"…What are friends supposed to do?"

"Eh?"

Haruka blinked a few times with a puzzled look when Ai said that.

"We aren't taking this as a love route, so how should we act as friends?", he repeated his question.

"W-Well", Haruka stuttered, "We have a good time together"

"A good time… Is that what they call having fun?"

"Yes, having a good time bring happiness", she answered clapping her hands and smiling.

"Ok, how can we do that?", Ai asked, "How do we have a good time together?"

"Hum… We do something that we love", she tried to explain, "Sharing something that you like with someone… It makes you love what you do even more!"

"Hum…"

Maybe he could give it a try, it wasn't like he had anything to lose and he was pretty sure that even without being able to understand emotions he could at least tell what he liked.

"We could give a try", he said after a long while.

"Huh? Do you have anything in mind Mikaze-kun?"

"Yes, I have a place in mind"

-00-

"Wow! The beach!", said Haruka trying to hold her hair as the wind messed with it, "Did you want to be here because of your memories?"

"No", he replied staring the horizon, "I… Just like it."

"I see…", she smiled, also looking at the horizon, "It's really pretty… The waves and the sun…"

"… Let's go to the water"

"Hum? Er… I didn't bring any swimsuit"

"Its fine, I don't plan to swim", he said nonchalantly, "I just want to take a walk"

"Ok then", blinked Haruka, taking her shoes while stepping on the cold water, "Eek!"

"? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, the water is very cold!", laughed Haruka when the salty water brushed against her ankles, making her shudder a bit.

"…If you want we can walk closer to the beach", he blinked, but Haruka shook her head.

"I'm fine, I got accustomed", she replied with a smile, "It isn't that hot today but it still feels refreshing"

"Ok", he shrugged and started to walk again, being followed by Haruka.

They walked for a while in total silence, it reminded Haruka of a certain Christmas Day when they also did the same thing, walking aimless as Ai was trying to do what couples do, just walking around.

She chuckled with the memory, thinking that certain things don't change.

When he heard the chuckle he turned his eyes to see the girl, wondering why she looked so happy as they were just walking and not doing anything out of ordinary.

"Why are you laughing?", he stopped, which made her stumble on him.

"Ah… I guess that I'm feeling happy", she answered embarrassed while giving an awkward laugh.

"Why are you feeling happy if we were just walking?"

"I don't know, it just felt nice", she replied with a warm smile.

"…"

He turned again and started to walk again, which made Haruka blink before trying to catch with him.

What was that strange feeling in his chest? And why he felt his cheeks burn a bit? Was his system ok?

"Huh, strange, my system looks normal…"

"Ah… Mikaze-kun s-slow down!", begged Haruka out of breath.

Ai stopped at the request of the girl, which made her end with her face into his back again, which made her rub her forehead because of the pain.

"Does it hurts?", he asked putting his hand in her forehead, while trying to make his system make his hand colder to act like a makeshift "ice pack".

Haruka just stood there, eyes widening and looking speechless.

"What's wrong?", he asked when he noticed her expression.

"You… Are smiling", was the softly answer.

He looked puzzled, and then he stared his reflection on her eyes, surprised that the corner of his mouth were slight up like a small smile.

"Ah… That's… So that was what being happy feels like?", he asked holding the place where he felt that strange feeling.

Drop.

"Huh?", he mumbled when he noticed that there were tears falling from her eyes, "Why are you crying?"

"Ah… That's… I guess I'm very happy", she blinked trying to rub the tears away.

"Isn't tears just for when you're sad?"

"No… We also cry when we are overwhelmed by happiness", she said trying to hold her sobs but smiling at the same time.

He couldn't grasp how it worked, but somewhere in his mind he thought that it made sense, in a weird way.

"Ah… That strange feeling again", he murmured when he felt that strange sensation, stronger than before, "Huh?"

Was that a tear in his cheek?

"I… Why am I crying?", he asked confused while stared the tear in his hand.

Is that what means by feeling overwhelmed? It was… Strange to say the least, but he could for sure that he liked the feeling of being happy.

"I guess… That I'm feeling happy", he murmured a bit shocked, "Thanks"

"Huh? For what? I didn't do anything…", asked Haruka puzzled.

"It isn't true", he said shaking his head, "I guess… That what you said about sharing something that you like makes you happy"

"Oh? Is that so?", she said with a tender smile, "I'm glad… That I could make you happy"

"Say… What about you?"

"Huh?"

"What do you like to do?", he clarified.

"W-well…", she blushed and fidgeted a bit, "It's kind of silly…"

"Tell me."

Her heart skipped a beat when she looked at him and saw that his expression wasn't as cold as before, she wasn't 100% sure, but she could swear that he looked at her with tender eyes.

"Huh… I like collecting seashells", she whispered, avoiding his gaze while blushing a deeper shade of red.

"Then let's do it?", he offered, giving a wider smile.

-00-

"That's a lot of seashells", laughed Haruka holding the fabric of her dress to hold the seashells that she collected.

"What you do if that?"

"Huh? I guess that's a souvenir", she replied, "I just like to search for them because there are so many kinds of shells and they are so pretty!"

"I see", he looked at his own, trying to establish what would define that seashells as "pretty", "How can you tell what is pretty about them?"

"What I like the most", she said showing the ones she picked, "Of the seashells you picked, none caught your attention?"

He looked at the seashells carefully, picking one that had a strange iridescent color, and then he looked at the red-haired girl in front of him.

Beauty was an abstract concept and people had different tastes in what appealed them, and even the stereotypes of what looks good or not didn't make any sense.

The girl in front of him could be considered "bland" if he analyzed her based on what people could classify as beauty, but for some reason, he didn't think that he was bland, there was something very unique about her that he couldn't understand but to him she was definitively "pretty".

Now, what she said about things that we like looks pretty to us made sense to him.

… Maybe that meant that he liked her?

"… Yes, I do like her", he whispered to himself.

"Did you say anything Mikaze-kun?", asked Haruka when she noticed that he was awfully quiet.

"No", he shook his head, "…I liked being able to feel 'happiness', but I think I need to experiment more of it to fully grasp the concept"

"I would be glad to help you", she nodded giving a warm look.

"I'm counting on you", he said, smiling a bit.

-0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00-

BEEN A WHILE SINCE I LAST UPDATED RIGHT? XD*Headshot*

Wow! I felt embarrassed writing this chapter hehe, I shouldn't be allowed to listen to Kokoro Kiseki while hearing that.*sweatdrop*

TaecZy- I know right? The feels were overwhelming! Hehehe, thanks a lot!

Brandnewmelody- Pfff…. I think we have the same taste for men and I like that XD

EdwardElricsFan4Ever- C-Cry? For real? O_o, I didn't think that I would be able to make anyone feel like that wow! Thanks a lot! I too, want to see them act like a couple heheh

Cure Noble0- There's the beach chapter! Even if I doubt that was what you had in mind XD(I write more fluff than fanservice per say), heheh, thanks a lot!