A Thousand Cranes for a Wish (USHIJIMA X OC)

Sunset Palette

"The butterfly garden was so cool" Umeko squealed in delight. The pair had spent a fair amount of time in the garden and managed to see everything the place had to offer and in a stroke of luck Umeko was able to take some photos with Ushijima. It had taken an awful lot of courage for her to ask, but in the end Umeko was glad that she did. A long grumble from her stomach brought her thoughts back to the present.

"Let's find a place to eat. Do you have any preferences?" Ushijima couldn't deny that he was feeling rather hungry himself though he wasn't sure if the correct course of action would be to dine in a restaurant or visit a café. The 'date etiquette' that Tendou had shown him -via manga- did not include the ideal place to eat.

Umeko thought for a moment before she had her answer, "Hm, maybe we can go to that café that opened recently. Is that alright with you?" She had wanted to visit for a while, but she never really had the chance, that and she felt that it would be awkward to order a meal and eat alone. Umeko would never understand the people who had that much confidence to eat alone in public.

Ushijima simply nodded and the pair began to walk. It wasn't hard to find the café considering that it wasn't too far from school. As soon as they arrived, they could tell that it was packed. The smell of coffee and cream swept over the pair as they entered. The interior of the café was surprisingly lively, there was a large variety of different customers all chatting or laughing. The jovial atmosphere was infectious. From another perspective perhaps it was closer to chaos with all the noise and bustle but even then, it seemed to be well handled.

Umeko was about to order soup before she changed her mind. "Hm, I'll have the Tuna Mayo Onigiri and lychee Ramune, please" She turned to face Ushijima.

"Beef Katsu Onigiri if you would." Ushijima browsed through the drink options "Pocari Sweat too."

Umeko looked around, all the seating areas were already occupied by other guests. "Ah, can we get the order to go?"

"Certainly, I'll be out in a few minutes."

Umeko was about to hand over money to pay before Ushijima stopped her. "No, I'll pay for us both." Ushijima handed the cashier his money then moved the two of them to the 'pick up' line.

"Is it really ok?" Umeko looked up at him sheepishly, he had already paid for the butterfly garden tickets and now their meal.

Ushijima nodded. "Yes. Today is our date, a book I read stated that a date is more effective this way." He stated it so plainly with no hesitation that it sent a warm feeling in her chest.

Umeko blushed at the declaration, of course she was a little curious as to what kind of book he was reading to get those ideas in the first place, but she decided not to question it and be grateful instead. It would be rude to deny his goodwill. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ushijima picked up their bag of food the server left on the counter. "There is a park nearby so we could eat there." Every morning during his jog he would always pass by the park, but despite this Ushijima had never stopped to explore it deeper. Luckily this seemed like the opportune moment he needed.

"Sounds good, the sky is beautiful today." Umeko walked beside Ushijima and smiled, she was giddy from everything that had happened so far, and her mood wouldn't be falling anytime soon. As they walked by the stores to get to their destination, a charm bracelet caught her eye. It was one of the kinds that you could buy additional charms for and add them to the chain. "Ushijima, would you give me a quick moment, I need to do something real fast." She entered the store with Ushijima in tow not far behind her.

Umeko looked around then peeked into each glass case before she found what she was looking for. From an even closer perspective she could see the bracelet clasp seemed sturdy and the silver had a few accents of gold in its design. Fearing for the worst she looked at the price tag, much to her relief it was within her price range and much to her delight one charm came along with the bracelet.