Does This Count as a Date?

Yuta sat next to Shiori and waited for the others to show up. Kotori joined them, happily swinging her feet.

After a few minutes, Hitomura and Kurosawa arrived together. Hitomura waved to the three already there. “Yo! Sorry we’re late!”

Kurosawa sighed. “We’re two minutes early. No one’s late.”

Seeing the two arrive together puzzled Yuta. “Did you two walk here together the whole time?”

Hitomura playfully put his arm around Kurosawa, but immediately received an elbow to the gut. “I happened to see her on the way here and caught up to her…” He collapsed to his knees. “Lesson learned. Don’t mess with the class rep.”

She took a step away from him. “Since we’re all here, shall we get going?”

Kotori bounced up. “First outing with Yuta and his not-quite-friends!”

“Don’t make it sound like this is about Yuta. We’re all here to enjoy ourselves. We aren’t here for him.”

Shiori got to her feet and brushed herself off. “It’s been a long time… since I’ve done something like this…”

Yuta stood up after her. His bag was still weighing on his shoulder. His eyes swept over the four people he was with. “If there is a store that you really want to check out, don’t be afraid to leave the group. We’ll meet back up when we’re done.”

“Onward!” Kotori marched down the street toward the many stores. Yuta followed behind with Shiori at his side, and Kurosawa walked behind them. Hitomura pulled out his phone and trailed Kurosawa while playing a dating sim that he was getting close to completing.

Since Yuta wasn’t interested in shopping, he didn’t look at the stores. Shiori, on the other hand, constantly glanced back and forth across the street.

He watched her with a smile. “I didn’t know you were so eager to go shopping.”

“I’m looking to see if there is a bookstore…”

“There probably will be. Reading is a popular pastime. It would be a waste not to have a bookstore here.”

Hitomura looked up from his phone and spotted an otaku store down the road and gasped. He ran past the group and spun around, continuing backwards toward the shop. “Yuta, I have to split! I’m being pulled to a sacred location!”

Yuta watched him run into the otaku shop. “That’s the least sacred place in the entire shopping district…”

Kurosawa shrugged. “You’ll never understand a shut-in unless you are one yourself.”

In the far distance, Yuta could see something that looked like a bookstore, but it was hard for him to discern from his current distance.

Kotori hummed as she led the others through the district, passing several businesses.

Behind them, Kurosawa stopped. She stared at a clothing store, thinking about whether she should stay with the group or explore the shop.

Yuta noticed she wasn’t following and stopped to turn back. “If you want to check it out, go ahead. We’re not required to stay together.”

After thinking for another minute, she nodded and strode into the store.

Kotori and Shiori waited for Yuta to catch up before continuing on.

A few minutes later, they came to the bookstore he had seen from afar. Shiori tugged on Yuta’s sleeve and pointed to it.

“I see it. Let’s go.” He accompanied her inside.

Kotori skipped after them. “Going to the bookstore with my cousin~”

Inside, Shiori hurriedly glanced through a few shelves until she reached the manga and light novel section. She thoroughly scanned the shelf, studying each book.

Kotori stopped beside Yuta. “Oh, do you like manga, Ozaki?”

“Y-Yes…” She pulled out a manga titled How I Survived My First Year of High School and read the back of it, putting it away once she decided she wasn’t interested.

“That’s great! I do too!” Kotori moved closer to Shiori and held her hands. “Do you have a favorite?”

Shiori was taken aback by Kotori’s sudden motion. Her response was only a nod.

“Really? What is it? What genre do you like? Do you prefer shonen or shojo?”

With each question, Shiori shrank. Yuta could easily tell that she was feeling overwhelmed.

“Kotori, can I ask you to do something for me?”

She looked back at Yuta and let go of Shiori. Her eyes shone. “You’re asking me for a favor?”

“Could you go to the otaku store and ask Hitomura to find a romance anime Ozaki might be interested in? Make sure to help him look as well.”

Kotori saluted and went on her way, running around like an airplane.

Shiori let out a deep sigh. “Thank you…”

“Don’t mention it. She has way too much energy, and unfortunately loves to get in the personal space of others.”

She looked at the light novel shelf and her face lit up. “They have it!”

“Have what?” He stepped next to Shiori to look at the book she was pulling off the shelf. “My First Love Will Save the World! Vol. 7. Is that the one you talked to me about before?”

“Yes, this one was released a few days ago…”

“Do you have the money for it?”

Shiori nodded. She held the book to her chest and headed toward the cashier with Yuta close behind.

The cashier bowed her head. “Did you find everything okay?”

She nodded and placed the book on the counter for the cashier to scan.

“That’ll be eight hundred yen.”

Coins rattled as Shiori counted the coins in her purse and gently dropped them on the counter.

The coins were exactly the amount she needed. The cashier gave her the book and bowed again. “Thank you for shopping at Yomiyama Books!”

Outside of the bookstore, Yuta turned to Shiori. “Should we go meet up with the others now?”

She nodded, holding her new book to her chest with a smile.

Yuta led her to the otaku store, figuring Hitomura and Kotori were still there. Begrudgingly, he stepped inside. To his relief, Hitomura and Kotori were leaving right as he entered.