If Looks Could Slay

Akio felt nervous as his eyes kept darting toward the front gate of the amusement park. Of course, he would be. It was a first date, after all. First official one anyways. Not just with Misaki, but first time ever.

He checked the sides of his polished shoes, pressed the crinkles of his collared shirt, and scrubbed the lint off his pants to defer the fits of anticipation. It was nothing special, but these clothes were probably the best pair he had. If he had thought ahead, maybe he could’ve swung by Uniqlo for something else.

A snort escaped his throat.

What the hell am I so worried for? It’s Misaki we’re talking about. She’ll probably waltz right in with her normal sports jacket looking like she isn’t anyone’s business.

Given how she dressed sukeban style, he was surely holding onto too many expectations. It wasn’t like she needed to change up her look. Enough heads already turned from her presence alone. If anything, blending in a little would do her some wonders.

That certainly wasn’t the case as Akio noticed how the pedestrians suddenly parted ways for someone that slightly towered over them. Misaki was tall, enough so to dominate at hoops, stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd, or-

Akio’s eyes widened, his throat went dry, and he sucked in a gasp.

Or be a damn good model.

Misaki walked through the parted crowd, like a star of a runway. Her blue, short halter dress showed off the length of her arms and legs, powerful with each stride. Bare shoulders played up the sexiness of the curves below, making Akio gulp pathetically as he started losing his balance.

Akio could tell. Even when she tried to hide it behind unfeminine clothing, Misaki had a certain allure that tempted him so badly, particularly when she showed off the slightest bit of skin. Her muscle tone, scary when flexed, gave off a contour in her arms and legs that felt confident in its movements.

Given her hesitancy towards the amusement park date, he thought she would’ve been a bit more casual. But here she was, rocking everyone’s gazes as men and women alike gawked at her presence.

Akio absentmindedly brought his phone up to take a photo, if only to remind him later that this wasn’t a dream.

Misaki approached him, cocking her head cutely at his stunned expression before breaking into a grin.

“What? Should I have worn heels also?”

Akio choked at the thought.

“And have me be a full head shorter than you? The last thing I need is to be mistaken as your little brother, begging his Onee-san for some rides.”

Misaki came up and tucked both hands under his armpits and proceeded to lift him up, much to his protest. He flailed around as he was spun in the air like a toddler being tossed around. Somewhat dizzy, Akio tried to recover his bearings as Misaki pulled him up close for a whisper.

“Well, I just have to make it clear to others what type of ‘ride’ you’re interested in.”

Akio looked around, realizing that he had just been placed in a dip position, mid-dance. Misaki pressed in close, her lips hovering just above his own. There was no way in hell onlookers could misread their relationship because of that.

In a panic, Akio wiggled free, only to go splat onto the pavement. He looked up to Misaki laughing heartily at him.

“Sorry, sorry. I had to mess with you. When I told my family that I was going on a date, they freaked out and made me wear this.”

Misaki’s family? A thuggish mom and pop both like her had been his first impression. But then again, he was hardly the same as his parents. He had no desire to strike it big in real estate, forcing himself to constantly travel and leave their only child at the whims of society.

“What do your parents do?”

It did, however, make him wonder what kind of parents would allow Misaki to run wild like she did.

“Ehhh, my old man’s a businessman, a stuffy office pusher. And my mom is his personal secretary or something. She gets sent on errands all around a lot. It’s really boring stuff. Not worth talking about.”

Akio put on a stony face. That wasn’t at all what he expected. Having a menace to society as a daughter seemed like it would jeopardize their positions or something. Akio shrugged. If it worked out somehow, then who was he to judge?

He stuck his arm out for her.

“Shall we get to our boring date?”

“Not if I add spice to it,” Misaki beamed, as if her mere presence was enough to save the day.

Maybe, it did for Akio. His nerves were gone all of a sudden, and all he could feel was his heart pounding in excitement. The two of them raced off to try the first thing that caught their eyes.

v

Akio wasn’t sure what he misjudged more – his expectation that it would be a boring date for Misaki or the thought that ‘kiddy’ activities would hardly excite her.

“WASSHAAAAAA!!!!” Misaki cried out as they flew upside down, held in place by a single arm bar of a roller coaster cart.

Akio was a bundle of nerves, unable to enjoy the rush that was meant to dye over any paranoia of the whole thing derailing. He felt a hearty slap on the back to bring him back from the brink of dizziness.

“What’s the matter, Akio-kun! Not dangerous enough for you?!”

Misaki’s cry made him suddenly reconsider his life choices.

That’s right. A roller coaster is nothing compared to being kicked right off a motorbike…

He decided that he could hold down his lunch a bit more. Taking a deep breath, he let out a holler.

“WASHSHSHAAAAA!!!”

As unconfident as it came out, he did feel a bit better screaming the fear away. He looked at Misaki, who stared into his eyes as well. It was funny how she could sweep it all away – the doubt and hesitation. It seemed silly to hold onto such reservations when he had faced far worse. She was always there to remind him how tough he could be.

He let out another cry, blending it with Misaki’s cheer. At some point, his hand had reached for hers, facing the speeding path forward together.

“I enjoyed that more than I thought I would,” Misaki said, hopping off the cart with glee. She turned back to pull Akio along, whose legs were slightly jelly. He tightened them up right away and stumbled forward.

“Somehow, I did too. And I hate heights. Always have.”

“Best way to fight that is to tackle it head on!”

“Yeah, let’s not.”

Akio quickly changed the topic at hand. He didn’t want Misaki getting any funny ideas like base jumping.

The roller coaster was far from the first thing that he would choose, but since he had dragged her along, it was her first pick. He managed to survive the ride without it taking too much out of him either. But still, he needed a breather. Something that would amuse his date as well.

“Let’s do that next.” He pointed at some carnival booths. Akio made a beeline for a shooting gallery, picking up one of the cork rifles and flipping the booth attendant a 500-yen coin for three shots.

He leaned over the counter as far as he could, minimizing the distance between him and the target, which was a stuffed jellyfish on the wall. The cork flew with a pop and smacked it on the cheek, causing it to wobble but not fall. His next two shots were even worse luck, hitting only air.

Akio flipped another coin to the attendant and handed the rifle to Misaki, who looked curiously at the toy. Eyeing her hand move toward her skirt, Akio quickly pulled her up to the booth.

“It’s a shooting gallery. Can’t win unless you play by the rules.”

He had a feeling that she would’ve tried to hurl something else instead, given how she puffed her cheeks at him. Giving in, she leaned over the counter like he did, setting her sights on the shiny new Bintendo Twitch Duo that lorded over all the other prizes. Hardly even needing time to aim, the cork flew and smacked the top right edge of the box, causing it to shake as well.

Before she could set the next cork in, the attendant quickly raced over and waved her down.

“Sorry, lady. I’m going to have to ask you to back up a bit. Your height is giving an unfair advantage.”

In an instant, Misaki’s face twisted into a scowl that had the attendant backing up in fear for his life. No amount of beauty could dull that edge.

“What the hell are you going on about?! Unfair advantage? We’ll see about unfair when I jam this up your-”

Akio wrapped his arms around her waist, which made her realize that she had dropped her perfect girlfriend persona. He could feel the nerves twitching across her body at the insult.

“It’s fine to take a step back. These carnival games are designed to scam you that way,” he whispered into her ear. “The guy knows that his guns have just enough power to tease you for his better prizes but not enough to actually drop it. That’s just how they make money off people.”

“Hmph, but I want to win that game console for you, Akio-kun. I can tell from your room that it would make you happy.”

“Yeah, yeah. It just came out not long ago, so I was thinking of getting one eventually. Can’t have you mugging the poor guy over a little bit of trickery.”

Misaki turned to him with a pout, almost childish if it weren’t equal parts devilish. She wanted to win badly. He could tell it in her eyes that she wouldn’t let a simple thing like that defeat her. But then, it looked like something dawned on her.

“I just need to hit the target with the cork, right?”

“Well yeah, that’s the point-”

Misaki shoved the rifle into his hands.

“Then, you shoot.”

Akio floundered as he tried to make sense of what she was asking him of. He started to walk up to the counter, but she held him back.

“From here is fine, I need a bit of room.” Misaki winked at him before taking a few steps back, now partway between him and the counter.

Akio, still befuddled by her request, brought the rifle up and aimed at the game console. Had she given up on winning a prize, or was she testing him to see what he’d do? He wiped the thoughts away, incapable of predicting any bad outcomes.

As soon as he pulled the trigger, a blur shot right before him. Misaki had lunged forward, arm out in a sweeping motion. Before Akio could process what had happened, the game console in the booth flew off the shelf and landed in the safety net behind it.

No way.

Misaki shot him a victorious grin, having slapped the cork in mid-flight. Her hand had ricocheted it into the console with more than enough energy to send the box flying. The attendant was left with his mouth agape.

“Th-Th-That’s…”

“Not against the rules, now is it, mister? Don’t go changing them on me after the fact. That’s how gamblers start losing fingers.” She brandished her knife with a menacing look to hammer down that fact.

“Ehhhhh!!!”

A sudden, loud crash interrupted the strong-arming in progress, making them both look back at the prize shelves, which had toppled over due to a rifle crashing into it. They turned to Akio next.

“Whoops, guess my grip slipped when going for that last shot. I don’t suppose that means I’m disqualified, right?”

v

Misaki looked a bit dissatisfied as they walked down the path.

“I wanted to gift you that game console.”

“And I wanted to stay in the guy’s good graces. At least, he gave me the plushie I wanted to give you.”

Misaki squeezed the jellyfish blob against her chest. She made her best efforts to appear disgruntled by it, but how closely she hugged it begged otherwise. As to why he chose such a present, it reminded him of how Misaki was somehow cute and naughty at the same time.

“Anyways, we’re here to enjoy ourselves, not score big wins at kiddy games. Here, have an American dog.”

Akio handed her a treat from the nearby food stand, which she reached out for but froze before grabbing it.

“What manner of monstrosity is this?” She pointed at the thing on a stick, which was covered with a rainbow of crunchy cereal and powdered sugar.

“Oh, is this too cutesy and kiddy for you? I’ll trade you for a spaghetti one.” Akio brandished an American dog with marinara and parmesan.

“No, this is fine.” She bit into hers with a loud crunch. And then, her eyes lit up.

“What manner of heaven is this?!”

“I know, right? The sugary ones taste like a hot dog inside of a donut. It’s a bit much for me, but you tend to like things on the extreme end.”

He barely got an answer as she wolfed the whole thing down, her face like a child in a candy store. Akio went over to a bench and sat down, munching on his own American dog.

“Hey Misaki, isn’t it time to drop the act?”

“What ever could you mean?” she replied, wiping the sugar from her lips.

“I know that being some legendary yankee means putting on some airs, but that’s not the reason you haven’t come to an amusement park before, right?”

Akio finished his food and tossed the stick into the nearby trash. He walked right up to Misaki and looked her in the eyes.

“People are afraid to know too much about you. So imagine my surprise when I learned that you are some rich ojou-sama.”