Chapter 28. The First Date
I opened my eyes before the alarm even went off.
For a few seconds I just lay there, staring at the ceiling.
Silence.
It was only starting to get light outside.
Today was Sunday.
And…
Today I had a date.
A real one.
With Hayato.
Just thinking about it made my heart beat faster.
I suddenly rolled onto my side and hugged the pillow to my chest.
“Calm down…”
“It’s just a walk…”
The moment I said that, Kurosaki-kun’s calm face appeared in my mind.
“You’ll just blush a little at most.”
“Nothing scary is going to happen.”
I quietly snorted.
“Easy for you to say…”
He almost never gets embarrassed.
But me…
I’ll probably be red again in five minutes.
With that thought, I finally got out of bed.
After my shower, I stood in front of the open closet for a long time.
Although…
To be honest, I had already decided yesterday.
My gaze stopped almost immediately on the light-colored dress.
That same one.
I carefully ran my fingers over the fabric.
The scene from yesterday appeared in front of my eyes on its own.
“You saw what her weapon is.”
“But you have a much stronger argument.”
“Sorry if I’m embarrassing you…”
My face instantly flushed.
“K-Kurosaki-kun…”
“Why did you even say something like that…”
I remembered how I came out of the fitting room back then.
How I didn’t know where to look.
How he looked at me completely calmly.
Without mockery.
Without vulgarity.
And just said:
“Beautiful.”
“Very.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
For some reason, that “very” was still stuck in my head.
It wasn’t a compliment about my appearance.
It wasn’t about my chest.
It was how calmly he said it.
Like he was talking about something completely ordinary.
I carefully put on the dress and walked up to the mirror.
For a few seconds I just looked at my reflection.
“…Is this…”
“…Really beautiful?..”
My chest felt a little warm again.
And almost immediately I shook my head in panic.
“No!”
“Today isn’t Kurosaki-kun!”
“Today is Hayato!”
I even lightly slapped my cheeks with my palms.
“Pull yourself together!”
After that I opened the drawer of the vanity table.
A small glass bottle was lying exactly where I had left it.
Perfume.
I took off the cap and froze for a second.
“Just a little.”
“The scent should only be noticeable when someone is standing close.”
I smiled.
“You even explained perfume like it was a lesson…”
One light spray on my neck.
Another on my wrist.
I rubbed them together and carefully inhaled.
A very light aroma.
Gentle.
Not overpowering.
I looked in the mirror again.
And suddenly caught myself thinking something strange.
“I wonder…”
“What would Kurosaki-kun say right now?”
I froze.
…
A second later I sharply covered my face with my hands.
“A-A-Ah…”
“Yūki…”
“You’re such an idiot…”
Why am I even thinking about that?
Today I’m meeting Hayato.
So why do I want to know what a completely different person would think?
I took several deep breaths.
Then slowly exhaled.
“That’s enough.”
“Stop.”
I picked up my bag.
My phone.
Checked the time.
There was still almost forty minutes until the meeting.
“It’s better to arrive a little early.”
This time I didn’t argue with the voice in my head.
I just smiled quietly.
“Okay…”
“I’ll come early.”
And, closing the apartment door behind me, I headed toward my first real date.
When I arrived at the shopping center, there were still eight minutes left until the appointed time.
I had deliberately left early.
Although…
To be honest, this had already become almost automatic.
“On a first date, it’s better to arrive early.”
I smiled quietly to myself.
“So it really did have an effect…”
I stopped near the large glass entrance.
Sunday.
There were noticeably more people than on weekdays.
Families with children.
Couples.
Students.
Some were going inside, others were coming out with shopping bags.
I gripped the strap of my bag tighter and looked at my reflection in the glass once more.
The dress fit exactly the same as yesterday.
I mechanically smoothed the hem.
Fixed my hair.
Then fixed it again.
“Don’t get nervous…”
I exhaled quietly.
My heart was still beating too fast.
“I wonder…”
“Will Hayato notice the dress?”
That thought made me blush even harder.
And almost immediately the next one appeared.
“But Kurosaki-kun noticed right away…”
I frowned.
“Again…”
I had specifically decided not to think about him.
Why does he keep appearing in my head?
Probably…
Because we spent almost the entire day together yesterday.
Yes.
Probably just because of that.
I took another deep breath.
And at that moment I heard a familiar voice.
“Yūki!”
I sharply lifted my head.
Hayato was walking toward me with quick steps, slightly holding the strap of his sports bag.
His hair was still a little damp from the shower.
It looked like…
He had only left the house recently.
As he got closer, he smiled apologetically.
“Sorry!”
“Did I make you wait long?”
I automatically looked at my phone screen.
Two minutes.
Not long at all.
“N-No…”
“I came too early myself.”
He smiled in relief.
“Phew…”
“I was worried the whole way here.”
“I thought I might be late.”
I smiled softly.
“It’s okay.”
For a few seconds we just stood facing each other.
It became awkward.
Very.
Hayato scratched the back of his head.
“Um…”
“Nice dress.”
I felt my cheeks instantly flush.
“Th-Thank you…”
He looked away in embarrassment.
“It… really suits you.”
I wanted to hide my face in my hands.
“He noticed…”
“He really noticed…”
I was so happy about those words that I even stopped noticing the people around us.
But then…
Completely unexpectedly…
Another scene flashed in my memory.
“Beautiful.”
“Very.”
Back then Kurosaki-kun said it calmly.
Without hesitation.
Without embarrassment.
Like he was completely confident in his words.
But Hayato…
Hayato right now looked just as red as I did.
And for some reason that made me smile a little.
“Thank you…”
“I’m really happy.”
It seemed like hearing that made him even more embarrassed.
A short silence hung between us.
I remembered one more piece of advice.
“If a pause appears…”
“Don’t be afraid to start the conversation first.”
I raised my gaze.
“Then…”
“Shall we go?”
Hayato seemed to snap out of it.
“Ah!”
“Right!”
“Let’s go!”
We took a step at the same time.
And stopped at the same time.
“Ah…”
“Sorry…”
We both laughed.
The tension eased a little.
We finally entered the shopping center.
For the first few minutes the conversation flowed easily.
Hayato talked about yesterday’s training.
About how Satomi-senpai had pushed him to exhaustion again.
I laughed, imagining his face.
But gradually I noticed one thing.
There was always some distance between us.
Not on purpose.
It just happened.
About one step.
Sometimes a little more.
I secretly glanced at his hand.
Then looked forward again.
“Stay a little closer.”
“It’ll be easier to talk that way.”
I carefully took a small step toward him.
Now our shoulders were almost on the same line.
Strange…
It really did feel calmer this way.
Hayato didn’t even seem to notice.
Continuing to tell some funny story about training, he laughed sincerely.
And I…
I caught myself mentally thanking Kurosaki-kun again.
“And why…”
“Do all his pieces of advice actually work?..”
We walked unhurriedly through the shopping center.
The conversation gradually became easier and easier.
Hayato talked about training, about how Satomi-senpai had made him repeat the same combination over and over until his arms started shaking.
I laughed.
Sometimes I told something myself.
And yet…
Despite everything, there was still an invisible wall between us.
We were walking side by side.
But not together.
I secretly glanced at his hand.
Ordinary.
Slightly rough from training.
His fingers were long, with small calluses on the knuckles.
“If you want to close the distance…”
“Take his hand.”
I immediately remembered yesterday.
Back then I had also been scared.
But Kurosaki-kun had simply calmly held out his palm.
“If you feel uncomfortable — I’ll let go right away.”
“But you need to practice before meeting Hayato-kun.”
Back then it took me almost a minute to gather my courage.
And then…
I placed my own palm into his huge hand myself.
I couldn’t help but smile at that memory.
“Yūki?”
Hayato’s voice pulled me back to reality.
“Hm?”
“Is everything okay?”
“Y-Yeah…”
I quickly nodded.
“I just got lost in thought for a second.”
“I see…”
We took a few more steps.
“If I don’t do it now…”
“It’ll only get scarier later.”
I quietly took a breath.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like everyone around could hear it.
“Come on…”
“Let’s do it…”
I slowly extended my hand.
My fingers carefully touched his palm.
Warm…
Hayato flinched slightly.
He looked down in surprise.
Then at me.
I felt my face starting to burn.
“I…”
“Just…”
I couldn’t finish the sentence.
He smiled in embarrassment.
And carefully interlaced his fingers with mine.
“I don’t mind…”
“If it’s more comfortable this way…”
Something inside me trembled at those words.
“Mm…”
I answered quietly.
For a few seconds we walked in silence.
I gradually got used to the feeling.
Hayato’s hand was noticeably bigger than mine.
Warm.
Slightly rough because of constant training.
But…
Not that much bigger.
In front of my eyes, another image suddenly appeared.
That huge palm in which my hand had literally disappeared.
Next to Kurosaki-kun I sometimes felt like a child.
He was almost two meters tall.
Even holding my hand, he could have completely covered it with his palm.
But right now…
Hayato’s hand was only a little bigger than mine.
Ordinary.
Human.
I even smiled mentally.
“Probably…”
“I’m already comparing too much…”
And then I felt one more unexpected thing.
Hayato’s palm was a little damp.
He was nervous.
No less than me.
I secretly glanced at him.
He was deliberately acting like nothing unusual was happening.
But the tips of his ears were already noticeably red.
“He’s nervous too…”
At that thought, I suddenly relaxed.
I even squeezed his hand a little tighter.
Hayato glanced at me for a moment and smiled awkwardly in response.
And I smiled too.
“After all…”
“Kurosaki-kun was right.”
“The scariest thing is taking the first step.”
“And after that…”
“It becomes a little easier.”
Probably…
If someone looked at us from the side right now, they would see the most ordinary high school couple.
We were slowly walking through the shopping center, holding hands.
Talking about nothing.
Sometimes laughing.
But for me…
Every such step felt completely new.
I could still feel the warmth of Hayato’s palm.
At first I was afraid he would let go of my hand right away.
Then I was afraid I would let go myself.
But minute after minute passed…
And it became calmer and calmer.
Hayato also gradually relaxed.
His palm stopped being so damp.
Even his walking changed — it became more confident.
He smiled quietly.
“To be honest…”
“I didn’t expect you to take my hand yourself.”
I felt my cheeks start burning again.
“I…”
“Just thought…
“That it would be… more comfortable this way…”
It came out so unconvincing that I almost laughed at myself.
Hayato smiled too.
“Well…”
“I like it.”
My heart pleasantly skipped a beat at those simple words.
We walked in silence a little longer.
Sometimes our hands swayed slightly in rhythm with our steps.
I secretly glanced at him.
He was looking forward.
But there was still a light smile on his lips.
“It worked…”
“It really worked…”
The words from yesterday suddenly surfaced in my head.
“In a few minutes you’ll stop paying attention.”
“The main thing is to take the first step.”
I smiled mentally.
“He was right again…”
It gradually became more crowded around us.
Families were walking toward us.
Couples.
Groups of students.
I started noticing that some people were glancing at us.
Especially the guys.
One held his gaze a little longer than usual.
Another, walking past, even turned around.
I involuntarily pressed closer to Hayato.
Not on purpose.
It just happened.
Yesterday…
When Kurosaki-kun was next to me…
Everything had been completely different.
Back then people had also looked.
But…
Completely differently.
Most only glanced briefly at the huge figure next to me…
And immediately looked away.
Even the guys who clearly wanted to get a better look at me quickly lost any desire.
Next to Kurosaki-kun, for some reason, there was a feeling that…
It was better not to provoke such a person unnecessarily.
But today…
Hayato looked like an ordinary, nice high school student.
Kind.
Open.
Not intimidating at all.
So some glances lingered on me noticeably longer.
It made me a little uncomfortable.
I didn’t even notice how I moved even closer to Hayato.
He looked at me.
“Cold?”
“Hm?..”
I looked at him in surprise.
“No…”
“Just…”
I didn’t know how to explain.
I couldn’t exactly say:
“I feel calmer when you’re next to me.”
Hayato seemed to understand it in his own way.
He squeezed my hand a little tighter.
Just a little.
“Then don’t get lost.”
I smiled quietly.
“I won’t.”
And yet…
Somewhere deep inside, a small thought appeared.
“Strange…”
“Why yesterday, next to Kurosaki-kun…”
“I didn’t think about the people around at all?”
“And today I notice almost every single one…”
I immediately mentally scolded myself.
“Stop comparing.”
“Today is a completely different day.”
“And a completely different person is next to me.”
I took a deep breath, smiled at Hayato, and tried to focus only on him.
We went up to the floor with the movie theater.
A small line had already formed in front of the large electronic posters.
Some people were buying tickets.
Others were taking photos next to the posters.
Hayato let go of my hand and looked at the schedule.
“Looks like… our showing is in twenty minutes.”
“We still have time.”
I nodded.
“Mm.”
He turned to me.
“Want to buy something? Popcorn? Or a drink?”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Let’s get popcorn.”
“Okay!”
He immediately headed for the counter.
And I stayed nearby, looking at the huge movie poster.
“On a real date, don’t stay silent.”
“If a pause appears — start the conversation yourself.”
I smiled quietly.
“You again…”
It seemed like half of my thoughts were now accompanied by Kurosaki-kun’s calm voice.
A couple of minutes later Hayato returned.
He was already holding the tickets in his hands.
“Made it!”
He looked pleased with himself.
I smiled sincerely.
“Thank you.”
We slowly walked along the foyer again.
On Sunday it was especially crowded here.
Conversations could be heard everywhere.
Laughter.
The smell of caramel popcorn.
I had almost stopped paying attention to the people around…
When suddenly I felt a familiar sensation.
Like someone was looking at us for too long.
I turned my head inconspicuously.
A little to the side, near the claw machine, stood a man.
About forty years old, by the looks of it.
He was holding his phone not in front of him, but slightly to the side.
The lens…
Was pointed in our direction.
Click.
A very quiet sound.
But I heard it clearly.
I immediately looked away and pressed closer to Hayato.
He glanced at me.
“Something wrong?”
I shook my head.
“No… it’s nothing.”
I didn’t want to ruin the mood.
But inside, an unpleasant feeling remained.
We stood in line for popcorn.
Hayato suddenly smiled quietly.
“You know…”
“I think I’m acting really badly today.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“Why?”
He scratched the back of his head.
“I keep getting embarrassed.”
“Then I completely lost it…”
“Probably I’m a bad date.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“No.”
“Not at all.”
He looked at me.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Just…”
I smiled quietly.
“I’m also very nervous.”
He exhaled in relief.
“So…”
“I’m not the only one.”
We both laughed.
And the tension that had been hanging between us after the unpleasant incident gradually began to disappear.
After getting a large bucket of popcorn and drinks, we headed to the right hall.
I felt Hayato carefully take my hand again.
This time…
On his own.
I was a little surprised.
Then I squeezed his palm tighter.
And smiled.
“He’s trying too…”
“No need to compare them.”
“They’re completely different after all.”
But as soon as I thought that…
Yesterday’s walk suddenly surfaced in my memory.
That big warm palm.
The calm voice.
“If a problem appears…”
“Deal with it first.”
“And only then start worrying.”
I quietly sighed.
“Why…”
“Do you always come to mind at moments like this, Kurosaki-kun?”
I secretly glanced at Hayato.
At that moment he was focused on finding our seats in the hall, holding the tickets in his free hand.
So sincere.
So slightly clumsy.
I smiled softly.
“No.”
“Today…”
“Today I should only look at him.”
With that thought, we entered the half-dark cinema hall, where the last trailers before the movie had already begun.
In the hall the lights were almost off.
We quickly found our seats almost in the very center.
“Here,” Hayato said quietly, letting me go in first.
I carefully walked between the rows, trying not to bump into anyone, and sat down in the soft seat.
Hayato sat down next to me.
Between us was a shared bucket of popcorn.
The screen was still showing advertisements.
There was a quiet hum of voices in the hall.
I exhaled carefully.
Up until this moment everything had happened so fast that I had barely had time to think.
And now…
We were just sitting side by side.
Very close.
I secretly glanced at Hayato.
He was watching the screen attentively, but from the way he kept fixing his hair and fiddling with the edge of the drink cup, it was obvious — he was nervous too.
It calmed me down a little.
“Not just me…”
“He’s nervous too.”
Unexpectedly, our hands reached for the popcorn at the same time.
Our fingers lightly touched.
“Ah…”
“Oops…”
We both pulled our hands back at the same time.
I smiled quietly.
Hayato smiled too.
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re the one who should be sorry…”
A short pause hung in the air.
Then he, smiling in embarrassment, took a few pieces and held the bucket out to me.
“Ladies first.”
“Thank you…”
I carefully took some popcorn.
For some reason I immediately remembered yesterday evening.
“If awkwardness appears…”
“Don’t panic.”
“Laugh together with him.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
And really…
Just a few seconds later the awkwardness seemed to disappear on its own.
The movie started.
The entire hall was plunged into darkness.
The first scenes appeared on the screen.
I was almost immediately drawn into what was happening.
Several times Hayato and I quietly laughed at the same moments at the same time.
Sometimes we exhaled in surprise together.
During one particularly tense scene I even automatically grabbed the armrest.
And only a couple of seconds later I realized…
That it wasn’t the armrest.
It was Hayato’s hand.
I froze.
My heart dropped somewhere.
“S-Sorry…”
“I…”
I already wanted to pull my hand away.
But Hayato only smiled quietly.
“It’s okay.”
He didn’t remove his palm.
On the contrary…
He turned it slightly, allowing our fingers to touch.
I felt my cheeks start burning again.
“Holding hands…”
“This isn’t training anymore…”
Yesterday Kurosaki-kun had been next to me.
Back then I kept repeating to myself:
“This is just practice.”
“I’m just learning.”
But now…
There were no more excuses left.
This was a real date.
A real walk.
Real contact.
At that thought my heart started beating even faster.
I carefully interlaced my fingers with Hayato’s.
Not for long.
And I felt him flinch almost imperceptibly.
Then…
He also squeezed my hand tighter.
I smiled.
In the darkness he still couldn’t see it.
The movie ended almost two hours later.
The lights came on in the hall again.
I was even a little lost.
“It’s already over?..”
Hayato laughed.
“Time flew by fast.”
“Yeah…”
I smiled too.
Really…
We had barely talked.
But for some reason it didn’t feel strange at all.
I suddenly remembered one more phrase.
“You don’t have to talk constantly.”
“If it’s comfortable to be silent next to each other — that’s already good.”
I exhaled quietly.
And again I mentally noted that Kurosaki-kun had been right.
After the movie we walked around the shopping center a little longer.
The conversation gradually became light again.
We discussed the ending of the movie, argued about which character was right, and laughed at some ridiculous scenes.
After a while Hayato stopped near a small Japanese restaurant.
“Maybe… we could have dinner?”
I smiled softly.
“Sure.”
Inside it was cozy.
Dim lighting.
Warm light.
We were led to a table by the window.
While we were placing our order, I suddenly caught myself thinking that I had completely stopped being nervous.
Although…
No.
I had almost stopped.
As soon as the waiter left, my heart started beating faster again.
“During a date, try to feed him yourself.”
“Don’t think about it for too long.”
“The longer you hesitate — the scarier it becomes.”
I lowered my gaze to the chopsticks.
In front of my eyes, yesterday’s scene suddenly appeared.
“I’m not a child…”
I almost snorted with laughter.
“Yūki?”
I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
“N-Nothing…”
“I just remembered something funny.”
Hayato smiled.
“Want to share?”
I vigorously shook my head.
“N-No!”
“It’s too embarrassing…”
He only smiled quietly.
“Then I won’t ask.”
A few minutes later our order was brought.
I mechanically picked up the chopsticks.
“Come on…”
“You specifically practiced for this…”
I carefully picked up a small piece of roll.
Lifted it.
And for a few seconds just looked at Hayato.
“Now.”
“Let’s do it.”
“Hayato…”
He raised his head.
“Hm?”
I felt my cheeks start to burn.
“Ah… um…”
The words got stuck in my throat.
“Say it.”
“It’s just one phrase.”
I took a deep breath.
“Do you…”
“Not want me to…”
I extended the chopsticks slightly forward.
“…feed you?..”
Silence fell.
Hayato stared at me for a few seconds.
Then…
His face began to turn bright red at an alarming speed.
“Wha—?!”
He almost dropped his chopsticks.
“Th-This is…”
“I mean…”
“I…”
He laughed nervously, completely not knowing where to look.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“I…”
“I can’t…”
He lowered his head in embarrassment.
“It’s too…”
“Too embarrassing…”
I froze.
Then slowly lowered the chopsticks.
“I see…”
I tried to smile.
And it seemed like I even managed.
“It’s okay.”
“I just…”
“Decided to try.”
Hayato looked at me guiltily.
“Sorry…”
“It’s not that I don’t want to…”
“It’s just…”
“If you feed me right now…”
“I probably won’t be able to eat at all.”
He laughed nervously.
I also smiled quietly.
He was so honest…
That it was completely impossible to get angry.
But…
Somewhere deep inside, a slight feeling of disappointment still appeared.
“Kurosaki-kun…”
“Didn’t get embarrassed at all…”
Back then he had leaned toward me completely calmly.
He had even joked.
And then he had deliberately caught the sushi with his mouth when I threw it.
“I’m not a child…”
I almost laughed again.
And immediately mentally scolded myself.
“No…”
“Don’t compare.”
“Hayato is Hayato.”
“He’s just…”
“Very embarrassed.”
I looked at him.
He was still guiltily poking at his plate with his chopsticks, clearly worried that he had upset me.
At that, I suddenly felt warm.
I smiled already completely sincerely.
“Then…”
“Next time.”
Hayato lifted his head.
“Hm?..”
I felt myself blushing from my own words.
“Some… some other time…”
“When you stop being so embarrassed.”
For a few seconds he looked at me in silence.
And then smiled.
Very warmly.
“Deal.”
And for some reason, from that smile, my heart felt light again.
After dinner we walked around the evening shopping center a little longer.
Probably…
The most surprising thing was that I had stopped constantly thinking about what I needed to do next.
At first I kept watching myself.
How I stood.
How I spoke.
Where I was looking.
Whether I was smiling enough.
But gradually…
It disappeared.
We were just walking side by side.
Discussing the movie.
Arguing about which of the characters had acted correctly.
Sometimes laughing at some little things.
Hayato several times told something so seriously that he didn’t even notice how funny it sounded.
And I caught myself thinking…
That I really felt good.
Not perfectly.
Not like in a romantic movie.
But…
Good.
When we left the shopping center, it had already gotten dark.
The streetlights illuminated the road.
There were much fewer people.
Hayato walked beside me.
Not too close.
But not too far either.
Sometimes our hands touched again.
And every time I felt a small wave of excitement.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Hayato suddenly asked this.
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Everything’s fine.”
He nodded.
“Okay.”
For a few seconds we just walked in silence.
But now this silence no longer felt awkward.
I looked at the road ahead and smiled.
“My first real date…”
“Turns out…”
“It’s not that scary.”
And then…
Completely unexpectedly…
Yesterday evening surfaced in my memory.
The corridor.
The quiet light.
We were standing near our apartments.
And Kurosaki-kun with that irritatingly calm smile of his said:
“I won’t kiss you.”
“Hayato still doesn’t have the guts for that anyway.”
I instantly felt my face start to burn.
“A-Ah…”
“What?..”
Hayato looked at me in surprise.
“Yūki?”
I sharply turned away.
“N-Nothing!”
“Just…”
“I remembered something.”
He smiled a little.
“Something good?”
“Y-Yeah…”
Probably.
Although…
Why did I remember exactly that right now?
I sighed quietly.
Because after those words I started thinking about it for the first time.
About a kiss.
About what happens after a good date.
About what…
Possibly…
Today.
We approached my building.
I stopped near the entrance.
That was it.
The date was over.
Hayato also stopped.
For a few seconds we just looked at each other.
Inside me, a familiar excitement began to appear.
“Right now…”
“Probably…”
I didn’t even know what I was expecting.
Maybe that he would take a step closer.
Maybe that he would say something.
Maybe…
That he would at least try.
But Hayato simply smiled.
“Thank you for today.”
I was a little lost.
“Hm?”
“I really enjoyed it.”
“Me too…”
“Thank you for going with me.”
He said it sincerely.
Very sincerely.
I smiled.
“I had fun too.”
Hayato hesitated a little.
Like he wanted to say something.
I froze.
But a second later he only raised his hand.
“Then…”
“See you tomorrow?”
I nodded slowly.
“See you tomorrow.”
He smiled.
“Good night, Yūki.”
“Good night, Hayato.”
He turned around and walked away.
I stood by the door and watched him go.
And only when his figure disappeared around the corner…
I understood.
He didn’t even try.
Not a step closer.
Not a hint.
Not a second when I could have thought:
“Right now…”
I lowered my gaze.
A strange feeling.
Not offense.
No.
Hayato hadn’t done anything wrong.
On the contrary.
He had been kind.
Caring.
He had tried.
But…
I remembered yesterday evening.
How Kurosaki-kun had deliberately teased me.
How he had watched my reaction.
How he had seemed to know how embarrassed I would get.
How he had made me get used to such moments.
And suddenly I understood one strange thing.
With him I was afraid of what he would do.
But with Hayato…
I was afraid that he wouldn’t do anything.
“Idiot…”
I quietly said this to myself.
“What are you even thinking…”
I opened the door to the apartment.
But before going inside, I looked at the road once more.
Hayato was already gone.
And in my head, for some reason, that calm voice sounded again:
“On a first date, the main thing is not perfection.”
“The main thing is for the person next to you to feel special.”
I closed my eyes.
“Kurosaki-kun…”
I sighed quietly.
“Why do your pieces of advice always work?..”
I stood silently by the door of my apartment.
The peephole looked straight into the common corridor.
Just enough to see how Hayato was walking Yūki home.
I watched.
Without a single emotion on my face.
Yūki was smiling.
Embarrassedly fiddling with the strap of her bag.
Saying something quietly to him.
Blushing.
And sincerely.
Like today’s date had really made her happy.
I slowly clenched my fist.
“Shit…”
Something unpleasant boiled inside.
My Yūki.
Going on a date…
With this cuckold.
I had spent so much time on her.
Taught her.
Corrected her mistakes.
Thought through every step.
Every little detail.
The dress.
Perfume.
How to hold hands.
Topics for conversation.
Even how to behave in the cinema.
Practically the entire date today…
Was built on my advice.
And the affection points…
He gets them.
Yūki quietly bowed to Hayato.
He smiled awkwardly in response and headed home.
She stood for a few more seconds, watching him go.
Then slowly went inside.
The door closed.
It became quiet in the corridor.
I closed my eyes.
And suddenly…
Something clicked in my head.
“Your mother…”
I sharply opened my eyes.
“Your mother…”
I had completely forgotten.
The light difficulty.
On this difficulty, any successful date brought a completely abnormal amount of affection points.
I couldn’t help but smile.
Bitterly.
Practically the entire date today…
Had worked for Hayato.
And even if Yūki spent the whole evening remembering my advice…
The system would still count the result for him.
“Either way…”
“He got twice as many points as me.”
I irritably ran my hand through my hair.
“How annoying…”
It looked like…
I had relaxed too much.
I thought there was still enough time.
But if this really was light difficulty…
Then the girls’ routes would start closing much faster than I had calculated.
I walked up to the window.
Behind it, night had already fallen completely.
The lights of the city quietly flickered in the distance.
“So…”
“It’s time to change the plan.”
I’ll continue controlling the other routes.
I won’t let them go too far.
But…
The main priority now was obvious.
Yūki.
She had already started perceiving my words as something self-evident.
She trusted my advice.
She compared others to me.
That wasn’t enough.
“I need to take the next step.”
I smiled almost imperceptibly.
“Tomorrow…”
“I’ll start acting a little more decisively.”
Time to play carefully…
It seemed like it was ending.