Chapter 75 ~ Double Date

Chapter 75 ~ Double Date

Dressed in a checkered blue, white, and black collared shirt over a black t-shirt and long, black jeans, Raku stood in front of the train station while fiddling with his phone. His promised lock necklace dangled down his neck as he looked around once in a while to see if his companions had arrived.

It was the day he had been dreading... The day of his “date” with Chitoge.

He couldn’t even begin to explain how much he had been dreading going on a date with such a violent and unreasonable girl. If he had a choice, then he’d rather go on a date with Onodera instead, or not at all.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have a say since it was ordered by his father to make sure this fake relationship wasn’t found out by the rest of the Shuuei clan members. After all, this fake relationship between him and Chitoge was the only thing that’s preventing all out war between the Shuuei yakuza clan and Beehive Mafia gang.

Chitoge was similarly dreading it, apparent from the short, concise message she sent to Raku to decide on the time and place of their meeting. But, she didn’t have a choice in this either. So, both of them had to bite the bullet so that no real bullets would kill members of their family’s clans.

Thankfully, Yuuji helped him alleviate the situation a bit by turning this date into a “double date”. He’ll be joining along with Viktoriya on the pretext that he’ll be introducing her to the various places in the city, and act as a couple in this fake double date.

With the two of them with him, Raku could finally feel a bit of relief. At the very least, he wouldn't need to face this kind of thing alone...

Just then, he began hearing gasps and whispers coming from people around him. He looked up from his phone and saw many of the females looking in one direction with wide eyes and redly blushing cheeks as they covered their gaping mouths, while the males all had a look of shock on their faces.

It was a familiar sight that had now become synonymous to a premonition of his arrival. And as Raku expected, he saw Yuuji’s figure at the center of everyone’s attention and awe.

Dressed in a gray, collared shirt and navy blue jeans with an obsidian diamond necklace that rested right below his bare collar bones, Yuuji’s mere presence turned heads and stole hearts as he walked towards him.

He was dressed in nothing especially eye-catching, but he looked as if he had just walked out of a fashion magazine for male top models. His chiseled, slim, yet muscular body figure and stunning countenance were the ones that enhanced his fashion instead of the other way around.

Even as a guy, Raku couldn’t help but look at him in awe with his mouth agape.

“Hey, did you wait long?”

Yuuji waved his hand in a casual greeting. He had arrived around 15 minutes early from the promised time, expecting that Raku wouldn’t arrive yet given how much he had been dreading it. So he was quite surprised to see him already here.

If he knew he would come early, he would’ve stopped working on his multiverse messaging app earlier and gotten here sooner to accompany him.

“Eh?! Ah- No, I just got here.”

“I see. Viktoriya will be here soon. How about Chitoge?”

“...I don’t know. She might be here soon too, I guess?”

Yuuji looked at him weirdly, slightly surprised.

“Eh? Aren’t you in contact with her?”

“Huh? Of course. She sent me the time and place for our meet up.”

“... Beyond that?”

“No. Why would we...?”

A sigh escaped Yuuji’s lips as he shook his head. And in a slight and inconspicuous movement, Yuuji leaned in towards Raku for a whisper.

“Ryuu and the Shuuei clan guys are already here hiding around us. You should act like you’re really dating her.”

“H-Huh?! T-They’re already here? Where? The date hadn’t even started yet!”

Raku glanced around in a panic. He had been saying all this stuff because he believed they’d only come once they begin their date. He didn’t know they’d be here already!

He acted as if he didn’t care about Chitoge while talking with Yuuji. What if they notice?!

He tried to find even a glimpse of Ryuu and his father’s subordinates, but even after finding out that they’re here, he couldn't find anyone from his clan.

“You should act better. At least look like you care. I’ll do my best to assist you.”

“A-Alright... T-Thanks.”

Raku took a deep breath and calmed himself, steeling his heart and hardening his resolve to do this for his family. Rêạd new chapters at novelhall.com

A few minutes later, Chitoge arrived with her ponytail tied by her beloved red ribbon fluttering in the breeze. She wore a cute white top with loose frills around her shoulders and a blue ribbon on her chest, a blue skirt, and a red handbag with a long strap hung over her shoulders.

And the moment she saw Yuuji, she froze mid step and was mesmerized for a moment.

Wow... He looks so cool...!

A loud thump reverberated in her chest, which quickly became louder and more frequent with every passing moment.

But as she was appreciating his figure, her bubble was popped by the beansprout’s voice.

“Y-Yo! Good morning...”

Her eyes narrowed as she shot a glare at him. But when she saw his face, she noticed his forced smile and twitching lips.

What’s wrong with this beansprout...? His face looks even weirder than usual.

Such thoughts crossed her mind. But in the next instant, she remembered that Claude and several other members of the Beehive gang had also come to watch this date unfold!

Crap! I-I need to act like I like him!!!

Her lips curled into a forced smile and she raised her voice slightly.

“G-Good morning, darling~! I’m sorry for making you wait~!”

Chitoge wanted to barf as she internally cringed at her own voice and action.

And while she was cringing, Yuuji nudged Raku and whispered.

“Compliment her outfit.”

Immediately, Raku tried his best to come up with compliments to give her.

“Y-You look very good, today! Y-Your outfit is very cute!”

“T-Thanks. Y-You look good too...!”

Raku stammered while he complimented her with a forced smile, and Chitoge returned the compliment with twitching lips.

Seeing these two act like this, Yuuji couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head inwardly.

I’d rather show Viktoriya around with Mira, Aika, Yuna, and Nina...

Deciding to break the awkward atmosphere, Yuuji intervened with these two awkward people and greeted Chitoge.

“Good morning, Chitoge. You dressed up very nicely. Are you excited for this date?”

“A-Ah, good morning, Yuuji! Y-Yes, I am. T-Thank you so much. Ahahaha!”

A pink blush emerged on Chitoge’s pale white cheeks, and this time, her voice was even higher than when she replied to Raku.

She averted her gaze down, occasionally glancing at Yuuji, as she fidgeted with her hands and feet.

“Are your parents doing well? I’ve heard that your father is doing quite well for himself in Japan, but Hana-san is as busy as ever.”

“U-Uhn. Papa is doing well for himself. But mama is... busy. It’s just the usual though.”

“I see...”

Yuuji frowned slightly when he heard a twinge of sadness leaking out from the tone of her voice as Chitoge failed to mask her true feelings.

Chitoge’s mother, Kirisaki Hana, was a world renown business consultant and one of Mira’s close friends.

They’ve been very close since they were young, and although their path began to diverge when Hana chose to focus on her career while Mira chose to focus on her family, they still maintained close contact with each other. Or at least, as much contact as they could considering Hana’s packed schedule.

Yuuji also remembered meeting her a few times in the past. Although it was only a few times and only for a few moments, she treated him very kindly every time they met and he already considered her his aunt.

But, as perfect as she seemed, she was not without fault. She had always been a very driven woman, but she was an especially stubborn one.

Yuuji had always admired her as a businesswoman comparable to even Mira, the person he admired the most in the world. But after seeing how much she neglected Chitoge and her family, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

Unlike his step-mother who wholeheartedly took care of their family in exchange for pursuing her career, Hana chose to take her career into the sky and left her family. It was inevitable. After all, there’s only so many hours in the day.

Even so... Yuuji still couldn’t agree with her decision.

Looking at Chitoge’s lonely expression, Yuuji began to think if he could somehow help Hana with her situation...

Perhaps I should make an AI that could help with Hana-san’s work...?

With the MCGX Supercomputer and his “Programming Proficiency”, there’s almost no software, no matter how fantastical it was, that he couldn’t make.

He had made a software that could predict the stock market with more than 90% accuracy and almost completed a software that would allow him to chat with people from different worlds. A simple AI that could help a world renown business consultant shouldn’t be that hard, right...?

I should consult Mira about this... And maybe Mayumi as well once I completed the multiverse messaging app.

In that moment, the system architecture for what would be known as the greatest business consultant AI began to form in his mind.

But just then, his thoughts were halted when she noticed Viktoriya’s arrival as she was making her way towards them.

“I’m sorry for making you wait!”

Dressed beautifully in a frilly, light yellow, one-piece dress that matched her golden hair while holding a light blue purse in her hand, Viktoriya appeared in a slight jog.

It was still five minutes before the promised meeting time, but she felt bad for making the three wait.

Yuuji smiled softly and immediately greeted her.

“Good morning, Viktoriya.”

“Good morning, Yuuji! I’m sorry for being late.”

“You’re not late. We all just got here. Don’t worry about it.”

Yuuji shook his head and handed her a handkerchief.

“A-Ah, d-danke...”

With blushing cheeks, Viktoriya shyly took the handkerchief and lightly wipe the sweat off her forehead.

“You look beautiful, Viktoriya. Your light yellow one piece suits your beautiful golden hair very well.”

Viktoriya bloomed with a bright smile at his compliment.

“Hehe~ Thank you, Yuuji! You look very handsome as well!”

“Thank you. I’m glad that I at least don’t look like a bum beside you.”

“Ahahaha, what are you saying, Yuuji? You never look like a bum!”

The two exchanged giggles before Viktoriya turned towards Raku and Chitoge, who were watching them with lightly blushing cheeks, and bowed her head.

“Good morning, Kirisaki-san, Ichijou-san. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“N-No! You didn’t make us wait, Serebryakov-san!”

“That’s right! Ah, and please just call me Chitoge! You can also speak in English with me if you feel more comfortable with it.”

“Thank you, Ichijou-san. And I will do so from now on, Chitoge. Thank you for your suggestion, but I want to improve my Japanese, so I’ll try my best to speak Japanese as much as possible! Only if I can’t convey it in Japanese will I speak in english, okay?”

“Uhn! That’s fine! I’ll help you out as well!”

“Thank you!”

Watching the girls’ interaction with each other, Yuuji let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

Although it wouldn’t look too much like a date, at least with Viktoriya here, Chitoge and Raku won’t be interacting too much and risk revealing how much they hate each other to their families.

But perhaps he’d need to create chances for these two to interact with each other and make them seem like an actual couple to convince their families. If they don’t interact with each other at all, there might be a chance that the Shuuei Clan and Beehive Gang not count this as a date and a simple outing with friends.

“...No! I’ll do it on my own!”

“Then, can I at least teach you the trick?”

“Mm.”

Yuuji then began teaching her.

Unlike regular crane games, the crane game machines in Japan relied less in luck and more in skill.

Instead of trying to catch the prize with the weak crane arms in one fell swoop, they need to nudge the prize little by little using the crane arms until it falls into the hole.

For this particular crane machine, Viktoriya would need to nudge the cat toast plush from the narrow part of the opening to the wider part by nudging the plush to the right little by little.

But, it could get stuck easily even when it’s on the wider part of the opening since the toast part of the plush was very wide.

It took Viktoriya several tries of trial and error, and when she got stuck, Yuuji would call on the arcade staff member to help reset the position of the plush and put it in an easier place.

And after a few tries, the cat toast plush finally fell into the hole.

“I finally got it!!!”

“Congratulations! You’re getting the hang of it near the end, there!”

“Uhn! It’s all thanks to you! A-And uhm, I-I’ll pay you back for all the coins I used!”

Yuuji waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it. Is there anything else that caught your interest? I can help you catch some if you want.”

“Eh? Really...? Then...”

Viktoriya walked up to a crane game machine and pointed at it shyly.

“This... I-I really loved watching this anime when I was young...”

Yuuji looked at the crane game machine she was pointing at and couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

It was a crane game with the figure of “Genshiro” from “Fist of the South Star” as the prize.

A small giggle escaped Yuuji’s lips.

“I didn’t expect you to like “Fist of the South Star”. We’re not even born yet when this anime came out.”

“M-Mama showed me it when I was young, and I got hooked on it. I-It’s weird isn’t it? For a girl to like this kind of show.”

Yuuji shrugged and walked over to the crane game machine.

“No. It’s rare, but it’s not weird. Now, let me try this out.”

This time, the crane game machine needed him to drag the figure box forward by pulling onto the circular handle attached to its front and making it fall onto the hole in front of it. What makes it hard is that the surface in which the figure box was standing on was rubbery, making it very difficult to drag across.

For experts crane gamers, it would take 10 tries at the very least. Maybe less if they’re lucky or someone before them had moved it a bit forward.

But with Yuuji’s complete control over his body, his enhanced senses, and luck, it took him only three tries to get it.

“Here you go.”

“Wow! That’s amazing! Yuuji, you’re so skilled at crane games!!!”

“Thank you. Then, is there anything else you want?”

“Hm... I-Is it okay to have more?”

“Of course. Don’t hold back.”

“Then...”

The two then began emptying the entire first floor of the arcade. Every time Viktoriya pointed at a prize, Yuuji would help her get it in less than five tries. And before long, they’re already holding four large bags of plush, figures, and various merchandise that Viktoriya liked and also some gifts for Mira, Aika, Yuna, and Nina.

Then, after having their fill, they began to search for Raku and Chitoge.

“Hm? Where did they go?”

“They might be on the second floor. Should we go there?”

“The second floor?”

“Yes. Unlike the first floor, it’s filled with more traditional arcade games, like racing games, shooting games, or rhythm games. Do you want to see?”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

Yuuji and Viktoriya made their way to the second floor, and as they expected, they saw Raku and Chitoge there.

But instead of looking like a couple of friends playing together and having fun, they both yelling at each other while playing a cooperative shooting game.

“You stupid bean sprout! Can’t you even aim?!?! Is your hand-eye coordination that bad?!”

“You’re going too far ahead by yourself, you stupid gorilla woman! And shoot the grenades!!! We die multiple times because you only shoot the boss instead of the grenades!”

“Huh?! If the boss dies, then we won’t have to bother shooting grenades! You should shoot the boss with me!”

“That’s not how this game works!!!”

““...””

Yuuji and Viktoriya could only stare dumbfoundedly at them.

“A-Are they really a couple...? Do they even get along...?”

“...It’s complicated.”

The two exchanged their sentiments in German.

Yuuji let out a sigh... At least there’s no members of the Beehive Gang or the Shuuei Clan here on the second floor. So no one could see this mess.

“Well, let’s leave them to their... fun. Do you want to try playing the shooting games too?”

“Sure! I would love that!”

The two then began making their way to another cooperative shooting game machine and started playing.

And in contrast to Raku and Chitoge’s mess, they worked very well together. Their communications were clear and they would always cover each other. But the most impressive part that quickly attracted a big crowd towards them was their aim.

“Oi, are you seeing this? They’re insane!”

“He’s not missing at all... And that beauty’s aim is also insane!”

“I’ve never seen them playing in these parts... Are they God Gamers from a different arcade?”

“No way... They got to the final stage with just one life... I’ve never seen anything like this...!”

With Yuuji’s “Gun Proficiency”, it was impossible for him to miss when using firearms. So a simple shooting game in an arcade was child’s play before his skills.

But it wasn’t the same for Viktoriya. So Yuuji was extremely impressed with Viktoriya’s aiming skill.

“You’re amazing... I didn’t think you would be this good at aiming.”

“Hehe, I've also trained with firearms ever since I was young, and I’m quite used to it. Compared to that, the gun in this game doesn't have any recoil, so it’s easier for me to aim. You’re the amazing one, Yuuji! Did you train with firearms as well? I didn’t see you miss even once just now!”

“No. I’ve never trained with firearms. Perhaps, I’m just lucky.”

“If it’s only once or twice, then it might be luck. But you’ve never miss! You must have an incredible hidden talent with firearms!”

“Hahaha, thank you. Are there any other games you wish to play? Maybe we can play with Raku and Chitoge too.”

“Hm, then let’s play air hockey!!!”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Yuuji and Viktoriya then went to find the two and dragged the still fighting couple to play air hockey.

As usual, Chitoge and Raku fought all the way and blamed each other while Yuuji and Viktoriya had flawless teamwork.

And then, they played a basketball game where they shot basketballs into the hoop and tally their scores.

Needless to say, Yuuji got the highest score, followed by Viktoriya and Chitoge, who had excellent physical capabilities, and Raku.

Then, after playing around for a bit, the group decided to stop and head to another cafe for some tea and rest.

But as they’re walking out of the arcade building, Chitoge stopped in her tracks and stared at a crane game machine.

“...Chitoge? What are you doing?”

Raku asked as the whole group stopped and turned towards her. And when they follow the direction of her gaze, they saw the crane game machine with a blonde-haired gorilla plush within it.

“...Do you want that?”

Raku asked, and Chitoge immediately blushed.

“T-T-That’s right! It’s because you haven’t won anything for me yet!”

“Guhkk... I-It’s not my fault that I’m bad at this kind of stuff... Or rather, I can’t understand how Yuuji could get these many.”

Raku glanced at the four large bags of prizes Yuuji’s holding.

“Ahahaha... Then, do you want me to teach you?”

“...Sure.”

Raku let out a sigh. It’s a bit of a pain, but if he didn’t give Chitoge any plush or gifts, the Beehive Gang members might get upset at him.

Though... if he got her a gorilla plush, wouldn’t they also get upset as well...?

“Alright. Then, let’s try it out.”

“Mm...”

Yuuji tried his best to teach Raku. But, it turns out that he’s... very bad at it. No... Even that would be an understatement.

In the end, Yuuji had to help him using his “Space Manipulation” magic to keep the plush in the crame arms and with it.

“Finally...! This was a freaking scam!!!”

“No, you’re just too hopeless... Well, never mind that. Go on, give it to her.”

“A-Ah, sure.”

Yuuji pushed him towards Chitoge and watched as Raku gave her the gorilla plush with Viktoriya.

“Hehe~ I’m glad they made up.”

“...Yes.”

Yuuji then glanced around and sensed Claude, Ryuu, and members of the Beehive Gang and Shuuei clan’s presence around them.

Good. They must be watching this now.

With this, the purpose of their “double date” is reached. He didn’t know if they would be completely convinced, especially considering Claude’s cynical personality. But at least, they can’t rule out the possibility of them being a real couple completely.

Hah... I really hope they can fix this mess up quickly...