Chapter 3: Dinner and Surprises
"Say, would you like… to go out to dinner?"
Kazuya froze in place, his phone falling out of his hand from the surprise invite he just received.
"Did she just ask me out?" He wondered, his face now a bright cherry color while giving Chizuru a look of disbelief. "That could only mean one thing! She wants to confess her feelings to me!"
His mind soon began to race, the scenario of the two of them eating at a luxurious restaurant and Chizuru finally revealing she'd secretly been in love with him since they first met. This is followed up by his response of 'I know' and 'Let's get together and never leave each other again' with Chizuru happily obliging and they share a warm laugh.
While Kazuya found himself in his own little world, Chizuru turned to face away from him. She could feel her heart flutter insanely as she pressed her hand against it, hoping to calm it down and not leave her body.
"Why did I just ask that?" She questioned while feeling her face become increasingly hot. "I was just thinking it, but I said it out loud. What is going on with me?"
Taking a few, deep, controlled breaths, Chizuru felt her heart start to regain its normal rhythm and the warmness in her cheeks cool down. With a sigh of relief, she turned back to face Kazuya who was still in his little fantasy world. Drool was starting to form a waterfall from the corners of his mouth.
"Hey!" She spoke up, effectively bringing Kazuya back to reality.
"S-Sure!" He answered, worried that she knew what he was thinking.
Chizuru nodded before standing up to leave; meanwhile Kazuya continued to stay seated for a few seconds, still bewildered by her sudden request.
"I wonder why she would ask me to dinner?" He thought. "But still, this is amazing! It's like I'm being gifted a real treat to go out with Mizuhara again after patiently waiting!" He silently cried tears of joy to himself.
"Hey, are you coming?" Chizuru asked.
Kazuya came back to the present to find Chizuru already standing in the doorway. She had already propped the door open and was staring at him with an unamused, albeit confused expression on her face.
With a tomato-colored face, Kazuya nodded his head and quickly sprang up before following her out the door and down the steps of their apartment.
The next several minutes were as awkward as Kazuya could have imagined. Not only did Chizuru invite him out to dinner, possibly under the guise of being neighborly, but they both were silent as they walked the city streets in search of a cheap restaurant.
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" He nervously repeatedly. "Should I say something? Should I recommend a place? Should I ask how she's doing? Somebody please tell me what to do!"
"Hey, do you have a preference for anything?" Chizuru spoke up after what felt to be an eternity of silence for Kazuya. "I know I invited you to dinner, but it wouldn't be fair to not get your input on where we eat."
"She's so considerate!" Kazuya lovingly thought.
Chizuru looked at him strangely before he realized the expression he was giving. Quickly catching himself, Kazuya cleared his throat, trying to hide his true feelings in front of her.
"Well, I don't really mind." He smiled. "Any place is good for me! But hey! Let me take a look!" He added before immediately checking his phone.
Wanting to impress her and take her mature style into account, Kazuya began searching for places that were still open yet cheap enough so she wouldn't think he was poor but not too expensive that he would be forced to dumpster dive for his meals. It wouldn't be for a few more days until his next paycheck arrived, so the place they went to had to be right.
Chizuru sighed as she watched how desperately Kazuya was searching through his phone.
"There's a small sushi place not too far from here." She spoke. "It's cheap so we don't have to worry about spending too much money and it's a conveyor belt style, so we won't have to worry about anyone waiting on us."
Kazuya was blown away by her suggestion as he wondered if she knew about his current predicament.
"You're trying to save money, right?" she asked, confirming her suspicion after he had a surprised look on his face. "I figured as much." She sighed once more. "Listen, since I'm the one who invited you, I'll pay this time."
Without another word, she began walking towards the direction of the sushi restaurant, leaving Kazuya speechless. Only a faint smile crept on his face with the thoughts of how amazing she is flooding his mind.
It didn't take long for them to reach the restaurant as the workday had ended an hour ago, so the trains weren't packed or delayed. The moment they entered, the smell of raw fish and sake immediately hit Kazuya's nose, causing his stomach to noisily growl. Noticing this, Chizuru couldn't help but let out a small chuckle while commenting that she picked a good time for them to eat.
They both soon found themselves seated in front of one of the conveyor belts, sitting side by side, ever so closely to one another. Kazuya held his breath, trying to hold in his excitement as his arm would occasionally brush against her, unaware of the blush Chizuru had on her face.
"Thank you, God!" He yelled in his mind.
"Go ahead and pick whatever you'd like." Chizuru said while grabbing a plate labelled, 'Caterpillar Roll'.
Kazuya happily obliged and found himself grabbing several plates, all at once, before stopping to think.
"Wait, she's treating me." He recalled. "I shouldn't be so quick to look this greedy! I should put some back for now. I don't want her to think I'm a glutton or anything."
Chizuru watched as Kazuya sadly placed some of the plates back on the conveyor belt and with a sigh, she quickly grabbed the plates and placed them back on the table.
"I told you," She explained. "Grab whatever you'd like… it's my treat." She finished, turning her face away to hide the small blush forming on her cheeks.
Kazuya stared at her in disbelief before finally realizing that she really was treating him so he could go all out if he wanted to. Of course, he knew better than to take advantage of the generous offer, so he made it a point to grab only two plates at a time and eat mindfully until he had a small stack just tall enough to pass for being full.
As the night went on, the two sat in silence as they ate, occasionally asking the other to pass some sauce or ask the waiter for a refill for their drinks.
"So…how are things with Ruka-chan?" Chizuru finally spoke as she placed the last plate on their little tower. "I mean… since the last time we spoke."
Kazuya was surprised by her question, but what caught his attention was the slight shade of red on her cheeks as she tried not looking him in the eyes.
"It's going good…I guess." He answered as truthfully as he could.
"I see." She spoke. "That's good to hear."
Kazuya's face went red again.
"Why did she ask that? Is she really interested to know how things are going between me and Ruka-chan? Is…is she jealous? No, that can't be it. She's probably asking with genuine curiosity."
"I'm sure you probably feel differently about Ruka-chan now than you did before?" Chizuru added to her questions.
"Well… not really." Kazuya admitted, now trying to not look her in the eyes. "I know we've only done this test trial to keep her from telling grandma and everyone else, but I just do not feel the same way she does about me."
"Because, after all this time still," He continued the sentence in his head. "I want you!"
"Are you going to break things off with her then?" Chizuru asked, a slight bit of hope showing on her face.
Kazuya took a moment to think over her question.
"No matter what, I cannot just say I'll keep dating Ruka-chan because eventually the trial period will end, and I will need to give an answer. At the same time, I cannot just say I'll break things off, not with Ruka-chan being a potential threat and exposing our… my lies I've told. If anyone is going to say anything, it's going to be me and me alone. After all, it's what I owe to you, Mizuhara." He thought as he looked with determination at the woman he loves.
"I think I will, eventually." He finally spoke up after the waiter came to deliver the check. "But, right now, Ruka-chan could still pose as a problem for us and I'd rather grandma hear the truth come from me. After all, I'm the one who started all of this and dragged you in, so there's no sense of you taking the blame." He smiled.
Chizuru's face began to burn red as she looked away again from embarrassment.
"Jeez… that was so cringey!" She tried holding in a laugh but at the same time could feel her heart beat a little faster. "He's always ready to tell the truth, even if he will be painted the villain but never gets the opportunity. Maybe this time, things will change?" She wondered before facing him again.
The two were, yet again, silent; Kazuya screaming out of his mind with how cool he thought he looked only to be called 'cringey' by Chizuru, and the latter feeling hopeful for how things may change if he can make true on his promise.
"Oh… I've almost forgot!" Chizuru suddenly remembered as she reached inside her purse and pulled out an envelope. "Here… this is for you." She handed it to Kazuya, her face still red.
"What is it?" He thought. "Don't tell me she's trying to pay me back for the date!" He immediately began to think.
"These are tickets to an after party for the movie we did." Chizuru began to explain, easing Kazuya's mind. "Usually those involved would throw just a small get together after the screening, but the party is at a fancy restaurant that requires a ticket to get inside." She looked at Kazuya, still holding the envelope.
"Th-Thank you." He softly said as he accepted the paper.
"I really should be thanking you." Chizuru said in the same low tone. "If it wasn't for you… grandma would…"
Kazuya could see the pain of losing grandma Sayuri still afflicted her face with emotions she generally never displays.
As he opened his mouth to comfort her, Chizuru soon spoke up once more.
"So, for the screening, I was thinking of wearing a blue dress like my character did in the beginning."
"Huh?" Kazuya was taken aback.
"But I could wear the red one from the final scene." Chizuru began to contemplate. "Either way, Yaemori-san said these would be the last items we give away to the top two contributors."
"Wait…wasn't she just sad a second ago?" Kazuya thought in disbelief. "Did she just hide her feelings again? Why does she keep trying to put on a brave face? Doesn't she know it's okay to show pain and sadness… or is she treating this like a rental date? Does that mean, back then, she was just putting on a performance?"
"Hey, are you even listening?" Chizuru spoke up, snapping Kazuya back into reality.
"You should go with the first one." He said, forgetting what it was, he was helping her pick.
"Oh, so you like the blue dress more?" Chizuru asked, curious to know a little bit more about what he likes.
"Y-Yeah," Kazuya stumbled over his words. "After all that dress looks really good on you, I mean all dresses look good on you, but that one really takes the cake!" He lied when he really liked the last dress she wore.
The thoughts of back then, when they filmed the final scene together in the mountains where the stars were her supporting characters to help her shine brighter than all. Afterward, they spent a night in a room together for the second time.
Chizuru could see a gentle smile appearing across Kazuya's face while he was reminiscing over past events. Her own heart beating just a little faster as curiosity to know what he was thinking began to flood her thoughts.
"S-So don't forget, the screening is this Sunday." She nearly blurted, almost forgetting where she was for a second.
"O-Of course!" Kazuya nearly shouted back, thinking she was yelling at him.
"What's going on here!" A familiar voice rang through both of their ears.
Turning around, the two could see a girl, shorter in height, wearing a white turtleneck and black dress with white socks and brown dress shoes. Her short black hair was gently held down by a blue ribbon that looked like bunny ears on the top of her head.
"Ruka-chan?!" Chizuru exclaimed.
"R-Ruka-chan!" Kazuya also shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing!" Ruka angrily pointed at the two of them. "I have been calling and texting you, but you never bothered responding so I came to check on you to make sure you were okay and weren't out with her but guess who I just happened to see through the window on my way here; you two on a date!" She quickly ran over to Kazuya, hugging his arm firmly against her body, ready to never let go.
"Ruka-chan, you've got the wrong idea." Chizuru tried to calm the angered high schooler down so as to not alert the other patrons who were slowly beginning to turn their heads to see the commotion.
Quickly acting, and without thinking, Kazuya grabbed both Ruka's and Chizuru's hands before running out of the restaurant with them and rounding the corner, leading to a private spot.
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Kazuya could see the glare from Ruka's eyes narrowing down on Chizuru like wolf protecting its territory.
"Ruka-chan…" He finally began to speak. "It's really not what it looks like."
"Yeah, Kazuya-san and I had both just gotten home and decided to get dinner together as neighbors and nothing more." Chizuru explained.
"That's enough out of you, man stealer!" Ruka angrily growled at Chizuru before wrapping herself around Kazuya's arm again. "Don't forget that he's my boyfriend and you're nothing more than just a rental!"
"Hey, Ruka-chan…" Kazuya interjected.
"No, she's right." Chizuru quietly spoke. "She is your girlfriend, and I shouldn't be having casual dinners with you without her approval." She immediately bowed towards the young girl. "Please forgive me for being inconsiderate."
"Mizuhara…"
A smile appeared on Ruka's face.
"Good, if you're aware of that and if this date is over then there is nothing more to discuss." She said, trying to wave Chizuru off.
"Ruka-chan this wasn't a date!" Kazuya tried interjecting again.
"Thank you for tonight." Chizuru looked at him before walking away towards their apartments.
For a brief moment, Kazuya could sense a bit of sadness in her words while Ruka gleefully cheered for her victory.
"Now then, if you want to make up for this transgression, then you will need to take me out on a spontaneous date like the two of you just did."
Kazuya nodded, knowing that they were still a long way from ending their trial period.
Back inside her apartment, Chizuru silently sat in front of her altar. Her mind kept racing back to the final moments, before Ruka made a scene, of the warm smile Kazuya had on his face. The thought of his decision for which dress she should wear for the screening of their crowdfunded movie.
"Why do I keep feeling like this when it comes to him?" She wondered, holding her hand to her heart. "I wonder what he was thinking at that moment?"
Suddenly, with a look of resolve, she quickly went for her purse, pulling out her phone and scrolling through it before putting it to her ear. Several rings went by before finally the sound of the call connecting went through.
"Hey, it's me." She spoke with a serious tone. "I'm sorry to bother you this late but are you free tomorrow? Great! See you then!"
A/N: Hey all, thank you so much for reading the chapter and I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it. Until next time!