A Year To Remember

Chapter 4 " Celebration "

"Hey, you dropped th-"

"Happy birthday Natsumi-chan!" I was going to give her back the notebook she dropped when suddenly her friends started wishing her happy birthday.

"*gasp* Thanks everyone!" She smiled.

"Hey um, you dropped this." I gave her the notebook.

"Thanks! It slipped out of my hands i think." She thanked me.

"By the way, happy birthday, if it actually is your birthday." I said to her.

"Thanks! Um....."

"It's Kevin." I just realized we haven't properly introduced ourselves to each other.

"Kevin...?"

"Kevin Pambudi." I forgot that here in Japan, it's considered rude to call someone you're not familiar with by their first name.

"Oh, Pambudi-kun!"

"Yes, Pambudi-kun." Sigh.

"My name is Natsumi Mizushima!" She said with a smile.

"So... um.. Mizushima-san?" I am so not used to this.

"Yes!"

"Okay then, nice to meet you, i'll go now." I said.

"Wait, My friends and I are celebrating my birthday at the all you can eat restaurant just a block away from here, do you want to come along?" She invited me to her birthday party sort of thing.

"I don't think i have anything to do tonight, sure." Free food is free food, right?

I don't know how i ended up here, in an all you can eat restaurant with all her friends that i barely know. I'm too shy to be acquintaned with any of these people. I'm so different to all of them. My Japanese is really stiff so i'm afraid that i'm going to mis-pronounce a word or two and all of them are going to laugh at me. And because of that, now i'm sitting all alone just watching them chatting to each other. Atleast i won't go home with an empty stomach right?

"Pambudi-kun!" Natsumi suddenly appeared in front of me while i was blanking out.

"W..what?!"

"Why are you so surprised? You look like you just saw a ghost." She said while giggling.

"Maybe i did." Sarcasm at it's finest.

"*giggles* You're so funny!" What is this? She's nothing like the girl i remember from the summer festival back then.

"Where did all your friends go?" I just noticed that it's only the two of us left in the restaurant.

"They all went home when you were in the other dimension trying to find your trueself." She said sarcastically.

"Oh, then why are you still here?"

"Look outside, it's raining dummy!"

"It is? How long was i in the other dimension?"

"About an hour after you finished eating. I didn't bring an umbrella, so I can't really go home, can I?"

"Well, it'll be midnight by the time the rain stops, i'll just walk you home again then i guess." It's really fortunate that i bring an umbrella today.

"Really?"

"Yeah, come on, before the rain gets worse."

I ended up walking her home again. But this time we're sharing an umbrella, in the evening, just the two of us walking on the sidewalk, while it's raining.

I'm sure this can't get anymore awkward, can it?

*Thunder strikes*

"Kyaa!!!" She shrieked and held my arm tightly for a good couple of seconds.

"W.. what are you doing?" I clearly was not ready for any of this.

"I.. I'm sorry!" She blushed and turned her face away.

"It's all good, it's normal to be afraid of thunder strikes." I smirked.

"S.. shut up!"

What a weird night.  *blushes*