Ready, Steady, Date!

My name is Kaito Michinaga. I'm a 20-year-old university student majoring in social sciences. Though the subjects I've had to complete so far have nothing to do with my major. All my high school friends went to different schools, and I moved out of my parents' house. I have a part-time job, but I don't find the voice with my co-workers, either, so I'm pretty much just a loner these days. With a lack of companions, I'd been spending most of my time alone studying, playing video games, and watching series. My life isn't particularly bad, I just feel like I'm missing something.

Lately, I've been trying to make a change. I've been going to the gym for a while now, so I managed to improve my physique at the very least. I look at the picture I took in the gym the other day. I've been using this dating app my friends recommended for a while, without any success. I figured a thirst trap could help me boost my profile. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"I've made some pretty good progress. This sure helps with my dating profile." 

I'm not used to uploading such revealing photos to the internet, but I'm desperate. 

"Okay, here we go..." 

With a swallow, I hesitantly press the upload button and throw my phone away as I jump into my bed and cover myself in embarrassment at what I did. I can't believe myself. I didn't even ask anyone whether that picture looks good or not. Am I even good-looking on that one? Sure, I've been training hard, but it might not be enough. I can't afford the premium, so if this doesn't work, I don't think I can get any matches.

Suddenly, I hear a notification sound. I reluctantly crawl out of bed to check my phone. My heart beats rapidly. Part of me wants it to be a match. But the other part doesn't really want to deal with the consequences. Regardless, I check my phone. It's just a message from mom. I wipe the sweat on my forehead with a sigh of relief. But my phone makes another noise. My eyes widen. 

"It's a match," I swallow.

I open the app. She sent me a message. It's a comment on one of my photos. It's the one in which my friends made me wear a ridiculous tiger suit to be a mascot of the school festival. "What the hell is that lol" she writes. I get a little embarrassed. It's not even my gym pic. Is she mocking me? I don't get how girls think. I text her back. I get a quick reply. We chat for a while. 

"You know what, you're fun to talk to," she writes.

She seems to like me. This is my chance. I decide to send something bolder. I nervously type the following: "You seem like a fun person, too. I'm wondering if we could meet up this weekend to grab some lunch."

Sent. Seen. 5 minutes pass. I keep looking at my phone. Another 10 minutes pass. I'm getting nervous. Soon, it's been an hour. I'm watching videos as I wait for her to reply. Another hour passes. Still nothing. I give up.

"Guess, that's it..." I whisper to myself.

But suddenly, a message pops up: "Sorry, I was given a sudden task. But I'm in."

My eyes lit up with a fire of hope. Finally, I get to go on a date with a cute girl. I text her back with the details. She agrees. It's settled, I'm going on a date this Saturday. I'm jumping in happiness.

"That was smooth, Kaito," I praise myself.

And so the great day comes. I'm standing in front of the mirror, in the doorway, in my outfit for the day. I'm wearing an elegant but loose shirt of dark blue color, with cream-colored trousers. 

"Perhaps this is too much?" I ask to myself. I've never been on a date before, so I don't know what's appropriate. But since I wear similar outfits in my everyday life, I figured it might not be a problem. I don't really have time to change clothes either, so I decide to head out.

I'm close to reaching the spot where we are supposed to meet up. It's just a right turn away. My heart is bumping. Am I ready for this? I decided to close my eyes and take a deep breath. Of course I am! I slap my face hard with both hands and take the turn.

But as I open my eyes, I realize I'm in a completely different place. I'm in some kind of forest with silver trees with sparkling leaves all over the place. The area looks overgrown with encircling tendrils. The sight amazed me for a while. What is this place?