Ren's walk home from school, flanked by the two beautiful and popular girls, became the hottest topic of the day. The boys in his year started to spread rumors like wildfire. Ren was a womanizer, a gigolo, the enemy of all men—these were the whispers and accusations that followed him. But the girls saw it differently. To them, he was a challenge, a highly desirable prize. Since he had no official girlfriend, the competition was open. Whoever managed to become his lover would be the luckiest person in the school, a feeling that only intensified the girls' desires.
The weekend finally arrived, and with it, his date with Chisaki. It was a perfectly cliché, normal date, but in Ren's mind, it was anything but. The clichéd location was elevated by the fact that it was the two of them experiencing it together.
They started their date at the mall, walking hand-in-hand as they browsed stores and talked. Chisaki, ever the sensible one, held herself back and only bought a few small items, despite Ren's insistence that he would buy her anything she wanted.
After walking for a while, their stomachs started to rumble, and they decided to get lunch. They found a small café and enjoyed a quiet meal together before heading to the movies. In a surprising turn, they decided to skip the latest blockbuster romance and instead chose a goofy comedy about three idiots and their journey. As they left the cinema, laughing and talking about the movie, they both agreed it was the best part of their date.
Their stomachs growled again as they passed by the food stalls, and they found a quiet spot to rest and eat. They sat in a small seating area, enjoying the air conditioning and the break from the bustling crowd outside. It was already late afternoon, and they decided to leave the mall and walk to a nearby park.
They found a bench and sat together, watching the sun slowly set over the calm waters of a nearby pond. Chisaki's head rested on his shoulder, and as the evening came, they were still there, content to simply be in each other's presence.
Ren took her hand in his. The streetlights flickered on, illuminating the path they were now walking on. It was a street known for its many love hotels, a street where young couples went to find a bit of privacy. Chisaki's cheeks flushed a deep red, but she didn't pull her hand away.
"Where are we going, Ren-kun?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"We're almost there," Ren said simply, his voice a low rumble.
A few minutes later, they arrived at a large, brightly lit building. It was a love hotel. Chisaki's face turned beet red, and her heart began to race. What was he doing? Was he really going to...
Inside the hotel room, Chisaki sat on the edge of the bed, her mind in a whirlwind. She was nervous, but there was an unmistakable thrum of excitement in her veins. She had seen movies, read novels... she knew what happened in places like this. Did this mean that Ren wanted to have sex with her? Her mind was filled with a thousand different questions. She loved him, but was she ready? What if he thought she was easy? What would he do if she said no?
A soft voice broke through her frantic thoughts, surprising her. "Do you want to take a shower first, Chisaki-chan?" Ren asked, his voice calm and gentle as he walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Yes!" she blurted out, her voice a little too loud, before she could think better of it. She immediately regretted it. She had said yes on impulse, but what was she supposed to do now?
She took a deep breath. She would just take a shower. It would give her time to calm down and think. As she walked towards the bathroom, she could feel his eyes on her, and her heart began to beat even faster.