Repeating the same routine of home to school, training to class, time finally reached Sunday. Faced with the long-awaited date, Hayato dug out a casual outfit, used hair wax to style his hair for once, messaged Kiyoko-senpai, and left the house.
Hayato wore a short-sleeved shirt pieced together in ocean-blue stripes and pure white, with a plain white tank top underneath. He paired it with loose gray cropped shorts and white high-top flat shoes, making him look both sunny and handsome.
Kiyoko-senpai emerged from her house not long after he waited at the door.
Her hair had clearly been styled, and she wore light makeup. Unlike usual, Kiyoko-senpai was wearing contact lenses today, and her glossy, hydrated lips showed that she had put on lipstick as well.
She wore a white off-the-shoulder blouse with lace trim, tucked into a black bodycon skirt that ended above her knees and secured with a slim black belt. Her straight, fair legs were wrapped in sheer pantyhose, and she wore white lace-up high-heeled sandals.
She even carried a pink-and-white women's handbag.
Seeing Kiyoko-senpai looking completely different from usual, Hayato's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"K-Kiyoko-senpai??"
His stammered call made Kiyoko-senpai cover her mouth and smile. That smile alone seemed to steal Hayato's heart away.
"What, you don't recognize me?"
"N-No, it's just... why are you dressed up like this today? And Kiyoko-senpai, you can show your legs now?"
"Mm, Mom knew I was going on a date today, so she specially helped me put this together. What do you think? Does it look good?"
Judging by how fast Hayato nodded like a pile driver, Kiyoko-senpai's outfit was absolutely perfect. Seeing how satisfied he was, Kiyoko-senpai smiled and continued explaining.
"Didn't you say that my scars weren't ugly? So I decided to listen to your advice too."
"It looks good. It looks really, really good."
Kiyoko-senpai smiled as she walked over and linked her arm through Hayato's.
"So where are we going next? Do you have a plan?"
Hearing her ask that, Hayato quickly snapped back to his senses and puffed out his chest.
"Of course. I made a detailed plan for today. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
The boy and girl walked toward the station arm in arm.
Since it was Sunday, the train was packed. Kiyoko-senpai was dressed so beautifully that she drew plenty of attention, but the moment Hayato stood beside her, many people gave up on approaching. No one wanted to try their luck against someone over 190 centimeters tall who looked like he could fight.
After arriving at the aquarium, Hayato took out the tickets he had prepared.
First, he accompanied Kiyoko-senpai as they admired all kinds of marine life by the tanks. During that time, he used the knowledge he had crammed beforehand to tell her plenty of interesting facts about the creatures, and Kiyoko-senpai listened happily.
The dim surroundings and the soft light shining from the tanks made the atmosphere between them even more intimate. By the time they came out, they had gone from linking arms to holding hands with their fingers intertwined.
"This is so fun. Where are we going next~?"
"How about the dolphin show?"
"Really? Let's go, let's go."
Excited, Kiyoko-senpai tugged Hayato toward the dolphin show venue.
After finding seats at a medium distance from the stage, they both eagerly awaited the start of the show. They had chosen the middle because the back was too far away to see clearly, while the front seats could get splashed by the waves kicked up when the dolphins leaped.
"Dear guests, welcome to the aquarium dolphin show. Today, three adorable dolphins will be performing for everyone~ They are~"
Each time the announcer called out a name, a dolphin leaped from the water to greet the audience. Once the dolphins and their trainers had been introduced, the show officially began.
From balancing balls to jumping through hoops, the adorable dolphins and their trainers completed many performances together. Every time they finished one, Kiyoko-senpai clapped happily.
The show ended perfectly, leaving Kiyoko-senpai thoroughly satisfied. Hayato then took a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and gently wiped the droplets of water from her hair.
"You got splashed here. Let me wipe it off... Mm, there. All clean."
After wiping her dry, Hayato gave Kiyoko-senpai a gentle smile. With the sun directly behind him, he seemed to be glowing in her eyes.
"Mm, thank you."
Kiyoko-senpai curled a finger around a strand of hair by her temple, hiding her embarrassment.
After completing the first step of his plan at the aquarium, Hayato took Kiyoko-senpai to the nearest shopping mall. This time, they were going to buy some everyday clothes. Kiyoko-senpai hesitated when she heard they were shopping for clothes.
"The clothes here must be expensive, right?"
"Don't worry. After I told Dad about it, he specially sent me some dating funds."
Hayato took out his wallet and gave it a shake, showing that money was no problem. His father, who worked overseas, made good money, so Hayato had always had it easy when it came to living expenses. And after learning from his son that he was going on a date with his childhood friend, his father had directly transferred him a sum for future date expenses.
With several extra zeros suddenly added to his account, Hayato was full of confidence.
Salespeople were the same in every world. The moment one saw the handsome boy and beautiful girl enter the store, her eyes lit up and she hurried over. Whenever either of them showed even a little interest in an item, she praised it to the skies, as if not buying it would be a huge loss. Kiyoko-senpai had no idea how to deal with someone like that, and Hayato noticed, so he politely asked the saleswoman to let them browse on their own.
The saleswoman had wanted to say more, but Hayato's height and the intimidating look on his face when he wasn't smiling made her think better of it. In the end, she could only tell them that she could give them a discount if they found anything they wanted before returning to her seat.
Among the dazzling variety of clothes, Kiyoko-senpai picked out a black-and-red baseball jacket for Hayato. Hayato checked the price when he took it from her. It was very cheap; it seemed Kiyoko-senpai was still being considerate of him.
Hayato put the jacket on and walked to the mirror to inspect himself from top to bottom. Then he turned and asked for Kiyoko-senpai's opinion. Naturally, she was very pleased with the clothes she had chosen, and after seeing how they looked on him, she praised him for suiting them perfectly.
However, when Hayato suggested picking something for Kiyoko-senpai too, she refused. Hayato then used matching couple outfits as an excuse to choose two T-shirts with cartoon kittens on them: the white kitten was Kiyoko-senpai's, and the black kitten was Hayato's.
After paying, the two left the clothing store carrying paper bags with their clothes inside, accompanied by the saleswoman's bowing farewell and her words, "Please come again."
"I won't be wearing this with you just yet."
"I know~ It's fine. We can buy it now and wear it later. I saw you looking at that kitten two or three times, Kiyoko-senpai."
They continued walking while teasing each other. Hayato had planned to treat Kiyoko-senpai to a meal at a highly rated sushi restaurant nearby, but before they reached it, she suddenly stopped.
"What is it, Kiyoko-senpai?"
Whenever they walked together, Hayato always adjusted his pace to match Kiyoko-senpai's. The instant she stopped, he noticed and stopped as well, asking her what was wrong.
"It's just... I..."
Kiyoko-senpai stammered for a long time without saying anything. It did not match her behavior today at all; instead, she looked like the shy, reserved Kiyoko-senpai from before they had talked things through.
Since Hayato could not get an answer, he looked around. Then he noticed that they were standing in front of a lingerie store. Guessing what Kiyoko-senpai wanted to do, Hayato felt his cheeks grow warm too.
"Um, Kiyoko-senpai, don't tell me you want to take me in there to buy... buy something?"
Knowing that Hayato had understood what she meant, Kiyoko-senpai simply committed herself. She turned her head away, refusing to look at his face.
"Didn't you say my underwear wasn't cute enough before? Then you can pick some now. You can choose the underwear you think is cute."
Before you continue