A Date

A Date

By a bench at Elm Mall,

Sakura stood there blankly, clutching her phone with a nervous expression.

Her attention was fixed on the entrance to the electronics store.

There had been no major issues after her camera was checked, so it had not been repaired. The clerk's gaze had made her very uncomfortable, so Sakamoto had gone into the electronics store to retrieve her camera for her.

Last night, Sakura had planned to find a suitable place to take photos, but she had accidentally been mistaken for a thief. When she was discovered crouching in a corner, only God knew how wildly her heart had been pounding.

And today, when she was being harassed by that strange clerk, she had run into Sakamoto again...

Sakura took a deep breath and murmured softly,

"Girlfriend..."

Just now, Sakamoto had actually said they were "boyfriend and girlfriend" to help her out. But...

She was not that opposed to it. It seemed... kind of nice.

"You can be."

"Huh?"

The little hamster, Sakura, stared in surprise at Sakamoto, who had suddenly appeared. Oh no, why was her heart jumping around and pounding so hard today?

"S-Sakamoto, when did you get here?"

"When you said 'girlfriend.'"

"Then you heard... heard everything..."

Her voice gradually faded. The little hamster buried her head against her chest like an ostrich and did not dare say another word.

Seeing Sakura bury her head again and pretend that if she could not see him, he could not see her,

Sakamoto suddenly found everything he had done today rather amusing.

He gently comforted Sakura.

"Sakura, there's something I need your help with. Only you can help me."

"Huh?"

"Raise your head first."

Sakura raised her head, revealing thick bangs and black-rimmed glasses that made her look inconspicuous. Yet through those glasses, one could see her flawless skin and delicate features.

Sakamoto smiled. "Come to the mall with me."

Under the sunlight, the dazed girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"Th-This is... a date!!" Sakura thought.

So that's what this is? I'll do my best! Sakura chose to trust her heart. Airi trusted her sixth sense very much—Sakamoto was someone she could trust.

"Mm."

Sakura answered, then shrank back again. She was already prepared to go on a date with Sakamoto!

"Spiders?!"

"Yes. Aren't they interesting?"

"Mm." Sakura sounded disappointed. This was not the date scene she had imagined.

Looking at the various spiders in the insect pet store, Sakura timidly edged closer to Sakamoto.

Sakamoto smiled slightly, seemingly completely unaware of her expression.

"Look, that's a Dimension-Mimic Spider. Web-building spiders share one trait: they tend to wait for their prey. They spend quite some time constructing their webs and patiently wait for prey to arrive. Once prey carelessly gets caught in the web, they pounce, wrap it in silk from their abdomen, and make it their captive."

Sakura nodded, only half understanding.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Sakamoto, weren't you here to buy a spider?"

"That? A hunter only needs one." That was a lie. Sakamoto simply already had a spider...

The two left the insect pet store. Sakura looked at Sakamoto, not knowing where they would go next. She hoped it would not be another scary place like that. Lowering her head, she followed him.

Seeing that Sakura was in low spirits, Sakamoto stopped and took out the newly bought camera.

"Sakura, you always have a camera in hand. You must be very good at photography."

"Huh? Probably..."

"Then, Sakura, please take a photo of me."

"O-Okay."

Click.

A photo of Sakamoto standing beside a tree was captured.

Sakamoto leaned over to take a look.

"It came out really well, Sakura."

"Th-Thank you. ^-^"

"Can I have this photo?"

"Ah. o-o" Sakamoto took the photo.

"Next, it's time to take a photo of you, Sakura."

"My turn?"

Sakura pointed at herself with an incredulous expression.

"N-No, I can't."

"You absolutely can. Since you like photography so much, you'll definitely take beautiful photos. You might even become an idol."

Sakamoto's gaze was sincere as he leaned forward slightly.

His words made Sakura's eyes flicker with embarrassment. She really did like taking photos.

And she was indeed a gravure idol. She even had five thousand followers on a certain website. Do not underestimate five thousand followers—on that website, that was already impressive. It was just that due to school rules, she had stopped updating her blog.

Because of her personality, she was not very comfortable revealing the identity she had always kept hidden in front of others.

"Come on, give it a try. You'll look adorable..."

Looking at Sakamoto's smile, Airi felt as though she were basking in sunlight, warm and gentle...

"I-If Sakamoto likes it, then I'll give it a try."

Airi lacked confidence. Normally, to avoid people's gazes, she had deliberately made herself look unattractive to reduce the chances of drawing attention.

But to make Sakamoto happy, she would work hard to show her beautiful side.

She had always longed for someone who understood her heart...

"Sakura, smile~"

Click.

A sweet photo was taken and placed in Sakura's hands. She gazed at it.

The sweet smile on Sakura's face lingered for a long time.

"Th-Thank you... Today, I'm really, really happy. Sakamoto protected someone like me. From now on, I-I also hope, hope..."

"What do you want me to say, Shizuku?" Sakamoto looked at Airi with a faintly teasing smile.

The emotions the girl had been gathering were interrupted halfway, replaced by intense embarrassment.

"You obviously know, yet you still say that. You did it on purpose. Back by the bench too..."

Airi bashfully covered her blushing face. There went the courage she had worked so hard to gather.

Sakamoto was really... too mean...

"Airi."

Hearing her name, the girl lowered her hands from her face.

Sakamoto's gaze rested on her. Their eyes met, and then he suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"It's getting late."

"Mm, it is."

The girl's blush outshone everything—

Gently, slowly, Sakamoto bent down slightly and softly stroked Sakura's cheek. He could feel the long lashes of the girl before him tremble, the flush on her cheeks becoming ever more alluring.

Their breaths gradually mingled. At the moment their lips touched, time seemed to stand still.

Ding-dong. The doorbell rang.

Hashimoto opened the door and found Sakamoto, the chef who had been gone for ages.

"What were you doing? You came back so late—I'm starving."

"Alright, alright, I'm back now, aren't I? The ingredients are ready. Today, I'm making sweet and sour ribs."

"Sweet and sour ribs? I heard about them a long time ago. I've really wanted to try them. Huh, what's this? A camera—"

"Something very important. There are a few recording pens too. Take one."

"Oh, okay."

Hashimoto took the camera and recording pen from Sakamoto.

"This cost quite a lot of points, didn't it?"

"One hundred thousand."

"One hundred thousand? This camera really wasn't cheap."

Hashimoto curiously fiddled with the camera, and while exploring it, he discovered a photo.

"Well, isn't this a photo of you? Never thought you were such a narcissist."

Hashimoto teased him.

Sakamoto ignored the frivolous man's babbling. After putting things away, he began cooking.

Inside Sakamoto's pocket, Sakura's photo rested quietly, tilted and slightly bent. The girl in the picture seemed to have lifted the corners of her lips as well...