Someone Else
Chapter 14: 9th of June, 2013
It was almost time for Jayden to leave to meet with Kagami on what was already turning out to be a wonderful Sunday day. The sky had remained clear from yesterday, as it had through the starry night before, and the open window in his room let in a warm, pleasant air from outside. As he looked at his reflection in the hallway mirror, Jayden kept on adjusting the collar of his short-sleeved white shirt, his fingers absent-mindedly tugging on the fabric.
Even as he continued to make various small adjustments to his appearance, his eyes kept staring into their two counterparts, showing palpable joy, one that hadn't faded for a good while now. Kagami had called him the night before, not long before both had gotten home, deciding together with him as to where they'd meet up today. Speaking with her, Jayden had realized that he still didn't have much knowledge of their neighborhood or Kuki-shi in general. He had put trust in her judgement instead, and they ended up choosing to see each other at one of the upper bridges over the nearby river around lunch-time.
Finally deciding on being satisfied with how he looked, Jayden let out a deep, anxious sigh, the smile on his features remaining as he idly kept his gaze on the mirror. He'd often fondly recall the way Kagami had looked last night, what she had said, her mirthful expression, her radiating eyes, her joyful voice, the blush on her cheeks… In just a short while he'd see her again on their first date, the thought giving him no small degree of excitement, but not without slight worry to go along with it. This wasn't something he had any experience with before… would that show through? Then again, he hadn't kissed before either, but when Kagami's mouth had found itself on his, every movement of his lips in response to hers had felt somehow perfectly natural.
The danger of slipping into his recollection of that moment again was averted when the sound of footsteps shook him out of his reverie, causing him to look away from the mirror towards his sister just walking through the door of her room.
"Hey," she told him mirthfully as she approached, proceeding to give him a knowing smile upon noticing him standing next to the mirror. "Preparing for your date with Kagami?"
"Yeah, we're meeting up in about half an hour," Jayden answered with an enthusiastic nod.
"I'm going to see my friend Kasumi from school," Kaiya said while grabbing hold of her denim jacket from the coat rack, putting it over her red T-shirt. She added as she looked at him again with her brows lifted, "Certainly less exciting than what's going on with you though, Jayde. You worried?"
"A little bit," Jayden replied honestly with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so. "I'm afraid I'll mess something up."
"Wish I could help, I'd probably be that way too," Kaiya let out a chuckle, returning his smile and folding her arms, saying, "But you were clearly friends with her for some time before and you already enjoy hanging out with her a lot. That should be of some consolation, at least."
"Of course I do," Jayden told her adamantly with another nod of his head. "If anything, I'm just too excited about getting this chance with her... and to think that I hadn't even really considered it before, but now, I just want it go well."
"I don't think it'll be any different for her either," Kaiya remarked thoughtfully. "Especially if she's liked you for long, which I've always suspected about her."
"What? How so? You've barely even seen her," Jayden asked her after a moment through furrowed brows and a quizzical look on his face.
"What I've been hearing from you was enough, Jayde," his sister playfully retorted with amusement in her voice, but soon added with a shrug, "Well, maybe I haven't really suspected anything, but now that she asked you out, I guess it sort of fits. You talk about her a lot, you know."
"I figured you hadn't. You would've certainly said something, I think," Jayden spoke in a heartfelt chuckle.
"Probably," Kaiya replied with another nonchalant shrug, and then grinned back at him as she added, "I don't know what advice to give you – just don't lose your cool and you should be fine, I think."
Jayden gave her a silent nod, his sister giving him a pat on his shoulder as she walked past him through the narrow corridor, turning around again while opening the door of the house.
"I'll be hanging out with Kasumi for a while, so I guess I'll see you later, Jayde," she told him with a smile.
"Don't take too long – remember that you have homework to do for tomorrow," Jayden reminded her with a teasing grin.
"Don't rub it in too much," Kaiya replied before closing the door.
With that said, Jayden turned his attention back towards the mirror for a second, putting his hands inside the pockets of his black trousers, his mouth letting out a deep sigh.
He should head out soon himself… he didn't think he could wait any longer anyway.
There were at least three sets of clothing Kagami had picked out from her wardrobe, all of them neatly placed on the bed in her room, the girl standing in front of them with her hand on her chin. The thoughtful expression on her face was joined by an excited smile as she looked at each one of them, wondering what she should wear for her imminent first date with Jayden. Once again, it was him that filled most of her thoughts even as she mulled this over, for she was already joyfully thinking about what their first date together was going to be like. She was aware of the excitement she felt, which hadn't quite lessened ever since they had actually arranged this date yesterday.
Every so often, she'd switch a few of the clothes she had picked out around, trying out different combinations, various colors… She should go for something casual that looked good on her, and was comfortable enough to wear too… It was warm outside now, so it'd have to be something light as well…
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door that made Kagami turn her head to look in that direction, with Tsukasa's voice on the other side. After being ensured that it was okay to come in, her twin sister opened the door and entered, immediately taking note of the clothes arranged on the bed, proceeding to give Kagami a joyful smile afterward. She was wearing a favorite vest top of hers, a colorful one with different shades of yellow and orange, as well as a brown skirt.
"Hey, Sis," she greeted Kagami, taking a step towards her. "Picking clothes for your date with Jayden-san?"
"Yes, I am," Kagami answered with a nod of her head, returning her sister's smile as she did. "I don't think I've ever thought about this so much before."
"Because you're really excited about the date, Sis. I am too," Tsukasa beamed at her in response, then looking back at the clothes laid out on the bed. "Did you decide on anything yet?"
"Not yet. At least, not everything," Kagami answered, pointing towards a brown bag on her desk next to her notes. "I'll be bringing that bag with me, so I want something to go with it, which is why I narrowed it down to these…"
"Ah, I see," Tsukasa replied, still curiously looking at the bag Kagami had left on the desk.
"I like this dark green jacket a lot, but I don't think it would go too well this time… I think I'll go for this beige one instead," Kagami spoke, once again putting a hand on her chin in thought, turning around towards her sister, asking, "What do you think, Tsukasa?"
"Oh," Tsukasa let out, giving the short-sleeved beige jacket a glance herself before answering. "Yes, I think it will work… probably with this brown skirt that you have put there too."
"Hmm," Kagami hummed thoughtfully, finding herself nodding at Tsukasa's suggestion. "I think so too, perhaps with this dark blue shirt underneath."
"It matches your eyes," Tsukasa agreed as she watched Kagami lift up the blue shirt and look it over, holding it out in front of the white casual one she was wearing right now.
"I like this one a lot…" Kagami spoke as she thought about it a little more, looking over the other ones she had picked out, and then smiled at Tsukasa as she said decisively, "Okay, I will try this out, then."
As Tsukasa nodded her way excitedly in response, Kagami proceeded to change into the clothes she decided on at the end, with her twin sister sitting on the edge of the bed in the meantime. She proceeded to look at her reflection in her wardrobe mirror, making any adjustments to her outfit she thought necessary. Getting Tsukasa's approval of what she wore provided her with a degree of relief as well, allowing her thoughts to excitedly swim back to Jayden again.
Her hands began working on the ribbons in her hair as she walked up to the open window of her room, looking through it, her gaze involuntarily staring off somewhere in the distance. The sun above was pleasantly shining, its lights falling upon her face from the clear blue sky, bringing out the color of her eyes and the soft smile that she wore. Tsukasa remained seated on her bed and kept on looking at her with enthusiasm of her own, her hands intertwined together excitedly.
"Where did you say you planned to go today, Sis?" she eventually asked Kagami curiously.
"Remember that seafood restaurant we went to with Inori and Matsuri a couple of months ago?" Kagami replied, turning her head towards her sister, one of her rands running along the length of a pigtail of her hair after having finished working on the ribbon. "I really enjoyed it there and I think Jayden will too, he likes seafood a lot after all."
"Oh, yes, I remember that place," Tsukasa spoke in a nod, proceeding to inquire after a moment, "It was the one by the river, right?"
"Yes, that's the one," Kagami answered, looking back through the window of her room with an amused smile, chuckling as she said, "I should remind him to ask for a fork and a knife this time. If sushi rolls are giving him trouble, imagine how difficult this would be for him."
"If you ask me, it's actually harder without chopsticks," Tsukasa replied, closing her eyes mirthfully. "It's strange to think that someone hasn't used them successfully even once."
"I'll teach him how to eat with them sometime… even if that means I won't be able to watch him struggle with them again," Kagami retorted playfully, sharing a laugh with Tsukasa and relinquishing the gentle grip on her pigtail, letting out a sigh of contentment before looking at her sister again.
"This is very exciting, Sis," Tsukasa spoke with honest joy in her voice. "You and Jayden-san together, and you dating him now... actually being his girlfriend."
"It is," Kagami returned the smile Tsukasa was giving her, leaning back on her desk, putting her hands on either side while still looking at her twin. "I must admit I'm still a bit overwhelmed, but… but it feels great, Tsukasa. I really can't wait to see him."
"After yesterday, I'd imagine it would," Tsukasa said to her with another nod of her head. "I mean, hearing that he likes you as well, that he wants to go out with you, getting to kiss him too."
"Mm," Kagami hummed, her cheeks slightly coloring as she recalled the moments, a soft smile on her face while she looked down for a moment before returning her sister's gaze again. "It's hard not getting excited about this, Tsukasa. I think that I've barely managed to clear my head from last night."
"It will probably be like that for a while," Tsukasa replied in a chuckle, then proceeding to ask her, "When are you going to see him?"
"In less than an hour now," Kagami told her after turning her head around to look at the clock on her desk , which was placed next to her stack of notebooks. Glancing back at Tsukasa, she told her, "I should probably be leaving actually – it's a bit of a walk from here to Ainohashi Bridge, and I don't want to be late."
"I don't think it's that far, Sis, you're just eager," Tsukasa replied observantly after a moment, beaming happily at Kagami.
"I might be," the older twin retorted in a mirthful chuckle, then proceeded to ask inquisitively, "What are your plans for the day, Tsukasa?"
"I will go out later to buy wards and power stones," Tsukasa answered, and upon seeing Kagami's bewildered expression, she clarified, "Our birthday's approaching, and I'm getting worried… unlucky things happen before a critical year, like turning eighteen."
"Come on now, you don't really believe that?" Kagami spoke to her warmly, her features soft even as she shook her head. "You shouldn't place such big importance on things like that. Same thing with fortunes."
"Well, I can't help it," Tsukasa replied with a nervous smile, slightly shrugging. "It'll be a fun thing to do anyway, I always like going to the Takanomiya Shrine, even when there isn't a festival."
"I know, me too. I just wanted to make sure that you don't depress yourself with that or anything," Kagami nodded at her with reassurance.
"Not after we have some of these power stones," Tsukasa remarked in a determined manner.
"I guess it couldn't hurt to buy a few, then," Kagami smiled at her, and after a brief moment of silence she started walking towards the door while her sister stood up from the bed and followed suit.
"I'll go after I eat something for lunch. I think there's some curry left from last night," Tsukasa spoke, putting a hand on her chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah, there is. Mom made sure that there would be enough for everybody for a couple more days," Kagami answered, smiling at Tsukasa as they walked out of the room, turning to face her before carrying out with her intention to head towards the door of the house.
"I'll see you later then, Tsukasa," Kagami then said to her twin. "And thank you for helping me pick out the outfit."
"No problem, Sis," Tsukasa replied with mirth. "Have a great time with Jayden-san."
"Thank you, I hope so," Kagami spoke appreciatively, returning the smile on the other girl's face, her hand tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
After sharing another nod between themselves, Tsukasa went for the dining room while Kagami headed in the opposite direction, approaching the doormat that members of the Hiiragi family would place their shoes next to. She put on her white laceless sneakers, noticing that her parents' shoes were gone, the two of them having gone out somewhere together. All of the Hiiragi daughters were at home, however, so theirs were all still lined up by the doormat.
In her excitement to meet with Jayden, Kagami had almost forgotten to bring her keys with her, which she had prepared on top of the hallway drawer. His music player was also there, but she wanted to hold onto it for a little longer until she managed to listen to more tracks that she might like.
Eventually, Kagami walked through the door of the Hiiragi household, already hit by the warm pleasant air outside, the smile on her face slightly widening as she began walking away from home.
In just a little while, she'd finally see Jayden again…
In the meantime, Jayden had already arrived at the bridge that he was scheduled to meet Kagami at a few minutes earlier. He had both of his hands latched onto the railing as he slightly leaned forward, looking at the river that was silently running through the city of Kuki-shi. The few small feathery clouds in the sky were reflected in its clean surface, along with some of the taller apartment buildings in the district. Jayden could make out his own silhouette as he glanced further down, along with the ones of people either walking or cycling through the small pedestrian bridge.
The warm pleasant wind softly blew in Jayden's direction and ruffled his hair while he continued to look at the view, finding it somewhat soothing as he waited for Kagami to come. Despite that, he still anxiously lifted up his left arm a good number of times to check the time displayed on his black wristwatch. He did it once again, noticing that there were at least five minutes until one o'clock. The bridge had been closer to his house than he thought… he really was this excited to meet up with her.
Even though Jayden expected that there'd be a bit more waiting until Kagami arrived, he still turned his head sideways in the direction he expected her to come from, hoping to see her. He fondly spared the nearby park a glance before he did so, pleasant memories of last night flooding back to him. It was the place where Kagami had confessed her feelings for him, and where he had found out that he actually reciprocated them as well. The bench she had been sitting on was right there, at the farthest end of the park by the river, now occupied by what Jayden thought was an old couple. His eyesight wasn't that good to be able to say so with certainty, but it was still unmistakably the place where he and Kagami had met up yesterday. He could feel his lips pull into a smile as he thought about it once more, sighing contentedly in the meantime. It had only happened last night, and yet it felt like he had been waiting for much longer to see Kagami again…
After the quick reminiscing on his part, Jayden fully turned his head towards the end of the bridge in search for Kagami, his eyes lingering on the people who walked his way, but seeing no sign of her yet.
He was just about to look away again after a few moments of holding his gaze in that direction before it caught on a distinct shade of purple, one that appeared behind a group of people who just walked by. Even though he wasn't able to see the approaching girl in perfect focus yet, Jayden could tell that it was definitely Kagami – she was early herself.
A couple of seconds afterwards, when she was already closer to him, her eyes met his, partially obscured by a few strands of her hair falling across her face as a result of the strong wind that blew from the side. Her long pigtails were dangling next to her too, the bright light of the sun hitting them, somehow bringing out their distinct eye-catching purple color. While one of her hands had gone to brush the bangs away from her eyes, her other hand was holding onto a small, brown bag that she carried over her shoulder. It was of a similar shade as the one of the ribbons in her hair and the short skirt that she had put on. She had also donned a light, short-sleeved beige jacket that she wore open, a dark blue shirt underneath, one that matched the unique color of her sharp eyes rather well. Jayden's own gaze locked with hers again, noticing the soft smile that she had on her face, and the subtle, rosy glow of her cheeks. He couldn't help but return her smile and take a few steps towards her himself, his hands having relinquished their grip on the railing and instead gone inside the pockets of his black trousers.
The joy of finally seeing Kagami again was evident on Jayden's features, his eyes unwavering as he continued to take in her beauty with each step taken towards her. Once the wind blew in his face again, causing his fringe to fall across his right eye completely, he almost immediately brushed it away with his hand to keep looking at her, returning it inside his pocket once more afterwards.
"Hey, Jayden," Kagami spoke softly when she was within earshot, her voice as warm as he remembered it being the night before.
"Hey, Kagami," Jayden replied, the two of them stopping right in front of each other. Neither the smile nor the blush left Kagami's face as she kept looking into his eyes, her own occasionally obscured by her bangs from the force of the wind.
"Oh, I'm sorry if you had to wait, am I late?" she suddenly said after a couple of seconds of simply looking at him, worriedly glancing at her own wristwatch.
"No, don't worry. I think we're both a bit early," Jayden shook his head in reply, smiling at her as she returned his gaze again. His cheeks were slightly colored as he then said to her, "You… you look really nice."
"Oh," Kagami simply let out again, her free hand twirling a strand of her hair as she answered after a second, still looking at him, "Thank you. You do too."
Jayden blushed again in response while rubbing the back of his neck, keeping the smile on his face as he looked away from her for a moment, turning his head towards the view next to them, saying, "It's so nice out today, isn't it?"
"Yes… it really is. We've been really lucky with the weather nowadays," Kagami soon answered, following his gaze towards the river and the nearby park, both of them looking back at each other almost at the same time. "And it's great for where we're going now, too," she then added.
"Oh, yeah, where are we going today?" Jayden then inquired curiously, looking inquisitively at the girl in front of him.
"There's a really nice seafood restaurant by the river that I remember liking a lot," Kagami said to him with a soft smile on her face.
"A seafood restaurant?" Jayden repeated with obvious excitement in his voice, with Kagami letting out an endearing giggle before replying.
"I knew you'd like the idea," she then told him, blushing a little again, running her hand over the length of a pigtail in front of her. She proceeded to add with a slight frown, "There's one thing, though. I don't think they give people anything to eat with other than chopsticks there. So…"
"Oh," Jayden simply let out after a moment in a surprised tone, proceeding to chuckle a bit and rub the back of his neck again as he said, "I guess I'll… eat with my hands or something."
Kagami let out another giggle in response, making Jayden look at her curiously with his cheeks flushed once more until she finally told him, "Don't worry, Jayden, I was kidding. I don't think that will be necessary."
"Hey, that was mean," Jayden retorted in a joking tone after a moment, already feeling relieved that he won't have to struggle like that again. "I was beginning to think that I might have to always bring a fork and a knife with me here, just in case."
"Or it'd be easier if you learned how to use chopsticks, just in case," Kagami spoke with an amused teasing smile, brushing the bangs away from her face that the wind had pushed back once more.
"That would… take me some time," Jayden let out a heartfelt chuckle. "And once again I think I'm too hungry right now to spend it learning how."
"I'm feeling hungry myself already," Kagami replied in a nod, turning her head back to where she came from for a moment, saying, "We could begin heading to the restaurant, it's not far away from here."
"Sounds like a plan," Jayden nodded back, the two of them sharing a smile between themselves.
Before either started going anywhere, Kagami looked at Jayden for a moment, the rosy blush on her face evident on her joyful expression as she held out her hand invitingly towards him. His lips parted slightly in surprise as he looked at it a bit nervously, and then back at her, registering the soft smile that was still on her face. He beamed at her again, and pulled one of his hands from his pocket and reached out for her own, lacing his fingers together with hers, already feeling the pleasant warmth of her skin on his.
Then, they started going in the direction Kagami had come from, and walked across the bridge in a moment of silence, their hands intertwined. Jayden couldn't help but look at her, still having trouble believing that this was happening already, that he was now on his first date with her on this lovely day… Even though they were simply walking together, it was already a different experience than before... and it felt great.
Instead of going back in the direction of the park they had met up at last night, Kagami was leading Jayden through a promenade next to the river. There were a lot of people out today who had taken the very same route that they were going through right now, a lot of them couples too – there wasn't anybody who didn't look like they were enjoying themselves in the pleasant weather. Apart from the pedestrians who walked alongside Kagami and Jayden, there was also a lane for bicycles that some were currently taking advantage of. The walkway also had plenty of benches, most of which were already occupied, that offered a view towards the other side of the city. Even though they were far from alone on the promenade, it was still quiet as they walked through it, no nearby car traffic to make any noise either.
Jayden once again turned his head in Kagami's direction to see her smiling softly as she looked at the river, which seemed to sometimes sparkle underneath the light of the sun, the image reflected in the girl's eyes.
"You know, Tsukasa and I loved going here when we were still kids," she eventually spoke to him, shifting her gaze to his own. "Once we learned how to ride bikes, we sometimes raced each other here. This promenade used to be on our way to school back then anyway."
"Racing, huh? Knowing you, that must've been competitive," Jayden told Kagami with a teasing grin, making her blush a little again in response.
"Well, it's true that I won most of the time, but we both had a lot of fun," she replied with a smile, proceeding to look in front of them again. "We'd go to the bench that's closest to the street leading towards the shrine after that to rest for a bit."
"So you used to go to school here, in Kuki-shi?" Jayden then inquired curiously, his head tilted in her direction.
"Yes, our grade school is only a bit further up the river, about ten minutes away from that park," Kagami explained as she glanced back at him. "Junior high was further away in Satte-shi, but it was still close enough to go by bike."
"Ah, that's where Konata's house is, right?" Jayden asked, with Kagami nodding as she replied.
"It is, but we didn't meet her until our first year in Ryōō."
"My grade school was a bit far away from home too, but I just had to wait for the school bus to arrive and get me there," Jayden then told her. "High school was much closer and I could get there on foot."
"So you haven't travelled this much to school before as you do here?" Kagami asked, giving him yet another smile, brushing away the bangs from her face with her free hand to look at him better after the wind had slightly ruffled them beforehand.
"Nor did I need to wake up as early as I do now," Jayden answered with a shake of his head, chuckling a little before adding, "Believe it or not, I didn't always bring an MP3 player with me when I went to school before, but with how long the trip is here…"
"Truth to be told, maybe if I didn't always go to Ryōō with Tsukasa, I might've eventually decided to bring a player of my own with me too," Kagami replied thoughtfully after letting out a chuckle herself, adding after a moment as she nodded his way, "It'd be a good way to kill time."
"That, and you can just continue enjoying the music you like," Jayden remarked with a nod of his own. "While you still have mine, you can take it with you to school."
"Maybe I can," Kagami soon said, a teasing expression on her face as she playfully told him, "I can upload a bunch of my favorite songs there too while I'm at it."
"I wouldn't mind," Jayden retorted, a look of surprise replacing the teasing grin on Kagami's face as he spoke with a smile, "There's enough space for that anyway, and I'd be interested in hearing what music you're into yourself."
"Oh," Kagami simply let out while she returned his smile, her cheeks slightly colored again as she added, "Well, I've been listening to the tracks in your player and I already have a few that I'm thinking of looking up somewhere… I mean, who knows, maybe you'd like some of the ones I enjoy as well."
"Of course, I'd love to listen to whatever you give me too," Jayden told her earnestly, gently squeezing her hand for a second as he held it, with Kagami's smile widening in response.
Her gaze didn't move away from his for a while as they continued going through the promenade, her proximity allowing Jayden to see her bluish eyes from up close. Their captivating depth made it difficult for him to look away despite the blush that had begun to form on her face again, a subtle color rising on his own cheeks in response as well.
What eventually broke their eye contact was an almost inaudible gasp that Kagami suddenly let out and looked at something behind them and stopped walking, her hand still holding onto his.
"Oh, I think we might've walked past the restaurant," she soon told him before he could ask what was wrong.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Jayden then spoke in a chuckle and followed her gaze, adding with surprise in his voice afterward, "Oh, there's quite a few places to eat here."
He hadn't noticed just how many tables had been brought out at the end of the promenade, ones that clearly belonged to the restaurants around. A good amount were occupied already, making him wonder whether there'd be even a place for them to sit somewhere outside, if one of these was the seafood restaurant Kagami had mentioned before. He only now registered the chatter coming from the many clients there, having been oblivious to it himself beforehand.
"Oh, here it is – that one," Kagami eventually said excitedly, nodding her head towards one of the restaurants, immediately proceeding to lead Jayden there.
At first, he couldn't tell which one she meant because they were so close together, but the shrimp sign on top of the seafood restaurant building soon gave it away. The clients ate on small, circular tables outside and were served by a lone, rushed waitress walking among them who was delivering the ordered food. Most of the places to sit on were already taken, but one of the tables closest to the actual promenade was empty. Kagami had apparently noticed it as well, for she gestured with her head in its direction inquisitively, Jayden nodding back with enthusiasm in return. She then smiled at him joyfully and led him to the table in question while it was still free.
"This place smells good," Jayden observed as they got closer while taking a peek at the enticing food that other people nearby had ordered for themselves. Bowls of shrimps, cups of rice, a lot of different sauces, and dishes of various other seafood populated the restaurant tables.
"I haven't been here for a long time, but it looks as good as I remember it being," Kagami replied, her own eyes doing a little inspection of their own.
Upon reaching the table they had picked out, the two of them proceeded to sit opposite each other on a pair of wooden chairs, a couple of menus already neatly laid out in front of them. Before Kagami took hold of her own, she unstrapped the brown bag from her shoulder and placed it on an empty chair beside both of them. She then lifted her arm and pushed back the bangs that had fallen across her eyes as she smiled at Jayden, and picked up her menu herself, while his own was already in his hands. Despite his eagerness to order and eat something though, he couldn't help but notice the way the light of the sun above hit Kagami's hair again and the different shades of purple that it brought out. Her pigtails lightly blew as a result of the wind coming from the direction of the river, part of which could still be seen across the promenade.
With a blush on his face as he eventually started reading the menu himself, Jayden inwardly confirmed that this was a good table to sit at indeed.
After a quick initial scan of the menu pages, Kagami was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was quite a lot to choose from, even when it came to the different dressings. She hadn't had the time to check the restaurant out before going out with Jayden, which had worried her a little, but it was a definite relief seeing that it lived up to her expectations. Jayden's excited countenance as he looked through the menu with his brows scrunched and eyes narrowed a little was comforting to see as well, if not cute.
"Having a hard time deciding, Jayden?" Kagami asked him with an amused smile, the boy still appearing to be deep in thought even as he lifted his head to look at her.
"You could say that," he answered mirthfully with a slight nod, returning his gaze to the menu again after a moment. "Looking at what they're offering... I'm having a little trouble choosing. This time, there are actually English translations too, though I've noticed several mistakes in the menu already."
"Better stick to the Japanese names as long as you can understand them," Kagami replied in a light chuckle. "Poor English translation here is notorious, as you know."
"So I've observed," Jayden nodded, letting out a heartfelt laugh himself that made her widen her smile upon hearing.
Kagami's eyes then returned to the list of dishes, a lot of which were obviously meant to be shared, judging by their size. Perhaps they could order something to eat together?
She looked Jayden's way again to see the indecisive expression on his face once again, one of his hands rubbing his chin as he continued reading the menu. Just as she was about to ask him whether he wanted to share something from the list with her, he spoke first, looking at her inquisitively.
"What do you feel like eating, Kagami?" he asked her curiously.
"Oh— I was just wondering whether you'd like to get something for two," she then replied.
"Sounds good to me. What do you have in mind?" he inquired after a second with a nod of his head, turning the pages of the menu again.
"Well, I was thinking, maybe… there's this tuna tataki combo here that I'd like to try, if you want to," she offered, pointing her finger at her own menu and turning it for Jayden to see. Each of the items there had a picture of them beside their names and respective English translations, which was what Kagami was showing him.
"That looks really delicious," Jayden spoke with approval, but then furrowed his eyes a little, asking, "It seems big, though. Do you think we can eat it all?"
"I think we can handle it. Not so sure about any dessert afterwards though," Kagami replied with a shake of her head, smiling amusedly at him.
"Sadly, I agree," Jayden chuckled, leaning back on his chair as he did so, taking one more look at the tuna tataki combo shown on the page. "From the looks of it… it's going to be worth it, though. It does look really tasty, and I think I saw some people eating it here too."
"It should be good, I think. It's on the list of specials after all," Kagami replied hopefully, closing the menu and setting it down on the table.
Soon afterwards, the hurried waitress arrived at their table, greeted them and apologized for any time they might've spent waiting for her, and proceeded to take their order. Apart from the tuna tataki combo they had decided on, each of them ordered a glass of water for themselves to go with it too. Just before the waitress began to leave, Kagami suddenly remembered something and reminded her to bring a fork and a knife instead of chopsticks for Jayden, who seemed to have forgotten about that too. He looked a bit embarrassed as his cheeks flushed a little after he realized that he had.
"Thank you, Kagami," he told her after the waitress left, beaming at her. "I guess I should remember to clarify in the future."
"No problem, Jayden," Kagami reassured him with a smile of her own. "At least we found out that they don't only serve chopsticks here."
"That's certainly a relief," Jayden replied with another chuckle that Kagami returned herself.
After letting out a contented sigh, Kagami leaned back on the chair as she turned her head to take a glance at what little of the river could be seen from their table. The clear sky was reflected in the water, and so were the few small clouds above, on what was turning out to be a beautiful day in June. Even the people around who walked across the promenade wore smiles on their faces, a lot of them couples too. Like her and Jayden… a couple…
The thought put a smile on Kagami's face, as she also realized that she couldn't have asked for a better day for her first date with Jayden. She turned to face him again after the brief moment of silence, curiously noticing that he was rubbing the back of his neck and had a slight blush on his face as he looked at her.
"What are you thinking about, Jayden?" she inquired as she slightly tilted her head to the side.
"Well, you know, I was wondering… what exactly is tataki?" Jayden asked in a confused and obviously embarrassed tone that made her softly giggle.
"Jayden, you should ask that before ordering something," she told him with amusement in her voice, leaning forward and folding her arms on the table as she explained, "Tataki is a way of preparing the tuna. It's seared on the outside and then it's marinated in vinegar. I think."
"Ah, I see," Jayden nodded with understanding, and then added as he ran a hand through his hair while he smiled at her, "I didn't really think about it when I saw it on the picture. I just thought it was the name of the special or something."
"I guess I forgot to tell you about it before, Jayden, I'm sorry," Kagami told him as she shook her head a little, looking away for a bit as she added, "But you'll see the word often in restaurants, not just in preparing tuna, but for different fish and meat you can order too."
"It's no problem, it sounds like something I'd find tasty anyway," Jayden said to her reassuringly, putting his own hands on the round table and pulling the chair a little closer to it as he did so.
"I like it a lot, and I think you will too," Kagami then spoke, giving him a smile.
"The smell here is certainly making me eager for it," Jayden replied, looking to the side as he once again briefly inspected the other tables around and the people eating there. The hopefulness in his eyes was palpable as he looked at what the waitress was carrying then, though there was still no sign of their own order coming.
It didn't take long, however, for the tuna tataki combo to arrive, along with the two glasses of water they had asked for. Now, there was a plate placed between them, with several pieces of seared tuna neatly lined up, finished with scallions, along with a few potatoes and some rice, as well as a couple of sauces on either side of the plate. Even though it appeared smaller than it had been in the actual picture, it smelled delicious, and judging by the look on Jayden's face, he was certainly impressed with it himself.
"Whoa, this looks nice," he simply commented while the waitress beside them put the fork and knife down that he had requested on his side of the table. Kagami looked his way to see him give her a smile excitedly, feeling her own lips pull into one.
"The dressings on this plate are almost twice the amount of the actual tuna though," Kagami observed with amusement.
"It looks good regardless," Jayden observed, his hand already picking up the fork beside him. "What's interesting to me is how orderly it is too, but that's something pretty common here from what I've seen."
"Easier to split it between ourselves this way," Kagami remarked, picking up her chopsticks and grabbing the closest piece of tuna with them, taking one small bite to taste it. "Oh, this is delicious," she spoke as she looked at him mirthfully, still softly chewing on the meat.
"It really is," Jayden spoke with his eyes lit up, having taken a piece of tuna himself, returning her gaze happily. Kagami took another bite of her own, which she still held in her chopsticks and chewed on it, a curious blush on Jayden's face as he looked at her. It didn't take her long this time to figure out why that was so, feeling her cheeks flush too when she did.
"I guess I… I can't help it," she said to him with a somewhat nervous smile when she swallowed her piece of tuna, the noise she made while she chewed subsiding for the moment.
"I, uh, I don't mind it," Jayden told her as he rubbed the back of his neck, grabbing hold of a potato with his fork and adding after a few seconds, "It's… pretty cute, in fact."
"I'm— I'm not doing it on purpose or anything," Kagami quickly replied, looking away towards the river while finishing up with the last part of the tune piece she had in her chopsticks. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, saying, "If it's distracting, I can—"
"No, don't worry about it," Jayden was quick to reply, waving his hand a little as he smiled at her, a blush on his face still. "It's just… nice seeing you enjoy food like that. Not the same way I do… completely devouring it like I'll do now, probably."
After a moment of registering what he said, Kagami couldn't help but softly smile back at him, continuing to chew on the tuna and involuntarily making the noise as she did, not making an effort to stop it.
"Well… that's cute in its own way too," she eventually retorted, turning her head back forward to him, brushing away the bangs that had fallen across her face. "But as you know, you'll not be able to savor the food for long that way."
"Yeah, but… I can't really help it either," Jayden answered with a chuckle before picking another mouthful, lightly scratching his cheek with a finger of his free hand.
"You know, you should try one of these sauces," Kagami soon said, dipping a piece of tuna she had just picked up in one of them. "This one here is soy sauce, and that one is ponzu," she explained to him with a nod of her head.
"What's ponzu?" Jayden inquired after a second with another confused look on his face he directed at the sauce. He hovered a potato he had picked up with his fork over the ponzu with obvious hesitation, almost distrust. "It's not something… really spicy, is it?"
"Don't worry, Jayden, it's not poison," Kagami couldn't help but let out a giggle at his reaction, smiling at him afterwards in her attempt to explain it to him. "Well, it's actually really similar to soy sauce, but it has a… somewhat more distinct taste, not spicy. It's a tart, a citrusy dipping sauce and it's often used for tataki meals like this one. You'd rather dip the tuna in it."
"I'm going to give it a shot, then," Jayden told her, seemingly intrigued. He quickly finished with the potato he had grabbed hold of and then dipped a new piece of tuna in the ponzu, proceeding to taste it. Glancing away from Kagami as he chewed it with a thoughtful expression on his face, his eyes eventually lit up again and looked back towards her, exclaiming through a full mouth, "Oh, this is really good!"
"I thought you'd like it," Kagami smiled back at him joyfully, and then noticed a slight smudge from the sauce next to his lower lip, on his right cheek. "You have a bit of ponzu there," she then said as she pointed at it with her index finger.
"Oh," he let out, taking the napkin that was next to his knife and rubbing it on his cheek, but missing the smudge by an inch or two. Looking at her inquisitively, he asked, "Did I get it?"
"No, it's a little more to your left," she answered, but Jayden was even further away from the smudge in his next attempt to wipe it off.
After a moment, Kagami took hold of her own napkin and leaned forward a little across the table, reaching out with it to clean the smear off herself.
"Your other left," she said to him when she started doing so, glancing towards his eyes for a moment and noticing the blush on his face, as well as the fact that his gaze was on hers too. She felt her cheeks flush in response and looked away from him to see that she had already wiped off the ponzu sauce, proceeding to lean back on her chair afterwards.
"Thanks," he then spoke with a smile on his face while rubbing the back of his neck, taking yet another mouthful of the slowly fading tuna and dipping it into the sauce, Kagami following suit.
While the size of the tuna tataki combo was certainly formidable, the plate it had been brought on was gradually emptied, Jayden's part of it disappearing faster than her own. He had eaten it so fast that he needed the time Kagami spent finishing off everything left to recover in the meantime by placing a hand over his stomach and lazily leaning back on his chair. She didn't need to do something like that herself when she ate the remainder of the tataki combo, though she definitely knew what he was feeling at that moment. When eating a lot of sweets like she sometimes did, she knew that she had to stuff them down as fast as possible if she didn't want anything to remain on the plate that she couldn't eat afterwards.
"Boy, this was so good," Jayden repeated with satisfaction, smiling contentedly, still appearing a little worn out, even after the few minutes that passed since he had eaten his own side of the meal.
"I take it you're not in the mood for an ice cream right now?" Kagami asked him, chuckling a little as she wiped her mouth with her napkin after finally setting down the chopsticks herself.
"Are you kidding? Any further and I think I'll faint," Jayden laughed in response, running a hand through his dark-shaded hair, his bangs casting a shadow over his light green eyes. He slightly narrowed them as he smiled at her softly, telling her, "Thank you for recommending this, Kagami, I really enjoyed it. And for taking me here."
"Well, it's the cooks here that deserve the praise," she replied with a smile of her own while she twisted a strand of hair with the finger of her hand, slightly blushing again. "But… I'm happy that you liked it, Jayden, I hoped you would… I did too."
As that was said, the waitress who had been serving them arrived at their table, taking the empty plate away and leaving the bill in its place. After some pleasantries were exchanged and she left, Kagami noticed that Jayden leaned forward and started rummaging through the pocket of his trousers.
"Don't worry about that, Jayden, I'll pay," Kagami then reassured him, taking the bag she had left on the empty seat beside them and opening it as she did. "I took you here, after all."
"I know that you did, but…" Jayden spoke in response, looking at her determinedly as he took out his wallet.
"Besides, I suggested what food we eat here too," she continued before Jayden could finish what he wanted to say.
"I know that too, but it's what I would've wanted as well, if I had known what it was before," Jayden retorted with a confident nod of his head. "At the very least, we can split it between ourselves."
With Jayden's insistence to pay at least something, they eventually decided on splitting the pay for the meal in half, with Kagami leaving the tip for the waitress. It wasn't long before she came over and took the money, proceeding to make a slight bow to the two of them, politely thanking them and wishing them a nice day in the process. They stayed there just a little bit longer while they consumed what little water they had left and decided to leave. Once she had stood up, Kagami pulled the bag over her shoulder and held out her hand to Jayden again with a smile. The boy soon took it into his own, wearing a joyful expression himself.
"Let's walk a little further down the promenade, if you want," Kagami told him, brushing a part of her bangs away from her face.
"Of course I do, Kagami," Jayden answered with a nod as he beamed at her, the couple standing still for a brief moment, their eyes locked together.
His gaze appeared so soft and tender whenever he looked at her like that, its lovely light green color drawing her in somehow…
She eventually looked away from him with another blush on her cheeks, proceeding to sigh contentedly before they continued down the promenade by the Kuki-shi river, joining the other people around who did the same.
The two of them slowly walked together with joined hands, smiles on both of their faces, neither one appearing to be in the slightest rush for anything, comforting silence falling upon them for a while. More time must have passed in the restaurant than it seemed to have, for the sky above had only slightly darkened already, the sun nearing the edge of the horizon, taller buildings of the business district visible further down the river.
Kagami recalled going through this part of the city a lot of times before, and it was certainly one of her favorite places in the entirety of Kuki-shi, as it was for a lot of other people she knew, including her sister. She didn't remember it being this much pleasant and relaxing before, though, and the boy she was with now doubtlessly contributed to that feeling. As she realized that, she couldn't help but look away from the river towards him again for a moment, simply smiling at him when she did, with the boy looking at her curiously but soon returning the gesture himself.
After some time, they eventually reached a familiar place in the promenade that she couldn't remember being to in a long while before.
"Ah," she then let out before pointing towards the street next to them, explaining, "The walkway continues on for a bit further ahead, but this is the way towards Takanomiya Shrine and our house. It's the route Tsukasa and I took back from grade school."
"Oh, I see," Jayden replied with a nod of his head, then looked at her curiously as he observed, "It looks like you haven't been around here in a while."
"No, there wasn't anything in the other part of the city for me to go to anymore. It brings back memories… it's nice."
"It must be. And it has to be great to simply spend time here again, this part of the city is really lovely," Jayden said to her as the two stood still for a while, Kagami nodding his way mirthfully in return. Turning her head around again, she noticed a sign for a bus stop right beside them, prompting her to look back in Jayden's direction hopefully as she spoke again.
"You're… you're not in a hurry are you?" she asked him, slightly nervous of the thought. "I know it's getting late, and the city bus line is close by, but if you want to walk me home…"
"Oh, of course, Kagami," Jayden told her warmly with a slight shake of his head, smiling at her again. "I'd love to."
When she smiled back at him, lightly squeezing his hand, Kagami couldn't help but feel relieved – she found herself not wanting this date to end any sooner than necessary, nor did she want to leave Jayden's side just yet. They'd see each other over the week in school, of course, but… this was different. It was the two of them together, now a couple, alone… and as she was happily finding out today, the experience was certainly different that way.
They continued on the street towards the shrine, little colorful houses on either side of them with small courtyards in front, most of them filled with recently blossomed trees. Kagami breathed in the spring air which contained their lovely scent, heavily exhaling afterwards with obvious contentment. Jayden looked like he was just about to follow her example when he turned his head away from her to lightly sneeze.
"Bless you," Kagami said to him, looking at him with concern when he returned his gaze to her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry, I am, it's just… something that always irritates me during this time of year when outside," he told her after a second.
"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully, contemplating for a bit before telling him, "You must be allergic to something… and since we're just passing by these courtyards here, I'd say it's probably grass pollen."
"You think so?" he asked her, a thoughtful expression on his own face. "Why do I only seem to feel this way during these couple of months, though?"
"Because that's when pollen is released in the air… during late spring and early summer, as far as I know," Kagami explained to him. "It's a really common allergy."
"Oh," Jayden let out, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous smile and a blush. "I didn't know that… I actually had no idea about this allergy before, but you might be right..."
Kagami couldn't help but giggle a little at his reaction before responding to him.
"Don't worry, Jayden, I didn't know any of this before Miyuki explained this to us one day. She has this too, if I remember right."
"It wouldn't be the first thing I've learned from her," Jayden said in a chuckle that Kagami mirthfully returned herself.
After having made a few turns on the way, an archway had become visible at the end of the street, with crowds of people amassed around the stalls and markets around. Jayden hadn't seen the place that busy before, but he hadn't been there on a Sunday, after all. He scanned their surroundings as he and Kagami walked through the archway above, this time from a different direction than he had gotten used to. Soon enough, the couple became a part of the rather noisy crowd around them.
"Look, Jayden," Kagami excitedly said beside him, squeezing his hand a little as she did, pointing towards a building right next to them that was closed down on the front with a chain. "I haven't shown you this before, right? This is the actual shrine that people pray at – look at the saisen bako at the top of the steps."
"Saisen bako?" Jayden repeated curiously, following Kagami's gaze towards what appeared to be a rectangular table right in front of the entrance of the shrine.
"It's an offering box," she told him then, the two of them looking in the direction of the shrine while she continued explaining. "The way you do it is you first make your offering into the box, bow twice, clap your hands a couple of times, and then pray for a few seconds."
"What's that above it?" Jayden asked her, pointing towards something that looked like a bell hanging on a string right next to the offering box.
"This is called a suzu. You ring it before you begin praying to get God's attention," Kagami answered him. "Not every shrine has one, though."
"Ah, I see," Jayden spoke in a nod, returning his gaze to Kagami, smiling at her. "My father's told me a lot about this place when I was young, but I must've forgotten a lot of things he's said. I haven't made such an offering before."
"You've probably never drawn a fortune like these ones before either," Kagami nodded her head towards one of the shops right next to them with the word "omikuji" on top of the stall, and a rushed shopkeeper dealing with a lot of clients gathered in front of her.
"Why would you spend money buying one when you can simply draw from one of these here?" Jayden asked confusedly, pointing at a small arch that had several threads hanging from the top, all of which were full of similar pieces of paper tied to them. Before Kagami replied to him, she let out a soft giggle, the pleasant sound of it making his lips pull into a smile but also causing his brows to lift curiously as he looked at her again.
"These are fortunes that people have already bought," she proceeded to explain to him, amusement still in her cheerful voice. "Usually you'd tie the fortune there or at a nearby tree if it's one that brings you bad luck."
"Ah," Jayden simply spoke, blushing a little with embarrassment as he looked away to the tree again. "And here I was just about to suggest… stealing other people's fortunes, apparently."
"I thought you didn't really believe in things like this anyway, like drawing fortunes," Kagami replied, a smile on her face still.
"Well, I don't… but it would still be a fun thing to do together with you," he answered, looking back at her and returning her smile.
"Oh…" Kagami let out, her cheeks coloring slightly as she pushed away a lock of hair behind her ear before saying, "I mean, I don't really place any importance on them either, but… if you'd like, we can buy a couple together. It'd be fun for me too."
"Yeah, I do," Jayden nodded enthusiastically, Kagami's smile widening at his response.
"Then let's get in line," she told him excitedly, already proceeding to lead him towards the queue that had begun forming up in front of the shop.
A few minutes passed before their turn finally came, the time spent with Jayden asking Kagami a few more questions about things he noticed when he looked around past the crowds. He now knew that the ceremonial dances during the incoming festival would be held at an elevated platform close by. Apart from what stalls that would open by then, Kagami also told him where the fireworks would be set off too, and the souvenir shops that would become available by then too.
With their strips of paper purchased, Kagami and Jayden went out of the way to allow for people who had gathered behind them to proceed further.
"Alright, let's see what we have," Kagami then said excitedly, unfolding her own paper, a dumbfounded look on her face when she did. "Half luck?"
"That's… better than no luck, right?" Jayden asked her, opening his own afterwards and reading aloud the letters with confusion, "Partial luck?"
"These must be some new ones… they aren't the ones Tsukasa and I help prepare for the festivals," Kagami spoke, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she took a glance at Jayden's own strip of paper. "I haven't gotten such fortunes before."
"Is partial luck better than half luck?" Jayden inquired. Partial luck… so much for his first fortune drawn.
"Well, depends on whether the part of luck you have is bigger than half of it," Kagami answered with amusement in her voice.
"It doesn't quite specify," Jayden chuckled in response, grinning at Kagami as he asked her, "Are ours bad enough to consider tying to a tree or something, then?"
"I don't know," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders, a thoughtful expression on her face for a moment before she said to him, "It's not like it really matters either way, but… let's put them up there anyway, if you want."
"Yeah, let's do that," Jayden nodded approvingly, the two of them heading to the small arch nearby and tying their fortunes there.
"At least you got to experience drawing a fortune like this, Jayden," Kagami then said to him, taking hold of his hand again, adjusting the strap of her bag with her other arm.
"Japanese fortunes are pretty ambiguous," Jayden spoke in a laugh, proceeding to squeeze her hand a little afterward, smiling at her softly as he said, "It was fun, but as far as I'm concerned… I know what my real luck has been recently, and with what's happened… I'd say it's certainly been much more than just… partial."
Kagami kept on looking at him while they walked through the shrine, curiosity evident in her bluish eyes, a blush having formed on Jayden's face in the meantime. After a brief moment during which her gaze was locked on his once again, Kagami's own cheeks flushed a little as she gave him a soft smile.
"Oh," she initially let out a few seconds after what he had said to her, proceeding to tell him, "I feel the same way about my own luck, Jayden."
Their eye contact found itself unwavering for a while afterward as they passed by the rest of the shrine's stalls and markets, already finding themselves near the street that the Hiiragi household was located in. The sky above had already taken on an orange tint, the sunset lighting covering the empty road they were walking on now and the houses around.
There was a pleasant, cool air hitting the two of them, causing Kagami's pigtails to slightly brush against Jayden's shoulder as they walked side by side, their hands still intertwined. The contact prompted him to look at her again, making him see how her face was hit by the same sunset lighting, her beauty seemingly accentuated even more that way. The orange color of the sky was somehow present in her bluish eyes as a slight glimmer, while the rosy blush on her smooth cheeks was there once again as she looked back at him, her lips parting in surprise when she did. Her face gained a little more color when she returned his gaze, wearing a curious expression that stayed for a while until she closed her mouth again. Jayden couldn't help but notice the way it slightly fidgeted, making him remember what her kiss had felt like the day before, his mind suddenly racing with the thought of it happening again, wanting to...
It wasn't until a moment though when Kagami spoke, bringing him out of his reverie, her free hand moving from the strap of her bag to a caress a loose pigtail in front of her.
"I'm sorry, it's just, uh… your eyes… they're really pretty," she told him through her blush, her voice slightly nervous as she did, but she kept on looking at him when she said it.
"Oh, no, don't worry," Jayden first replied to her after a moment worriedly, rubbing the back of his neck a little before adding, "Thank you… and it's not like I haven't had the habit of... staring sometimes myself, but… I can't help it, Kagami. Your eyes are beautiful."
"Thank you," she soon answered as she smiled happily, her hand still moving across the length of the pigtail loose in front of her, looking away from him for a bit afterwards. She proceeded to glance at the Hiiragi household that the two of them were slowly approaching before returning his gaze again and saying, "And… thank you for today too, Jayden. I had a wonderful time."
"I did too, Kagami," Jayden spoke sincerely, brushing the bangs away from his face to have a better view of her, noticing the way her eyes sparkled at him. Despite the fact that his mind continued to race, he could bring himself to say, "If anything, I should be thanking you for how much I've enjoyed this... for taking me to that restaurant, and for… making this possible in the first place."
Kagami looked away from him a bit again with a smile on her face, the two of them having slowed down their approach to the Hiiragi household a few meters ahead of them.
"Both of us did," she eventually said a little quietly but clearly, her voice happy and soft.
They already found themselves at the front gate of her house, a part of Jayden already wishing they had walked even slower than they had. Looking in Kagami's direction again, he felt her hand squeeze his a little, her gaze having shifted to his again, her cheeks still flushed, the look on her eyes both warm and somehow intense at the same time. Her purple hair was alluringly brightened under the sunset light, a couple of her pigtails were touching his shoulder again as they blew in the wind. Her mouth was parted, and it fidgeted a little again when he looked at it, the subtle movement making his eyes return to hers again, which were locked on his own lips.
Jayden's heartbeat quickened, the desire to feel Kagami's kiss once more prevalent on his mind, already drawn in by the way her eyes somehow shone when she looked at him the way she did now. In a second, however, they fluttered closed as she slowly started leaning towards him, a gesture he found himself mimicking, the need to kiss her again putting all conscious thought away from his mind.
It left him to simply relish in the feeling of her lips tenderly brushing against his, the taste somehow even sweeter than it had been the first time. He felt like he couldn't get enough of it as their kiss continued, his hand instinctively relinquishing hers and moving around her waist while she started wrapping hers around his neck. Both of them deepened the soft contact of their lips that way, leaning a little more towards each other, embracing.
Even this time, Jayden could hardly believe that what was happening was real. He thought he had processed it, that he had made sure that this wasn't a dream, but the inexplicably beautiful feeling of being kissed by Kagami still made him fear that it was.
Just as it had happened before however, those doubts were removed when their kiss eventually ended and Jayden opened his eyes and saw Kagami's looking back at him from up close. The depth in her tender gaze, the color of her blush, her smile and scent… This felt too real to be a dream, not just the kiss itself, but the entire first date he just had with her.
Their breaths were on each other's faces during the brief moment until he leaned in one more time to softly brush his mouth against hers again in a short kiss that she eagerly returned, her lips having pulled into a smile from his gesture. It wasn't long before they pulled away from each other, both of them still blushing a little.
"Think you have it in you to eat dinner now after that tataki of ours?" Jayden simply asked Kagami after a brief moment of silence, a chuckle escaping her mouth before she replied.
"I'll have to try my best," she told him, loosening the grip around his shoulders and moving one of her hands away from him to brush the bangs away from her face. "I wouldn't want to disappoint my mother, after all. Or any of my sisters, if they're doing the cooking…"
"I might go a little easy for dinner this time myself," Jayden replied, pulling his hand away from her and proceeding to rub his neck with it.
"But… make sure you have something sweet after that too," Kagami reminded, looking at him with her smile still wide on her face.
"Of course," Jayden spoke with a chuckle of his own. "A tataki of that size deserves a proper dessert."
"Mhm," Kagami said in response, proceeding to sigh contentedly as she briefly took hold of his hand again with hers. "Another school week's coming up… I hope we get to go out like this again soon, Jayden."
"Me too, Kagami," Jayden retorted sincerely with a slight nod of his head.
"I mean… if we don't have too much schoolwork to do, and both of us have the time, that is… we can do this again sometime next week," Kagami spoke hopefully, smiling at him as she pulled a lock of hair behind her ear, her whole figure still illuminated by the light of the sunset.
"I'd like that," Jayden nodded once more. "Until we see how the schedule's going to be like… we'll see each other at school."
"Yeah, we will," Kagami replied with another sigh, the two of them staying briefly silent again before she said with a smile, "Well… until tomorrow then, Jayden."
"Until then, Kagami," he answered, beaming back at her.
A part of Jayden was reluctant to let go of Kagami's hand when he did, who then proceeded to search for her key in the bag that she carried with her, taking a couple of steps towards the gate of their household. He stayed there to watch her with his hands in his pockets while Kagami unlocked the gate, immediately looking back at him afterward, the blush on her cheeks still visible even under the shadow of the tree in the courtyard. The two exchanged another smile between themselves before the dreaded moment of Kagami finally closing down the gate.
Jayden remained where he was for a brief moment as he sighed and collected his thoughts, taking a glance at his wristwatch to see that there was still no rush for him to return home for dinner. With that realized, he eventually turned around and slowly started heading back home, his thoughts fondly going back to the girl he had just been with.
For his first date with her, there was rarely a moment where a part of him wasn't nervous at least a little bit… but being with her as her boyfriend, as he was continually finding out… it felt right. And it was in no small part thanks to Kagami herself, who helped him put worries of that nature behind, hence allowing him to simply enjoy being with her. And he did, even more than he thought he would… and now, he couldn't wait to get to do this again.
For now, however, as he walked back home, he could simply reflect on today's moments together with her, and smile at the memories.
The joyful expression didn't quite fade from Kagami's face as she entered her house, her mind still drifting around her boyfriend and her first date with him, and the kiss he had just given her…
She took off her shoes and left them next to the doormat as she entered the corridor and started heading towards her room, noticing her twin sister on the way through the open door to the dining room. The TV there was running, and Tsukasa was watching it intently with the remote in her hand before she noticed Kagami and returned her gaze, instantly smiling at her.
"Sis, you're back," she stated joyfully, watching as Kagami entered the room, turning around on the couch to face her better. "How did it go?"
"It went great," Kagami replied, proceeding to sit down on the couch next to Tsukasa, putting down the bag she was carrying as she did. "It was just... I had so much fun with him."
"That's great, Sis," Tsukasa exclaimed, beaming at her twin. "Did he like the seafood restaurant you thought of taking him to?"
"Yeah, he really did," Kagami answered cheerfully, returning her sister's gaze with a smile. "The food there was still great, as I remember it being. Jayden and I had the tuna tataki combo together."
"Oh, that must have been big," Tsukasa replied, her eyes almost widening.
"It was," Kagami spoke, lifting her brows affirmatively while she nodded. "There were a lot of other things I noticed on the menu too, like a tempura shrimp meal, which you would've liked a lot. We should definitely go there sometime."
"Oh, yes, I'd be happy to go there again. It sounds like what you had was delicious," Tsukasa answered enthusiastically, proceeding to join her hands together excitedly as she asked, "And after that? Did you kiss again?"
"Yeah, we did," Kagami retorted, feeling the blush on her face appear once again as she smiled, looking away towards the TV for a second as she recalled the moment. She held her gaze there as she continued, "We went down the promenade next to the river – where you and I used to go to back when we were going to grade school. He walked me all the way home from there."
"Oh, that place is so romantic…" Tsukasa said with her eyes lit up again, obviously excited. "A lot of people in Kuki-shi go there on dates, I know that mum and dad have."
"I didn't really think of that before, I just thought of the restaurant… but it was right there," Kagami spoke with equal enthusiasm. "I can certainly understand why it's such a popular place."
"Especially on a nice day like this," Tsukasa added, her twin sister nodding again in agreement and sighing contentedly, silence falling upon them for a few seconds before Kagami leaned forward from her seat again.
"I'm just going to freshen up a little and change, and we'll talk more then," she told Tsukasa, proceeding to ask her curiously, "Did you get the wards and power stones you wanted to buy?"
"I did, I found a few really cheap ones at one of the stalls in the shrine," Tsukasa replied with an excited smile on her face. "They were very pretty anyway, so I wanted to have them."
"Well, the important thing is that you're not worrying about our eighteenth birthday anymore," Kagami retorted.
"No, I'm not," Tsukasa answered with a shake of her head.
"That's good. I'd like to see them too," Kagami said, standing up from the couch and picking up her bag after a moment, returning her sister's gaze again before leaving through the door, saying, "I'll be right back, Tsukasa."
With a nod, she proceeded to go back to her room, opening the door and leaving her bag on the desk, her thoughts involuntarily going back to Jayden once more. She proceeded to open the window to let the pleasant air from outside in again, taking just a minute or two to look at the darkening sky while slightly leaning out, placing her hands on the lower frame.
At that moment, Kagami couldn't help but be reminded of the way Jayden had looked at her just a little while ago, the many shades of his green eyes in the sunset lighting, how infectious his smile had been, how cute he looked when he blushed… She could tell he was nervous before they had their kiss, but she knew that he wanted it to happen too. It wasn't their first, but it wasn't as impulsive as yesterday's had been – this time, she had been thinking about it for a while before it happened, especially since what he said to her at the shrine...
As she sighed with contentment again, she eventually went to prepare herself for dinner and talk to Tsukasa some more, with Jayden still very much on her mind when she did.
Her twin sister definitely knew the reason why she was in such a good mood during dinner that day. The fact that tomorrow was Monday didn't seem to even slightly bother her.