Chapter 42. A Date? (6/13)

She wrapped her arms around mine and dragged me along in tow.

With our faces so close they would almost touch I couldn’t help but notice her cheeks were a bit redder than before.

“Are you blushing right now?”

“I’m not blushing. It’s just from the cold, stupid.”

“Didn’t you say you’d already warmed up?”

Her cheeks grew even redder. She didn’t respond but rather invoked her right to remain silent as if she’d been caught by the cops doing something bad.

“You know, I’m not a police officer and you’re not being detained right now.”

The more I teased her, the more embarrassed she looked. She really was too cute and innocent.

“I lied, okay? I was cold. Very cold. When you wrapped your scarf around me, it made me really happy. It was warm. No, more specifically, it made me feel warm on the inside more than anything. You happy now?”

“Wow. No wonder it looked like you felt like you’d done something bad. So you lied. Being such a good honest girl must be hard.”

“It is. Okay? Good honest girls like me have it hard having to deal with sneaky guys like you.”

“Sneaky? I don’t remember ever being sneaky though. Care to elaborate?”

She invoked her rights once again.

“Heheh. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say, or do, can, and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the state. Do you understand these rights as they have been stated to you today?”

“What crime have I committed today, officer?” She played along.

“The crime of being too cute of an enemy. How do you plead to your unforgivable crimes, you criminal?”

“Not guilty. Being cute is not a crime.” She smiled a smile only intended for my eyes to see under the scarf.

“But being criminally cute is.”

She peeked at me from the corner of her eyes, trying her best to determine whether I was simply teasing her or being serious. It was a shame for her, but my expression remained completely neutral making it impossible for her to glean anything out of it.

“For a cheeky first year, you’re really impossible to see through. Shouldn’t you have some more respect for a respectable upperclassman like me?”

“I treat all people equally, regardless of age.”

“So you’re in your rebellious phase where you disrespect everyone just the same?”

“How rude, it’s not disrespect, it’s simply my support for the equality of life for all.”

“Haaah.” She let out a small sigh beneath the scarf connecting the two of us together. I couldn’t help but grow more conscious of how sweet her breath smelled. It spurred me to remember the time I forcefully kissed her.

I discreetly peeked at her small lips from the corner of my eye. With how low her guard was around me, if I had nefarious intentions, stealing another wouldn’t be a very difficult task to achieve. I opted to not do something like that again though. I’d only done it to try and get her to hate me, but it didn’t phase her at all the first time. If that was the case it would probably do even less the second time around. If I did do it right now it’d also be harder to go into her place to meet her little brother.

He was the current objective. I couldn’t jump the gun and lose this valuable opportunity.

Having opted to not do anything further, we continued on our way to her place. We eventually arrived in front of what appeared to be a small rental complex. There were a few identical buildings lined up next to each other, each one was two stories tall. I estimated there to be about four bedrooms per building with its two-story height. The buildings were all a bit old and outdated, rather run down. They had certainly seen better days. In particular, the one we’d stopped in front of was probably in the worst condition. It was likely the cheapest of the lot and probably went the longest without any renovations.

But such a thing didn’t bother me at all. A home was a home no matter the appearance or how low it was priced. Personally, as long as I had shelter, it didn’t matter to me what it looked like on the outside or inside. I valued utility above all else.

“Sorry, the place is a bit old and run down.” She apologized timidly like it was her fault or something she should feel shameful about.

“Not at all. I quite like places like this.” They were cheaper and cost less after all. The only thing that mattered to me in my mind was how low the price was. As for expensive places? Hah! You’d be a fool to waste your money on something pointless like that. I was a miser who liked to save money where he could. I’d cut corners on food if it meant saving a dime or a buck.

“You’re not going to make fun of me or laugh at me for living in such a run-down place?”

“Why would I? Is there something wrong with living here?” I truly couldn’t understand why she thought I’d laugh. My place was a barren desolate unit without a soul to be found. Her place at least had character. Mine was just empty. The condition of a person’s residence was often indicative of their character. 

Modest, down-to-earth, homely, quite cozy. A warm loving home. Those were the characteristics I sincerely thought of when I scrutinized her home’s exterior with a cursory glance. 

“Ah. Uh… nothing, never mind. Let’s… go inside.” She had a somewhat relieved expression on her face as she fiddled with her keys trying to put it in the keyhole.

Had she been reluctant to have friends over because she was overly self-conscious of it?

It was dark and hard to see without a light above the entrance. It didn’t help that her hands were unsteady either. She was having a hard time getting the key into the lock under these conditions. Was she still nervous? Was it because it was a guy she was bringing to her home for the first time?

“Haha. It’s a bit cold and hard to see.” The tinge of anxiety in her voice didn’t escape my watchful eye.

I extended my hand out, held onto hers to steady it, and slipped the key into the lock.

“Ah. Th-Thank you.” She stuttered out her thanks in an overly shy manner.

“No problem.” Even though I considered her an enemy, I still felt a bit bad forcefully intruding into her home like this on such short notice. But since I’d already come this far, there was no reason to go back empty-handed. Since things had reached this point, I’d see things through to the end.

On a Sunday evening, at approximately 7:30 PM, when night had already fallen in a cold winter wonderland with snow aplenty, a single boy entered a girl’s humble abode. It truly appeared as though she’d willingly invited the big bad wolf who’d threaten to blow her house down to eat her up.

Would she really be eaten by this lone wolf on this dark cold winter night? Of course not, this wolf was a vegetarian. But he was also known to be quite a notorious liar as well. Was he really a vegetarian or just lying through his teeth with a straight face while looking his prey directly in the eyes.

I mused about such nonsense while she led me into the living room on the first floor where I took a seat. When we entered I noticed there was a small table off to one side with a picture frame propped up beside what appeared to be an urn. It was a portrait of a middle-aged man with blond hair and steel blue eyes. I could discern several features on his face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Alicia.

Her… father?

Noticing my gaze locked to the portrait beside the urn on that small table, she knelt down on her knees respectfully in front of it and said, “I should at least introduce you to my parents. You’re the first person I’ve brought over after all. Though my mother is out at work at the moment and won’t be home for a little while, I can at the very least properly introduce you to my father.”

She placed her hands together in front of the portrait paying respect to her father.

I wasn’t accustomed to such things and didn’t know exactly what I should do. I simply followed her example and showed my respect by kneeling down to my knees in front of the portrait beside her.