The sound of the alarm clock brought me to my consciousness clearly. I lifted my heavy head from the pillow and checked the time. The meeting with Saito was at 10:00 a.m., so there was still time. Iāll take my time and get ready.
I ate breakfast and got ready as I always do when I go to my part-time job. I fixed my hair, put my bangs up, wore my contacts, and I was almost finished. The only thing left is my clothes, but Ichinose checked them last night, so there should be no problems.
(Iām nervousā¦)
I let out a small breath as I looked at my reflection in the full-length mirror as a final check. I have been restless since a while ago. Itās not that Iām in pain, but I feel like my chest is clogged up. Iām happy and Iām looking forward to seeing Saito on her day off, but anxiety keeps smoldering in my chest.
Do I look weird? I think I look more reasonable in my current appearance, but I donāt know if Saito will think itās cool. I hope sheāll notice, even if only a little.
Besides, would I do well on a date? This was the first time Iāve ever asked a girl out before, and Iāve never gone out with a girl alone before. Although I have done a lot of research on the internet to prepare for my date, thereās no guarantee that sheāll enjoy it, and my anxiety continues to grow. No matter how many deep breaths I take, it wouldnāt go away.
(ā¦.Well, whatever. Letās go)
Looking at the time, it was past 9:30. The more I think about it, the more it grows, but thereās no time to worry about it now. The only thing left to do is to let things be as they would be. I let out a sigh and headed to where weāre supposed to meet.
ā¦ļøā¦ļøā¦ļø
I reached the entrance to the square in front of the station and checked the time from my watch. The arrows pointed to 9:50. Iām relieved that I wasnāt going to be late for my first time. After all, being late on my first date would be unacceptable, so itās great to know Iām not late.
I had a little more time before the appointment, but for now, I decided to wait inside the plaza. When I entered, I saw Saito sitting on a bench at the back of the plaza.
[ā¦Hnggh!?]
It took my breath away. I was speechless for a moment, admiring how pretty she was around the cold white landscape around me.
Saito was so stylish and pretty that you could tell even from a distance. She was wearing a long light brown skirt of satin fabric, which wasnāt seen often, and a dark brown knit on top. Over that, she wore a fluffy white boa fabric jacket. It suited her very well, and combined with her well-groomed appearance, it was very eye-catching and it was hard to take your eyes off of her.
She usually lets her hair down at school, but today sheās wearing the scrunchie that I gave her and has another hairstyle. I was so happy to see her wearing something I had given her that for some reason, my face became hot for a moment.
At any rate, I should talk to her. I slowly moved my legs, that had frozen in admiration, towards her.
Saito was holding some kind of canned drink with both hands while huffing and puffing. As I got closer to her, I could see things that I couldnāt before. In her ears, hidden by her hair, a pair of thin peach-colored flower earrings were swinging.
Other than that, perhaps her other makeup is different than usual. Her red lipstick was ever so slightly bolder and covered with gloss ā so hot.
Saito, who looked neat and prepared but also somewhat glamorous and different from usual, made me more nervous as I approached her.
Should I call out to her?
Looking around, I saw a few people passing by giving her glances. For a moment, I hesitated to speak to Saito, who stood out from the people around her and was dazzlingly beautiful.
As I got closer, wondering what to do, she suddenly turned to me, perhaps noticing my footsteps. Her lovely eyes met with mine.
[Yo]
[ā¦.Eh, Tanaka-kun!?]
When our eyes met, Saitoās expression relaxed for a bit, then her eyes immediately widened and she froze.
[A-Ahhhā¦ howād you know itās me?]
Weird. My disguise was perfect, and Ichinose even said so, I thought she wouldnāt notice. Saito then glanced at me.
[Ummā¦ Whatās with the outfit?]
[Ahh, wellā¦. Since weāre going out together, I thought I needed to be dressed up. Besides, it looked as if you wanted to see me dressed up during Hatsumode]
[Oh, that time. You remembered it]
[Well, just a bit. Is there something weird about me?]
[No, thereās none. I was just surprised how it turned out]
[I see, well thatās good]
Thatās a relief.
[Come to think of it, how did you know it was me?] (TN: guy got ignored the first time, sadge)
[Ehā¦?]
[Yāknow, because itās quite different from what I usually wear. And Iāve done my hair and didnāt wear my glasses. I definitely expected you to be wary of me first, thinking I was someone else. So how did you know?]
[Oh, uhh, uhmm, thatāsā¦]
She glanced around in a panic and held the can in her hand tightly.
[Itās that, you know, Iām with Tanaka-kun on a daily basis, so itās easy for me to notice changes if its only on that scale]
[Is that how it works?]
[Yes, you can tell when you youāve spent almost every day with them] (EDN: Apparently not though)
[I see. Well, it saved me the trouble so Iām glad you noticed]
Itās not that complicated, but itās certainly not surprising that she would notice if we saw each other almost every day. And she also knew I was coming, so maybe that helped.
Well, itās somewhat different from what I expected, but judging from Saitoās reaction, I would say that I surprised her. A sense of fulfillment filled my heart.
[Sorry to keep you waiting]
[No, I was just here early, donāt worry about it]
[Okay then]
First, I complimented her about her outfit. Thatās what I read on the internet and I wanted to do it soon, but how should I start?
[Umā¦ You look very fashionable today]
[Thatāsā¦. Itās because Iām going out with Tanaka-kun. Is it weird?] (TN: Thatās a crit damage)
She looked at me, her eyes showing a little anxiety.
[No, absolutely notā¦ I think it looks nice. It suits you well]
[I-is that soā¦]
She was so pretty that I was captivated when I first saw her. Saitoās cheeks turned even more crimson and her expression relaxed, with embarrassment mixed in.
[ā¦.Phew]
Without doing anything special, Saito was already cute, but now that sheās using makeup, her cuteness feels almost like a poison. I feel it the closer I get to her. Her cuteness appropriate for her age mixed with a glamor thatās strangely sexy and makes me feel nervous.
[Okay, letās go]
I tried to walk away as quickly as possible. But, I was stopped by a tug on my sleeve and the words [Ah, um, wait]
[ā¦Whatās wrong?]
[Ahmmā¦ I forgot to tell youā¦ Lend me your ears]
She asked me to do so with puppy eyes, and I bent down a bit to Saitoās level. Saito got closer to my ears and made a tube with her hands.
[ā¦ā¦Tanaka-kun as well, you look very cool] (TN: GAHDAMNNNN)
Her breath tickled my ear. And with those sweet whispers, a numb feeling ran down my back. I gasped in shock, and my cheeks felt hot. I couldnāt help but step away and turn towards her.
Saito smiled coyly, somewhat maturely, and placed her white fingertips on her red lips.
[Come on, letās go]
Satisfied, she turned her back on me and went ahead. I thought as I looked at her back, my cheeks were still very hot.
ć¼ć¼Ahhh, looks like Hiiragi-san was right, Saito seems very aggressive today.
AN:
The date section has finally begun. What did you think of it? I think it was quite satisfactory for me (*Ėļø¶Ė*)
Well, thatās one hell of a beginning for sure. Gotta supply them insulin bois, need more for sure. Also massive shout out and thank you to Fran for the big big donation. Iāll start trying to pump more in the middle of school hell. We should be finished by the end of the year, but we all know how bad I am with promises