Double Trouble Part 1

The watch wrapped around my wrist was busted, or just plain out of battery. Its analog hands had long since frozen—almost like metaphorical symbols of years gone by. Memories trapped within were still active but the watch itself was mostly just for show today.

I rolled up the sleeves of my checkered, blue flannel up to my elbows, giving the wristwatch ample exposure. When was the last time you came out of storage? But it felt poetic bringing it along to the place of my final fated date here.

The glass ceiling high above me allowed sunlight to illuminate a long, indoor shopping mall. Intricate glass panels overhead were fashioned like prisms that refracted light into rainbows at certain, perfect angles towards the tiled floor. Further along in my sight was a towering palm tree that acted as a roundabout for every wing of the mall. Myriad shoppers would mingle around, rest on wooden benches, and traverse the nearby shops and restaurants.

Above on the second floor walkway, a little girl was tiptoed up just behind the glass guardrail, while her little arms held out a phone to record the vista below her. I made brief eye contact and tipped my paperboy cap towards her.

Wait, that reminds me—what time is it? I slipped out my own phone to check: it was just past noon, but the minutes that'd passed were more important. How long is Nemoto gonna take in the bathroom?

All four of us had agreed to rendezvous in front of the mall's only candy shop. A brick storefront, combined with colorful sweets seen inside through a wide window would have made it easy to spot.

And I couldn't help but think of Asagiri. Crushing guilt overtook me once again, but I was just here as a favor. Nothing more. The double date would finish and I'd go back on my way to my government-issued girlfriend. But on the off chance this new girl likes me . . .

From the restrooms far across from me, a young man wearing a suave, brown vest emerged. His white hair gleaming with copious amounts of gel was fully smoothed back, exposing his almost pale forehead. The black sleeves of his dress shirt had been ironed to perfection, and I could practically smell his overapplication of perfume from here.

"Took you long enough," I said as he strolled up to me. "Were you giving birth in there?"

Shinji Nemoto pulled out a comb from his vest and further smoothed his hair back. "Was just making sure nothing was off. Can't have my first date go south, you know?"

I craned my neck to get a better look at his face. "And you actually got sleep last night? Can't believe there's barely any bags under your eyes."

"Yeah, I was weirded out when I saw myself in the mirror. Maybe I should sleep more often."

"That's probably something you should be doing daily, haha."

"Something something, sleep is for the weak." He tucked the hair comb back into his vest. "Anyways, girls still aren't here?"

I peered around for any traces of girls who looked like they were lost. A glass elevator in the far distance was descending with a small family inside, but no young girls.

"You know, maybe I could help more if I knew what either of them looked like," I said with an annoyed face.

Nemoto pulled out his phone and scrolled through it. "I know what Akagi looks like, but I'm in the dark just like you about her friend."

"Well, show me what Akagi looks like then." I tried peeking at his phone but he turned away from me.

"N-No!" he stammered. "She said it's a blind date, so I'm keeping it that way!"

"I don't think 'blind' has to be taken literally, but fine, fine."

Nemoto kept to himself on his phone for a bit. I leaned back against the wall and stared up at the glass ceiling. How old am I? 25? Getting old way too fast. Maybe I really should try finding someone to settle down with. No guarantees Asagiri will stick around forever, but it'd be nice if she did. She's just sending me weird signs lately.

My ears picked up the sound of two girls bickering in the distance. I turned and spotted an attractive girl with long, wavy blue hair tugging along another girl by the arm.

"Come on! We're already here!" the blue-haired girl said. She was adorned in a plaid skirt with black-and-white stripes. Her stylish, black jacket was lined with faux fur inside, and the rims of her ankle boots were also bordered with black fur.

Meanwhile, the other girl was wearing a faded, purple hoodie that looked fresh from the thrift store. Printed on the front were English words for "fish sticks", as if it were a gag outfit meant to embarrass whoever wore it. Her loose jeans looked over a decade old, and I think I saw the bottom of her left shoe flopping about. But since a large hood hid most of her head, it was impossible to distinguish her physical features.

"Oh, it's her!" Nemoto raised his hand and waved at them. The big smile on his face was one of the first I'd seen from him.

Akagi, the blue-haired girl, smiled and waved back. "H-Hey, Nemmy! Just give us a second!"

Nemmy? I shot him a look of pure envy. She's already calling him a cute nickname? And she's actually super cute herself? Since when has Nemoto been this much of a chad?

The other girl in a hoodie tried escaping, but her arm was seized once again.

"This is for your own good!" Akagi said, using all her might to restrain her friend. "Just let it happen!"

"Nrrrhhhgggg . . . Men are trash! Wolves in sheep's clothing!" The hoodie girl struggled as Akagi dragged her along. "My cat misses me!"

"You're too young to be a cat lady! Help me help yourself! It's just a date!"

"Unrghhhhhh . . ." The hoodie girl finally relented and let herself be tugged to her fate.

Me and Nemoto looked at ourselves with confused expressions, but shrugged our shoulders. We both know about the bro code, but have no clue how girls work.

The two ladies walked up to us. Akagi's dreamy, light-purple eyes were locked onto Nemoto, and she separated from her friend to unleash a big hug.

"Nemmy! It's so nice to finally meet you!" She clung onto him like a long lost lover, and I couldn't help but notice Nemoto's tiny grin as Akagi's voluminous breasts pressed into him.

Bastard! My teeth grinded against each other in my mouth. What kind of deal with the devil did you make to find a girl this hot through a video game? That's like every guy's dream! Why can't I have just a shred of your luck?

As I watched the two lovebirds exchange some words, my attention shifted towards the hooded girl trying to sneak away. This is who I'm supposed to flirt with?

Akagi turned back and pointed towards her friend. "Hey! No escaping, Mai!"

"Mai?" I murmured. The name brought back an onslaught of uncomfortable, yet nostalgic memories. Mai was uncommon for a family surname, so I could never forget the person most closely associated with it.

The hooded girl crept closer to us with her hands buried in her hoodie's pocket. I still couldn't see her face well, but now I was dying to know the truth.

"Geez, am I gonna have to introduce you?" Akagi chided. "I'll go first then." She strolled up to me with a friendly face. "You're Nishikata, right? I'm Akagi. Nemmy's told me a lot about you."

"Oh?" I gazed a threatening glance at him. "Exactly what did he sa—"

"What? Nishikata?" The hooded girl's face finally lifted up, and her crimson eyes collided against the green of mine.

Can it be? "Mai? Mai! It is you!" My stammering legs inched forward and then backwards, unsure of which direction to go in. "It's really you, right?"

She cutely pulled her hood lower over her head to hide her face, but it was too late. I'd seen what was needed. And now I wanted more. Almost a decade of distance demanded it.

"Huh? You two know each other?" Akagi said. She looked just as confused as Nemoto and I. "Don't be a stranger then, Mai! Get closer!"

"Darn it . . ." I heard her mumble. "Coming here was a mistake after all."

The purple-hooded girl shimmied closer, like a stubborn child refusing to come eat. It took every ounce of willpower for me not to flip her hood off and confirm everything at once.

But instead, she slowly lifted her hand and grasped at the top of her hood, pulling it backwards. A young woman's face was revealed: small, cute, but appearing perpetually annoyed. Her pointy nose sported designer glasses that accentuated her bright, maroon eyes. And even after all these years, her red hair was still tomboyish and short, like her overall appearance.

"Small world huh, Nishikata?" Hanabi Mai said.

A torrent of emotions flooded over me, and I couldn't even tell what emotions they were. Standing right ahead of me was one of several girls who murdered my self-esteem and caused myself to sink into nihilism during high school. Once someone I considered a friend, Mai ghosted me when she finally found a boyfriend who eventually ghosted her too. But what was more unforgivable was her attitude during one of our last encounters, where Mai accosted me for just associating with Noriko, who were two bitter rivals.

I hadn't thought much of Mai since graduation, but the sight of her standing before me was akin to seeing a bonafide ghost.

Akagi on our side started hovering around us with excited eyes. "Woah! Woah! Were you two like, boyfriend and girlfriend before?"

"No!" Both me and Mai blurted out. It was clear there was still antipathy between us.

"Nope, no shot at all." Nemoto crossed his arms. "Nishikata's not the kind of dude to get game."

"I'm right here you know . . ." My vexed eyes sent him another death glare.

"Well whatever! It's cool! It's cool!" Akagi did a girly clap of her hands. "That just means this double date is perfect! We're gonna have loads of fun today!"

Mai hunched over and looked disgusted. "Define fun."

"Like, getting familiar with each other," Akagi replied. "Me and Nemmy already know ourselves, but you two could probably use some catching up."

"Yeah, tell us about yourselves," Nemoto teased me from the side.

I'm gonna have to kill him sometime. But neither Mai nor I seemed willing to divulge any speaking points. We both looked at each other like angry dogs who were just told not to fight.

Out of nowhere, Akagi leapt at Mai and locked her in a warm hug. "I'll speak for this red-head then! She's my coworker! And I'm trying to save her social life before she gets any older!"

"Who said I wanted help?" Mai tried escaping her friend's grasp but was wrapped tight. "I didn’t even wanna come!”

"You're not getting any younger! Plus, look! They're not bad looking!"

"N-Nishikata's not my type!" The fight in Mai started pettering out and she slowly succumbed to the pseudo-chokehold. "Bahhhh . . ."

"See? I knew you'd understand!" Akagi smiled like a proud parent. She released her hold and allowed Mai free range. "Now go and sell yourself! Woo!"

The zombified Mai trudged towards me with blank, defeated eyes. Even I was starting to feel a pang of pity. Does she really deserve a second chance though? She did sort of propose a truce on graduation day, but I rejected it since I wasn't expecting to see her again. I mean, as long as she's kept away from Noriko, things couldn't go that bad right?

We stared at each other for a few solid seconds, then she relented with a huge sigh.

"Nishikata," she stated, "how about let's try a 'fresh' start, yeah?"

The most crooked, forced smile I'd ever seen crept across her face. Her teeth were a little yellow but it wasn't anything deal breaking. Wait, am I seriously considering her as girlfriend material?

I looked to Nemoto beside me and then towards Akagi nearby. They were both waiting for my response with bated breaths, and it'd be a total killjoy if I disappointed them. My eyes gave one last peek at Mai, who was by no stretch of the imagination ugly, though her modest body left a lot to be desired. And why is she wearing such dank clothes?

I tilted my head at an angle so no one could see me roll my eyes. "Fine, fine. Let's give this date a try and see how things go."

Akagi's face immediately sparkled with joy and she leapt at Mai again. "Yay! Hear that? Maybe you won't die alone after all!"

"Gack! Y-Y-You're choking me again!" Mai panted. "C-Can'tbreathe!"

"I know right! I'm so excited I can't breathe either! Haha!" Akagi's arms further constricted around her prey, pinning Mai in an inescapable yet lovable side hug.

The comedic scene drew a few curious bystanders, who I hurriedly all gave a quick nod to apologize for the ruckus.

"Well, I guess that settles that," Nemoto beside me said. He looked super suave with his hands in his pockets. "Should we start walking around then?"

"Oh, yeah!" Akagi blurted. "Already got a few places in mind!" She rocketed towards Nemoto and stood cutely shoulder to shoulder with him. They were a bonafide couple in every sense of the word already.

Meanwhile, Mai was still coughing and recovering from being hug choked. Comforting physically traumatized women was not my speciality, but I'd decided to give it a shot today.

As she continued wheezing, I removed my paperboy cap and placed it on Mai's red head. A look of both surprise and disgust overtook her face, but I knew she wouldn't dare remove the cap and upset her friend. This was just my way of declaring checkmate.

"Come on," I teased her with a tender smile. "Let's find out if I stick around longer than your ex-boyfriend."