Chapter three. First almoust-date, clothes and other chores

Shopping for clothes is a torment for any ordinary man. Even if men are not completely honest about this, because everyone likes to look good, most men do not want to spend time on this. In principle, Anpan-kun was one of them. With reservations. With a lot of reservations. It wasn't that Anpan-kun didn't want to look good, but unlike many people who would like to look good, he was also too aware of the consequences.

Being handsome is not wrong; teachers don't ask you so strictly, classmates treat you positively, and parents smile at you more favorably. Being handsome is not bad.

Until that first time when everything goes wrong. Until another rejected confession, which turned out to be the last one. Before the next offended one for the one you refused. Until the first time, when the desk is smeared with something sticky, you fly into it without even noticing. Before the case of the shit-smeared locker (and they were not too lazy), though it was later, and you are already more wary.

After such events, you learn the value of people very quickly. The same people who smiled sweetly at you yesterday. For teachers who don't want to figure it out. "Please get along with your classmates, Kazumi-san." That's all teachers are capable of. Parents… To my parents. That was probably the most insulting thing. And not an unwillingness to figure it out, but a desire to "Well, we need to sort this out with the school somehow; are you sure you didn't provoke anyone, Kazumi?". It was insulting to change the attitude after he recovered. If it wasn't for my sister… And not Mato-san...

Anpan-kun shook his head, pushing away the gloomy thoughts. If at least one person believes you, that's a lot. And if there is more than one such person, this is much more than you wish for.

What was Ame-san caught on? She doesn't come from a low-income family, looks good, and studies well. She doesn't seem very good at sports, but she's not so bad either… It seems, except that he runs poorly, he doesn't have enough stamina; I once heard Anpan-kun out of the corner of my ear.

Anyway, this is a rare opportunity for him right now. Since such a situation had arisen, he would make the most of it. His conscience didn't bother him much. Yes, he would use Kyoko Ame, but she used him too. She could have admitted that it was all a game. But she didn't say anything. She gave him the hope of love, which means she played with his feelings to some extent. No, Anpan-kun repeated to himself; his conscience does not torment him. This means that he can enjoy the company of a beautiful and, personally, up to the whole story, a pretty girl. It was a shame to be disappointed, but not for the first and not for the last time. He only hoped that, first of all, the embarrassment that happened on the train would not happen again. And secondly, Kyoko-chan will come after all.

After a while, he didn't believe it anymore. He turned the phone over in his hands… What's the point? If she didn't come, she didn't want to see him. It's been twenty minutes since the agreed time. How long should he wait? He's not an enthusiastic middle-grader who's been invited on a date to wait a few hours. That is, a middle-grader, of course, but far from enthusiastic.

Anpan-kun thought about it. The game is over. It was a pity, of course, that it was so fast; he had hoped that it would at least last longer. The penalty task was to ask him out on a date and not come. To see how funny he is rushing and getting upset. And then go up to him, mock and mock. It's being filmed here. He didn't expect anything else. Interestingly, Ame-san doesn't realize that this is not the end of it. Even photos of the two walking together can be used for blackmail. Anpan-kun sighed. It's better to be isolated; trying to "fit in" with society can be as expensive as it was before.

In the meantime, let's give the herd animals what they want. Well, he'll wait an hour, and then…

Suddenly, quite close to him, he noticed some movement…

"An... an... Anpan—kun, I'm sorry…

It could be clearer how, but Ame-san was there. Very close, she bumped into him, swayed, and would have fallen if he hadn't picked her up and practically hugged her, not letting her fall.

— Ame-san? Kyoko didn't know how to qualify Anpan—kun's look. Everything was there: joy, surprise, relief, tension, and disappointment.

— Anpan-kun, I'm sorry, I overslept, I missed the time… And I was late... and, Anpan—kun, thank you for not letting me fall, but... — Kyoko realized that she had been practically in Anpan-kun's arms for quite a long time and could not even say that she did not like it, but it was still wrong. Or right, but not with the same crowd. And he's soft; it's nice to hug him. Kyoko mentally shook her head, regaining her ability to think, "You can let me go, Anpan-kun.

—I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Ame-san. — he apologized and let her go; she staggered again and almost fell again. This time, Anpan-kun did not hug her but held her by the forearm. Then he let go of his forearm but left his hand in his hand.

To avoid another attempt to fall. How Anpan-kun tried to justify himself. And not at all because it was so pleasant to hold this small, soft, warm hand in mine.

"Shall we go Ame—san?" — Completely ignoring that they are holding hands.

Kyoko looked towards the "Red Hill," the local shopping center, but did not remove her hand.

"Come on, Anpan-kun," and she pulled him firmly by the hand. It seemed to her that all the passers-by were looking at their hands, but she ignored them.

Anpan—Kun only had time to turn his head; even though the "Red Hill" was close, he passed by, but somehow, he did not remember whether he had ever gone inside.

They walked past the turns to some sports attractions; Anpan-kun noticed the Shooting Gallery, Kyu-do, and baseball and basketball inscriptions.

Kyoko quickly walked down the first aisle without stopping, stubbornly dragging Anpan-kun through the crowds until she reached a goal known only to her.

The sign read "Casual English Close" in Katakana and English.

"Look at this Anpan-kun,— Kyoko chattered quickly, hiding her embarrassment. I think the things here will suit you.

Anpan-kun looked around. This was not a youth casual clothing store.

"Tight clothes won't suit you," She thought for a second—maybe it sounded insulting, but she shouldn't offend him, and she didn't want to on her own, "You're big, and I like it," she just hoped it didn't sound too fake. — There is only one problem — the clothes are pretty expensive here.

Anpan-kun was not offended.

As for the money, his part-time job gave him good resources, more than enough even for an older guy, so he even had some money saved up. And with the help of his mother, he made sure that he had no restrictions on using his account.

"Money is not a problem," he said aloud.

***

Kyoko was more or less satisfied. Even if she didn't get enough sleep or was terribly late, Anpan-kun waited for her. It was highly embarrassing to be late for her appointment; the thought that this was their first date, Kyoko stubbornly drove away from herself. She calmly came to the meeting and could talk to the guy calmly. Even if the guy was indifferent to her to a certain extent, she could meet and keep up a conversation. She pushed the unpleasant memories away. How did she fall for such a simple divorce? Deceived as a junior high school student. She understood the situation to the end late and strongly after the incident. And she felt ashamed of herself. Well, at least she is still dating Anpan-kun to some extent, and she needs to try to make sure he has good memories. However, her being late for a date... for a meeting does not apply to such. Well, she'll get better.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Kyoko walked next to Anpan-kun, or rather, he was next to her because she led him. They had already reached the place she had outlined, and Anpan-kun did not object. Then, Kyoko noticed one of her younger sister's girlfriends. No! Not now! It's early! And she wanted to explain something only a few times.

She grabbed Anpan-kun's arm again and instead aggressively dragged him inside. She grabbed the first suit that came to hand and dragged it into a rather extensive fitting room, which she had noticed a minute earlier.

"Kiri—Chan, why did you drag us here?" A voice came from the entrance.

"Yes, Ame—san, what are you looking for here?" Do you want to glue Miko in a man's suit?

— Yes, no… It seemed," a melodious voice rang out. Anpan-kun could have sworn that he heard it. But for the life of me, I couldn't tell when.

— Well, let's go then, Ame — san…

—Ame-san,— Anpan-kun whispered.

— I'm sorry, she looked down;— I just haven't said I'm in a relationship yet, and I didn't want my younger sister to find out so suddenly.

Anpan-kun understood this as "what happens at school stays at school." Ame wasn't going to introduce him to his family. It's not like he's thinking about it or wouldn't die of shame. But it was a bit insulting.

"Don't think about it; I'll tell them," it was said too sincerely for Anpankun to be completely confused.

No, no chance. It's just that Kyoko Ame is a much better actress than Anpan-kun thought.

"I'll be looking forward to it..." Anpan—Kun squeezed out of himself.

After all, with the help of Kyoko and the saleswoman, he picked up a few things that looked good on him — rather elegant trousers and a black and red sports jacket. And he didn't have the strength to refuse.

Considering that her sister and her friends were grazing somewhere in this shopping center, they did not dare to sit in a cafe.

— But we will do it.

Anpan-kun said nothing. He didn't believe in such a sequel, but you never know. He paid for the purchases.

—Thank you for your help, Ame-san," he bowed.

— Thanks for the company, Anpan-kun. I hope that next time we will be able to talk a little longer.

They left the mall together and headed towards the subway. Anpan-kun initially thought of going to the bookstore but decided not to leave Kyoko Ame alone. Perhaps some of his behavior could be explained by petty revenge on Ame and the desire to be seen together.

During the time they were inside, the weather had changed quite noticeably. If earlier a few clouds were visible in the sky here and there, then the color of the sky at the exit from the shopping center was strikingly different from what it was before. Dark gray, almost black clouds gave no room for doubt — a downpour was coming.

Kyoko looked at Anpan-kun gradually, as she hoped. The man's face didn't change at all. Either he was determined to leave or prepared in advance for a change in the weather. She thought for a second about returning to sit in some cafe, but this decision had a significant drawback - a high probability of running into her sister and her girlfriends. It could have been more pleasant, and such gatherings were costly. The second unpleasant moment was that, in this case, she was leaving Anpan-kun alone again, and it looked like she was neglecting him.

Ame didn't want to know firsthand what would happen if she didn't follow the instructions. On the one hand, she also wanted to finish everything because Anpankun didn't deserve this. It was ugly and unfair, but on the other hand, she was more afraid for herself. While she was in the general circle, and although she understood that the situation in which she was forced was not quite normal, she was afraid to do anything. Therefore, it was premature to show Anpan-kun that she was neglecting him, even though it made her an even bigger liar than she was.

At the exit of the mall, Anpan-kun was quite thoughtful. On the one hand, he started dating a girl he liked. On the other hand, it happened because of some punishment game, and he was disappointed. On the one hand, he was with a pretty girl on a date; on the other hand, when she saw her sister, she began to hide. She also dragged him into the fitting room and stood very close, almost as close as she was on the subway. Anpan-kun blushed. The last memory, as ordered, brought up many others from memory. Youkaevo metro, shaking and a lot of people. Kami-sama, how embarrassing! There was a park near the mall, and he decided to go there, cool off a bit, and put his thoughts in order. But they should separate first. They had already walked a few dozen steps from the mall when he realized he was still holding Ame-san's hand.

— Ame-san ... — he wanted to suggest that they disperse, raised his eyes to look at the interlocutor, and realized something was wrong. A significant drop of the beginning downpour fell on his nose, symbolizing precisely what was wrong.

Anpan-kun was eventually taught foresight. That is, of course. Initially, he was not particularly like that, and in general, his first years in elementary school were relatively calm and pleasant. But ... when a lunch brought with you over and over again, day after day, is turned into a mess with the help of water from the drain, dipping into the toilet or just with dirty hands, grinding into something indigestible, you will learn to bring money with you just in case. When money begins to be taken away under the pretext of "you, fat, better starve, maybe you'll stop being such a pig," you learn to hide them better and have several stashes in different places of clothes and personal belongings. When your central umbrella is taken away from you, and then a spare one with the motif "you're so fat, it means you have a lot of health — you won't get a cold." Then you lie at home all day alone until your younger sister returns from school, and she needs to take care of such a hefty idiot, then you study between textbooks in A raincoat should also be hidden in the bag. By the way, he still had a small raincoat in his bag, but only one.

Anpan-kun cursed his bad luck, the fact that he did not pay much attention to the weather forecast, and, most importantly, cursed his upbringing with the last words, which did not allow him to act differently despite the almost obvious falsity of their relationship.

Ame froze for a second when, instead of feeling the cold raindrops of late autumn, she was covered with a surprisingly warm feeling. Anpan—kun, as soon as he realized that it was raining, got into the bag in three seconds and, after a few more seconds, pulled out, unwrapped, and threw a bright orange raincoat over her shoulders. She immediately felt warm — the raincoat was in Anpan-kun's backpack, and his body warmed her. In general, it was scarce that something was done so clearly for her. The parents noticed the younger sister's successes more, which, of course, were more significant. In those rare moments when they appeared at home at all.

After a short pause, Anpan-kun pulled the frozen Ame towards the subway. There was no real reason for this—he just wanted to feel the warmth of her hand. And, of course, the situation was the most suitable for this.

— Anpan-kun?! Ame's incomprehensible intonation filled him with joy and a little gloating — she couldn't push his hand away.

— Ame-san, it's cold, let's go faster…

"Still, she's not the worst girl, even if her fake confession and these fake relationships don't make her look good."

Ame started walking as fast as she could and didn't try to take her hand away anymore. They got to the subway quickly, but Anpan-kun, despite all this speed and the presence of a jacket, got pretty wet.

It was a day off, so they were not in danger of rush hour and crush. The conversation didn't stick, and talking about something personal in a public place didn't pull, but their joint silence no longer felt uncomfortable for Ame or Anpan-kun. Still, they reached their shared subway station in silence, yet it was time to separate. Anpan-kun warmed up a little in the subway, but as soon as they got out, he began to shiver from the cold again. The rain had stopped, and there was a light wind, but in his soaked clothes, he began to shiver involuntarily from the cold again.

— Here, Anpan-kun, — Ame, less deftly but quite confidently, took off her raincoat and threw it on Anpan-kun. — thank you. I'm not wet, and I'm not cold. And I think it will help with the wind.

It wasn't true at all. Unlike Anpan-kun's rather massive boots, Ama wore autumn, light shoes that did not hold the rain well, and her feet were still wet. With Anpan-kun, it was precisely the opposite — his clothes were almost completely soaked, but his shoes turned out to be sensible, and his feet were not wet at all.

The raincoat wrapped Anpan-Kun in warmth, and he warmed up in a surprisingly short time.

But still, it was more than enough for him to get down, and he did not get to school on Monday.