Does This Count as a Date?

The loudspeaker kept blaring tirelessly.

"Meow, meow~~"

In the eyes of the people around them, U Amakusa and Kamuro looked like a couple flirting, though they had a rather unusual way of doing it.

They were wearing masks, with a loudspeaker beside them playing cat noises. And they were doing it in a crowded public place, no less.

Apparently, they liked doing this kind of thing under everyone's gaze.

Of course, in a country as diverse as this one, this sort of fetish might be a little perverted, but compared to some others, it seemed pretty tame.

But what did any of that have to do with U Amakusa? He considered himself blessed with an invincible talent.

That was an absolutely shameless face.

The soft words Kamuro whispered aside reached U Amakusa's ears in their entirety.

Although he couldn't see Kamuro's face, he could tell from her restless, evasive gaze.

Beneath the mask, her expression was surely one of embarrassment and bashfulness.

Perhaps Kamuro thought the mask was the perfect disguise. She kept reaching up to check that it was still firmly on her face, while her other hand was hidden behind her back, clutching her clothes tightly.

No girl would feel comfortable in such a public spectacle. And what about the strong-willed Kamuro?

Her sudden soft words and bashful, girlish manner...

Made U Amakusa's heart give a slight flutter.

"Oh? You'll treat me to a few more meals? Am I really that easy to appease?"

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

U Amakusa's face suddenly appeared in her view, head tilted. Kamuro met his eyes, embarrassed and annoyed, and shot back, "What more do you want, then?"

"Of course... that's not enough."

"Huh?"

"I want you to cook for me."

"Absolutely not."

Without thinking for even half a second, Kamuro blurted out her refusal. The redness in her cheeks beneath the mask slowly faded, too.

That answer was clearly what U Amakusa had expected. He shrugged indifferently.

"Then I'll save that for later. I'll help you find the cat and make you owe me a favor. I'll keep helping until you owe me so many favors that you'll finally agree."

"In your dreams!"

"Who can predict the future? Maybe you'll even fall for me~"

"No..."

Before she could finish denying it, U Amakusa had already turned away and raised the loudspeaker again.

The meows from the loudspeaker grew louder as U Amakusa turned up the volume, attracting even more people's attention.

Of course, U Amakusa didn't leave his other hand idle. Just as he had in the elevator, he reached out and took Kamuro's hand so she couldn't run off.

The difference this time was that he wasn't holding her wrist. He was holding her hand.

The sensation didn't excite U Amakusa all that much. It was fairly ordinary.

He could feel only the warmth spreading across her palm and how slender her fingers were, slimmer than his own. Even that was enough to keep the corners of his mouth lifted.

"Meow~ Meow-meow~~"

They kept walking, but the orange cat the loudspeaker was calling for still hadn't appeared. If they went much farther, they would reach the shopping district.

Walking in front, U Amakusa broke out in a cold sweat. It wasn't because of the attention from the people around them, but because of the pain in his hand.

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

Once they entered the shopping district, the number of people staring would increase exponentially. Kamuro unconsciously tightened her grip even more.

Even with the mask on, the feeling of being on tenterhooks was unpleasant.

But... the shameless U Amakusa didn't seem bothered in the slightest. He was even excited, though the pain in his hand kept that excitement in check.

"This cat sure knows how to hide, doesn't it, Kamuro?"

"Don't call me by my name, idiot!"

Afraid someone might have heard, Kamuro looked around. When she saw that no one seemed to have noticed, she let out a sigh of relief.

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

"Huh? Wha—"

Before Kamuro could react, U Amakusa turned off the loudspeaker, took her hand, and dashed into an arcade.

To the astonished stares of everyone inside, the 'Smiling Mask' dragged the 'Cat Mask' into a photo booth.

After setting everything up, U Amakusa started taking photos. Kamuro greeted him with a murderous glare.

"Why do I have to take these with you?!"

She pulled her hand free from U Amakusa's grasp and pulled aside the curtain, about to leave.

For some reason, she now half-believed the rumor that U Amakusa was pursuing her.

When she thought about how a rumor she had firmly denied now seemed to be true...

Kamuro's cheeks flushed. This blush was entirely different from the one brought on by embarrassment in public; she could even feel her cheeks growing warm.

With Kamuro about to rush out, U Amakusa decided to...

U Amakusa pulled the curtain shut first, then swiftly took the Cat Mask off Kamuro's face.

"Are you still planning to go out now?"

He dangled the mask in his hand, an evil grin hidden beneath his own mask as he stared at Kamuro.

Without her mask, Kamuro naturally didn't dare go out. After all, the two of them had made quite an impression.

"Give it back!"

"Huh? I seem to remember this mask belongs to me."

"Shut up!"

The two of them began fighting over it in the cramped space, moving carefully so they wouldn't touch the curtain separating them from everyone else.

At that moment, the photo booth began capturing their memories together.

Click—

"Look at the camera. Say cheese~"

The 'Smiling Mask' put an arm around Kamuro's shoulder and pulled her closer, but Kamuro wasn't about to let him get his way. She pushed away the head that kept edging toward her.

Click—

Next, Kamuro tried to grab the Smiling Mask U Amakusa was still wearing. U Amakusa caught her hand.

He held her small hand in his palm, opened it, and slipped his fingers between hers. Their hands dangled in the air, fingers entwined.

Click—

"You pervert!"

With her cheeks flushed, Kamuro used the leverage of their joined hands to yank U Amakusa toward her and jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow.

Click—

"Ow."

U Amakusa cried out, then noticed Kamuro glaring at him with a red face. But she didn't seem to be making any effort to pull her hand away.

When Kamuro yanked again, U Amakusa's whole hand was forced against her chest.

"Now let's see you get away."

Taking advantage of the moment, Kamuro swiftly removed the Smiling Mask from U Amakusa's face.

Click—

With his face revealed, U Amakusa didn't blush like Kamuro. Instead, he wore a smile as bright as a spring breeze,

Though Kamuro thought he was a perverted bastard, she couldn't deny he was exceptionally handsome.

When the first-year looks rankings came out later, U Amakusa would take third place.

Kamuro had been staring at the mask, but now that U Amakusa's face was revealed, she froze for a moment.

On top of that, they were so close. Kamuro's heart began to race.

In that brief moment when she was frozen, with both her hands occupied, U Amakusa pulled her into his arms.

Click—

The instant they embraced was captured, too.

Kamuro struggled out of U Amakusa's arms, her whole face bright red.

She let go of their entwined hands, ready to land a heavy punch on the damn pervert and show him what she could do.

Seeing that Kamuro didn't seem all that disgusted with him, U Amakusa grew even bolder.

He didn't care that Kamuro was about to punch him. If he'd decided to be a pervert, he might as well go all the way.

He quickly reached out and held the back of Kamuro's head, lifted the bangs covering her forehead, and kissed it.

Click—

"Die!!"

A heavy blow landed in his stomach. U Amakusa dropped to his knees, just like when they'd first met—but this time, it was for real.

Kamuro frantically rubbed her forehead, her face bright red as she cursed him. "Scumbag! Bastard! Pervert!"

Then she hurriedly put her mask back on and prepared to leave.

Click—

Just then, the last photo was taken. One after another, the pictures capturing their antics emerged from the machine.

Seeing that, Kamuro snatched all the photos without hesitation, her face red, then lifted the curtain and walked out.

"At least leave me one..."

U Amakusa held his stomach, put on the Cat Mask Kamuro hadn't taken, and slowly followed her.