Houtarou received a call from a girl.
That afternoon, on the rooftop, he had coldly confronted Kakeru and defeated him. He also took down all the fighters Kakeru had brought along.
However, this scene was witnessed by the concerned Kei and others. Maya wasn't part of their group, so she had no idea about boundaries. In that situation, Houtarou could only think of one skill.
To use Kikyō's tactic.
So he deployed his charm offensive. Offering himself as a sacrifice, he used a date as bait to persuade Maya to keep quiet about the incident.
Since Houtarou doesn't like dragging out things that need to be done, he had already prepared to go on the date the next day. He even borrowed a specific book to learn how to adjust his mood.
However, it was now 9:30. A girl was calling him.
"Karuizawa?"
The incoming call notification showed Kei Karuizawa.
Her voice quickly came through.
[You used to call me Kei.]
"..."
Something felt off about her state.
Was her state off?
Actually, it was quite off. Whether from Precognitive Dreams or current interactions, it was clear that she had strong feelings for him. And she had the option of dating him in her future prophetic dream.
Considering that his eventual marriage partner would be Suzune, Houtarou was kind enough to reject her with the excuse that he wouldn't date during high school.
This prevented her from potentially becoming the losing party.
But what about the current situation? He was still going on a date with another girl.
So... she must be feeling upset, right?
"...Well then, Kei." Houtarou corrected his address of her.
[Um... so, that... have you decided to go on a date with Satō tomorrow?]
Her voice became hesitant, and Houtarou strongly suspected this was the real reason she had called.
His relationship with this girl was special, and telling her about doing this for the sake of keeping someone quiet would certainly be cruel.
Moreover, telling her about tomorrow's date at this point would likely lead her to interfere. If that happened, it might not be just one date, but two or three.
Houtarou's motto was not to do unnecessary things, and to simplify necessary ones. He wanted to satisfy Maya with one date and thus protect the secret. He didn't want any complications.
Therefore...
"No, it's the day after tomorrow." Houtarou said, "Although I wasn't injured today, dealing with Kakeru and his group consumed a lot of energy, so I plan to rest tomorrow and fulfill my date with Satō the day after."
[What?] Kei seemed surprised on the other end, [Is Satō lying to me?]
Oh... So Maya had simply asked Kei about dating rules. Just like how Houtarou, being a complete novice, had consulted Kikyō about how to arrange a date.
She had never dated before either, so she would naturally ask someone else.
"What did you say?" Houtarou pretended not to hear.
[Nothing.]
Kei quickly hung up.
So that's that. Tell her the date is the day after tomorrow, so she won't interfere or feel sad tomorrow.
But problems never end for those who lie.
About 5 minutes later, Houtarou received a call from Maya.
The problem arose.
[Um... Houtarou-san... Has the date been changed to the day after tomorrow?]
She called to ask if he had changed the date. She only hung up after confirming it was still tomorrow.
But a few minutes later, Kei called again to ask why he had lied to her, saying it was definitely tomorrow, and that Maya had told her so.
Houtarou: "..."
Hey! Maya, what are you doing?
Even with his limited dating experience, he knew consulting Kei would definitely ruin your chances. Didn't she realize that?
But Maya's consultation showed she cared, which meant... she hadn't completely given up?
Houtarou didn't know how to handle this situation.
So time moved to the next day.
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The appointed time was 10:00, and Houtarou got up at 9:00 to wash and get ready.
Last night, he had called Maya separately to confirm the date time wouldn't change.
Although it was just a casual date, her requirements were somewhat high. Even though the boys and girls lived in the same dormitory building, she still wanted him to leave later and meet at a specific location.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have the atmosphere of a date.
After all, wouldn't it be strange? Going on a date starting from the same home, and then escorting the girl back to the same place.
"Sorry, have you been waiting?"
Standing by the fountain in the small park between the shopping street and the dormitory, Houtarou didn't wait long before Maya arrived.
That sentence was her greeting.
Why mention this separately? The reason was simple: Maya hadn't come alone.
"Good morning, Oreki-san." Kei greeted him.
"Hello." Houtarou replied with some surprise.
This was his date with Maya, but she had brought another girl along.
And Maya didn't know that Kei had strong feelings for him. In other words, she might have unwittingly brought her rival along.
Girl, that's really impressive...
"Um, well..." Maya seemed to know it was strange to bring someone else, "I was a bit nervous, so I hoped Karuizawa could join us."
"I understand, I understand." Houtarou nodded slightly, "I'm nervous too, so having one more person helps ease the atmosphere."
"Is that so... Does that mean this is Oreki-san's first time going out with a girl?" Maya felt she had grasped a key point.
"Not really, as I've been out with my sister before." Houtarou said.
While mentally adding, probably as a clothes rack or to carry things.
"I see..."
However, this answer was a pretty good response for Maya. Her mood seemed to have brightened considerably.
So the three of them walked together.
It was now 10 AM, meaning everyone had already had breakfast, so they would go somewhere to look around and then have lunch together.
According to Kikyō's plan, first would be the movie theater, and in the afternoon, the aquarium. With lunch in between.
Movie theaters and aquariums have always been top choices for dates. After he proposed this, neither Kei nor Maya refused.
The three walked forward together.
Today was Maya's stage, and she seemed a bit excited. Under normal circumstances, as a girl whose confession had been rejected, being with him would be awkward.
But today was different. Houtarou had agreed to date her. In other words, things that could be done on a date, she could do too, right?
And Houtarou immediately felt it. His right arm was embraced by the girl. It gave a sense of closeness.
And also… hey, this posture might lead to contact.
Looking at Maya's slightly reddened face, he suddenly felt she could accept being touched. Which meant she probably still liked him.
Noticing this, Houtarou looked in another direction.
As they walked, he was on the left, Maya in the middle, and Kei on the far right.
And Maya's current action… Kei must have noticed too. When he looked at her, he found that she seemed to be secretly biting her lip.
However, her face maintained an adorable smile.
"Um, Satō and Oreki look good together, don't they? The height difference between you two is so cute." Kei said as she consciously stepped aside and complimented them.
Oh. So Maya brought her along to liven up the atmosphere. But Houtarou suspected she had her own ulterior motives.
His height was 172cm, while Maya was 154cm. Kei herself was also this height, so she was essentially complimenting herself.
"However…" She paused, "Is it really okay for Oreki-kun to be spending such leisurely time instead of accompanying that senior sugar mommy who's keeping you?"
!!!
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