The two of them finished the last of the oden in front of the claw machine. Seeing Utaha's shy expression, Uchiha Ryo naturally took her hand.
Kasumigaoka's hand was very soft, perhaps a little warm from just holding the oden cup.
But this gesture was a considerable challenge for Kasumigaoka Utaha. The only males who had ever held her hand since she was a child were her father and her grandfather back home, and now this junior, Ryo, had succeeded.
Of course, Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn't forgotten the main purpose of the day. This was not just a date. She had to commit this feeling to memory and then use it in her romance novel.
"Young man, your girlfriend is so pretty. How about buying some hair accessories?"
At an accessory stall near the claw machine, a middle-aged couple waved and gestured for the two to come over.
Hair accessories, huh. Uchiha Ryo, of course, knew that besides stockings, Kasumigaoka Utaha's other signature item was the white hairband on her head.
"Do you like wearing hairbands? Want to try changing your style?"
"Hmm? Oh... okay."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, her hand being held, felt her face heat up. She had no idea how to refuse.
"Then how about trying this one! A white hairband similar to yours, very suitable for a young and beautiful girl like you."
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't speak. Uchiha Ryo was the one picking them out for her.
"Aren't you going to take a look, Utaha? You're the one who'll be wearing it."
Kasumigaoka Utaha casually scanned the stall. Seeing nothing she liked, she said rather casually.
"Ryo-kun can pick for me. As long as it's something Ryo-kun buys, I'll wear it."
The young woman smiled. She refused to be passively teased all the time. Kasumigaoka Utaha decided to launch a counterattack!
Why should Uchiha Ryo always have the initiative? On a date, the girl should also be a little proactive!
"Is that so? If I pick, Utaha will definitely wear it, right?"
"Of course!"
Uchiha Ryo reached into the pile of accessories and picked up a pair of cat ears.
A black cat-ear headband. The texture felt quite nice. The moment Uchiha Ryo picked up the cat ears, the female owner of the accessory stall also giggled and praised him.
"What a good eye, customer! This kind of cat-ear headband is a limited edition. And... I can see that you two are a fated couple, so I'll let you in on a little secret. I have the full costume set here too."
"The full set~ Could you take it out for us to see? As for the price, we can talk about it."
The female stall owner immediately rummaged through a cardboard box behind her, pulling out a package and then taking out everything inside.
There were four sets in total, two white and two black. From top to bottom, they consisted of a cat-ear headband, cat-paw gloves, a cat tail, and cat-paw boots.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Utaha, you'll wear it, right?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes widened. What was happening! Why would a normal accessory stall have this kind of thing!
Uchiha Ryo stroked his chin. "Black suits you better, Utaha. One black set."
The owner nodded. "You got it! May I ask which black set you'd like, young man?"
"Is there a difference?" Uchiha Ryo hadn't really looked closely to see the difference between the two black cat costume sets.
"Of course there is. This set is a clip-on, and this set is a plug-in. Which one would you like to buy for your girlfriend, young man?"
So the difference was in the cat tail! Uchiha Ryo turned to look at Kasumigaoka Utaha, but the young woman who was just about to sound the charge for her counterattack was already frozen in place.
She was very worried right now, worried that her "boyfriend" would buy that kind of thing... No, she had to stop him. After all, as a girlfriend, it's normal to give an opinion, right!
"Um, how about we just buy the clip-on set?"
Uchiha nodded and gave Kasumigaoka Utaha a reassuring look.
"I'll take both sets. Pack them all up."
"Thank you for your patronage!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha: "???"
After that, Uchiha Ryo took Kasumigaoka Utaha to a few other famous attractions in the Tokyo area, then took a big loop and returned to the station front district in Chiyoda.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had a lot of fun today. And at the end of the day, Uchiha Ryo took her to a park bench, and with ice cream as a snack, he planned to end the day's activities.
Looking at the gradually darkening sky, Kasumigaoka Utaha was lost in thought.
"Is the material gathering... over?"
Uchiha Ryo looked at a nearby hotel. "There's still one last step. I just don't know if you want to go."
"I...."
"Just kidding. Today was just a simulated date to help Kasumi Utako-sensei. Let's end it here."
Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded. For some reason, just as Uchiha Ryo said the material gathering was over, her mood also gradually sank.
"I wish Kasumi Utako's Love Metronome great success in the future. That's all for today. You can contact me on Line if you have time. By the way... this is my gift for you today."
Kasumigaoka Utaha took a gift box that had been wrapped at some point. Uchiha Ryo had put it in an opaque bag, so she hadn't noticed it at all.
When she looked up again, all she saw was Uchiha Ryo's retreating back. Was he really just helping me gather material today? Kasumigaoka Utaha directly tore open the gift box!
On top was a photo booth picture the two of them had taken at the park, and below the photo was a beautiful rabbit plush doll.
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled and hugged the doll, then she saw... the cat costume set pressed underneath the doll.
Did he really give this thing to me? Hmph! How could I, Kasumigaoka Utaha, ever wear something like this? And... Uchiha Ryo! Why did you give me the plug-in one!!
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ryo returned home with the clip-on cat costume set. He planned to find a chance to give this set to the girl upstairs. He estimated that she would very likely try it on.
Uchiha Ryo could already imagine Yukinoshita and Kasumigaoka wearing the cat costume sets respectively. Damn it, I should have bought the two white sets as well and given them to Hayasaka Ai and Chitanda. A miscalculation....