So What?

A brief silence fell between Mika and Saya. Their eyes were locked onto each other. The wind played with Saya's blonde hair as they gazed at each other without saying a word.

With a puzzled look on his face, Mika glanced at Saya. 

"A date?"

"Y-yes," Saya replied, nodding her head and speaking softly.

"What should we do?"

"W-well... I did some research before coming here. We could visit temples or try out local eateries. I-I mean, I'm not sure, I just want to spend some t-time with you," Saya stammered, her voice tinged with embarrassment and anticipation.

 Actually, that makes sense. We don't have any plans for the next few hours, and exploring might help pass the time

He turned his attention back to Saya and nodded. 

"Sure, that sounds like a plan. Let's explore around and try some local food."

Saya's face immediately lit up, and a smile graced her lips. 

"Really? You're okay with that?"

"Yeah, why not? It seems like a fun way to pass the time before the train leaves."

Saya's smile widened, and she appeared genuinely excited.

After Saya finished her coffee and croissant, they both got up from their seats.

"Shall we start by visiting a castle? There's a famous one not far from here," Saya suggested, checking the locations on her phone.

"Sounds good," Mika agreed.

They left the hotel café together. After returning to their rooms and gathering their belongings, they checked out of the hotel and stowed their things in a rental locker.

They embarked on their journey toward Takashimajō Castle, their first destination.

"Wow, Mika, look at that!" Saya exclaimed with excitement, pointing at the castle.

"Yeah, it's quite distinctive. But come on, the path is this way," Mika said, leading the way across the bridge into the castle.

They entered the inner courtyard and spent some time exploring.

"Mika, look, there's a staircase leading to that building. Come on, let's go there!" Saya said excitedly.

"Okay," Mika agreed, observing Saya. She appeared so enthusiastic and cheerful as she moved around and laughed. While watching her, Mika thought to himself,

 She truly is quite unique.

***

They eventually reached the front of the castle. Saya caught up with Mika, but her attention seemed fixed on something.

"What's on your mind, Saya?"

"N-nothing, I was just thinking about how enchanting this place is," she said, sounding amazed.

"Yeah, it does have a captivating quality."

They spent some time wandering around the castle together. Saya managed to convince Mika to take some photos with her. Then, they started heading towards their next destination.

"Now, where to?" Mika asked, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"Hmm, there aren't many options nearby, so how about we explore the streets and try some street food?" Saya suggested while consulting her phone.

"Okay."

"Before we head back, there's one more place I'd like to take you," Saya said shyly.

"Really? Where?"

"It's a surprise," Saya replied.

"Hmm, okay."

They continued exploring together. They visited Suwa Shrine first, then took in the historical buildings and sampled local street food. Around noon, they went to a restaurant for lunch. They also strolled by the lake and sampled goods from local vendors. The afternoon was approaching two o'clock.

"Now, there's one last place on our list," Saya said as she checked the route on her phone.

"Hmm, is this the surprise you were talking about?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go. What's the name of the place?"

"Tateishi Park."

***

They walked together toward the location of the park. After about half an hour of walking, they arrived. Mika was catching his breath, panting slightly.

"Hey Mika, look here!" Saya exclaimed with excitement. Mika's head was lowered as he tried to catch his breath.

"What's hap—" Mika's head shot up. The entire city lay before them. Boats on the lake, lights from buildings, cars... everything was visible. They both stared at the view in silence.

"Hmm, what happened? Were you impressed?"

"What? No, I just found it strange to see the city from this vantage point," Mika said. 

It really did seem quite remarkable.

"We call this being amazed," Saya said with a smile, leaning over to gaze at the view.

"Amazed?" Mika was looking at Saya. He felt something peculiar inside him. Was this what being amazed was called?

"Joking, you wouldn't have felt it anyway," Saya said, turning her back to the view.

A short silence followed. Mika stood still, seemingly trying to understand himself. Noticing Mika's lack of response, Saya looked concerned and turned to him.

"Mika?" She suddenly stopped and looked at him. "I was just joking — wait a second, you..." She stared at Mika, her eyes wide in astonishment.

"Um... How would you exactly describe this feeling?"

"H-How? Well, it's like, um... we feel it unexpectedly due to some event, just as you described. And we might not be able to explain it for a while."

Mika pondered. It felt like he had been experiencing this for a while, yet he hadn't paid it much attention.

"Are you okay, Mika?" Saya approached him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just zoned out for a moment. Sorry. Let's find a place to sit, preferably in the shade. It's really hot out here."

"Absolutely! There are some seating areas ahead, let's go there."

"Okay."

They reached the seating area and found a gazebo to sit under.

"Here you go, your drink," Mika said, handing Saya a bottle of fruit juice.

"Thank you," Saya said, taking the drink.

They quietly admired the view. Neither of them could think of something to say. Eventually, Saya took a sip of her drink and turned to Mika.

"Hey, Mika, doesn't it feel really strange?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, we received a job offer and came all the way here, and on top of that, we're exploring the city we've come to."

"Yeah, you're right. It's the first time I've experienced something like this."

"I mean, think about it... How many people our age do something like this?"

"Probably not many. Most are busy working for their future."

"I feel like you just indirectly insulted me."

"No, of course not. I think you're an amazing person. You're the head of the disciplinary committee at school, you're skilled in programming, and you managed to find time to travel with me despite your busy schedule."

"So what?"

"I mean, you're taking a trip with someone you barely knew a few months ago, and you might've focused more on your studies if not for me..." Mika said. 

Just as he was about to take a sip of his drink, Saya swiftly snatched it from his hand.

"Saya—"

"No, that's not true!" Saya exclaimed loudly.

 "You're wrong, completely wrong! If it weren't for you, I might still be mourning my father. After I found out about his illness, I thought a lot. Friends, family, studies none of it mattered to me. I just wanted time to pass quickly, so I did everything as a way to pass the time. It was so difficult... Pretending to be someone else and everything else... If I hadn't promised my father, I might've done much worse things. But then I met you. Completely randomly, while browsing the internet to kill time, I found you so randomly!"

Saya took a deep breath

"But then I met you. Even when we first met, you felt so different to me. So I continued, and continued. I expected you to get tired of me, but you didn't. Maybe it was because you didn't have feelings, but you still didn't tell me to leave."

"I have a lot more to say, but let's save that for later. Long story short... You mean a lot to me, so much. I'd even leave the disciplinary committee for you and help you again." Saya's blue eyes stared determinedly at Mika. 

As she spoke, she had sat down at the table in the gazebo, facing Mika. Silence lingered for a while. Saya's haeir was tousled by the wind. Her face was red, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Mika.

Mika, in a somewhat incomprehensible state, was gazing back at her. There was a sensation within him. He didn't understand the feeling, but he had just recognized a new emotion he had learned about.

Man, this girl is truly fascinating. She's almost enough to leave me confused, I guess?