Chapter Four

The (Supervised) First Date

It was the next morning when Naoya noticed the mysterious item in his shoe shelf.

“Hm?” Naoya blurted out, perplexed.

“What?!” Koyuki shouted, equally as perplexed but much louder.

The object of their confusion was a letter that was sealed with a heart and addressed to Naoya. The handwriting on the envelope was quite rigid, but still unmistakably feminine. He opened the envelope and found a single page with only a few lines written on it.

To Naoya Sasahara,

I’ve liked you for a long time, and I’d like to hear your response. I’ll be waiting for you on the roof after school today.

Koyuki was wide eyed as she marveled, “I didn’t realize people still did this kinda thing, much less to someone like you. I guess it’s safe to assume they’re as much of a loser as you, whoever they are. Are you planning on going?”

“Yeah, probably. They took the time to deliver a letter, after all,” he replied.

“Oh... Okay, then,” Koyuki pouted and turned away from Naoya. She did a rather bad job of hiding her displeasure. “And here he was spouting all this crap about liking me. Hmph, I guess that’s just the kind of guy he is. Well, what do I care? It’s got nothing to do with me. I hope those two freaks have a long, happy life with all their little freak spawn...”

Koyuki’s eyes were pointed firmly at the ground, preventing Naoya from getting a good look at her face. But judging by the quiver in her voice, she was moments away from breaking into tears. He knew he had to intervene soon, so he quickly reassured her, “Whoa, whoa. Slow down. I am going—going to turn her down.”

“Hmph, so you do love he—wait, you’re going to reject her? Why?!”

“Isn’t that obvious?” Naoya said with a shrug. The look on Koyuki’s face seemed to say that it wasn’t obvious in the slightest. Naoya placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and spoke seriously, “You’re the one I like. You. So you don’t have to go worrying about any other girls, okay?”

“But what if she’s cute? And nice? And isn’t a burden like me?” she asked.

“What are you talking about? You’re cute and nice. And if there really was anyone like that, I don’t think I could go out with them anyways,” he replied earnestly.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re already so adorable that it basically gives me diabetes. If there really was someone cuter, chances are I’d die of a heart attack.”

“Hmph, you talk a big game,” Koyuki sniffed. She flicked her hair back and put on her best impression of a composed expression. She poked Naoya’s nose and added, “Still, I appreciate that. But if I ever see your eyes wander, then we’re done.”

“Of course, of course. I promise that won’t happen,” Naoya said with a nod to display his conviction.

He could tell she believed him in that moment, and a wave of relief washed over him. In a sense, he was almost happy—he was very aware of the tempest of emotions, both positive and negative, that abounded when you cared deeply about someone. Her little display had just shown him that she really did have such feelings toward him. I never knew jealousy could be so cute. Wow, he marveled to himself. He was so giddy, in fact, that he had totally forgotten that they were right at the school’s entrance, and that their exchange had drawn in a large audience.

“Jeez, they’re going at it this early in the morning?”

“Just don’t make any eye contact.”

Yui and Tatsumi were among the crowd, watching from a distance. They were both certain that the awkward lovebirds would soon be the talk of the school.

Koyuki, for her part, appeared oblivious to the attention they were receiving, as well. She plucked the letter from Naoya’s hands and examined it thoroughly. “Obviously you’re going to turn her down, but you need to go about this the right way. It sounds like she likes you a lot, so you’ve gotta let her down easy.”

“Yeah, even I know that much,” Naoya grumbled while he retrieved the letter and looked it over again. He was aware it must have taken the writer a great deal of courage to send this to him, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something wasn’t quite right—the prevailing sensation he got from the letter was that of unease. “You know, I don’t think this is an actual love letter...”

“What? If that’s not a love letter, then what else could it be?” Koyuki asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion.

Naoya didn’t reply—instead, he just gave her an enigmatic smile. Either way, he’d find out the truth of the matter once classes were over.

※※※

Ootsuki High was a fairly easy-going school—there were innumerable clubs and societies, and rooms were exceedingly easy to borrow. After school, the grounds were filled with the jovial sounds of students talking and laughing well into the evening. The school roof, with its sprawling view of the scenic town, was a particularly popular spot. That was why Naoya was quite surprised when he opened the door to the roof and found only one other student there.

“Hey. Are you the one who sent the letter?” he greeted her.

“Ah, y-yes, that’s me,” the girl stuttered and gave Naoya a slight bow. She was quite petite in stature and appeared to be a first year student. Other than that, Naoya couldn’t make out many details—she was wearing a large parka over her uniform, the hood of which was pulled down to conceal her face. He didn’t recognize her voice either. He got the feeling that he might have passed her in the halls at some point, but this was definitely their first time meeting properly.

“Th-Thank you for coming. There’s, um, something I want to ask you...” the girl stuttered and folded her arms awkwardly across her chest as she spoke. She was the textbook definition of anxiety. Most would feel compelled to cut in, but Naoya patiently waited for her to continue. After a long moment, she managed to summon her courage. “I like you! I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you. If it’s all right with you... would you go out with me?!”

“Thank you, but I can’t go out with you. There’s already someone else I like,” Naoya explained with a kind smile and a shake of his head.

“No way! What kind of person are they?! I’m sure if I really tried, I could be better than them, so—!”

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing you can do,” Naoya cut her off. The girl’s voice had sounded incredibly pained by his response, but something was off. Naoya had rejected several girls in the past, and he knew it was always a painful experience for both parties. This time, however, he hadn’t felt anything remotely like that despite what she was saying. “You don’t really like me, do you?”

“Wha?” she sputtered.

“You don’t like me. If anything, I’d say hating me would be closer to the truth. Right?” he asked.

The girl played with her hands while she stood there in silence. They remained that way for a while, with the jubilant voices of other students in the fields below rising to fill the hush. A cold gust blew through the roof.

Finally, the girl’s hands fell to her sides. “How could you tell?” she asked in a monotone. The lovesick girl who had been standing there just moments before had completely vanished.

Naoya wasn’t all that surprised, though. “Hmm, I guess it was the handwriting that gave it away,” he replied. Most people would be surprised by how much you can tell from someone's handwriting—such as the type of person who wrote the text, or what sort of mental state they were in. And as for the letter he’d received, all Naoya could glean from the handwriting was open hostility. “And now that I’ve met you, it’s obvious that you don’t actually like me. You were just testing me.”

“Correct,” the girl nodded calmly and put a hand to her chin. “You saw through my deception, and you dealt with a sudden love letter quickly and cleanly. You pass the test.”

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something,” Naoya added.

“What?”

“You wouldn’t happen to be Shirogane—”

Just then, the door to the roof slammed open, and a loud voice cried out, “Sakuya?!” Koyuki rushed toward them, eyes agog as she stared at the girl standing across from Naoya.

Naoya smiled at her. “Ah, I knew you couldn’t resist coming to see who it was. I told her ‘no,’ like I said I would.”

“Wha?! I just came to make sure you weren’t about to upset a first year! More importantly—!” she cut herself off to point at the girl. “Sakuya was the mysterious sender?!”

“Guilty as charged,” the girl stated cleanly as she lifted her hood.

“I knew it. You are Shirogane’s little sister. You’re quite pretty, just like your big sister,” Naoya added.

“I get that a lot,” Sakuya answered in a disinterested tone. She had an expressionless face and a voice to match.

---

---

Naoya had heard from Koyuki that she had a little sister and that they even looked and sounded similar. That was why Naoya was nowhere near as surprised as Koyuki seemed to be.

“Nice to meet you, Sasahara. My name is Sakuya Shirogane—Koyuki Shirogane’s younger sister,” she greeted Naoya.

“Nice to meet you, too. Back to our previous topic, though,” Naoya said. He was curious about what she had meant when she said he had passed a test of some kind.

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by Koyuki. “Oh no you don’t!” she shouted as she grabbed Naoya’s arm and yanked him closer to her—this made him keenly aware he was pressing up against her breasts. “You really need to check your taste in men, Sakuya,” she addressed her younger sister. “If you fall for a creepy moron like this guy, it’ll only end badly for you. Seriously—I suggest you reconsider.”

“What kind of guy do you think I am?” Naoya protested.

Since Koyuki had only just arrived, she hadn’t heard what Naoya and Sakuya had been talking about. He could tell that her warning was half out of jealousy and half out of genuine concern for her sister. Damn, I wanted at least 70 percent jealousy, Naoya complained to himself.

Sakuya shook her head and assured her sister, “Don’t worry. I don’t hold any amorous feelings toward him. I don’t even know what kind of person he is, really.”

“Wha? Then what was up with that letter?” Koyuki asked.

“It’s simple,” Sakuya stated as she stared intently at Naoya. Even through her glasses, Naoya could sense her eyes were locked directly on him. They were like a calm ocean—still, he also noted a sharp wariness lurking beneath the surface. “I just wanted to see what the guy who captured your heart was like—that’s all. I apologize for going about it in such a surreptitious way.”

“It’s fine. That letter made sure you weren’t being ‘surreptitious’ at all,” Naoya answered.

“Oh, I see the—no, wait a second!” Koyuki cried. She cleared her throat and then continued in a haughty tone, “You seem to be misunderstanding the situation, Sakuya. Sasahara is nothing more than a friend. There’s no way that I’d ever fall for him.”

“What? But you talk to me and Gizzard about him all the time at home,” Sakuya said in a confused tone.

“Wasn’t Gizzard your cat?” Naoya added.

“Yes. Koyuki won’t stop picking our cat up and talking to it. She blathers on about how you complimented her hair, how you look dashing from the side, and things like that. The cat doesn’t seem to enjoy it, I feel,” Sakuya explained.

“What do you mean?! Gizzard loves hearing about it!” Koyuki cried, her face rapidly turning crimson.

Maybe she had let her guard down because her sister was there, but she normally would not have let such information slip. Based on her expression, Naoya could tell that her younger sister had been telling the truth—she really did talk about him to her cat. He was exceedingly interested in the juicy details, but he figured that another line of questioning was more appropriate right now.

“So I get wanting to scope out the guy your sister’s been talking about, but be honest... How am I doing so far?” he asked Sakuya.

“You get a passing mark. For now,” Sakuya replied curtly. “You get points for ignoring the eager first year and maintaining focus on the main heroine. Most romcom protagonists can’t even make it that far. Well done.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, though it does kinda sound like an Amazine review of some light novel...”

“So, Sasahara—what are your thoughts on my sister?” Sakuya asked.

“Uh, she’s cute, and she’s fun to watch, and, uh...” he floundered.

“Yes, she is quite cute, isn’t she? We can agree on that,” Sakuya added.

“R-Really? Haha, looks like you two aren’t as tasteless as I thought. Haha,” Koyuki butted in, thrusting her chest out with false pride.

Sakuya only spared her a sideways glance before she continued, “If you can tell how cute she is, then you must also be able to tell that she’s quite... simple.”

“Yeah...” Naoya agreed.

“Hey!” Koyuki exclaimed, baring her teeth like an angry tiger.

Naoya turned to her and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, sorry—that might be a bit far. You’re just kinda pure, you know? You take everything at face value and worry about others’ feelings a lot. Not saying that’s a bad thing, though.”

“I don’t think... Well, I can’t say I never do anything like that,” Koyuki admitted, looking somewhat displeased about her agreement.

Sakuya looked at her sister, sighed, and turned to face Naoya. “Everyone thinks my sister is some sharp-tongued, ice-in-her-veins character. But I knew the day would come where a malicious man would notice that she’s actually a sweet, pure girl and take advantage of her.”

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it, but I guess you do really care about her,” Naoya concluded. Clearly, Sakuya had been worried about her sister’s wellbeing.

Koyuki was still sulking by herself, but neither Sakuya nor Naoya paid her much attention.

“So you just said I passed ‘for now,’” Naoya added. “That means you still don’t trust me.”

Sakuya nodded with conviction and answered, “Exactly.” Behind her muted expression, he noted a glint of fire dancing in her eyes. “My sister likes you, but what about you? If you plan to play around with her feelings and then cast her aside at the drop of a hat, I will do everything in my power to remove you from our lives instantly.”

“Sakuya! You can’t say that!” Koyuki shouted.

Sakuya continued to stare Naoya down. She really does care about Shirogane, he recognized. It made sense, really; Naoya hadn’t even known Koyuki for a month yet. Sakuya wanted to know if his feelings were the real deal—would he abandon ship when placed under the smallest amount of pressure? Naturally, he had no intentions of doing so. All that was left was ensuring that her sister knew this, as well.

Naoya faced Sakuya and stated with a serious expression, “I understand where you’re coming from, Sakuya, so I’ve got something important to tell you.”

“What, exactly?”

“I like Shirogane!” he declared loudly.

Koyuki’s voice caught in her throat, producing a sort of bizarre, strangled yelp, and Sakuya’s eyes shot wide open. Naoya wryly noted to himself that these sisters were apparently very expressive with their eyes.

Naoya continued, “I like all of her. I like it when she hides her feelings and when she overthinks things. I like all of her imperfections.”

The more he spoke, the more certain he became—he really did like her. He’d known this for a few days already, but now he was certain that this feeling would not change. He looked into Sakuya’s eyes and declared, “So regardless of what you think, and no matter how much you try to stop it, I’m not giving up on Shirogane.”

“Hm. Okay then,” Sakuya’s response was characteristically monotone. Her facial expression hadn’t changed at all, but Naoya was certain something in her eyes had. She thought for a while, then continued, “Fine, I’ll give you one chance.”

“One chance?”

“One chance to show me your resolve is genuine,” she announced, thrusting her index finger at Naoya like a spear raised to declare war. “You’re going to take my sister on a date. If I think you suit each other, I’ll recognize your relationship.”

“A date?!” Koyuki shouted. Again.

※※※

It was Sunday, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Naoya was waiting outside a local shopping mall, absentmindedly enjoying the pleasant weather.

“I’m here,” a voice from right behind him announced, snapping him out of his reverie.

“Agh!” He yelled. He whipped around and found Sakuya standing there. “Oh, it’s just you, Sakuya. You scared the crap out of me. Don’t do that, please.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve gotten into the habit of walking silently,” she informed him.

“You’re not some kind of child soldier or deadly assassin, are you? Never mind that, why are you wearing your uniform on a Sunday?”

“Because I’m acting as a judge today,” Sakuya responded with a hint of pride in her voice. She was wearing a parka over her uniform, just as she had the other day at school, and was thoroughly scrutinizing Naoya from behind her glinting glasses. “Your clothes give you an air of reliability and cleanliness. That, and you arrived early. You get extra points.”

“Your words do me great honor. But anyway, where’s Koyuki at?”

“She’s here, but she’s too scared to come out. She’ll probably wait until the very last moment.”

“Thought so.”

Naoya headed inside and looked around the shopping mall. It was equipped with a theater, a game centre, and a plethora of stores. Not only was it the perfect place for a family outing, but it was also a famous date spot in its own right.

Naoya spotted a familiar figure sitting on a bench in the midst of the large crowd of students and families. Once he was certain it was her, he walked over gingerly—he could easily make out her frantic mumbling from where he stood.

“Ohgodohgodohgod, a date?! What am I supposed to do?! I’m so not ready for thi—”

“Mornin’, Shirogane,” Naoya called out in a friendly voice.

Based on the way Koyuki jumped, it was as if he’d screamed directly into her ear. She quickly regained her composure and stood up, trying her best to look refined and calm.

“Oh, hello, Sasahara. I didn’t know you’d arrived yet,” she greeted him nonchalantly. “You’re quite early. Wait—don’t tell me you were this excited to go on a date with me. That’s cute... in a pathetic way. Kind of like a puppy that loses its mind when its owner returns home from a trip.”

“Yeah, I was super excited for this. Woof Woof,” Naoya played along.

“Have some dignity!” Koyuki cried as her face turned its patented tomato red, and she began to withdraw into herself.

Naoya placed a hand on his jaw and examined her. “You really do give off a different vibe when you’re not in your uniform, Shirogane,” he noted.

“R-Really?” Koyuki blinked and then looked herself over uncomfortably.

She was wearing a crisp white blouse and a blue, knee-length skirt. It was a simple outfit, but it was prim and well put together. For accessories, she had a matching ribbon in her hair and wore a tasteful set of earrings that glittered in the sun. The entire ensemble tied together well and really suited a beautiful girl with great posture such as herself. Naoya could tell she had put a great deal of effort into her appearance today.

“You look great. You really do have a great fashion sense,” he complimented her.

“What are you talking about? I’m just wearing regular clothes. Makes me wonder if you’ve ever been out with a girl before,” Koyuki spat with a devilish glint in her eyes. Despite this, she was also fidgeting heavily—she fixed her hair behind her ear and continuously tapped the ground with her foot.

He could tell she was happy, and this in turn made him happy. It was rather endearing that she liked being complimented on her appearance.

“You look so pretty and mature. It’s really cool,” he added.

“F-Flattery will g-get you nowhere...” she mumbled.

“It’s not flattery, really—you look like a model. I’m just happy to be seen with you, and I’m looking forward to spending the day with you,” Naoya assured her with a smile.

Koyuki groaned in embarrassment. She turned away and began to make a hasty retreat, but Naoya was faster and latched onto her hand before she could leave.

“Hey, where are you going?” he asked.

“Home! I can’t do this!” she cried.

“What? We haven’t even done anything yet.”

“And look at me! I’m already a wreck! I have to go!” Koyuki had tears in her eyes while she tugged on Naoya’s hand. They were supposed to be on a date, but now it looked more like a kidnapping. “Wh-Why do we even need to go on a... a d-date anyway?!”

“So I can judge him,” Sakuya cut in with her usual monotone. “I need to see how you two perform in a real couple’s environment. That means you have to do things together. Like dates.”

“You heard the lady,” Naoya chimed in. “And I think it’ll be good if we can get your family’s approval. Let’s just do this.”

“What about my approval?!” Koyuki cried, becoming more disheveled by the second. In contrast, the other two wore calm expressions. After some struggling, she appeared to have finally worn herself out. “Why do I have to do this?”

“Because you said you would, Koyuki,” her sister informed her.

“We did kind of coerce her though, Sakuya...”

“Yeah! You did! How am I supposed to deal with being in front of both of you?!” Koyuki yelled in protest.

Despite her stubborn reluctance, she finally managed to budge after a constant stream of reassurance from both her younger sister and her date. She was a softy, after all.

Sakuya sighed and looked at her sister. “Just be careful. Don’t get suckered into a multi-level marketing scheme or a cult while you’re out today, okay?”

“I’ll look after her, Sakuya. Don’t worry about her,” Naoya assured her.

“I don’t trust you with her yet, but thank you,” Sakuya said and bowed slightly in appreciation.

“Or don’t!” Koyuki snapped, then turned her back on the both of them in a huff. Sometimes it was difficult to tell which one of them was the older sibling. She eventually looked over her shoulder at Naoya and pouted. “Fine—I’ll go on your stupid date. But in return...” she paused to stick her finger out dramatically at Naoya, just barely missing his nose. “If you bore me even slightly, I’m dumping your sorry ass and going straight home. At least try and make today fun.”

“Okay, you got it,” Naoya said. “So what you really mean to say is, ‘I’ve never been on a date before, so if I leave him in charge, then I won’t have to worry about not being totally clueless. I’m kinda excited to see what he has planned.’ Spot on, right?”

---

---

“Not even close! Stop speaking for me!” she protested.

“He was spot-on, though. Even most of our family can’t read her that well,” Sakuya added, applauding with her standard expressionlessness.

“Thanks, Sakuya. All righty then, Shirogane—I do actually have a little itinerary lined up, if you’ll accompany me,” Naoya began.

“Ugh, fine...” Koyuki grumbled and reluctantly began walking next to Naoya. She took light, tentative footsteps while Sakuya followed a little ways behind. The supervised date had begun.

First, they headed to the mall's third floor. Koyuki noticed the flashy array of posters on the wall and tilted her head to the side. “The cinema?” she inquired.

“Yep. I figured something like this would be a good compromise for today,” Naoya replied. A movie date was the most basic of basic date ideas. Still, this was their first date. “We’ve kinda skipped a lot of steps in our relationship, so I think doing normal stuff like this might be a good idea. So, yeah... let’s go have a normal date.”

“Fine. I guess that doesn’t sound totally awful,” Koyuki surmised. Contrary to what she was saying, though, she looked more than slightly pleased behind her blush.

Sakuya, however, turned a suspicious glare on Naoya and warned, “What are you planning to do in the gloom of that movie theater? If you try anything funny, I won’t hesitate.”

“I was planning to watch the movie,” Naoya answered incredulously, as if it were obvious.

Koyuki looked like she didn’t understand, and tilted her head again. “Anyway, what movie are we going to be watching?”

“I was thinking you could pick which one,” Naoya ventured.

Koyuki carefully examined the posters on the wall and stopped when she got to one that featured a famous actor and actress in a passionate embrace. She pointed and said, “That one. The romance.”

“I’d avoid that one. I’ve heard it looks like a regular romance, but it’s actually a 18+ slasher,” Naoya added.

“Whaaat?! Isn’t that false advertising? Fine then, what about this one? The one with the foreign couple on the coast.”

“Nah, I’d skip that one, too. It’s actually a shark movie with really crappy CG. It was a global hit with shark fans, though.”

“Does this theatre actually show any good movies?” Koyuki grumbled. She was starting to get annoyed. “Fine, how about this one? Oh no, it’s a monster movie...”

“If you don’t like scary movies, then I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t exactly want you to associate our dates with traumatic experiences.”

“I-I like scary movies. I haven’t been scared of a movie since kindergarten, as a matter of fact,” Koyuki huffed. She tried to act brave, even though it was incredibly evident that she couldn’t even look directly at the poster. Finally, she gave up and turned to Naoya. “So, what are we going to watch, then?”

“I’ll go get the tickets. You coming along, Sakuya?”

“Of course. Let’s see what you’ve got,” she replied with her typical stoicness. Still, Naoya could sense a subtle excitement.

The three of them headed over to the counter. Naoya stood in front of the girl working there and declared, “Three youth tickets for The Adventure of Sir Mittens: Mother is 30,000 Light Years Away please.”

“Coming right up!” the girl replied cheerily.

“A kid’s anime?!” Koyuki all but shouted.

The girl at the counter paid her no mind as she handed them their tickets alongside three promotional keychains.

Koyuki took hers with a dim expression clouding her features. She stared at it for a while before speaking in a low voice. “Sasahara, this is a date... right?”

“Oh, so you’ve finally acknowledged it? Nice. And yeah, it is.”

“Then what’s with the movie choice?! We can’t go watch an anime for kids on our first date!” She protested, holding up the keychain as though making a point. “Like, what’s with this dumb ass cat?!”

“What? That’s Sir Mittens, the hero of our story,” Naoya informed her.

Sir Mittens was a young male calico cat with characteristically reproachful eyes. If you liked that sort of thing, he looked cool and aloof. And if you didn’t, he probably just came off as absentminded.

Koyuki waved the keychain in Naoya’s face, a symbol of her dissatisfaction. “I can’t believe this—it’s our first date, and you pull this? Sakuya, back me up here. Sakuya?”

Koyuki looked over at her sister and found her staring at her own keychain, fixated. She carefully placed it inside her bag before turning to Naoya and presenting him with a clear thumbs up. “An outstanding choice, Sasahara. You’ve earned major points for this,” she stated.

“Good taste, Sakuya,” Naoya said.

“Sakuya?!” Koyuki cried, the sense of betrayal evident in her voice.

Naoya smiled and offered an explanation, “I’ve heard that this movie’s great for all audiences—even for adults. And the characters are all super popular in their own right.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Well, that’s what I’ve heard. And you like cats, don’t you, Shirogane? I thought you might like this one. Was I wrong?”

“Well, I do like cats...” Koyuki admitted with a sigh, the tension leaving her body. She brought the keychain up to her eyes. “You picked this one out for me,” she murmured quietly to herself. There was a brief flicker of happiness in her face before her trademark haughty expression quickly took its place. “Fine. I guess I don’t have any choice but to watch it, seeing as you picked it out.”

“Nice. I’ll go grab us some drinks, then we’ll head in,” Naoya.

“I’m really excited—I’ve heard this movie is a tear-jerker. Make sure you have some tissues ready, Koyuki,” Sakuya stated.

“I’m not gonna cry at a kid’s movie, Sakuya. I don’t cry at movies,” Koyuki replied with a huff. She turned and gallantly set off toward the theater.

Sakuya and Naoya exchanged a knowing look and followed her in.

※※※

90 minutes later, the trio emerged from the theater alongside a crowd of parents and children.

“Sir Mittens! Uwaaagh! You finally got to meet your mom!” Koyuki all but screamed through floods of tears.

“Here—a handkerchief,” Naoya offered as he handed it over.

She thanked him while sniffing and wiping her nose. In an alarmingly short amount of time, the handkerchief became saturated with liquid.

“You’re gonna dehydrate yourself crying that much. Here,” he added, handing her the juice he hadn’t finished during the movie. She accepted it and began taking small, weak sips. Naoya cautiously waited for her to calm down before following up on the movie. “Man, those reviews weren’t lying. They might’ve even underrated it a little.”

“The part where Lord Paws pretended to betray Sir Mittens just so he could let him take the ship’s last escape pod was really poignant. It got me right in my heart,” Sakuya quickly added. The faint rush of adrenaline in her voice, in addition to the faint tinge of pink in her cheeks, belied her excitement. She was still riding the movie high. “The director is also working on a TV anime this season—it’s a fantasy, I think. You should watch it. The main heroine is moe as fuck.”

“I’ve heard about it, but I haven’t seen it. Looks pretty cool, though,” Naoya replied.

“You’ll be missing out on one of life’s great experiences if you don’t. I’ll give you the source material, too, so you can write a report on it for me.”

“I do love passionate people, haha...” Naoya replied. She was a fun girl, in a way.

Naoya felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Koyuki holding the empty cup. Although he initially suspected she was going to ask him for a refill, her small pout and drooping shoulders made her displeasure evident.

“We’re supposed to be on a date. Talking to other girls is gonna... make you lose points,” she grumbled in a low tone.

Naoya didn’t reply—instead, he and Sakuya exchanged a meaningful look and nodded to each other.

“Why are you two being so quiet? Stop it,” Koyuki protested.

“You know what, Sakuya? 2D girls are great, but I feel the 3D world calling to me,” Naoya suddenly declared with bravado.

“I understand. The real world has a certain ‘je ne sais quoi,’ doesn’t it?”

“Oh, come on! Stop talking to just Sakuya!” Koyuki pouted. It seemed she had finally finished bawling over the movie and had returned to her usual self. Koyuki thrust Naoya’s now-empty cup back into his hands and folded her arms indignantly, “Listen, Sasahara—you’re supposed to be giving me a good time here. If you’re just gonna talk... to...”

She never managed to finish her thought, however, as something caught her eye behind Naoya and Sakura. They turned around to follow her gaze and found the mysterious siren song that had captured her attention—a crane game machine in front of the mall’s game center. And, upon closer examination, Naoya could spot a familiar character in the pile of plushies.

“They’ve got Sir Mittens!” Koyuki cried out with a dramatic point. Without waiting for the other two, she quickly trotted off in the direction of the game center.

Naoya had no time to stop her. He just smiled to himself and murmured, “How am I supposed to help you have a good time if you’re all the way over there? You coming too, Sakuya?”

“I will put some distance between us and observe from a distance so as not to upset Koyuki any more,” Sakuya replied coolly. She went to leave, but something made her change her mind. She turned back to Naoya and informed him in her usual flat tone, “Koyuki tries to act mature, but as you can see, she’s quite childish and something of a crybaby. In spite of this, you still find her enjoyable to be around?”

“Yeah, I really do, I think.” Naoya agreed. He folded his arms and began to contemplate Sakuya’s words. It was true that Koyuki was certainly hard to please—not to mention somewhat selfish—but Naoya had never once felt annoyed by her. He realized Sakuya was still staring at him, so he flashed an embarrassed smile and continued, “I mean, whenever she acts like that, she’s letting her guard down and being herself. It makes me happy that I get to see that.”

“You might actually be strange enough for Koyuki after all,” Sakuya surmised. Her face underwent the briefest of changes—so small that anyone who wasn’t Naoya would have missed it. For just a split second, a faint smile appeared on her lips. “I’ll see you later. Don’t disappoint me.”

“You got it. I’ll go babysit your sister now,” Naoya joked.

Naoya scanned the game center for his date before he found Koyuki pinned up against the glass of the crane game machine and breathing heavily. She was staring at the mountain of cat plushies on the other side with an intense hunger.

“Sir Mittens plushies... They’re so big...” she marveled.

“You want one?” Naoya asked.

“Ye—” she almost exclaimed, but quickly stopped herself and dropped her gaze to her feet. “I mean, no, these are for kids. I don’t like plushies and stuff like that.”

“Really?”

“What?” Koyuki appeared surprised by his question. When she looked up, she saw Naoya smiling.

“You said you’d start being honest with yourself, right?” he pressed. “And you did great when we were with Yui and Tatsumi. No need to hold back with me.”

Koyuki averted her eyes. She realized Naoya wasn’t going to let this go. Her shoulders dropped, and she confessed, “I love plushies. I have lots in my room, and they’re all over my bed.”

“Thought so.”

“It’s so childish, though...”

“What? No! It’s cute. I’m not gonna laugh at your hobbies or anything,” Naoya assured her. Despite replying honestly, it only caused Koyuki to clam up on the spot. He was baffled at her response. Was it something I said? Maybe the “not laughing at her” part? he pondered and cocked his head to the side. Whatever the reason, it seemed he’d struck a nerve. The best course of action was to move past it and work on getting the mood back on track.

He rolled his sleeves up and turned toward the crane game. “Which one do you want?”

“Um... Uh, th-the smiling one... in the right corner,” she answered quietly.

“Got it. Gimme a sec.”

In this specific situation, there was only one thing for a man on a date to do. He placed the coin in the machine with vigor and a sense of determination. The machine sprung to life with cheery mechanical music and a jerk of its claw. Sadly, his first attempt ended in utter defeat—he had not come remotely close to the plushie.

“You’re not that good at this kind of stuff, are you?” Koyuki asked meekly.

“Yeah, you got me,” Naoya admitted. He was good at social games like Werewolf, but when it came to machine games with simple inputs... “I had a feeling I’d get lucky today, but no dice, I guess,” he said as he bowed his head in defeat. He didn’t try to play off his failure—he was certain Koyuki would be disappointed. When he finally looked up, however, he found her grinning at him. “What?”

“No, it’s just... You were so confident and everything,” she replied with a quivering voice. Her shoulders shook as her smile grew wider—yes, she was laughing. At him. “So even you have weak points, huh? Doesn’t feel bad to have that knowledge in my back pocket.”

Naoya remained silent, prompting Koyuki to ask, “What’s up?”

“I was just thinking that I’m kinda glad I messed up now,” he answered.

“Quit being so weird, Sasahara,” Koyuki snapped. Still, she offered him another smile.

Naoya was pleased that her mood appeared to have brightened. Seeing her happy makes me happy, too, he thought to himself. He knew better than to voice his conclusion, though—it would only foul her good mood, so he kept it to himself.

“Stop smiling to yourself, already. It’s creepy. Are you gonna try again?”

“Guess I will, yeah...” Naoya checked his wallet, only to discover that he had no loose change. He looked around for an ATM, but was quickly interrupted by a familiar voice amid the din of arcade goers and electronic sounds. He turned to Koyuki and said, “I’m gonna go to an ATM real quick. Gimme a sec.”

“I’ll get this one, Sasahara. Don’t worry,” she replied.

“Nah, let me. I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

Koyuki looked like she wanted to protest, but Naoya didn’t give her time to do so—he was gone before the words could leave her mouth.

His destination was not an ATM; in fact, he was headed deeper into the game center. It was an area with fewer crowds and an absence of staff. It was there that he found who he was looking for—Sakuya.

She was with a man—a young adult, by the looks of it—who was talking to her. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that he was hitting on her. Letting her go off on her own had been a bad idea. While he had been with Koyuki, she must have been stopped by this guy.

“Sorry to interrupt, but do you have some business with her?” Naoya called out. The moment the words had left his lips, Sakuya ran in his direction and latched onto his sleeve. It was an action not dissimilar to that of her sister, but he noted it wasn’t the time for such comparisons. He scrutinized the man and realized that he recognized him from somewhere. “You again? Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”

“What? Oh shit! It’s you from before!” the man cried. It was the blonde delinquent with the piercings that had been hassling Koyuki before.

In a way, this guy was the Cupid responsible for Naoya and Koyuki’s relationship. Naoya never thought he’d see him again, and the man seemed equally as surprised—if not more so—by this coincidence.

Sakuya spoke up in a small voice, “Is this someone you know?”

“I guess you could say that. More importantly, you all right, Sakuya?”

“I’m fine, but you left Koyuki on her own. I will be docking points for that.”

“Fair point, but I couldn’t just leave you alone when I noticed you were in trouble,” he protested.

“I’m surprised you were so impatient. But that's not a bad thing,” she replied. Her face softened somewhat as he looked at her.

The man had been left with little to do while the two exchanged words. After a while, however, he finally decided to chime in. “Hah. Tryna play the hero when you’re just like me, huh?” he smiled mockingly and spat.

“Wha?” Naoya blurted out. The comment had legitimately caught him off guard.

The man pointed at Sakuya and said, “That’s the chick I was tryna pick up earlier, yeah? So after that, you ‘rescued’ her from my claws and snatched her up yourself. You’re welcome, buddy.”

“Wha?” Sakuya and Naoya both blurted out simultaneously.

Naoya pondered the man’s words for a moment before he finally understood. This moron thinks Sakuya’s actually Koyuki. To be fair, they did look similar, especially when it came to their distinctive silver hair. And the man hadn’t lied, per se—it was true that Naoya and Koyuki had grown closer because of that incident.

“You helped her out, but you definitely got something out of it, didn’t ‘cha? So you ain’t really in a position to give me some freakin’ holier-than-thou lecture.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Naoya admitted. A growing sense of guilt started to brew within him. The man was right—Naoya had helped her, but had he really just “snatched her up” for himself? He would be no better than this loser, then.

“It’s 100 percent totally different,” a resolute voice stated from behind the man.

Everyone turned around and spotted Koyuki, a commanding air surrounding her. Her expression was grim, and her arms were crossed sternly. Coupled with her astoundingly good looks, it made for quite the intimidating presence.

“Wait, there’s two of ‘em? So the one I hit on wasn’t—”

“That’s right—it wasn’t her. It was me. If you can’t piece that together or even remember the girl you’re hitting on, you’re more of a braindead moron than you look. Honestly, that’s legitimately impressive,” Koyuki mocked.

“What the hell did you just—” the man spat, his face contorted with anger. In spite of his intimidating presence, she didn’t budge an inch.

“He sees me for who I really am,” she continued angrily. “He’s nice—he would never try to coerce women like you do. Please don’t lump him in the same category as you.”

“Oh, wow. You were scared shitless before, but now you’ve got a mouth on you? That’s just great,” the man grumbled before his hand darted out at Koyuki.

The attack didn’t quite hit its mark, however, as Naoya quickly intercepted. He grabbed the delinquent by his gaudy collar and shoved him up against a nearby wall. “I’m telling you this for your own safety. Do not lay a hand on her,” he threatened.

“W-Wow, buddy, you actually wanna throw down?” the man taunted shakily. His surprised expression—a momentary sign of weakness—was quickly covered by a cocky, daring smile.

Naoya knew that if the situation escalated, it would only result in the police being called, and he would end up getting in more trouble than this was worth. He could settle things on his own. He responded with a smile of his own and replied, “Yeah, I’ll throw down. I won’t be using my fists, though.”

“The hell are you talkin’ about?” the man asked with a confused expression.

Little did the man know, it wouldn’t be long before the only thing left on his face were the tears of utter despair.

※※※

A short while after, the man was being led away by the police. Contrary to his feisty attitude earlier, he offered no resistance. In fact, he was hanging his head in defeat and muttering, “Mom, I’m so sorry... I’ve always been a fuck up...”

The officer holding him seemed confused. “What’s with this guy? Is he drunk? Hey, buddy, tell that to your momma, not me.”

Naoya and the others watched as the man was led away.

An older man in a suit, likely the manager of the arcade, approached the group and bowed deeply. “Thank you for informing us of this man,” he said in a polite tone. “He appears to be very troubled. It’s a good thing that you found him when you did.”

“No problem. He just started acting real weird all of a sudden,” Naoya explained with a friendly smile.

Just behind him, Sakuya and Koyuki were exchanging words in a low whisper. Naoya could barely make out their words through the din of the arcade.

“He utterly decimated him. I feel like I just witnessed a verbal murder.”

“How did he know where he was from? And about his home life and his upbringing?”

Just as he’d said he would, Naoya had “thrown down” without raising his fists. He had accurately pinpointed his opponent’s weak points and needled the man until he broke.

“You’ve been pissing your life away and acting like a dirtbag for a while, haven’t you? Now, what would your parents think of all that?”

“You leave my mom out of this!”

“She’d cry if she saw you now. You know it’s true.”

And just like that, Naoya had worn his opponent down. It had been incredibly easy, to the point that he wondered if he’d gone too hard on him. Well, at least he won’t be bothering any girls for a while after this, I guess, he surmised to himself.

Of course, none of these inner thoughts bothered him as he accepted the gratitude from the man in the suit. The man’s face suddenly became cloaked in a dark expression as he explained, “To be honest, this isn’t the first time that man has caused trouble here. You’re absolutely sure nothing happened between you two?”

“Yep. Nothing at all,” Naoya assured him.

“That’s good, then. Still, I wonder how he ended up like this...” the man pondered. Something flashed in his eyes before he turned to look directly into Naoya’s eyes. “This is neither here nor there, but what’s your last name?”

“Um, it’s Sasahara.”

“I knew it,” The man nodded before looking up at the ceiling and massaging his temple. “You see, I knew your father. He helped me out with a lot of things.”

“Oh. I see,” was all Naoya said after a pause.

“So I know what you did to that man. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the reports. You get going.”

“Thank you. Sorry if I caused you any trouble,” Naoya apologized.

“It’s nothing. Say hello to your dad for me,” the man replied. With that, he gave a small wave and left.

Koyuki tilted her head to the side and inquired, “What were you and that guy talking about?”

“Nothing, really. Don’t worry about it. But more importantly, Shirogane...”

“Wh-What?” Koyuki sputtered. Her eyes darted from side to side as she tried her hardest to avoid direct eye contact.

Naoya took the opportunity to take her hand in his. “Thank you for helping us out there, but... please don’t get carried away like that again. I was so worried I thought my heart would stop,” he scolded her gently.

“Uh, um... Okay. I’m sorry,” she apologized with a timid nod. The fire quickly returned to her eyes, however. “But he was making fun of you, and... I had to do something. I wouldn’t care if he was bothering anyone else, but it was you.”

“That makes me happy to hear. It really does. But it’s dangerous.”

“I know that, but I was certain you would protect me, so I wasn’t scared at all. That’s why I did it.”

“Well, yeah, but...” Naoya trailed off. It was his turn to be embarrassed by Koyuki’s honesty.

“Hah. You’re always so aloof, Sasahara, so seeing you like this is pretty refreshing. But yeah—back there, you were pretty, um, c-coo—”

“You were really cool,” Sakuya butted in.

“Ah! I wanted to say that!” Koyuki exclaimed.

“Ahahaha...” Naoya laughed while he watched the sisters’ exchange. With each chuckle, he could feel the tension drain out of his body. He was glad they were all okay.

Koyuki sighed and looked down at the ground. “Still, you did save a pair of sisters from the same situation. There’s definitely going to be some sibling rivalry now...”

“Koyuki?” Sakuya blurted out, her eyes wide in shock.

Koyuki’s shoulders dropped, and she asked, “You’re not gonna fall for him, are you, Sakuya? That’s a no go, okay? I won’t allow it. He’s mine—my slave. I’ll never give him to you, so don’t even bother trying, okay?”

“Oh. Well, in that case, there’s nothing to worry about. He’s a bit too out there for me,” she informed her sister flatly.

“You’re saying that about me?!” Naoya couldn’t help but butt in.

Sakuya turned in response and gave Naoya a scrutinizing look. “Not a lover, but... he could work as a brother-in-law.”

“Meaning?” Naoya asked.

“Fine. I approve,” Sakuya conceded with a bow of her head. “Please treat my sister well, Brother-in-law.”

“Damn, and people say I move too fast,” Naoya quipped.

“Sakuya? Did you want a big brother?” Koyuki blurted out.

Naoya couldn’t help but smile. He was an only child, so the thought of having a little sister pleased him to no end.

Sakuya didn’t acknowledge the question. Instead, she saluted and declared, “The supervised date ends here. Enjoy the rest of your day, you two.”

“Sakuya, wait! Where’re you going?!” Koyuki exclaimed.

“I’m going to buy some manga and then head home. Tell me how today goes. Oh—and if you’re gonna kiss him, then do it after it gets dark.”

“I’m not!” Koyuki shouted as Sakuya retreated into the crowd.

They watched her go before Naoya commented, “She’s a good sister, isn’t she?”

“She is, but she really needs to watch her mouth sometimes...” Koyuki trailed off with some hesitation. Before she could say anything else, though, her stomach interrupted her with a rumble, and she hung her head in embarrassment.

Naoya decided to feign ignorance. “Agh, I’m starving. D’you wanna get lunch?”

“S-Sure. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she replied in her best nonchalant voice, fixing her hair behind her ear and trying to appear cool and calm.

※※※

The two headed to a street packed with restaurants and began discussing what they were going to have.

Once they’d finally picked a spot, they quickly settled down for their meal. Unfortunately, Naoya’s food ended up coming out a lot later than Koyuki’s. When he tried to ask Koyuki for a bite of hers, she seemed oddly embarrassed about the prospect. He reminded her that they’d already shared an indirect kiss earlier when he gave her his juice, which did not abate her embarrassment in the slightest.

There were many similar scenarios as they went about their day, and their first date ended in a huge success.