The weather was perfect. Blue skies, warm breeze, and just enough sun to make everyone lazy.
Aiko burst into the classroom like a storm.
"Emergency!" she shouted. "We haven't done anything dumb together in, like, two whole days!"
Sora blinked. "That's not an emergency…"
"It is!" she cried dramatically, pointing at the ceiling like she was summoning the gods. "We're going to the park. Today. With snacks, and dumb games, and maybe a soccer ball. Who's in?!"
No one refused. No one ever really could when Aiko decided something.
---
At the Park
They took over a patch of grass like it belonged to them.
Mei brought bubble tea for everyone. Sora brought a speaker. Rika, surprisingly, packed sandwiches shaped like hearts. (She denied making them. Everyone knew she was lying.)
Naoto had no idea why he had a water gun in his hand, but he did—and he was already under attack.
"RUN, NAOTO!" Yuto screamed, laughing as Aiko chased him with another water gun.
"I didn't even—!"
Splash!
Too late.
Even Rika laughed as Naoto stood there, drenched and stunned.
"You all are evil," he muttered, but a smile tugged at his lips.
---
Later
They played a ridiculous made-up game involving jumping over sticks and screaming animal noises.
Sora lost immediately because his "tiger roar" sounded like a dying cat.
Everyone laughed so hard they fell over each other.
Even Naoto—really laughed. Head thrown back, hand over his stomach, tears in his eyes kind of laugh.
Rika stared at him.
That laugh. That version of him. It made her chest feel too small.
---
Golden Hour
They sat in a circle, sunlight painting their faces gold.
"What's the dumbest thing you believed as a kid?" Aiko asked.
Mei mumbled, "That cucumbers were baby pickles."
Sora said, "That the moon followed me because it liked me."
Rika smiled. "I thought kissing made people pregnant."
They all burst out laughing.
Naoto paused, then said, "I believed… I could become invisible if I held my breath long enough."
Silence. Then: chaos.
Yuto fell backward wheezing. Aiko screamed. Mei hit Naoto with a sandwich.
Naoto just shrugged. "Didn't work. Still disappointed."
---
Evening
They watched the sky darken. The city lit up slowly around them.
Nobody wanted to leave yet.
Naoto looked at his phone. No buzz. No missed calls.
And for the first time in a while… he was okay with that.
He glanced around—at Aiko braiding Rika's hair, Mei and Sora arguing over candy flavors, Yuto asleep with his face on a juice box.
And something in him whispered:
> "Maybe it's okay… to let this in."
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Let me know if you'd like more of this style in Chapter 29 too—or if you want to squeeze in any specific memory or moment!
Great! Here's a draft for Chapter 29: The Great Snack Debate to keep the fun, lighthearted tone going. It focuses on their silly antics and deepening bond:
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