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The afternoon crowds had already begun filling the streets outside of Phoenix Wonderland.
Why, you may ask? Well, because Phoenix Wonderland was having some sort of 'food carnival' event.
Families wandered from attraction to attraction, children clutched colorful balloons in sticky little hands, and the sweet smell of batter and red bean paste drifted lazily through the warm breeze.
Nene stood awkwardly near one of the food stalls, one hand tucked into the pocket of her dress (yes, her dress luckily has pockets), while the other rested around the strap of her bag. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other before quietly clearing her throat.
"So..." she began, trying her best to sound casual despite the slight stiffness in her voice. "You worked hard today."
Emu immediately turned toward her, her eyes lighting up with unmistakable excitement. "I did!" she replied proudly before clasping both hands together beneath her chin. "And Nene-chan did too!"
Nene scratched lightly at her cheek.
"I..." She hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to continue. "I wanted to thank you."
Emu blinked, tilting her head to the side curiously. "For what?"
"For..." Nene searched for the right words. "Everything."
Emu tilted her head.
Nene let out a tiny sigh before looking away in embarrassment.
"I just..." she mumbled. "Thought I'd treat you."
Emu stared. Then her face morphed into the brightest smile imaginable.
"Waaah!"
Several nearby pedestrians instinctively turned toward the sudden burst of volume.
"Nene-chan's asking me out on a date!" Emu exclaimed as she clasped her hands over her cheeks, swaying from side to side with sparkling eyes. "Yay!"
Nene coughed once before shooting Emu an exasperated look, her ears already beginning to warm. "It's not a date," she protested, trying very hard to sound firm despite how flustered she'd suddenly become.
Emu giggled at the reaction and stepped a little closer, clearly delighted by how easily she'd gotten under Nene's skin. "It is now," she declared with complete confidence before spinning once on the spot. She spread both arms dramatically and beamed at the sky. "Wonderhoy!! I'm going on a date with Nene-chaaan~"
A tiny, defeated sigh escaped Nene before the corner of her lips twitched upward despite herself.
"Alright..." she muttered as she adjusted the strap of her bag and started walking again. "Call it whatever you want."
Emu's face lit up instantly. She hurried after Nene and slipped her hand into hers without the slightest hesitation.
"Yay!" she cheered happily, giving their joined hands a little swing. "Date!"
Nene glanced down at their intertwined fingers before looking back ahead. She could have pulled away. Instead, she simply let Emu continue happily swinging their hands together.
"You're lucky I can't argue with you," she murmured, though there wasn't much conviction behind the complaint anymore.
"I know!" Emu replied cheerfully. "Because Nene-chan likes me!"
Nene's face immediately flushed. She really couldn't even argue with that.
A few minutes later, the two of them arrived at one of the park's small taiyaki stalls. Fresh pastries sizzled inside their molds while the vendor carefully flipped another batch over, the sweet smell of warm batter and red bean filling drifting through the afternoon air. The pleasant aroma made Emu bounce slightly on the balls of her feet as she eagerly looked over every flavor on display.
"Nene-chan!" she exclaimed while pointing excitedly at the menu. "Look! They have custard filling here!"
Nene followed her finger before nodding. "I see it."
Emu's finger immediately darted somewhere else.
"And chocolate too!"
"I see that one too."
"And cheese!"
Nene blinked before looking a little closer.
"...I wasn't expecting that."
"I wanna try all of them!" Emu declared as she leaned closer to the display, completely fascinated by the growing pile of freshly made pastries.
Nene quietly reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet.
"I invited you," she reminded gently. "I'm paying."
Before she could take out any money, Emu quickly turned around and gently covered Nene's hands with both of hers. "Nuh-uh," she said with a playful smirk as she shook her head.
Nene looked down at their hands before lifting an eyebrow. "Hm?"
"I wanna buy them," Emu explained simply.
"You don't have to."
"I know."
"But I want to..."
Nene searched her face for a few seconds. There wasn't any teasing there anymore.
After a small sigh, she slowly tucked her wallet away again.
"...Okay."
"Wonderhoy!" Emu cheered before hurrying over to the counter.
Nene stayed a few steps behind, watching as Emu animatedly discussed flavors with the vendor. She pointed excitedly at almost everything on the menu, asked which filling was the most popular, nodded along with every recommendation, and laughed so brightly that even the elderly vendor found himself smiling.
She laughed so easily. Talked so naturally, smiled so brightly, lit up a room... who wouldn't love Otori Emu?
It was difficult to believe that only a few days ago, she'd stood in front of Wonder Stage forcing that same smile to stay on her face while carrying burdens none of them had noticed.
Nene quietly tightened her grip around the paper bag resting in her hands.
Eventually, they found a quiet bench overlooking one of the smaller gardens near the park. Bright flowerbeds stretched along the path while children laughed in the distance, chasing pigeons across the grass beneath the warm afternoon sun.
The moment they sat down, Emu eagerly unwrapped her taiyaki and took an enormous bite.
"Mmm!" she hummed happily as her entire face lit up. She hugged the pastry with both hands and kicked her feet beneath the bench. "It's sooo good!"
Nene couldn't help smiling at the sight.
"I'm glad you like it," she replied softly.
After taking another enthusiastic bite, Emu noticed that Nene's pastry was still sitting untouched inside its paper wrapper.
She blinked before gently nudging Nene's shoulder with her own.
"Nene-chan," she said as she tilted her head, "you haven't eaten yours yet."
Nene looked down as though she'd only just realized it herself.
"Oh."
She lifted the taiyaki, took a small bite, and quietly chewed for a moment before giving a tiny nod. "It's good—"
"I told you!" Emu said proudly, grinning from ear to ear as she held up her own pastry like evidence. "The oji-chan's recommendation was super yummy!"
"It was a good recommendation," Nene admitted with a small smile before taking another bite.
Emu seemed strangely pleased by that answer. She leaned back against the bench with a contented sigh, happily nibbling away at her taiyaki while swinging her legs beneath her. For a while, neither of them spoke—they simply enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon, the sweet pastries in their hands, and each other's company.
It was... quiet.
Emu continued eating with the same cheerful satisfaction she seemed to bring into everything she did. Every few bites she'd quietly hum to herself, her feet swinging beneath the bench while she watched butterflies drift between the flowers.
Nene found herself watching her instead.
She really did look happy. The corners of her eyes curved naturally whenever she smiled. Nothing at all from her expression could've given away if it were fake, nor forced.
She should have felt relieved.
Instead...
A knot slowly tightened inside her chest.
Is Emu really always happy?
Or...
Is she so good at smiling that none of us could tell?
The thought frightened her far more than she wanted to admit.
She'd always believed Emu was simple to understand. Not simple in the way she lacked depth—despite the fact Nene has never seen the girl express any emotions besides happy up until recently.
It was simple because Emu never hid how she felt.
If she was happy, everyone knew. If she was sad, she'd express his disappointment. If she was excited, the entire city would probably hear about it. She wore every emotion proudly on her sleeve, without a care in the world for those who'd mock her for being so open.
Or...
At least...
Nene thought she had.
Now she wasn't sure anymore.
She remembered that smile.
The one Emu had worn while insisting everything was okay. The one that had looked almost exactly like the one she was wearing now.
Nene hated herself for comparing them. But she couldn't stop it—it was like a drug or an addiction, it clouded her thoughts daily ever since finding out Emu's complicated family.
She couldn't tell the difference.
She couldn't tell whether the girl sitting beside her was genuinely enjoying her taiyaki... or whether she was carrying something so heavy she couldn't bring herself to share it.
The idea of that terrified her.
She hated not understanding.
She hated not knowing.
Most of all...
She hated the thought that Emu might be hurting somewhere she couldn't reach.
If you do nothing while they remain lost... Who might feel the worst in the end?
Nene lowered her gaze to the half-eaten taiyaki resting in her hands.
She didn't know what the right answer was. Didn't know how to help, didn't even know if Emu even wanted help.
But...
If she stayed silent forever...
She knew she'd regret it.
"Nene-chaaan?"
Emu's energetic voice finally pulled Nene back to reality. She blinked once before lifting her head, only to find Emu watching her instead of her half-eaten taiyaki. The fish-shaped pastry rested loosely between both of Emu's hands while she tilted her head ever so slightly, a tiny crease of concern replacing the carefree smile she'd been wearing moments ago.
"You've been looking at me for a while, Nene-chan," Emu said, unable to hide her curiosity. Nene wondered how someone could be so open yet so closed off. "Are you feeling all fuwafuwa today?"
"Huh?"
She looked down at the taiyaki still sitting untouched in her hands, only then realizing she'd barely taken a few bites. A quiet sigh escaped her before she shook her head once. "Oh... It's nothing," she answered, though even she knew the excuse sounded unconvincing.
She hadn't realized she'd been that obvious.
The sounds of the park continued around them. Children laughed somewhere near the fountain, birds chirped from the nearby trees, and a gentle breeze rustled the flowerbeds surrounding the bench.
Nene lowered her gaze to the paper wrapper around her taiyaki. Her fingers absentmindedly smoothed one of its folded corners while she searched for the courage to speak.
After several long moments, she slowly looked back toward Emu.
"Emu," she called out.
The pink-haired girl immediately straightened where she sat, giving Nene her full attention. "Mhm~?"
Nene tightened her grip around the warm pastry before taking a slow breath.
"I already said it before," she began softly, carefully choosing each word, "But..."
The sentence caught in her throat. She swallowed before forcing herself to continue. "If something's going on..." she murmured, her voice barely louder than the breeze drifting through the garden, "you might not be able to tell us."
Nene held her gaze.. "If you want to tell me... please do."
Silence settled gently between them.
Emu simply looked at Nene.
Then, after a long pause, she let out a small laugh. It sounded light, almost convincing.
"I know, Nene-chan!" Emu replied with her usual cheerful voice as she bounced in her seat. She smiled again, almost out of habit. "Really! I know!"
Nene didn't smile back. She simply continued looking at Emu.
Little by little, Emu's cheerful expression began to falter beneath that unwavering gaze.
Emu lowered her eyes to the taiyaki resting in her lap. Her thumbs quietly picked at the edge of the paper wrapper, folding and unfolding the corner without realizing she was doing it.
"I..." she began before stopping herself.
Another silence followed.
When she finally spoke again, her voice had become so quiet it nearly disappeared beneath the breeze.
"I want to, I really want to...!" Emu finally admitted with a tiny laugh that sounded nothing like her usual bright giggle. She tightened her grip around the paper wrapper before looking toward the colorful flowers swaying nearby instead of at Nene. "But..."
Her shoulders sank just a little.
Nene felt something tighten painfully inside her chest.
There were so many things she wanted to say.
She wanted to promise Emu that everything would be okay.
She wanted to tell her she didn't have to carry everything alone.
She wanted to ask what was hurting her.
But...
This wasn't about finding the perfect answer.
It wasn't about forcing Emu to open up before she was ready.
It was about staying beside her.
"If you're not ready," Nene said gently after another moment of silence, "it's okay."
Emu slowly turned her head back toward her. Nene's expression softened ever so slightly. "I'll wait," she promised
The breeze drifted between them once again.
She stared at Nene for what felt like forever.
"What if..." she asked hesitantly. "What if I don't ever tell you? Like... never ever—?"
The question lingered between them. Nene didn't answer immediately, she herself wished for an outcome where Emu did tell her eventually. But, in the end, it was really all outside of her control.
Instead, she looked carefully at Emu's face.
A small smile slowly appeared on Nene's face.
Without saying anything at first, she leaned just enough for her shoulder to lightly bump against Emu's. The tiny contact made Emu glance sideways in surprise.
"Then, I guess I'll just wait forever."