Date #2

Ami Mizuno

Harusuke was walking around Downtown Juuban, heading for the location of his next practice date. He wore a black t-shirt with a gray with gold stripes button-down on top, black pants, and gray shoes.

"Let's see, I'm pretty sure I was told to meet up somewhere around here," Harusuke muttered thoughtfully.

He ventured on until he came to the fountain where he had previously had a practice date and waited. After a while, as the clock struck ten, someone came walking towards him.

That someone was Ami.

She wore a black blazer with a white cropped jacket, a bright red pencil skirt with a white belt, and black pumps.

Ami soon caught sight of Harusuke and waved. "There you are, Harusuke," she said. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all," said Harusuke. "You're right on time. Actually, I'm surprised you arrived at exactly ten."

"Well, I pride myself on being early and punctual," said Ami. "And to me, punctuality is essential, especially on a date." Then she shyly blinked. So, um, how do I look? I wasn't sure what to wear that would be suitable."

"You look great," smiled Harusuke. "In fact, you look pretty mature in that outfit. There's no need to be so self-conscious."

Ami's cheeks went a bit pink. "W-Well, thank you very much," she lightly stammered shyly. "I appreciate that compliment."

"So, what's on the docket for today?" asked Harusuke. "Is there somewhere you would like to go or anything?"

Ami then pulled out a notebook from her bag, holding it up with pride.

"Actually, yes," Ami said brightly. I stayed up a bit last night doing some research while preparing a perfect dating plan that will be fun and educational."

Harusuke blinked. "Oh, did you? Then, I'm looking forward to seeing what you have planned for us. Shall we go?"

"Yes. Let's," said Ami.

And the two went off together to start their first practice date. But as they did, Usagi and the rest of the group were lurking close by, each wearing a different disguise so they wouldn't be recognized.

"So, Ami's next," murmured Usagi. "I gotta say, I've seen her wear casual wear before, but that outfit is top-notch."

"She's definitely going for the mature girl approach," said Rei. "I don't even think I've seen her put so much effort into something like this before, even though it's not a real date."

"Yeah, but I can't help but wonder what she's got planned, considering that she's got a while dating plan written down in that notebook," said Minako. "No offense to everyone here, but I'm worried."

"Yeah, I can relate to that," said Makoto. "I don't have any problems with Ami planning a date, but knowing her, she's more than planned something related to studying in some form or way. She is a study-a-holic, after all."

"Oh, come on. Ami's not that bad," said Chibiusa. "Sure, she can study too much for her own good, but even she can loosen up on occasion."

"Chibiusa's right," Luna agreed. "I'm sure whatever Ami has planned, it'll be something both she and Harusuke will enjoy."

"I don't know," Artemis said doubtfully. "Last I checked, Ami isn't exactly up to date regarding romance, as far as I've heard. She even breaks out into hives just from receiving a love letter."

Then, the white cat was hit with a sudden realization.

"Hey, wait a minute! We shouldn't even be here!" he protested. "Why are we spying like this again?!"

"Well, Usagi and the others said it would be educational to learn about dates, father," said Diana. "And I'm learning a lot about dating and how to spy. I'm sure this will be useful when I'm old enough to date."

Artemis could only sigh. "Trust me, Diana. It could likely get you arrested, so take it with a pinch of salt."

Harusuke and Ami soon arrived at the first stop of their practice date, a bookstore.

Inside, the place was filled with books from countless genres, including light novels, biographies, and even manga.

"A bookstore, huh?" hummed Harusuke. "Somehow, I felt you would pick something like this, Ami."

"Is… that a bad thing?" Ami asked worriedly. "I was hoping to pick up some books for some… research."

Harusuke smiled. "Not at all. In fact, I wouldn't expect anything less. Now that I think about it, there's a manga I've been meaning to get for myself. And maybe some other things, too. Why don't we both take a look around?"

Ami's face lit up. "Sure!"

The two then looked through whatever they found while giving each other recommendations.

While they did, Usagi and the others watched them while pretending to read, using their books to hide their faces.

"I should have guessed Ami would pick a bookstore," whispered Rei. "But it looks like she and Harusuke are having fun."

"Sure does," said Makoto. "But I didn't think Harusuke would be interested in books, too. What do you think, Usagi?"

But all Makoto got in response was a snicker and a giggle, along with a few others. Sure enough, as she and Rei looked up, they saw Usagi, Minako, and even Chibiusa, each reading a manga, trying their best not to laugh loudly.

"I love this manga!" Usagi snorted with a suppressed snicker. "No matter how many times I read it, I just can't help but laugh!"

"Me too!" Minako chortled. "It gets me every time!"

"This one's hilarious, too!" Chibiusa also sniggered. "I can't believe this store has this manga!"

The three could only continue to snigger and hold back their laughter while everyone else in the store stared at them, much to Rei and Makoto's embarrassment.

"Hey, you three! Could you not attract so much attention?!" Rei whispered harshly.

"Seriously! Are you trying to get us caught?!" Makoto also admonished.

The two then went over to their friends to try and get them to settle down.

As Harusuke was skimming through a book, he happened to catch a glimpse of Ami, who was also looking through one. He could see that she was immersed in it and bright red. Feeling curious, he silently went over and tried to take a peek over her shoulder, but Ami quickly noticed and hid the book in her chest.

"N-No! Don't look!" Ami squeaked flusteredly.

"Oops. Sorry," apologized Harusuke. "I was just curious as to what you were reading. I know you like to read books, but I've never seen you look so immersed in it."

"W-Well, let's just say it's a genre I'm into, and it's something that I don't want to tell anyone right now," Ami stammered. "So… um… "

Harusuke smiled. "Say no more. I won't pry," he said. "Everyone's got things they're into that they don't want to tell anybody." He then teasingly winked. "But it better not be something like one of those magazines Rei keeps in her room."

Ami went redder than ever. "D-Don't be ridiculous!" she burst out shrilly. "I'm not into that kind of stuff!"

Harusuke laughed. "Calm down, Ami. I'm only teasing."

Ami could only sulkily pout.

Afterward, they went to a reading cafe tucked away in Downtown Juuban.

The smell of pastries and other foods filled the room inside, perfectly matching the rustic colors, bright ambiance, and mellow atmosphere.

Harusuke couldn't help but gaze at his surroundings in amazement. "Wow. I've never seen a place like this in a while," he said. "Not since I went with Rei to meet that jerk of a fiance at The Rain Tree."

"I would come here occasionally to unwind whenever I'm alone," said Ami. "They've got a variety of books to read, and the food here is terrific. I figured it would be a great place to have lunch."

A male waiter then approached them. "A table for two, yes? Right this way."

He led the two upstairs until they were seated at a table.

While they followed him, Ami secretly took out a notebook and began skimming through it, muttering as she did.

Hearing her, Harusuke couldn't help but turn to look, only for Ami to quickly hide it in her bag.

"Did you say something?" he asked her.

Ami shook her head. "No. I didn't," she said.

The two were soon seated at a table and given menus. Then, they ordered sandwiches and tea and were soon enjoying their lunch.

"Wow! These sandwiches are delicious!" said Harusuke. "I don't know how they do it, but they really pack the flavor into these!"

"I knew you would like them," smiled Ami. "Usually, I make sandwiches at home because they're easy to make, but something about them makes me love coming here."

She took a bit from her sandwich. Then, she cut a piece of her sandwich from where she bit it and held it up to Harusuke. "Here. Try mine."

Harusuke blinked before realizing. "So, she's going to use the spoonfeeding technique, too, huh? I didn't think she'd be the kind to do that sort of thing. Well, I guess I better play along for now, even though this will be embarrassing."

Harusuke opened his mouth, and Ami then fed him her sandwich piece.

"So, um, how is it?" she asked him.

Harusuke chewed for a few seconds before swallowing and smiling at her. "It's delicious," he responded. He then cut a part of his sandwich and held it to Ami. "Here. You can try mine, too."

Ami blinked before shyly adverting her eyes. "Um, no. It's OK. I can feed myself," she said.

"Aw, come on, Ami. It's only fair," said Harusuke. "Besides, you can't just go and spoonfeed me without you getting the same treatment."

Ami hesitated before finally opening her mouth as Harusuke fed her, too.

During this exchange, Usagi and her group watched them from another table.

"So, Ami's using the spoonfeed strategy, too, huh?" hummed Rei. "I guess she learned a thing or two before this."

"Come on, I did the same thing," said Makoto. "Though, I'll give Ami some props for working up the courage to do it."

Then, Usagi noticed Minako staring at Harusuke and Rei with wide eyes, trembling slightly.

"What's the matter, Minako?" the ordango blonde asked. "Are you getting embarrassed from watching someone else using that trick?"

Minako then spoke in a trembling voice. "Didn't you guys see that?!" she said incredulously. "Ami did a lot more than just the spoonfeed technique! In fact, she not only used that, but she also used another trick that's just as romantic and just as effective!"

She paused impressively as everyone else looked across at her, wondering what she was talking about.

Minako then spoke while blushing furiously. "And that's the Indirect Kiss technique!"

The girls stared before letting out a collective sound of shock and bafflement, but they quickly realized that they couldn't be too loud lest they reveal themselves, managing to stifle themselves.

"N-No way! You have to be kidding!" Rei whispered. "When did she do that?!"

"If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that Ami took a bite from her sandwich not too long ago," explained Minako. "She then cut off the part where she had bitten it and then fed it to Harusuke without him realizing!"

The girls all gasped as their faces flushed bright red.

"When did Ami learn to do something like that?!" Makoto murmured in shock. "Even I would never have thought about doing that!"

"I don't know, but pulling that off must have taken lots of mental training!" Usagi spoke awestruck. "I'm surprised she hasn't freaked out yet!"

"We may have underestimated Ami," said Rei, also stunned. "We would always assume that she always puts studying first and is also introverted as they come, but underneath all that lies a terrifying and calculating woman!"

Chibiusa and the cats sat close by them at another table, the pink ordango drinking a soda.

"Father, what are they talking about?" asked Diana. "What's an indirect kiss?"

"Trust me, Diana, you don't want to know," sighed Luna.

"Yeah, just wait until you're older." agreed Artemis. "And just pretend we don't know them."

The little white kitten could only tilt her head, feeling confused.

Chibiusa, who had finished her drink, then called out for the waiter. "Excuse me! Can I get a refill, please? And you can put it on my big sister's tab!"

After eating lunch, Ami and Harusuke were getting ready to leave when Harusuke happened to take a look outside. The weather had changed, and it was now raining.

"Uh oh. Looks like Mother Nature's decided to give us an April shower today," he said.

Ami then looked and couldn't help but shoot up to her feet. "Oh, no! Not now!" she spoke in disappointment. "Why did it have to rain now?!"

But as she stood up, something fell off her lap and onto the table, which turned out to be her notebook. Almost immediately, while curious about what it was, Harusuke picked it up and looked at it. On a page was a detailed circle diagram with lots of smaller ones, each with a few written sentences about different scenarios regarding dating.

Ami immediately got flustered. "H-Harusuke! Wait! Don't look at that!" she squeaked as she snatched the notebook away and hugged it tightly.

Harusuke then blinked, realizing. "So, when you said that you planned this whole thing, did you even plan for any eventuality, too?" he asked.

Ami was silent before answering with a nod. "I'm not very good with dates, and I didn't want you to be disappointed or bored, so I had a whole bunch of things planned, even when things go wrong," she said. "But I didn't expect it to rain, or at least I should have expected it to. Sorry if you were let down or anything."

"Oh, come on, Ami. You're overthinking things a bit," soothed Harusuke. "I mean, sure, it sucks that it's raining now, but it's not like the whole thing's ruined."

"True, but isn't most of what we did pretty boring?" Ami asked. "I mean, haven't you experienced better dates before?"

"Well, can't I speak for all I've gone on," said Harusuke. "But there's nothing wrong with going on something simple like this one. I wouldn't mind doing this all the time, and it's nice to hang out with a fellow book lover."

Ami blinked, staring before she smiled. "Really?"

"Of course," said Harusuke. "But if I were to criticize, you probably shouldn't overthink something like a practice date. Isn't the point of going on a date for a good time?"

"Yes, you're exactly right," said Ami. "I have a habit of doing that whenever I'm dealing with something like this. I'm not… very good with romance."

Harusuke chuckled. "Then how about we do a bit of reading together to relax?" he suggested. "After all, we're in a reading cafe, and we've got plenty of time before the rain stops."

Ami eagerly pulled out one of the books she brought. "That sounds wonderful."

The two then spent the rest of their time reading and comparing their books.

While they did, Usagi and her group continued their surveillance, taking mental notes, and still thinking that Ami was a genius, but not just in the ways of academics.