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So when Shishio finally asks her out on a proper date, he's more nervous than he thought he'd be. The weather is soft and it's as busy as always in front of the station. Suzume's wearing shorts paired with a light blouse. And Shishio can't help but also feel embarrassed when she blushes and looks away after exchanging a good morning.
On the train they stand in front of each other. There's one place left, but Suzume says she'd rather stand with him when he nods at the seat. She grabs the strap of her handbag out of habit and leans against the pole behind her.
"We could walk through an indoor mall on our way to the park if you want to?" he suggests and she nods with a little smile on her face.
~~~~~~~
Suzume pulls Shishio into a shop full of hats and other accessories and giggles after putting a propeller cap on top of his head. Shishio looks around him and finds a hat with two huge plumes on it. While squinting her eyes, she lets him put it on.
"I want to see how I look," she says and dashes to the mirror in the back of the store. Shishio looks at her feeling the two feathers between her fingers. She then makes the come-over-here-sign and Shishio walks over to stand behind her. He rests his chin on top of her head.
"Hm, I think we look really cool in these. They should totally ask us to be hat models, don't you think?" he laughs and twirls the propeller around. Her eyes twinkle and she smiles at him through the mirror. She nods, full of confidence, and then grins at him.
He wants to hug her, but he feels eyes of the store clerk piercing through his back, so he doesn't.
~~~~~~~
He's nervous when he brushes the back of his hand against hers as they walk through the park and she softly touches his fingertips. Her touch is warm and he can't suppress a smile. He reacts by filling the gaps between her fingers with his own and she grips tighter. He wonders if she can feel his heartbeat.
"You know," he hears her say next to him, "I've never been here before, so I'm glad I could come her with you."
Shishio looks next to him and sees her red cheeks from the side as she fixes her eyes on the path in front of them. They're walking next to the pond and behind her, the water's glittering.
"Yeah," Shishio says, squeezing her hand, "I feel the same way."
~~~~~~~
Suzume insists on hiring a boat to float in the water for thirty minutes, since she's always wanted to do something like that. Shishio looks at all the boats already covering the pond and back to Suzume's sparkling eyes and gives in. When they reach a nice spot, Suzume hangs overboard trying to catch a sight of the fish underneath them and Shishio leans to the other side, balancing the boat out.
"I remember when we went on a one-day trip with our class when I was little," Suzume says and she turns her head to look him in the eye. The boat is small and they sit in front of each other. "I don't remember most of it, but my mom told me about it. We were on a boat in some protected natural area and supposed to listen to a man talking about the birds living in that area, but I was looking down at the water the whole time, searching for fish. In the end, I got a really low grade for that assignment."
Shishio snorts and the sound surprises Suzume. "I'm sorry, but I pictured it, just now."
Suzume laughs with him and their knees bump to each other. It's hot and their skin is sticky, but they don't mind.
~~~~~~~
When they walk back, the sun has already lowered a bit. A soft breeze cools their bare ankles. Outside the park, Tokyo's busy streets are awaiting them. On their way to the station, they decide to stop by a cafe.
They sit by the window and talk about their plans for the summer. Suzume looks at the people outside. Shishio watches her side profile. Suddenly her eyes light up and she turns her head.
"We should go to a summer festival!" she says enthusiastically.
Shishio grins. "Yeah, let's do that."
Suzume takes a sip of her drink. "I'm looking forward to all the food stalls. And scooping goldfish, of course."
"I bet I can scoop more than you," he tells her and she raises her eyebrows, letting her straw fall to the rim of the glass.
"Yeah? We'll see about that," she says, squinting her eyes. "I'll definitely take that challenge."
He laughs and brings his drink to his mouth. The streets outside are full of people also going home after another hot summer day. The sky is slowly losing its bright colour and has started to pull the sun down, slowly, making sure to get all these people home before disappearing behind Tokyo's buildings.
~~~~~~~
It rains when they decide to leave and walk to the station. The owner of the cafe lets them borrow an umbrella and Shishio promises he'll bring it back tomorrow. They step outside and he opens up the umbrella. It's transparent and the rain drops make a nice soothing sound. It's not a heavy downfall, more like a short summer shower. Sharing an umbrella is actually a lot more unpractical than it looks in the movies, Shishio finds out, but he doesn't really mind the rain falling on his right shoulder.
They decide to take a short-cut and Shishio pushes the umbrella a bit more to Suzume's side, since the little drops on her lower arm seem to bother him much more than the ones on his own. Suzume notices this and looks up at him.
"You'll get really wet when you do that, you know," she says as she wraps her fingers around the shaft to push it to his side again.
"I don't really mind," he replies and shoves it back again.
She shakes her head, putting strength in her grip. "I don't want you getting a cold."
"I don't want you to get one either," Shishio says firmly.
Suzume's quiet for a little while and lets go of the umbrella. Just when Shishio thinks she's not going to surprise him anymore, she takes ahold of the shaft again. He blinks and suddenly she's in front of him; the tips of their shoes touching.
"The only way we both won't get wet is if we stand like this," she says quietly, as if someone is listening along with their conversation. Shishio is surprised and he swears he can see a few summer freckles on her nose. He swallows.
"Yeah, but how are we gonna walk like this?" he asks and Suzume purses her lips, as if to think of a great escape plan.
"Like this," she then tells him with conviction and he watches as she slowly starts walking backwards, forcing him to walk with her if he wants to stay under the umbrella. "If I take a step backwards with my right foot, you take a step forward with yours. And vice versa too."
They look like an idiot couple, which they kind of are, so Shishio doesn't particularly mind. It's quite an exercise, though, finding a good rhythm and staying with it. Each time she creates an empty place by stepping backwards, he fills it and places his feet on another crooked paving stone. Maybe it has always been like that. Suzume making a path for him that, even though a little unsteady in the beginning, always gave him the opportunity to keep walking.
However, the paving stones are unsteady. And before Shishio can even progress what's happening, he already reaches out to Suzume who has lost her balance, stepping on a dangerously wobbly one. She lets out a short shriek, clenching her hand on the fabric of his shirt. He swings his arm around her waist, bringing her close, making sure she doesn't fall over.
"Be careful," he says, releasing his breath. Suzume blinks. All of a sudden, everything's quiet.
Her eyes are still big from the shock. Her waist is small and he's awfully aware of his hand on her back. She seems too, as a blush slowly spreads on her cheeks. He tries to focus on the sound of the raindrops on the umbrella, instead of his heartbeat that probably figured now is a great time to make some noise. Despite his efforts, his plan isn't working. It's because it's stopped raining.
Suzume also notices, and looks at the now smooth puddles around them, the clearing sky perfectly reflected in them. He can see a little smile forming itself on her lips. She turns to face him.
"Hey, the rain has stopped."
~~~~~~~
On the train back, it's a bit more peaceful and they find a place to sit down. Shishio holds the still-wet umbrella next to him and glances at Suzume. She somehow feels his gaze on her and locks her eyes on his. She raises her eyebrows.
"Hm? What is it?" she asks, almost whispering, since it's the only sound in the cabin, apart from the rattling of the train and a mother shushing her excited children.
Shishio shakes his head and smiles. "Nothing."
"Okay." She smiles back and finds his hand between them and entwines her fingers with his. He's happy. Happy to have her by his side, even though he doesn't quite know how to keep her there yet. He tries his best, though. And she somehow knows this, as she sometimes holds his hand and squeezes it softly. She says it too, on days they spend together and when they're both too lazy to go outside and do something. That she's not going to leave, that Shishio should have a bit more faith in them.
It's quiet and Suzume jolts when he leans over to kiss her temple. He loves her. Of course, he's not going to let her go. But even so, he's still a bit nervous when she's close to him.