A week had passed since classes have begun in Uchida High School.

It was Friday, and the beginning of summer. Things have started to heat up. Literally.

The students were all in their summer uniforms. For the boys, it was a short-sleeved version of the white button-up shirts they wore under their jackets. The jackets, of course, were not worn during the summer.

Meanwhile, the girls wore a short-sleeved version of their seifukus. Some boys would say this was sexier than the winter uniform.

One girl, above all the others in school, looked particularly attractive.

Her curled pale blonde locks blew in the summer breeze as dozens of boys stopped what they were doing to stare at the passing beauty.

Her skin was a gorgeous pinkish white hue, and her azure eyes glistened in the summer sun. A smile was ever present on her pretty face.

Hitoshi gazed at his childhood crush Meguu Terashima with profound admiration.

"If your eyes were proton weapons she would be incinerated," said Mai ruefully as she stood beside Hitoshi under the shade of a cherry tree.

"Wha--" said the boy defensively. "I-I'm not staring at her..."

"You are so obvious, kid," said Taniyuki as he leaned on the trunk of the tree. "That chick's as good as mine if you're not man enough to make a move on her yourself."

"Bite your tongue, bounty hunter," said Mai as she cast a light glare at him. "He does have a point, Hitoshi."

"W-What do I do then?" said Hitoshi, scratching his chin. "It's not like I could just waltz towards her and ask her for a date."

"A date?" said Mai innocently.

At that Hitoshi remembered. He had not explained the concept of a date to the Ardonian princess.

"A date is when two members of the opposite sex socialize with one another by going to a public place such as a restaurant, an amusement park or a movie theater, usually as a romantic gesture," answered Emiko who stood opposite Mai beside Hitoshi.

"Hmph," said Taniyuki snobbishly. "That's really cheesy."

"Hmm, is that so?" said Mai, ignoring Taniyuki's statement. "Why not ask the Earth female for a 'date'?"

"I-It's not that easy, you know," said Hitoshi, averting his reddened face.

"And why not?" demanded Mai with her hands on her waist.

"W-Well," said Hitoshi, sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"It is very simple actually," said Emiko.

"Not you too, Hanazawa-san," said the bespectacled boy hopelessly.

"You just approach Meguu Terashima and have a casual conversation that leads to your request for a date," said Emiko monotonously.

"Prove yourself to be the man you really are," said Mai as she grabbed Hitoshi by the shoulders to look into his eyes. "Are you not the man who rescued me from my crashed spacecraft and took me in as one of your own?"

"M-Mai-san," said the flustered young man.

"Now go out there and ask that woman for a 'date'!" said Mai as she pushed Hitoshi in Meguu's direction. "Or I shall stun you with my blaster repeatedly."

Hitoshi then gulped as he looked back at the Ardonian princess one more time before giving out a heavy sigh and walking towards Meguu.

"That guy takes a lot of persuasion," said Taniyuki, smirking.

"He will need it," said Mai. "If he does love this woman then he shall prove it right here, right now."

Hitoshi, on the other hand, had not been this nerve-wracked since Maina had held him at gunpoint when they first met. And that was only natural.

For this was the most popular girl in school, whom Hitoshi had loved since they were in the fourth grade.

Apparently she did not know that, and that made his situation even more difficult.

With being assaulted by Mai his only motivation, he hurried to catch up with Meguu and proceeded to call her attention.

"T-T-Terashima-san," he stammered.

Meguu then turned to face the sweat-drenched boy.

"Oh, Hitoshi-kun," she responded with a warm smile. "Good morning."

"G-Good morning," said Hitoshi, twiddling his fingers sheepishly.

"Where's Suzuki-san?" asked the pretty girl.

"O-Oh," replied Hitoshi as he points where Mai and the others are. "S-She's over there with Hanazawa-san and Taniyuki-kun."

"I see," said Meguu with her ever present sweet smile.

Hitoshi could only chuckle sheepishly. Afterwards there was a brief, awkward silence between the two.

"Well, I better go now," said Meguu.

Hitoshi panicked.

"W-Wait...!" said the nerve-wracked boy.

"Huh?" wondered Meguu.

Another brief silence followed.

"Hitoshi-kun?" said the blonde girl, looking into Hitoshi's eyes who seemed to have spaced out.

"U-Um," said he, whose face was bright red and appeared almost to be steaming. "T-T-Terashima... -san...?"

"Hmm?" replied she, who wondered what was wrong with him.

"W-Will..." said Hitoshi, whose face was dripping with sweat. "W-Will you..."

Meguu anticipated whatever he was about to say with great curiosity.

After a moment he spat out his words.

"W-Will you go somewhere with me tomorrow...?"

Another brief silence was accompanied by the whistle of the summer breeze.

"G-Go somewhere?" spoke Meguu. "You mean... like a date?"

"W-Well," said Hitoshi, who had his heart in his mouth.

"Will Suzuki-san be okay with that?" said Meguu with an almost apologetic smile.

"W-Well," said the bespectacled boy, flailing his arms around, "it's not... really a date..."

"It's not?" said Meguu.

"N-Not at all," said Hitoshi. "I-It's just us two... c-catching up since... we haven't really been close with one another since... elementary school."

"Hitoshi... -kun," said Meguu softly.

Another awkward silence followed along with the blowing of the summer wind.

"I-It's perfectly fine if you don't want to," said Hitoshi as he hung his head.

"I'd love to go," said the beautiful girl.

"Eh?" said Hitoshi as he looked up at her.

"I've never seen you act so boldly before, Hitoshi-kun," said Meguu with an earnest smile.

"S-So... you'll go with me...?" said Hitoshi.

"Ufufu, why not?" said Meguu, smiling sweetly at him.

Hitoshi's face turned the reddest it had ever been and his lips widened into a smile.

"T-T-That's great," stammered the boy before lowering his head in a bow. "T-Thank you, Terashima-san."

"Where will we meet?" asked Meguu.

"U-Um," said Hitoshi. "T-There's a café in the city... near our old elementary school..."

"Ah, that café," said Meguu. "Alright, I'll be there around after lunchtime. Don't be late, okay?"

With that she gave him another warm smile before turning and walking the opposite direction.

"I-I won't," said the boy as he watched her leave.

Afterwards he regrouped with his friends under the cherry tree.

"Well?" said Mai. "Tell me what happened."

"She said yes," said Hitoshi, averting his gaze but smiling wryly.

"Truly?" said Mai, seemingly astonished.

"Lucky bastard," said Taniyuki, smirking.

"Congratulations, my friend," said Mai, slapping Hitoshi across the shoulder. "You have finally become a man."

"Gee, thanks," replied Hitoshi sarcastically.

"So where will you be taking that woman?" said Mai enthusiastically. "Dancing? Hunting? Archery?"

"W-We don't do that here," said Hitoshi wryly.

"Oh," said the Ardonian girl snobbishly. "Where then?"

"There's a café in the town I used to visit as a kid," said Hitoshi. "She knows it too since it's close to our old elementary school."

"Hmph," said Taniyuki. "Terrans are so cheesy when it comes to the opposite sex."

"Ahehehe," chuckled the boy.

"Worry not, Hitoshi," said Mai, putting her hand on his shoulder, "for I have a plan to help you win over that exotic female creature."

"A-A plan?" wondered Hitoshi.

"Trust me," said the girl with her hands on her hips and a determined smile on her face.

The next day was the day Hitoshi had been anxiously waiting for.

It was after lunch, the time him and Meguu agreed upon.

He was already in the café, sitting and waiting for his date to arrive. The suspense was definitely killing him.

He had been sitting there for almost fifteen minutes. He had expected Meguu to be there before him, given that she lived in the area, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Hitoshi was certainly dressed for the occasion. He wore a green-gray polo over a light gray T-shirt and also khaki pants. He looked neat enough for a date with the most popular girl in school.

Among other things he feared Meguu would not come. He still felt she was too good for him.

This is really nerve-wracking, he thought to himself. If she doesn't come--

His thoughts were interrupted when the bell on top of the café door rang as it opened.

In stepped a cute girl with her pale blonde hair tied in a bunch, who wore a pink cardigan over a long white dress that flowed perfectly down her sinuous body. She carried a purple handbag with her as well.

Hitoshi's heart skipped a beat and his face turned red. But now was not the time to space out.

He then raised his hand to call her attention.

Meguu noticed him, and she responded by smiling and waving before walking over to the table where the boy sat.

"Sorry I'm late, Hitoshi-kun," said the girl, slightly panting. "I had to go run some errands."

"O-Oh, it's alright," replied Hitoshi with a sheepish smile. "P-Please, sit down."

Meguu smiled at him before proceeding to have a seat in front of him at the table.

As soon as they were both seated a waitress approached the two of them.

Hitoshi cast eyes upon the woman and was shocked, for he knew who it was.

The waitress appeared almost identical to Mai, but her hair was pink instead of night-colored, and she wore a pink uniform with a white apron.

On her face was a sweet smile, rarely seen on Mai. She looked very cute indeed.

"May I take your order now?" she asked in a sweet speech pattern that was very unlike Mai's.

"M-Mai--" Hitoshi spoke, but before he could complete Mai's name she inconspicuously slapped a menu onto his face to silence him.

"Yes, I would like an espresso please," said Meguu, smiling back at the disguised Mai. "Um, what will you be having, Hitoshi-kun?"

Hitoshi then peeled the menu off his face and looked at Mai.

"S-Same," said he.

"Would that be all, ma'am, sir?" said Mai, her sweet smile ever present.

"Y-Yes, thank you," replied Hitoshi with a wry smile as she left.

He wondered if that was really Mai. She sounded like Mai, but her hair and speech pattern suggest otherwise. Something does not add up.

He looked around the café for anything suspicious, and lo, he saw the doll-like face of Emiko sitting quite a distance away.

Ah, I get it now, thought Hitoshi. She's been telepathically sending Mai-san what to say and how to act. So this is Mai-san's plan?

He also knew that Mai's lifeform adaptor allows her to assume a different look, hence the pink hair.

"Hitoshi-kun?" said Meguu, who had noticed his behavior just now. "Are you alright?"

"O-Oh," said the boy, turning back to face the girl in front of him. "Y-Yes, yes."

"You seem distracted," said Meguu.

"N-No, not at all," said Hitoshi, scratching his head. "I was just... looking for something."

"Oh, I see," said Meguu, smiling once more. "You always have been acting like this."

"I-I have?" said Hitoshi, blushing as he looked into Meguu's azure eyes.

"Yes," replied Meguu. "It's cute how you're always distracted by stuff and how you're so enthusiastic about astronomy."

Hitoshi turned even redder at that statement.

"A-Ahehehe," the boy chuckled.

"Ufufu," giggled the girl. "So how are you and Suzuki-san doing?"

"W-Well," said Hitoshi, who was caught off guard by her question, "f-fine I guess."

"How long have you been dating?" said Meguu.

"J-Just recently," replied Hitoshi.

Mai then returned with their espresso.

"Here you are, two espressos," she said as she served the coffee with a smile. "Enjoy."

With that she left as Hitoshi looked on.

"That waitress is very cute," remarked Meguu.

"Y-Yeah," said Hitoshi, smiling sheepishly.

"So, Suzuki-san joined the astronomy club, same as you?" said Meguu as she ran her fingertip on her coffee cup.

"Y-Yes," said Hitoshi. "S-She wanted to learn more about stars and all that."

"Oh," replied Meguu. "You two are perfect for each other."

Hitoshi felt something crawl in his stomach after that comment by Meguu.

"I-I see," said he, averting his gaze,"T-Thanks."

"Ufufufu," chuckled Meguu.

A brief silence occurred between the two before Hitoshi initiated conversation this time.

"S-So," he said, looking up at her as he held his coffee cup, "h-how's cheer practice?"

"Cheer practice?" said Meguu, who became more enthusiastic. "Well, it's going pretty well. I'm learning a lot of tricks from some of my senpai."

"R-Really?" said Hitoshi.

"Yeah," said Meguu, smiling sweetly. "Haruna-chan's also pretty good."

"The cheer captain?" said the boy.

"Yes, her," said the blonde beauty. "She seems to think you're my boyfriend."

Hitoshi turned even redder. One could swear they saw smoke coming out of his ears.

"Ufufufu," giggled Meguu. "I told her you were dating Suzuki-san though."

"O-Oh," said Hitoshi with a lowered voice.

"Hey, Hitoshi-kun," said Meguu.

"H-Huh...?" said Hitoshi.

"I hope everything goes well for you and her," she said with the warmest of smiles.

"O-Oh," said Hitoshi, albeit solemnly. "T-Thanks."

Meguu continued to smile at him, forcing him to smile back.

Meanwhile Mai watched from a corner hidden from Hitoshi and Meguu's view.

She watched the two intently as they conversed. Her eyebrows nearly met as she eyed them, anticipating what could happen next.

But it did not.

Hitoshi left some money on the table, after which he and Meguu stood up and headed for the door.

"T-They are leaving?" she whispered. "After all I did for that man... I even wore this horrendous uniform to better assist him in conquering that female."

"Do not worry," said Emiko, who appeared beside her. "This is how dates usually end. It's a start."

"You are certain?" asked Mai.

The doll-like girl responded with a nod.

Later on, Meguu and Hitoshi walked along the sidewalk headed to Meguu's home.

"Ishikawa-kun looks really scary," said Meguu with a discomforted smile.

"Y-Yeah," said Hitoshi. "But you don't need to worry about him. He... isn't what he seems."

"Really?" said the girl with an innocent expression on her face.

"Y-Yeah," said the bespectacled boy, adjusting his glasses.

"Ufufu," giggled Meguu. "You four are a strange bunch of friends, if you don't mind me saying."

"I-I see," said Hitoshi, smiling awkwardly.

"Ufufufu," giggled the blonde.

Moments later they reached a huge estate. There was a gold plaque with the Kanji for "Terashima" on the wall beside the gate.

Terashima Manor was truly a wondrous work of Western architecture. With its royal appearance it looked more like a palace than a home for a 16-year-old girl.

Hitoshi stared at the mansion with wonder. He had only seen this stately house a few times in his childhood.

"I-It hasn't changed much," said he.

"It hasn't, has it?" agreed Meguu. "It gets tiring once you've explored every corner of it."

"I-I see," said Hitoshi, scratching his head.

"I had fun, Hitoshi-kun," she said with a sincere smile.

"R-Really?" said the boy, his face reddening once more. "M-Me too."

"We should do this again sometime," she said with a wink. "But only if it's okay with Suzuki-san."

"R-Right," replied Hitoshi with a wry smile.

"Ufufu," the girl chuckled. "Well, I'm going in now... Thanks again for today. Bye bye."

With that Meguu rang the doorbell at the gate, to which a security guard responded by opening it for her.

"B-Bye," said Hitoshi, waving timidly at her.

She waved back and looked at him one more time with a smile before entering through the gate.

Hitoshi's eyes followed Meguu as she walked towards her father's estate. He continued looking on until she disappeared into the mansion as a maid opened the door for her.

The boy uttered a sigh. His date with the girl of his dreams was finally over.

I'd hoped it would last longer, he thought.

"Hitoshi," came a familiar feminine voice from behind Hitoshi, startling him.

"Eh?!" he squealed as he turned to face Mai, still wearing her waitress uniform and accompanied by Emiko, behind him. "Y-You guys! Why were you there? I-I could totally handle myself...!"

"You refer to what happened at that establishment 'handling' yourself?" said Mai with her arms crossed. "You let her slip out of your hands when you could have taken her home and mated with her for life!"

"E-Eh??" said the flabbergasted Hitoshi.

"I keep explaining to Maina of Ardonia that it usually takes several dates to win over a love partner," remarked Emiko.

"Exactly!" said Hitoshi with a semi-raised voice. "And what do you mean 'mate'?"

Mai sighed.

"So humans do not take mating rituals seriously," she said, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"Why are you so concerned about me falling in love?" asked Hitoshi.

"I-I am not," she said defensively, averting her gaze. "I simply do not wish to see you hopelessly moping around like a child because you could not win that woman's affection."

"M-Mai-san," said Hitoshi, looking fervently at how solemn the girl had become.

"Can we go home now?" said Mai impatiently. "I starve."

"S-Sure," said Hitoshi with a warm smile. "By the way, Mai-san..."

"Hmm?" replied Mai, looking at him.

"That uniform and hair look good on you," said Hitoshi, smiling.

Mai suddenly turned red at that statement.

"S-Silence, human," she said, averting her gaze once more.

The three then proceeded to walk the opposite direction from which they came.

"By the way, Hanazawa-san," said Hitoshi. "Where's Taniyuki-kun? Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on him?"

"I am keeping him secure," said Emiko in her monotone. "The Emiko with you currently is just a duplicate of me. The real me is keeping him company in my apartment."

"I-I see," said Hitoshi wryly.

"Hitoshi?" said Mai.

"Yes, Mai-san?" replied the boy.

The girl seemed to be fidgeting as she walked beside him.

"W-Would you take me on a 'date' in the near future?" she said, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Hitoshi was surprised by this sudden request. Nevertheless he smiled at her.

"Why not?" said he.