The following day, Satou's class was abuzz with gossip about Ageha accepting his date proposal. At least five guys were standing around his desk bombarding him with questions.

"How'd you pull it off?" one of them asked.

"Can you teach me?" another guy jumped in.

"Does she have a sister?" said a third.

Satou just shrugged sheepishly as he took out his history text book. Since this morning he had been constantly questioned by boys and girls alike from Maisen Academy. Talk about Ageha and Satou quickly spread throughout the school.

"Okay, come on guys. Scram," Tobi said as he sat down next to Satou. "He asked a girl out, not win the lottery."

"Aw, don't be like that," a fourth guy jumped in.

Ageha was also being interrogated by several girls.

"Esperanza-san, why did you say yes to him?" said a girl with blonde pigtails.

"Did he force you or something?" asked another girl with green hair tied up in a ponytail.

"He's kinda cute. Does he have a brother?"

"Kinda cute? I think he's rather plain looking."

Ageha just sat at her desk and smiled at the girls. She brushed her hair aside and pulled out her textbook. "That's a secret between me and Satou."

"Eeehhhhh!" the girls all gasped.

At that time, the teacher entered the classroom. "Alright kids, back to your seats," he said with a scowl. He set his bag on the desk and began pulling out papers. "Now, turn your textbooks to page twenty-seven. We will be continuing chapter three from yesterday."

The students scurried back to their desks. Satou let out a heavy sigh and opened his textbook. His mind swirled with the events that had been unfolding. The incredibly beautiful and popular Ageha Esperanza agreed to go on a date with him. Much of the school was talking to and about them, spinning wild rumors. Satou also had virtually no idea what went on during a date. Maybe Hitomi can help out…

"Takanashi-san? Are you paying attention?" the teacher called out to him.

"Uh. Oh, sorry about that sensei."

Several of the students snickered and the teacher grumbled as he returned to the lesson.

"Are you sure you want to go on a date with him?" Tsubame whispered to Ageha.

"Yes I am. Now stop asking me that." She whispered back.

"Yeah, but I mean, he's just so average. And don't forget that you're-"

"I know, you don't have to remind me."

"What would Shimatami-sensei say about this?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her?"

"Esperanza-san! Pavlischevich-san! Is there something the two of you would like to share with the class?"

"No sensei," they said in unison.

Second period rolled around and Satou changed into his gym clothes. He and the other boys sat off to the side as the girls began their warm up exercises. Several guys crowded around him, questioning him.

"Hey, come on. You did something, right? Spill it."

"Yeah, did you pay her or blackmail her?"

"Is she returning a favor?"

"Did you use some sort of genjutsu on her?"

"Genjutsu? W-what do you think this is, a manga?" Satou interjected becoming annoyed with the seemingly endless questions. "Guys, just stop! I don't know what to tell you, because I don't know what happened, alright!"

"Geez, if you don't want to tell us, just say so."

PHWEET!

"Settle down over there, boys! You'll get your turn soon enough!" the gym teacher shouted from across the gymnasium.

As the boys shuffled back in line, grumbling all the while, Satou leaned over to Tobi.

"I'm getting real tired of being harassed like this," he sighed.

"What'd you expect?" Tobi answered, fiddling with his camera. "You did manage to get a date with one of the most popular girls in the school."

"Why do you have your camera?" Satou asked in a confused voice. "Where were you keeping it?"

"Well, on that note, here, check it out."

Tobi turned the camera screen to Satou and showed him pictures of Ageha. A few of them were from the classroom, some were outside the school itself, many were on trains for some reason, then more than a few were within the girl's locker room.

"Whoa! What the-? Why do you have so many pictures of her? How did you get some of these? This is the girl's locker room."

"I'm a man of my craft, and my craft is photography," Tobi responded flipping through the images on the camera. One of the images was of some girl wearing a vibrant outfit performing some kind of gymnastics, and there were several other people around her all wearing matching uniforms. "Whoops! Just ignore that one," Tobi said quickly moving to the next image.

"No, no, no! Go back! What was that?" Satou tried to grab the camera from Tobi.

"Hey! Don't worry about it. It's nothing!"

PHWEEET!

"Boys! Keep it down over there! Geez!"

The girls giggled as Satou and Tobi fidgeted on the floor.

Ageha, Yoshimitsu, and Tsubame moved forward in the line.

"So," Yoshimitsu started, "where ya going for ya date?"

Ageha brushed her hair back and smiled. "I don't know. I'm letting Satou choose the place."

"You're letting him choose?" Tsubame jumped in. "Aren't you afraid he'll pick someplace terrible?"

"Someplace terrible? Like what?"

"Yeah, like, he could take you to a game store. Or whatever they're called," Yoshimitsu added.

"Or you might end up going to an otaku lounge. Think of all those sweaty people in there."

"Sweaty people? What are you talking about?" Ageha inquired in a dubious voice.

"Like, it could be worse too, y'know?"

"Worse?

"Yeah," Tsubame said, leaning in close, "maid café."

Yoshimitsu nodded in agreement.

Ageha raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What's so bad about a maid café?"

"WHAT'S SO BAD!" Tsubame shouted.

PHWEEEEET!

"Girls! You too! If you want to gossip, do so during lunch!"

The three girls all jumped a bit at the reprimanding. They looked sheepishly at the teacher and gave apologetic smiles. The gym teacher shook his head and resumed the warm up.

"What's so bad is that you'll be in a room with sweaty otaku, as they drool all over those dolled up women," Tsubame finished in a whisper. "Kinda gross, don't you think?"

"Yeah, an' like, d'ya really wanna go someplace with other girls wearing short skirts and low-cut tops? You'd totally be in competition with 'em. His eyes would totally wonder, y'know?" Yoshimitsu put in.

"You girls are muy loca if you think Satou would take me to some maid café. And on the first date, no less," Ageha responded coolly. "Plus, do you really think I'd have anything to worry about with all this?" She gestured to her body.

Yoshimitsu and Tsubame both looked at each other then back to Ageha. They shrugged and made exasperated expressions.

"Eeeh."

"You two are horriblé."

Gym eventually finished and calculus went by fairly quickly. Satou sat at his desk next to Tobi, quietly eating his lunch. Tobi had his camera out and was cleaning the parts. Nobody crowded around him this time, but people kept looking at him then whispered to each other.

"So," Tobi started talking between eating and polishing, "got anything in mind for your date?"

Satou stopped eating and stared forward. "Aw dammit, no! I honestly have no idea what to do."

"Really dude? You've got two days until your date, yet you don't have anything planned? Have you even told your mom?"

"Yes, no, maybe. Shut up!" Satou turned back to his lunch. "Maybe Hi-chan can help out?"

"Hitomi? Think she'll help you?"

"It's worth a shot."

Satou pulled out his phone and sent a text to Hitomi.

Satou [Hey Hi-chan. Can you help me out with something?]

A few minutes later he received a text back.

Hitomi [Hey little bro. whats up?]

Satou [Well I got a date this Saturday]

Hitomi [WHAT? You got a date? With who?]

Satou [Ageha Esperanza]

Hitomi [Really?]

Satou [Yeah, I actually need a bit of help]

Hitomi [kay no prob. I'll meet you in front of the school when you get out]

Satou put his phone away and gave Tobi a triumphant look. "See? Problem solved."

Tobi just shook his head and returned to his camera.

"What do you think those two are talking about?" Ageha inquired from across the room.

"Who knows," Meimei answered.

"Anime?" Tsubame added.

"Girls?" Yoshimitsu put in.

"Anime girls?" Matsuri said quietly

Ageha laughed at what her friends said. "No, I'm serious. What do you think they're talking about?"

"Who knows."

"Anime."

"Girls."

"Anime girls."

"You chicas are silly."

"Well, what did you expect?" Meimei asked. "They're just a couple of teenaged boys. What else would be on their minds?"

"Isn't Takanashi-san one of the top students in the class?" Tsubame chimed in. "Surely they would talk about other things."

"Like what?" Matsuri said.

"I dunno. Sports?" Ageha replied

"Like, cars maybe?" Yoshimitsu added.

The girls shrugged then all laughed.

"So, are you really going through with the date?" Tsubame asked. "You still have two days to call it off."

"Yes, I still am going through with it. No, I am not calling it off."

"But why are you going through with it? Why didn't you just say no?"

Ageha shrugged then returned to her lunch.

"Okay, don't tell us why."

After school ended, Satou stood at the front gate waiting for Hitomi.

"Hey, little bro! Ready to have some fun?" a woman's voice rang out.

Satou felt a thump on his back as he turned to the direction of the voice. Hitomi Tanaka was a twenty-year-old alumnus of Maisen Academy. She was a few inches taller than Satou, had medium length black hair that was tied up in a ponytail, emerald green eyes, and her upper lip turned up a little. She wore a simple white blouse with the top few buttons undone to expose her ample cleavage, a grey leopard print skirt that was way too short, and a red sweater tied around her waist. She also had a small white purse dangling off her left arm. Needless to say, she was drawing a lot of looks from passerby.

"Why do you keep calling me that? We're only cousins."

"Naw, man. We've known each other for ages," Hitomi grabbed Satou in her arm and gave him a noogie. "We used to play together. You'll always be my little brother!"

"Gah! Knock it off, Hi-chan!" Satou sputtered pulling himself out of Hitomi's grip. "Come on, we're not kids anymore."

"Aww, what's the matter? Afraid I'll kick your ass?" she teased.

"Heh, as if."

"Whatever. Let's just get going already. Gotta make you all nice looking for your big date," Hitomi cooed in a playful manner, poking Satou in the ribs.

"Just a sec. Let me text my mom, let her know I'll be with you."

"Come on, hurry up! I'd like to get to the mall before it closes.

Satou and Hitomi arrived at the mall, and Hitomi bulldozed her way to a clothing department store. She began pulling various items off the racks and shelves and tossed them to Satou.

"Hey! Slow down," he cried out. "Do we actually need all of this?"

"Well, you wanna look your best, right? So, we're gonna sample a buncha different clothes," she responded, tossing a pair of pants at him. "So, what do you have planned for your big date?"

"That's actually why I asked for your help. I don't have any plans."

Hitomi stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Satou. "What did you just say?"

"I said I have nothing planned. That's-"

"And when did you ask this girl out?"

"Uh, yesterday. But really-"

"And when is your date?"

"Saturday," Satou answered becoming very worried with Hitomi's changing demeanor.

Hitomi moved toward Satou, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him close to her face.

"ARE YOU INSANE!" she shouted. Several nearby people jumped at the sudden outburst.

"Uh, what?"

"You asked out a girl, have only a few days before the date, and you don't have anything planned?!"

"In all fairness, I never dreamed she would actually say yes," Satou answered sheepishly.

"You! Are! So! Stupid!" Hitomi began to shake Satou. She let go of him and pulled out her phone. "Okay, new plan. You're so lucky you have me for a cousin." Hitomi began tapping furiously at her phone screen.

"Uh, what's going on?" Satou asked.

"What's going on is that I'm saving your ass," she answered. "Can't believe it. No plans, nothing."

Several quiet minutes passed with Hitomi tapping at her phone. Satou stood there dumbfounded, a bit rattled from his cousin yelling at him.

"Alright, let's find you something to wear," Hitomi clapped her hands together then began sifting through the pile of clothes she picked out. "Hm, no, no, no," she kept holding up shirts to Satou but would reject them immediately. "Red's not really your color, is it?"

"How should I know? Aren't you the 'expert' here?" Satou answered a little indignantly.

Hitomi gave Satou a look and returned to the pile of clothes.

"Wait, hold on!" she stopped to hold a shirt up and looked at Satou with an eyebrow raised. "How did this get in here?"

The shirt in question was bright green and had characters from one of the Gundam series printed on it.

"UM, well, you know…" Satou scratched his head nervously.

"No graphic shirts!" Hitomi shouted, drawing looks from nearby shoppers. "Especially not on a first date. You're not twelve anymore."

She threw the shirt aside and kept looking.

"Maybe layering would be good?"

"Layering?"

"Yeah, let's see. Wait here."

Hitomi stood up and walked toward a shirt rack. She returned shortly with a few button-down t-shirts.

"Okay, red's outta the question. So, we're looking at blue, orange, green or purple," Hitomi held the shirts up to Satou comparing them. "Hmm, blue is a pretty good color on you. Now, what to wear under it?" She handed a light-blue plaid shirt to Satou, and looked through the pile again. "White would be a safe choice, but… Hey, Satou!"

"Uh, yeah?" Satou responded, snapping out of his daze.

"What color are this Esperanza girl's eyes?"

"What color? How should I know?"

"Satou, come on."

The young man turned his head and said quietly, "They're yellow."

"Yellow, perfect. I do believe we have that." Hitomi searched through the pile and pulled out a simple yellow t-shirt. "Okay, let's see now."

She held up the blue-plaid shirt with the yellow one in front of Satou.

"Yeah, this could work. I think blue jeans would go well, too," Hitomi grabbed a pair of jeans and handed everything to Satou. "Now, go try it on, little bro."

"What? Try on?"

"Yeah, wanna make sure it looks good on you. Now, hurry up. The changing rooms are over there."

"Um, okay," Satou slowly turned and shuffled over to the changing rooms. "Why do I have to try them on?"

After a few minutes, Satou stepped out of the changing room with the clothes on.

"Oh, they look perfect. You'll knock 'em out for sure," Hitomi exclaimed with a thumb's up.

"Knock 'em out?"

"Never mind. Go take the clothes off, and meet me at the register, 'kay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Satou and Hitomi stood in line at the register, waiting.

"So, HI-chan, uh who's paying for all this? It's kind of pricey," Satou inquired.

"Don't sweat it, little bro. I gotcha covered here," she answered, checking her e-mail. "In fact, most of your date is gonna be covered by yours truly. Consider it an early birthday present."

"Oh, that's awful kind of you." He scratched his head somewhat nervously. "by the way, you haven't told me what my date is going to be."

"Right. Don't worry. We'll talk about it in the food court after we finish paying," Hitomi stepped up to the register and dumped the clothes on the counter. "I also have a coupon for purchases over five thousand yen."

"Of course, miss," the cashier said as she rang up the items.

Satou grabbed the bag with his newly bought clothes, and the two of them left the department store.

"Is it alright that we just a pile of clothes on the floor in there?"

"Relax, it's fine. It's their job to put clothes back on the shelves."

"Well, if you say so."

At the food court, Hitomi stopped at

'McMillan's' and ordered a Big-N-Tasty meal, while Satou just bought a small soda. They grabbed their food, sat down at one of the tables and Hitomi took a large bite from her Tasty Burger.

"Mmmm-mm. Nothing like a juicy burger after a hard day's work," she said taking another bite. "Okay, listen up, dumb-dumb. Here's the game plan for your date. You are going to go to Chuo Street in Ginza; you will meet this Ageha girl at Café Dolcé at twelve; you will be there by at least eleven thirty; you will eat lunch there; then, you will check out a few of the shops, no anime stores unless she suggests it; afterward, you will start to heading toward Hibiya Park and walk around there; if around five or six o'clock you start to get hungry, a street vendor is fine; stay in the park and watch the sunset; then, start making your way back to Chuo, check out a couple more shops; and finally, take the train back here, walk the girl back to her house and make out with her," Hitomi started to French her burger right there.

"Hitomi!"

"Hey, whatever happens, happens," she said wiping ketchup from the corner her mouth. "But, that's the gist of your date. I'll e-mail you a syllabus for you to review. It'll have do's and don'ts for a first date. Don't worry about Café Dolcé. I have a friend who works there, she'll get you a seat by the window."

Hitomi finished her food, then she and Satou made their way to the mall's exit. The sun was starting to creep towards the horizon, causing them to squint in the late summer light. As Satou blinked trying to adjust his eyes, he heard the sound of someone running towards him. He turned and saw a girl with mocha brown skin and wavy green hair dash right past him. Satou turned to get a better look, but the girl had disappeared.

"What the- Was that Ageha?" he exclaimed in confusion.

Hitomi chuckled then slapped him on the back. "What? Don't be silly. You're probably just too excited about Saturday and your eyes are playing tricks on you. Geez, calm down little bro. Your date will get here soon enough."

"Huh, maybe you're right," he said rubbing his eyes. "It was probably just the sun messing with my perception, and my nervousness as well."

"There you go! Just get some rest, or else you'll wear yourself out.

The sun was sinking into the horizon by the time Satou returned home.

"Hey, Sa-kun. Have fun with your cousin?" his mother greeted him as he slipped off his shoes. "Ooh, what do you have there? Some goodies?" she snatched the bag out of Satou's hands before he had time to react. "Oh, these are cute. So, what's the occasion?"

Miyuki Takanashi was a woman in her late thirties. She had a slender frame with medium sized breasts, black hair that fell down to her waist and was tied at the end with a yellow ribbon, and had amber colored eyes. She wore a white apron over a simple pink blouse and pastel blue skirt.

"Mom, please," Satou grabbed the bag back. "I, uh, I have a date this Saturday."

Miyuki's eyes lit up at the word 'date' and she pulled her son into a tight hug. "My baby is growing up. Soon he'll have children of his own, and I'll spoil them like a fun grandmother."

"Mom, you're crushing me," Satou choked.

"Oh, sorry," she let Satou go and he gasped for air. "So, who's the lucky girl?"

"Um, her name's a Esperanza Ageha."

Miyuki stared blankly at her son. "May I see a picture of her?"

"Oh, right." Satou pulled out his phone and brought up Ageha's MyFace page. "Alright, this is her," he handed his phone to his mother.

"Oh, she's cute. So, how'd you meet her?"

"She's actually in the same class as me," Satou said while blushing lightly. "I asked her out yesterday. Hitomi was giving me a bit of help with it just earlier today."

"So that's why you were hanging out with your cousin. I see," Miyuki said with a sly grin. "Need any help from me?"

"No, mom. I think I got this."

"You sure? Because I was a teenaged girl once too. Maybe, you know, a woman's perspective would be useful?"

"If I need any help, I'll just contact Hitomi. She'll know what to do."

"Oh, okay fine," Miyuki moped a little. "Your father won't be home for another twenty minutes or so. Why don't you get cleaned up?" Miyuki said returning to the kitchen

"Yeah, sure. Alright." Satou turned and strolled over to his room and dropped his bags on the desk. He flopped down on his bed and let out a sigh. His mind wandered to the mystery girl outside the mall. "I could've sworn that was Ageha. Maybe Hitomi's right. Maybe I am just too wound up," Satou looked up out his window and watched the last of the light fade from the sky.