Chapter 9: The Temporary Date

Every time someone says, "This is just an experiment," there are usually two possibilities: everything goes normally, or everything turns into a disaster. And today, I was certain we were heading straight for the second option.

"Right!" Yukari said, closing her sketchbook. "To get accurate reference material, the two of you must go on a date."

I blinked. "...What?" Kurumi froze beside me.

"Wait a minute," I said. "Why do we have to go on a date?" Yukari looked at us with a dead-serious expression. "Because the two of you have interesting chemistry."

Chemistry? Our relationship hadn't even reached the stage of a successful lab experiment.

Touma crossed his arms. "I support that idea." "You stay out of this!" Takeda nodded casually from the corner of the room. "For the sake of artistic research."

Since when had everyone suddenly become academics?

Kurumi lowered her head slightly. "So... you mean we’re just pretending to date?" Yukari nodded. "Exactly. I just need references for expressions, interactions, and emotional tension." She scribbled something in her sketchbook. "This is vital for Zeno’s character development."

I let out a long sigh. Great. Now I was a romantic research subject.

Kurumi looked at me. "Kengo-kun... what do you think?"

I thought for a moment. This was just an experiment. Just a reference. Not serious. "...Alright," I said finally. "Just this once."

Touma immediately clapped his hands. "Marvelous!" I shot him a sharp glare. "You’re enjoying this way too much."

A few hours later—

I stood in front of the city station. The spring breeze blew softly. The cherry blossoms were starting to bloom, their petals falling like pink snow dancing in the air. And beneath a sakura tree, Kurumi was waiting for me. Her hair swayed gently in the wind. Her eyes scanned the street. She looked incredibly calm—like a living spring painting in the middle of the city's hustle and bustle.

I approached her. "Sorry for the wait." She turned. "Oh. Kengo-kun." She offered a small smile. "I just got here myself."

A blatant lie. She had clearly been standing there for at least ten minutes. We stood in silence for a few seconds. This was weird. Extremely weird.

"We should do something," she said softly. "Right."

I looked around. Shops. Cafes. Parks. Why did every place suddenly feel like a filming location for a romantic drama? "So... where do we start?" I asked.

Kurumi thought for a bit. "There’s a small park nearby. It’s quite peaceful." "Fine."

We walked side by side. Silence. A long silence. The sound of our footsteps echoed on the pavement. I could hear my own heartbeat. Why did this feel like a national exam?

Kurumi suddenly spoke. "Kengo-kun." "Yeah?" "Have you ever been on a date before?" I stopped. "...No." She looked at me. "Seriously?" "Seriously."

She let out a small laugh. It was light, like a glass bell chiming in the spring wind. "I haven't either."

We started walking again. Strange. For some reason, the atmosphere was no longer awkward. When we reached the park, several couples were sitting on benches. Children were playing. The wind carried the scent of flowers.

Kurumi stopped near a small pond. The surface of the water reflected the sunlight, shimmering like liquid glass mimicking the sky. "Kengo-kun." "Hm?" "Do you think... this feels like a date?"

I thought for a moment. "No." She knitted her brows. "Why?" "Because it’s too quiet. Usually, dates in manga are full of accidents. Tripping, falling, accidental hand-holding."

Kurumi gave me a flat stare. "...You read too much manga." "This is all Yukari’s fault."

Kurumi smiled. But suddenly—the wind blew harder. Sakura petals swirled around us. A single petal got caught in her hair. I reached out my hand.

"Hold still for a second." "Hm?"

I picked the petal. Kurumi froze. Her eyes widened slightly. Her face flushed. And suddenly I realized—we were very close. Too close. I hurried to step back. "Here."

Kurumi looked at me. Her cheeks were still red. "Thank you..." She turned her face away.

Why did the mood change like this? We sat on a park bench. Silent. But this time, the silence was different—like a page of a book that had just been turned before a major story began.

Kurumi stared at the pond. "Kengo-kun." "Yeah?" "If this weren't an experiment..." She stopped. Then she gave a small smile. "Forget it."

I looked at her. What was she about to say? Before I could ask, my phone vibrated. A message from Yukari. I opened the screen and stared blankly.

"Kurumi..." "What is it?"

I showed her the phone screen. The message was just one sentence: "Good. Now try the hand-holding scene."

I let out a long sigh. It seemed like the day was far from over.