Day 35: Main Street

[mrmewmaker]

Shiki was a little disappointed. When she heard the words 'field trip', she had expected the town to be a whole lot bigger. How could you even go shopping properly in a town like this? There needed to be a whole lot more stores, she decided. Two department stores, boutiques, and a record store, at least

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[spirit_forge]

[from here]

Looking Archer wasn't really sure where to go since it was his first time. Still wandering around while holding hands with Hanyuu was a peaceful experience in itself. Something to be treasured.

Now what could they do with their coupons? Their options were pretty limited: Twin Pines, Mystic Healing Spa, Pearl's, and Tasty Burger. I guess we can only wander around. Looking up ahead, Archer saw the Mystic Healing Spa.

"What do you think?" he asked, stopping in front of the spa. "Want to give it a try?"

[meironohosoku]

Hanyuu was surprised when Archer took hold of her hand, but she didn't try to pull away. Just like when she was with Arlene, Hanyuu felt safe when Archer was near. And he was the only person in this place that knew she had been a spirit prior to arriving in this place. Even with everything else that was going on, there was a certain level of comfort that came knowing she didn't have to watch her words too carefully around him.

She was also surprised when they stopped near the spa. She'd heard of spa's, yes, but she'd never really seen or been to one before. Most of the last trip had been spent wandering aimlessly; she couldn't say what had gone through Rena's mind at the time, but Hanyuu had spent the time admiring the autumn weather. It'd been too long since she'd last seen a season other than summer, and the chilly air had been a welcomed change.

After a moment of silent deliberation, Hanyuu nodded. She wanted her friends to enjoy what time they had left; why couldn't she try and enjoy it as well? "Okay, let's go. It should be...

[spirit_forge]

Hanyuu's hesitation struck something in deep Archer's heart. Even though he wanted to cheer her up he didn't know the source of her depression, which seemed to be the problem, and he couldn't help but feel a little useless. If this was Rin, he'd egg her on, Saber would be satisfied with a good meal, and Ilya was happy simply to spend time together as a family. It looks like even now I still need more experience in order to understand the hearts of other people. The spa held no real appeal to Archer, but he didn't know where else to go.

"It's only fun if we're both enjoying it," he said gently, more so than usual. "You don't need to put up a front with me. I don't care where we go, since the company is more important. We could go back to the park. It seems like a nice place to relax."

Taking a knee before her, without releasing her hand, Archer offered an encouraging smile, staring into her eyes. "Think of it as your day, Hanyuu-chan. We can do whatever you want. I insist."

[meironohosoku]

The spirit nearly winced. It seemed pretending that everything was fine was going to be more difficult with Archer... She really did want to tell someone what was really on her mind, but... she simply couldn't. She'd spoken freely with Arlene the previous day, and that had only resulted in the woman worrying about her. Every moment counted now, and Hanyuu didn't want any of her friends to spend their last days (perhaps last day) worrying.

So, she quickly shook her head. "No, no, it will be fun! I know it will, I just... I've never been to one before. I'm not sure what it's going to be like, so I'm just a little nervous."

Hanyuu forced herself to smile before ducking her head and pushing her bangs away from her face, although the gesture was mostly so she wouldn't have to look at him. "Besides, I really don't know what I'd want to do in this place, Archer. All I know is... I just want see people enjoying themselves. I want you and everyone else to have fun today, so... So come on."

[spirit_forge]

"And as your friend, I want you to have fun as well. You can't fool me. There's no need to sacrifice your feelings when you're with your friends, especially for my sake. If you continue like this then you'll only be sad in the end," Archer said, before turning solemn. "Believe me, I know

[meironohosoku]

Perhaps clinging to Archer had been a mistake. It wasn't that Hanyuu didn't like him, quite the opposite, it was just... he seemed more perceptive than most people she spoke to. Convincing him that everything was fine was definitely going to be difficult. Hopefully the trip to the spa would give her some time to clear her mind and figure things out

[spirit_forge]

Archer stil wasn't convinced, but he wasn't going to push it. He didn't want to force her to come clean.

[from here]