Past - June 22nd, Friday evening

"Now, what colour does he like the most?" Matoka made a small quarrel within her mind.

"He likes green!" The left side of her mind yelled.

"Green as in trees! NATURE!! Not girls!" The right side yelled back.

"Who likes raw girls?! Give him red!" The argument went over again, making less sense as it went.

She sighed and took one from the shelf that she had sneakily hidden behind the edges a few months ago when she came to this place.

She had hid this yukata if she needed if for some onetime special.

Guess this was it......

The green one did look nice on her but she distinctly recalled him saying he liked the colour blue more.

"If you knew, why ask if we wanted another one?!" The argument rose again.

She shook her head so much, her thoughts got disoriented.

"Alright! I'll put this one!" She picked up the package and left the shop, only then remembering that she didn't pay the clerk.

With an embarrassed look on her face, she left the shop.

*****

Chris almost forgot.

Almost being the keyword.

He was planning to sleep soundly and was disturbed by the click clack noises of knocking.

" Canner - kun?" Nakaguri's voice peeped into the hallway of his deserted house in a feminine voice.

" I hate that guy."

"Oh, Canner - kun! It's me, your fiancé!"

" I'm so gonna kill him...."

"Shut up! Go away!" He groaned in the most annoyed voice he could find, the sheets covering him on the couch.

"Romeo, oh Romeo. Where art thou, Romeo?" Nakarugi tried his next best female voice.

"Fine! Wait a sec...." He managed to shout.

And after a second, came his voice again.

This happened for a few times before Chris remembered his word.

"Oh, crap! It's Saturday already?" He rushed around the house, trying to make himself presentable.

All the while Nakarugi was chatting with him, his face planted against the door.

He would have just slept the entire day, if not for meeting Haruka.....

He found a pair of jeans, a good looking shirt and rushed over the door.

"You forgot, didn't ya, ROMEO?" He pressed on Romeo. And this was on cue to Chris wishing his buddy hadn't been good at English.

"Ah, you see, I accidentally ate a sleeping pill instead of my- my..."

Nakarugi cut in."Let me guess, your digestive pills?" And here.

"NO! Not that! Anyways, lets dash there." He put his hands up, pausing the ranting friend.

"At least talk in Japanese today, you're in Japan, for god's sake!" He pulled on his cheeks, until he obliged.

*****

Haruka was sure she was in the right place.

About almost sure...

She made a mental rundown of the things she should take note of or just know where it was.

They were like this:

*BREATH MINTS --- CHECK

*SASH ON PROPERLY --- CHECK

*HAPPINESS LEVEL --- OFF THE CHARTS

*COURAGE TO PROPOSE --- LACKING......

*****

And there he came, running to her.

Her heart skipped a beat for a second, on seeing him. He rushed over to her and put his arms on his thighs, gasping for breath. " Ran late" He panted for a few moments, holding a finger up.

" Crap. Japanese." He realised a very angry look was frowning on him.

" No, no, no. I just arrived. No worries." Haruka lied. She didn't want him to know she'd been standing there for about half an hour.

Wouldn't set off the wrong vibes...

" Wait for me, Romeo!" Nakarugi ran behind, in his traditional dress. His eyes flaring with anger. He decided he was gonna sprint behind his mate.

He stared at her, smiled for a moment and then nudged Chris's shoulder.

" Dude, compliement her!" He hissed in Chris's ear.

After bring consumed by confusion for a sec, he turned around and looked at her when he translated it.

Her heart stopped again; another beat skipped.

" Y-You look great!" He said with a smile on his face and turned around immediately, finding interest in the stalls that were set up nearby.

Chris couldn't say it. She looked so beautiful in that yukata and he didn't have the courage to say that she did.

It was his favourite colour. On one of the only people in his close circle. She wore a sky blue, and I mean a literally sky themed yukata with a bright yellow ribbon which made it look like she had the sun with her.

Not that she wasn't shining already.

His thoughts were interrupted by Mr.Annoying's whisper.

He had a lot of names.

" I saved a seat for you two" He pointed at the hillside, a picnic mat rolled out, with food with a sign proudly yelling," RESERVED! STAY AWAY!"

He nudged him and next Haruka; and ran like the wind, disappearing in the next second.

A literal legend.

*****

They sat down as Chris looked at the sudden silence as well as Haruka.

Not necessarily in that order....

Haruka adjusted her yukata to let her kneel down. Chris just sat cross legged.

I did say he was an idiot? Right? Add a clumsy idiot on top of the others.

They looked at each other for a moment, before they were interrupted.

It had started....

The first firework of the night found its way up to the sky. It whistled up with a mesmerising sound.

And soon, a swarm blasted their way into the stratosphere, making the sky a dance of lights.

And while Chris was enjoying and was busy being captivated by this, Haruka found that his hand was out for the capture. She slowly made her way in and subconsciously let out the words she kept inside for a long time.

" Can you stay with me forever?"

Realising what she had said, she immediately clasped her mouth.

But it was too late.

The cliché where the girl confesses and the guy doesn't hear it didn't happen.

It was the cliché where Chris didn't fully understand her.....

But he also assumed it was the usual cliché and did the best he could.

Chris turned around, his eyes looking straight at her. He then took her hand and pulled her close, her shoulders grazing against his.

And Chris let her take his hand.

They held hands. The most lewd act someone could do. And it was Haruka who did it.

*****

Chris didn't know what his body was doing.

Haruka's heart started pumping faster.

Faster.

Faster...

Everything become a blur except her.

"I will, Haruka"

He leaned in and kissed her, surprising both him and her.

And behind the scenery, Nakarugi grinned from eye to eye. His work was done.

If you're trying to know how Haruka's yukata looked like, you can compare it to Chitoge's yukata from the anime Nisekoi.

P.S: I am gonna pitch in a few "The Present" chapters here and then as to make you enlightened as to what is HAPPENING to Chris in the present while knowing what HAPPENED to him.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!