Tendou Research Diary

Chapter 1 - Shattering Development

The sun is almost setting down for the day as Mari and Aris tidy up around the playground after the kids go home with their parents.

"I'm thankful that you accepted to be my impromptu volunteer for my magic show earlier, but you truly don't need to trouble yourself by helping me clean up, you know?" Mari said to Aris, her uneasiness is obvious to Aris.

"It's okay, I wanted to talk to you anyway after the show, that's why I'm helping you clean up" Aris gives Mari his reason for staying.

Indeed, Aris can just go away with the rest of the audience, but he already sets his mind on what he wanted to do when he decided to watch Mari's magic show. He wanted to talk with her.

Mari look relieved when she heard Aris' answer and asked "Is that so? What do you want to talk about with me?"

Aris looks around the playground to make sure that no one is going to listen to what he's about to say, but he's still not sure if this is the correct place for talking casually.

'Then again, I'm just a stranger to her, can I even ask her to dinner with me on our first meeting?' Aris is thinking too much and considering every possibility that can make him lose the chance of getting Mari's contact.

Mari seems to have noticed Aris' hesitation somehow when she was done cleaning and looked strangely at Aris' frozen-while-thinking state.

"Um, we can look for a place to have dinner after this if you want" Mari proposes her idea which breaks Aris from his trance.

Aris stares at her dumbfoundedly and cursed himself in his heart for not having the initiative, but he still tries to act as calmly as he can "R-really!? I-I would love to! Unfortunately... I need to go somewhere first before getting to dinner..."

It's almost time for Maghrib prayer and he has wasted so much time to even get back home now that he just has to get dinner outside because he wants to spend as much time with Mari as possible.

Mari perks up and got curious about what Aris meant "Where do you want to go? I can wait for you if you want"

"Well, I'm just going to be praying in the mosque nearby, shouldn't be too long" Aris answers Mari's question hesitantly.

Mari got shocked, but she seemed... happy "Oh! What a coincidence! I was going there to pray too after this! We can go together!"

Aris got stunned and doesn't know how to respond to Mari's statement because all of the things that Aris views as troublesome that will annoy him when trying to get close to Mari are suddenly thrown out of the window.

"Aren't you... a nun?" Aris wants to make sure.

"Oh, you're talking about my veil and robe? It's just a fashion choice, I'm not a nun" Mari clarifies Aris' assumption and doesn't seem to blame his misconception.

Aris widens his eyes at Mari and also noticed that Mari is already done cleaning the playground when he looks around, which makes him groan in embarrassment while holding his face with his right hand.

"Don't feel so bad, Aris. You look so cute when you were thinking" Mari comforts him, but that makes him flustered.

He turns around and goes on ahead without saying anything to hide his blushing face while Mari follows him from behind.

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