We agreed to have our date on Sunday. It might not be the case with Yuzu, but this was the first date ever in my life. Despite myself, I was a bit nervous.

“Nnn…” I arrived at the meeting place fifteen minutes earlier than promised, and I peered around the area restlessly.

‘The partner for my date today is not someone I’m dating for real, nor someone I intend to date from now. Hence, there’s no reason for me to be nervous.’ I convinced myself that way, but… There was no use, I still couldn’t calm down.

“Never thought that punk could stir my heart… What a blunder.” I heaved a sigh. It was at this moment,

“Who stirred what?”

“Whoa!?”

When I realized it, Yuzu was already standing beside me.

“Wh-when did you arrive…?” I asked her in a fluster, then Yuzu answered as he looked at me in amazement.

“Just now.”

“Re-really… Urm, you don’t have to be bothered, it was about a game.” I glossed over the topic and tried to make myself calm.

However, Yuzu seemed dissatisfied about it; she pouted and stared at me.

“…What is it?” I asked.

Yuzu opened her arms wide, and she swirled her body in one complete turn as if showing off her figure.

“Today, I intend to spend my time only with Yamato-kun. In other words, I dressed up all for the sake of making Yamato-kun feel pleased. Therefore, it’s a given for you to compliment me. That’s the manner of a gentleman. Got that?”

“…I see. Got it.”

I agreed to Yuzu’s argument, so on the spot, I looked over her appearance for the first time. Her top that exposed her collarbone down to above her chest was layered on with a frilly pink cardigan. Her upper thighs were wrapped around by a bright white mini skirt.

A fashion sense that was well-liked by men—quite flirtatious. When she said she dressed up to please me, it seemed to be no mere exaggeration.

“…Um. Well, aren’t you cute?” I inadvertently gave out a curt comment.

When Yuzu heard that, she laughed in amusement, “Yamato-kun, you’re bad at complimenting people~ Are you shy? Hey, were you all shy witnessing my cuteness that it rendered you speechless?”

“Shut up! Your inner side is not cute just as always!”

I shrank away from Yuzu who tried to peek at my facial expression, so I quickly walked ahead.

“Ah, wait for me!” Yuzu scurried over to approach me and walked by my side.

When I looked closely, she was wearing high heels. I slowed down my strides a bit.

“By the way, Yamato-kun, have you decided where we’ll go?”

“Nope, not at all.”

“Yeah, just as I had expected, you do score zero points as a boy. Wonderful.”

“Mind your own business.” Her evaluation was irritating, but I had no way to rebut so I just accepted it as it was.

However, Yuzu further chuckled mischievously, “But, when you saw my shoes, you slowed down, so you earned points there. Congrats. Ten points.”

“Ugh…”

It felt embarrassing to be seen through. I’d rather stay at zero points.

“Yamato-kun, you really get shy easily. There’s no demand for male tsunderes, you know.”

“So noisy.” Damn, I might’ve been so nervous with this date that I kept being driven to a corner by her.

Just like that, I was teased by Yuzu as we walked for a few minutes until her legs stopped in front of a building and he pulled my arm.

“Ah, let’s go in here.”

There was a building topped with a giant bowling pin. Inside this building was a famous entertainment complex where one could play bowling, darts, billiards, karaoke, etc. With my arms pulled by Yuzu, I entered the complex.

So nostalgic, I hadn’t been there for a long while. I used to come to this place a lot when I was in middle school.

“Yamato-kun, you don’t fancy coming to this sort of place?” Yuzu asked considerately; maybe when I was absorbed by nostalgia and looked around here and there, I might look uneasy.

“No, I just thought this place feels nostalgic. I used to come here a lot.”

“Is that so. Then, what did you do here when you came in those times?”

“Usually basketball. Free throw games or something.”

When I said that, Yuzu’s eyes sparkled as if it caught her interest, “Ho, so you’re experienced?”

“Only during middle school. Club activities were compulsory back then.”

These days, I was completely an indoor person; but when I was in middle school, willy-nilly I was plunged into a sports-oriented society. I was like a doe thrown in the middle of a herd of lions. My old self sure was pitiful.

“I see. Now that we’ve come here, I kinda want to see Yamato-kun’s cool side.”

It sounded like Yuzu was teasing me, but she was letting me do what I was good at. We were on a date, after all, so she might’ve attempted to let my good sides show.

“Well, okay. I haven’t played for quite a while, so don’t expect too much.” I couldn’t let her considerations go to waste, so I accepted her suggestion.

We then took the elevator and got off on the floor where the basketball court was located. It was impossible to recreate the full court inside the cramped indoors, so instead of the ‘basketball court’, the place was called ‘3-on-3’; it was only a half-court.

Nevertheless, it was more than enough to do free throws. I wore the rental basketball shoes, and the weight of the ball that I haven’t touched for so long strangely made me feel deep emotions.

“Yamato-kun, do your best! I want to see a three-pointer!” Yuzu cheered me from outside the court.

“She’s raising the bar high again…” I almost pulled a glum face from her burdensome demands, but I restrained myself.

‘Well, I’m in front of a girl, I should try harder.’ I thought to myself.

I stood at the three-pointer line, bounced the ball a few times, and tried to remember the sensation when playing basketball. When I felt ready, I grabbed the ball in both palms, then fixedly stared at the goal. I bent my knees as down as I could, and let my upper body sink down.

I breathed in deeply and exhaled it all out. I stretched my knees, straightened my upper bodies, and felt the energy transmitted from the bottom of my body to the top. When the momentum gathered at the ball, I turned my wrists and used my fingers to give the ball a spin. The ball took flight in a parabolic curve.

Long ago, I used to be able to just shoot it straight through the hoop, but the blank period of not playing sure had affected my play; the ball first hit the hoop and swirled before it shook through the net.

“Wow!! That’s amazing, it went in! Yamato-kun!” Yuzu clapped in quite an exaggerated manner.

It didn’t feel bad when someone complimented me on my good point.

“Yuzu, you want to play too?” I called her, and Yuzu joyfully trotted over.

When I placed the ball on her hands, she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Wah, it’s heavy. Can I properly reach the goal?”

“If you use both hands, there should be no problem. I’ll teach you how to do it, be in position.”

“Yesss! Please teach me well, master!”

Yuzu seemed to be having fun, so I naturally broke into a smile. The nervousness I felt, in the beginning, had vanished away; before I realized it, I was already having fun like normal.

chocolala: Yay, first date unlocked!