The first thing her mom asked her when she said she was going out on a Sunday morning was, ‘Are you going on a date?’ She couldn’t answer. All she could do instead was to run out the door. As she went down the elevator, she checked her scarf and stockings for any tears. She was good, thankfully.

“Hah.”

She puffed out a breath of white against the chilly winter air before pulling the beanie she received from Maru down to her ears. She felt warm again pretty quickly. Once she got on the bus, she took a look at the time. It was ten o’clock. The play would begin at noon, so she had plenty of time. As she watched the scenery pass by out the window, she grinned. She didn’t tell Maru that she would be visiting today, he would definitely be surprised if she visited him in secret.

After getting off the bus, she turned to take a look at the community center. It was filled to the brim with high schoolers and cars, cars filled with stage props.

“Hurry up!”

“We’re next.”

Everyone was moving in such a hurry. She’d become one of them next week as well. She still had an hour till the play, so she headed to a convenience store nearby. She could visit Maru while she had the time, but she didn’t want to bother him...