Chapter 65: Pretty Girl, First Date (Part 1)

"Hmm-hm-hmm♪"

Wearing my going-out clothes, I twirl happily around my room. I spin a little too fast, get dizzy, and flop straight onto my bed, burying my face in my plushie’s belly. After squishing the plushie’s tummy for a good while, I push myself upright. Yikes—if I keep jumping around like this, my skirt will wrinkle.

Today I’m wearing a brown tank top with a black tank top layered over it, paired with a red-and-black checkered pleated skirt. With my long black hair, the whole look ends up pretty dark overall. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I smooth out my skirt with both hands to neaten the shape.

Today I’m going to an all-you-can-eat sweets place.

Just the two of us. Ugh, what am I supposed to even do? Of course I’m nervous.
But right now my head is completely stuffed with thoughts of pastries.

Back when we first decided on this, I’d said things like, “It’s not like I wanted to go or anything.” But after browsing the shop’s website, I kept getting more and more drawn in, and before I knew it, I was super excited.

I mean, it’s incredible! Cakes and desserts I’ve never even seen before—all unlimited! At first I figured it’d be nothing but random mousses and jellies or something, but nope, there were tons of proper cakes. I even skipped breakfast today because of this. Going in fully prepared. Of course, going on an empty stomach usually means you can’t actually eat that much, which is a shame.

And on top of that, women get a discount. Like—wow. Girls are amazing! It’s unfair!
It’s the first time I’ve ever thought, “I’m really glad I’m a girl.”

At first, I thought Sakura-chan totally tricked me, but honestly, considering she introduced me to such a great place, maybe it was a blessing. Today just happens to be a “man–woman pair day,” but I kind of want to go again on a normal day too.

Whoops. I’ve gotten way too hyped.
Checking the time, I realize I really need to head out.

With a small bag in hand, I dash out of the house.
It’s another sunny day.
Even in the boiling heat, I walk lightly toward the station.
I have a feeling today is going to be a great day.

"Hey hey, you got a minute?"

Right now, I’m cursing the me from thirty minutes ago who thought, “This is gonna be a great day.” Ha ha ha. Fantastic.

I’m currently being aggressively hit on by a blond guy.
Tanned skin, golden earrings, an orange tank top, white half-pants. He’s tall and pretty built, so when he stands close, it’s honestly scary.

"Uh, I’m meeting someone."

"Ehh, c’mon, don’t be like thaaat. Just ditch whatever loser’s making a girl wait in this crazy heat."

Ugh… it’s only because I came way too early.

"Let’s go to karaoke or something."

I shake my head desperately, but the blond guy shows no sign of leaving. Realizing words alone won’t work, he suddenly grabs my arm and tries to pull me.
Crap—he’s really trying to drag me away.

Last time at the pool I almost ended up in a scary situation too. Back then Ryoji and Togo saved me, but now there’s no one.

"No!"

I yank my arm back with all my strength and manage to wrench it free.

"Hah?"

Looks like he didn’t like that.

The smirk he’d been wearing up until now twists into a glare full of anger. My voice dies in my throat, and my legs freeze from fear. I want to run, but I can’t.

People walking by clearly want nothing to do with this and hurry away.
If only someone would call the police…

"Sakura-san, are you okay!?"

Footsteps rush up behind me.
We’d only spent a short time together before, but I recognize the voice.

"Aoi-kun!"

I must’ve looked like I was about to cry.

Aoi-kun runs up and steps in front of me, facing the blond guy. He’s actually pretty tall too—about the same height as the blond guy, and just as well-built.

Maybe realizing a one-on-one fight wouldn’t end well for him, the blond guy clicks his tongue and walks off.

I’m saved.

My strength drains out of me and I sink to the ground.
Aoi-kun offers his hand and helps me stand.

"I’m so sorry, Sakura-san! I made you go through something scary!"

He puts his hands together in front of him and apologizes.

"No, no, I just showed up too early. It’s not your fault at all. I’m really glad you helped me."

The whole thing happened because I left home thinking I was right on time, caught perfect train connections, and arrived thirty minutes early.
Aoi-kun showed up fifteen minutes before the meeting time—perfectly reasonable. It’s not like he was late.

I guess the cliché “you should show up a little late to a meetup” really was worth following. I’ll be more careful next time…

"But I can’t believe you got hit on right after getting to the meeting spot…"

I mutter quietly.

I arrived about twenty minutes ago. I had just checked the time on my phone when he suddenly spoke to me. Not even a minute had passed.

"Well, it’s because you’re really attractive, Sakura-san."

"N-No I’m not! Totally average!"

Aoi-kun says it with such a bright smile.
It’s already the kind of line that makes me blush, and he doesn’t sound like he’s joking, which makes it even worse.

"Maybe. I do think that guy was trouble, but I get why someone would want to talk to you, Sakura-san."

"What’s that supposed to mean! I was seriously scared, you know!"

He looks at me with a gentle smile, and I turn my face away with a huff.

Guys with a rough vibe feel even scarier now that my gender is female. I’ve always been lucky enough to get help somehow, but I really do worry—what if someone corners me on my way home from work or something? Maybe the fact that Ryoji often comes to pick me up and waits until my shift ends… maybe that’s actually something I should be grateful for.

"Sorry. I’ll try to get here earlier next time."

Aoi-kun apologizes again, looking genuinely guilty. It’s really not his fault at all…

No, I don’t want him to come earlier. Waiting thirty minutes beforehand sounds like a total hassle. If we both start trying to avoid making the other wait and keep coming earlier and earlier, we’ll end up meeting at dawn someday. That would be a disaster.

Well, that’ll never happen.

Still… I did kind of think as if there’d be a “next time.” But I’m sure I won’t be the one to invite him… yeah.

Anyway, now that we’ve met up safely, let’s eat tons of sweets and reset my mood!
As I clench my fists, quietly firing myself up—

"Fwee…"

…my stomach growls.

Whose? Obviously mine.
I glance at Aoi-kun. His eyes widen a little, but he immediately slips back into his usual warm smile.

Ugh, so embarrassing. I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast…
But if I had eaten, I definitely wouldn’t be able to get much down at the buffet. Still, I didn’t think my stomach would actually growl.

"Sakura-san, don’t tell me you skipped breakfast?"

"Uh—n-no I didn’t! I totally didn’t!"

He hits the mark so perfectly that I panic and deny it.

There’s no way I can say, “Since it’s all-you-can-eat, I came super pumped up!”

"Fwee…"

But my stomach, cruelly and relentlessly, betrays me again.

So unfaithful! It’s my own body!

Twice in a row—there’s no way to cover it up now.

"Uuuh… okay, fine. I skipped breakfast. I mean, you know… I was excited for the sweets."

"Haha. I actually skipped breakfast too. I mean, it is all-you-can-eat."

Oh, so Aoi-kun skipped breakfast too. Thank goodness. I was worried I’d look like the only overeager one, but if we both did it, then it’s fine.

"Still, you really do love sweets, huh?"

"Yeah. I love them."

I smile brightly at him.

I’ve always liked sweets. Even back when I was a boy, I could eat endless mizuyōkan, and I was always thrilled to get cake for my birthday.

But ever since becoming a girl, that love has only been getting stronger. I tried crepes, I tried parfaits—so many sweets I rarely touched before—and I just keep falling deeper and deeper into the world of desserts.

W-well, I do have to be careful not to gain weight…! But since I don’t eat that much in general, I should be okay… probably?

When Aoi-kun suddenly goes quiet, I lean in a little to peek at his face. He’s staring at me with this spaced-out expression.

"What’s wrong?"

"Eh? Ah—no, it’s nothing."

Even when I ask, he just smiles and dodges the question.

It feels like he slipped out of answering something, and it sticks with me a little.

"But thanks to you liking sweets so much, we get to go together today. So for me, it makes me really happy."

He looks me straight in the eyes as he says it—clearly, sincerely happy.

"Y-yeah."

Realizing we’re suddenly staring at each other, I quickly avert my gaze.

I had no idea how to respond, so my answer came out pretty half-baked. Even so, he still looked genuinely happy. And when he looks happy while we’re together… that makes me happy too.

We walk slowly toward the shop. As we get closer, it feels like there are more and more couples around. Some of them are even walking arm-in-arm, looking impossibly close.

I wonder about Aoi-kun. Would he… ever want to link arms with me?
No way. Definitely not.

And even if he did ask, I’d just end up panicking.

"There’s quite a line, huh."

As we reach the storefront, Aoi-kun murmurs.

It’s not a massive crowd, but there’s definitely a decent line wrapped around the place.

"Looks like we’ll have to wait a while. Sorry, I should’ve picked an earlier meeting time."

I was the one who chose the time and place.
Well… that’s also why I left early enough not to be late.

Coming right at peak lunchtime—that was the fatal mistake. We should’ve come earlier, or maybe even later.

"Nah, it’s fine. I get to talk with you while we wait."

"R-right."

Aoi-kun seems surprisingly bold today—like he’s actively trying to get closer to me.

It’s not that it bothers me, but sometimes I just don’t know what to say back.

Even after joining the line, it’s mostly him bringing up topics and me responding. Ugh, I am trying to think of things to talk about, but it’s no use. I was basically half a loner before, and I don’t really have many hobbies…

The buffet is time-limited, so the line barely moves. Waiting outside in this heat is rough.

I open my parasol and take a sip from my bottle of tea.

"I’ll hold the umbrella."

When he holds out his hand, I pass it to him.

For a second I think, Are we sharing the umbrella!? and my heart jumps, but the parasol is tiny—if he tries to shade me, he’s completely outside of it himself. So it’s not really sharing. Still, I don’t have to hold it, so that’s nice.

And so we spend the long, long wait standing together in line.

I’m starving… I hope we get in soon.