Double... Triple Date

As it would turn out, trying to avoid the two just led to the pairs meeting with each other. Since he wasn't aware of their previous excursion, Arata thought nothing of it. Just a coincidence to him.

"Funny running into you two." He said to them. While they might have appeared calm. On the inside, both Hifumi and Matsu were panicking about this turn of events. "Especially since I didn't think that you were friends." He questioned that hole in the logic here.

"Oh well, I was just browsing." Hifumi came up with an excuse. "Then I just ran into her. That's all." Arata raised an eyebrow to that statement. There seemed to be something off with this girl, but he didn't want to pursue that line of questioning. He was on a date, and that was what mattered at the moment.

Of course, he wasn't planning on being in here at the moment either. But Misei was persistent in telling him that going here wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't like he minded her getting to know the things he liked. There was only one problem with that...

"Say, Arata. What type of stuff do you like to read?" Matsu asked him, breaking him out of the thoughts in his mind.

"Oh um-"

"Your favorite right now is 'Mad Love', correct?" Hifumi answered for him.

"Yeah…" He replied to her. It wasn't exactly high brow stuff, but he found it very entertaining. "How did you know that?"

"Oh, well I've seen you read it before. So I just guessed."

"That sounds interesting." Misei joined the conversation. "It's this one, isn't it?" While they were talking. She was browsing along the manga section, there she spied what they were discussing. A sample one used for promotional reasons.

"Oh that's… Wait." He knew that one. Before he could stop her, Misei opened to the first page. Her eyes widened to the sight it brought her. Just the idea of what she was witnessing made him feel a bit hot under the collar.

"Let me see." Matsu pushed him out of the way to get a glance of it. Which made her feel a bit... tense seeing it. "Arata, I didn't realize that you were into…" Perhaps being into an ecchi series wasn't the best thing to admit. As on the first page here was of a rather scantily clad high school girl with a large chest. Matsu put a hand over her rather undeveloped chest in reaction.

"Ayy…" He really didn't like seeing them watching this. Even if he had told them the truth, it was still uncomfortable showing them anything he actually read.

"You know." Hifumi leaned to him, a sly smile on her face. "I wouldn't judge you for your tastes." She told him. More accurately, she would enjoy the same things as him.

"Anyway." Misei closed the book, not wanting to see anymore that there was to offer. "It's fine if that's what you read."

"You really don't have to be so nice." He responded to her. "I don't mind if you hate the stuff I like." It felt like it would be unfair if he forced her to be nice for his sake.

"Arata." Matsu grabbed him, she needed answers. "Is that the type of girl you like?" Her distance to him made him feel a bit uncomfortable. Both because of seeing her face like this again, along with the fact he's on a date right now.

"Well, she's not even my favorite character." He motioned Misei to give him the book, which she obliged. He opened up to a less risque page, pointing to his girl. "This one is." The three girls, standing besides each other, all looked at her. It was of the character named Kirua Omine, the yandere of the harem in the story.

"Huh, she looks an awful lot like Erina." Misei commented. That prompted him to take a second look at his waifu.

"I never really thought about it, but you're kind of right." Hearing him say that didn't fill two of the girls with a lot of confidence. He explained to him his reasoning. About how her role in the story made him really feel her emotions the most of anyone.

That girl was truly devoted to her love. She made the most work to get him to notice him. Though perhaps it was her development with the main character of that story that made him really get that feeling in his heart. That feeling that is difficult to explain, when you see something about true love.

"So that's the type of girl that Arata likes." Misei said, once she heard the whole thing.

"Well, in fiction sure. But if you're talking real life, then I can't really answer one way or the other." He replied. "But honestly, you shouldn't really be too concerned over what I like."

"Arata, could we have a chat?" Hifumi asked him. "In private." He didn't feel this was the right time for it. Seeing as he was on a date, and said girl he was dating was standing right in front of them.

"Obviously you don't know." Misei grabbed him by the arm. "But the two of us are on a date, so that isn't really possible right now." Arata knew she knew, because he was the one that told her. So clearly, if she needed to say something in private. It had to be important, but Misei wasn't going to like what he was about to do.

Something else he should've noted, was Matsu lack of reaction to the news. She shouldn't have known it, yet she acted like it was common knowledge.

"Actually." He took his hand away from her. Clapping them together in a begging motion. "I think it might be important, so could we have a few minutes?" Arata pleaded with her. She had a strict look on her face, this wasn't what she wanted. But it wasn't like she could force him to not do it.

"...Fine, but make it quick." She turned away from them. Going into an aisle to see what was on sale. Though having never stepped foot in here, she wasn't sure where, or what, anything was.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked, once the two were clear of any eavesdropping. "It better be important."

"What's up with you trying to dance around the what you like question?" She asked him straightforwardly. "You better not be one of those dense types. It's clear that-"

"I know why they're asking." He cut in. "I'm on a date with one of them right now, how couldn't I know? And also I'm aware of the feelings that Matsu has with me." That came as a surprise to Hifumi. She just assumed that the girl had yet to tell him, meaning that he shoudn't know.

"Then why do you keep playing it off?"

"Well, I just don't want them doing anything to change themselves for my sake. I'm fine with the Matsu and Misei I know." He explained to her. Personally, he didn't think that was a good way to live, nor love. Especially since it either meant that he had to change himself, otherwise it would be unfair to them.

"That's fine, I suppose." Hifumi relented. "So how's your date been anyway?" She already knew how it was going, but how did he feel about it?

"It's been going well." He answered, but his expression didn't seem to agree.

"Really? You don't seem so happy." She confronted him on that point.

"I mean, it's nice that she's trying to be interested in the things I like, but…" It's been fun for him. The problem was, it wasn't getting him closer to the goal he had in mind. Getting to know her better, on a personal level. How else could he decide if he liked her that way or not?

When they were eating together, it was cool to be able to talk about things in his life. However, anytime he asked her anything. She was either vague about it, or didn't want to talk about it. For example, asking about her parents yielded no results. Even though both were aware that his dad worked for them.

It felt so one-sided to him. That she learned so much about him, yet not the other way around. Why did she have such a hard time opening up to him? Especially since she's the one that confessed to him.

"Interesting, maybe she's just not the-"

"I know what you're trying to do though." He stopped her. "Look, I understand that you might not like her, simply because you both want me. But trying to sabotage my date isn't the way to go."

"To think that you'd believe I'd stoop to so low." She was hurt, even if it appeared that she feigned being insulted. "I'm being serious though, you need to think of yourself and tell her this." That what Hine had informed him to do, which he was clearly failing at.

She could tell that he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Especially given how apprehensive he was about telling her grandmother about his date when she was there. That was the problem.

"If you keep trying not to hurt any of us, then all of us will be burned." She told him. There was no response that Arata had to it. He was aware that his indecisiveness was going to be a problem, but it wasn't like he could make a choice now. He just didn't know how to answer that.

"I'm going to the bathroom." He couldn't even give her a straight answer. The only one right now, was to make an escape.