CH 4.1

Chapter 4: My first date with my girlfriend.

Today was a Saturday.

A Saturday when school was not in session, a Saturday when nothing was planned, a Saturday as usual…a day off where I could amuse myself with games in the morning.

It was a holiday that I’ve been looking forward to, usually one or two days out of the week.

Of course, it was supposed to be that, but…

My mornings are always filled with joy when I play social games, and yet, today, I feel out of sorts, or rather, strange.

It’s like I can’t concentrate, or I want to do something else right away.

(My date with Nanami-san is tomorrow…today she said she’s going to the movies with her two friends. Two days in a row, she’s going to the movies…frankly, I wonder if that’s a bad idea…?)

I was playing the game with this in mind when my party was wiped out.

『 It’s rare to see Canyon-san getting wiped out. Is his heart not in the right place?』

『Is something wrong….?』

Both Baron-san and Peach-san were worried about me. The reason for my

destruction was just a careless mistake. It’s the kind of destruction that rarely happens to people who are used to playing games.

Currently, I lack concentration to the point that it interferes with my gaming. I know the cause myself. That’s…

“Tomorrow’s the first date with my girlfriend, so I’ve been thinking about it this whole time.”

Or, to be more precise, tomorrow’s date…and Nanami-san, so I wasn’t able to concentrate well. I already made the perfect preparations for tomorrow…I think.

I bought our tickets online and chose our seats. At first, we were thinking about meeting up at the movie theatre…but I suggest we don’t do that.

Considering what happened with Senpai, the probability of Nanami-san meeting with some strange pick-up artist looks pretty high. With such a pretty girl all by herself, there would be very few who wouldn’t pick up on her. No, I for sure wouldn’t do that, but. I’m sure there’s someone out there who would.

To such worries, she simply said this.

『Well then, do you want me to pick you up at your house?』

It was pretty simple if you think about it. If I picked her up at her house, there was virtually no worry at all about her getting picked on by some random stranger. I accepted her scintillating suggestion…and instead of going ‘there’ to meet her, I went to Nanami-san’s house to pick her up instead.

At first, she wanted to come to my house to pick me up. But, just as you’d expect, I politely declined because I felt that would ruin my pride as a man, and that would be the same for others, even if it wasn’t me.

So yesterday, I dropped her off at her house for the first time before going home. Therefore, yesterday was the longest day I’ve spent with Nanami-san so far. It was a good day.

……By no means whatsoever did I plan to use that excuse as a reason to know the location of her house.

『I wonder if this is how people who live together go home together. Isn’t that something to admire?』

Nanami-san told me such a thing on the way home, and all I could do was panic.

Well, Nanami-san did say, “Sorry, please forget that…” before self-exploding. She was also red up to her ears.

I went home with Nanami-san to the same house… Just imagining it makes me writhe in agony.

And I’m kind of restless to think that Sunday will break the record for the longest time we’ve been together.

It makes me feel kind of restless.

I thought about contacting her, but I felt bad about dampening the excitement between us, so I held back.

By the way, Nanami-san gave me a detailed report every step of the way. This again resulted in an acceleration of my restlessness for tomorrow.

『The movie was really good. I was a little embarrassed about the H scenes, but…I think I learned a lot from it? I’ll be looking forward to more in the future, okay? 』

Nanami-san, what did you learn, what are you looking forward to? I’m a little confused…

『 I’m eating hamburgers for lunch. What about you, Youshin? I wish I could make lunch for you on your days off, maybe next time I could make you lunch?』

At lunchtime, I recalled Nanami-san’s usual handmade bento, and the cup noodles that I usually find delicious suddenly seemed tasteless……

『I can’t wait for tomorrow. I want to see you soon. I’ll call you at night, okay? Let’s have a fun date tomorrow.』

Sending me such cute little messages like that, along with pictures of food and where she was at the moment. That’s right. There was no way I could get into the game.

However, it felt a little out of place…I thought girls were supposed to take selfies of themselves in such situations? The photos sent to me never show Nanami-san. Why is that? …well, that’s okay.

I was grinning from beginning to end, which, even if I say so myself, was sickening.

『 That’s good, tis youth, after all……How can you not be excited about your first date ……? Are you ready for it?』

“Yeah, it’s perfect. I’ll pick her up at her house.”

『I see, I see. Hum Hum…… don’t worry about the game tomorrow, and have fun to your heart’s content.』

『……Please take care.』

Oh, Peach-san gave a supportive comment for the first time. This feels deeply moving… I thought.

『Please be careful not to have your heart broken if she says terrible things about how boring the movie was, how uninteresting the date was, or how it sucked.』

That’s different…she may be supportive, but it’s somewhat negative. I feel like her darkness is getting deeper and deeper. Does she really dislike gal-types that much?

『Peach-san, don’t say such a thing. But I agree. You should escort her properly so that she doesn’t say that. That way, you’ll be more likeable. No, I think your likeability is already near the max…』

Indeed, if I take Peach-san’s words directly, it could be said that the success or failure of tomorrow’s date depends on me.

As for me, I’ve only spent a few days with her, but being together with Nanami-san is fun.

But, if you think about it, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s having fun. This was a good lesson for me. I’ll be careful.

『So? What are you planning to wear for your date on that day?』

“Clothes…? What kind of clothes…?”

Clothes……to wear on a date…….

Huh? What kind of clothes am I planning to wear for my date? Can’t I just wear my everyday clothes?

“For now, the clothes at my house…are almost exclusively black. I think I have some loose-fitting, comfortable trousers…and maybe some jeans?”

My words made Baron-san come to a stop…and then…

『Canyon-san…you get along with you’re Senpai, right? Could you take a few body photos and send them to you’re Senpai, please?』

『Canyon-san…indeed…are you not in the right mind…?』

I received concerned messages from both of them. Even Peach-san, who had been so negative earlier, wrote to me as if she was worried about something. Did I do something wrong?

I change from my loungewear, a jersey, to my regular clothes.

Other than my uniform and loungewear, I only go out to buy games or books, so I don’t have that many everyday clothes to wear.

At any rate, I try them on and……Well, how shall I take a picture of my whole body?

Ah, I remember I have a mirror that my dad uses that shows my entire body…….Let me use that.

My parents, who were at home, tilted their heads when I suddenly started taking full-body pictures of myself. Ignoring their stares, I took a picture of my whole body and then sent a message to my Senpai.

“Is this a good time, Senpai? I’d like to discuss this with you…….Can I ask you to look at what I’m going to wear on my date with Nanami-san tomorrow for a minute?”

About ten minutes later, a response from my Senpai arrives.

『To think you have the audacity to ask me such a thing after I’ve been so harshly rejected. Okay, I’m currently on a break from my club activities right now, so you can send it to me.』

Indeed, if you look at my behaviour right now, I’m pretty cruel. But the only person I can rely on for fashion at the moment is Senpai.

I only know everyone on the social game team online, and I feel like some of the people I talk to at school are the only people who would buy anything other than clothes. To begin with, I don’t even know their contact information.

“I’m sorry that you’re the only person I can rely on, Senpai. Then, I’ll send you the pictures.”

I sent a picture of myself to my Senpai, and he immediately read it. And the reply from my Senpai was swift.

『Misumai, I’m not very well-informed about fashion since I’m mostly preoccupied with basketball……so at least listen with that premise in mind.』

Senpai had made such a preamble…I wonder if there was something funny about it.

『 Why’s your top and bottom all black!? Why are you wearing black underwear, black outerwear, and black pants? Are you a natural-born ninja or assassin? Also, what’s that red writing on your shirt? The letters stand out so much because everything is all black, isn’t that scary!?』

“Senpai, I didn’t send you a picture of me in my underwear, did I? I’m wearing green boxer shorts right now.”

『You don’t have to tell me!! Underwear, in this case, means pants (Note: specifically long pants). You don’t have to slip a stupid joke in there, okay?!』

I see. I’ve always called them pants, so I was unfamiliar with that terminology. Oh, so pants are also called underwear? Well, then, what do you call underwear then? No, that’s not important.

『Misumai, you, perhaps, are all the clothes you own like that?』

“Yeah. I’ve only got similar kinds of clothes.”

『Go buy some clothes now! It’s no problem at a mass retailer of casual wear!! And send me a full body photo every step of the way!! 』

……Apparently, my attire was a complete no-no. Nevertheless, Senpai said that he would check my every move even though he was in the middle of club activities. I’m extremely grateful.

I see, so this was also no good. No, I knew half of that. But I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

“I understand. Thank you, Senpai.”

『Yeah. I’m in the middle of club activities too, so I may not be able to look at it too often…I recommend that you talk to the clerk to make sure you’re talking to the right person. Look, the basics are simple.『

I sent a thank you message again, but from then on, I never heard back. Maybe he’s back in the club. I don’t know. After I finished communicating with Senpai, I told Baron-san and the others that I was leaving the game.

『Yeah, good for you…for asking about clothes.』

『……I never thought that it would be that bad.』

Even the two of them said such things to me, and I suddenly felt embarrassed to go shopping for clothes in the clothes I always go out in. I see, so this is the so-called state of『having no clothes to go shopping for clothes.』

However, I’ve already readied myself to go out and buy it. I withdrew my money and went on to a mass retailer in a shopping mall in town, albeit a little far away.

Tomorrow, Nanami-san and I will be coming to the movie theatre, so let’s have a preliminary inspection on that as well.

And so began my first date outfit selection.

At first, at the mass retailer, I was like, “Huh, clothes aren’t that expensive, are they?” I looked at each piece of clothing and thought lightly, but it was pretty expensive to get them all.

It’s not the kind of money a student who doesn’t work a part-time job should have…

Due to that, I slightly regretted not getting a part-time job. I’m not sure what type of part-time work I can do, but money was essential.

Come to think of it, didn’t Nanami-san have a part-time job? Having a part-time job together with her…No, that’s no good. I’ll only be repeating mistakes by looking at Nanami-san all the time.

Choosing clothes took quite a bit of time because I had to try them on and send the pictures to my Senpai.

Senpai was very conscientious and gave me accurate feedback on the pictures.

『Too many choices can be confusing, so you should limit yourself to black skinnies on the bottom. From there, let’s choose what to wear on top. It’s your first date, so let’s keep it fresh.』

As advised by my Senpai, I chose a pair of skinny black pants, a thick white and navy striped shirt, a white outer shirt, and a simple, unadorned belt.

When I told him that my shoes were actually all black as well, he told me to buy a pair of light blue sneakers at a different store.

Finally, I sent a full-body photo of myself to Senpai, and he said,『That’s good. It’s safe. It looks fresh.』, so I guess it’s okay.

I thanked my Senpai and was told 『If you want to thank me, I’ll gladly accept Barato’s bento』, to which I politely declined.

However, as a thank you, I told Senpai that I will casually ask Nanami-san if she’s willing to share one side dish with him.

But even so, I immediately received a reply that conveyed tremendous joy. Do you really want to eat it that much….

However, I blew up more than twice the amount I usually spend on buying clothes……Well, let’s just take it as a good opportunity. Now I just have to be careful not to let my parents find out about it. They’ll definitely think that something is wrong if they do.

Ah…I just bought a little clothes, and yet I suddenly got tired.

Let’s go home early and relax for tomorrow’s date……While I was thinking about that……I heard a familiar voice in my ear.

“Hey, will you quit it? We all have boyfriends, and we don’t want to be here.”

“It’s fine. It’s only you three girls, right? Come play with us. It’ll be fun. As long as your boyfriend doesn’t find out, you’ll be fine, right?”

I looked toward the familiar voice…and saw Nanami-san’s friend, Otofuke-san there. Come to think of it, Nanami-san did say that the three of them were going to see a movie today, so I was wondering if the girls would come…

As I looked at them again from a small distance…..I was a little puzzled by the unusual atmosphere of the girls.

There was Otofuke-san, Kamiechi-san, and…one unknown girl, the three of them were being picked up by three flirtatious-looking boys.

“It’s not about whether or not they’ll find out, it’s that when you have a boyfriend, it’s impossible to play with another man. If you want to pick up girls, go somewhere else.”

“Don’t say it so coldly~. You’re dressed like that, so you’re playing anyway, right?”

Otofuke-san was wearing shorts with both shoulders exposed, while Kamiechi-san was boldly exposing her chest and shoulders while wearing a pendant as an accessory. It gave off the impression of gal-type fashion.

Even in uniform, her skirt was short, so her legs were exposed as usual but I’m more nervous about the exposed shoulders that I don’t usually see. ……No, I’m nervous about the legs, too.

The other girl was dressed rather maturely. I wonder if she’s the neat and tidy type?

With as little skin exposed as possible, she wore a long fluffy skirt. That is to say, she was dressed exactly the opposite of them.

She wore glasses, which matched the gentle expression that she was giving off. I’ve never seen this girl before, at least not in school.

I wonder if they’ve already broken off with Nanami-san and are playing with another friend today?

No, that’s not important. First of all, let’s sort out this situation.

The girls are being picked up.

They don’t want to be picked up.

I witnessed it.

Now, should I help them or not?

Well, I should help them. I don’t need to think about it.

If I abandon her friends, I won’t be able to face Nanami-san on our date tomorrow. So it’s a decision to help.

Surely, the protagonist of the story, overflowing with a sense of justice, could manage to go at it without thinking about the consequences. ……However, I’ve never been in a fight, and there were three of them. It’s a pity, but if they commit an act of violence, then it’ll be their loss.

Therefore, let’s put on some insurance.

I searched for that little bit of insurance…and then approached the three people who were being picked on. They were just about to grab the girl’s hands. That was close.

“Hey, what a coincidence. All three of you were here? Are those people your friends?”

I greet the group with a beaming smile and call out to them with as much friendliness as possible. I don’t call them by their names. Privacy is important.

The three girls turned to me as if surprised by my sudden appearance, but…the men raised their eyebrows and gave me an irritated look for calling them out so abruptly.

“What? Who are you?”

They were at a low boiling point.

I wish I had a fresher smile on my face, like when I talked to the girls. Well, the smile was not too subtle.

The one who was threatening me and was most aggressive in talking to the girls was a handsome man with long brown hair that reached his shoulders, wearing a slantwise hat.

However, he wasn’t as handsome as Shibetsu-Senpai. He was a degraded Senpai. I don’t mean to be rude to Senpai, so I’ll just call him that in my mind.

“I’m their…”

“Aah!? If this has nothing to do with you, then stay out of it, you Cockroach man. You don’t want to see the pain, do you? Now get out of my sight.”

…….At least let me finish my sentence. They told me I had nothing to do with it, and I even got the dishonourable nickname “Cockroach man”.

The two men behind him also looked at me, grinning and laughing at the words of the degraded Senpai. Degraded Senpai vs Cockroach man…sounds like a B-tier movie title. It doesn’t look like it’ll be a hit.

“Are you listening to me!? If you have nothing to do with this, then get the hell out of here!!”

“I’m not unrelated, errr…I’m…”

I look at them, a little freaked out by the boys yelling at me.

From the looks of it, even if I say I’m their friend, it’s irrelevant. What should I say? I saw that Otofuke-san and the other two were shooting me worried glances.

The one who looked particularly worried was a mature girl I didn’t recognize. She was looking at me as if she was about to cry.

My gaze crosses with hers. I looked at her and signalled. Yeah, I’m sorry for making you worry. I smiled to reassure her.

….Hmm?

There’s something familiar…about her eyes. That eye, if I’m not mistaken, could it be…? No, but…I’m not quite sure.

But……sorry if I’m wrong, Nanami-san. I apologize in my mind to my girlfriend. Then I pointed to a girl I didn’t recognize among the three.

“I’m the boyfriend of that girl over there. As her boyfriend, it’s only natural for me to help her if she’s being picked on, right?”

I don’t recognize the girl I pointed to. That’s for sure. But I did recognize her eyes, which were looking at me with concern.

I told them that I was that girl’s boyfriend.

And then the three men burst out laughing when they heard that. Was it something so funny?

Their anger and laughter were at a low boiling point,

“Oh, you’re that geeky girl’s boyfriend? Alright then, just take her home with you. Cockroach man and plain glasses make a good match. We’ll just take the other girls…”

“No, it doesn’t work that way. The other girls don’t like it either, right? I can’t just leave her friends behind.”

This time, I interrupted degraded Senpai’s words.

I must have really pissed him off because he grabbed me by the collar and yelled at me as if he were about to punch me.

“Don’t try to act cool, you bastard!! If you don’t want to be killed, get your ass out of here!! Do you want me to get rid of you and your girlfriend too!? Haa!?”

At the very moment I was grabbed by the collar, the insurance I had taken out arrived. Even though I had predicted it, the timing was perfect.

“What are you doing, sir…? Would you please come this way so as not to disturb the others?”

There were several strong looking security guards.

They surrounded the men, including us, to keep them from escaping. I was surprised to see that there were more people than I had anticipated.

“Ah? …No….we aren’t particularly doing anything?”

“Oh, security. You’ve come to the right place. He attempted an assault. Could you please call the police?”

“Huh!? What do you mean by assault!? I didn’t do anything!!”

The man(Degraded-Senpai), who was still holding my collar, glared at me and raised his voice with a mix of surprise and anger.

“Don’t you know? Just grabbing someone’s chest is a charge of assault. There are so many eyewitnesses, so you can’t get away with it. The police will arrest you.”

I tried my best to calmly tell the truth while desperately holding down my body, which was almost shaking with fear. It was hard to keep my voice from trembling.

I’ve heard stories like that before, though my knowledge is based on what I heard on the internet. Well, it’s just a scare tactic since it’s actually not that easy to call the police…

As though frozen by the word “arrest,” he couldn’t take his hand off my chest.

“Wouldn’t you two be just as guilty with this guy?”

I turned my head to the two remaining men, not caring about the man who was still holding my collar.

I look at them and open my mouth.

I don’t mean to say that they were guilty of the same crime just because they were with him…but when they met my gaze, the smile they had on their faces just had faded away, and they instantly looked worried.

“O-Oh…we have nothing to do with him. That guy just said let’s pick up a girl and… He’s the one who grabbed you by the collar, so he’s the one who should be arrested.”

“T-That’s right. We just hung out with the guy. We have nothing to do with him. I don’t care. Hey, let’s go.”

Are these people’s friendships that fragile……Two of the Degraded Senpai’s companions try to leave the box surrounded by security guards.

The man(Degraded Senpai) had a look of despair and anger mixed towards them.

“Well, he’s indeed the only one grabbing him by the collar…the two of you probably have nothing to do with it. So you can go.”

They seemed relieved to hear their words, and then they broke through a small gap within the crowd of security guards and made their way.

They really just abandoned him fast…

“Oi! Wait, you guys! You guys!!”

On the other hand, the abandoned man(Degraded Senpai) finally let go of my collar and tried to chase after them while they were running away…but he was stopped by the security guards.

Not that I really want to prosecute him for assault or anything, so I’ll just leave the rest to the guards as it is. I don’t care about the rest once we get the girls out of here……

The first thing I did was to thank the guards and run over to the three of them.

“Are the three of you alright? Sorry I couldn’t help you guys in a cool way.”

“No, no, no. Thank you, Misumai. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve nearly punched them.”

“I really thought that Hatsumi was going to beat that guy to a pulp, but I’m relieved.”

Otofuke-san made a fist and brought it in front of herself, and Kamiechi-san looked at it worriedly.

…Hey? Could they actually have managed this on their own without my help?

“You’re strong, aren’t you, Otofuke-san…?”

“I’m often picked up when I’m dressed like this. To protect myself…I have my boyfriend train me. Perhaps, he’s even stronger than most men.”

“Oh…?”

“Hatsumi’s boyfriend is her stepbrother. Have you heard of Otofuke Souichirou?”

“Step-siblings can get married, so there’s no problem.”

Unfortunately, I was not familiar with martial arts and had never heard of that name. But if such an older brother was training her, I wonder if I did something unnecessary.

However…it seems that Otofuke-san is a very strong person. Her stepbrother being her boyfriend sounds like something out of a comic book.

“Then, if that’s the case, I wonder if I did something unnecessary?”

“No, no, thank you for rescuing me. If that was my stepbrother, he would’ve drilled holes into those persistent bastards…I-I mean boyfriend, since he said that he’ll bodyguard me all the way.

If so, I’m glad to hear it…? I hope that doesn’t mean I did anything unnecessary.

“But, Misumai, that was amazing. Is this also the power of love? Hey, Nanami? It’s time to stop pouting and join in on the conversation.”

Kamiechi-san called out to the quiet girl behind her. I finally realized that my prediction was correct.

I looked into her eyes again…and I knew I recognized those shining eyes behind those glasses. Those beautiful eyes were…

“Nanami-san?”

“Un…yes…Youshin…thanks for helping me. A-Also, I’m glad that you recognized me…even in this outfit…”

There she was, dressed entirely different from school…Nanami-san was dressed in an outfit that could be said to be the complete opposite of the one she wore at school.

…Well, I wasn’t actually sure. But I was wondering if that was the case.

“I like gal fashion, but I also like to dress like this… When I hang out with the two of them, I tend to dress like this…um…did I disappoint you?”

“…That’s not true. You’re cute, and it looks good on you. You see, I’m such a dark cockroach, all-black up and down. I wonder if this is what you call a bad outfit?”

Otofuke-san and Kamiechi-san laughed at my words. Yes, that was a casually good expression. As for me, I was more pleased than angry.

Well, I’m glad I bought clothes today. I got to meet Nanami-san and save her from a pick-up. I could have done without the pick-up artist, though.

“But still, how did you know it was me?”

“That’s the power of love, isn’t it?”

“Is that true Misumai-kun?”

When they said that, my feelings of guilt rose to the surface. I didn’t save her because I was sure she was Nanami-san. I know they’ll be disappointed if I tell them that, but let’s be honest.

“No, sorry. I thought the eyes looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure. I just thought she looked like Nanami-san. Are you disappointed?”

Hearing my words, Nanami-san slowly shook her head and smiled at me. She was wearing glasses and dressed differently than usual, but that smile was her usual smile.

“No, I’m not disappointed. I’m just happy that Youshin’s a kind and gentle person who helps me even when you don’t know it’s me.”

“I-I see. I’m glad. It was scary, but it was worth the effort.”

Now I know why she never sends me a picture of herself. I guess she was hesitant to show me her appearance. But I think that’s kind of cute, too.

For a little while, Nanami-san and I looked at each other, forgetting who was around us. That alone made me feel happy.

What interrupted this was what the two were saying to each other.

“M-Man, it’s hot, isn’t it? Why don’t you two go on a date? Oh wait, you guys have another date tomorrow, right? Two days in a row?”

“That’s right. It’s time to go!”

With those words, we were brought back to reality. Nanami-san was angry at the two of them for teasing her, and I couldn’t help but smile faintly.

I thought that it would be okay if the two of them agreed, but…I looked down at my own outfit and reconsidered it.

“I’d love to, but I’m here today to buy clothes for tomorrow’s date…..so the three of you can have fun today as planned.”

“Youshin, did you come all the way here…to buy new clothes?”

“No, you see. I only have this kind of clothes, so I thought doing this was just right. I’ll see you tomorrow in something a little different, so please look forward to it.”

Nanami-san looked a little apologetic.

Please don’t make that kind of face.

Because seeing Nanami-san now, I’m glad I came to buy clothes after all. When I look at my own outfit again, it really was pitch black, and it makes me feel embarrassed just standing next to Nanami-san.

I should be satisfied just to see her today, even if it was unexpected. Any more than this, and I feel like I can’t take it anymore.

“I see. You do what you gotta do, Misumai. Well then, better save the fun for tomorrow.”

“I’ll borrow her for today. See you, Misumai.”

The two seemed convinced and took Nanami-san, who still seemed a little reluctant to leave the place, with them. I bid farewell to Nanami-san with a “see you tomorrow,” and she silently shook her head and followed them.

Then, as I turned around, Nanami-san’s question hit my back.

“Hey, Youshin…which one do you want to see tomorrow?”

I turned around and looked at Nanami-san. It was a very difficult question, but I thought about it in my own way and answered with a smile.

“Either way is fine, as long as Nanami-san is dressed in a way that is natural for her.”

She smiled happily at my answer, though it seemed to annoy her when I requested lunch.