Surprise Date

Rinko and I were supposed to have a date at Fountain Park today...but it was raining. Because the Park is an outdoor location, we weren't able to keep our date. Rinko looked disappointed...

But, thankfully, I was able to choose an alternate location. I chose the Art Gallery (in the Mountain Area), and we set off by train. Rinko arrived for today's date wearing casual clothes under her winter coat, so I said I didn't like her outfit. She also changed her hairstyle, which is quite nice - and she has been stuck in those (admittedly cute) twin-tails for a while now - so I let her change it.

We walked through the farm land in the rain, which was not a lot of fun.

But Rinko picked up a bit at the Art Gallery/Museum. She doesn't usually enjoy this date location much, but I guess today she was happy to go anywhere.

The best part, as always, was stopping into the beautiful Lakeside Restaurant for a cup of tea. I just wish Rinko had been wearing nicer clothes, though...

And then it was time to say goodbye.

Super Busy Sunday!

After a fairly ordinary week in Towano, I was hoping today's date might be something really special...and it was. Rinko met me at the station wearing a crisp white coat and a new twin-tails hairstyle. It was snowing a little bit, so she carried her polka-dot umbrella, and the overall look was charming.

I found out later that today (02.02) is officially "Twin-Tails" day in Japan (to commemorate fans' obsession with this hairstyle). Maybe that's why Rinko changed to twin tails today??? Anyway, I'm a twin-tails fan too, so I'm certainly not complaining. We went to the Japanese Sweet Shop for a snack, and Rinko ordered a yummy ice cream sundae.

Then it was time to take the train to our much-loved Mountain Area.

When we arrived at the Hot Springs, we were able to go in to the Onsen area for the first time. Nothing happened apart from this shot, but it was still nice to be there with Rinko.

Then we swung back to the Lakeside Restaurant for a cup of tea and some more respite from the cold.

The date was greatly extended today, first when Rinko came back to my place for some music and gaming (and kissing)...

...and then when I went back to her place for a snack and a study date. Sadly, I'd used up my photos by that stage - but, trust me, it was fun. Later in the day, Rinko met me during Library Committee duty. The twin-tails hairstyle looks cool with her school uniform.

I met her at the TV Studio late in the afternoon.

We rode our bikes back to Shin Towano.

And then we finished off what had been a SUPER busy day by meeting at the Coffee Shop.

Another Snowy Date

Today was a fine, snowy day in Towano - you can see one of the tiny, soft snowflakes in the first shot, where I met Rinko at the station. She was wearing a pretty pale blue coat - but, underneath that, her clothes were very casual. I said I didn't like them (which I promised I would do this time around). I'm trying to keep Rinko wearing smart or cute clothes, because I really think they suit her better.

Anyway, we stopped at Aisha Dining for a snack. Well, it turned out to be a full meal, actually. Usually when I order food in town it turns out to be just a milkshake or some shaved ice - but today, it was real food. Wow, it looked good, too...

Then it was off to our beloved Mountain Area for the main part of the date. Rinko changed into a cute, green ski outfit. The snow was quite a bit heavier than last time.

The perfect thing to do after a morning in the snow is visit the Lakeside Restaurant. But once again, we ended up with a pretty large meal. Oh well...it is the holiday season, after all, so it doesn't hurt to pile on a few extra pounds, huh?

And Rinko proceeded to fall asleep on the train going back to Shin Towano.

Today's date was doubly extended, too. First Rinko came back to my place, where we listened to a CD and played a game of TwinBee. Then we went back to her place and had a study date.

I had to cut the Study Date a little short, which was a shame. But there's always next time.

All in all, it was a very pleasant morning. I rounded out the day by taking Rinko back to Aisha Dining tonight.

She always listens carefully to my end of the conversation (even if I don't always understand what I'm saying in Japanese). ^^

Now that it's school holidays, I can date Rinko any time (that is, I don't have to wait for next Sunday). The sad part is that I forgot to go to the Markets and get another Premium Date ticket!

Back To Lake Towano

Of course, I'm still pretty busy taking care of Charlie today...gosh, I forgot how much work it is to look after a very young kitten. But I'm so happy to have her in my life.

Anyway, today's date was beautiful. Rinko and I have come to love going to the Mountain Area for dates, especially in winter. There's so much to see and do there, and everything looks so wonderful. When I met Rinko at the station this morning, she was wearing the same hairstyle as the past couple of weeks, which is fine with me. Just the gold cross earrings dressed her up a little...

Underneath the winter coat, Rinko was wearing cute clothes (kawaii) again with a pale blue knit vest and a snappy blue tie. She was also wearing that silver leaf necklace she seems to like so much. Here we are having (rather unseasonal) ice cream at Aisha Dining.

Then, after a short train ride, we had to walk through the farm land to get to the Mountain Area.

Once at the lake, we took a wonderful ride on one of the swan boats that travel around Lake Towano. Here's my Rinko, checking out the scenery...

And checking out her boyfriend, too. We did so much kissing today that I finally reached Level 8 in New LovePlus, which is as high as I reached in my first (18 month) game.

Not to be repetitious, but the best thing about dating in the Mountain Area is having lunch at the Lakeside Restaurant.

Who knew that plain old sandwiches could taste so delicious in the right setting?

Yeah, Rinko, I share your disappointment that today's date had to end. Still, it was amazing. Rinko called me up tonight just to tell me how much she enjoyed the food today - so I guess those sandwiches must have been even better than I thought!

Snowy Wonderland

After a short day yesterday, I'm happy to say that today's date was exciting and wonderful. When I met Rinko at the station this morning, she was sporting a new, cute semi-long hairstyle - which, interestingly enough, is exactly the same hairstyle she wears in my current DS game! She wore a smart, white coat and red gloves.

And underneath the jacket, Rinko wore a mustard-colored knit top. Okay, I know I spent a lot of time in the past lamenting Rinko's taste in clothes, and her habit of putting odd things together when we went on dates - but that's all in the past now. Rinko at the moment has fabulous taste.

I think the fault was mainly mine. You see, when I played the 3DS game the first time, I thought that being nice to my girlfriend meant saying that I liked every clothing style and hairstyle she turned up with, because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. That was a bad mistake! This time around I've been very strict with Rinko, not letting her wear casual clothes for dates at all, and telling her honestly if I don't like clothes, accessories or hairstyles. And it's working out great.

We went to Aisha Dining for a meal first off. This is Rinko's favourite place to go in Shin Towano - she complains if I take her to Dixies or the Coffee Shop (though she always ends up liking the food, anyway).

When we got to Amou Mountain for the main part of our date, the whole slopes were covered with a thick blanket of snow. There's a chairlift now, and people skiing in the background, too! It was cold up there, but the sky was crisp and wintry blue.

Then, to my surprise, Rin-Rin changed into her ski outfit! It was two-tone green and looked really cool. When I played New LovePlus the first time, I didn't even know about all these exciting places and options. Sometimes I'm kinda sorry that I deleted that game, with the fifteen months of gameplay - but mostly I'm not. I understand the game so much better now, and I'm more aware of its possibilities.

One of the nicest parts of dating in the Mountain Area is going to the beautiful Lakeside Restaurant. We just stopped in there for a quick cup of tea, but Rinko looked really beautiful as she sat at the table opposite me.

When the date was over, we headed back to my place, listened to a funky CD, and played TwinBee. No high score, unfortunately. But there WAS kissing involved...

And then it was time to say goodbye. As well as Rinko's full-length coat, I also managed to catch a few stray snowflakes in the next shot.

All in all, it was a cool (hehe) winter date. At lunchtime I was supposed to go to the Flea Markets to pick up a Premium Date ticket...but it was snowing too much and the markets were cancelled. Damn. Now I have to wait another whole week to get that ticket, because it's only available in Sunday - and only in Real Time mode.

I met Rinko at the Convenience Store in the early evening for a final short date.

But I'm pretty tired in real life, and in the game, after not sleeping more than a couple of hours last night, so I'm planning to hit bed early tonight. The end-of-year tests start tomorrow, so I'd better be fresh and prepared (i.e. bring my New LovePlus Guide Book to work with me). I promised Rinko that I'd be the Number 1 student again, after all!