With Yahata and the others gone, Ryotaro and Shizuka were left alone. The sudden realization of their solitude hit Shizuka hard, and her nerves kicked into overdrive. She was determined not to mess this up, but that very determination threatened to bring out her old bad habits—putting on a facade to impress, stretching herself beyond her natural self, the very thing that had always led to her past failures. Unfortunately, Ryotaro was oblivious to her inner turmoil. The unexpected race with Yahata's group and the impromptu ramen stop had thrown his carefully planned date into chaos, leaving him at a loss for what to do next.
Shizuka, caught in her own anxiety, waited passively for Ryotaro to take the lead. For someone as inexperienced as Ryotaro, this felt like a mission he had to tackle alone. He racked his brain, but no clear plan emerged. Then, Shizuka's words from earlier echoed in his mind:
"Hikitani, you've learned there are enemies you can't defeat alone, and you've figured out how to rely on trusted comrades to overcome them. My lessons are done. There's nothing more for me to teach you. You're graduated, Hikitani."
(That's it… Those words weren't just for Yahata. They're for me, too, right now…)
Deciding to stop agonizing alone, Ryotaro turned to Shizuka. "Hey, Shizuka-san, about what we should do next…"
"Y-Yes, let's go wherever you want!" she replied quickly.
"I'm kinda stumped on my own…" Ryotaro started, then noticed something off. "Shizuka-san?"
"Yes, Ryotaro-san? Where should we go next? I'll follow you anywhere," she said, her voice overly eager.
"Huh…?"
For the first time, Ryotaro sensed something was wrong. Shizuka's eyes looked lifeless, almost like the "dead fish" stare Yahata used to have.
"Shizuka-san…?" he ventured cautiously.
"What is it, Ryotaro-san?" she replied, turning to him with a stiff, almost mechanical motion, as if her face were creaking like rusty gears.
Ryotaro scrambled for a way to snap her out of it but came up empty. Desperate, he decided to call Yahata. "Sorry, Shizuka-san, I need to make a quick call to Yahata. Just give me a sec."
"Yes, I'll wait," she said, her voice flat.
Worried but determined, Ryotaro dialed Yahata, who thankfully picked up right away. Ryotaro explained the situation as best he could.
"…I see," Yahata said. "Sounds like Sensei's fallen to the dark side of the Force. She's probably freaking out about being alone with you and overthinking this as some big make-or-break moment. Now, how to snap her out of it…"
"I know it's pathetic, but I'm drawing a blank here," Ryotaro admitted. "Please, Yahata, you're my only hope."
"Fair enough. It's tough to expect you to handle everything when you two are still getting to know each other. Hold on a sec." Yahata paused, then continued, "Alright, try giving her a shock. Klein, go grab her chest right now—Ow! Hey, stop it! Asuna, it was just a joke! Yukino, where'd you even get that weapon? Your real weapon's your sharp tongue, not physical attacks! Quit ganging up on me!"
"Yahata? Yo, Yahata, you alive?" Ryotaro called, hearing a commotion on the other end, complete with Yui's laughter and Asuna and Yukino scolding Yahata.
After a moment, the chaos subsided, and Yahata came back on. "Sorry, that was a joke. My life's on the line here, so do not try that."
"Obviously!" Ryotaro shot back. "I'd never pull some creepy move like that!"
"Right, uh, that's surprisingly sensible for you, Klein," Yahata said. "Anyway, can you put Sensei on the phone?"
"Got it. You better come through this time," Ryotaro said.
"Don't worry, I'll wake her up in one shot," Yahata replied confidently.
"One shot?" Ryotaro asked warily. "How, exactly?"
"I'm gonna have Kit rile her up," Yahata said simply.
Ryotaro felt a twinge of unease at the word "rile," but it sounded effective enough, so he steeled himself. "Alright, I'll handle whatever comes next. Hit her hard."
"Leave it to me," Kit's voice chimed in suddenly.
Startled, Ryotaro instinctively responded politely. "Oh, Kit-san? Sorry to trouble you, but please take care of it."
"Why're you suddenly so formal?" Yahata groaned from the other end.
"I mean, Kit-san's clearly out of my league!" Ryotaro protested.
"Well… I can't exactly argue with that," Yahata admitted. "Anyway, just do it!"
"Got it!" Kit replied.
Ryotaro handed the phone to Shizuka. "Kit-san wants to talk to you."
"Yes, Ryotaro-san," Shizuka said, taking the phone with an awkward, almost robotic motion.
After a brief moment on the call, a spark returned to Shizuka's eyes. She shouted into the phone, her voice tinged with childish frustration, "Don't think you've won yet!"
Ryotaro stifled a laugh, relieved to see her back to normal. He silently thanked Kit, but then Shizuka, her face now bright red, thrust the phone back at him. Confused, he took it and spoke. "Hello?"
"Yo, Klein," Yahata said. "I just told her, 'Don't worry, Klein's totally smitten with you.' So, the rest is up to you. Make it count."
"What?! You said that? At least give me some advice!" Ryotaro pleaded.
Yahata sighed. "Fine. You're in Chiba, right? Head to Chiba Station and just wander around wherever you feel like."
"That's so vague!" Ryotaro complained.
"It's not that vague," Yahata said. "Figure out the rest yourself."
"Hey, Yahata—?" Ryotaro started, but Yahata hung up with a breezy, "Have fun, you two!"
Ryotaro stood there, mulling over Yahata's words. Then, something clicked, and he turned to Shizuka, who was still fidgeting nervously. "Hey, Shizuka-san, I've got an idea."
"Y-Yes?" she replied, her voice tense.
"Yahata and the others totally derailed our plans, right? I was thinking we should figure out what to do next together, but Yahata's advice gave me an idea."
"His advice…?" Shizuka asked.
"In short, he said to head to Chiba Station and check out whatever catches our eye," Ryotaro explained.
"Chiba… Chiba Station," Shizuka echoed, pondering the suggestion.
Before she could overthink it, Ryotaro continued, "Let's just go there together. We can take turns picking places that interest us and check them out. Sound good?"
"That's… pretty ordinary," Shizuka blurted out, then caught herself. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"Nah, you're right!" Ryotaro said with a laugh. "It is ordinary!"
Shizuka flinched, embarrassed by her slip, but Ryotaro's warm smile put her at ease. "I think that's the best way to really get to know you," he said. "Fancy places aren't for us right now, you know?"
"You're right," Shizuka said, nodding. "That way, I might get to understand you better too, Ryotaro-san."
"Awesome!" Ryotaro grinned. "Let's get going then!"
"Yes, Ryotaro-san!" Shizuka replied, her face blooming into a radiant smile.
And so, without pretense or pressure, they wandered through Chiba, popping into shops that caught their interest. They bought little trinkets, marveled at quirky finds, and occasionally vented their frustrations at something silly. For dinner, they ended up at Saizeriya. It was Ryotaro's first time there, and he dug into his meal with gusto, exclaiming, "This is so good!" Shizuka watched him fondly, feeling completely at ease, enjoying the meal without a trace of tension.
"Where to next?" Ryotaro asked, satisfied, as they left the restaurant.
Shizuka hesitated, then spoke up tentatively. "Um, Ryotaro-san?"
"Yeah, Shizuka-san?"
"There's a place I'd like to show you," she said, her expression serious.
Ryotaro didn't hesitate. "Alright! I'm happy to go anywhere with you!"
-------------------------------------------
"Hi everyone! 👋
If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to support me so I can keep going, join me on Patreon 💖. You'll get access to special content just for members, and together we can build a fun little community ✨.
👉 Join here: [patreon.com/Greyhounds]"