"D-D-Date...?"
"Yes, a date!"
Ichikawa smiled brightly.
W-w-w-what should I do? Since it's a date, I don't know what to do for the first time...
"K-Konuma-kun...?"
Ichikawa shook me, as I had turned into a robot (an extremely old-fashioned one at that), and brought me back to being human. Thank you very much...
"Sorry, I was shaken..."
"Eh? No way, Konuma-kun, you go on dates with Erina-chan all the time, right?"
Seeing me flustered, Ichikawa-san somehow looked happy.
"Erina-san and I...? When? What year, month, day, hour, and minute? How many times has the Earth rotated since then?"
"Umm, have I suddenly started talking to a primary school boy...? I don't know exactly when, but you guys go to Mac a lot, don't you?"
"Wait, is that a date...?"
"Well, I wouldn't know even if you asked me, but maybe it is?"
"I wonder..."
I feel like if I thought that way, Erina-san would find me creepy...
"...Besides, I thought the two of us going to Disk Union was a date too."
Ichikawa-san pouted.
I was momentarily mesmerized by that sulky face illuminated by the setting sun on the platform, and I lost my words.
"...I thought so, you know?"
Then, Ichikawa peered into my face.
"O-Oh..."
That pathetic acknowledgment was all I could squeeze out.
"Konuma-kun, what's wrong?"
"N-No, nothing!"
It was embarrassing to say I was captivated by a band member's sulky face, so my voice accidentally got louder.
"S-So, for a date, what should we do?"
"Eh, w-what could it be? I don't know either."
"R-Really?"
"Y-Yeah. Eh, did you think I was used to this?"
A pathetic situation was unfolding where two dating beginners were both stuttering at each other.
"Well, Ichikawa, you handle everything so flawlessly, so I thought you might be used to this kind of thing too..."
When I said that while scratching my head...
"The only person I would go on a date with is you, Konuma-kun."
She replied.
"T-Then, is there anywhere you want to go?"
Though caught off guard and flustered, I managed to ask a constructive question. I can feel my growth...!
"Hmm, let's see. In that case, I... want to go to Mac!"
"Mac? Why?"
"Actually, I've never been there before..."
"Seriously!?"
"Yeah..."
Ichikawa looked down embarrassedly.
Come to think of it, when the three of us went to the instrument store with Sako before, she said she'd never been to a beef bowl shop either. Maybe her parents forbid that kind of thing. If so, won't I get in trouble for taking her to such a place?
"Umm, is it really okay for you to go?"
"...You go with Erina-chan, but you don't want to go with me?"
Ichikawa glared at me coldly.
"No, please let me accompany you!"
And so, we arrived at Mac.
"Mac, Mac! I'm so happy, Mac!"
"I see..."
I'm glad she's happy, but please don't get too excited, you'll stand out... She already has an appearance that attracts people's attention, so we have to be careful...
"Isn't that girl super cute?" "She looks like such a good girl." "An angel." "Yeah, an angel."
See, just like I thought.
Actually, it's quite a burden for me to be standing next to Ichikawa...
It's been a while, so let's activate the skill 《Stealth》. Erasing my presence, opening up a bit of distance, and looking at something completely unrelated. Yeah, this should be fine. Or so I thought, right at that moment.
"Hey, hey, Konuma-kun, let's line up!"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
My arm was firmly grabbed, and my existence was made known to the world.
"Eh, he's with her?" "Wow, he's so ordinary..." "The way he's not particularly bad makes him ordinary." "Yeah, as a result, he's ordinary."
...Am I being praised? No, I'm not. (Rhetorical)
Anyway, I gave up on 《Stealth》 and decided to line up obediently.
"Hey, what do people usually eat? That thing called a Big Mac?"
"Well..."
Honestly, anything is fine.
"Then I guess I'll go with that~"
The last time I was this excited about picking from a Mac menu was probably back in primary school...
"Hey, hey, Konuma-kun? What are you having?"
"Coffee."
"Eh, just that!?"
"Well, otherwise I won't be able to eat dinner."
If you eat something like that at 5 PM, even if you're not from the Ichikawa family, your parents would probably be angry.
"I see, you're right... Then a drink, huh... Hmmm, but that doesn't feel very Mac-like. ...By the way, what does Erina-chan always drink?"
Why Erina-san again?
"She drinks a McShake."
"A McShake! That sounds very Mac-like! Ah, but since it's a shake, do you shake it?"
"No, you don't shake it."
"You don't shake it! That's a good omen! I'll have that!"
Ichikawa-san was all smiles. What does she mean by a good omen?
In the meantime, we reached the counter. Since Ichikawa said she wanted to order, I let her (it reminded me of the time I accompanied my younger sister when she went shopping for the first time), and then it was time to pay.
When I pulled out 200 yen (tax included)...
"Why are you paying, Konuma-kun?"
"Eh, ah, true."
"...Do you always pay when you come with Erina-chan?"
"Yeah, well, I guess..."
"Hmm...?"
Ichikawa tilted her head. Erina-san again.
"Do you like girls like that better?"
"Hah?"
Being stared at intently, I didn't know how to respond.
"...Umm, excuse me, customer?"
""Yes! Sorry!""
Our shoulders jumped at the clerk's suspicious inquiry.
Anyway, I finished the payment with the 200 yen I had out and headed up the stairs to the second-floor seating area.
"Ehehe, it's the first time Konuma-kun has bought me a present."
"P-Present...? You mean that shake?"
Rather than a present, it's just a treat. Actually, I hadn't even said I was treating her yet.
"Yeah, I'll treasure it, okay?"
As Ichikawa smiled at me, I unintentionally lost my words (2nd time today).
I mean, I mean, that's just...
Doesn't that make zero sense?
"No, it's a perishable item, so drink it quickly..."
What is this person saying? Has she lost it?
"I feel like I'm being looked at with a very contemptuous gaze..."
"I wonder why..."
We took our seats on the second floor.
"Is this the seat you always sit in with Erina-chan?"
"Hah, well, yeah... But why have you been talking about Erina-san for a while now?"
Is she a detective looking for Erina-san's alibi or something?
"Well, I thought I should start by following the lead of your dates with Erina-chan..."
Ichikawa scratched her cheek shyly.
I don't understand why she's suddenly using difficult words like 'following the lead,' nor do I know what she wants to achieve by doing so.
"In the first place, I'm telling you, those weren't dates."
When I said that,
"I see, then..."
Ichikawa looked up at me with upturned eyes.
"Is this... Konuma-kun's first date?"
"...Hah?"
I let out a dumbfounded voice.
"Well...?"
Faced with Ichikawa's expectant eyes.
"W-Well, I guess it is..."
I managed to admit it. In polite speech.
"I see... yeah, I see."
"What...?"
"Ehehe, then as the conclusion to the training camp, this is the best!"
At that smile, I unintentionally lost my words (3rd time today).