Our Special Day[Natasha, Natsumi]

"Oh? Give me a moment to think, then. It's been a while since I've been to someone's birthday party."

To be honest, Kenichi didn't particularly view himself as an expert on birthday etiquette, much less someone wholly familiar with any single game played. Experience allowed his mind to posit a few that came to mind at least. The treasure hunt came to mind, a costume relay race, and the three-legged race proved the most entertaining among the options that floated around in his head. Stroking his chin in quiet contemplation, Kenichi snapped his fingers after coming to a decision.

From his set of choices, the first game they would enjoy was the classic three-legged race. Gathering a group of Vandenreich peers, Kenichi pulled Natsumi along by the hand as him and each guest made their way to the backyard. Momentarily separating himself from the group to retrieve the necessary items required for the game, Kenichi would return with several pairs of straps. After handing each to his respective participants, he stepped beside Natsumi with a grin, presenting her with a strap to tie their legs together.

"Ready to beat everyone in a three-legged race, partner?"

Natsumi happily took the straps and carefully tied their legs together. It was a pain in the butt at first because the strap kept slipping, but she got it soon enough. At the starting-line, Natsumi took a moment to point to her opponents with determination in her eyes. “Alright, lookey here. I ain’t gonna be usin’ my superpowers for this one so I cans level the playin’ field. None of y’all allowed to use ‘em either. Ain’t fair if ya do. So, line on up and keep it powerless.”

Within a minute, everyone was in the middle of the race. Some people had fallen, others were a bit too slow. Natsumi almost face planted, but Kenichi kept her up. Neck and neck with one of her opponents, Natsumi tried a bit harder, focusing on the finish line. She thought she and Kenichi were the ones who won, but her tunnel vision didn't let her see Natasha and her partner sneak up along side. When she realized Natasha won, Natsumi was just happy she could play the game.

"That was fun. Is there another game you like?"

His upward gaze caught the glimpse of Natasha and her own partner dashing past them at the last moment. Competitive as he was, the sight elicited a playful pout from the martial artist as everyone crossed thereafter. When everyone rested to settle down, Kenichi, eager to emerge victorious in one of these games, turned to Natsumi with burning passion radiating from that hazel gaze.

What could they play next? He wondered. They had already participated in a race, but he paid little heed to that fact. There legs were tied together. Surely, if they removed those bindings, victory was sure to be at hand for the both of them. The costume relay race would be a go. Rising from the ground with a cross of his arms, he offered challenge and declared victory in a single statement, which also doubled as a suitable response to Natsumi's words.

"I lost to Natasha this round, but I won't go quietly into the night! Therefore, we shall have a race without any bindings on our legs! I challenge you all to a costume relay race"

Grinning down at Natsumi, Kenichi motioned for the young lady to follow him to a costume rack Natasha had brought along the way. A playful whimsy. She wasted no expense in making sure this was a day to remember for her favorite girl, after all.

While they were tied to each other, they had to be careful. Any time Kenichi moved, Natsumi tried keeping up with him. His excitement helped her energy rise even more. She cheered in agreement with his declaration about winning, but his challenge brought on confusion. She blinked and tilted her head. Everyone else seemed excited about this “costume relay race,” but Natusmi had no idea what it was. Still strapped to him and not bothering to remove it, Natsumi followed Kenichi to the costume rack with surprising ease, wondering where all of these came from.

"Hey, Kenichi..." Natsumi looked around shyly before leaning in and whispering. "What's a costume relay race? I can't say I know how to do that one."

"A race where you get to dress up in fun costumes. It's a regular race to the finish line without the need to strap anything to the other person's leg..."

Exploring his clothing of choice, Kenichi seamlessly explained the mechanics since there was nothing complicated about the event. It was something that was typically held on a fun holiday like Halloween, but it applied just as well here. His choice was swift as he grabbed onto an outfit resembling a mixture between a Kamen Rider and a general Vandenreich member's clothing. Now, this looked very appealing. Adorning himself within his flamboyant outfit of choice, he turned to Natsumi with a flex of the arms - embodying the image of a radiant hero in the tale. He was...

"Quincy Rider!"

Grinning from ear to ear, an expression she likely couldn't see through the mask, Kenichi moved away from the costume rack to allow her to find something to her liking. Oh, and he casually removed that little binding on their legs. He totally didn't forget about that at all. Nope.

Just racing while in costume? That sounded simple enough. Natsumi nodded and undid the strap that held them together, since Kenichi seemingly forgot. “You are gettin’ what that means, right?” Natsumi said and lightly nudged him. “There ain't no partners for this game. So, you an’ me are rivals this race. I'ma win!”

As Kenichi put on his costume, Natsumi put on hers. He came out as a cool looking thing she had never seen before. What the hell was a Quincy Rider? She just smiled and showed off her costume. "I am a ghost!" In truth, she was doing the whole sheet with cut out eyes thing. However, she could put some flare onto it.

Natsumi lifted herself into the air and began flying around the backyard haunting people. "OOooOOooOO, I am the ghost of Natsumi. Run for your liiiives." Once she got a decent laugh, she returned to the starting line for the new race.

"Ha! I'm well aware, Natsumi. Even so, the great Quincy Rider shall not be defeated by a ghostly specter. Prepare yourself!"

Kenichi was wholly aware that they would be opponents. The solo act suited him preferably well in a setting like this. Much as he might have humored the thought of tagging along with her for a second time, his competitive spirit demanded victory! He stepped through the door like a heroic warrior from a manga, sizing up the competition as he stood at the starting line. Nothing would impede his performance here. Flexing his legs in preparation, hand touching the ground, he waited for the signal caller to give the word.

"On your marks... Get set..."

Stepping back, he exhaled softly, hazel eyes burning with determination through the helmet. Right forward ahead of the left, he pushed his gloved hand against the ground until it threatened to root itself in the ground...

"...GO!"

At the precise moment he heard go, flourishes of electrified spirit power thrummed around his feet, propelling his body forward as he rushed forward, gaining an ideal head start on the competition. He was going to win this time!

That was unexpected! Kenichi was just gone. Natsumi didn't even get a chance to keep up with him. She tried, putting one foot in front of the other, but Natsumi only ended up struggling with her chosen costume. It kept getting in the way of her swinging arms and she stepped on it a few times and almost fell. In the end, multiple people ended up out ahead of her. As she got close to the finish, others had already gotten done. Before she could finish the race, Natsumi finally tripped over the long sheet and ended up face first in the dirt. Her ghostly head popped and looked at everyone through one hole, as the costume ended up crooked. Natsumi was expecting to be made fun. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

"Well, it's lookin' like I'm not the best ghost." Natsumi said, trying to make light of her own foolishness. She hoped she'd get a few laughs as she stood up and pulled the ghost costume off. She was gonna have to win one of these races.

Awaiting the birthday girl at the finishing line was the victorious posture of Kenichi, his arms crossed proudly. His expression couldn't be discerned through the mask, but he walked over to pick Natsumi from the ground. At the end of the day, it was a race hosted merely for the sake of entertaining those involved. Everyone congratulated Natsumi nevertheless, and there were a few who were preparing to leave since, as Natasha stated earlier, most of them were on a tight schedule. For Kenichi, who had no particular thing keeping him held down, he turned back to Natsumi as he ruffled her hair. What else did she want to do? He wondered.

"I prefer you as telekinetic southern sounding human over a ghost any day. Anywho... I think Natasha might be just about ready for your next part. Any other games you wanted to engage in before I let you experience part two of your special day?"

For those who were leaving, Natsumi made sure to shake their hands or give them hugs goodbye. They all got thank yous too. Since Kenichi was staying, Natsumi smiled, but she wasn't sure she knew anymore games to play. "Nope, I'm thinkin' I'm happy with what games we've already played. It was just fun to play, ya know?" Natsumi said and then looked over to Natasha. "I wonder what part two is..." Natsumi muttered curiously before turning her attention back to Kenichi. "You leavin' for part two too, or ya stickin' 'round? Might be funner with my best friend."