remembered correctly, it's in a box in the darkroom in the corner. She then nodded and agreed to his request. "Sure, no problem."
"Ichi-chan! Taka! Look, someone made a hopscotch floor!"
The two looked over as Mana ran over to them and pulled them over towards Luna, who was trying to play the game, but Ichigo could tell she didn't know what she was doing as she just hopped around it. "Hey, Luna, do you need me to show you how to play?" She offered, and Luna nodded excitedly.
Luna had never played the game before but had seen some of the older kids at school do it and thought it looked fun, but she was always too afraid to ask how to play, so when given the opportunity, she was eager to learn, especially from Ichigo.
Ichigo walked over and stood next to Luna. "Okay, so here are the rules. You pick up a rock and throw it at one of the numbers," she explained as she threw a rock that landed on the number five. "Then what you do is hop from one end to the other, then turn around and hop over and pick up your rock, bringing it back. But you have to jump how the numbers are so you see one and two?" The girls nodded their heads.
"That means you have to hop on one foot, and then the numbers three and four are right next to each other, so you put both your feet down. Like this," she demonstrated to them. "See?" She asked triumphantly.
"Yeah!" Luna chirped happily as she watched Ichigo jump from number to number.
"Then what you do is this," Ichigo demonstrated as she hopped all the way to the number ten before turning around and hopped to five, where she picked up the rock and hopped back to the girls handing the rock to Luna. "Easy Peasy, right?"
Luna and Mana nodded their heads excitedly. "Can I try now?" Luna begged Ichigo, who nodded her head as she laughed, "Of course. Oh, but don't forget the most important part."
Mana and Luna looked up seriously, waiting to hear the special rule. "What's that?" Mana asked as she gave Luna the rock to throw. Ichigo smiled as she bent down and gently poked Mana on her nose. "You have to sing the hopscotch song." Mana gasped as the realization hit her and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Can you teach us?" She asked excitedly.
Ichigo grinned while nodding her head. "Of course. But everyone has to clap their hands along," she informed as she set the pace and watched the girls clap along.
Luna then scrunched up her face and noticed Takashi standing off into the corner, not clapping. She ran over towards him and pulled his hand to bring him over to the group. "Come on, Taka, you have to clap along! Ichi-chan said everyone has to clap," She pleaded, pulling at his hands.
Takashi let out a soft chuckle as she tugged on him. "Okay, okay," he gave in, chuckling at his sister's excitement. He followed her lead as they all began to clap together. Ichigo watched with amusement as Takashi kneeled down next to his sisters and clapped along with them. She then also kneeled down to their level and started singing to them.
"Lou, Lou, skip to my Lou
Lou, Lou, skip to my Lou
Lou, Lou, skip to my Lou
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'..."
Takashi admired the scene in front of him, still clapping along to the beat as he watched his sisters and Ichigo jump up and start playing with each other, singing and hopping up and down the hopscotch board.
His smile widened slightly as he watched them enjoy themselves, being in the background watching them with a fond look on his face. Ever since Ichigo had joined them on their walks to school, the girls always found something fun to do, from catching grasshoppers to jumping in rain puddles.
The little moments of joy the girls shared with each other and him were nice. Every day his sisters seemed happier than the day before, and he knew it was because of Ichigo. He wondered if Ichigo could feel it too. He wondered if she felt as happy with them as they felt with her. She had to, right? Otherwise, why would she be with them? Was it because she felt guilty every time the girls asked her to do something. Did she feel obligated to join them wherever they go simply because they'd guilt trip her? Did she have an ulterior motive? But he didn't want to think about what that meant.
Instead, he focused on the present, on this moment. He felt himself focus on the three girls in front of him. How they all smiled at each other. How they laughed as Luna tried to help Mana jump on one leg or when Luna would miss a jump. How they all sang along together. His thoughts were soon interrupted by Ichigo as she turned over towards him, calling out to him. "Come on, Pretty Boy, it's your turn. Or are you afraid to fall?" She teased.
Takashi shook his head and walked over towards them as his sisters teased right along with her. "You wish, Little Strawberry. Let me show you how a pro does it," he smirked teasingly as he grabbed a rock and threw it on the number six. The girls squealed at the sight as their brother hopped around the ground, cheering him on, jumping, and dancing along to their song.
"Flies in the sugar bowl
Shoo shoo shoo
Flies in the sugar bowl
Shoo shoo shoo
Flies in the sugar bowl
Shoo shoo shoo
Skip to my Lou, my darlin'..."
Ichigo laid across the sofa reading her new romance manga, munching on a bag of chips. She was lost in her own world as she took in every detail of the images on the pages. Her eyes were fixated on the pictures until she heard a gentle knock on her door. She looked up from the page at the sound and stood up, placing the book down on the coffee table. She opened the door and saw Takashi nonchalantly leaning against the railing in front of her door, twirling a set of keys in his hands.
"What's up, Pretty Boy?" She asked as she leaned against her door.
He smiled, twirling the keys in his fingers. "Go grab your camera. Let's go for a ride," he instructed her.
Ichigo raised her eyebrow. "Um, I'm sorry, but the appropriate response is "Hey, how are you?", she sassed at him. "Besides, what do you want with my camera?"
Takashi rolled his eyes, "Hello, Little Strawberry, how are you?" He mocked, ignoring the playful punch she gave him. "Now, would you please go grab your camera and come with me? I'm cashing in my picture requests."
Ichigo took a glance outside and looked around. "It's getting dark soon. What are you hoping to get a picture of?" She asked as she looked around, wondering what he could want to take a picture of at this time.
He shrugged, "A friend's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and he likes to go to a specific place and watch the sunset. Figured it would be a good gift."
She tilted her head and hummed softly, "Okay, yeah. Let me just go grab my camera. Give me a minute."
Ichigo shut the door and went into her room, grabbed her camera, ensuring there was everything she needed before putting on her shoes and making her way back out to where Takashi was waiting for her.
"You ready for our adventure?" He asked, smiling at her as he led her down the stairs.
She chuckled as she rolled her eyes at him, "Always."
The two walked down when she froze, watching Takashi walk over towards his bike. He couldn't be planning on riding his motorcycle there. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her head and pointed in the subway direction. "So, um, are you getting something from your bike before we head over to the subway?" She asked him, trying to walk over to the station's direction, hoping that was the plan.
He stared at her with a smirk and then back at his bike before grabbing his helmet and walking over towards her holding it out for her. "Don't be ridiculous," he teased. "We're going to ride there."
Takashi's smirk deepened as he watched her shake her head and pass the helmet back to him. "Yeah, um, about that, I'll just ride the subway and meet you over there," she nervously told him, not wanting to be anywhere near the motorcycle.
Takashi lightly walked over to her and nudged her shoulder. "Don't be stupid," he smiled. "It'll be fun," he assured her.
Ichigo sighed, shaking her head again. "No, really, Mitsuya, I can't do it," she told him honestly. She meant it when she told Takashi that she was far from an adrenalin junky. She hated things that didn't make her feel safe. The closest thing she does to get an adrenalin rush is riding a roller coaster. Even then, there are some she doesn't ride.
Takashi chuckled to himself as he shook his head. "Don't worry so much," he told her. "I won't let anything happen," he reassured. "Now, if we don't hurry, we're going to miss the sunset," he laughed at her as he motioned for her to join him.
Ichigo shook her head as she crossed her arms. "No, I don't…I really don't feel like falling off today," she flatly told him. Ignoring him as he held out the helmet for her encouragingly, giving her a slight wink and smile. "You won't fall off. I promise. I won't let you," he told her, making sure to look into her eyes as he spoke. "Come on," he begged. "Just give it one chance. You'll love it. I promise."
She bit her lip, unsure of herself as she played with the strap on her camera, looking back and forth between his helmet and her feet, but eventually, she gave in and reached out and took the helmet from him. "You promise I won't fall off?" She gently whispered, looking deep into his eyes, looking for any sign of doubt.
Takashi's heart raced inside his chest as he smiled, nodding encouragingly to her. "Yes, yes, I promise. I will never let anything bad happen," he told her as he crossed his heart.
Ichigo nodded as Takashi put the helmet over her head, pulled her hair back, and buckled it up for her. She sighed, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, willing away the panic that started to creep its way into her body. After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes and took a glance around, fidgeting with her fingers before opening her mouth, "Alright, I guess, I'm ready."
Takashi gave her a comforting smile before slowly guiding her towards the bike, helping her on top before sitting in front of her. He gently and silently pulled her forward, resting her arms around his waist and legs on either side of his legs, pushing up the kickstand as they rode off. "Hold on tight," he warned her softly, looking over at her as she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the wind whipping by her as the motorcycle began to speed up faster and faster, making her grip tighter around him.
Ichigo gripped his waist harder and pressed her face against his back as she felt the air rushing past her ears and nose and the wind whip at her clothes and hair. Takashi looked behind him and noticed Ichigo not looking up as she buried her face into his shirt. "Look around. Enjoy the view," he urged gently. "You have nothing to fear. I won't let anything bad happen," he laughed as he felt her shake her head into his back.
"If I slow down a little, will you open your eyes?" He smiled slightly as he felt her nod her head against his back, and as promised, he slowed down. After a while, he felt her slowly pull her face from his back and turn her head, looking at the grassy scenery around them. "See, it isn't so scary, is it?" He asked as he glanced over behind and watched as she kept her eyes open, not looking away.
Ichigo nodded and smiled faintly. Her arms were still unnecessarily tightly wrapped around him, but he was just happy she was looking around and not shoved into his back. "I guess it looks nice," she nervously stated as the wind hit her face. He chuckled softly as he slowly and gently sped up, trying not to scare her.
They rode like that for a while, looking around, only seeing the grass, trees, and sky. After several minutes they finally arrived at their location. Takashi finally pulled over as he stopped near the edge of the river. He parked his bike carefully, turning off the engine as he hopped off and turned and helped slide Ichigo off the bike. Ichigo stretched for a second after standing and sighed, watching Takashi do the same.
"So, what did you think?" He asked her as he walked over and took the helmet off her head.
She smiled softly, looking down at her feet. "It wasn't terrible," she shrugged as she fixed her helmet hair.
He grinned and patted her on the shoulder, leading them both towards the riverbank, "I'll take it."
She rolled her eyes and shoved him away, walking away from him, ignoring the smug look on his face. When they reached the riverbank, Ichigo lazily pulled out her camera and strolled down the edge. "So, what am I taking pictures of?" She asked as she looked around, noticing the landscape around them.
Takashi watched her as he walked away and smiled, crossing his arms and leaning back against the tree as he closed his eyes, enjoying the summer breeze, "Whatever catches your interest."
Ichigo nodded quietly, taking a few pictures here and there. She smiled, laughing when she saw a frog hopping across the river in search of food. The water was a bit choppy as waves swirled around the edges of the rocks. Looking around her, she leaned over the ledge of the river and saw birds flying along, their wings flapping in excitement as they chased each other in midair with the sun setting behind them. It was breathtaking.
Takashi lightly smiled as he watched her snap a few pictures of the sky, trees, and the water. She looked so calm and relaxed. It was almost as if she had forgotten everything else and simply enjoyed the moment. A small part of him envied how well she could relax like this, but another part of him was relieved because it meant she liked it here. That she enjoyed being here, enjoyed spending time with him.
"Hey, Pretty Boy, do me a favor," he heard her ask.
Takashi hummed a response, his eyes closed, listening to her speak. "Do you think you could skip a rock over here? I bet I can get an awesome picture of the water ripples with the sun setting," she told him as he finally opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"Sure," he nodded and turned around, watching as she moved around the edge of the bank and found some stones on the ground, skipping them over towards where she needed them. He watched as she laid on her belly, gently lifting the camera as he heard the rippling sound of clicks coming from it. He smiled, pleased that he was able to help her out as she focused on the pictures.
Once she finished, she put the camera down, setting it down next to her. She sat up and stretched her arms up and legs out. "You know I can see why your friend likes this place," she told him softly as she looked over and smiled at him.
"Me too," he smiled back, rubbing his nape gently looking around as the sky became darker. Ichigo smiled up at him as she waved her arm over and patted the ground next to her. "Wanna see the pics I took?" She asked him as she held up her camera.
He nodded, walking over to her, sitting down at the location she patted down at. She gently leaned over towards him and rested her shoulder against his. "Here," she smiled, handing him her camera.
He thanked her and took the camera from her hand, holding it in his lap. He looked through the photos and smiled slightly, noticing how beautiful they were. "These are amazing," he praised her, leaning right next to her flipping through each one. Everyone has their talents, and this one was hers, and it made him happy knowing that she was doing something she loved.