"Are you sure about this?" Nanami asked as she sat beside Kazuya on my bed.

The two of them arrived a while ago—the Sasaki Kazuya and Saitou Nanami package as I like to call them because if you befriend the other, you would get an instant friend. I used to include Tanaka-senpai since the three of them went to the same high school but hearing me call them that made Nanami cranky.

It was Friday night—the day I had been anticipating since last week, the beginning of everything.

"You know that senpai's friends are mostly jerks and not even up your par." Nanami stood beside me in the mirror mounted in my wall. She only came up to my shoulders and she gestured for me to squat a little as she fixed my hair one last time. She came because she wanted to make it up to me for my last bad date.

"Hey! Not all of them are jerks." Kazuya joined us in front of the mirror. "Plus it's hard to find someone who would be par up to Fujisaki-senpai."

"Not that again." I shook my head. "For your information, I would like someone opposite of him."

Kazuya clapped his hands. "Well, I guess it's your lucky day. I'm pretty sure it's one of Tachibana-san's friends."

"See." Nanami's eyes brightened. "That's more obvious reason why shouldn't go. I still have someone I know and I promise you, it won't be so bad as the last time."

"Nanami." I put both of my hands on her shoulder, slightly brushing against the ends her short hair. "I know you're worried but would please set aside your antagonism for Tanaka-senpai. I'm sure the one you know is one of your boyfriend's friends. I don't want a repeat of last time."

She winced but she nodded.

"I guess I just have to try my luck. After the last one, what's the worst that could happen?"

Within an hour, the three of us were finally out of my apartment.

"Flats, really?" Nanami eyed my plain brown doll shoes.

I locked the door and turned to her. "Yes, really. It'll be less awkward if he turns out to be shorter than me. The least I could do is save his ego."

Kazuya chuckled. "But it would be more awkward if he turns out to be shorter even with your flats."

I made a face and shook my head, slipping my keys into my bag. "Are you sure you won't accompany me to Shibuya? For moral support or aren't you at least curious to know which friend I would meet?"

"I wish I could, but I still have a class tonight." Nanami straightened her white cardigan. "I already missed out a lot."

Glancing at Kazuya, he gave a small smile. "Sorry, Reiko, as much as I want to, Ren and I are also going out tonight but if this goes well—" He winked at me. "We can go on double dates as many as you want."

We parted ways when we stepped out from the five floors tall apartment building which was newly painted in blinding white before I moved in last March. Kazuya and Nanami headed towards the direction of the university while I went in the opposite way towards a different subway train station after I watched their retreating figures disappeared. I breathed in deeply twice, calming my nerves, realizing that I was sort of nervous. What if he turned out to be not only short in height but short-tempered too. That would be a disaster in the making.

He's just a guy. It's only a date, I told myself and continued walking.

I arrived ten minutes before the arranged time. I stood two meters away from the Hachiko statue, pretty relaxed than before, wondering what he would look like, and tying a red ribbon—our signal—to the strap of my purse though I doubted he could easily spot me because it was crowded with people who were also waiting for others. The sky had already turned dark with no moon in sight, but everything was brightly lit.

There was all kinds of buzzing from the indistinct chattering of people, one of the top songs of the week playing on the giant screen, and sounds of the busy streets I never expected I would miss. Well, not completely missed, but in this kind of place, I couldn't even hear myself think, and that was a comfort.

"Matsumoto-senpai?"