The next day came quickly. I was waiting outside the Minka for Keiko to come. It was my first date, so I was feeling a bit nervous, but I couldn't show it on my face. The sky was clear, and it's cold even though it was ten in the morning.
When the time was exactly ten, she came out. After seeing her, I couldn't think straight. I thought she would dress as her usual self with jeans, a T-shirt, sneakers, and her hair tied back. However, that wasn't the look I was expecting. She totally exceeded my expectations. Denim shirt, striped button-front A-line skirt, burgundy knit scarf wrapped around the neck, black tights, to my surprise, she was also wearing heels and left her hair loose. Holding a purse in her hand, she came towards me.
I couldn't say anything even though she put that much effort into her outfit.
She said, "Were you waiting for too long?" while pushing her hair back that was over her ear.
I replied that I wasn't waiting for too long.
Even though we came out of the same house, we both didn't see each other until then. That day, we decided to go where we wanted using public transport, as Kenji said it would be a way to spend a bit more time with her.
We walked to the station and took a train that goes to Shibuya. The train isn't too crowded or too empty, and we both got seats to sit.
But for some reason, everyone was looking at me with strange expressions. I couldn't understand why, but then Keiko said, "You don't get why they are staring at you, right?"
"Yes," I replied with a puzzled expression.
She smiled and said, "It's because of your outfit. They are thinking if anyone would go on a date wearing a formal dress neatly tucked in, with formal shoes and long hair tied back."
I thought for a second if it was weird to go out like this because this suits me well.
I asked her, "Does this not look good on me?" hesitatingly while slightly rubbing my right cheek with my left hand.
She smiled again and said, "This looks perfectly good on you, but I thought you would wear a more casual outfit for today, that's all."
"Well, I thought of wearing those, but my clothes became shorter as I grew taller, and Kenji was the one who told me to wear these," I said while leaning back on the window.
"Then I should thank Kenji for making you dress like this. You look exactly like Kaaiden from Eleseed with that dress and clean shave," she said while leaning back.
It was nice sitting with her and being able to chat like that. It felt wonderful.
I couldn't say anything to her after what she said. I felt like my whole face became red and turned my face.
We didn't talk with each other until we got out of the train.
First, we decided to watch a movie because that was what Kenji told me to do.
We watched a movie which she wanted to watch, and after that we went to a restaurant to eat.
After finishing that, she said, "You said you don't have any clothes of your size, right? Let's go pick some outfits for you."
She grabbed my hand and dragged me along with her.
It felt nice getting dragged along by her. I don't know what face she was making, but I am sure she didn't want me to see her like that.
She picked a total of ten outfits, in which seven were casuals and three formals. She told me to wear the formals for occasions and casuals for our upcoming dates.
When she said that, I felt a little shy and asked, "For our next date?"
"Yeah," she said after a small pause.
It was cute to watch her like that.
Then I suddenly realized that she meant the group hangouts and not this kind of hangout.
By the time we came out, it was already evening. We decided to head home and took the train.
Finally, when we reached the Minka, I hesitatingly said,
"Keiko, I know you said we could go on more dates but, you don't need to do this. If you can't reject those guys as it would make the training awkward, I will handle it."
"You spent a whole day with me, and that's all you understood?"
"Well, I understood that you enjoyed a lot today and you want to have more fun, but you don't need to force yourself," I said.
"Do I look like I am forcing myself?" she asked me.
"It doesn't look like that, but still..."
"Shut up, you are a clueless fool," she cut me off in the middle with a slightly angry tone.
"What? Did I say anything wrong?" I asked her.
"Yes. Why would I force myself to do this? Do I look like a coward who can't reject a single guy while I rejected a whole university?"
Then I remembered that she rejected a whole university. A whole university doesn't imply the direct meaning; it implies that almost everyone but not everyone.
I also realized that she was not the kind of person who would worry over what the others might think or how awkward the room might get. And she would never use me to reject some guys.
"Right, now that you say it, you aren't that kind of person. I am sorry," I said with a slightly dull tone.
"As long as you understand," she said and started walking.
I felt like something was amiss and spoke,
"I wanted to say this to you the whole day. You look beautiful in that dress."
"Really? I thought that you didn't like this," she turned her head and said with a bright face and happy voice.
I continued,
"And I wanted to tell you one more thing, as I feel like it's too late now. Even so, let me say this. I love you, Keiko. I loved you for too long and was afraid to tell you this, but recently I felt like you would be stolen away if I dilly-dallied this even further. So, take your time and give me your answer. I will wait."
I said it and started walking again.
It wasn't as easy as I thought.
She was stuck where I proposed to her. Her shadow was not moving. Well, I don't blame her. When someone you consider a friend proposes to you, anyone would react like that.
A few steps and I will be at the entrance.
Suddenly someone caught my hand, and when I turned, it was Keiko.
Her face was as red as an apple. With her flustered expression, she said,
"Me too!"
"And she ran inside, leaving me there.
For a while, I couldn't gather my thoughts. I was lost in the thought of what I heard was what I was thinking. After organizing my thoughts, I went in with a confused expression.
When I entered the house, Kenji was standing as if he was waiting for me. He took a long glance at me and asked, "Did you do it?"
I told him, "It's okay, I guess."
He then gave a smirk and said, "Good for you," then he asked me to get changed and go play games with him.
I don't know what Keiko's doing and how she was feeling, and I thought of asking her once again the next day.
We played games till nine and had our dinner at the same time. Keiko didn't come down to eat. I can understand her, but even Akiko didn't come.
Kenji went to sleep right after that, but I played even after eating to keep my mind focused from thinking about any other thoughts.
Again, by the time I woke up, everyone left, and I felt like not going to work as I need a beast to train. I heard Keiko got her beast two months ago. It was a two-month-old baby, and now it's four months old, so she's attending theory classes.
Even those who don't have a beast can attend the theory classes, but I feel like it's a waste, cause it's just about their characteristics and how to bond, how to take care of them. I don't know what beast she got herself, but I think it will be trained good and, as for Kenji and Akiko, they both decided to become rangers and are attending classes according to it.
The whole day, I lazed around, played some games, and got tired, so I decided to take a nap for few minutes and slept.
I don't know how lucky I am, but I know how unlucky I am. Fuck! By the time I got up, it's already five in the evening.
I got up and hurriedly tied my hair and left for the training.
I barely managed to arrive on time. At least I could avoid those cold stares and comments.
Thinking that, I went in leisurely.
As soon as I entered, the three boys from Saturday were hitting on Keiko. I don't know why they are doing this even after what that baldie told them would happen.
One of them said something to her and she replied, and he said a few more things and she replied again. This time, the faces of the three got withered and they left.
I don't know what she said, but I felt like I should educate them properly. Hehehe.
I gave out a cunning smile while entering.
Everyone was warming up before they could spar with one another.
Kenji saw me and came running towards me and said, "Stop with that eerie smile. Everyone has a bad opinion on you and if they see that smile, they will think that you are a weirdo."
"What? Do I look that bad with a smile?" I asked.
"It's not about your smile but the way you give it off," he said, walking along with me.
"Ok." I said that, and we both went to the ring.
Keiko was looking at us with some serious look on her face. I didn't understand why, but I decided to not disturb her and asked Kenji to practice with me as she was moody.
But Kenji rejected it, saying that Akiko wanted to practice with him.
He left me in the dust like that and vanished into air.
I went to Keiko as there is no way left.
Everyone started their sparring.
We bowed to each other and began our training.
After a few exchanges, she said, "From tomorrow I want you to attend the classes without fail."
I was a bit taken back as she didn't ask me to attend the classes even once before, though it sounded more like an order than a request.
I didn't reply to her, thinking it was my hallucination.
Then she said, "I said something and you didn't give me an answer, so are you ignoring me now?"
She said it with disappointment on her face.
I didn't understand why, but I understood one thing. If I don't answer carefully, I could get seriously hurt before going home.
"Keiko, I don't understand why you are so angry, but I didn't mean to avoid you. I just thought that it was my imagination. So you want me to attend classes from tomorrow, right? I will attend, but you didn't ask such absurd requests before, so why now?" I asked her hesitatingly.
She stopped sparring.
With a shy look, looking down, twisting her sword with her hands, she said, "Well, I always wanted to go to the academy with my boyfriend, is it wrong?"
The way she said it with a cute voice made my reason vanish.
Then I understood.
What I heard yesterday was not a mistake or my imagination.