Chapter 11

At last, the day of Junichiro’s ‘date’ with Kanae had arrived. Even if they weren’t dating per se, it was basically impossible for him to not think of this planned outing as a date. Spending a day in the park with a pretty girl, just the two of them? That ticked all of the boxes of what classified as a date! At least, that’s what Junichiro was telling himself to stay focused on his outing with Kanae rather than the feeling of impending dread at the thought of doing the talk show with Kana that night.

Junichiro sat on a bench near the station they planned to meet at while he waited on Kanae to arrive. It’s not like she was late or anything, he had just shown up half an hour early. Clouds hung low in the sky, obscuring the sun from view, and a faint cool breeze wafted through the streets. It was a much drearier day than Junichiro had hoped it would be for his ‘not date’ with Kanae, but he was at least somewhat confident they would have a good enough time to offset the weather.

He checked to make sure he’d remembered each part of his disguise using his phone camera while he waited. His hair was perfectly whitened, his eyes were a shining emerald green and not mismatched as he had nearly walked out with the last time he met with her, and his stylish glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose comfortably. Junichiro nodded to himself and put his phone away.

As he did, a pair of approaching footsteps drew his attention towards their source. Kanae sauntered towards him from the train station exit, her long black hair fluttering behind her as the breeze decided to make itself known once more. She wore a low-cut cream-colored sweater and a knee-length black skirt that fluttered in the breeze like her hair. A silver dragonfly hairclip pinned her hair back away from her face.

“Wow…Cream looks good on you.” Junichiro said breathlessly, though a quick moment of thought made his eyes widen as he realized what he said. “W-Wait, hold on. That…came out wrong.”

Kanae snorted. “It’s fine, I know what you meant. And I’m glad you think so, I like how it looks too.”

Junichiro exhaled. “Well, shall we head to the park?”

Kanae nodded and the two of them began walking down the street to Aimai Park. They strolled there side by side the whole way. Junichiro had to fight the urge to reach over and grab Kanae’s hand for fear that she would be creeped out if he was too forward. Nevertheless, he managed to hold out and a short while later, they made it to the park.

The park was relatively vacant, due to the cloudy weather. A few pedestrians meandered about, enjoying the scenery despite the dreariness. It was a fairly small park, all things considered, consisting of a simple concrete walking path around a small, man-made pond. Dozens of flowers lined the walking path, all different shapes and colors. The stalks of yellowing reeds stuck up out of the pond like spindly golden fingers. The pond reflected the gray skies, occasionally rippling as a fish drifted past the surface. A welcoming snack stand stood off to the side of the main walking path, offering a respite for hungry and weary pedestrians alike.

Junichiro and Kanae ambled along the path, side-by-side and silent, for a long time. It was a nice, relaxing silence, not one born of any awkwardness or anxiety. The two of them were simply enjoying the calm atmosphere of the park. Junichiro was hyperaware of Kanae’s presence as they journeyed around the pond together. The way the dark curtain of her hair fluttered in the breeze. The way her deep azure eyes kept glancing towards the sky as if anticipating rain any minute. The soft scent of pine that wafted from her, drawing him ever closer to her. All of it together made Junichiro unable to deny what he had already known for a while now. He was utterly and undeniably smitten with this girl.

After they had made a lap around the walking path, they went to the snack shack to grab a light lunch. Though this wasn’t supposed to be a date, both of them bought crepes—Junichiro one with chocolate covered strawberries and Kanae one with blueberries and whipped cream. Kanae’s clumsiness reared its head as they went to pay and she dropped her change on the ground. At the same time she bent over to pick it up, a breeze blew her skirt up, much to her embarrassment. Junichiro couldn’t help but laugh at the comedy of errors that befell her, even as she gave him a playfully annoyed smack.

They sat in the seating area nearby and enjoyed their crepes, making light conversation as they ate. Kanae ate quickly, like she was used to being on a tight schedule. Junichiro did as well, though he wasn’t aware of it since Kanae finished before him. They shared the last bites of their crepes with each other, not caring about the connotations of the action. It was becoming increasingly hard for Junichiro to not think of this as a date.

After they had spent a while in the snack stand’s seating area, just making conversation, enjoying each other’s presence, and basking in the park’s relaxing atmosphere, Junichiro noticed the telltale cool prickle on his skin of rain droplets. Just a light drizzle, no need to be concerned. At least, that’s what he thought until the raindrops became heavier, and a single white-colored drop fell from his head in front of his eyes. He froze. The hair dye. If it got too wet, it would wash out and his disguise would be ruined.

Junichiro leaped out of his chair and grabbed Kanae by the wrist, covering his head with his other arm. “Come on! Let’s go find shelter from the rain!”

She was frozen stiff as well, but only for a moment. She nodded to him and jumped up, ready to follow him.

Is she worried about the rain too? Why? Junichiro wondered for a moment. He shook his head, scattering the thought to the wind. No, it’s normal to not want to get soaked. She must just be worried about getting sick if she does.

Together, they bolted out of the park, looking for the nearest place to take shelter from the quickening rainfall. Junichiro pulled Kanae along behind him, the wind roaring in his ears and cold rain stinging his cheeks. Despite the worry of losing his disguise and his identity being revealed, it was exhilarating. He looked back at Kanae. She was laughing, even as the rain battered them and they ran through quickly forming puddles. Junichiro soon joined her, and the two of them howled with laughter as they ran for their lives to escape the rain, not caring how soaked they got for the briefest of moments.

They finally found shelter in the entryway of an aquarium as the bottom fell out of the clouds and the rain fell in sheets across the streets. The lighting in the entryway bathed them both in an ethereal blue glow. Both of them were panting, trying to catch their breath after their jaunt through the rain. Junichiro peered over to his reflection in a nearby window. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that besides his clothes being damp, his glasses lenses needing to be dried off, and his hair being a little faded in a few spots, his disguise was largely intact. Kanae looked to be a little worse off, with her clothes rather soaked, but other than that she seemed okay.

Junichiro took off his overshirt and held it out towards her when he noticed her shivering in the aquarium’s air conditioning due to her drenched outfit. “Here. It’s a little damp, but maybe it’ll help a little.”

Kanae slipped it on with a wordless smile, even as it swallowed her slightly due to their height difference. She pulled it taut around herself as she tucked her hands into her armpits to try to warm herself up. A short while later, she stopped shivering. The two of them stood there in the aquarium entryway for a long time as they waited for the rain to slack up, neither of them wanting to break the silence.

“Can I…keep this? Just for today, I mean. So that I don’t get too cold and get sick on the way home.” Kanae finally asked, looking up at Junichiro through her long eyelashes as they fluttered quizzically. A light red dusted her cheeks, though from embarrassment or the chill of the air conditioning, Junichiro couldn’t tell. “I promise I’ll give it back next time we see each other. After I wash it, of course.”

“No problem.” Junichiro replied as he looked outside at the steadily slowing rainfall. “Sorry our little outing turned out like this. Good thing it wasn’t a date, right?” He felt a small pang in his heart as he lied to himself out loud.

Kanae’s cheeks flushed deeper as she smiled and stepped closer. In a quick movement, she leaned up and touched her lips to his cheek. “No, Naoya-kun. This was a date.”

Before Junichiro could say anything, she turned and darted out the door just as the sun peeked through the clouds.

“See you later! I’ll message you tonight!” she called out behind her as she went.

Junichiro could’ve sworn he saw a flash of white as she ducked through the doorway, but that thought quickly disintegrated as his mind caught up with what just happened. He reached up and put a hand on his cheek, the soft sensation of her lips still dancing on his skin. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave as he realized he hadn’t been the only one lying to themselves about this not being a date.