My life, for the first time in forever, was perfect. Like, seriously, picture-perfect-shoujo-manga-protagonist perfect. The sun was shining, the birds were probably singing some J-Pop song, and most importantly, the girl walking next to me, holding my hand, was Rina. The Rina. My Rina.
Just a week ago, the idea would've been laughable. Rina and me? Aoshi? The two of us were like oil and water, cats and dogs, anime and a reasonable sleep schedule. Our daily routine consisted of trading insults, setting ridiculously elaborate traps for each other, and generally making life a living sitcom for anyone watching. Now? Now her hand was in mine, her fingers laced with mine, and it felt so ridiculously right that my brain was still struggling to catch up.
It all culminated in that one moment behind the gym. The confession, the stammering, the heart-pounding tension… and then, the kiss. Oh, the kiss. It wasn't like in the movies. It was clumsy, and I'm pretty sure our teeth clashed for a second, but it was real. It was the grand finale of our war, the ceasefire signed on our lips. And just like that, the "Enemy to Love" saga had ended.
Or so I thought.
"Aoshi-kun~" Rina cooed, leaning her head on my shoulder as we walked. Her voice was like honey, sweet and a little sticky. "You're thinking so hard. Is your brain overheating? Do you need me to blow on it?"
I chuckled, squeezing her hand. "Just thinking about how happy I am."
"Ew, cheesy," she said, but she squeezed back. "But I'm happy too."
See? Perfect. We spent the rest of the walk to our favorite cafe talking about nothing and everything. I learned that she secretly loves corny historical dramas and that she thinks squirrels look like tiny, fluffy old men. I told her about my secret ambition to one day own a cat cafe where all the cats wear tiny bowties. It was… normal. It was peaceful.
It was kinda boring.
Wait, what? No. I shook the thought out of my head. Boring? This was the dream! No more dodging buckets of water rigged above the classroom door. No more finding my shoelaces tied together. This was bliss.
We sat down in our usual booth at "The Daily Grind," a cozy little spot that smelled like coffee and cinnamon. Rina ordered her usual strawberry parfait, and I got a simple black coffee.
"You know," she said, tapping her spoon against her chin. "This is nice. Just… sitting here. No schemes. No plotting my revenge for you swapping my history notes with lyrics to a death metal song."
"Hey, you have to admit, that was a classic," I grinned.
"It earned you a week of finding glitter in your hair," she retorted, a familiar spark in her eyes. And for a second, I felt that old thrill. The chase. The challenge.
Then she smiled sweetly, a smile that could melt glaciers. "But I'm glad we're past that."
"Me too," I said, and I meant it. Mostly.
Her parfait arrived, a mountain of pink ice cream, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. My coffee came a moment later. As I reached for the sugar, Rina's spoon suddenly darted out, lightning-fast, and swiped the single, perfect strawberry off the very top of her parfait. Before I could even process it, she held it up to my mouth.
"Say 'ahhh,' Aoshi-kun," she chirped, her eyes wide and innocent.
My face went up in flames. "R-Rina! People are staring!"
"Let them stare," she whispered, leaning closer. "They're just jealous of how cute we are."
My heart did a backflip. Okay, this was definitely not boring. My hand trembled as I leaned forward and took the strawberry from her spoon. It was sweet, juicy, and tasted like victory. Her victory, I guess.
The rest of our date was filled with little moments like that. She'd "accidentally" bump into me, making me spill a little coffee. She'd "helpfully" wipe it off, her hand lingering on my shirt just a little too long. She'd rearrange my hair, telling me it was messy, her fingers gently tracing my ear. Each little touch sent jolts through my system.
It was a different kind of warfare. A cuter, fluffier kind of warfare. And I was hopelessly losing.
As we were leaving, she suddenly stopped and pointed to a claw machine near the entrance. Inside was a collection of plushies, including a ridiculously grumpy-looking cat with a permanently furrowed brow. It looked… familiar.
"It looks like you when you lose an argument," she giggled.
"I do not!" I protested, even though she was totally right.
"Prove it," she challenged, her eyes gleaming. "Win it for me."
The old Aoshi, the enemy Aoshi, would have scoffed and walked away. The new Aoshi, the boyfriend Aoshi, found himself digging in his pocket for coins. This was my chance to score a point in this new game of ours.
"Prepare to be amazed," I declared, stepping up to the machine with an air of confidence I absolutely did not feel.
Three tries. Three agonizingly close, yet utterly failed attempts. The stupid claw was as weak as a wet noodle. On my last coin, I focused, I channeled all my energy, I pictured Rina's smiling face. I maneuvered the claw perfectly, it descended, it grasped the grumpy cat plushie… and dropped it a millimeter from the prize chute.
I slumped against the glass in defeat. "It's rigged."
Rina just laughed, a bright, musical sound that made my defeat a little less bitter. She patted my back. "It's okay, grumpy cat. You tried your best."
She took my hand again as we stepped out into the evening air. The peaceful, happy feeling was back. But underneath it, a tiny seed of something else was planted. I glanced at her, at the mischievous glint that never quite left her eyes. She wasn't just my girlfriend. She was still Rina. And with Rina, I had a feeling that peace was always going to be a temporary truce.
"Hey, Aoshi?" she said, stopping under a streetlight.
"Yeah?"
She tiptoed and gave me a quick, soft peck on the lips. My brain short-circuited all over again.
"That was for trying," she whispered, her cheeks a lovely shade of pink. "Next time, we're planning a full-scale heist. Operation: Liberate Grumpy Cat."
And just like that, I knew. The war wasn't over. It had just changed battlefields. And honestly? I couldn't wait for the next campaign.