Chapter 3

Shuya was leaning against a tall tree in one of Sapporo’s parks, arms crossed while he watched the many people walk past him, trying to spot his date somewhere in the midst of it. He didn’t have much to go off, he only knew this was their designated meeting place, but he didn’t come to Sapporo very often, so he could only hope he had got it right. He did have a good feeling, since he used his phone’s GPS to find the place. The beauty of living in the 21st century. 

Time flew by and many beautiful girls walked through the park, but none of them approached Shuya, all to his great disappointment. That was until he took notice of yet another young girl, this one dressed in a yellow summer dress, making her compete with the sun about who could shine the brightest. Her hair was curled and held back, away from her face with a cute little hairpin with a flower on it, to match with the rest of her outfit. 

In contrast to every other girl Shuya had seen, this girl was looking right at him, making all his doubts disappear. She had to be the one he was waiting for. And she was perfect. Almost too perfect. 

As the girl kept walking, the distance between the two got smaller and the closer she got, the more Shuya felt like something about her seemed familiar. Oddly familiar. But it wasn’t until she was only a few meters away from him when it hit like lightning and Shuya let out a gasp. The smile he had worn on his face earlier, disappeared with the wind, and the girl who was now standing right in front of him, had the exact same expression on her face as him. 

“Takahashi? Shuya Takahashi?” said Iyori with an appalling look on her face. “That... that simply can’t be right. There must have been some kind of mistake.” 

“I could say the same thing,” answered Shuya immediately. “I requested a date with a girl named ‘Yuki’ and last time I checked, your name was Iyori Mikami. So what on earth are you doing here?” Iyori looked at Shuya, her mouth half open, but no words came out. She looked down at her feet, leaving Shuya even more dumbfounded than he already was, whereafter she let out a sigh and raised her head again. 

“Hello mr. Takahashi,” said Iyori and bowed politely, “it’s nice to meet you, my name is Yuki.” Now it was Shuya’s turn to stand with his mouth agape, starting his sentence over and over again several times before he was able to finish it. 

“You have got to be kidding me!” said Shuya at last. “Why do you have this kind of job? Do your parents know about this?” 

“What about you? Do your parents know you paid money to rent a girlfriend?” Shuya snorted at Iyori’s snarky response, but he couldn’t come up with any sort of counterattack. He just looked up to the sky, thinking about how insanely crazy the situation was, making him unsure if he should be laughing or crying. 

“Alright, how about ceasefire for now,” said Iyori after Shuya had been quiet for a little while. “I have no interest in meddling in your private life, so as long as you keep my secret, I will keep yours too. Deal?” Iyori held out her hand, waiting for Shuya to accept her offer, while her heart kept beating like crazy. 

“Deal,” said Shuya and took her hand, finally letting Iyori’s poor heart rest at ease. 

“Good, great!” said Iyori relieved. “I guess we can just part ways and pretend this never happened.” Iyori started backing up with a awkward smile on her face, letting out a few laughs to try and ease the atmosphere, but before she had the chance to escape, Shuya spoke up again. 

“Hey, wait a minute. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Iyori looked at Shuya in confusion. 

“What?” she asked with her arms crossed, hoping this nightmare would be over soon. 

“Our date? It might not be optimal, but I already paid for it and it said in the app that I couldn’t get a refund.” It suddenly turned completely quiet between the two young people standing in the park, until Iyori took a step forward. 

“Have you gone crazy? I’m not going on a date with you, why on earth would I do that?” said Iyori in a harsh, brutal voice while she stared directly into Shuya’s eyes. But he didn’t even blink while receiving the deadly glare from Iyori, instead he looked back at her with the same fierceness as she had in her eyes. 

“Because you accepted my request and I spent time and money to take a train and come to Sapporo to meet you. I paid for your time and I want my money’s worth, even if I have to settle for you.” Iyori felt the blood in every vain in her body starting to boil and she almost let her emotions take over and yell out every insult she could imagine, but before she did so, she remembered where she was and instead took in a deep breath. With a forced smile on her face, she approached Shuya one more time. 

“Are you sure you want to do this? Because a date with Yuki might be more than you can handle.” Shuya just raised an eyebrow. 

“Don’t over-complicate things, I just want my money’s worth.” Iyori nodded her head, indicating that she accepted Shuya’s request. She took in another deep breath and Shuya watched as her forced smile from before vanished and changed into a sweet, endearing smile. A smile too genuine in Shuya’s opinion and when Iyori took another step forward, reaching out to Shuya, he unintentionally took a step back, but it wasn’t enough. Iyori got a hold of his hand and held it tight while keeping eye contact with Shuya. 

“Sweet sweet Shuya, I have really been looking forward to our date,” said iyori in her sweetest voice possible. “What do you feel like doing? We could go out for a romantic dinner or we could go for a long walk in the park, holding hands, just getting to know each other.” Shuya looked at Iyori in horror and finally managed to release himself from Iyori’s grip. 

“What on earth are you doing?” asked Shuya. 

“Giving you your money’s worth, wasn’t that what you wanted, sweetie?” said Iyori and immediately grabbed Shuya’s hand again. “This is what a date with Yuki is like.” 

“I...” stuttered Shuya, looking down at his hand which once again was reunited with Iyori’s. 

“Are you getting cold feet?” asked Iyori, tilting her head slightly. “if you think you can’t handle it, we can always call it off and go our separate ways.” 

“No!” said Shuya immediately, surprising Iyori in the process. For a few seconds he didn’t say anything further, but before Iyori could make another comment, she felt Shuya intertwining his fingers with hers and her sweet smile quickly turned into disgust. 

“I also looked forward to our date, Yuki,” said Shuya, tasting the victory when he saw the look on Iyori’s face. “Have you had dinner?” Iyori quickly pulled herself together, determined not to go down without a fight. 

“No I haven’t had dinner, do you want to find a place to eat?” 

After agreeing on the dinner date, the young couple walked down the busy streets of Sapporo hand in hand, but the distance between them made people eye them in confusion. Fingers intertwined like lovers, but eyes screaming disgust as they both kept the conversation to a minimum. 

The longer they spent walking around, the more Iyori had to practice self-restrain, feeling her body calling out for food and she feared it wouldn't be long before it started growling, giving Shuya yet another thing to bully her with. 

At least he’s going to buy me dinner, thought Iyori to herself and in the same moment, she felt Shuya pull her to the side. 

“This place looks nice, right?” Iyori looked at the restaurant to which Shuya was gesturing and she almost blurted out her thoughts without any thoughts, but she quickly held herself back. 

You aren’t out as Iyori, you are Yuki. 

“Indeed, that looks really nice,” said Iyori and looked at Shuya with a smile, “but... sweetie... once you have been there once, you realize the food is overpriced and not worth a single dime.” 

“Really?” said Shuya and looked at the restaurant again. “I guess we should keep looking.” But Shuya quickly regretted his decision, because no matter which place Shuya suggested, Iyori could come up with a reason not to go there. 

“What about this place?” said Shuya with a sigh, already waiting to be turned down. 

“Mm... that place is really nice, but look at the cue, we would have to wait for hours before getting a table,” explained Iyori in the same sweet voice as before. 

“Seriously, do you act this way around other guys too? Because if you do, I doubt anyone would pay for your services again!” yelled Shuya, pulling Iyori out of her character in the process. 

“No, because I don’t have to!” yelled Iyori back, “my dates know the area, they know which restaurants are good and which aren’t. Some guys even book a table weeks beforehand to make sure we won’t go there in vain.” Shuya turned quiet, holding back his anger the best he could. 

“Alright princess,” said Shuya in a tone that clearly suggested he hadn’t used that term as a compliment. “since you seem to know this area better than anyone, why don’t you suggest a restaurant?” Iyori was about to give her reply, when Shuya spoke again. 

“And also, if you are going to switch back and forth between Iyori and Yuki, just stay as Iyori instead. Your bipolar behavior is making me tired.” Iyori gulped, realizing what she had done, and she quickly put on her smile again, hoping she would still be able to save the situation. 

“No, no you wanted a date with Yuki, so that’s what you will get,” said Iyori and smiled at Shuya, but there was nothing but disgust to be found on his face. 

“Please stop, I don’t want this!” said Shuya firmly, “just be yourself. I can’t stand this and I’m getting hungry, so just decide on a place you want to go so we can get something to eat.” 

“You are saying, you want me to chose a place Iyori wants? Not a place Yuki wants?” 

“Yes, please... please just do that...” said Shuya, his eyes looking tired, but when he looked at Iyori, he noticed her lips had curled into a smile, not a sarcastic or overly genuine smile. She simply looked... happy. Like a child who had just been granted a wish. 

“Alright, let’s go!” said Iyori and grabbed Shuya’s hand in hers again, walking down the street in a fast pace. Shuya followed along quietly, staring at their hands in confusion. 

Didn’t I just tell her to be herself? thought Shuya. Maybe it’s just a reflex from her side, since that is how she usually acts while she is on a date. 

Shuya didn’t have much time to think about that matter, he was busy trying to follow along in Iyori’s fast pace. She easily maneuvered herself past every person standing in her way, something that was quite easy for a girl who was only 160 cm. For Shuya it was a different matter. Being 180, he was struggling to keep himself from bumping into someone. 

Suddenly, they took a turn and left the busy street and walked into a small alley, one with few people and even fewer stores. Alleys always gave Shuya the creeps, but Iyori’s carefree look on her face made him relax a little as he continued to follow her, until she stopped in front of a small, half-empty restaurant. 

“Here?” asked Shuya, doubt filling his entire face. 

“Yep!” said Iyori firmly and dragged Shuya inside without hesitation. After sitting down at a table and looking over the menu, Iyori looked up and made eye contact with Shuya. 

“I just need to ask you one more time,” said Iyori. “You were fine with me being myself, right?” 

“Yes,” said Shuya with a sigh. “Seeing you act all cutesy when I know your true self is just scary. So just act like your annoying self instead.” 

“Alright, I just wanted to make sure.” 

Shuya didn’t understand why she needed another confirmation, until a while later. Shuya’s ramen was slowly turning cold and the noodles getting soggy, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off of Iyori who was sitting with what felt like half of the menu. She barely gave herself time to breathe and her chopsticks were moving between the plates and her mouth at the speed of light. Shuya’s own chopstick was placed only a few centimetres from his mouth, but the noodles that were once stuck between them, had long since fallen down, because the sight happening before his eyes, was too much of a shock for him. 

The best way for him to describe it, would be like seeing a lion or another predator consume it’s prey as it could be seen in one of the many documentaries on Discovery Channel. She acted like the food in front of her wasn’t already dead and she showed no mercy. 

In the end, Shuya couldn’t stay quiet any longer and after letting out a laughter of disbelief, Iyori looked at him in confusion, both of her cheeks at the size of watermelons. 

“You are unbelievable,” said Shuya. “Don’t you have any manners?” Iyori quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and replied: 

“I am hungry, I barely had anything to eat all day.” 

“That doesn’t mean you have to act like an animal, that’s not very ladylike,” continued Shuya. “You are making me reconsider allowing you to act like yourself, I doubt Yuki eats like that on her dates.” 

“So what? You already gave me permission to act like myself, so please just leave me alone for 10 minutes so I can eat my food in peace and quiet,” said Iyori annoyed. “If you want me to act like Yuki afterwards, I will do so, but right now, I just want to eat.” 

“Fine.” 

Shuya did manage to stay quiet as he promised, but after the 10 minutes had passed and the food on Iyori’s plates were gone, both of them simply sat in silence across from each other. No words got exchanged, not even a glance. 

“What now?” asked Shuya, unable to stand the awkward silence any longer. 

“What do you mean?” asked Iyori. 

“What do you usually do on your dates after you have finished eating?” 

“Well, normally I wouldn’t be done eating after 10 minutes. As you said, Yuki definitely has better manners than me,” explained Iyori. 

“I sure hope so, otherwise I doubt anyone would request a date with you again.” 

“For your information, I am the girl at the company with far most regulars, so you don’t have to worry about me.” 

“Why do you even have such a job to begin with?” asked Shuya. 

“The pay is good and I usually gets free food like today,” said Iyori in short. 

“Shouldn’t you be focusing more on your school work? I can tell you are having trouble,” said Shuya and he immediately saw Iyori roll her eyes all the way back in her head. 

“Can you not talk about school for like, 2 seconds?” asked Iyori annoyed. 

“Of course I can,” said Shuya quickly, “but we just got our results back from our midterms. I mean, that is something everyone thinks about.” 

“Not me, but thank you SO MUCH for reminding me about that stupid test,” said Iyori while Shuya looked at her in confusion. 

“I get that you are mad about getting a bad result, but if you work hard, you can do better next time,” said Shuya in the most diplomatic voice he could muster. 

“Yeah, as I told miss Nishida, you shouldn’t count on that happening.” Iyori looked at Shuya who seemed to have trouble finding the words to describe the way he felt about her statement, but his facial expression was enough for Iyori to tell. 

“But... how... if you continue like that, you won’t be able to graduate High School!” said Shuya, still too shocked to express himself clearly. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” said Iyori and let out a loud laughter, all the while there was no trace of any kind of laughter from Shuya. 

“This isn’t a laughing matter? How can you talk about repeating a year like it means nothing to you?” 

“Because it doesn’t,” said Iyori firmly, “besides, what do you want me to do? Cry and say I promise to do better?” 

“I don’t know, but you can’t just not care! What about your future?” Shuya’s voice was gradually turning more and more frustrated, all the while Iyori seemed to get quieter and quieter, having no energy left to argue about this matter. 

“Why do you care so much? It isn’t your future.” 

“No, but–” 

“It is getting late, how about we end our date with a walk to the train station. I assume you are taking the same train as me.” Shuya was just about to comment on Iyori’s pathetic attempt to avoid the conversation, but she had already gotten up from her chair and was walking towards the exit. 

“Wait for me,” said Shuya, running out of the restaurant after he paid the bill. “How can you just leave your date behind like that.” 

“Then get a move on, there is a train leaving for Otaru in about 15 minutes,” said Iyori and grabbed Shuya’s hand to help him follow her pace. 

Even though it was getting late, the sky was still bright and clear. The bright summer nights were upon Japan and Iyori enjoyed every minute of it, loving the feeling of the days being longer and the nights warmer. 

The train station wasn’t far away, so after a little while, Iyori slowed down her pace, while she kept her fingers intertwined with Shuya’s. Both of their hands had gotten sweaty and sticky from holding onto the other, but neither of them would let go of their pride and along with that let go of the other person’s hand. 

“Sweet sweet Shuya,” said Iyori in a warm and cute voice, scaring Shuya out of his wits. He turned his face to look at Iyori who had a huge smile on her face, one that looked closer to that of a psychopathic murderer, rather than a cute innocent girl, but he decided to keep that thought to himself. 

“When you get home, you will receive a survey in the app, asking you to rate our date on a scale from 1 to 5,” explained Iyori. “I know this didn’t go as you planned, but remember, this work is very important to me. So if you could try and look past your own emotions for a minute and just make sure to request another girl the next time you use our services, that would be great.” 

“Why should I do as you say?” asked Shuya and the psychopathic smile immediately disappeared, instead getting replaced by a look of defeat. 

“Never mind. I don’t know why I thought you would ever show compassion towards another person than yourself.” 

“No, that is a mystery,” answered Shuya sarcastically. “You must have misjudged me.” Iyori didn’t bother commenting further on the matter, instead she stopped in her tracks, making Shuya do the same. 

“This is the train station, why don’t we end our date officially so we don’t have to hold hand all the way home?” 

“Fine by me, I was getting tired of holding your sweaty hand.” 

“I don’t even have the strength to argue with you anymore,” said Iyori and let out a sigh, whereafter she reached for her phone and logged into her app, ending the date with one click. 

“Thank you for an... interesting date, mr. Takahashi.” 

“Same to you, Yuki,” answered Shuya and bowed politely, although it felt more like a mockery in Iyori’s eyes. After he got back up, he started walking towards the platform their train was leaving from. 

While they both found their ways to the platform, waiting for the same train to take them to the same destination, they made sure to keep a safe distance between them, not exchanging even a single glance. Iyori put on her headphones and Shuya looked through his phone. 

Even though it was late, the train was still packed with people, making it necessary for both of the young people to stand up on their way home. Luckily, it seemed like more and more people got off the train as they approached Otaru, and suddenly, a lady got up from the seat right in front of Shuya. Iyori didn’t even notice, until Shuya gave her a gentle nudge in the side and gestured towards the empty seat. 

“How surprising,” said Iyori while sitting down on the seat. “Shuya Takahashi can actually behave like a gentleman.” 

“There are too many witnesses in this train, if I sit down instead of you, I will have to feel their glares all the way to Otaru.” 

Iyori didn’t comment any further, instead she turned her head and looked out of the window, watching the scenery of the trees and houses passing by them. She quickly reached into her bag and took out her sketchbook, feeling a sudden urge to get some of the beautiful scenery captured down on the paper. It came out a little sloppy because the train kept rocking back a forth as it moved across the tracks, but she didn’t bother trying to fix it. It was what it was. 

“You are good at that.” Shuya’s comment nearly made Iyori drop her pencil. 

“Are you still here?” asked Iyori, half annoyed and half embarrassed. 

“We are getting off at the same station,” said Shuya and continued where he left off. “You should join the Art club in our school.” 

“You and your endless talk about school...” said Iyori. “And for your information, I already am in the Art club at our school.” 

“Really? But I never see you hanging out with anyone from the club.” Iyori shrugged her shoulders and closed up her sketchbook, getting ready to get off the train. 

“This is our stop,” said Iyori and walked past Shuya who quickly followed along behind her. After getting off, they quickly went their separate ways, not even caring enough to say goodbye. Only a small nod and they were on their way. 

After walking all the way home through the empty streets with poor lighting, Shuya finally saw his house in the near distance. A feeling of relief came over him, as he thought about getting a good nights sleep after a long and weird evening, but that was only until he saw the light was on and the relief got exchanged with worry. After walking up to his house, he reached out for the doorknob, and just before walking inside, he gulped. 

“Where have you been?” said his father who was waiting for him in the hallway. 

“Dad, are you still up?” asked Shuya and looked down. 

“Of course I am. I had to promise your mother I would wait up for you, or she wouldn’t be able to sleep.” Shuya gulped again, feeling slightly guilty. 

“I’m sorry...” 

“You can’t just stay out the entire night, do you want your mother to die from worry?” asked Hayato and Shuya shook his head. “Besides, you still haven’t answered me. Where have you been?” 

“Just... out...” said Shuya, having no idea how he would explain the strange date he went on. 

“No, that is not good enough,” said Hayato in a harsh voice, “not after everything you put us through last year. Your mother might not say it out loud, but we still don’t trust you to make wise decisions. You need to tell us where you are, who you are with and what you are doing.” 

“I was just out with a friend from school!” said Shuya, feeling annoyed and nervous. “I didn’t do anything bad, I promise. I have been behaving myself since I moved to this school, am I not even allowed to have friends?” 

“Of course you are. But next time you decide to stay out until late at night, at least send a message,” said Hayato, his voice slightly milder than before. 

“I will,” said Shuya, feeling comfortable enough to take a step forward and leave the hallway, finally making his way towards his bedroom. 

“And Shuya,” said Hayato, just as he was about to disappear inside his room. “Think about your actions. I hope you won’t do anything to embarrass our family name, again.” 

“I won’t, dad,” said Shuya while looking down. “I promise.” 

Hello everyone!

There you have it, they finally clashed.

How was it to read about their date? Was it fun? I had a little trouble writing this chapter, so I hope it was interesting enough.

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments down below and make sure to take care of yourself and stay safe.

Love, Annalise~