The next day, Hikaru and Kitamura found themselves growing increasingly worried about the upcoming sakura party. Their concern arose from a lack of information and updates from their friends, Mizuha, Shimizu, Akemi, and Elly. The duo had seen pictures of the beautiful bentos and heard about a sakura party guidebook, but they remained in the dark about other crucial details.
As Takeru bumped into Hikaru and Kitamura during their walk in town, he noticed their gloomy expressions. Sensing that something was amiss, Takeru asked, "Wait, is something wrong? You two didn't look so good just a second ago."
Hikaru nervously laughed and admitted, "A-ahaha~ Was it that obvious? We're actually a little worried about the sakura party. Did you see yesterday's messages?"
Curious, Takeru inquired, "You mean... The pictures of the bentos?"
Hikaru nodded, saying, "Yeah, that. They also said they're making some kind of sakura party guidebook..."
Kitamura chimed in, "Those four certainly would make something like that, but what about all the other preparations?"
Hikaru continued, expressing their concerns, "So far, the only things we know are that the party is next Saturday and it's at a nearby park. That's it, right? They haven't set up a meeting time or anything like that, have they?"
Takeru added, "And are we supposed to bring anything...? I have no idea."
Hikaru sighed, "Yeah... We haven't heard a peep about any basic information... I've been talking to Shimizu on and off this whole time, but the conversation always ends with her saying not to worry and that she can't wait for the sakura party."
Kitamura noticed Shimizu's excitement and remarked, "Shimizu is really looking forward to this party, isn't she?"
Hikaru nodded, acknowledging their friends' dedication, "Those four are really responsible, so I'm sure they're doing everything they need to, but... It's hard to just sit back and watch."
Takeru acknowledged the need for action, "Maybe leaving everything to them wasn't such a good idea."
Hikaru determinedly suggested, "Yeah... Alright, then let's go to Elly's house and talk to them! As long as everything's going according to plan, that's all that matters, but I just want to know if they need any help!"
Kitamura agreed, "Same here. How about you, Takeru?"
Takeru smiled, realizing his responsibility, "I'll go too. You guys invited me to this party, after all. Besides, I don't have any plans today."
With a plan in place, Hikaru concluded, "Okay, then let's meet them at Elly's house right now." Kitamura chimed in, "Sounds good! Let's go."
Hikaru, Kitamura, and Takeru were now ready to confront the girls about their worries and offer their assistance.
Hikaru, Kitamura, and Takeru arrived at the entrance of Elly's house, where they spotted Elly and Akemi. Hikaru called out to them, "Ah, there they are! Hey~! Akemi! Elly!" The two girls turned their heads in surprise. "Huh? Hikaru?" Akemi asked. "Kitamura and Takeru are here too!" Elly chimed in.
"Just you two here? Where are Mizuha and Shimizu?" Hikaru asked. "Both of them are not here today," Elly replied. "They were at Mizuha's house, working on completing the guidebook."
Curious about their unexpected visit, Akemi asked, "What's going on? Did you have plans to meet here today?" Hikaru nervously laughed, "Ahaha~... No, we were just wondering how the sakura party planning is going." Takeru explained, "We happened to be in the area and thought it would be a good time to check on the progress."
Understanding their intentions, Akemi said, "I see. Sorry for making you come all this way." Unable to contain his excitement, Hikaru added, "Fufu~ As I'm sure you all saw in the pictures, everything's going great! Right, Elly?" Elly nodded with a smile, "Absolutely! The bento menu is all set, and the sakura guidebook is coming along splendidly. This party is going to be so much fun."
Hikaru mumbled, feeling a mix of excitement and slight overwhelm, "Yeah, it sure sounds like it..." After that, Hikaru suggested going to Mizuha's house with Kitamura to check on their guidebook progress, while Takeru decided to walk Akemi to the shopping mall as they wanted to buy something for the party.
Mizuha and Shimizu were busy working on their guidebook for the upcoming sakura viewing event. They had spent hours writing, editing, and printing the guidebook, and they were proud of their work. They hoped that their classmates would enjoy the event as much as they did.
As they were putting the finishing touches on their guidebook, they heard a knock on the door. Mizuha got up and opened it, only to find Hikaru and Kitamura standing outside. "Hikaru!? Kitamura!? What are you two doing here?" Mizuha asked in surprise. She quickly invited them inside, wondering what they wanted. She knew that Hikaru and Kitamura were also part of the event committee, but she didn't expect them to visit her house.
"We came to see how you guys are doing with the guidebook," Hikaru explained. "Is there anything we can help with?"
Shimizu, who was sitting at the table with a stack of guidebooks, looked up and smiled. She was happy to see her friends and wanted to share their progress with them. "It's not quite finished yet, but do you want to see the guidebook?" Shimizu asked eagerly. "Is that okay with you, Mizuha?"
Mizuha nodded enthusiastically. She was confident in their guidebook and wanted to get everyone's feedback on it. "Of course! I'd love to hear what you think of it," Mizuha said.
"Alright... Then let's see this guidebook," Hikaru said, curious about what Mizuha and Shimizu had created. Shimizu handed him one of the guidebooks and said proudly, "Here it is!"
Hikaru and Kitamura took the guidebook and examined it. They were impressed by the cover, which had pictures of sakura trees and a cheerful message. "Oho~, you've even added pictures to the cover. It looks fantastic," Kitamura commented.
Hikaru read one of the lines aloud, "'Today's the day we've all been waiting for! Remember: Just have fun!' Does this help set the mood?"
Shimizu nodded and explained, "Yup! We thought it'd be good to add some words of encouragement, seeing as having fun is all about attitude!"
Hikaru flipped through the pages and noticed a repeated phrase. He pointed it out to Shimizu and said, "Are these the rules...? 'The first rule is to look at the sakura and just have fun!' You know, I'm seeing a lot of 'just have fun' written here..."
Shimizu laughed and admitted, "Ah, you're right! I didn't even notice! It's so important, I ended up repeating it over and over again..."
Hikaru smiled and said, "Well, I guess it's better than having too many rules. As long as everyone has fun, right?"
Shimizu agreed and said, "Exactly! That's what we're aiming for!"
Hikaru continued to look at the guidebook and noticed something missing. He asked Shimizu and Mizuha, "Huh? The meeting time is still blank... Does that mean you haven't decided yet?"
Shimizu and Mizuha exchanged glances and realized they had forgotten something. They had been so focused on making the guidebook that they hadn't decided on a meeting time yet.
"Ah, that's right! We were just talking about it," Shimizu said. She turned to Mizuha and asked for her opinion. "Let's see... Since we'll be eating together, we should probably meet up in the morning, right?"
Mizuha thought for a moment and suggested, "Then... how does ten o'clock sound?"
Shimizu considered it and said hesitantly, "Great! Ah, but won't it still be a little cold then...?"
Mizuha realized she had a point. It was still early spring, and the weather could be chilly in the morning.
"Oh, that's true... Then how about eleven o'clock?" Mizuha proposed.
Shimizu weighed the options and sighed. She wanted to meet earlier so they could have more time to relax and enjoy the sakura.
"Aww~, but meeting earlier means we'd have more time to chill~. What should we do~? Ten o'clock? Eleven o'clock?" Shimizu wondered aloud.
Hikaru saw their dilemma and decided to help them out. He reassured them by saying, "An hour's not going to change the temperature that much! Why don't we just meet at ten o'clock and make sure to dress warmly?"
Shimizu smiled gratefully at Hikaru and said, "Okay, sounds like a plan! Thanks, Hikaru!"
Mizuha also thanked him and said, "Yeah, thanks! You're a lifesaver!"
Hikaru was glad to help, but he noticed another detail that was missing. He asked Shimizu and Mizuha, "Uhm... I don't see anything telling us what to bring either... Should I bring drinks or anything else...?"
Mizuha answered, "Ah, we're planning to buy juice and tea at the convenience store on the day of. I'll be bringing some hot drinks as well... Is there anything in particular you'd like?"
Hikaru nodded, understanding the arrangement. He said, "No, that's fine. Anything is good for me."
Kitamura also nodded and said, "Me too. I'm not picky."
Hikaru then raised an important point. He asked Shimizu and Mizuha, "If we're eating outside, don't we need paper plates and utensils?"
Shimizu happily replied, "Mizuha and I already bought some! We went shopping right after making our bentos. We got some super cute stuff. I hope you like it!"
She showed them the paper plates and utensils, which had sakura patterns on them. They matched the theme of the event perfectly.
Hikaru and Kitamura were impressed by their attention to detail. They complimented them by saying, "Wow, you guys really thought of everything!"
Shimizu and Mizuha beamed with pride. They assured Hikaru and Kitamura that they were doing just fine.
"Yup! We're doing just fine! Thanks for asking, though!" Shimizu said.
"We were planning on handing out the guidebooks tomorrow... I'm sorry if we made you worry," Mizuha said.
Hikaru and Kitamura realized that they had been worrying too much. They saw that Shimizu and Mizuha had everything under control.
"Sounds like... things are going a lot smoother than we thought..." Kitamura said.
"Maybe we were just being impatient..." Hikaru said.
They decided to trust Shimizu and Mizuha's abilities. They said in unison, "We'll just have to believe in Shimizu and Mizuha!"
Shimizu and Mizuha smiled warmly at them.
"Yeah, for sure! All we have to do is excitedly wait!" Hikaru said.
They all agreed and looked forward to the sakura viewing event. They hoped that it would be a fun and memorable day for everyone.
Finally, the weekend arrived, and they all gathered at the predetermined location. "Alright, on three! One... Two... Three! Cheers!" said Shimizu. "Cheers!" replied the other seven. "Mmm~! This salmon and avocado sandwich is so good~!" exclaimed Hikaru. "All these sandwiches are so cute too. They look even better than the pictures you sent," remarked Zul.
Elly chimed in, "Ah, so you noticed? We thought it would be better to have a variety of shapes, so Akemi and I went out and bought more." "Dogs, dolphins... That's the kind of shapes I'd expect from you two," teased Takeru to Akemi and Elly. "The rolled-up sandwiches are good too~ I kinda want to try making them myself sometime," added Hikaru. "Ehehe, you should. They're really easy to make, and they look so cute," said Elly.
Mizuha then asked Hikaru, "Can you cook, Hikaru?" "I can, but I'm not too great and not too bad, just average," replied Hikaru. "Can you teach me?" inquired Mizuha. "Sure, I will teach you later," responded Hikaru.
"By the way... Ta-dah! I brought some food too~. It's just normal stuff like fried chicken and eggs, but help yourselves!" Hikaru exclaimed while opening his bento box. "Actually, I brought something too... I'm not that good at cooking though, so I just bought some snacks at the convenience store," admitted Mizuha. "And I brought these! Veggie sticks!" announced Kitamura. "V-veggie sticks...?" questioned Zul. "Come on, they're really tasty. And besides, they're good for you!" defended Kitamura. "They're definitely easier to eat than a salad. In fact, doesn't that make them perfect for a picnic like this...?" suggested Shimizu.
"Yup! That's exactly what I was thinking, Shimizu! Go ahead, have one. You too, Takeru," urged Kitamura. "Thanks," said Takeru. "Thank you, Kitamura," expressed Zul.
"Phew~, I'm stuffed. That was so good~," exclaimed Hikaru. "It was... I think I ate too much though," replied Mizuha. "Same here... By the way, these sakura party guidebooks came out great! I'm impressed!" praised Zul. "I was thinking the same thing! And such attention to detail! You even included descriptions and pictures of all the different types of sakura!" added Hikaru. "So, you like it?! Thank goodness~!" responded Mizuha.
"I knew about the more popular ones, like the Yoshino and the double-blossomed variety, but even I didn't know a lot of these," said Zul. "That means a lot coming from you, Zul," acknowledged Mizuha. "Adding poems about sakura to this guidebook was a great idea too! Reading poetry under the sakura tree just feels so elegant!" praised Hikaru. "Looks like our plans were a success then. Isn't that right, Shimizu?" asked Mizuha. "Yeah!" replied Shimizu.
"You know... Something tells me only you four could plan a sakura party like this," mused Hikaru. "I know what you mean. This is such a relaxing atmosphere. Not bad at all," agreed Zul.
"It's almost like your personalities shine through with this party...," observed Zul. "Our...?" questioned Mizuha. "Personalities?" added Elly. "Huh? What do you mean? All we did was plan a normal sakura party... Did we do something weird...?" asked Mizuha.
"Ahaha! Never mind! We're just grateful, that's all! It's not every day that you get to experience such a relaxing sakura party!" reassured Hikaru. "That's true. Sakura parties are usually so lively," said Mizuha.
"Yosh, it's time to sing, you guys! It's too early to go home yet. Let's continue our party with singing. By the way, let me sing first. Count me in too, Shimizu. Let me duet with you," said Kitamura. Shimizu and Kitamura started singing a duet together as their friends applauded them. After Shimizu and Kitamura finished their duet, Elly asked Zul to duet with her too. Zul initially refused to sing at first but finally acquiesced to his girlfriend's persuasion.
While Zul and Elly started singing their duet, Akemi came to Takeru and sat beside him. "So, how was your first time enjoying it together with them?" asked Akemi. Takeru then said, "You're right, Akemi. They're very nice to me. I really enjoyed this sakura viewing party. I'm glad they invited me too." Akemi replied with a smile, "Really? I'm glad to see you enjoyed it." Takeru's face turned bright red as he looked at his girlfriend's smiling face.
30 minutes later, they packed up and cleaned their picnic site to prepare to return home. “Thanks for the party, you four! I'm glad we put you guys in charge!” said Hikaru. “C-come on, you're embarrassing us... Isn't that right, guys?” said Shimizu. “Y-yeah. We just did our best...” said Mizuha and the others. After everything was finished, they all walked together to their own houses as the great Sakura viewing party ended for the day.
ns 172.70.179.100da2
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