Does This Count as a Date?

The loudspeaker continued to blare, tireless and persistent.

"Meow, meow~~"

In the eyes of the onlookers, the actions of U Amakusa and Kamuro were nothing more than a young couple flirting, albeit in a rather peculiar fashion.

Wearing masks, playing cat sounds through a loudspeaker, and doing it all in such a public place.

It seemed they enjoyed performing like this under the gaze of the crowd.

Of course, in a diverse country like Japan, while such a hobby might be considered a bit eccentric, it seemed tame compared to other things.

But what did any of this have to do with U Amakusa? U Amakusa considered himself to possess an invincible talent.

That is—an invincible thick skin.

The soft, whispered words Kamuro spoke as she turned away reached U Amakusa's ears in their entirety.

Even though he couldn't see Kamuro's face, U Amakusa could tell just from her drifting, evasive gaze.

The expression beneath the mask was one of shame and shyness.

Perhaps Kamuro believed the mask was the perfect disguise; she kept reaching up, repeatedly checking to ensure it was still firmly in place. Her other hand was hidden behind her back, clutching her clothes tightly.

In such a public execution of a situation, any girl would feel uncomfortable, but what about the assertive Kamuro?

Her sudden softness and girlish, bashful demeanor...

Made U Amakusa's heart tremble slightly.

"Oh? Treat you to a few more meals? Am I really that easy to satisfy?"

U Amakusa leaned over to meet Kamuro's evasive gaze, wearing his signature mischievous grin.

Suddenly confronted by U Amakusa's tilted head, Kamuro met his eyes with shame and indignation, retorting unhappily, "What else do you want then!"

"Well, obviously... that's not enough."

"Huh?"

"I want to eat something you've made yourself."

"Absolutely not."

Without even half a second of hesitation, Kamuro's refusal spilled out, and the flushed cheeks beneath her mask slowly began to return to normal.

Clearly, this answer was within U Amakusa's expectations, and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then let's put a pin in it. I'll help you find the cat and make you owe me a favor. As you rack up more and more favors, you'll eventually be willing."

"In your dreams!"

"Who knows what the future holds? Maybe you'll even end up falling for me, who knows~"

"No..."

Before the denial could leave her lips, U Amakusa had already turned his back and raised the loudspeaker again.

The meowing from the speaker grew louder; U Amakusa was cranking up the volume, drawing even more eyes toward them.

Of course, U Amakusa didn't leave his other hand idle. Just like in the elevator, he reached out to take Kamuro's hand, preventing her from running off.

However, unlike before—this time, U Amakusa wasn't holding her wrist, but her hand.

The sensation against his palm didn't bring U Amakusa any great excitement; it was, one might say, quite ordinary.

He simply felt the warmth spreading across his palm and the slenderness of her fingers—finer than his own. Just that alone kept the corners of U Amakusa's mouth curled upward.

"Meow~ meow, meow~~"

They continued down the road, but the orange cat summoned by the loudspeaker had yet to appear. If they walked any further, they would reach the commercial district.

U Amakusa, leading the way, began to break out in a cold sweat. It wasn't from the attention of the crowd, but from the pain in his hand.

Watching U Amakusa endure the pain, Kamuro felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

As they entered the shopping street, the number of surrounding gazes increased exponentially, and Kamuro's grip tightened involuntarily.

Even with the mask on, this feeling of being on pins and needles was not pleasant.

Yet... the thick-skinned U Amakusa felt no discomfort at all; he was quite excited, though the pain in his hand kept his enthusiasm in check.

"This cat is really good at hiding, isn't it, Kamuro?"

"Don't say my name! Idiot!"

Fearing someone might have overheard, Kamuro glanced around, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized no one seemed to have heard.

"By the way... since we're already here, let's go take one of those."

"Eh? What..."

Without giving Kamuro time to react, U Amakusa turned off the loudspeaker and pulled her toward an arcade.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the people in the arcade, the 'Smiling Mask' pulled the 'Cat Mask' into the Photo Booth.

U Amakusa finished setting everything up to take the photos, only to be met by Kamuro's murderous glare.

"Why do I have to take this with you!"

Breaking free from U Amakusa's grip, Kamuro pulled back the curtain to the side, intending to leave.

For some reason, she now found herself half-believing the rumors that U Amakusa was pursuing her.

Thinking about how this rumor, which she had once firmly denied, now seemed to be true, Kamuro's cheeks flushed a deep crimson—a sensation entirely different from the shame of being seen in public; her face felt genuinely hot to the touch.

Faced with Kamuro's imminent escape, U Amakusa's choice was...

U Amakusa stepped forward to pull the curtain shut, then moved with lightning speed to snatch the Cat Mask off Kamuro's face.

"Do you still intend to go out now?"

Dangling the mask in his hand, U Amakusa wore a wicked grin behind his own mask, watching Kamuro in silence.

Without her mask, Kamuro naturally dared not step out; after all, the impression they had left on others was far too profound.

"Give it back to me!"

"Oh? I recall this mask being mine, isn't it?"

"Shut up!"

The two began a struggle within the cramped space, moving with extreme caution to avoid brushing against the curtain that shielded them from view.

Meanwhile, the Photo Booth began to record the memories between them.

Click—

"Look at the lens, say cheese~"

The Smiling Mask wrapped an arm around Kamuro's shoulders to pull her closer, but Kamuro wouldn't let him have his way, using her hand to push away his encroaching head.

Click—

Immediately after, Kamuro reached out to snatch the Smiling Mask still worn by U Amakusa, but he caught her hand mid-air.

U Amakusa pressed her small palm against his own, interlaced his fingers through hers, and held their hands locked together in the air.

Click—

"You! Pervert!"

With her cheeks flushed, Kamuro used the leverage from their joined hands to pull U Amakusa toward her, driving her elbow into his abdomen.

Click—

"Ouch."

U Amakusa couldn't help but cry out, then noticed Kamuro glaring at him with a reddened face, though she made no move to pull her hand away.

As Kamuro pulled again, U Amakusa's entire hand was forced into her embrace.

"Let's see how you dodge this."

Seizing the opportunity, Kamuro swiftly snatched the Smiling Mask off U Amakusa's face.

Click—

U Amakusa, his face now revealed, did not blush with shyness like Kamuro, but instead beamed with a refreshing, gentle smile.

Though he was a perverted bastard in Kamuro's eyes, one could not deny that his looks were top-tier.

In the first-year popularity rankings that would soon appear, U Amakusa would take third place.

Kamuro, who had been staring at the mask, was momentarily stunned by the sight of U Amakusa's exposed face.

Coupled with the proximity between them, Kamuro's heart began to race.

In that split second of hesitation, Kamuro—her hands occupied—was pulled into U Amakusa's embrace.

Click—

The moment of their embrace was captured forever.

Kamuro struggled to break free from U Amakusa's arms, her entire face burning red.

Releasing their interlaced fingers, Kamuro prepared to deliver a heavy punch to this damn pervert to show him what she was made of.

Seeing that Kamuro didn't seem to harbor any deep-seated disgust, U Amakusa grew even bolder.

He didn't care in the slightest about the fist Kamuro was aiming at him; since he had firmly committed to being a pervert, he might as well see it through to the end.

He quickly reached out to cup the back of Kamuro's head, brushed aside the bangs covering her forehead, and kissed her.

Click—

"Die—!!"

Taking a heavy blow to the abdomen, U Amakusa collapsed to his knees, much like the day they first met—only this time, it was for real.

Kamuro frantically scrubbed at her forehead, her face bright red as she cursed, "Scum! Bastard! Pervert!"

With that, she hurriedly put on her mask and prepared to leave.

Click—

At that moment, the final photo was taken, and the machine began to print out the series of actions it had just recorded.

Seeing this, Kamuro, still blushing, snatched up all the photos without hesitation, pulled back the curtain, and walked out.

"At least leave me one..."

U Amakusa clutched his stomach, donned the Cat Mask that Kamuro hadn't taken, and slowly followed after her.