Chapter 63: Meeting Up

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Translator: Soafp

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They agreed that Ginji would escort Sora home on his bike, and then they would each take different trains into the city. According to Sora, “A proper date starts with meeting up,” so after dropping her off, Ginji returned home, where his little brother Tetsuya, a student preparing for exams, was studying.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, bro. You’re not with Sora-senpai today?”

“Yeah… well, we're meeting up at the cellphone shop near the station.”

“Oh wow, actually meeting up? That really sounds like a date.”

“She said it's a date.”

At Ginji's words, Tetsuya went silent for a moment, then downed his barley tea in one go.

“…Well then, you better give it your all. So Sora-senpai finally made you face the truth, huh?”

“…Well, I'm getting there, I guess.”

“Getting there?! At this point?! Come on, Sora-senpai… you've got this.”

Leaving behind a wistful Tetsuya staring into the distance, Ginji changed into his usual outfit: a T-shirt, hoodie, and jeans. He didn't own anything that could be considered “date clothes,” and he didn't want to overthink it and risk being late.

Meanwhile, in her room, Sora was pulling clothes from her closet and laying them out on the floor, trying to come up with the best outfit.

She'd told Ginji she had nothing to wear, but still, her heart couldn't help but want to look her best. When coordinating outfits for Aika, she had things lined up perfectly from casual to formal. But when it came to her own date, she had no idea what to wear. Even as she agonized, time kept slipping by.

“I guess… I'll have to ask for help.”

Summoning her resolve, she pulled out her smartphone and messaged Misuzu, whose contact she'd exchanged earlier.

‘Master, help me.'

‘I'm not your master. What's going on?'

The reply came back with a hippo sticker attached.

‘I'm going on a date with Ginji, but I have no idea what to wear.'

‘Nice! Just wear something that fits the season. Where are you going, and what are you planning to do? Where's the meetup spot?'

‘We're planning to set up his phone and maybe buy some date clothes. Meeting at the fountain near the station.'

Sora sent a sticker of a combining robot glowing with energy to show her fighting spirit.

‘Buying date clothes during the date, huh… Show me what you've got so far.'

And so, with Misuzu's help, Sora prepared for the battle (read: date).

When everything was ready, Sora sent her a thank-you message.

‘Thanks, Suzu.'

‘Go forth, young Sora!'

In the end, Suzu leaned into the “wise master” role as she closed her phone. Incidentally, she was sitting in a fast food restaurant right in front of the station. She had gotten Sora's message while hanging out with school friends after class. With a sly grin, she excused herself, saying she had something to do.

“Hehehehehe. Of course I'm gonna watch this.”

She opened her app to look up the shop's location.

Unaware of all this, Ginji had already arrived at the fountain where they agreed to meet.

They were on the same train line, but he boarded earlier, so he expected to arrive first. Sitting on the fountain's edge, he waited for Sora.

As he waited, memories of the kiss on the cheek yesterday and how Sora clung to him came rushing back, causing his mind to wander.

He had tried not to think that way until he heard more about her past over the weekend—but honestly, that had already failed. After all, there's no guy in the world who wouldn't be flustered when a cute girl acts like that around him.

Ginji could feel a change in himself. He no longer just wanted to make Sora happy—he wanted to be the one to bring her happiness. If he had to name this feeling…

“…Damn it. That's not fair.”

Sensing he was getting in too deep, he slapped his cheeks to reset his thoughts.

They hadn't set an exact meeting time, but it was a little past 5 p.m., still bright outside. As he checked shop reservations and train schedules, he felt a tug on his shirt.

“Heyo.”

“…Oh.”

Sora was there. Her short hair had a gentle inward curl at the ends, and though she wore her usual loose shirt, she'd cinched it with a wide belt to highlight her figure and paired it with jeans. It wasn't traditionally “girly,” but since she was petite, the way the belt emphasized her slim waist and subtly lifted her chest gave off a clear femininity.

“Oh, oops. Ahem… Did you wait long?”

As Ginji stared, taken aback, Sora delivered the classic line.

“I've been here a train's worth of time.”

“They say the polite answer is ‘I just got here,' but sorry for being late. My hair wasn't cooperating. Do I look… girly?”

She leaned in, and Ginji, catching a glimpse of something blue through her shirt's gap, quickly looked away in a panic.

“Yeah… You look cute.”

“Ehehe, as expected of Master.”

“Master?”

“Nothing. Okay, let's go.”

In high spirits, Sora grabbed Ginji's arm and began walking. And so, their first date began.

But there was one person watching them.

She had been hiding and trembling ever since Sora showed up and snuggled up to Ginji—and now they were arm in arm. Also, Sora was too cute, and she absolutely wanted a picture later.

“Come on! They're basically dating!!”

Ignoring the stares of passersby, the self-proclaimed Love Master shouted into the void.