CH 74

(…It’s today huh)

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. I’ll 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.

(I’m nervous…)

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. It’s not that I’m in pain, but I feel like my chest is clogged up. I’m happy and I’m 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 don’t know if Saito will think it’s cool. I hope she’ll notice, even if only a little.

Besides, would I do well on a date? This was the first time I’ve ever asked a girl out before, and I’ve never gone out with a girl alone before. Although I have done a lot of research on the internet to prepare for my date, there’s no guarantee that she’ll enjoy it, and my anxiety continues to grow. No matter how many deep breaths I take, it wouldn’t go away.

(….Well, whatever. Let’s go)

Looking at the time, it was past 9:30. The more I think about it, the more it grows, but there’s 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 we’re supposed to meet.

♦︎♦︎♦︎

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. I’m relieved that I wasn’t going to be late for my first time. After all, being late on my first date would be unacceptable, so it’s great to know I’m 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.

[…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 wasn’t 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 she’s 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 couldn’t 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 — 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]

[….Eh, Tanaka-kun!?]

When our eyes met, Saito’s expression relaxed for a bit, then her eyes immediately widened and she froze.

[A-Ahhh… how’d you know it’s me?]

Weird. My disguise was perfect, and Ichinose even said so, I thought she wouldn’t notice. Saito then glanced at me.

[Umm… What’s with the outfit?]

[Ahh, well…. Since we’re 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, there’s none. I was just surprised how it turned out]

[I see, well that’s good]

That’s a relief.

[Come to think of it, how did you know it was me?] (TN: guy got ignored the first time, sadge)

[Eh…?]

[Y’know, because it’s quite different from what I usually wear. And I’ve done my hair and didn’t 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, that’s…]

She glanced around in a panic and held the can in her hand tightly. 

[It’s that, you know, I’m with Tanaka-kun on a daily basis, so it’s easy for me to notice changes if its only on that scale]

[Is that how it works?]

[Yes, you can tell when you you’ve spent almost every day with them] (EDN: Apparently not though)

[I see. Well, it saved me the trouble so I’m glad you noticed]

It’s not that complicated, but it’s 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, it’s somewhat different from what I expected, but judging from Saito’s 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, don’t worry about it]

[Okay then]

First, I complimented her about her outfit. That’s what I read on the internet and I wanted to do it soon, but how should I start?

[Um… You look very fashionable today] 

[That’s…. It’s because I’m going out with Tanaka-kun. Is it weird?] (TN: That’s a crit damage)

She looked at me, her eyes showing a little anxiety. 

[No, absolutely not… I think it looks nice. It suits you well]

[I-is that so…]

She was so pretty that I was captivated when I first saw her. Saito’s cheeks turned even more crimson and her expression relaxed, with embarrassment mixed in.

[….Phew]

Without doing anything special, Saito was already cute, but now that she’s 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 that’s strangely sexy and makes me feel nervous.

[Okay, let’s 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]

[…What’s wrong?]

[Ahmm… I forgot to tell you… Lend me your ears]

She asked me to do so with puppy eyes, and I bent down a bit to Saito’s level. Saito got closer to my ears and made a tube with her hands.

[……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 couldn’t help but step away and turn towards her.

Saito smiled coyly, somewhat maturely, and placed her white fingertips on her red lips.

[Come on, let’s 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.

ーーAhhh, 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 (*˘︶˘*)

Well, that’s 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. I’ll 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