Chapter 67.

Chapter 67. Executing Operation, Codename: Date, Afternoon. (3/4)

“Oh? What are those?” Rosa asked curiously when she noticed the items in my hands.

“They’re momentous or souvenirs I guess. Here, you can have them.” I tossed the fox over to her and she caught it. I also handed over the circular capsule with the necklace inside. While hugging the red fox up against her chest, she immediately opened the small capsule to reveal a necklace with a heart-shaped frame ornament with a crescent moon at the center of the heart.

Rosa’s eyes lit up when she saw it, it seems she liked it a lot. She didn’t waste any time and immediately put the necklace on.

“You like it?”

“Do you even need to ask? If I didn’t like it, would I have put it on so fast? The stuffed animal is also really cute.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.”

“Oh, but what about the other ones you have?”

“Well, I got them both by accident. I was aiming for the fox but ended up getting the bunny next to it first. It was bad luck so I had to spend more than expected to get the fox. As for the capsule I was down to my last coin and figured I’d just use it. I ended up fishing up two of these with one attempt out of pure luck.”

“The bunny doesn’t really suit you though, I figured I’d just give these to her as a thank you for letting me rest and also accompanying Rosa for so long playing DDR.”

“What? There’s no way I can accept it. Just let Rosa have it. She’s your girlfriend.”

“But he’s right though, a yellow bunny like that really doesn’t suit me. I’d rather not take it, to be honest. If you don’t take it, this guy is the type to just throw it away you know. It’s just going to go to waste. It’s the same with the capsule. I don’t need two necklaces and would never wear two after all.”

“You’d really just go and throw them away if I don’t take it?”

“Yeah. So just accept them. It’s not a big deal.”

I tossed the two items over at once. Flustered, she just barely caught them.

“You should throw things like that. The bunny has feelings too. You could have also broken the time in here if I missed and didn’t catch it.”

“I was sure you’d catch them.”

“Liar. You just didn’t care, right?”

“Right, right. I didn’t care at all, so you can take them without worry.”

She puffed out her cheek then shortly after averted her eyes to the side. She opened up the capsule in her hands and this time the necklace revealed was quite similar to the one Rosa pulled out. The only difference being, in place of Rosa’s crescent moon, was a sun in the middle of the heart frame.

I couldn’t help but feel the two necklaces reached their rightful owners. A sun for someone who stood out so much and a moon for the one who hid themselves away in the night.

She seemed a bit happy with the necklace, but she didn’t put it on right away the way Rosa had. She was about to put it away in her pocket when Rosa, without any warning, snatched it out of her hands.

“Jeez, what are you doing? You should just put it on, it suits you well.”

“I can’t do that, it’s too embarrassing… with the heart and all.”

“Oh? So you dislike the necklace then?” Rosa asked.

“N-No… I quite like it, it just doesn’t feel appropriate for me to wear it…”

“Stop getting so hung up on the little things and just wear it already.” Rosa forcefully put it on around Alicia’s neck despite her protests.

Seeing the two wear them I had a strange feeling while looking at the scene. It was too harmonious. These two friends, that is. Was this sort of thing normal for friends? I wouldn’t know since I didn’t have any to make a direct comparison to. Though looking at other friends I’d seen as a third-party observer from the outside, it didn’t seem normal at all.

Rosa was obviously up to something. Something I didn’t like. Behind my back, outside of where I could see. She was definitely plotting something…

When she said she wouldn’t mind playing for the wrong team, perhaps this was what she meant. She’d be willing to take the side of the girl I declared as my enemy. Meaning… Rosa was trying to get me to accept Alicia as a friend.

But it still didn’t feel like that was all. Was she trying to set me up with her? But why? Why would she want to do that?

Was she planning to break up with me post-graduation after all, then leave Alicia and me behind while she runs off on her own? I had no way to know. It was something I had to clarify with her again at some point to make certain.

If she planned to run off… I would accept her decision. I’m not going to try and force someone to stay if there’s something they want to do. It could be that she’s realizing this sort of laid-back lifestyle really isn’t for her after all. She might want something more exciting. 

But still, I will never allow her to succeed if she plans to try and push Alicia onto me. That’s not for you to decide, Rosa. She and I are the only ones who get to make such a decision.

As my suspicions toward Rosa’s true intentions grew, the two in question were getting along swimmingly without me saying anything. They were, to be frank, two peas in a pod.

Haaaaah. It seems I may be dumped in the near future and go back to how life had always been for me.

Nothing lasts forever. You should enjoy what you have while you still have it. I guess that’s all our relationship means to her in the end.

There’s no point worrying over it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. My ideal style of life is a worry-free one.

I will still ask her about her intentions after this date to confirm everything. Actually, wait. I was just about to think to myself that I have plenty of time to do so, but is that really true? That sounds like a shit flag if I’ve ever heard one. Isn’t that like an awful omen? Some real shit tier foreshadowing that I hate the most in stories.

You know what? Fuck this shit! I’m done. I’m not going to follow the natural flow of those stupid things I hate. I see these braindead, dumbass scenarios in stories all the time, and honestly, from the bottom of my heart, they piss me the fuck off! Like what the hell! Everything could be resolved if they just aren’t a goddamn pussy and ask things outright without holding anything back. 

There’s no need for this forced drama bullshit just for the sake of ‘deepening a relationship’ through some nonsense. Fuck you. Fuck your shitty stories. Fuck the dumbasses who can’t write a good fucking romance to save their lives without the melodramatic bullshit that stretches on for what feels like an eternity just to milk the story until it’s dead. Yes, fuck all of that to hell! I’ll burn your shit into the ground if I ever find those jackasses! You got that!

“Rosa, do you plan on breaking up with me after graduation?” I just came out and said it right then and there without giving a damn about any complicated crap. Yeah, I’d read too many romance stories that ticked me off in my lifetime, I admit it. It got me pretty heated as both a reader and author.

Rosa’s eyes widened like she was looking at someone so dumb she couldn’t even fathom it, “What the hell are you asking me something so stupid for out of nowhere? Are you an idiot? Do you think for a second I’m going to go and abandon the boyfriend I’ve worked so hard for?”

“Thanks. That’s all I needed to know. It’s a weight off my back. Anyway, let’s move on with the date. We should head over to the book store now.”

“Yeah, sure. Hey, by the way, Alicia. Do you want to go to a restaurant with us after this? I’m sure you’re hungry after the workout we just had, right?”

“A restaurant? Should I really be going with you? Isn’t something like that supposed to be set for a romantic mood?” It seemed Alicia didn’t even care about my outburst just now. Even she thought my question was one of the dumbest things she’d ever heard me ask.

I really wanted to laugh. What the heck? My girlfriend’s not doing that? Then what is she doing? 

Oh well… I’m sure I’ll find out soon. After that outburst just now, I’m sure she’s realized I know she’s up to something and she will end up revealing it to me. I’ve just got to patiently wait at this point for when that happens.

“Rosa, what are you plotting?”

Ah, it seems I’m not even willing to wait patiently and pretend I don’t know. Whatever had gotten into me?

“Plotting? What do you mean?” She put on a face like she truly did not know.

Meanwhile, Alicia’s eyes were frantically darting back and forth between the two of us in a panic, convinced this development had all been because of her.

KiraMinoru

Author's Random Food Review and Story Time Segment

Warning: If you believe in the power of friendship still, don't read what lies within this spoiler. The content depicted is traumatizing(not really) and not intended for children with hopes and dreams. It is completely unrelated to this story. This is some 4chan green text story level shit.

As of November 30th, I checked something off my bucket list, no, make that two things.

For the first time in my pitiful little life... I tried... real ramen and yakisoba.

Yes, you heard that right, none of that instant stuff. The supposedly good expensive shit(ramen) that takes 12 hours to prepare the soup and broth. 

And if that wasn't enough, to top it all off, of all places I went, I got it from a... "Maid Cafe." 

This fabled promised land filled with the hopes and dreams of weebs near and far, the only one that happens to exist in my uncultured city filled with heathens and barbarians stuck in the stone age. It was a 30-minute drive from where I am in the city to downtown. I only got pick up as I was genuinely only interested in trying ramen and yakisoba, I was damn hungry. I really wasn't seriously expecting much out of the place.

The instant I stepped inside, the person was already at the door waiting with my food in hand. But even though my expectations were low, nothing could prepare me for the shock I experienced... to my great disappointment and dismay... the person wasn't even in a bloody maid costume.

Yes! That's right! I know, it's shocking! Traumatizing even! A maid cafe! But the person wasn't even wearing a maid costume? What is this false advertising!

To be honest though, I wasn't really paying much attention to the person with my food, my eyes were locked onto the bag with food in her hand that I'd long anticipated trying for years since my childhood. So I may have just not noticed she was in a maid costume, perhaps the shock was too traumatic that my brain is now blocking it out from my memory.

But seriously, I was inside that place for about ten seconds before I left and hadn't even bothered to look around inside. I was too eager to try the food. This was probably my greatest mistake. I got my expectations up.

The specific items ordered with ingredients are listed below.

Pork Yakisoba

Soy Ramen

Anyway, I spent another 30 minutes driving home after that. When I got home I immediately opened them up. I dumped the soup and broth into the ramen as fast as I could and tried some...

My... disappointment... was immeasurable.

I tried some more noodles thinking maybe I tasted wrong.

Alas, as I feared, it was completely average.

I took a bite out of the pork.

Well, it was alright. It wasn't anything I'd call out of this world though.

I tried the egg. It was gross.

I bit into the seaweed when I was already pretty sure I wouldn't like it, but by this point, I was desperately grasping at straws trying to find anything at all that could redeem this dish.

Sadly... my eyes lost it's light and grew listless as I lamented over how Naruto was a scammer. A ramen shill. The Sapporo Ichiban instant ramen I used to eat a lot in the past had a much more concentrated flavor than this shit.

At that moment, I regretted not letting real ramen forever remain a dream.

However, there was still the Yakisoba, I thought. Surely that wouldn't be disappointing, right?

I opened it up hesitantly and tried some.

Slightly sour.

Flavor, bland at best.

I despaired.

Anime had lied to me.

The Tooth Fairy did not exist.

The Easter Bunny was a fraud.

Santa Clause was a sham.

But Ramen and Yakisoba, I believed in you!

Right up until the very end... I believed... that... that one last thing I treasured near and dear to my heart from my childhood had not been a cruel lie.

I dreamed a dream, where I would enjoy this day so much.

But all of it, in but a brief instant, was shattered.

I couldn't help but look up to the ceiling devoid of everything that makes one human and think to myself, 'God does not exist. No, the god of ramen does not exist. At least, if he did exist, he had certainly not smiled down favorably upon my sorry ass.'

The only thing that remained was the hole in my heart and the eternal void left behind inside my wallet. I paid $28 for this shit! I could have bought two orders of Cantonese chow mein from the restaurant I actually like only five minutes away! God damn it!

Mistakes were made.

Many mistakes were made.

The end.

This was the day the last bit of innocence in my pitch-black heart faded away into nothingness.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my wasted $28 I'll never get back.

At least I got some content to write out of it.

On a side note, I had no idea what to order from the list of ramen and yakisoba they offered. I just picked something I thought maybe I'd like. For all I know, the others they had might have tasted good.

I might have just been one of the unlucky poor saps who missed out on the beautiful girl(ramen) that I'll now never get to know. We just failed to cross paths, and now I'll never know... what could have been if this ramen wasn't so damn mediocre. I sure as hell am not gambling my money away on ramen and yakisoba trying to hit the jackpot again after this. I'll stick to being the primitive frog at the bottom of the well slurping on my instant-made processed shit thank you.

Let this be a lesson to all, don't let your childhood memories be crushed by reality like me.