Origins Chapter 2: Shiho x Daisuke
"Let's get this over with," Shiho sighed to herself as she walked down the empty hallway of her new school. As she walks, she looks at a flier that reads 'Trauma Meeting: After School - Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Room 3-B'.
After the things that went down between Shiho and her former volleyball coach/P.E instructor Suguru Kamoshida, as well as her ensuing suicide attempt, Shiho's parents, her mother especially, thought it would be best to send her to a new school in order to distance herself from the trauma. Even though her grades flourished at this new school, and the school's volleyball team welcomed her with open arms, with the coach being miles nicer than Kamoshida, it barely seemed to do a thing to improve Shiho's mood. She still had an aura of depression around her, and she kept having nightmares about everything Kamoshida put her through.
With no other option, the principal of Shiho's new school suggested that she enroll herself into an after school program that helps kids who went through trauma. She'll be talking with kids her own age, and the person in charge of the program is a boy the same age as Shiho, a kind young man named Daisuke Watanabe. According to the principal, Daisuke founded the program himself, and is seen as one of the stars of the school, noting how he also helps organize the school clothing and food drive every Christmas, and that he plays the drums in the school jazz band. Being around someone kind like Daisuke and going to his program would do Shiho a world of good, unfortunately, Shiho herself didn't think so. Nevertheless, she decided to at least give it a try just to placate her principal and her parents.
Shiho turned a corner and found a door that was open; the door that led to Room 3-B. Shiho took a peek inside and found a young boy around the same age as her, if a few months her senior, moving the desks in the classroom out of the way so he could take the chairs that were behind the desks and put them in a circle for the meeting.
The young man had a lean build, was about average height, 5'8'', and he had green eyes and brown hair that reached below the middle of his neck. Other interesting features would be a red beanie that he wore upon his head, and a faded scar on his left check.
Shiho just looked at him as he continued moving the desks around and humming a song to himself. She couldn't explain why at that moment, but there was something about this young man that she found incredibly handsome. She couldn't tell if it was his green eyes, green being her favorite color, and this particular shade of green really being eye-catching to her, or if it was the scar on his face. Shiho wouldn't admit it to anyone, but scars are a weird turn-on for her. Something about them gave off an air of mystery as to how someone got their scars in the first place. Scars to her also represent courage, and bravery is a quality that Shiho sometimes looks for in a man…at least she did before Kamoshida happened.
After being assaulted by the vile volleyball coach, Shiho basically lost interest in searching for that special someone that would make her whole. Which was a shame, because a few of the boys in her new school saw her as cute, and they seemed rather nice too whenever one of them would work up the nerve to strike up a conversation with her. Unfortunately, whenever it would seem that Shiho would start to think about maybe putting herself out there again, something would rise up in her and tell her that they could have ulterior motives, just like Kamoshida. But after seeing the young man before her, her interest in dating was slowly but surely starting to go back up again, and probably for good.
After moving another desk out of the way, the young man finally looked at the door to find Shiho looking at him.
"Oh, hey there," the young man greeted in a friendly tone, causing Shiho to freeze up like a deer in the headlights, "You must be here for today's Trauma Meeting."
"Uh, yeah," Shiho said, a small blush coming to her face.
"Well, come on in and make yourself comfortable," the young man said to the nervous girl, "My name is Daisuke, and don't worry, I don't bite."
"So, you're Daisuke?" Shiho asked as she slowly entered the room, "I heard about you."
"What'd you hear?" Daisuke asked.
"That you're one of the stars of this school," Shiho explained, "How you always help with the school clothing and food drives, and how you play drums in the school jazz ensemble. I also know you set up these Trauma Meetings yourself."
"I see you've been doing your homework," Daisuke said, "Yeah, I set up these meetings after making a breakthrough with my therapist after my dad died. I kind of wanted to do what my therapist did and help people work through their problems, you know?"
"I understand," Shiho said, "So, uh, can I help you set up?"
"Sure, a helping hand is always nice," Daisuke said gratefully, "Just help me move the rest of these desks aside, then we can take the chairs and put them in a circle."
"Okay," Shiho said as she started to move a desk to the other side of the room.
"Since you're new here, if it's okay with you if we start today's meeting by having you introduce yourself and telling us why you're here?" Daisuke asked as he moved another desk aside.
"I guess that would be okay," Shiho said with some nervousness in her voice.
"Don't worry," Daisuke said, "I'm sure you'll do fine. Everyone is nervous on their first day here, but they always come around."
Once all of the desks had been moved, Shiho and Daisuke took the chairs and put them in a circle in the middle of the room. Not long after that, other students started to enter the classroom, eager to start the meeting and intrigued with the new girl in their group.
About 15 minutes later, and all the chairs in the circle had someone sitting in them; the meeting was ready to start. Daisuke stood up to address everyone.
"Alright, good afternoon everyone," Daisuke began, "As you can see we have a new face in our group today. Would you kindly introduce yourself, please."
"Sure," Shiho said as she stood up and Daisuke sat back down, with a deep breath she began to talk, "Hi, my name is Shiho."
"Hello, Shiho," The other students and Daisuke greeted.
"Anyway, I was once a student at Shujin Academy, but after getting assaulted and…well…raped, by my P.E teacher and volleyball coach, Suguru Kamoshida, my parents thought it was best to send me here so I can get away from the trauma," Shiho explained, "It was awful. He was awful. He lusted after my best friend at Shujin, and whenever she'd turn down his advances, he would take his frustrations out on me. And I wasn't the only one, there were others that he abused. The whole track team disbanded because of Kamoshida and how he broke another one of my friend's legs."
"What a scumbag," One student said in regards to Kamoshida.
"You were raped," Another student said sadly.
"Poor thing," Another student was heard saying.
"We're here for you, girl," A fourth student said.
"You all are being more supportive than I thought you'd be," Shiho said.
"That's why we're all here," Daisuke said, "To lend an ear or two, and to be a shoulder to cry on. This is a safe place, Shiho. We don't judge or discriminate here. But I'm rambling now, please continue."
"Well, when my parents and the principal noticed that my mood hadn't changed, the principal had the bright idea to send me here," Shiho continued, "I'll be honest, I didn't think coming here would help me at all. But after telling you guys my story, and getting your support…I actually feel a little bit better. As if this giant weight has been lifted off my back."
"That just means this meeting is working, Shiho," Daisuke said, "Now that you've opened yourself up and found your people, the healing process can begin."
"Thank you," Shiho said, a smile coming to her face, "Thank you all."
"Now that we've heard your story, I think some of us should tell you some of our stories so you know who we are and where we come from," Daisuke said.
For the next 30 minutes or so, Shiho heard stories from the other students present, and they all went through some kind of trauma. One student went into great detail about how he lost his home and his grandfather in a house fire. Another student talked about how he witnessed his mother kill her spouse, who was an abusive father/husband. A third student talked about how abusive her last boyfriend was, and how she managed to gain the courage to distance herself from the situation.
Shiho heard all of these stories and managed to sympathize with each and every person who told them. The only story she hadn't heard yet was Daisuke's. Unfortunately, since the meeting was about introducing Shiho to the rest of the meeting's members so she could get to know them and vice versa, they ran out of time before Daisuke could even have the chance to tell his story.
"Well, that concludes today's meeting, everyone," Daisuke announced, "I think we all got a chance to know Shiho very well, just as she got a chance to know us. I'll see you all next time."
All of the other students left the classroom leaving Daisuke and Shiho alone.
"The meeting's over, Shiho, you can go home now," Daisuke said.
"I figured you'd probably need some help in putting the classroom back to the way it was," Shiho said, "You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," Daisuke said in a grateful tone, "Thank you so much."
Shiho and Daisuke get to work on putting the desks back to their original spots. As they did, the two of them decide to converse.
"Besides, I really don't have anywhere important to be right now," Shiho said, "Both of my parents usually work late, so I have our apartment to myself until about 7 or 8 P-M when they return home."
"You spend your afternoons alone?" Daisuke asked, "I'm sorry to hear that."
"You get used to being alone after a while," Shiho said.
"Sounds like you need a friend right about now," Daisuke said, "I know, why don't you come and hang out at my place for a little while? I can introduce you to my family, show you my drumset, give you a good meal, and I even got the new Plukmin game (Pikmin). We can play it if we have time."
Hearing Daisuke's idea made Shiho blush. It wasn't enough that she was slowly starting to get a crush on him, but now she's inviting her over to his house. She wanted to say 'yes' right then and there, but she was also thinking 'what if?'. She doesn't know Daisuke all that well yet, and who's to say this isn't some kind of a trick he's trying to pull so he could get her in bed with him.
"Are you sure," Shiho said, somewhat hesitant to come over to the home of a boy she just met, "I don't want to impose."
"It's no trouble at all," Daisuke said as he stopped fixing up the classroom to text his mom, "I just have to text my mom and ask her if it's okay if we have some company over for dinner. Besides, I wouldn't feel good knowing you're spending the next few hours all by yourself."
Daisuke texted his mom and she texted him back a few minutes later giving him the green light.
"She says it's okay to come over to my house if you want to," Daisuke said, "My mom and the rest of my family are actually already there so you can meet them when we get there."
Shiho was left thinking about Daisuke's offer yet again. Since Daisuke's family is confirmed to be present, it's highly likely that his intentions are really pure and he won't try anything while they're home. It will also be nice to spend an afternoon with actual people instead of by herself. Feeling more confident in the situation, Shiho accepted.
"I guess if it's only for an hour or two," Shiho said, "But I have to be home by 7 P-M at the latest."
"Sounds good," Daisuke said, "Let's finish cleaning up here and I'll take you to my place. And thanks again for your help, Shiho. You really didn't have to do this."
"I'm not one to sit by and let someone do a huge sum of work by his or herself," Shiho said, "Besides, you seem harmless enough. I'm happy to help you anyway I can. Especially since you managed to help me open up to you and your friends just now. Consider this my way of returning the favor."
"Well, again, I really appreciate it," Daisuke said with a smile as he and Shiho finished putting the last of the desks back into place. With the classroom all cleaned up, Daisuke and Shiho left the school for the Watanabe Residence.
Sometime later, Shiho is standing next to Daisuke as they stare at his place of residence. It's a rather sizable home, but Shiho is about to find out that there's a reason why Daisuke has to live in such a big house.
"Nice place," Shiho complimented.
"There's a reason for this place's size," Daisuke said, "Follow me and I'll show you."
Daisuke led Shiho up to the front door and he opened it for her, letting her inside before he followed her. When Shiho enters her new friend's house, she's surprised by what she sees. In the living room are eight people. Two of these eight are teenagers, one appears to be a boy two years older than Daisuke while the other is a girl about two years younger than Daisuke, and has her nose in her phone; these are two of Daisuke's cousins. With the six adults, four of them were women and two of them were men. The first of these four women was rather elderly, being about in her early seventies; Daisuke's grandmother. The second of these women appeared to be in her early forties; Daisuke's mother. The other two women and two men looked to be about the same age range as Daisuke's mother, if a few years younger than her. These were Daisuke's uncles and aunts.
Shiho's attention was then brought to four kids who appeared to be no younger than ten years old. Three of them, two boys and one girl, were playing a board game and having a good time while the fourth child, another girl, was sitting in the corner reading a book.
"Wow, big family," Shiho thought to herself.
"Hey, guys, I'm home!" Daisuke announced.
The twelve people looked over at the two teenagers who just entered and smiled upon seeing Daisuke. They all greeted them warmly with Daisuke's mother walking up to hug her son.
"Hi, sweetheart, how was your day?" Daisuke's mother asked.
"It was great, mom," Daisuke said before bringing her attention to Shiho, "Anyway, this is my new friend who's going to be joining us for dinner this evening. Her name is Shiho."
"Pleased to meet you, miss," Shiho said politely as she shook Daisuke's mother's hand.
"Daisuke brought a girl home! Daisuke brought a girl home!" One of Daisuke's younger cousins sang in a sing-song fashion.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd bring a girl home, Daisuke," Daisuke's older cousin teased.
"Hey, it's one more girl than you bring home, Ryuta," Daisuke teased back.
"Ha! Get wrecked, Ryuta," Daisuke's oldest female cousin said as she continued looking at her phone.
"Put a lid on it, Megumi," Ryuta said to his cousin.
"Shiho, I'd like you to meet my family," Daisuke said as he prepared to introduce his new friend to his family, "This is my mother Himiko, my aunts Emiri and Yuriko, my uncles and their respective husbands Takuya and Hideo, and my grandmother Sayumi. Sayumi is the mother of Takuya, Hideo, and my father Tatsuki."
When she was introduced, Sayumi walked up to the two teenagers to get a better look at Shiho.
"It's very nice to meet you, Sayumi-chan," Shiho said as she shook the Watanabe matriarch's hand.
"Nice to see you too," Sayumi said, "Hmm, you seem like a very nice girl. Someone who would be very good for our Daisuke should you two pursue a relationship together."
Hearing that made Daisuke and especially Shiho blush.
"Uh, grandma, let's not rush things," Daisuke said as he rubbed the back of his head, "I just met Shiho today after all."
"Oh, so there's plenty of time for romance to bloom between you two like a cherry blossom," Sayumi said.
"We, uh, we'll keep that in mind," Shiho said, "Thank you, ma'am."
"Moving right along, we have my cousins," Daisuke continued as he pointed at Ryuta, "That joker over there is my oldest cousin, Ryuta."
"'Sup," Ryuta said with a wave.
"I'm the second oldest cousin here, making Juri over there the third oldest," Daisuke said as he pointed at the girl who is too preoccupied looking at her phone to get involved, "She's the social media junkie over there who's more interested in her phone than boys."
Juri, while still looking at her phone, just flipped off Daisuke in response to being teased, causing him to laugh.
"Doesn't that bother you?" Shiho asked.
"What, her flipping me the bird?" Daisuke asked, "Naw! Breaking each other's chops and flipping each other off is how the Watanabe Cousins show their love for each other. We're honestly more like brothers and sisters in that regard."
"Introduce us to your girlfriend next, Daisuke!" One of the younger female cousins asked.
"Yeah, she's so pretty," One of the younger male cousins asked.
"Oh, thank you," Shiho said, blushing a little from being complimented.
"Shiho, these two little boys here are Juri's younger brothers, and Takuya and Emiri's kids," Daisuke said, "My cousins Kouki and Osamu."
"Hiya!" Kouki and Osmau greeted Shiho in unison.
"And those two girls are Ryuta's little sisters, and Hideo and Yuriko's kids," Daisuke said, "My other younger cousins, Ayumi and Wakaba. Ayumi is the one with her nose buried in a good book."
"Not to be rude, but can you all be quiet," Ayumi said as she was reading her book, Harvey Panner and the Chalice of Flame (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), "This story is getting to the best part."
"Your family is so big, Daisuke," Shiho said in amazement.
"Yeah, I know," Daisuke said, "But this house that we're inside of right now has been here for three Watanabe generations, with mine and my cousins being the third one."
"Cool," Shiho said.
"But, yeah, that's my family," Daisuke said, "So, for a brief recap, I'm the mother of Himiko. Ryuta, Ayami, and Wakaba are my Uncle Hideo and Auntie Yuriko's kids. Juri, Kouki, and Osamu are my Uncle Takuya and Auntie Emiri's kids. And Sayuri is the grandmother of me, Ryuta, Ayami, Wakaba, Juri, Kouki, and Osamu, as well as the mother of Takuya, Hideo, and my father Tatsuki. Think you got it?"
"Yeah, I think so," Shiho said.
"Great," Daisuke smiled.
"Dinner won't be done for a little while, Daisuke," Himiko said, "What are you two going to do in the meantime?"
"I was thinking about showing Shiho my drumset and then we'd play some Plukmin," Daisuke answered.
"That sounds swell, dear," Himiko said, "Just remember, we enforce an open door policy here, so just leave your bedroom door open."
"Can do," Daisuke said as he led Shiho upstairs to his room.
When the two teenagers made it to Daisuke's bedroom, it looked like any normal teenage boy's bedroom, with a dresser, a closet, a bed, some posters on the wall, and the luxury of a T.V with a game console hooked up to it. But the stand out piece of furniture was, in fact, the drumset that Shiho had heard a lot about.
"What a beautiful drum set," Shiho said.
"Thanks," Daisuke said, "I've been practicing my solo for a big jazz concert that our school is going to put on during the '7-5-3 Festival' this year. You want to hear it?"
"Sure," Shiho said as she took a seat on Daisuke's bed.
Daisuke got on the stool behind his drum set, picked up his drumsticks, and started to play a smooth, calming melody. As he played, Shiho was utterly mesmerized by his music. She never took her eyes off of him for a second. She could tell with the way Daisuke was playing that he was putting all of his heart and soul into it. To Shiho, nothing in life looked more beautiful than her new friend/recent secret crush playing on his drums. At last, Daisuke finished and he looked over at Shiho, who still looked as though she heard the most beautiful melody in existence.
"So, what do you think?" Daisuke asked, "I know it's not perfect, but…"
"Are you kidding?" Shiho asked, cutting him off, "That was absolutely beautiful. I've never heard anything like it."
"You really mean that?" Daisuke asked as Shiho nodded in response, "Oh, thank you! Believe it or not I don't get complimented on my drum playing that often."
"What made you want to take up drums and jazz music anyway?" Shiho asked.
"Jazz was my dad's favorite genre of music," Daisuke explained, "Every time a chore needed to be done, or he had to take a drive somewhere, he'd always have his jazz music to listen to. I guess hearing jazz so often had an effect on me, because when I signed up for electives in middle school, I picked jazz and signed up as a drummer. That's how I learned that I have a real talent for playing the drums, and even better, I enjoyed playing the drums. My dad was so excited that one Christmas he brought me this drum set. Easily the best gift I've ever received, or ever will receive."
"Your father sounded like a very important person in your life," Shiho said.
"He was," Daisuke said, "He left a positive impact on the lives of so many. I still remember going to his funeral and all of his friends were there. They had nothing but great things to say about him."
"Hey, Daisuke," Shiho said, causing the boy to turn in her direction, "If you don't mind me asking, can you tell me how your father died?"
"Well, I've been meaning to go to his grave later this afternoon to leave a flower by his grave," Daisuke said, "I can tell you there."
"Okay," Shiho said.
"In the meantime, you want to play Plukmin with me?" Daisuke asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"You're on!" Shiho said as the two teens plopped themselves down on Daisuke's bed and started playing their video game.
About an hour later, Himiko called Daisuke and Shiho downstairs for dinner. As they ate over Daisuke's favorite meal, that being yakisoba noodles, the rest of the Watanabe Family got to learn more about Shiho and what she was like. Since it was their first time meeting her, she decided to wait a while before telling them about her history in regards to Kamoshida.
After dinner, it was time for Daisuke to take Shiho home, but not before taking a quick detour to the flower shop to pick up a small bouquet of aster flowers, and then the cemetery where Daisuke's father Tatsuki was buried.
Once the two teens made it to the cemetery, Daisuke led Shiho to his father's grave. When they got there, they stopped and stared at it before Daisuke walked up to the gravestone and placed the floors in front of it.
"Miss you, dad," Daisuke said somberly.
"Your father liked asters, didn't he?" Shiho asked.
"They symbolize patience, love, and wisdom," Daisuke explained, "Three qualities my father proudly displayed on a daily basis." Daisuke then turned to Shiho and asked, "You said you wanted to know how my father died, right?"
"I mean, you're the only one who didn't share his story at the meeting today," Shiho explained, "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, it's fine," Daisuke said, "Like I said, being open with others is key to having peace of mind."
With a deep breath, Daisuke began to tell his story.
"As you know, my dad loved jazz music, and he was so ecstatic when he learned that I took a liking to jazz too," Daisuke said, "So a few days after my 14th birthday, he decided to surprise me by buying two tickets to his favorite jazz group down at the civic center. I was so excited to not only hear some of their music, but also to spend time with my dad. Anyway, we were driving to the civic center, listening to jazz music on the radio the whole time as a way of getting ourselves pumped up for the show. And then we came to this intersection where, without warning, completely out of nowhere…"
Daisuke snaps his fingers and says 'Boom!' as a way of telling Shiho that he and Tatsuki were in a car crash.
"A drunk driver just crashed into us, totaling our car," Daisuke continued, "It crashed into my father's side of the car, so he got the worst of it. I got out with a few cuts and bruises, the scar on my face being one of them. Some bystanders saw the crash and immediately called an ambulance. God, I still remember dragging my father's unconscious body out of the damaged car. No child, no matter how old he or she is, should have to find him or herself in that kind of situation. Not long after that the ambulance finally came…but it didn't matter. My dad died on the way to the hospital. There was nothing that could be done to save him. That has to be easily the worst day of my life. Because of that accident, I've kind of gained a phobia of cars and I don't really feel comfortable about driving one. Hell, just being in the backseat or the passenger seat puts me on edge. That day messed me up, more than anyone could ever imagine."
"Oh, Daisuke," Shiho said sadly, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that."
"Thanks, Shiho," Daisuke said, "Of course if it weren't for the accident and my father's death, I never would've formed my after school trauma meetings to help out some of my classmates, meaning I never would've met some of the best friends I've ever head…and I never would've met you."
"Hmm?" Shiho went.
"You heard me," Daisuke said, "I know we've only known each other for a few hours, but I feel this sort of kinship between you and I. I don't want you to think I'm rushing things, but I'd like to hang out with you more often, get to know you better."
"You really mean that?" Shiho asked.
"Of course," Daisuke said.
"Well, that being the case," Shiho said, a blush coming to her face, "Would you like to go see the new Admiral Japan film (Captain America) with me this Friday after the meeting? I can even invite my best friend and her boyfriend over so you can meet them."
"Are you asking me out on a date?" Daisuke said, intrigued, "A double date no less?"
"Do you want to?" Shiho asked.
"Shiho, as long as I'm with you, I don't care what we're doing and who we're doing it with," Daisuke said with a smile, "I'd love to meet your friends. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."
"Wonderful," Shiho said as she gave Daisuke a hug. When she backed away from him, Daisuke looked at his watch to see that it was almost 7 P-M.
"Looks like I'd better get you home," Daisuke said.
"I had a really great time with you this afternoon, Daisuke," Shiho said.
"Yeah, me too," Daisuke said as he walked Shiho out of the cemetery and back to her home.
The following Friday, Shiho and Daisuke met Ren and Ann at the movie theater for their double date. As they waited for the movie to start, Daisuke got more acquainted with the raven and blonde haired couple. He learned about how Ren was accused for a crime he didn't commit and got sent to Shujin Academy where he met Ann, Shiho, and all of their other friends. Thankfully, he said that everything has cleared up and he's going back to school in his hometown, coming down to Tokyo to visit Ann on the weekends, and he wants to study to become a chef. As for Ann, she elaborates more on the situation between her, Shiho, and Kamoshida before telling him of her dreams of being a model and fashion designer. Ann even brought along something that she sewed from scratch; a cyan colored scarf for Shiho which she immediately put on. Shiho, Ren, and Daisuke agreed that the scarf was beautiful and Ann is a good friend for making her best friend something nice like that.
After conversing for a while, the movie finally began. As the four teens watched Admiral Japan, Shiho cuddled up next to Daisuke, who wrapped an arm around her to keep her close. Ren and Ann noticed this and whispered to each other about how Shiho and Daisuke looked cute together.
When the movie ended, the foursome went to Big Bang Burger where Ren and Ann learned more about Daisuke. He told them about his jazz talent, even going so far as to invite the two of them to the 7-5-3 Festival so they could watch his performance. He told them about the meetings he holds after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to help any of his classmates that went through trauma. And, of course, he told the two of them about the car accident that killed his father as well as how he got the scar on his face. Ren and Ann expressed their sympathy for the brunette boy and wished him nothing but the best in life.
After dinner, the four of them went their separate ways, with Ren and Ann continuing their own date elsewhere, and Daisuke taking Shiho home.
At Shiho's apartment complex, she and Daisuke made it to the door that leads to the Suzui Family Apartment.
"I had a fun night with you and your friends tonight, Shiho," Daisuke said, "We should really do it again sometime."
"I'd like that," Shiho smiled.
"Well, I guess I'll see you in school on Monday?" Daisuke asked.
"You know it," Shiho said.
"Great," Daisuke said as he prepared to make his leave, "Well, see ya."
Before Daisuke could make it anywhere far, Shiho called after him.
"Daisuke, wait," Shiho said as the brunette, beanie-wearing boy came back to her.
"What's up, Shi-mph!" Daisuke was cut off by a loving kiss to the lips, courtesy of Shiho. When the kiss was over, Daisuke was left blushing, causing Shiho to giggle at his expression.
"That was…extraordinary," Daisuke said.
"Glad you liked it," Shiho said with a smile.
"Does that mean you and I are, you know, an item?" Daisuke asked.
"Only if you want us to be," Shiho replied.
"Shiho, you're one of the sweetest, cutest, most down-to-earth people I've ever met," Daisuke said, "I'd love it if I were your boyfriend."
"Oh, Daisuke, you don't know how happy that makes me!" Shiho cheered as she hugged and kissed Daisuke again.
After their brief lovefest, Shiho blew Daisuke one last kiss as she went inside her apartment and he walked off for home.
When Shiho got inside her apartment, she passed by her parents who were watching T.V in the living room. Shiho's father looked behind him to find Shiho walking to her room with a smile on her face.
"How was your date, Shiho?" the father asked.
All Shiho did from there was face her parents, still smiling big, and said, "Just perfect!"