Honmei-choco / Giri-choco (part 1)

“No! That won’t work at all!” Ryota exclaimed, rocking his head. He took a deep breath and leaned forward in his chair. “It’s... it’s too soon.”

Papers scattered across his desk. Ryota pushed them aside, his hands moving at a quick pace. Grabbing a pen, he began writing some sentences. He stopped, reread them, then resumed writing, his hand shooting.

“First, a coffee. Then a walk in the park. Followed by a nice dinner at a pleasant restaurant.”

“It has to be casual,” he muttered, looking at the list he made on the paper.

“No! That won’t work at all!” He shook his head, a tense expression on his face.

He threw the paper aside and wrote on another sheet. His pen flew across the paper, creating several lines of text.

“Something romantic,” he muttered, his eyes scanning over his list of ideas.

“Ok, first, a pleasant restaurant. Then a walk in the park. Followed by a... wait, what? A walk in the park? That’s too... I mean...”

He groaned softly, resting his forehead on the desk.

“It’s a park. Of course, it’s going to be romantic.”

He raised his head and started writing once again.

“Okay, what next? First, a nice coffee shop. Then shopping at the mall.”

“Why would I go shopping?” he asked, shaking his head. “It’s not like we need any new clothes.”

“No, no, it has to be casual. Just... like going for a walk or something.”

He leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. His eyes focused on the wall in front of him.

“Casual...” he whispered. “Coffee. Then shopping.” He let out a small chuckle. “I wonder what she would buy.”

He turned his attention back to his list.

“Wait. No. What was I thinking? I can’t make her buy anything.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. What would be casual?” he asked himself, an annoyed expression on his face.

He stared at his list, his eyes fixed on the words written on the paper.

“Coffee... park... shopping... lunch.” He shook his head. “No! It’s coffee, shopping, lunch, park.”

Ryota looked up, a satisfied smile on his face. “I’ve got my plan now.”

He grabbed a sheet of paper and started writing the details of his date.

“Coffee at a nice place. Followed by shopping at the mall. Lunch at a restaurant. And finally, a stroll through the park.”

He closed his eyes momentarily, exhaling as his thoughts drifted away from the present.

****

Sunday morning.

Ryota awoke with a start, a feeling of anxiousness filling him.

“It’s Sunday,” he muttered.

He hurriedly threw the covers off and got out of bed. His mind was racing with a thousand thoughts, and he couldn’t remember what to do.

“I have to get dressed. I have to get ready,” he mumbled, opening his dresser and grabbing a set of clothes. He slipped into the bathroom, stripped his clothes, then jumped into the shower.

Ryota closed his eyes and relaxed under the hot water.

“Coffee... shopping... the mall...” he muttered.

He ran a hand through his hair and washed it, rinsing away the shampoo. He turned the tap, allowing the water to run through his hair for a few more seconds.

“Shopping... park... lunch... coffee shop.”

He grabbed a towel, wiped himself down, then slipped into a new set of clothes. As soon as he finished dressing, he checked the time on his phone.

“Ok, it’s not too early. I still have time,” he said to himself, a smile of relief on his face. “I have plenty of time.”

He slipped into his shoes and left the house.

****

Mai awoke to a loud knocking on her bedroom door. She rolled off her bed with a groan and reached out to her phone on the nightstand. She turned off her alarm clock and rolled onto her side.

“Five more minutes,” she mumbled.

The door opened slowly, and she felt the room growing colder. A shadow blocked the light, and she could feel it approaching the bed.

“Mai-chan!” a cheerful voice called. “Wake up, Mai-chan!”

“It’s too early,” Mai groaned.

She reached out with her hand. A second later, it was yanked away. A cry of surprise escaped her as someone pulled her out of bed.

“Rise and shine!” her mother exclaimed, dragging her out of her room. “Time to get ready!”

“Huh? Get ready for what?”

Her mother held her in front of a full-length mirror, smiling as she looked at her reflection.

“You can’t go on your first date looking like this.”

“First date?”

Mai frowned. She hadn’t realized the date was so soon.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“It’s six o’clock.”

“Six o’clock? But...”

Mai stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t want to admit it, but she looked horrible. Her eyes were barely open, and she still looked half asleep.

“Don’t worry. I will take care of everything.”

Her mother grinned, putting her hand on Mai’s shoulder. “We have just enough time for a quick makeover,” she said, pulling her daughter toward the bathroom.

Mai sighed. She had no choice.

She closed her eyes and let her mother lead her into the shower. A few seconds later, the cold water poured over her body, making her shiver. She opened her eyes to see her mother looking at her, a playful smile on her face.

“Let’s start with a nice hair treatment,” her mother said, pouring some shampoo into her hand.

“Mum,” Mai whispered. “Can I please take a shower on my own?”

Her mother giggled, “It’s okay. We’ll be done in a few minutes.”

She washed Mai’s hair and dried it, then moved to the makeup table.

“Now, let’s start with a simple look,” she said, pulling out a palette of eye shadow. “A nice base, followed by some light brown tones. I think that would suit you nicely.”

Mai sighed, watching her mother applying makeup to her face.

“Okay, what else?” her mother said, picking up a tube of lipstick. “How about this? What do you think?”

“It’s... pretty, I guess.”

“What about your dress?”

“Huh? Oh... yeah. I have one. But...”

“I’ve seen it before. It’s perfect.”

Mai stared at the mirror as her mother worked on her makeup. Her hands were flashing, and it almost felt like they had a mind of their own.

“Your eyes are so pretty,” her mother said. “I bet your date will be pleased.”

Mai didn’t reply. She glanced at her mother, a small smile on her face.

“It’s so easy to see how much you love him,” she whispered.

She brushed Mai’s hair, then put it into a ponytail. “Okay, let’s get dressed now.”

She took her daughter to the closet, and they started going through her wardrobe. Mai chose a blue dress that matched her eyes and slipped it on. She did a few twirls, watching as the skirt billowed around her.

“Perfect,” her mother said, smiling widely. “Now, for your accessories.”

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a necklace with a blue pendant. Mai looked at it with a confused expression on her face.

“No,” she said. “That’s... too much.”

“You don’t think so?”

Mai shook her head.

“But it’s the perfect finishing touch,” her mother said, clasping the necklace around Mai’s neck. “You look so beautiful.”

She stared at Mai in the mirror.

“You remind me so much of your grandmother,” she said with a smile.

She pulled her daughter into an embrace. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Now go out there and enjoy your date.”

Mai smiled, a twinkle in her eyes.

“I will.”