Everyone was drawn in easily by the illusion and the surprisingly real sensations that it gave them. The thought of whether it ossible faded away. It was now and that was all that mattered. Time eased on by at a quick pace making it easy tet what they were doing. A few hesitant moments from Yuki washed away before he was taken in by the ndscape.

  Not until Ha entered into the fields did anyone question anything further. She approached in from behind Yuki, Saki, Yumi and Katsumi, who sat ba the grass. Ha crossed her arms, turning narrow in her fabsp; “Wow for teenagers you’ve got a pretty me imagination…thought at least the nerd would find something iing.” The four students quickly turowards the voice, more surprised than bothered.

  Chapter 48 – Running Wild

  Hiroshi came up from behind Ha dropping his hand on her head, not so much grabbing her nor resting his hand. “We’re just testing it out first…kid…” He gave her a wide grin that hid his annoyed expression from being mouthed off by a little girl.

  The little girl pushed away his hand while getting out from under him. She quickly pced distance from him. “Watch yourself! Kid!” After her gdly opening hostilities with Hiroshi, the two leaned in at each other exging intense gres. However, Kaede came up from behind the little girl grabbing her up and huggiightly. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing, girl!”

  “Aww, you shouldn’t be getting so upset. Hiroshi isn’t worth the energy.” She held onto Ha through the tantrum. “Just go back to the sweet little girl!”

  “Stupid girls should be quiet!”

  Kaede wasn’t stopping and Hiroshi seemed to be enjoying the shift turning him back to his usual self. The noise had started t the rest ba as Ha fought Kaede. They tinued with their struggle as Yumi tried to separate her friend from the girl. It wasn't until Hana stepped in behind everyoh surprisingly uional stealth. “Oh hey Ha! Having fun with the ers? I join?”

  Using everyone’s momentary stunned reas to her advantage, Ha slipped out of Kaede’s grasp. “Did it look like I was enjoying myself? You stupid airhead!” Ha leapt up with tremendous height to whack Hana in the back of the head.

  “But you were gone for so long, sis. I thought you were cheg to see if they wanted something to eat?”

  “I was until that stupid cow and her boyfriend started grabbing me!”

  “Cow?! Boyfriend?!” Kaede shouted, making her way over to Ha very quickly.

  “We are not!” Hiroshi and Kaede said together.

  Kazuhiko joihe group to get to the heart of the matter. “What’s with the rough attitude towards paying ers?”

  “I’ll show yh!” Ha attempted to move, but Hana grabbed her.

  Hana ughed lightly in embarrassment trying to keep Ha’s temper under trol. Then in a swift motion, she lifted up Ha by her obi holding her off the ground. Her free hand raised up by her mouth as a distant, not quite vat, look appeared as she was trying to think. “As big sister Hanabira expi, there is oype of little girl. The…what was it…stereotype! Yeah, the stereotype of a little girl is sweet and i. But she also said…”

  The twisted and fused look in her eyes was quickly shifting as she moved through her words. “…that cultural…trends had shown that a ereotype was being popur…the blunt rough sounding little girl that is supposed to py…in trast to the typical running stereotype. However…it's uh a stereotype too…so uh…it falls into uh…”

  Ha had had enough of Hana and broke free from her hold, dropping back down to the ground. “Stupid girl, you aren’t supposed to expin the pn to them!”

  “Pn?” Saki stepped out from the rest.

  The little girl curtly crossed her arms staring at them. “Simply put you get two clichés, a sweet i little girl and the brat that tradicts the other cliché.”

  “What?! You ’t be serious!”

  “Hey, this is a business of fulfilling fantasies a a lot of those weird aaku types.”

  “I sort of wish this would just end…” said Hiroshi sorrowfully, still partially out of it. While the voice was low it seemed ter an effe the room. Aronic beep sounded out followed by an explosion of light that drained away from sight. The room returned with everyone back packed in around the ter.

  “Hey! Where’d the grass go? We were pying!” Ken hopped up in frustration. His little brother asserted a firm nod. They both went over to Yuki to plead to him. Ken took his left and Jun his right, holding on the ends of his school uniform trying to beg with soft eyes. “We want to py more!”

  Hana took to their pints and started walking over to the door. The suspicious emotions in the air went by obliviously. It was simply her task to serve ahe ers happy. She approached the puter panel in the wall starting to type before everyone realized what she was doing. “I know something fun for everyone! It’s highly requested!”

  “No!”

  “Wait!”

  “Stop!”

  Tatsuya, Kaede and Saki rushed over to Hana trying to reach her before she did something. The entire room fell into darkness again as Hana’s speed typing fihe request before they were able to eve close to her. “There!” Seds passed by as everything was beginning to be processed before revealing a sandy beaext to a water park.

  “Oh this looks awesome!” Ken said, running out into the water as the waves broke against the shore. Jun followed along with his brother spshing water everywhere he went. The rest of the students all took in the moment before Ayumi was taken in by the moment heading to the water. It was then they realized she was wearing a bright pink and white bathing suit. They all looked around at each other notig that everyone was wearing swimwear.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Saki shouted over to Hana, still in her kimono smiling like everything was good and right in the world. Ha stood o her older sister with a wicked grin on her face, also enjoying the se.

  Yuki noticed the huddling Yumi and approached her. “Are you okay?” He offered her a hand up in addition to a warm smile.

  “…but I’m in…ah…a…b-b-b-b…”

  He looked back at the two employees. “I think you two o learn about sent.” His stern look dropped the smirk from Ha’s face, though Hana remained clueless. Yuki looked back down to Yumi. “I’ll have them turn it off.”

  “No… It’s just happened…so fast…”

  “Are you sure?”

  “They’re having fun…”

  He looked down at his brothers pying with Ayumi. “Yumi, you don’t have to force yourself to to others. You’re allowed to be upset and different.”

  A slow nod agreed with him. She grabbed onto his arm and started to stand up. The initial shock faded away for her. “I know… But I also…don’t want to be trapped…”

  “Hm?”

  “It’s okay. I never swam before. you help me?”

  “Sure, if that’s what you want.” She gave him a more determined nod. A bit of unease remained for him, but he accepted her request. They walked out to the idyllic beabsp; The cold o water washed against their feet. Once again, they had to remind themselves how real everythi.

  Those that remained slowly peeled away embrag the rare summer event in spring. The beach came fully set up for anything one would want to do. Beach volleyball, animal floats and an umbrel id nearby with more further out.

  Once more, time was fotten in the pyful expression of everyone. All of the stress that they had all been holding was finally allowed to be let free washed away. They could act like children without care or worry. It was a moment in time that they could smile freely, dropping their guards to enjoy the moment.

  Kaede and Katsumi sat uhe umbrel on a break. They watched Yumi out in the o ughing with Yuki. “I haven’t seen her like that, Katsumi.”

  “Yeah…it’s been a while since I’ve seen that smile.”

  “Maybe…you think?”

  “…Perhaps…”

  “Did we judge him too harshly?”

  “So many were cruel to her… But he’s different.” Katsumi smiled watg Yuki and Yumi. As they tio look on, Yuki came up out of the water. The sun glistened off his body highlighting his fit figure. “Hey, Kaede…”

  “What?”

  “Yuki…was he always that muscur?”

  “You noticed too? There are the rumors he used to fight, but he acts like an airhead. I thought he was just a nerd…”

  Katsumi leaned forward resting her head on her hand staring out. “Maybe there’s more to him than what we see in css…”

  The time that remained ran out fast as an annou by the mae’s voibsp; “Ten minutes remaining… Ten minutes remaining… If you wish to purchase more time please visit the front desk. Thank you!” Everyone looked around at each other feeling a little disappoihat they had already came to the end.

  Jun looked up at Yuki grabbing his attention. “What, Jun? You want to try it out? There’s only ten mihough, Jun.” Jun reached out his hand grabbing Yuki’s swim trunks giving him a serious expression through his eyes. “Is that okay with everyone?” A quick majority vote hahe decision to Jun.

  “Okay, if you want this to end.” It was at that moment that the entire world melted away. Everyoood in the room with their clothes and pletely dry. Yuki walked over to the puter with Jun looking down at him. “Just tell me what you want and I’ll put it in for you.” Jun tightened his hand on his school uniform making it clear enough to Yuki. “Alright…”

  Yuki k down pig up his brother allowing him the height to reach the keyboard. Jun insisted on not letting Yuki see it or anyone else. It only seemed to take a minute and Jun was doh the puter accepting the input. Yuki stared down at his little brother trying to figure out his secret. The entire room went dark once more for a few seds.

  Suddenly, the light exploded from the top as the sun beamed down on them revealing a seemingly generic looking neighborhood in Japan. It wasn't just any neighborhood though as Saki and Yuki quickly realized. “Jun, why did you want to make our neighborhood?” Yuki looked down at his brother once more.

  Out from the distahere was a woman’s voice that seemed to clearly carry through the air. Jun was quick to turn and dart off towards the voice, but Yuki froze in his body. ‘That voice…it sounds so familiar…’

  Saki looked over at Yuki seeing the rea on his fabsp; “Yuki?”

  Another voice, this time a man’s voice broke through the street they were standing in. This time Yuki heard them. “Hey, Jun! How’s my big man doing?”

  Yuki’s body khe voice, but his mind had not put it together yet. It made his heart pound and sweat crawl over his skin. ‘Is it?’ The thumping grew to echo in his ears as he was uo trol his own body as it reacted.

  “Yuki?” Ayumi said, fused by his rea from seeing the two adults with Jun. She, like everyone else minus Saki, didn’t uand.

  Saki was finally pulled away from Yuki reizing the voices and looked up at the house seeing the man and woman as they greeted Ken running up the sidewalk to them. Her eyes widened sharply as she immediately reized them. She stepped back having difficulty believing what she was seeing. “It ’t be!”

  The woman looked out from Jun and Ken quickly catg her eye on someone in the crowd. She stepped down from the house with Jun holding at her side. She stepped towards them standing before Yuki, still paralyzed, looking down at him with such a gentle and warm smile. “There you are, Yuki!”

  Yuki’s eyes widened in shock, still not believing it. Even wheared up at her face he had to reach out his hand to touch her just to know it was real. Before any words could e out of his mouth tears fell down his cheeks. “…mother…”