I was currently standing in front of a fountain in a bustling shopping district.
I was waiting for Yuzuru.
“Arrived. You’ve been waiting, Hieta.”
Hearing her voice, I turned my head.
There stood Yuzuru, dressed neatly and elegantly.
“Hello, Yuzuru. You look so different today I almost didn’t recognize you.”
That wasn’t just flattery. She really did radiate a different vibe than usual.
Of course, it wasn’t as if I’d actually fail to recognize her over something so minor.
“Confirmation. Is it strange?”
At her question regarding her appearance, my teasing instinct flipped on.
“Yes. It is a little strange.”
“Th-that—”
“Strangely enough, you look even more beautiful, Yuzuru.”
“······!”
Her face flushed crimson, and before long, it felt as if steam were rising from her head.
“···Humiliation. You’re mean.”
“Ahaha, sorry. But those were my real feelings, weren't they?”
Yuzuru answered with a silent nod.
“Then, I’d appreciate your escort.”
“Response. Leave it to me.”
And so, our date began.
“Ah! Hieta!”
“Yes?”
As we were walking, we ran into Tonomachi, who handed me a sheet of paper.
“What’s this?”
“Do you happen to know someone named Shiori?”
“Ah...”
As I listened to Tonomachi and looked at the paper, I realized it was a missing-person flyer.
More specifically, a flyer searching for Shiori—Itsuka's female form.
Seeing Itsuka’s face printed in large detail on the right side of the flyer, I broke out in a cold sweat.
“Question. This is...”
As I stood there staring at the flyer, Yuzuru grew curious and peeked at the paper in my hand.
Then she, too, lost the ability to speak, mirroring my own shock.
“I-I’m not really sure. If I see her, I’ll let you know.”
I managed to stammer out a response and quickly led Yuzuru away from the scene.
“Confirmation. That was Shido, right?”
“Yes. More specifically, Itsuka-kun in female form.”
I tucked the flyer into my inventory.
I’d have to show it to Itsuka-kun later.
“Arrived. Here we are.”
“Ah, we’re already at—?”
The sign on the shop Yuzuru had led me to read, in bold letters: *Turtle and Viper*.
As far as I knew, there was a common belief that turtle meat was good for stamina...
No way, right?
“W-why are we here...?”
“Mistake. Let’s go somewhere else, Hieta.”
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I had almost feared I was about to be dragged into something perverse again today.
“Question. Hieta, is this an art gallery?”
The place we entered next was indeed a gallery.
“You came in without knowing? This is a gallery. A place where they hold small exhibitions or sell displayed works.”
For reference, it was exactly what the word "gallery" implies.
“Understanding. It makes me feel calmer.”
Yuzuru looked around at the paintings displayed throughout the room.
Judging by the gentle smile on her face, she seemed to mean it sincerely.
I didn’t personally feel that particular effect, but since Yuzuru was happy, I could only smile while watching her from behind.
After some time passed, our next stop was a 100-yen shop.
Even I had never been to this particular one, so it was quite interesting.
“Amazement. There are so many kinds of things. Can all of these really be bought for the same price?”
“Yes, well. Pretty much.”
Yuzuru browsed the aisles before stopping in front of a necklace.
She picked up the packaged accessory and stared at it for a moment before turning her gaze to me.
“Request. Hieta, I want to buy this.”
“Uh... I don’t mind paying for it, but are you sure? You don’t have to pick something so cheap. Wouldn’t it be better to choose something more expensive somewhere else?”
“Refusal. This is enough.”
Seeing the smile Yuzuru gave me, it truly seemed that this was all she wanted.
“...If you’re fine with it, then I don’t mind.”
“Thanks. Thank you very much.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Even after choosing the necklace, we didn’t leave immediately, spending more time exploring the other sections.
Eventually, Yuzuru stepped away for a bathroom break, and I waited quietly while checking my phone.
Tug— tug—
“Huh? Didn’t you just leave... wait, you’re?”
Someone tugged at my collar. I looked up to see the blonde girl I had encountered before.
She continued to tug on my clothes while pointing urgently at something.
She was pointing at the display where the necklace Yuzuru had picked out was located.
“Um... do you want me to buy you one?”
The girl simply nodded, apparently having no intention of speaking.
I had no idea what the deal was, but it wasn’t a difficult request. I bought a necklace with a different design from Yuzuru's and handed it to her.
“Here you go.”
However, the girl just took the necklace and stared blankly at it.
“Sigh... Let me help you with that.”
She clearly didn’t know how to put it on, so I gently took the necklace from her hands and fastened it around her neck.
“This is how you do it.”
At my words, the girl bowed as if thanking me and looked curiously at the jewelry now hanging around her neck.
She looked like an innocent child, which was actually quite cute.
“...You have a cute side to you.”
“···!?”
Oops. I’d accidentally spoken my thoughts aloud.
The girl’s eyes went wide, and she immediately bolted out of the store, disappearing into the crowd.
I scratched the back of my head, thinking I’d messed up, and decided I should apologize if I ever ran into her again.
“Arrived. I’m back.”
“Ah, then should we head somewhere else now?”
As we were making our way to the next destination, Yuzuru suddenly stopped.
“Hm? Why all of a sudden?”
“Change. Arrange...”
Ignoring my question, she muttered those words and dragged me into a building beside us.
A short while later, we emerged from the building, both of our faces flushed red.
“······”
“······”
An awkward silence hung between us until Yuzuru finally spoke.
“S-sorry. Yuzuru didn’t know it was that kind of place...”
“Ah, it’s fine. That happens.”
The place Yuzuru had dragged me into was a DVD room.
Why was I reacting like this if it was just a DVD room?
Because the problem was that it wasn’t just any DVD room. It had the words “for adults” prominently displayed in front of it.
Anyway, after leaving the DVD room, we visited a few other spots.
By then, the sky had turned a deep orange, signaling that the date was coming to an end.
We walked side by side, heading home.
“Thanks. Thank you for today, Hieta.”
As soon as we arrived in front of her house, Yuzuru thanked me.
I replied,
“No. As long as you were satisfied, that’s enough for me. For today only, I’m your personal Hieta.”
After all, what was the point of going on these dates?
To ease their jealousy.
Beyond that, I believed that when you're on a date, you should do your best to accommodate the other person.
So as long as the request didn’t cross a line, I was willing to do pretty much anything.
Thankfully, everyone had kept their requests within reasonable bounds.
With that thought, I continued.
“So this time, let me say it. Thank you for giving me such a different experience today, Yuzuru.”
I bowed politely as I thanked her.
There were actually many places on our route that I’d never visited before, and I wanted her to know I appreciated it.
“······.”
When no answer came, a strange sense of unease began to creep up on me.
Drip— drip—
As patterns began to appear on the ground, my anxiety doubled. I hurriedly lifted my head to check Yuzuru’s face.
Tears were rolling down Yuzuru’s cheeks, staining the pavement a darker color.
“Y-Yuzuru!?”
Seeing her cry, I panicked and froze up.
Then, Yuzuru hugged me tightly, burying her face in my chest.
“Please let me stay like this for a moment.”
Noticing that her speech had returned to a normal tone, I simply agreed and stayed still until she let go.
“Haa... Sorry. I’m sorry for showing you something so unsightly.”
“N-no, it’s fine. But why all of a sudden...?”
“Explanation. To be honest, Yuzuru was anxious. She wondered whether she had truly satisfied Hieta or not. But after hearing what Hieta said, all of those worries disappeared.”
Hearing her words, I understood why she had been crying.
I didn’t know the full depths of Yuzuru’s heart, but based on what she just said, these were tears of relief.
Carefully stroking Yuzuru’s head, I said,
“There’s no way I wouldn’t be satisfied with a date with you, Yuzuru. You’re so beautiful. Don’t worry about something like that at all.”
Feeling my touch, Yuzuru fell into a quiet silence.
When I looked closely at her face, wondering if something else was wrong, I saw that her cheeks were slightly red.
So Yuzuru could get embarrassed too.
I had assumed she was immune to such things during our seduction contest last time.
While I was thinking that, Yuzuru opened her lips.
“Thanks. Thank you for saying that. And...”
Smack—
“?!”
As she leaned in, I felt something soft against my cheek.
It was the unmistakable touch of Yuzuru’s lips.
“Promise. I’ll treasure this.”
Clutching the necklace I’d bought her tightly in her hand, Yuzuru spoke, leaving me to touch my cheek in a daze, staring at her.
Then, covering my face—which was now as red as a beet—with one arm, I replied,
“...Yeah. If you say that, I’m happy too.”
“Hehe.”
Seeing me like that, Yuzuru smiled and headed inside her house.
As for me, I spent a considerable amount of time in my room, drenching my head with cold water and trying my hardest to forget what had just happened as quickly as possible.
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