Truth Or Dare

“Tonight is so cold. Are you okay, Yua-san? Here, wear my sweater,” I said as I noticed she couldn’t stop rubbing her hands.

“Thank you. By the way, is it really fine to leave your car there?”

“It’s fine. I already called a towing service to pick it up tomorrow.”

“I wonder why there are no cabs coming our way tonight?” Yua-san said.

“I don’t have an answer for that. It’s alright. Look, we’re already close to the house,” I said as I saw our apartment a few meters away.

“Finally! I can’t feel my feet anymore after walking so long!” Yua-san complained, but suddenly looked more energetic when she realized we were almost home.

We arrived at our house. In the lift, we didn’t talk at all because we were too exhausted to start a conversation. Luckily, tomorrow is a public holiday. I can sleep without worry tonight. When I was about to enter my house, Yua-san called my name.

“Souma-san, do you want to join me for a bit of a drink?” she asked, inviting me inside her room.

Should I? I’m not sure about this.

“Just a bit only. You don’t have work tomorrow, right?” she persuaded.

“Fine.”

Maybe a bit is fine. Yes. A bit. I mean, a bit is… a bit.
But in front of me is one big “bit.”

“Wait, Yua-san! Don’t you think you’re drinking too much? There are so many beer cans you’ve already had.”

She was now on her several can. I'm weak when it comes to alcohol—three cans are already enough for me. This is my first time seeing a woman drink this much.

“It’s alright. I can handle my alcohol. Back to my question, what was your first impression of me?”

She said while hiccup several times.

“As I said earlier, we only met yesterday. That’s not enough for me to say anything.”

“Liar! I mean, how is my face? Or my actions? I won’t let you go tonight if you try to run from my question,” she said, threatening me with her beer can.

“Fine. This is my honest impression. Sometimes you act like a kid, sometimes like an adult. There are moments when you’re playful, and other times when you get serious—just like earlier at Sakura-san’s house.”

I hope she’s satisfied with that answer.

“There’s one more question you haven’t answered. Am I pretty to you?”

Is she starting to get drunk?

“Can I skip that question?” I tried to avoid answering.

“You don’t want to answer? I understand. Maybe I’m just ugly to you,” she said, sulking. Is she serious?

“Okay! You look pretty t-to me.”

Why does my face feel so hot?

“Can you say that while looking at my face?” Her voice turned playful. She was definitely teasing me. Fine, if she wants that. I looked into her eyes and said, “You are so pre—”

“I’m kidding! You don’t need to be that serious!” Yua-san burst out laughing at my expression.

Earlier I felt cold, but now even my ears feel hot. She’s enjoying teasing me too much.

“Still, thank you for everything today,” Yua-san said.

“You don’t need to thank me. I think I should say thank you. You helped me so much since this evening.”

“That was nothing. But I realized something today—you have sides I didn’t expect.”

“Sides?”
What side is she talking about?

“At first, you seemed like a normal teacher. But since we’ve been together this evening, you showed unexpected sides a teacher usually doesn’t have. Like when we were at Sakura-chan’s house and the hospital. You almost lost control there. Pfft!” she tried to hold back her laughter.

She’s laughing at me?

“That’s what happens when someone messes with people I care about.”

To me, that’s a normal reaction when someone tries to disturb someone I care for or love.

“Does that mean you care about me?”

She looked straight into my eyes as she asked that.

I tried to avoid her gaze.

“You can assume it like that. You’re good to Mayu, and that’s enough for me to know you’re a good person,” I said.

She suddenly smiled softly. She said something, but I couldn't hear it.

“What did you say, Yua-san?”

“Nothing. Anyway, what time will we go to the hospital tomorrow to pick up Mayu-chan?”

“Around 10 a.m. I already contacted Kanzaki-san earlier. Fortunately, she gave me her number at the hospital.”

“Really? Souma-san, do you want to play truth or dare with me?”

I could already smell trouble. Why does she want to play that game?

“Why? Is there something you want to know about me?”

“Of course! I’ll spin the bottle now,” she said and spun it. It pointed at her.

“I guess I’ll ask you. Truth or dare?” I said.

“Truth!” she replied confidently.

“Tell me about your first love.”

It’s a normal question for a girl. I also want to know about her love story. I’m curious about what kind of man she likes. I looked at her face, and she looked troubled.

“C-can you change the question? I don’t think I can answer that.”

Something must have happened with her first love. I didn’t mind. This is the peak of the game.

“Then you should do the dare.”

“Okay, what do you want me to do?” she asked.

“Please clean this table right now. Make sure to throw away the rubbish properly.”

“Are you sure about that?” she said, surprised.

“Yes. You benefit from this too.”

She took almost ten minutes to clean.

“I’m done!”

“Yua-san, I think I’ll go back to sleep. See you tomorrow.”

I was too sleepy.

“No! We’ll do one more truth or dare!” she said, blocking me.

“But—”

“This will be the last one. Please?” she begged, hands together.

“Alright. Last time.”

I had to finish this quickly. She spun the bottle again. It slowly stopped.
It pointed at me.

“Hehehe! Ready for my question? Tell me everything about your first love,” she said, grinning.

That question is too much. There’s a reason I can’t tell everything.

“I don’t want to answer. I’ll do the dare.”

I don’t want to drag this any longer. I want to sleep as soon as possible.

“Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?”

Why is she repeating that?

“I’m sure. Just tell me the command.”

I’m confident there’s nothing I can’t do.

“My command is: kiss me, mouth to mouth, for five seconds,” she said, pointing at her lips.

God. This is a bomb.

“W-what are you saying? I can’t do t-that. You should think more about this.”

This is too extreme for me.

“I’m fine. I’ve done this before while acting in dramas.”

Her calmness irritated me.

“I surrender! I’ll tell you about my first love. The truth is… I never met her directly until now.”

“Why?” she asked.

“She feels too far for me to reach. Like a star—too bright to touch.”

“What do you like about her?”

She seemed genuinely interested.

“Her smile, her eyes, her voice. I can’t describe it all, but maybe that’s enough to keep it in my heart.”

I sound too much like my old self right now.

“You keep surprising me.”

She couldn’t hide her shocked expression.

“Now, can I go back to my house to sleep?” I said, pointing at the door.

“Sure! Good night, Souma-san!”

“Good night, Yua-san.”