About a week before Yahata and the others' frantic screams, on a certain day, Ryotaro stood in front of a station, fidgeting nervously and scanning his surroundings.
Today was the long-awaited day—the day of his first date with Shizuka.
"Man… my stomach's killing me from nerves… Can I even pull this off…?" Ryotaro muttered, his voice trembling with anxiety.
Leading up to this moment, Yahata had given him a handful of pointers. Don't show off by going to some fancy place you'd never normally visit. Don't flatter Shizuka with obvious compliments—see her for who she truly is. And absolutely, under no circumstances, bring up her age or that slightly masculine edge she has. Yahata had drilled these warnings into Ryotaro's head, determined to keep him from building unrealistic fantasies about Shizuka. Ryotaro mentally recited these tips, frantically planning how to escort her today, when a figure approached.
"Sorry~! Keep you waiting~?"
The voice was unmistakably forced, a high-pitched, monotone attempt at charm. Ryotaro's face contorted in a mix of shock and dismay. "Ugh!" he blurted out, unable to hide his reaction.
"What's with that obviously creeped out face?" Yahata grumbled, clearly miffed. "I was trying to help you practice for when Ms. Hiratsuka shows up, you know!"
Yahata, who had come to mediate their first meeting, stood there looking mildly offended.
"No way, man! There's no way anyone would guess that was your intention!" Ryotaro shot back. "And practicing with you? That's never gonna work!"
Yahata sighed, muttering, "Yeah, yeah," before turning to Asuna, who was standing nearby. "Alright, special circumstances today. Asuna, give it a try—same vibe as me just now."
"Got it! Asuna's on it!" she chirped, raising a hand energetically. She jogged a short distance away, turned around, and flashed a dazzling smile. Waving enthusiastically, she ran back toward Ryotaro and repeated Yahata's line:
"Sorry~! Keep you waiting~?"
"Guh!" Ryotaro let out a sound like he'd been punched in the gut, collapsing dramatically to the ground. Asuna rushed to his side, alarmed.
Incidentally, Yahata seemed to grasp what had happened. "Crap," he muttered under his breath. "Was that too much for Klein to handle…?"
"Klein-san, you okay?" Asuna asked, worried.
"S-sorry, Asuna-san," Ryotaro stammered, recovering slightly. "Could you, uh, tone it down a bit? Just a little more… subdued?"
"Oh, sorry! Was that not quite Shizuka's vibe?" Asuna asked, reflecting on her performance.
"No, no, it's not that!" Ryotaro waved his hands frantically. "It's just… for a guy like me, who's not exactly used to women, that was way too intense! I mean, you were perfect, Asuna-san, but maybe dial it back a bit so I don't, y'know, pass out? No misunderstanding here, you were amazing!"
"Oh, I get it," Asuna said, nodding. "I did it the way I usually do with Yahata-kun, so…"
Ryotaro's jaw dropped. He whipped around to face Yahata, eyes wide with disbelief. "Yahata… you guys are always like that?"
"Y-yeah, pretty much," Yahata admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"That's insane… You're unreal, Yahata—no, Yahata-san! I gotta call you that now!" Ryotaro exclaimed, awestruck.
"Ugh, no way. That's creepy, knock it off," Yahata said, visibly repulsed.
"Alright, Asuna, one more time," Yahata instructed.
"Got it!" Asuna replied. She jogged back to her spot, turned, and approached Ryotaro again, this time with a more restrained demeanor. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"N-no, I just got here! Haven't been waiting at all!" Ryotaro managed, flustered but getting the words out.
Yahata nodded approvingly. "Not bad, not bad. Feeling a bit less nervous now?"
Ryotaro rolled his shoulders, checked his trembling hands and legs, and grinned. "Hey, the shaking's stopped! Thanks, I'm actually kinda relaxed now."
"Good enough," Yahata said. "Alright, it's about time. Ms. Hiratsuka should be here soon." He glanced around, and his eyes caught sight of a familiar sports car approaching in the distance. "There she is. I'll introduce you, Klein, then you're on your own. Don't screw it up."
"You got it!" Ryotaro said confidently.
"Yahata-kun, don't forget to introduce me too!" Asuna added.
"Yeah, yeah, I got you, Asuna," Yahata replied.
As Shizuka's sports car pulled up and parked a short distance away, she stepped out, took a deep breath—perhaps to calm her nerves—and jogged toward them with a wide grin, her voice deliberately exaggerated. "Sorry~! Keep you waiting~?"
Yahata stepped in front of her, arms spread, and said coldly, "Nope. Try again."
Shizuka's face fell, as if she knew she'd overdone it. "W-wait, at least give me a retake!" she pleaded.
"You get one shot," Yahata said sternly.
"Fine…" Shizuka muttered, slinking back to her car. This time, she walked back with the confident, commanding presence she usually displayed at school. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
Ryotaro, shoving Yahata aside, stepped forward and recited his practiced line with conviction. "No, not at all! I just got here. Nice to meet you, I'm Ryotaro Tsuboi! Thank you so much for agreeing to go out with a guy like me today!"
"No, no, I should be thanking you for inviting me," Shizuka said, a slight blush on her cheeks. "I'm Shizuka Hiratsuka. Pleasure to meet you, Tsuboi-san."
Ryotaro's heart soared at meeting Shizuka and at the fact that Yahata had made it happen. He silently thanked the heavens for both.
"But to think," Shizuka mused, "that Hikitani of all people would be the one to introduce me to a guy…"
"Yeah, and I never would've thought someone like you'd still be single—guh!"
Yahata didn't get to finish. Shizuka's lightning-fast body blow landed square in his stomach. As he doubled over, Yahata felt a strange mix of nostalgia and awe at the speed of her attack. I braced myself, and she still got me… That's Kirito-level speed…
Asuna and Ryotaro stared, dumbstruck. "No way… Yahata-kun didn't even react…" Asuna whispered.
"Seriously? It was over before I could blink!" Ryotaro added, mentally preparing himself for the possibility of facing the same fate someday.
"Got any excuses?" Shizuka asked Yahata, her tone sharp.
Tearing up but undeterred, Yahata straightened up. "Hear me out, please. I didn't mean anything bad by it. I was relieved. While I was gone, I was worried you'd end up with some weird, no-good guy. But you didn't, and that's why I can confidently introduce you to this guy. As I said, this is my dear friend, Ryotaro Tsuboi—Klein. He's a comrade I've been through life and death with."
Shizuka took Ryotaro's hand, her expression earnest. "Tsuboi-san, thank you so much for saving my precious student."
"No, no, I owe Yahata big time," Ryotaro replied. "I'm only here, meeting you, because of him. I can't thank him enough. Oh, uh, sorry for calling you Shizuka-san so casually…"
Shizuka's cheeks flushed slightly. "N-no, it's fine… Please, keep calling me that."
Ryotaro felt his heart skip a beat at her reaction. "Thank you, Shizuka-san! And, uh, please, call me Ryotaro!"
"Y-yes… Ryotaro…-san," Shizuka said, a bit shyly.
Hearing his name from her lips, Ryotaro felt like he was floating. He grabbed Yahata's hand, shaking it vigorously. "Thank you, man, thank you so much!"
"Yeah, yeah, it's all on you now. Good luck," Yahata said.
"You got this, Klein-san!" Asuna cheered.
"Thanks, Asuna-san!" Ryotaro replied.
At the mention of Asuna, Shizuka turned to Yahata hesitantly. "So, Hikitani, is this the girlfriend I've heard about? Mind introducing us?"
"Right, of course. Asuna, come here," Yahata said, beckoning her.
Asuna stepped forward, a touch nervous, and introduced herself. "Ms. Hiratsuka, nice to meet you. I'm Asuna Yuuki, Yahata-kun's girlfriend. I look forward to getting to know you."
She flashed a warm smile, and Shizuka, returning the gesture, turned to Yahata with a grin. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd introduce me to your girlfriend. I'm overwhelmed, truly."
"Yeah," Yahata said, chuckling. "Didn't we promise to grab ramen together back in the day? How about the four of us go sometime?"
"Sounds perfect. Let's do it," Shizuka agreed.
Then, leaning in close to Yahata's ear, she whispered, "Don't you dare let her go. She's a gem, and you two are perfect together. Be happy, okay?"
Turning back to Asuna, Shizuka's tone grew formal. "Yuuki-san, I know I don't need to say this, but this guy's a handful. He's also incredibly kind, though. Please, take good care of him."
"Absolutely, I've got it covered!" Asuna replied with a radiant smile.
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