The day of my date with Akari had finally arrived; I’d spent the whole morning deciding what to wear.

“Do I look okay like this?”

I tugged slightly on my shirt to get a better look at it, it was a simple white T-shirt.

I kept walking through the downtown streets until I reached the meeting spot. 

“I don’t see her yet, did I get here early?”

I glanced toward the entrance of the mall.

“I don’t think even a year’s worth of work would be enough to let me buy anything here.”

It was truly impressive. 

“Sora!”

A voice in the distance called out to me. 

“Akari!...”

My initial excitement faded almost immediately...

She's so cute!

She was wearing a top that revealed a bit of her stomach without looking too revealing, paired with a pair of light blue jeans.

“Did I keep you waiting? I’m sorry.”

She was a little out of breath, as if she’d just been running. 

“No, no, don’t worry, I just got here.”

“Thank goodness, I was afraid I’d be late.”

“Didn’t you hear your alarm?”

I asked, curious.

“No, actually...”

She whispered, touching her hair. 

“Actually, do you want to go in, Sora?”

“Sure, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

We didn’t waste any more time; we went inside and started looking around.

Akari took me to a small shop that mainly sold women’s clothing. 

“This looks really nice.”

She remarked, looking at various items. 

I feel a little uncomfortable, only couples come in here.

I looked around. 

“So, Sora? Do you like it?”

She showed me a yellow dress, a very cute one. 

“I’m no fashion expert, but it’s definitely pretty.”

She looked at me, then dashed into the fitting room. 

What’s gotten into her?

It didn’t take her long; when she came out, she was wearing the dress. 

“So… How do I look?”

Her question caught me off guard, it really suited her, and I wasn’t the only one in the store who thought so. 

“You look really great.”

“T-thank you.”

She went back into the dressing room; I don’t know which of us was more embarrassed.

When she came out, she seemed back to normal. 

“Sora, try this on.”

She handed me a blouse.

It’s horrible!

I wanted to burn it, but she was so excited about it. 

“Y-yes, I’ll try it on.”

This time it was my turn to go in. When I looked at myself wearing it, I could only think one thing... 

I really think I’m going to burn it.

I came out feeling dejected, waiting for Akari’s opinion. 

“Yeah… Pf… It’s really perfect…”

She held back a laugh. 

“Hey! Did you know from the start that it looked awful!?”

I didn’t raise my voice too much. 

“Ha ha, sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

“Seriously!?” 

Looking at myself closely, I realized what she found so funny.

After taking off that shirt, we left the store. 

“Want to get some ice cream?”

she suggested.

“Why not? Ice cream it is.”

As we walked through the mall, Akari led me to an ice cream shop; after picking out our flavors, we sat down to eat them.

“It’s really delicious.”

She seemed happy, she’d gone with vanilla, after all, and I followed suit.

“Wow, they really make good ice cream here.”

I remarked, bringing a spoonful to my mouth. 

“Right? I stop by here often whenever I can.”

I kept eating. 

“Listen, Sora, can I ask you something?”

Her request surprised me, so I nodded in agreement. 

“A few days ago, some girls joined our class. Are they, by any chance, your girlfriends?”

“What!?”

I almost choked on my ice cream.

I coughed repeatedly. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, the question just caught me off guard.”

I chuckled. 

Why bring that up so suddenly?

“Those girls… They’re the ones Shiori and I defended from the bullies.”

I started talking about them, and for some reason She felt reassured.

“I get it now. Sorry about the question, I was just curious.”

“Not at all. To tell you the truth, I’ve never had a girlfriend.”

I admitted, a little hesitantly.

“Really? I wouldn’t have guessed. I thought you were the popular type.”

She took the last bite from her cup.

“What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

The question came out almost spontaneously. 

“Not right now. I had one, but it didn’t work out…”

She kept stirring her spoon gently.

Better not to talk about it.

“Well, if that’s okay with you… How about we continue our tour, Akari?”

I smiled at her, stood up, and held out my hand.

“Of course, let’s continue.”

She took my hand, and we walked like that for a while; when we realized it, we quickly pulled our hands back. 

We spent the rest of the day visiting other stores; before we knew it, the sun was already setting. 

“Sora, I think it’s time to go.”

I nodded, and we stopped shortly after the entrance, in front of a small fountain by the side of the road.

“They’re coming to pick me up here… you can go if you want.”

She said, in a bitter tone.

“See you tomorrow.”

She added.

 

“If you don’t mind… can I stay with you a little longer?”

The area suddenly seemed quieter to me; my remark caught her off guard.

“I… I’d love to.”

She smiled.

We sat down on a nearby bench and waited. 

“Akari, I really had a great time today. Thank you.”

“Me too, and there’s one more thing—”

A car pulled up right in front of us, cutting her off. 

“Miss Akari, I’m sorry I’m late.”

A middle-aged woman was behind the wheel.

Miss? She has a private driver!?

I knew she was a model, but I didn’t think she made that much money.

“Sora, what are you waiting for?”

She opened the car door. 

“We’ll give you a ride.”

What!?