I really like you, Chiori, so I would love to get to know you a bit more.

[player]I really like you, Chiori, and would love to get to know you a bit more. I don't know if you'd be willing to give me the chance? At this, Chiori Mikami's face blushes visibly. [Chiori Mikami]...L-Like what exactly? I've heard this excuse so many times now, it's really getting old! [Chiori Mikami]However...Since your thick skull probably can't actually think of a better excuse so, considering your honesty, I suppose I can let you follow me. But only from a distance! [player]Sure, not a problem! [Chiori Mikami]Let's go, hmph. Chiori Mikami may have sounded reluctant, but she can't help hopping a little and humming a tune as she walks away. Indeed, being frank and direct is the most effective approach. Riu Kujou quietly gives me a thumbs up as she passes, then immediately makes a fist and brandishes it at me. I nod silently to show I understand. Seeing Chiori Mikami's lively figure also lightens my mood, and I immediately match their pace. At dusk After spending the whole afternoon playing mahjong, the evening is already upon us. So we head directly to Chiori Mikami's house when leave the shrine. The journey back is uneventful, with no sign of the mysterious scoundrel Riu Kujou has mentioned. But when we reach a park near her house, Chiori Mikami suddenly stops. [Chiori Mikami]I want to go for a walk in the park. You go back and get dinner going, Riu. I'm sure it'll take a lot of time to plan for someone with an unpredictable appetite. [Riu Kujou]I... Miss, why don't you just come back too? Going to the park at this hour might be a little dangerous. [Chiori Mikami]Eh? What're you talking about, Riu? What's dangerous about the park? [Riu Kujou]I-I mean... [player]Well, since I'm here anyway, I might as well go with Chiori. I interrupt their conversation while simultaneously sending a sneaky text message. Riu Kujou feels her phone vibrate, takes it out, and glances at the screen, while I smile like nothing's happened. [player]If you don't get going, Riu, there won't be enough time to make dinner. [Riu Kujou]...You're right. I'm not bothered about you, but I can't let Miss Chiori go hungry. [Riu Kujou]I'll go back then. Dinner won't take too long, so don't be too late, Miss. [Chiori Mikami]I know, I know. You just love to worry, Riu. I'd just told Riu in the message that I'd stay with Chiori Mikami all the time, and would take her home at the first sign of any danger. Perhaps considering the proximity to Chiori Mikami's house, Riu Kujou finally relented. You're solely responsible if anything happens to her! Of course, she didn't forget to warn me with another serious message. [player]Alright, let's go to the park! ...Why are you looking at me like that? [Chiori Mikami]Well, idiocy's infectious, and even Riu's not immune. You both have "guilty" plastered over your faces, I'm not even interested to see what else you've got up your sleeves. Now, tell me, what were you secretly communicating? ...She actually knows?! [player]Well, you overthink things, Chiori. I was just... Begging Riu to give us a chance to be alone together! [Chiori Mikami]...Really? [player]Yes! [Chiori Mikami]...Tsk, is that all? Well, let's go have some fun then. [player]Great! In the park Cicadas sing slowly as night falls in the city park, and birds descend from the clouds to settle in shady trees. There aren't many people under the trees, though playing children occasionally pass us, and we hear the voices of their parents calling them home coming from afar. Chiori Mikami leads me toward the children's playground, not a soul in sight among its brightly colored furnishings. Speaking of which, Chiori herself isn't that much older than those children... Could she have been waiting for everyone else to leave before she came here? [Chiori Mikami]Stop. [player]??? [Chiori Mikami]Childish thinking. I don't like playing with these anymore. [player]...You can tell? [Chiori Mikami]Ha, you don't even try to deny it. You really were thinking it! [player]...Fell for it. [Chiori Mikami]Hmph. Come here. Chiori Mikami waves at me, beckoning me to keep up. Curious, I follow her example, walking slowly across the playground, through some bushes, and along some winding paths to a hidden corner of the park. [Chiori Mikami]Ahem... you, cover your ears. What on earth does she want to do? Should I listen to her?