A Day With Friends

The remainder of the day was best described as surreal. 

The anxious nerves had left Sota's mind some time ago. For Ren, she had begun to wonder what this actually was. Both of them - in their own forms - wanted this day to continue as long as it could.

"Let's park on the food court side!" Ren exclaimed. "Maybe they'll have something interesting there to try!"

They found a spot near the back, grabbed their things, and headed inside their final destination for the day. 

A couple more hours flew by as they explored the mall. They wandered the whole building, checking out as many things as they could with the time they had left. 

"What do you think?" Ren giggled as she pointed towards a shop window. 

Sota looked. It was a custom T-shirt shop. The shirt she was pointing at was black and had the words "Dynamic Duo" stamped on the front. 

"Could be our team name, you know!" Ren teased. "The two of us could rock it well, don't you think?"

"I don't know..." Sota thought aloud. "I'm not sure if 'Dynamic Duo' fits. That sounds too tame... seems like we'd be more likely to raise hell if we were left to our own devices."

"Hell Raisers, then!" Ren exclaimed. 

Sota laughed at the idea, until Ren made darted into the store. 

"Wait, really?" he called as he followed after her. 

It was ridiculous, but it didn't matter. The shirts were printed and purchased about thirty minutes later. 

A few stores down was a nerdier, anime-themed shop that Sota enjoyed visiting. They went inside, and Sota showed her the different items that were there. Sota was ecstatic to be able to share such the interest without judgment. Ren was happy to get a chance to experience and learn about something new. 

After wandering the mall, they found a frozen yogurt shop and each loaded up a large bowl full of their favorite flavors. They wandered a bit longer before they found a spot to sit and eat. They talked as they ate, and eventually just began observing the crowd as they enjoyed their time together. 

"It's funny..." Sota noted. "I'm not a big people-watcher like this. Normally, I'd rather be in a quieter area relaxing. It's crazy how much different it is..."

"When you're with someone who gets you?" Ren asked, finishing his thought. 

He chuckled, "Seems like you've got some sort of 'Mind-Meld' power."

"Mind-meld, huh?" Ren questioned. "I could go get that on a shirt, too?"

"How about we get that one next time."

A brief silence came over them. At this point, they were just killing time delaying the end. It was getting late, and Ren probably should've been home by now. She had insisted to Sota it was fine for her to be out this late. In reality, she just wanted the day to keep going. She'd figure out the consequences later. 

But even that could only extend so far. As that extra time ran out, she asked the question she had been afraid to since the arcade.

"Will there be a next time?"

Sota looked at her, a bit surprised by the question. Ren was looking at him, locked in on whatever his answer ended up being. Her eyes bore into his - another moment where her intent seemed transparent. 

"Any reason there wouldn't be a next time?"

Ren broke eye contact for a minute. Her mind drifted to something that had been gnawing at her for some time. She was hesitant to bring it up, but there was no better moment. 

"A few months ago when you left class," she explained, "I overheard Sensei and Riku talking about 'The Ren Incident'. I tried not to overthink it, but..."

She paused, hoping he would jump in with an explanation. He did not - his gaze seemed a bit distant as he stared into the crowd. 

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's totally fine!" she began backtracking. "I'm silly for bringing it up after such a fun day. I just didn't know ... when else I'd get the chance to ask what I did wrong?"

Sota's eyes seemed to ignite a bit at her final statement. It was clear to both of them that he did not at all blame Ren for what had happened. The fact that Ren blamed herself was clearly the most aggravating piece to him. 

"You did nothing wrong," he finally spoke, his words slow and meticulous. "Something happened on my side, but it's difficult for me to articulate it. I'm not sure how to put it into words, but when I can, I will tell you about it."

He then turned to her and smiled, doing his best to alleviate her concern. 

"I'll make sure it's face-to-face, too," he assured her. "That way, you can rest assured that there's at least one 'next time' to look forward to."

His genuine smile and concern for her happiness was enough to make Ren begin to blush. She quickly broke eye contact, looking off into the crowd as if distracting herself. Still, she couldn't help but respond.

"I'd love that..."

Ren knew that it could be awhile, with her family being the way they were. Still, she found a lot of comfort knowing that it would happen again, regardless of how soon or far it ended up being. 

***

They left the mall not too much later than that. It was about a twenty-minute ride back to Ren's house. They lingered in the driveway for a bit longer while talking. At that point, they both saw Ren's grandfather poke his head out of the front door. 

"I'll see you at class, then..." Ren spoke, making her way out of the car. 

"That's the plan. You can always text me, too, if you want to talk."

"Careful what you wish for, Senpai!"

With that, she waved her final farewell and headed inside. She looked back one time, watching Sota pull out of the driveway once he was sure she had made it into her house. 

"You're late," her grandfather growled as she came in. 

"Sorry," Ren replied, taking off her shoes. "We were at the arcade and lost track of time."

"You're going to be working double-time tomorrow to get all this stuff caught up," he noted. "I don't want your mother catching on that I let you play hooky for a day."

"I'll get it done," she said, smiling. "But for now, I think I'll head to bed. Goodnight, grandpa!"

Just like that, she moved past him and headed off to her room. Her grandfather was surprised at her demeanor. She didn't seem to panic or have nerves regarding the threat about her mother, like she normally would. 

Ren was beyond being worried, though, at least for today. She had never been so happy, and she intended to carry that with her until she went to sleep. She closed the door and made her way into bed. She then remained there and replayed the day over and over in her head.

There were a lot of questions in her mind to sort through. Multiple emotions to sort out - the biggest being how much she already missed being with Sota. 

She realized pretty quickly, though, that she didn't have to completely be away from him. She giggled to herself and grabbed her phone.

I did tell him to be careful what he wished for!

***

Sota took the drive home to process and relive everything that had happened. Things had progressed in a very clear direction, and he wasn't sure what to make of it. His inner thoughts were stirring with the end of the day, but he kept himself disciplined.

"I'll work through this another time," he noted aloud. "For now, it's time to head home."

By the time he got home, his exhaustion had begun to hit - he hadn't slept in 24 hours. He got his stuff out of the car and checked the time. Given how late it was, he decided that the easiest route to avoid conflict was simply going to be crawling back in through the window. 

He did so, re-entering the small purgatory that he spent most of his time in. It was a bit depressing to be back, but at least he had classes with Ren to look forward to. 

It also seemed he wouldn't have to wait that long to interact with her again. As he changed into pajamas and got ready for bed, he noticed that his phone had a notification. He sat in bed, unlocking it and looking at what it was.

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Hi Senpai!

Sota chuckled to himself as he read her text and tagline. 

[Sota]: Couldn't make it until morning, huh?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Hey, I warned you :P

[Sota]: That you did.

Sota wasn't entirely sure how to proceed from here. He figured by this point, she'd have had her fill and would have left him to reflect on the day. The fact that Ren was still opting to talk with him, even after they had spent the whole day together, was something else entirely.

[Sota]: Any fun plans for tomorrow?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Not really. Catching up on chores and homework from today, I expect. 

[Sota]: Did staying out so long cause you any issues?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Not really! I will just have to work a bit harder than usual tomorrow. 

[Sota]: We can always aim for a smaller hangout next time. 

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Nice try! You can't get rid of me that easy :D

Their back-and-forth lasted for a little bit. Sota sat there, watching TV in the background as he chatted with Ren. She would get back to him almost immediately, which was different from the usual 1-2 hours it took for someone to 'maybe' reply to his text. 

I've spent my whole life as a ghost. I could disappear tomorrow and no one would have batted an eye. It's so warm to have someone 'see' you - and so terrifying...

Sota focused on the positive while he continued texting Ren. Tears beganto well up in his eyes without him knowing.

He wasn't sure what was going to come next. He wasn't sure if things would end well, or if he'd screw something up. He also didn't know Ren's full story, or if there was anything on her side that would cause issues. 

But he remembered his conversation with his sister - and that he should follow this to see where it goes.

[Sota]: Do you feel ready for the tournament next weekend?

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Yes, but honestly I'm still trying to figure out making it :( It's pretty far away, so I don't know if my grandparents will want to travel that far to bring me. 

Sota got a second text before he could even respond to the first. 

[Ren (Hell Raiser 1)]: Unless...you'd be willing to bring me?

It was such a fast turnaround. She had gone from "maybe next time" to "ask for a next time" in a matter of a couple hours.

[Sota]: Sounds good to me. Maybe after the tournament, we can hang out for a bit somewhere. I know a couple cool places in the area. 

[Ren]: Absolutely! I'll let my family know that the tournament will run long to give us a little more time!

Sota wasn't sure how he felt about having Ren lie to her family like that, but he left it to her judgment. It was clear after today that she wasn't quite as naive as he might have initially expected.

"Alright, then." Sota spoke aloud, sending off one final 'goodnight' text. "Next weekend... I guess I need to try and figure things out between now and then..."

Because he knew that the longer he waited, the worse it'd got. That was more time for his demons to stir, or more time for Ren to blame herself for something she didn't have a hand in...