Source
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On Sunday, I was waiting for Shiori at the ticket gate in front of the station.
We’d already met last week on our day off. We saw a movie and went to a café. But that day, I still hadn’t quite come to terms with the fact that we were actually dating. Just seeing Rino made me instinctively brace myself to apologize, and even when I tried to act nonchalant around Shiori, she saw right through me.
So today, I wanted to make it a proper date.
I looked up the meeting spot, the places we’d visit, and the Western-style restaurant where we planned to have lunch the night before. I checked the times when it was likely to be crowded and confirmed the movie showtimes. I wouldn’t call it perfect, but I thought I’d prepared enough so Shiori wouldn’t have to worry about anything.
Shiori arrived five minutes before our agreed time.
She was wearing a pale blue blouse and a white cardigan. Her hair was tied back low, and a slender silver hairpin glinted in the light. She usually gives off a very proper impression at school, but today she looked a little softer.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I just got here myself.”
As soon as I said it, I realized I was a terrible liar. I’d been here for twenty minutes. Shiori glanced at the clock next to the ticket gate, then looked at my face.
“You just wanted to say that line, didn’t you?”
“……Did I give it away?”
“Minato-kun, your eyes dart around when you’re trying to hide that you’ve prepared something.”
Shiori said that and gave a small laugh. I didn’t mind being teased. It wasn’t a laugh meant to put me down; it was one that acknowledged just how nervous I was.
First, we went to the bookstore in the station building. Shiori took her time browsing the paperback section rather than the new releases. Standing next to her, I tried to recall the recommended books I’d looked up beforehand, but the books she picked up were a little different from what I’d expected. Just when I thought she was going for a quiet romance novel, she opened a nonfiction book about an old court case.
“You read surprisingly serious books, don’t you?”
“I do read serious books. I also read romance novels and cookbooks. The image you have of me, Minato-kun, is probably a little too serious.”
“Sorry. I might have made that assumption on my own.”
“It’s nothing to apologize for. Just make sure to update that image from now on.”
Shiori said it matter-of-factly. That way of speaking was strangely typical of her, and I nodded honestly.
For lunch, we went to the Western-style restaurant we’d planned. I told the server how many of us there were, and we were shown to a table by the window. I’d already decided what to order so I wouldn’t hesitate, but when Shiori looked at the menu and seemed to be pondering for a moment, I almost blurted out a suggestion.
The omelet rice here is apparently popular. The hamburger steak seems to have a good reputation, too. Come to think of it, that might be a good choice.
But I stopped myself there.
Shiori wasn’t here to be entertained. It might be easier if I just anticipated everything and made all the decisions, but it felt similar to what I used to do—trying to “avoid upsetting the other person.”
Shiori looked up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I almost spoke up. I was so focused on ‘I have to do this right today’ that I’d unilaterally taken on the role of planner.”
Shiori didn’t close the menu; instead, her expression softened slightly.
“I’m glad you planned this. But I don’t want you to be a perfect boyfriend, Minato-kun. Getting lost together or making mistakes—that’s probably part of a date, too.”
“I’d rather avoid mistakes if possible.”
“I feel the same way. But if we do make a mistake, we can just laugh about it together.”
Hearing those words, the tension in my shoulders eased a little.
In the end, Shiori chose the hamburger steak, and I went with the omelet rice. When we decided to swap half of our portions, I felt a little nervous just from that. Shiori said with a serious expression, “That’s something couples do,” which made me feel even more embarrassed.
After dinner, we stopped by a gift shop. The bookmark shaped like Shiori that I’d seen last week was still there. It was made of thin metal and had a leaf pattern on it. When I picked it up, Shiori narrowed her eyes just a little.
“You still remembered it, didn’t you?”
“Because you said you’d choose it carefully.”
“I’ll buy it myself.”
“Let me buy it for you today. It’s not expensive, but it’s the first gift I’ve ever really picked out myself.”
Shiori didn’t answer right away. Whether she was embarrassed to say she wanted it or was being considerate of me, she seemed a little hesitant. Eventually, she gave a small nod.
“Well then, I’ll take good care of it.”
We paid at the register, and I handed her the bag outside the store. Shiori accepted it with both hands. She wasn’t exactly jumping for joy, but her fingertips kept tracing the opening of the bag over and over. That gesture alone made me feel quite rewarded.
On the way back, as we walked along the sidewalk toward the station, Shiori said,
“I had a great time today.”
“Me too. Even though I went off on a tangent a few times along the way.”
“That’s part of it, too. I really understood how much thought you put into this for me, Minato-kun. But next time, please let me do the thinking, too. I don’t want this to be a relationship where only you’re the one making an effort.”
Those words struck me right in the heart.
Up until now, I’d thought that if I did things for someone else, I could maintain the relationship. But Shiori doesn’t want me to do everything. She makes her own choices, and she lets me make mine too. I’m still not quite used to that balance, but it felt good.
“So next time, it’s your turn to decide, Shiori?”
“Yes. I’ll come up with three options. Minato, if you don’t like any of them, just say so.”
“That’s also part of my practice, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
Shiori answered earnestly.
The traffic light turned red in front of the station, and we stopped side by side. Shiori put her bag in her backpack and moved her free hand slightly toward me. I took her hand.
Today wasn’t a day for breaking up with anyone. Nor was it a day to show off to anyone. It was a day when I decided where to go with Shiori, discovered a side of her I didn’t know, and learned a little about a way of dating I hadn’t known before.
The light turned green.
Still holding Shiori’s hand, I asked her where we should go on our next date as we started walking toward the station.
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