Date #3

Rei Hino

Harusuke had just finished getting himself dressed and was on his way. His destination was the Hikawa Shrine. He was wearing a plain T-shirt with a pair of slacks and sneakers.

Before long, Harusuke could see the foot of the steps leading up to the shrine, and standing there waiting for him was Rei.

She wore a red crop top with a circular opening on her chest, which showed off her midsection, and white pants with pumps.

"Hey, Rei! Sorry if I'm a bit late!" Harusuke called as he approached her. "Were you waiting long?"

"Not at all. I just got here a few minutes ago myself," Rei said with a smile. "I hope you're ready because I've got an awesome outing planned for us, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it and learn some things from this."

"In that case, I leave you in your care, Rei," smiled Harusuke. "Shall we go?"

But as Harusuke was about to start walking, Rei began to look around suspiciously, much to the boy's confusion.

"Um… Rei?" Harusuke questioned. "Is everything OK?"

But Rei glared around suspiciously, checking everything in the area as if she was looking for something. Then, Harusuke had a hunch.

"Hey, are you worried about Usagi and the others spying on us?" he asked.

Rei looked at Harusuke and nodded. "Of course. Knowing how nosybody the others can be, I wouldn't be surprised if they were spying on us right now."

Harusuke chuckled. "Well, I'm not going to deny that, but I doubt they would be spying on us right now. Usagi's going out with Mamoru and Chibiusa, so we don't have to worry about her."

"But what only leaves Minako, Ami, and Makoto. They may not seem like it, but they can be just as nosy," pointed out Rei. "Especially Minako, who, in case you haven't noticed, can be like Usagi's clone."

"Come on, Rei. I don't think we have to worry," soothed Harusuke. "Let's just focus on having fun. That is the point of our little outing, right?"

Rei then sighed. "Yeah, you're right," she resigned. "I'm overthinking this way too much." She then smiled brightly. "Then, what do you say we get going?"

"Sounds good," said Harusuke.

The two then walked off together.

But as they did, Minako, Makoto, and Ami peeked out from behind a telephone pole, having been watching them. They each were wearing casual clothes as disguises.

"Whew. That was a close one," said Minako. "I thought for sure Rei would find us. Her senses as a priestess will make things a bit more tricky."

"Thankfully, Usagi's out with Mamoru and Chibiusa," said Makoto. "If she tagged along with us, she would have gotten us caught for sure."

"But, is this really necessary?" asked Ami. "I know we've been spying on Harusuke with his practice dates, but I think we should stop."

Artemis then popped his head out from Minna's handbag. "That's what I've been saying! But does anyone listen to me?! No!"

"Come on, Ami! We're your sense of romantic adventure?" Minako chided. "Besides, you say that, yet you're sticking with us."

Ami couldn't help but blush while saying nothing.

"And as for you, Artemis, keep quiet; otherwise, you can forget about getting the limited edition sardine-flavored cat treats I promised you," Minako added.

Artemis scowled as he slowly sunk back into the bag. "Minako, you really know how to play dirty," he grumped.

But Minako paid no mind. "Now then, after them girls!" she ordered. "Let's continue our spying/supervising excursion while ensuring it goes smoothly!"

The three girls then stealthily followed Rei and Harusuke, staying quiet.

Rei and Harusuke's first stop was at a music store.

The store had many musical instruments and shelves packed with CDs and vinyl. Some stations had headphones so customers could listen to whatever was hot.

Harusuke hummed with interest. "A music store, huh? I've never been to one of these before."

"I've only recently heard about this store myself," said Rei. "Since we both like music, I figured we should check it out."

She then went to a station, picked up a pair of headphones, and started listening. A few seconds later, she was immersed in the song playing and bopped her head in tune.

"Hey! Harusuke! You got to check this out!" Rei spoke eagerly. "Take a listen!"

Harusuke then approached, and while Rei extended the headphones enough to accommodate him, he also listened. And it wasn't long before he started getting into the music playing in them, too.

"Hey! I love this song!" he marveled.

"I know, right?" smiled Rei. "It's one of my favorites!"

As the two continued to listen, Minako and Makoto peeked over a shelf, watching them while pretending to be browsing through some music.

"How interesting," she murmured. "Rei's employing the sharing-the-headphones tactic. Quite effective."

"You gotta admit, they are pretty close," said Makoto. "I wonder what kind of music they're listening to? Do you know Ami?"

But as Makoto turned to ask her, she found Ami over at a station of her own, listening to some music, her eyes closed while listening to the music in contentment.

Minako and Makoto quickly rushed over to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Ami! What are you doing?!" Makoto whispered harshly. "You're going to get us caught!"

The bluenette took off the headphones. "I'm sorry. There was a CD with classical music on it, and I wanted to listen."

"Ami! Operation Stealth Love does not call for levity!" Minako barked quietly. "We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves!"

At that moment, Rei turned toward them. However, the three managed to duck out of sight just in time. Suspecting nothing, Rei continued listening.

"Good grief. I'm getting worked up over nothing," Rei thought. "For a second, I thought I heard Ami, Makoto, and Minako."

Then, she glanced at Harusuke, who was only a few inches away from her face. Immediately, she felt her heart skip a beat as she tried to focus on the music.

Minako, Makoto, and Ami breathed a sigh of relief. However, their relief was short-lived as one of the clerks working there approached them.

"Um, excuse me, but do you girls need help?" he asked. "You're acting very strange."

"N-No! We're fine!" squeaked Minako. "We're just some teenagers acting normal! No need to think we're suspicious!"

"That's right!" concurred Makoto. "In fact, we were just leaving!"

"Right!" added Ami.

Before the clerk could say anything more, the three girls left the store, making like bananas and splitting.

Next, the two went to a crepe stand for a snack.

Harusuke bought himself one topped with strawberries and syrup, while Rei's was chocolate.

"I don't think I've ever had one of these before," said Harusuke. "Well, at least the ones I always take Usagi."

"Well, these ones are pretty tasty," said Rei. "I've heard many good reviews about it, and it's a first for me, too."

She then took a bite from her crepe and hummed in delight, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, wow~! This is so good!"

Harusuke then bit into his. When the taste hit his mouth, his face lit up. "Oh, man! This is really delicious!"

He then took another big bite, savoring the sweet fruit taste. But as he did, Rei couldn't help but giggle as she looked at him.

"Good grief, Harusuke," said Rei. "You really are Usagi's older brother."

Harusuke looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" he inquired.

Rei then pointed to his cheek. "Seriously? Don't you even notice you have whipped cream on your cheek?"

Harusuke looked, and from the corner of his vision, she saw that Rei was right. But before he could wipe it off, Rei took her finger and wiped it off for him, putting it into her mouth and eating it.

Harusuke quickly felt his cheek warm up while Rei bashfully glanced away.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea!" she stammered. "I-I wanted to get it off while also showing you one of the techniques a girl will use to flirt with you! V-Very effective, right?"

"Y-yeah. It was," said Harusuke. "I certainly wasn't expecting that. Thanks for getting that."

"N-No problem," said Rei. "Also, remember that trick. If you pull it off correctly, it'll make almost any girl swoon for you—the one you eventually date anyway."

The two then continued to eat their crepes while walking, but as they did, Minako and her party kept up their surveillance while hiding from behind the crepe stand. They had seen what Rei did and couldn't help but blush.

"Now that's what I call bold," said Makoto. "Rei just used the Romance–Inducing Smudge trope! Even I know that one!"

"Yep. Rei's done her research also," said Minako. "And the way she was acting so shy was the friend banana on top. Very effective indeed. But she could ease up on the cuteness a bit. It's so unlike her character."

Ami frowned. "It's a cherry when it comes to that saying, Minako," she corrected. "And I can't tell if you're praising or criticizing her."

Then, the sweet smell of the crepes wafted into their noses, and they couldn't help but feel hungry.

"Say, anyone else thinking we should get some crepes, too?" suggested Makoto. "Can't really keep observing them on empty stomachs."

Ami and Minako agreed.

Rei and Harusuke continued their date by window-shopping at various stores and checking out the latest fashion trends. Then, they went into a photo booth and took pictures together. They also stopped at a cafe and shared a lunch together. By the time they realized it, the time had flown by, and it was already evening.

As the two set off for home, they inspected the pictures they had taken.

Rei couldn't help but laugh as she pointed out one. "Oh my gosh. Look at that face you're making! You look so silly!"

"Oh, yeah? How about this one?" Harusuke countered with a chuckle. "I'd say you look just as sillier."

Rei laughed again before her expression softened. "Say, Harusuke? Did you have fun today?"

"Of course I did," said Harusuke. "It was a ton of fun, actually. What about you?"

"Well, yeah. I did, too," said Rei. "I was just worried that something like this would be too… average for you."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Harusuke.

Rei then looked up aimlessly at the sky. "I was just thinking about some things," she said. "You know how when I used to date Mamoru?"

Harusuke nodded, humming a yes.

"Well, looking back on it, I can't help but think about why I was into him so much," Rei said. "His good looks, or how he looked so mature and composed? Or maybe even how he would always tease Usagi, considering how she and I are? Either way, while I enjoyed the time I spent with him, I can't help but feel like my little crush was a bit one-sided. I mean, I can be a bit pushy sometimes."

Harusuke raised a brow. "A bit?" he questioned suspiciously.

"OK, maybe a lot pushy," Rei relented. "Anyway, even though I really liked Mamoru and had a lot of fun while being with him with all the dates we went on, I can't help but feel like I didn't consider his feelings, and he was just being nice to me."

She glanced back down to the ground as she stopped walking, prompting Harusuke to stop, too.

"But… when it comes to all we did today, it's different," Rei continued. "I guess I was just thinking about how much I've grown since then. And… I might have been a little worried about how this practice date would go, and didn't want to be insensitive or pushy, so I'm happy you had fun.

Harusuke smiled. Then he reached out, put his hand on Rei's head, and gently petted it. "You did good, Rei," he said. "I'm sure you put a lot of time and effort into making that date, and I greatly appreciate it."

No sooner than that, Rei's face turned a bright shade of pink, and she let out a squeak. "W-What are you doing petting my head?!" she cried out. "I'm not a child, you know!"

Harusuke retracted his hand. "Oops! Sorry! I guess I sort of just went for it!" he sputtered.

But Rei adverted her eyes as she fidgeted. "I didn't say stop," she muttered.

Harusuke blinked before chuckling a bit. "In that case… since you don't mind…"

He then resumed giving Rei head pats while the former accepted them with flushed cheeks and a tiny smile.

While he did, Harusuke heard a whine from around the corner, catching his and Rei's attention.

"What was that?" he wondered. "A dog?"

"It sounded like it came from there," Rei spoke as she walked over to inspect.

But when she and Harusuke looked around the corner, they saw no one.

"Hm. I wonder if there was a stray dog around here," Rei suggested. "And when it heard us coming, it ran off?"

"Probably," said Harusuke. "Anyway, why don't I drop you off? I'm sure Gramps' is getting worried about you."

"Oh, yeah, the last thing I want is for Grandpa to get on my case," Rei agreed. "And let's try to keep this a secret from Yuichirou, too."

"Agreed," said Harusuke. "Heaven forbid he'll stop functioning after learning about this."

The two then started back for the shrine. While the two did, Minako, Makoto, and Ami peered out from an alley. As they watched them walk away, Makoto was quick to criticize Minako.

"Minako, you almost got us caught with you whining the way you did! If they caught us, we would have been in hot water!"

"Well, can you blame me?! After the way, Harusuke started petting Rei's head like that?!" Minako comically cried. "It was so adorable, I couldn't help but make noise! I want head pats, too!"

Makoto also frowned. "As much as I hate to admit it, just watching those two made me want to have my head patted," she acknowledged. "I'm definitely going to ask for some when I go on another practice date."

"Well, it doesn't seem like that big a deal," said Ami. "But even I have to agree that was a pretty cute gesture. Maybe I should ask for some to experiment on the next practice date."

Artemis poked his head out. "Hey, Minako. Can we go home now? I'm still waiting for those cat treats you promised."

Minako could only glance at her white companion with exasperation as she sighed in defeat.