What Makes a Date?

In front of Miyuki were luscious woods, full of blossoming trees. The contrast between the bright and dark greens of the forest painted a beautiful scene. A dirt path invited guests to enter.

“Just to be clear, this isn’t a date. We’re just hanging out for the first time in years,” Jin, who stood behind her, declared. When Miyuki said date, he was quick to shut the idea down. However, he didn’t complain about going somewhere with her.

It became clear to Miyuki that Jin didn’t reciprocate her feelings; he still thought of her as just a friend. She hoped that she was wrong, and he was only pretending to be against being more than friends. Still, the fact that he wasn’t open to exploring a relationship at the moment dug daggers of ice into her heart.

With an immovable determination, she took it upon herself to ignite the fire of love within him. “Isn’t the definition of a date when a guy and a girl hang out? In that case, we’ve already been on a lot of dates together.”

“That’s not exactly what date means…” Jin argued. “A date is a romantic getaway for two people who are interested in each other to get to know each other more.”

“We’re getting to know each other better, are we not?” Miyuki winked.

Jin bit his tongue to hold back a remark. “Let’s just enjoy the nature here.” He moved past Miyuki to take the lead into the forest.

Miyuki hurried to his side as they advanced into the woods. Bright green leaves and blossoming flowers signaled that spring was underway. Chirps and squeaks filled the quiet between the rustling of leaves. She gazed at the vibrant scenery in awe. “Spring is such a beautiful season. How often do you come here, Jin?”

“I’ve come here a couple times with my family,” he said. “So not much.”

“I could use spring as inspiration for my next song…” She whispered to herself.

Jin glanced around, enjoying the view that the path led them through. “When Yuu showed me one of your songs, after the performance you said you wrote the song for me. How exactly did you come up with the lyrics?”

A blush rose to Miyuki’s face, and she dropped her gaze to the dirt in front of her. “I constantly thought about my memories with you, and imagined what memories we could make in the future. That gave me hope when I was down.”

“I see… Well, I thought it was a nice song.”

Hearing those words warmed Miyuki’s soul. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’m not obsessed with it like everyone else in my class is, but it was nice,” he said.

“If you think it’s good, then that’s all that matters to me.” Her lips curled into a soft smile. “I’m so glad…” Miyuki stepped closer to Jin, enough for the skin of her arm to brush against his sleeve.

Almost immediately, Jin sidestepped to put some distance between them.

“S-sorry,” she muttered. “Will you be at the Idol Awards to support me?”

"Idol Awards? Is that an event where idols compete to see who's music is more popular?"

"There's a little bit more to it, but yes. It's a week-long event," she said. "There will be eight performers, each performing one song of their choice on the final day. On top of the popular vote, there are judges who rate each performance. Last year was my first time participating, though I didn't rank very high."

"I assume the final day is what you want me to come to?" Jin glanced at her through the corner of his eye.

"Yes, that's the live performance. Before that it is mostly televised. I'd really love it if you were there. I think I'd do better just knowing you were watching." Miyuki blushed while she spoke the last sentence.

Jin continued walking down the trail that had looped around and was about to spit them back out where they started. "When is it?"

"Its the first week of June," she answered. "The final day will be on Saturday."

"That's a few months out..." He paused at the forest's exit. "I should be available. Though something could come up."

"Hopefully nothing does. The Idol Awards is going to be the most important event for me this year. I'd be sad if you couldn't make it," Miyuki said.

The sounds of nature quieted behind them as the trees became more sparse, and the sky opened above them. To their left was the old stony wall they had walked along to reach the small forest path earlier. It was overrun with moss and ivy, a reflection of the negligent care it received. To Miyuki, though, it added to the atmosphere of the forest.

Its about time for you to start heading home, " Jin suggested. "You'll get home sometime after midnight, so don't delay your departure."

Miyuki nodded in understanding. "Thanks for taking me here, Jin. It was a beautiful walk."

"Don't mention it. My whole school won't leave me alone if you do."

She let out a snort of laughter. "You won't have to worry about that. Our meetings will be our little secret. No one else will know about them," she winked. "Except for my manager. And Nanami. They'll know."

"As long as that's the end of it," Jin breathed.

"It will be. They don't tell anyone about my whereabouts."

"That's good to hear. I'll see you on Saturday, Miyuki." Jin waved and turned to leave.

"Wait," Miyuki called out before he made it far.

He looked back at her. "What is it?"

"Could you walk me to the station?"

A smile graced his attractive face, making Miyuki's heart skip a beat. “Of course.”

Happiness filled her body and carried her forward to catch up to him. “Thank you! It's too bad you can't walk me home like you used to, but this is plenty.”

Miyuki stuck to Jin the whole walk to the station, staying as close as she could to him without breaking into his comfort zone. Being this close to him made her heart dance with a dreamlike joy.

Just as she was hoping it would last forever, Jin stopped. “We're here.”

Miyuki, in her dreamy state, didn't notice until she bumped into him. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I wasn't paying attention.”

In the distance, she could see the train like a little ant crawling closer. It wouldn't take long for it to halt at the station for a meal to take to the various colonies throughout Japan.

“Goodbye, Miyuki. It was nice to catch up with you.”

“You, too,” she waved while Jin backtracked into the streets of Tokyo.

Before he disappeared, he stopped to wave at her again.

Miyuki waved back with a large smile. “See you on Saturday!”