Now, since Hayashi-san is no longer Rina's boyfriend, I can ask her out without worrying about anything else except her response.

Was it the right move to ask her out on a date here? Or was it all too sudden? Either way, even if I get rejected here, it's not like I can't ask her out again. There's still plenty of chances. And most importantly, I haven't shown her the note yet. If she agrees on this date, I might get a chance to show her.

"Eh, a date...?"

"Is that not okay?"

"No, it's fine, but I was just surprised. I thought you had a negative outlook of me after all that had happened."

"As I said earlier, none of it was your fault. I have nothing to blame you. Besides, everything is fine now. So, there's really no need to worry about anything."

The gloomy aura of Rina slowly disappeared and was replaced with a smile.

"Thanks, Kota!"

"No problem... I forgot about the time! My class is about to start! Let's get going."

We entered the campus, and as we were about to part ways for our classes, she looked at me with a bright smile.

"Oh, about the date, I'm open this Saturday and Sunday. See you!" she said and walked away.

Wait, I actually got her to go. Then maybe I should research some good places to go on a date. This date is an excellent opportunity to get closer to Rina. So, I better not mess it all up.

Oh, shoot! The time! I'm going to be late!

I sprinted to avoid being late for my class. And when I arrived, I was exhausted and out of breath. But thankfully, the professor wasn't there yet. Ugh, why did I have to daydream back there? Well, at least I arrived on time.

As I was about to take a seat, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Curious to see who it was, I turned around to look. It's Suzuki-san.

"Good morning, Inoue-san."

"Good morning..."

"How are you today?"

"Uh, I'm doing great. Why did you ask?"

"I don't want to intrude in your personal issues, but I was just worried about what happened at the party."

Oh, yeah, I completely forgot. Suzuki-san was also there when Hayashi-san was ranting. I guess it's okay if I tell him what happened. There's no point in hiding it anyway since he was also there to experience the scene.

"Oh, about that, everything is fine."

"I see, that's great. Good to know everything's going well."

"Thank you for your concern."

"No problem... Oh, the class is about to start. I'll head over to my seat now."

"Sure."

Well, that was a weird conversation. But somehow, I'm relieved that other people are worried about me. I wonder how Suzuki-san would have acted if Hayashi-san actually blackmailed me. Well, there's no point in wondering about the things that did not happen, so I'll leave it at that.

During our lunch break, Chiaki, Daichi, and I met up at the cafeteria. We went to confirm if Hayashi-san was telling the truth about not sending it. Fortunately, he was telling the truth, but I still wonder why he didn't go on with it. Of course, I don't want to get blackmailed, but I just wanted to know why he didn't do it.

Now, all that I have to worry about is my date with Rina. Even during my classes, my mind wanders off thinking about the date. Although technically, we went on a date this weekend. But can I even consider that as a date?

I only have one class left to attend this afternoon, and my shift at work won't be until a few hours later. Maybe I should use that time to look around town so I won't get lost next time, and I might even find a good place for a date. But after all, Tokyo is a big city. A few hours of walking around won't be enough to visit half of the entire city.

It would be great if someone could show me around. Wait, maybe Chiaki and Daichi know some good places.

"Hey, you two, do you know any good places around the city?"

"Good places? That's a vague question." Chiaki responded.

"Let me rephrase. Do you know any places that have great scenery or delicious food?"

"Hmm, let's see... I don't really know any place like those, but some girls over at my class were talking about some new restaurant opening up somewhere around town. And if I recall correctly, the name was in french, so most likely it's some European restaurant. I think it was in Kojimachi."

"Let me note that down... Okay, how about you, Daichi? Do you know any good places?"

"I know some places, but does it really have to be a good place? You're taking Rina on a date, right?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"No one would randomly ask where's a good place for visiting unless you're a tourist. And knowing you, it's only Rina that you're after."

"Fine, I admit I have a date with Rina. That's why It's essential to choose the best places in Tokyo."

"I think you're overthinking about this too much."

"Of course, I need to plan everything out."

"Look, I think it would be better if you just let things flow. You don't need to plan it. You're going on a date, not a field trip. You don't need fancy places to enjoy your time with each other. It's the bond that's important, the things you experience together. Focus more on the things you can do together, instead of the stuff you can eat or buy. What matters most in a date is the interaction, not the places. Any place could be a memorable one if there is something that happened between you two."

"Chiaki, I think Daichi has finally lost it."

"I think you're right. Let's bring him to the nurse's office." Chiaki said.

"I'm trying to offer legitimate advice here!" Daichi responded.

"Is that really you?" I asked.

"Of course it's me!"

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head or something?"

"Stop that."

"Well, jokes aside, this is the first time you actually offered some good advice."

"Are you saying my previous advice was trash?"

"Thanks for the insight, Daichi."

"Oi, answer my question..."

"Would you look at that? It's almost time for my class. I guess I'll have to go now. See you later at the apartment."

"Why are you ignoring me?!"

[AT: Sorry for the irregular posting schedules. I got busier, so I can't post chapters that frequently, but I'll try my best to do so!]