164: The Date

By the time he realized it, it was already past five in the afternoon.

Chisato found it a bit strange; he wasn't someone who lost track of time easily. 

Yet, being around Kazusa, watching her slender fingers dance over the piano keys, made him unconsciously forget the passage of time.

If it hadn't been for his prior arrangement with that light novel author, he would have liked to stay a little longer—at least to have dinner before heading back.

After all, Kazusa lived alone, so he didn't have to worry about what her family might think.

"Let's call it a day for now," he said as the last notes faded.

"Oh…"

Kazusa seemed to have anticipated this, showing a calm demeanor as she led him out of the practice room.

Chisato changed his shoes at the entrance while Kazusa stood nearby, arms crossed, quietly observing him.

"Oh, by the way, regarding the exercises I mentioned earlier, you should go over them again tonight to reinforce what you've learned."

"That's what I should be telling you. Make sure to practice those stiff fingers of yours. What I'll teach you next time won't be at the preschool level," she replied.

Chisato smiled, not taking it too seriously.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"…"

Chisato left, and the door closed behind him.

Kazusa opened the security monitor at the entrance, watching him leave through the various camera angles until he slowly disappeared from view.

She walked back to the living room, the emptiness of being alone wrapping around her once again.

Glancing at the time, it was five eighteen.

That meant she had fifteen hours until she would see him again.

…

As Chisato walked away from the Touma house toward the nearest train station, he pulled out his phone, which had been vibrating intermittently since he left the practice room.

Messages began popping up one after another, likely due to the soundproofing of the practice room cutting off the signal.

Among them, two messages were from Hitori. After a simple greeting, there was a video—a performance of "Sorry for Being So Cute" by the band.

Once he got on the train, Chisato put on his headphones and watched the video carefully. 

The performance was much improved compared to yesterday, both in execution and teamwork among the four members. He responded with a cat emoji giving a thumbs-up.

Hitori didn't reply immediately, probably because she didn't have her phone on her.

He opened the chat with Utaha, who had messaged him around one in the afternoon. 

She had changed their meeting location a couple of hours later, but it was close to their original meeting spot, so there wasn't much to worry about.

The latest message from her was a simple "?" after noticing he hadn't replied.

Just as Chisato was about to respond, Utaha called. He hesitated but then stood up and moved to a quieter corner to take the call.

"Chisato?"

"Yeah, sorry. The phone signal is pretty bad. I didn't see your messages earlier."

"Phew…"

He could hear Utaha sighing with relief.

"How's it going?"

Another familiar voice chimed in on the line—Eriri's.

"Nothing much."

After Utaha finished dealing with Eriri, she spoke again.

"If we couldn't get through, we were planning to come over to your place. Eriri kept saying you might have had an accident or something."

Instead of complaining or blaming, she conveyed her concern in a half-joking way, which warmed Chisato's heart.

"It's my fault. I should have kept my phone signal clear since we were meeting this afternoon. I'll treat you to ice cream later as an apology."

"I'm not mad, but if you're treating me, I won't hold back."

"Be careful on your way over, Chisato. No need to rush," Eriri's voice came through.

"Did you hear that? She wants you to take it easy."

"Got it. I'm already on the train, so I'll see you in ten minutes."

"Okay, we'll wait for you."

Utaha ended the call.

Eriri pulled back, having leaned in to listen to the conversation.

"Alright, we'll be meeting soon. Just so you know, I have high expectations for this date. I want to make some progress in my relationship with Chisato tonight, so please don't do anything unnecessary."

Eriri glanced at Utaha, who had also dressed up for the occasion.

"This is my request too. When my mom calls later, you know what to say."

She raised a little fist.

"If I get forced to go home, you won't have a pleasant evening either."

"It's funny how you're asking for help while being so self-righteous."

"Who do you think you are to enjoy a hotel's hospitality without my help?"

"I don't need a voucher. I can pay myself and still get the same service."

"Ha, and then what? Chisato would think you're just a desperate girl?"

Looking at Eriri, who seemed relaxed and engaging in this playful banter, Utaha took a deep breath.

The times when Eriri would easily lose her temper over a few teasing words were long gone.

She missed those times when Eriri was like a soft balloon, easily swayed. Now, she has evolved into something like a cactus—not as easy to bully.

Forget it. 

Arguing now would only lead to discomfort between them, which wouldn't help at all.

"I'll explain things to Sawamura-san as you suggested."

The atmosphere between them eased a bit due to Utaha's willingness to take a step back.

"That would be best."

Eriri huffed and didn't say anything more, focusing her gaze on the crowd entering and leaving the train station, standing proudly and beautifully.

Five minutes later, Chisato appeared in the crowd. As he looked around, Eriri's face broke into a bright smile.

She quickly walked up to him, her heels making a crisp sound against the ground.

"Chisato!"

He turned to her, noticing Utaha, who followed closely behind and was also smiling.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."