"'Wag ka nga," mahina kong sabi kay Jeremy as I lightly pushed him away from me as well. Nagsimula na rin akong maglakad papasok pa lalo sa area then I felt his hand holding mine again.

If I would be honest with the way I feel, I think that we were moving way too fast for someone who had just met. I was really not used to this kind of pace pero ewan ko ba. I somehow felt safe around him. Hindi pilit yung mga nangyayari between us at sobrang spontaneous din niya to the point na feeling ko, ibang tao na ako ngayon.

I used to play safe whenever I was around other guys. Madalas tahimik o kaya naman kalkulado lahat ng galaw. Jenny said guys didn't like it kapag masyadong madaldal o galawgaw yung mga babae so I made it a point na maging prim and proper hangga't kaya ko. 

But with Jeremy? Ewan ko ba. Parang nahanap niya yung hidden switch ko sa katawan para mabilis akong mag-open up sa kanya. It was almost effortless for him to make me do things that I didn't usually do. Just like going on a date with someone I met by accident.

"Akyat tayo doon sa tree house. Ang sabi sa akin nung iba kong mga kasama, pwede raw mag-wish doon sa taas."

"Hindi ka pa ba nakakaakyat doon?" I couldn't help but ask. Para kasing kabisado naman na niya yung mga pasikot-sikot dito since maliit lang din yung area. Saglit lang, maiikot mo na agad yung buong place so it's kind of weird na hindi pa siya nakakapunta sa taas ng tree house.

"Nah. Wala naman kasi akong gustong hilingin nung pumunta kami noon dito," sagot niya sa akin while looking at the top of the tree house. While I was observing the area, I noticed na may tumutunog na bell mula sa taas. 'Yon ba yung way ng pag-wish doon?

"Ano namang hihilingin mo ngayon?" tanong ko ulit sa kanya. Ayaw ko mang magmukhang chismosa pero curious din naman kasi ako. I mean, what could have changed now? He was at the same place that he went to before. He didn't want to make a wish back then. What made him want to make a wish today?

"Sasabihin ko sa 'yo kapag natupad na," he answered with a smile.

"Ewan ko sa 'yo," naiiling kong sagot sa kanya. Paano na lang kung hindi na kami nagkikita by then? E di hindi ko na nalaman pa yung wish niya?

Before I could even tell him anything unnecessary, nagsimula na akong maglakad papunta sa hagdanan paakyat ng tree house. Gustuhin ko mang maging strong independent woman na hindi kailangang alalayan sa pag-akyat ng hagdan, I failed. Ilang steps pa lang ang nagagawa ko nung bigla akong namali ng tapak sa isang step. I honestly thought na madudulas ako pababa ng hagdan at magiging katawa-tawa sa harap ng mga Hapones nung bigla kong naramdamang may nakahawak na sa baywang ko.

"Ohmygod," hindi ko napigilang sabihin nung naramdaman kong inaalalayan pa rin ako ni Jeremy. Binilisan kong ayusin ang pagkakatayo ko and I tried to compose myself as well. Sobrang dyahe kasi nung posisyon namin kanina. Masyadong agaw eksena at ang lakas maka-K-drama.

"Careful. Saglit pa lang tayong magkasama, na-fall ka na agad. Delikado 'yan," nanlolokong bulong sa akin ni Jeremy. Sinamaan ko agad siya ng tingin kahit na ang totoo, gusto ko nang magpatiwakal dahil sa sobrang hiya. Feeling ko rin, biglang nagsitayuan yung mga balahibo ko sa katawan dahil sa pagbulong niya.

"Alam mo, ang feeling mo." Natawa naman siya dahil sa sinabi ko. Tinalikuran ko na lang ulit siya bago pa siya makapag-isip ng kung ano pang hirit na ibabagsak niya.

"Don't worry though. I'll make sure to catch you naman when you fall." I could almost see his smirk when he said those words. Hindi ko na lang masyadong inintindi ang mga 'yon kahit na ang totoo, sobrang bilis na ng tibok ng puso ko. 

"Ewan ko sa 'yo. Maghanap ka ng ibang mabobola mo." Narinig ko na lang ang pagtawa niya mula sa likuran ko. Gusto ko na sanang mas barahin pa siya pero hindi ko naman magawa baka kasi kung saan pa mapunta ang usapan namin. I wanted to focus on our activity na lang muna ngayon to relax.

When we reached the top, may malaking bell nga sa gitna. Kailangan daw hatakin yung rope three times saka ka pwedeng mag-wish. Pumwesto kami ni Jeremy sa tig-isang side ng bell then on his cue, hinatak na namin yung rope. I then closed my eyes and made my wish.

Hello Kitty and Sanrio friends, kung siya na po talaga yung the one, bigyan niyo naman ako ng sign. Yung medyo nagsusumigaw sana para makita ko agad. Minsan kasi, may pagkashunga rin ako. Thank you.

When I opened my eyes, Jeremy was looking at me with an amused smile on his face. Para bang hindi siya makapaniwalang seseryosohin ko yung pag-wish dito. Inirapan ko lang siya tapos lumabas na ako sa tree house.

Tahimik na kaming nag-ikot ni Jeremy sa loob ng Sanrio Puroland. We would take a couple of pictures kapag may nakita kaming magandang spot then after that, maglalakad na ulit kami. When we reached the store area, I had to stop myself from getting unnecessary stuff again. Baka kasi bigla na namang bayaran ni Jeremy. Mahirap na. Ayaw ko namang mabaon sa utang na loob sa kanya.

"Wala ka bang gusto?" Jeremy asked nung napansin niyang wala pa akong dinadampot kahit na ilang minuto na kaming nag-iikot sa loob ng store. Honestly speaking, wala rin naman kasi ako masyadong magustuhan. Either hindi ko na magagamit or 'di ko talaga bet yung design. I didn't want to splurge on something that I wouldn't use naman kaya hindi na rin talaga ako masyadong kumukuha ng kung ano.

"Hmm, wala pa akong makita, e. Give me a few more minutes. Baka mamili lang ako ng pwedeng gawing pasalubong sa family ko saka sa officemates ko." I was not sure if I saw it correctly pero parang nag-iba yung itsura ni Jeremy when I said the word officemates. Not that I was assuming pero there's a high chance that he's thinking of Sir Mark when I said that. Nabanggit ko na rin kasi na sa isang office lang kami nagwo-work nung taong nakwento ko sa kanila kanina ni Dan.

Since ayaw ko nang gumawa ng kung ano pang issue, kumuha na lang ako ng mga safe na gawing pasalubong. I got two boxes of Hello Kitty shaped cookies and some sweets na may design din ng Sanrio characters. After that, I proceeded to the cashier with my Japanese Yen in hand.

"Saan tayo after this?" tanong ko kay Jeremy to divert him from pulling out his wallet. Nakahanda na kasi yung kamay niya sa wallet niya. Nung nag-iisip pa siya ng isasagot, iniabot ko agad sa cashier yung bayad ko.

"Depends on what you like. Do you like robots, anime, sightseeing, or shopping?" Jeremy asked which made me think hard. Bakit ang hirap naman mamili sa choices na binigay niya? Instead of choosing one, I looked at my watch to check the time.

"Would it be possible to go to all of those with the time that we have left for today?" nahihiya kong tanong sa kanya. Baka kasi sabihin niya ang kapal ng mukha ko porket alam kong libre niya kaya lahat gusto kong puntahan.

I mean, sure, mukha namang wala sa personality niya ang manumbat regarding expenses. But still, nakakahiya. Parang nagmumukhang hindi ko na talaga solo trip yung ginagawa ko ngayon. Sayang naman yung effort kong mag-ipon para dito kung hindi ako gagastos.

"Well, yes. Magkalapit lang naman yung dalawang area na pupuntahan natin. So from here, dederetso tayo sa Gundam Base for the robots then we'll proceed to Akihabara for the anime. After that, pupunta tayo sa Shitamachi which is near Akihabara. That area is known as Old Tokyo. Then our last stop would be Shibuya," Jeremy said na para bang nagko-compute na ng oras na magagamit namin for the rest of the day.

"Wait. You're okay with going home late naman today, 'di ba?" biglang tanong niya sa akin. I was touched with the hint of concern in his voice as well. It was obvious that he didn't want to drain my energy today at ngayon ko lang na-realize na wala pa rin naman talaga kasi kaming pahinga simula pa kaninang umaga.

"I'm honestly up for anything. I wanted to make the most of this trip and if I can be honest, I'm really glad that I'm doing all of these with you. You're like a breath of fresh air in my boring life." Napangiti nang malaki si Jeremy dahil sa sinabi ko. Bago pa magbago ang isip ko, hinawakan ko na yung kamay niya at hinatak na siya palabas ng Sanrio Puroland.

***

After two train rides, 17 train stations, and around 20 minutes of walking, we finally reached the Gundam Base. Paghinto na paghinto namin sa labas ng area, na-amaze na ako sa laki ng Gundam statue na naka-display roon. It was so huge to the point na hindi man lang ako umabot sa tuhod nito. I felt small but it was a good kind of small naman.

My mouth was hanging wide in amazement when I heard Jeremy chuckle beside me.

"That was my exact reaction when I first came here three years ago. I'm really not a fan of Gundam, but it's still fascinating to see something like this, right?" Cliche as it may seem, Jeremy was looking at me when he said those words. I should really be cringing right now pero hindi ko magawa. Ganito pala yung feeling. Akala ko kasi dati, hanggang sa libro o sa pelikula ko lang makikita yung ganitong klase ng scenario. Hindi ko naman alam na posible rin palang mangyari sa akin 'to.

"Let's go. I'll give you Jeremy's Special Gundam Tour inside."

"Mahal ba yung bayad diyan? Wala na yata akong pang-tip, e," panloloko ko sa kanya. Little did I know, magiging mabilis din pala yung backfire sa akin nung hirit ko.

"A special dinner date with me would be fine. Deal?"

"May choice ba 'ko?"

"Hmm. You're stuck with me until tomorrow except for our sleeping time so wala," nakangiti naman niyang sagot sa akin kaya napailing na lang ako. Jeremy then offered his hand and off to the robot land we go.

A lot of Gundam models were displayed inside the area. Being a store first before anything else, the place was swamped with boxes of Gundam models that were on sale. There was also an area for people to assemble their own kits. Being the nerds that we were, we immediately agreed to create one together.

"Ugh. I give up! Ang hirap-hirap nito. Hindi na kaya ng brain cells ko," reklamo ko kay Jeremy when I noticed that we weren't even halfway done with the model. Upon seeing my reaction, pinagtawanan agad ako ni Jeremy. Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin but it didn't stop him from smiling though.

"Okay, okay. Let's just bring this with us then we'll go to the next destination. Is that okay with you?" My face immediately brightened up because of that. Jeremy then chuckled and did what he promised.

Bye, Gundam. It was nice to meet you but I think I hate you now.

***

Akihabara was literally a haven for otakus. Sure, I'm not an otaku myself but I have watched a number of animes naman. I didn't know where to start strolling so I looked at Jeremy to ask for help.

"Oh? Bakit ganyan ka makatingin? Do you find me handsome now?"

"Baliw," natatawa kong sagot sa kanya, then I continued, "Saan ba dapat magsimula dito?"

"Uhh, gustuhin ko mang tulungan ka, I don't know much about animes either. First time ko lang ding pumunta dito," nahihiyang pag-amin ni Jeremy. Sobrang cute niya noong time na 'yon na parang gusto ko na siya biglang kurutin sa pisngi.

Wait. Saan nanggaling 'yon???

I mentally slapped myself para matauhan ako sa kalokohan kong 'to. What I needed was to enjoy the moment. Hindi mag-appreciate ng itsura ng iba. Noong nagtino na ang pag-iisip ko, tumingin ulit ako sa street na nasa harapan namin. Hindi ko talaga alam kung ano ba ang dapat gawin dito pero I came up with a plan.

"Let's just stroll around the area na lang. I could find some pasalubong on the way tapos kapag wala at na-bore na ako, let's proceed to the next destination. Sabi mo malapit lang din naman 'yon dito, 'di ba?" Jeremy agreed on what I've said. Literal na saglit lang kaming nag-ikot sa area. We bought a couple of cute stuff and some from animes that we know then we took some pictures as well. Ang term niya pa nga, pictures na pampaganda ng IG feed. Natawa ako sa sinabi niya but when he showed me his feed, parang pinagplanuhan talaga sa ganda. Nahiya naman daw bigla yung feed ko sa kanya.

Habang naglalakad kami para makahanap ng masasakyan, I couldn't help but notice the growing of number of bags that we have. Feeling ko ang dami na naming dala kahit na dalawang lugar pa lang ang napupuntahan namin.

"For someone who doesn't like anime that much, I think we may have bought too much," I finally commented. Natawa naman si Jeremy dahil doon.

"Aren't we splurging too much right now? Paano na 'pag nagkulang ako sa baggage allowance ko pauwi?"

"Well, do you want me to stay with you until the end of the trip? I can help with your baggage if ever."

"Huh?" natatanga kong tanong sa kanya. 'Di ko kasi gets. Ang sabi niya uuwi na sila the day after tomorrow. Ano'ng pinagsasasabi nitong magse-stay siya bigla?

"Day off ko naman na talaga for the next three days after the flight sana namin going to Manila. Pwede naman akong mag-claim ng free flight para mabalikan din agad kita dito. Well, kung gusto mo lang naman. Hindi naman kita pinipilit o pine-pressure."

"You do know that you talk too much for a guy, right?" hindi ko napigilang itanong sa kanya. Noong hindi siya nakapagsalita, bumawi agad ako sa sinabi ko.

"I think that's your charm though." Bago pa man makasagot si Jeremy, nagsalita agad ako nung may nakita akong sasakyan na tumigil sa harap naming dalawa.

"Ito na pala yung Uber. Tara na!" yaya ko sa kanya at tuluyan na akong nakatakas sa kalokohang sinabi ko sa kanya.