First time I leave a foreword, and also last, probably! ... Anyway, I wanted to apologize for the stupidly long wait for this chapter. I won't bore you all, or most, with details you care little about, so I'll just let you guys know that I uploaded this chapter before my beta gave it a look. I did it because I didn't want to leave y'all waiting any more.

I might update this chapter later on, with my beta giving this a proper look. Until then, however I can only hope I managed to fix most mistakes on my own.

... Now, and without further ado, enjoy~!

Chapter 5: Hangin' Out! ... I think? (Part 1)

"I wonder if something happened to her?" I asked to myself as I took out my phone to check the clock.

Several days ago, and after a lot of effort on - I think - both of us' part, Rei and I agreed to meet and go for a little hangout this Saturday. Being the kind of person I was, though, I had already decided to arrive a bit earlier than what we agreed on. What can I say? I'm just nervous, and want to leave a good impression on her!

The meeting place we choose was, actually, the same place in which we met last time; the walkway near to the bed of those pretty, blue flowers. It was one of the few places we had in common - not counting the supermarket, which would've made for a terrible meeting place anyway... or so I think, at least.

Naturally, I arrived as early as I had planned, arriving like half an hour away from the estimated time, and much to my surprise, I didn't see a trace of Rei's characteristic blue mane anywhere.

... Why surprise, though?

Well, it might be rude of me to assume things about Rei without having talked to her first, but I had a feeling that she, just like me, was planning to arrive just as earlier than I was, if not earlier. Maybe it was her rather formal attire, or the way she wrote her messages, that made me think of this as a possibility. Either way, even if she was nowhere to be seen, that only meant that I had to wait for her to arrive. No big deal.

However, the hour we had agreed upon came and there was still no sign of the woman. I didn't take her for someone to be late to... Well, to anything, really. Half an hour pass the accorded time and her blue mane couldn't still be seen anywhere. At long last, and feeling a little bit worried, I eventually decided to send Rei a message, just to make sure nothing bad happened to her...

[Val: Rei, is everything alright? Did something happen?]

I'd have asked if she was coming at all, too, but I wanted to hold onto the belief that Rei wasn't that kind of person; the one to plan something, and retrace on her steps immediately afterwards.

After not too long of a wait, probably less than a minute, my phone's message alert sounded, much to my relief, and then I proceeded to look at what her reply was...

[Rei: Val, can you come to the southern entrance?]

Huh? Weird, this response felt like—

[Rei: I'm fine, Val! Don't you worry! So, please, come quickly!]

Ah. Yeah, looking at the exact times these messages were written, it seems the first one was sent a little bit earlier than when I began to write mine. The second one was sent to me afterwards. That means she's arrived a few minutes ago, and has been waiting for me? Didn't we agreed meeting at the spot I was at?

"Just what is going on with her today?" I asked to no one but myself, pocketing my phone and giving the blue flowers a last glance before I began to walk my way towards the southern gate. "I really, really hope nothing bad happened to her..."

Since I was near to the northern gate, it took me quite a while to reach the one in the south. Nevertheless, the metallic doorway was finally on vision range, and alongside it, the familiar blue mane of Rei. However, as I got closer, I realized that she wasn't alone; there was a woman in a purple uniform that I immediately recognized as one of the many park guards...

Needless to say, I doubled my pace at this sight, eventually arriving to the scene in... question? I had a lot of questions, alright.

"I'm really, really sorry, miss park guard, but I need—" Rei was apparently trying to convince the woman, but she stopped the moment I came into her range of vision. "V-Val! Val, you're here!"

She instinctively tried to walk towards my still approaching figure, only to be stopped by the guard, who extended her arm in front of the blue-haired girl. "I already told you! You cannot enter like this, miss!"

Like this? Like what?

Well, let me tell you: Dozens of what I supposed were stray cats, of varying sizes, were standing right before Rei's feet. They were all waving their tails in unison, and some were even meowing at her. I was unable to spot them from too far a distance, given that the thick cement base of the fence at the sides of the gate was tall enough to conceal them completely.

I did my best as to not look at Rei in disbelief. Did she try to help all those cats on her way here? ... Actually, she does seem like the kind of person that would do just that.

"U-uhh… Rei? J-just what's going on here?" I nervously ask, having stopped my walk to stand nearby both the blue-haired woman, and the guard.

"W-well... I-I honestly d-don't know..." replied Rei, her expression downcast.

The guard, that we know each other, turned towards me, with an stern expression on her face. "Are you with this woman, sir?"

I nod, only to be nodded at in response by the female guard. "Alright. Then, may I ask you to please take her somewhere else? I don't want to be rude, really, but..."

The park guard turned towards Rei, although she continued to stare at me, and pointed at the small army standing before her. Yeah, if I were her, I wouldn't let Rei enter the park like this either... Especially when the park doesn't appreciate stray animals roaming around.

"I understand, don't worry." I reply at the guard, who then turns back at me and nods, her expression still as stern as before, but slightly less so somehow.

"I'll leave you to it, then."

At long last, and probably relieved to be able to be somewhere else, the park guard bids us a good day, and excuses herself off. Maybe she's not a big fan of cats? If so, she did a pretty good keeping those feelings in check for so long.

I continue to stare in the direction the guard went, until dozen of meowing sounds get my attention back to Rei.

Taking this opportunity to quickly give her a closer look, the first thing I realized was that she wasn't wearing her usual business suit. Instead, her usual outfit was replaced by a simple, short-sleeved cyan dress, with a small white jacket worn over it, a pair of white gloves, white kneesocks and white shoes. The only thing that remains unchanged were her glasses, as well as the ever so familiar horn ornament, that I'm relieved it isn't missing from this new attire.

She's also got a little bag with her, colored the same way her hair is - a pale blue. However, what caught my attention was not the bag itself, but a familiar smell that came from inside of it. In fact, it was so familiar that I was about to comment on it, before Rei beat me to the punch and tries to, quite uncomfortably so, start a conversation of her own.

"S-so, Val... H-hello there," the blue-haired woman says, looking nervous and very fidgety as well. "H-how has been your day so far...?"

I then hear her mumble something along the lines of 'Hopefully better than mine'. At least, that's what I'd make up.

"I... have been doing fine, I think. I guess anything will be better than having a bunch of cats following you around, really." I try to joke around, which gets me a slightly annoyed look from Rei. It wasn't the kind of annoyance to be worried of, though. In fact, it almost looked like a pout.

"G-geez... D-don't joke about this, Val..." she replies, keeping up that half annoyed, half pouting expression. "A-anyway, you heard what the guard said... We need to go, and soon."

I simply nodded at her idea. Then, she nodded back at me and turned around, trying her best as to ignore the cats, while also looking out for a safe haven for us to head into... If her expression of defeat is anything, to go by, though, she's not having any luck with that.

Fortunately, I think I found not only the very root of the problem, but also a solution for it.

"Rei, I must ask..." my sudden call of attention made her turn back to me, looking slightly nervous. I then point at the bag hanging on her shoulder. "That bag. Did you bring food with you?"

The blue-haired woman seemed to be in shock for a moment, but she recovered rather quickly.

"Y-yes, I do," she replies, looking slightly confused. "B-but how did you know about that, Val?"

"I don't know about you, but I can smell the slightest scent of fish coming out from the bag..." I continue, answering her question as I do. "If my nose isn't failing me, then the reason those cats followed you here probably was—"

Rei lets out an audible gasp, interrupting me, as she starts to connect the dots on her own. She then turns back to the cats, taking out a small package, which appears to be the source of the smell. Once she opens the package, it could be seen that a bunch of sandwiches were inside, ready to be eaten.

Immediately, all of the cats focused on the sandwiches, and continued to do so, following the food around when Rei began to move it from side to side. This confirmed my thoughts.

"I guess the cats started to follow you around after smelling the food you had on the bag, probably with the hopes of getting some of it for themselves."

"E-ehh..."

I walked next to Rei, placing a hand on top of her shoulder. Then, I looked at her with a serious face, trying my best to not laugh at the cheesy way I began to act.

"Rei, at 3, throw the sandwiches away and start to run as far as you can from this place, okay?"

However, the woman didn't seem to pleased with the plan I brought out.

"W-what? B-but… I..." her eyes drifted away from mine, and onto the package full of sandwiches that she was holding, taking also a glimpse of the cat army.

Rei began to understand that if they wanted to have a hangout, they needed to make a sacrifice. In this case, the woman had to yield the food, in order for her to escape the cats. There just wasn't another choice...

"I—" the woman ultimately nodded, even though she still looked hesitant. "L-let's do it, Val."

I could only smile at her. I guess that those sandwiches are homemade, in which case I also think it's a shame I don't get to try her food.

Maybe next time.

In the end, the plan worked perfectly. Rei threw the package at the cats on my count, making the stray animals to turn around and head for the food. Of course, we immediately took this chance to make a run for it. After all, if we just stayed there, the cats would probably start following her again, hoping to get even more food.

We ran in the opposite direction to the one Rei threw the sandwiches at, obviously. Although, I must admit that I first thought of just crossing through the street, to then enter one of the nearby establishments until the cats all left the area. The danger and potential incidents such a careless act might bring weren't really worth the try, though.

Also, I don't know why, but I think I lunged my arm towards Rei before we started to run. My mind is a bit foggy after all the running began, probably due to an adrenaline rush or something... Either way, I can only hope I didn't end up hitting her in my haste. However, as I looked back at her, she seemed to be doing well... relatively well, anyway.

We continued to run, eventually turning around the corner, and then we, after making sure the lights indicated it was okay, crossed through the street and kept running a little bit further. We managed to avoid bumping with most of the other people that were walking around, but I did feel some shoulders graze and clash with mine a few times. This elicited a few insults and displays of annoyance from the affected parties, obviously directed at us, but that wasn't enough for us to stop.

At long last, my resistance hit its limit and I halted my race, right in front of a café. I want to say I stopped here because of it, but that would be a lie. I'd barely see the road before me, much less the buildings at the side. If anything, I'd call this fool's luck.

I took a few deep breaths, before I finally turned to Rei, who, unlike me, looked like she had already gone past her own limit a few ways back. This is rather surprising, given the fact that she managed to remain so close to me until now.

She was panting heavily, bending her upper body forward while placing one hand on top of her knee for balance. She had her eyes tightly shut, still set beneath those glasses of her, that somehow managed to stick to the bridge of her nose. Her other arm was extended, but I didn't bother tracing its position, as it could be just leaning onto a nearby light post.

"H-hey, Rei? Are... Are you alright?" I asked, concern clear on my voice.

A few seconds would pass before I got a reply back. It wasn't the kind of response I was expecting, though.

"V-Val, y-you can..." she began, her eyes still closing, her mouth still gasping for air and... a faint pink still painting the entirety of her face?

"Y-you can l-let g-go... O-of m-my hand..."

What?

"W-what are you talking about—"

It was then that, long before my eyes could trace my arm, I began to feel something warm and soft on my hand. However, it wasn't a sensation that appeared from nowhere. Instead, I think it was something my mind ignored for all this time, probably due to all the adrenaline that was rushing straight to my head...

When my eyes scanned the source of the warmness, my pupils shrunk in shock and a bit of fear as well: One of my hands was holding onto one of Rei's, so tight that it would be impossible for her to let go on her own, but not enough to damage her.

"I... I..."

I'd feel a sudden warmness invading my face just then, starting from my cheeks and spreading from there. It was probably a blush, painting my face pink. Although, given how hot it was, it could as well be painting my face beef red, instead.

"I-I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, freeing her hand and pulling mine back, as I turned my back to her.

How embarrassing, man... How long have I been holding her hand for, without even realizing it? ... Maybe it was at that point, when my own hand instinctively lunged at her and I feared it had hit her by accident; it wasn't going for her body, but for her hand, to hold it and pull her close during all that running!

That... That actually explains how she managed to stay close to me despite no having enough energy to keep moving as fast as I was at that time, really.

"D-don't worry, Val..." I hear Rei talking again. She still sounded nervous, but not as much as before. She also stopped gasping for air, meaning she managed to recover most of the energy that she lost in our hasty escape.

I also hear her mumbling something else, but since I wasn't staring at her this time, and because she lowered her tone even further, I wasn't able to fully comprehend any of it.

Turning around, I face Rei once again, the blushing on her face having reduced its size to cover only her cheeks. Its color also lost its intensity, painting her cheeks with the faintest pink.

"I-I see... Still, I do want to apologize for that," I say, flashing her a sheepish smile while scratching one side of my head.

"I-it's not really necessary, Val. I—"

I then point at the café right next to us. "Let's go inside and get something to drink. It'll be on me, alright?"

Either due to my interruption, or my insistence to compensate what I just did, Rei began to pout, just like she did when I joked around moments prior to our escape. I must admit, she really looks cute when she tries to appear angry.

In the end, though, the blue-haired woman just sighs in defeat, and then looks at me with a small smile.

"Y-you're pretty stubborn sometimes, you know that?" she says.

"Ha. I hear that often, and if you ask me, I'm proud of that," I reply with a smirk.

Ultimately, we both head inside the café, ready to take a well-deserved rest and buy some drinks, and maybe something to eat as well. We then can officially start to hang out afterwards, hopefully without further complications...