Someday, It'll Be Different.(Private)

Hiroshi executed a double pirouette before giving an emphatic pose. "Aya-chan! So good of you to join us! Eat up, kids! 'Cuz as soon as you're finished, we're headed out to a day of fun in the sun!" There was already french toast, eggs, sausage and other breakfast items prepared at the table for them.

"...Right." Junpei hesitantly grabbed breakfast and started to eat. "Morning. I'll be ready to go in a minute." He'd already prepared his suntan and beach gear in the bag he had slung over his shoulder. Hiroshi's belongings were next to the door.

Aya's face turned a light pink as a thought occured to her. She didn't even have anything to wear far as the beach was concerned..then all those people being there. The young Reploid was very subconcious about her physical looks at times despite being fairly attractive.

"Oh..um.." She fumbled over her words a bit. "I-I really don't have anything to wear for swimming so we might have to stop by a store real quick." She hated having other people pay. When she got money of her own, Aya promised she'd pull her own weight.

After that people rolled in their sleep for unknown reasons, Aya didn't know the potential amusement/disaster if Hiroshi helped out with such a thing.

Hiroshi's eyes glinted mysteriously. It was only for an instant; Junpei just barely missed it. "No." He decided to nip this problem in the bud.

"What?" Hiroshi tilted his head.

"'No' to whatever insane, and possibly illegal, scheme you're fantasizing right now." Junpei didn't know what he was planning, but he wasn't going to let it happen. Hiroshi held his hands up in innocence at that.

"I'm not scheming anything. I'm just an old man trying to take his kid and his friend to the beach." Junpei eyed his father suspiciously. "Aw, come aaaaaahn! I promise I'm not going to do anything." Hiroshi actually sounded genuine, and he didn't make promises very often. That confused the hell out of Junpei.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"O...kay. Let's.. get going then?" He motioned for Aya to come along as he made for the car. He had a nagging feeling that his father's obedience was given too easily...

Aya naively thought it was over for the most part and didn't give it further thought as she went to follow Junpei back to his own car. Nervous as she was, she was also excited. Back at home the beaches were always ugly and the water polluted but here was different.

Junpei started feeling more and more at ease as his father drove to the nearest clothing store. He wasn't acting overzealous, nor was he bombarding them with intrusive questions and jokes. Hiroshi checked his watch as they pulled up to the store's front. "You kids run on inside! I'll find a parking spot and catch up." He gave the two a thumbs up after they got out of the car.

That nagging feeling had completely disappeared by the time Junpei and Aya reached the store's sliding doors. "Huh... Maybe he actually wasn--" He was cut off by a deafening (not in his case) fanfare accompanied by a rain of confetti falling around the two. Junpei hardly had the time to register his own confusion before they were both were surrounded by clapping employees. A man and woman stood in front of Junpei and Aya respectively. They were dressed in finely tailored suits; likely the owners.

"Congratulations!! You're our one millionth customer!!" The man proclaimed. "You've just won one of our products, absolutely for free!!"

"Oh, goodnes! But there are two of them, darling. What should we do?" The woman queried.

"There's no problem, dear. We'll simply treat them both!"

'There is no way that old man could have planned this...!' Junpei thought. He was still going to punch him later on. The owners began ushering Junpei and Aya toward their respective gender departments.

"Okay~! Now, what is it you were planning to look for today?" The woman asked Aya.

"Kaha!" Aya had been focused on Junpei and her own thoughts she hadn't noticed a huge amount of people or rather employee's suddenly sneak around them. When she did finally it had startled her and almost made her jump, and the squeak she had made embarrassed her further. The Reploid's face was probably close to the same color as a fire truck at the moment.

"Um..." She regained her bearings and said in a small voice. "..Just going to the beach today maa'm.."

The woman listened to Aya intently. An executive name tag pinned to her lapel read 'Renee'. She seemed to be gauging her reactions and mannerisms. She glanced at Junpei and her husband, who were quite some distance away from them. The former seemed to be perturbed by the numerous sales workers firing suggestions at him. Renee regarded Aya with a knowing smile. "Oh, I see..." She drew closer and lowered her voice to a whisper, though the volume chance was unnecessary. "You came to find something cute for your boyfriend, right?"

"W-w-what?" Aya's eyes had turned to little dots at this point. "M-me and Junpei are j-just friends. H-he doesn't like me like that." She sort of wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and not come out for a long time at the moment.

Renee's expression turned mischievous. "Aaaah...? You didn't mention whether or not you liked him." She was apparently having a blast teasing Aya. Renee clapped her hands excitedly. "Oooh, that is so CUTE! Come on, let's pick out something that'll get him to notice you more~!"

"Ah..I..we'll.." Aya wasn't sure to properly respond, partly because she was so flustered so it was hard for her to think at the moment. Though after a moment she finally gave up for the time being and went with it. "..Okay."

"Attagirl! Come on, let's go~!" Renee urged Aya on toward the changing rooms and picked out numerous bikinis along the way. All of them were two-pieces, meant to show a particular amount of flare while being just modest enough to not show everything. Renee chatted with Aya while passing her different sets. "Soooo? How long have you known him? You two seem pretty cozy to go swimsuit shopping together."

Aya seemed to think about it. "Um..a little less then a month I think just about. He doesn't open up to a lot of people actually.."

Renee sighed reminiscently. "Young love... filled with uncertainty, gushing emotions and awkward moments. But once you get past all that, there's that beautiful moment where you both realize your feelings for one another are mutual..." She muffled a squeal. She really enjoyed situations such as this, and it's not like she was getting paid to act her age. Renee passed another outfit over the dressing room door to Aya. "Let me know if you see anything you like! And don't be afraid to go bold, honey."

Aya was still embarrassed about things but she went along with it before finding a bikini that seemed to fit in her mind for the most part. "I think I'll try this. Was the man with you your husband or boyfriend?" She wasn't sure but she guessed..and it sounded like Renee definitely had experience.

"Fuyuki? That's my husband! We met when I came on a business trip for a clothing company I worked with years ago. Oh, but I remember it like it was yesterday..." She seemed to go off into her own world for a few moments before realizing Aya had made her choice. "So this is what you've decided on? Oooh, that'll definitely work! Technically, we still have to ring you up, but we can take care of that quickly."

Aya nodded slightly still a tad embarrassed from what had transpired not too long ago. "Um, are you sure its okay for me to get this for free? You made it sound like a special.."

There was also something she had been thinking about. Hiroshi taking them to this particular shop and just happen to be the lucky customer. It seemed like too much of a concidence which lead her to one conclusion that made the most sense.. "Are you and your husband friends with a man named Hiroshi?"

"Of course it's okay! That's why it's special!" Renee beamed as she ushered Aya to checkout. At the younger woman's question, she paused and seemed to think. "Hiroshi... Um..." She genuinely seemed to be wracking her brain. "I think I've met a few and my husband has a friend of that name, but I'm not particularly friends with any of them... Why do you ask?"

Aya shook her head. "It's just Junpei's dad has that name and gets all these different..ideas in his head."

Renee gave Aya a cat-like grin. She had an idea of what Aya meant. "Ideas make things happen when possessed by the right people. Maybe he's on the right track?" She led Aya toward the checkout counter. "Let's go, let's go! I'm sure you can't wait to show it off~"


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once the two were finished with their 'prize selection', Junpei found himself standing next to Aya in front of the store's entrance. Hiroshi drove around the corner almost on cue to pick them up.

"Alright you crazy kids! Time's-a-wastin'!" He honked the horn with his foot, leaning out of the window as he shouted at the pair. Junpei groaned in exasperation.

Aya was watching Junpei from the corner of her eye from time to time, but otherwise didn't say much of anything. She seemed a bit shy and nervous even before she hit the beach and dressed in her bikini but it would be worse once they actually got there.