Ask her out

Sunny had been more irritable than usual over the last few days. Until she called Neo to talk to him alone. Anyone would be afraid of what it could be.

"Neo, what do you think of Saya?" Her question embarrassed him as he thought of Saya's perfection for him, causing him to blush slightly.

"I think she's nice, kind, intelligent, caring, a good person..." Neo thought he might be saying too much, so he decided to summarize: "...I think the best word to describe her would be a guardian angel, who always saves me when I'm in trouble.

As he spoke, Sunny became happier with his sincerity and also a little impatient - did he really have to say all that?

"So you like her, right?" The boy became very red and embarrassed, unable to speak properly and stammering.

"Like? M-me? Do I like her?"

Seeing that he was struggling to answer her question, Sunny wanted to end his suffering.

"Okay, okay, I get it, you don't have to answer," Sunny said understandingly, calming the boy down.

Sunny continued with her main intention of starting the conversation.

"You should ask her out," the girl finally suggested.

"A date? Like couples do?" Neo asked embarrassed.

"Yes, duh. Ask her out to a movie or to dinner. You're so slow," Sunny replied simply.

"But..." Neo said, looking down.

"But what?" She asked in a serious tone.

"How do I do that?" He asked innocently.

Sunny looked at him in annoyance and ordered, "Figure it out."

She turned away and left, leaving the boy feeling insecure and thinking about what he was going to do and how.

While working at Inogura's Ramen, the boy was distracted and slow. The uncle, worried that the boy might be sad over the loss of his mother, decided to talk to him.

"Neo, are you okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"Something seems to be bothering you."

Neo was embarrassed; he didn't want to talk about it. Only advice from an older person could help at this point.

"Uncle, there is indeed something."

The man swallowed hard; he was not good at helping others with psychological problems. So he prepared to try.

"Have you ever asked a girl out?"

He almost laughed, but stopped himself. He thought it was something serious and difficult, but it was something simple, common among young people.

"You know how you say 'welcome' to customers? Just do the same thing. Take a deep breath and speak with all your determination."

Neo looked at him, somewhat undecided. Could it really be that easy?

"I don't know if I can."

The uncle put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Trust yourself.

The boy smiled and planned to do it the next day.

And every day was the same, even though she was so close and they talked, when he tried to bring up the idea of going out together, he got embarrassed and the words wouldn't come out.

The problem wasn't in his mind, because if she could read minds, she would already know what he wanted. The problem was in his body: the legs that wouldn't move, the cold feeling in his stomach, the heat in his cheeks, the mouth that wouldn't say what he wanted, and so on.

How to face this problem that seemed so simple but was so difficult in practice?

One of those days he sat on a bench and watched Saya talking to Sunny. She was right there; all he had to do was go and talk, nothing more.

Neo sighed sadly.

"Hey Neo, are you okay?" Erick asked curiously.

"Erick..." Neo replied angrily.

Seeing that Neo was down, Erick thought it might be the pain he was going through.

"Are you having a relapse?"

Neo shook his head negatively.

"Then what is it?"

Again, Neo hesitated to reveal his feelings, but this was Erick, someone who already knew so much about his life; one more thing wouldn't change much.

"Actually, there is something."

The man swallowed hard; he wasn't good at helping others with mental problems. So he prepared to try.

"Have you ever asked a girl out?"

He almost laughed, but he stopped himself. He thought it was something serious and difficult, but it was something simple, common among young people.

"You know how you say 'welcome' to customers? Just do the same. Take a deep breath and speak with all your determination."

Neo looked at him, somewhat undecided. Could it really be that easy?

"I don't know if I can."

The uncle put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Trust yourself.

The boy smiled and planned to do it the next day.

And every day was the same, even though she was so close and they talked, when he tried to bring up the idea of going out together, he got embarrassed and the words wouldn't come out.

The problem wasn't in his mind, because if she could read minds, she would already know what he wanted. The problem was in his body: the legs that wouldn't move, the cold feeling in his stomach, the heat in his cheeks, the mouth that wouldn't say what he wanted, and so on.

How to face this problem that seemed so simple but was so difficult in practice?

One of those days he sat on a bench and watched Saya talking to Sunny. She was right there; all he had to do was go and talk, nothing more.

Neo sighed sadly.

"Are you okay?" Erick asked curiously.

"Erick..." Neo replied, upset.

Again, Neo hesitated to reveal his feelings, but this was Erick, someone who already knew so much about his life; one more thing wouldn't change much.

"Actually, there is something."

Erick had almost the same reaction as the uncle, only more subtle. He was glad that Neo was worrying about more normal situations again.

"If the way you're trying doesn't work, try another way," Erick explained.

"What do you mean?" Neo asked curiously.

"Sometimes you can speak up when you're cornered and need to, which is very different from trying to get their attention and then getting what you want," Erick went on to explain.

Neo still didn't quite understand, so Erick gave another example:

"I used to be like you, unable to take action. It caused me to miss opportunities that came my way. The problem was, I couldn't be like others because I wasn't like them. So I figured out ways to be myself and still get the same results, which is what matters in these cases."

Neo had a sudden realization, "I have an idea!" he said enthusiastically and jumped up from the bench.

He stopped halfway, forgetting something important. "Thanks, Erick, you helped a lot."

Erick smiled and waved to the boy, then bumped into Karine, who had been watching them.

"You're always helping him... So sweet," she said.

"Aren't you too old to be eavesdropping?" Erick asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you just call me old?!" Karine asked angrily, now resembling her sister.

"Well, I guess I needed someone like me when I was his age," he explained, looking distant as if trying to reach his past self.

Karine listened and her anger subsided. Instead of reacting, she gave him a light slap on the arm.

The break was almost over. Neo found Sunny and subtly got her attention so they could talk privately.

"I need your help," Neo said earnestly.

"Just so you know, I can't do everything for you," Sunny said, not wanting him to dump everything on her.

"Relax, I just need a small favor," he said, making it sound like a small request.

"What?" Sunny asked suspiciously.

"I want you to tell Saya that I want to talk to her after class, tell her to meet me at the exit," Neo asked confidently, convinced that his plan would work.

"If that's all, I can accept it, but you owe me one," Sunny said with a wink.

The break ended, Neo and Sunny parted ways, and both went back to class. The nervousness increased during the last two hours. The clock seemed to be broken, time stood still. The fear was at its peak.

When the bell rang, he hurried to the exit, took a drink of water to regain his courage, and waited. It wasn't long before she appeared, her hair shining in the sunlight and her eyes the color of the sky. She approached him, making him even more nervous than he already was - which he didn't think was possible in his current state. His legs began to tremble and his hands grew cold.

They stood facing each other, his heart almost jumping out of his mouth. His head was hot, the rest of his body was cold, and everything around him was spinning as if he might pass out at any moment.

"Sunny told me you wanted to talk, why didn't you talk to me before?" Saya asked, confused and laughing slightly at the situation.

He looked down and didn't answer; he couldn't say anything. He was paralyzed, fighting his own body. Seeing that he was silent, she leaned down slightly to meet his eyes.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Saya asked, trying to get his attention.

Suddenly, Neo snapped back from wherever he had been, took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and spoke with conviction and strength:

"Please go out with me!"

The girl was startled, then surprised, then blushed. She looked around, unable to make eye contact with him, smiled, and replied, "Yes..."