Hakuta found himself in a new situation he never expected himself to be in, but one where nearly everyone else seemed to believe had already happened and therefore made sure to tell him this.

A lot of their classmates gave him attention, trying to figure out how he had been able to catch the attention of her caliber. Both because of her status and because of his lack of socialization. They knew the two spent a lot of time with carrying tasks, but surely that couldn’t be romantic. If only they knew, he thought.

But backstory aside, it didn’t change his present which was he now dated the daughter of a politician. This became much more evident as he prepared himself to go on said date, the first one.

“I hope you’ll come home later tonight.” Shiuka bid him a farewell as he walked out of the house. “But just to be safe, I’ll buy a coffin for you.” She joked, even knowing that the man wasn’t as bad as they all thought him to be.

“Haha, I’ll see you later.” He responded with sarcasm as the boy headed off to Ino’s place. It was imperative to meet her there, as he didn’t want the politician to learn of his real living situation. Who knew what someone with power would with such information? It didn’t take him long to arrive at her home, where he was greeted with her mother at the front door.

“Hakuta, it’s great to see you.” She said, letting him inside quickly. “I’m sure my daughter will be stunning you pretty soon.”

“That’s really one way to put it.” He replied, sitting down in the foyer as he awkwardly waited. The boy prayed he wouldn’t have to see Kazuhide, but he would unfortunately not have that luxury as the man was the first one he saw.

“I’m assured you’ll have her home on time and in the same way she left.” He walked up with the same overbearing aura everyone else had gotten used to.

“Y-yes, sir.” Hakuta sat straight up and gave a salute to make his promise. “Ino is in good hands with me.”

“Of course, I know you’re not a devious fellow.” He replied, which was right where Ino made her entrance to the guys. When her mother told him he would be stunned, Hakuta never figured he would be absolutely floored in seeing her with such a beautiful outfit. It was only casual, but this was the first time the boy had ever seen her in this manner. Funny, seeing as he had seen her in a lot of different ways by now.

“I feel a bit… Overdressed.” Those were her first words when she saw Hakuta. “Is this all right?”

“It’s lovely.” Hakuta assured her. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “Father, I’ll be going now.” Ino turned her attention to her dad, now speaking in a formal manner. “I’m surprised you’re not as worried about me going out like I thought you’d be.”

“As I was saying with him, I know he’s not a devious fellow.” He answered. “After all, he does live with another girl and nothing’s happened.” Hakuta’s eyes widened upon hearing the man revealing his knowledge of the situation.

“Excuse me?” She replied, being even more shocked than him. “You’re not usually one for jokes either.”

“It’s not a joke. He lives with Kankichi’s daughter because of his work arrangement with Hakuta’s father.” He explained. “I’ve known ever since that started.”

“Ino, maybe we should get going.” Hakuta spoke in a slight panic. “You know, so we’re not late.”

“I suppose so.” She spoke calmly, but he could tell she wasn’t pleased with this new information either. “Let’s go, Hakuta.” The pair headed off in lower spirits than he would’ve liked as they walked along the road.

“I’m really sorry about that.” He broke their painful silence after a little bit of walking. “I didn’t tell you because I thought he’d be mad about it.”

“I think you should’ve been worried if I would be upset with you.” She replied. “Though I suppose it makes everything else make much more sense.” Ino had originally assumed it to be blackmail. She never would’ve thought he’d have to be living with the girl. “You know, not a lot of girls are exactly happy to hear someone they like is living with another one.”

“I know.” He hung his head down in disappointment. Making her unhappy was the last thing he wished to do. “I promise, if it makes you uncomfortable, then I can figure something else out.”

“No, I understand it’s not your choice.” She responded. “Our families really are just abnormal, so I get not feeling in control.”

“Still, I do whatever you want to make you happy.” He made a strong declaration. She could feel his energy, which gave the girl the confidence to bring something else up.

“If that’s the case, then answer one thing for me.”

“Of course, anything.”

“It’s been on my mind lately, but you do remember that moment on the beach, correct?” She referenced the part where she suffered from an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. “I was saved from humiliation, but the truth is that you saw me, didn’t you?”

“I… Did.” He answered slowly, feeling his body react to the memory once more. Every part of him acted as it did just as if he had happened again. “If you’re conscious about your appearance, at least I can say I think you’re a real pretty girl.”

“I just want to tell you one thing, that I’m a bit of an old fashioned girl. So I’m just happy that you’ll be able to take responsibility for it.” Ino used her arm to hide away the bottom half of her face to prevent him from seeing her rosy cheeks. “That’s all, I’m confident that you only have eyes for me.”

“To put so much faith in me…” Hakuta felt as though he didn’t deserve it, but it also filled him with joy to have a girl believe so much in a plain guy such as himself. “Anyway, how about we go and enjoy today? That’s why we’re even here in the first place.” He said as they arrived at their planned destination.

It was a gaming store, but today was special. There was an event going on where people would be playing against each other in a tournament. “Are you sure you want to do this? Most people don’t really have their first date with something like this.”

“You make me really happy.” She answered, not doubting the idea at all. “Being with you, I feel like I can truly be myself.”

“Then let’s go inside.” He opened the door for her and they both entered. The place was more crowded than usual for the event. At the register was the person who owned the shop, but also was the one funneling those interested in gaming to ensure things ran smoothly.

“Wow, I can’t believe you went and got yourself a girlfriend.” The manager said to Hakuta, who was a regular for these events. “Young lady, you’re really kind being so accommodating for this young man here.”

“Actually, we’re here for her.” Said Hakuta. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, she was the one who topped him when it came to gaming. So it made more sense she was the one who took the lead.

“Wow, I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new in town?” The man had seen plenty of people come and go, but Ino was someone he thought he had never met before.

“Actually, I’ve been here a few times already.” She answered. “You’ve seen me before, but now I’ve been unmasked.” Ino winked to him and smiled as the couple walked in deeper for the event.

bigbear51

I'm American, so I'm celebrating Thanksgiving and will unfortunately be really busy for the days to come. So I'll be taking a short break from publishing, but hopefully we'll be able to get the final endings soon enough.

Thanks for reading so far. I'm very grateful for all the support.