Date Planning With The Girl at The Part-time Jobā”
She turned away from me and remained silent for a moment, then coughed and turned back to me, while she was still blushing.
[Iām sorry about that⦠Anyways, I think itās a good idea to hold hands at the movie]
[I see]
[Yes, itās⦠no one hates to hold hands with someone they like]
Her eyes still looking down, hesitantly talking, as if her embarrassing comment from earlier still remained.
[I understand. For now, I would like to start with a movie first. Then after thatā¦]
[Yes, where would you go next?]
[Iām thinking of going to a cafe somewhere for lunch since itāll be around noon when the movie is over. Weāll have something to talk about after the movie]
[I think thatās nice⦠maybe set something up there too?]
[Etto⦠yes]
Holding hands was something I talked about before, so I didnāt feel too embarrassed. But when it comes to talking about other things like flirting, I still feel embarrassed.
[What will you do, by the way?]
[We would feed each other]
[ā¦Uh, that means that right? The āAhhhā?]
She looked around restlessly, and her cheeks went from red to crimson with a shy expression on her face.
[Yes. itās a little embarrassing, but if it makes her feel shy, Iāll do it]
[W-well, I think thatās fine as well]
[I see. Then, Iād like to keep going]
She looked like she had some thoughts about it, and her voice was a little strained, but it seemed like she had no problem with it. I patted my chest in relief that my plan was approved.
[What are you going to do after lunch?]
[She likes cats, so Iād like to go to a cat cafe. I want her to genuinely enjoy the cat cafe, so I donāt intend to do anything special there. And thatās it, thatās where the plan ends]
[I see. I think the plan is good. It sounds like fun. But still. Itās surprising⦠Tanaka-san, are you used to dating women?]
She looked like sheās reluctant to say it, but she looked at me when she said it.
[No way! Itās my first time. What makes you think that?]
[You have a decent plan, and surprisingly, youāre⦠very aggressive with that girlfriend of yours]
[Ah, thatās what you mean. As for the date plan, I was just searching the internet and seeing what I could use]
Iāve never been on a date. Without the internet, I wouldnāt even be able to make a proper plan. I wouldāve ended up going to a bookstore and stopping there. Well, I guess that means I was able to plan a date good enough for it to be suspicious.
[And, well, I guess Iām being aggressive because⦠dates are special]
[Special, is it?]
She asked curiously and tilted her head.
[Yes, when weāre together, I rarely do anything that makes her aware of me as the opposite sex. She trusts me and is always by my side, so I think itād be disrespectful to her if I have an ulterior motive]
[ā¦I see]
Hiiragi-san nodded her head after understanding my words. After all, itād be difficult to be alone with Saito in a room and not have any ulterior motive. But, to show it would be a betrayal to Saitoās trust, so I usually spend time concentrating on books and not worrying about it.
[I want the one I like to be aware of me as the opposite sex once in a while. I want her heart to beat, and I also want to see her embarrassed] (TN: beat was originally doki-doki, but I didnāt put it like that cuz cringe smh)
[I-I know what you mean! Sometimes you want to feel the person you like to be aware of you]
[Ah, yes, thatās right]
Hiiragi-sanās voice suddenly rose and she began to fumble her words, which startled me for a bit. It looks like Hiiragi-san also has someone whom she likes, so I guess I could sympathize with her. (TN: get a f*ckin hint ya dumbass)
[Well, thatās why Iām asking her out so she can view me as the opposite sex. Of course, I wouldnāt do this if she thinks of me as just a friend, but that doesnāt seem to be the case]
[I see what you mean. Iām convinced. But please be careful, okay?]
Hmm, somehow, Hiiragi-san smiled somewhat confidently. Not understanding what she meant, I asked her back.
[Be careful?]
[Yes, because she might feel the same way. Maybe the next date, sheāll be more aggressive?]
[ā¦I see. Iāll keep that in mind]
I canāt imagine Saito being aggressive, but maybe, that could be possible. For some reason, I couldnāt escape from Hiiragi-sanās devilish smile, which looked like it was teasing me, and it stuck in my mind.