After they left the bookstore, Hikaru asked Mizuha what they were going to do next.501Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QVTEDdbNt
Mizuha looked unsure—this had actually been Shimizu’s plan all along, and she had just been following.
"Wait a moment. I’m going to ask our ‘leader’ about it," Mizuha said.
"Hey, leader, where are we going now?" Mizuha turned to Shimizu.
"Hehe, I’m so glad you asked! You guys, follow me!" Shimizu called out, grinning as she waved for the group to come along.
The group followed Shimizu through the streets until she stopped and pointed at a building whose large sign read 'Bowling Center'.
"Wait, Shimizu-chan, is this...?" Eri asked.
"Yup, we’re going to play bowling now," Shimizu said.
"Oh, bowling, huh? Not bad," Hikaru said. "Did you use to play it, Mizuha?"
"Yeah, last year. I went with my parents once," Mizuha said.
The group entered the bowling center and signed up for a game. While they were putting on their bowling shoes, Shimizu had an idea.
She turned to them, grinning, and said,
"Hey, you guys! Listen up—what if the winner can make the loser do anything they want?"
"What do you think? It makes things more interesting, right?"
“Oh, you want a challenge? Then bring it on!” Hikaru said.
“Deal. I’m not losing to anyone—especially someone like you,” Shimizu said.
“Talk big, huh? Let’s see if you can actually beat me,” Hikaru said.
The two faced off, while Mizuha watched, looking bemused.
“Umm... we’re just playing for fun, you guys...” she muttered.
While Shimizu and Hikaru were busy challenging each other, Zul rolled the ball down the lane and knocked down all ten pins—a strike.
Eri clapped her hands, cheering. “That was amazing!”
“Wait, since when did he start?” Shimizu said.
“And he got a strike on his very first try?” Hikaru added.
Both of them were shocked by what Zul had done.
Zul turned to the group and saw both Shimizu and Hikaru glaring at him in frustration. He shrugged like it was nothing.
“What? It’s just a strike. Nothing special,” Zul said before returning to his seat.
This is bad. I didn’t expect him to be this good, Shimizu thought.
Zul, you traitor, Hikaru thought. How dare you steal the spotlight?
"Alright, now it’s my turn to shine," Hikaru said, stepping up for his turn.
Mizuha cheered for him, "Hikaru, do your best!"
Oh, Mizuha cheered for me. I’d better do my best!!
Motivated by her cheering, Hikaru rolled his first ball but only knocked down four pins.
"Damn, why didn't it hit all the pins?" he thought, annoyed.
"Hahaha, what was that roll, Hikaru? Even kids can roll better than you," Shimizu laughed at him.
Hikaru snapped back. "Shut up, Shimizu! I’m just testing this lane."
Tch, this girl… how dare she laugh at me in front of Mizuha. I’d better do better on this second roll and make sure she closes her mouth.
His second ball knocked down the remaining pins for a spare. Hikaru shot Shimizu a triumphant grin. "How about that?"
Shimizu muttered under her breath, "Damn, he's pretty good."
Mizuha cheered, clapping her hands. "Nice score, Hikaru!"
Hikaru returned to his seat, and now it was Shimizu’s turn to roll.
"You see, I’ll get a strike on my first try," Shimizu said while they exchanged turns.
"Oh, let's see what you got," Hikaru replied.
Shimizu rolled her first ball—only to knock down five pins.
"What? Why didn’t it hit all the pins, damn it!" she shouted.
"What was that for, Shimizu? Who’s the kid now?" Hikaru smirked.
"Better control your anger. Don’t break the pins."
"That guy!!! How dare he…." Shimizu muttered under her breath, annoyed.
Shimizu rolled the second ball and managed to knock down the remaining five pins.
"Nice score, Shimizu-chan!" Eri cheered.
Shimizu shot them a smug look. "See? I've still got it. Don't mess with me."
"Yeah, I know, no need to be proud of yourself," Hikaru shot back.
Now it was Eri's turn. Zul gently touched her shoulder. "Come on, now it's your turn, Eri."
"I'll do my best," Eri responded with a determined smile.
As she picked up the bowling ball, she said, "It's so heavy," with worry.
Can I do this? she wondered nervously.
The weight threw off her balance. Eri stumbled and fell, but the ball still rolled down and knocked down two pins.
"Eri-chan!" Mizuha called out worriedly.
Zul rushed to Eri’s side. "Eri, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just tripped over my own feet," Eri said, trying to make him feel better.
As he helped her up, Zul said, "Be more careful next time. You don't have to push yourself."
"Thanks, Zul," Eri said.
The others came over to check on her too.
After making sure she was okay, Zul stayed with Eri to help with her second roll.
"Let me help you with this," he said, showing her the proper technique.
Following his instructions, Eri knocked down five more pins. Despite not getting a spare, she felt happy with her improvement.
"Nice score, Eri-chan!" Mizuha cheered as Eri returned.
"Don't feel down. We still have more rounds to play. Here, drink this," Shimizu said, handing Eri a sports drink.
"Thanks, Shimizu-chan," Eri replied.
Finally, it was Mizuha's turn. "Hmm, I'll try my best," she said.
It's been a while since I've played bowling. When was the last time? Was it last year with my family? she wondered, then shook her head.
That's not important. I need to focus on playing now.
"Mizuha-chan, you can do it!" Eri cheered from behind.
"Yeah, do your best because your boyfriend here is watching you," Shimizu said, punching Hikaru’s shoulder.
"Hey, stop it, you’re embarrassing her, and I’m not her boyfriend," Hikaru said, blushing.
Ah, stop it, Shimizu! What do you mean by that? Mizuha thought, blushed at Shimizu’s words.
Mizuha grabbed her ball, exhaled, and sent it rolling down the lane. The ball hit the pins with perfect accuracy. All ten pins fell. A bright "X" flashed on the scoreboard.
Shimizu and Hikaru both stared in surprise. "Wow, she's good!" they said in unison.
"That was great, Mizuha-chan!" Eri cheered excitedly.
Mizuha turned back and flashed them a peace sign with a playful smile.
Hikaru’s face flushed at her smile, making Zul glance at him in concern.
"Your face is red suddenly. Are you feeling feverish?"
Hikaru composed himself. "Nothing happened. I'm fine."
Meanwhile, Shimizu took a sip of her water and couldn't help smiling.
Oh, I see, she thought, smirking. He likes that smile.
The group continued playing until they completed all ten rounds. Zul emerged as the winner with the highest score, followed closely by Mizuha. Hikaru and Shimizu tied for third place, with Eri coming in last.
Despite their rivalry, Hikaru and Shimizu shook hands after the game.
"Nice fight," Shimizu said with a grin.
"You too, not bad," Hikaru replied.
Both of them were laughing after that.
Mizuha watched them with a bemused expression.
Where's that rival spirit you guys had earlier? she thought.501Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUq0QUIF6Z
Also, are you trying to forget about the 'loser does what the winner wants' deal?
Once the scores were in, Shimizu faced Zul. "You won, so you pick where we go next."
Zul took a moment to think, then said he didn't have any particular place in mind. He decided to pass the choice to Mizuha as the second-place finisher. Mizuha looked surprised, clearly not expecting to be chosen.
Shimizu urged her to pick the next destination, and all the others turned to look at her. Mizuha frowned slightly and said she needed a moment to think. Then she had an idea and suggested they watch a movie.
Hikaru quickly agreed, forgetting his earlier embarrassment as he got excited about the new plan. Eri asked what kind of movie they should watch. Mizuha paused briefly before saying she wasn't sure, then proposed they decide once they arrived at the cinema.
With their next destination decided, the group made their way out of the bowling alley, chatting about movie options as they headed to the cinema.
Once they arrived at the cinema and saw all the movie posters, Shimizu asked Mizuha what she wanted to watch.
Mizuha looked at all the movie posters. After a moment, something caught her attention and she made up her mind.
"Found it! It's decided," she announced, pointing to a poster. "We're going to watch this."
Mizuha pointed to a horror movie poster. Shimizu's face immediately went pale.
"Umm, Mizuha, can we watch another movie? I don't like this one..."
Mizuha slowly turned to Shimizu and stared at her with a smile that showed she wasn't going to change her mind.
"Why? It's my choice. You said before that the winner decides, right?" she said, her voice calm but firm.
Shimizu shifted uneasily under Mizuha’s sudden intensity.
Hikaru smirked at Shimizu. "What's up, Shimizu? Are you scared?" he teased, trying to hide his own fear.
Shimizu could tell that Hikaru was just as scared as she was. "Shut up! You're scared too, right? Don't pretend you're not!" she shot back.
Meanwhile, Zul turned to Eri with concern. "Eri, are you okay with this movie?"
Eri hesitated before replying, "It looks a bit scary, but I'll try to handle it."
Zul smiled reassuringly. "Don’t push yourself if it’s too much, okay?"
"Thanks. I feel less scared when I'm with you," she said, giving him a genuine smile.
Hikaru and Shimizu both looked annoyed as they watched Zul and Eri together.
"These two! Why are they acting all sweet like that?" they both thought.
Mizuha stifled a laugh at their reactions.
Even though some of them weren't happy about the movie choice, they bought their tickets and some popcorn before going into the theater.
They found their seats in the dark theater. Zul sat on the far right, and Eri sat next to him. Shimizu took the seat beside Eri, then Mizuha sat next to her, and Hikaru ended up on the far left.
When the movie started, everything seemed normal and quiet. But as it got to the scary parts, everyone began reacting differently.
Mizuha was really into the movie and didn’t look away.
Eri got frightened by the scary scenes. She put her hands over her eyes and grabbed Zul's arm. "It's so scary," she said.
Zul reassured her, "Don't worry. It's just a movie."
Meanwhile, Hikaru was trying to pretend he wasn’t scared, but his face had gone pale
Mizuha glanced over and noticed how uncomfortable he looked, so she decided to tease him.
"Hikaru, are you scared?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Hikaru said, still trying to act tough. "I'm never scared of anything."
Mizuha glanced over at Shimizu, who'd gone unusually quiet. She leaned closer to check—and found her friend fast asleep.
"Hey, you're sleeping!" Mizuha said, feeling irritated.
She poked Shimizu's shoulder to wake her up. "Hey, Shimizu, wake up!"
Shimizu just mumbled sleepily, "Ten more minutes, old hag."
This made Mizuha even more annoyed.
Who is she calling an old hag? Ugh, forget it. She's hopeless, Mizuha thought.
With a frustrated sigh, Mizuha turned back to the screen.
After the movie ended, Mizuha turned to Hikaru.
"It was a very nice movie, wasn't it?"
"That's true. Even though the scary parts were intense, the ending was very nice," replied Hikaru.
Right after the credits, Shimizu finally woke up. She stretched and yawned, saying, "That was a nice sleep. Oh, the movie’s over already? Hahaha!"
"Shimizu-chan, that was so mean, you know," Eri said.
Mizuha glared at Shimizu.
Shimizu blinked. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing," Mizuha said, pouting. "Shimizu, you idiot."
"What is it? Tell me, please. I'm sorry, okay?" Shimizu said.
"Nothing!" Mizuha insisted, her pout getting worse.
Hikaru couldn't help but laugh. "Mizuha, what's up with that face? It's rare to see you like that."
Mizuha blushed. "It's nothing. Let's go." She walked out quickly.
Eri and Zul smiled, watching the three of them.
Night had fallen by the time they exited. Hikaru looked around at the dark streets and commented on how quickly time had passed.
Mizuha agreed, saying they’d had fun, but glanced at her watch, worried about getting home on time—she’d promised her mother.
Eri spoke up shyly. "Hey... you guys, how about we do this again next time?"
Her suggestion caught everyone off guard—it was rare for Eri to take the lead like this.
"Wow, it's so rare to see you suggest something," Zul said with a warm smile.
"Oh, that's a nice idea, Eri!" Shimizu exclaimed. "We definitely need to do more of this."
Mizuha nodded but took a jab at Shimizu.
"It's okay to do this again, but make sure you tell me earlier, okay, Shimizu?" she said with a cold smile.
Oh, this is bad. She's still angry about that, Shimizu thought to herself.
The group began to separate. Shimizu waved energetically while Eri gave a gentle farewell gesture. Zul, Eri, and Shimizu headed toward their neighborhood while Mizuha and Hikaru took the opposite path home.
As usual, Hikaru accompanied Mizuha since their houses were in the same direction. Noticing Mizuha's bag from the bookstore, Hikaru offered, "Mizuha, let me carry your things. They seem heavy."
"No need, Hikaru," Mizuha said. "It's not too heavy. I can carry it myself."
"Don't worry, just let me carry it," Hikaru insisted. "My hands are free except for this notebook I bought earlier."
Reluctantly, Mizuha handed over her plastic bag. "If you insist..."
"Today was great, wasn't it?" Hikaru broke the silence.
"Yeah, I had so much fun with everyone," Mizuha said. "Thanks to Shimizu for suggesting it."
Silence passed between them before Hikaru spoke again, his face turning bright red. "Umm, Mizuha... can we hang out like today, but just the two of us?"
"What? Just the two of us?!" Mizuha exclaimed, blushing hard. Is it a... d-d-date? she wondered to herself.
"Umm, let me think about that later."
Hikaru chuckled nervously. "I'll wait for your answer."
They soon arrived at Mizuha's house. Hikaru said goodbye and continued on his way home.
Mizuha entered her house and announced her return. Her mother appeared in the hallway, noticing Mizuha's unusually bright expression. She mentioned the bath was ready and suggested they have dinner together afterward, curious about Mizuha's day.
While preparing for dinner, Hikaru's invitation replayed in Mizuha's mind. Just the two of them hanging out together - the possibility both excited and worried her. She would need to give him an answer soon, but for now, she had her mother's questions to deal with first.501Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmXIgMKfnU
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