"I don't want Himawari to wait for me, but here I am... being late on this day"

I muttered to myself as I continued walking to reach my destination, where Himawari asked me to come by messaging me the other day.

I am full ten minutes late. The destination time to arrive there was 4 in the evening, but currently, it's 4:10. Tch.

The talk that happened with that woman is the reason why I am this late. If only I hadn't stopped to meet and hadn't talked with her, I would have reached my destination by now.

But, well, what can I do about it? As I don't have any control over my life now, you know. I am just doing whatever the system wants me to do. Yes, this f*cking system, this f*cking goddess, this -- *sigh*

Well, well. Now there is no going back, and it's not like I wasted my time on that woman, but still...

.

Since I said woman, it's common sense that she will be an adult, but no, that's not the main thing, as the point is that she is one of my heroines. Yep, one of my heroines, named Haruno-san. She came all the way here to meet her younger sister, to annoy her. Yes, this devilish woman who loves to tease her younger sister. She told me all of this after we talked for a bit, not only a bit but more than that.

.

[SOME TIME AGO]

When I left my apartment, and then the building, I saw a figure of someone I knew on the street.

When her gaze dropped on me, she started to come towards me while running. When she finally stood in front of me, she put one of her hands in front of me, asking for a handshake. So, I shook hands with her for about five minutes. She didn't let go of my hand as she just started grinning while humming sweetly. 

After that, we talked about a few things like what is happening in school these days, and about her sister. I also noticed that her gaze changed while we discussed things related to her younger sister. Well, it's natural, I think, as it is about her sister. And I know she must be a caring older sister. Nothing that important but suddenly her smile changed into a grin.

"Is Ren-kun going somewhere?"

"Hmm... Haruno-san, yes I am going somewhere."

"Oh well, where? Don't tell me it's a date... Hmm?"

"Yes, something like that..."

"Oh, r-really??"

"Yes... And maybe someday... I and Haruno-san also --"

"You... You really are a cheeky guy, huh? But still, do you really want to go on a date with me?"

"I don't lie, Haruno-san..."

"H-Hmm, I s-see..."

[HARUNO YUKINOSHITA: +8 AFFECTION POINTS]

She looked surprised by my statement as she stuttered her words and her affection also increased as there a tint formed on her cheeks. But then she took a deep breath and her usual grin came back on her face.

"Well, it's me to decide whether we will go or not, right Ren-kun?"

"Of course..."

"But still... It's not good that you ask me for a date when you are already going on a date with someone else... You have to keep that in mind and --"

.

She continued to give me advice about relationships, women, and some other points but I know that she was just bluffing as she continued to avoid and not to make direct eye contact with me during this period. Well, well.

She really is just all talk, nothing else, huh? Well, I am not sure about this though but I have a 'hunch', so this might turn true. 

After 5 minutes, she stopped by saying --

"Got it!?"

"Yes..."

"What do you think of --"

As she was going to ask something from me, she suddenly got a call from her younger sister, Yukinoshita-san. She said in gestures that this call was from her younger sister, so she quickly answered the call and started talking to her... She also said in between her call with her sister --

"See you later, Ren-kun..."

As she said this, I did hear someone shouting 'Huh --' but I think it was just my imagination. But it was not...

.........

Some minutes later.

"R-Ren, h-here..."

When I arrived at my destination, I saw a girl standing at the gate of a café, waving her hands to tell me to come there. The name of the cafeteria is -- 

No, not that place, HImawari. I have a hell of a problem in that café where Himawari is standing. So, I quickly went toward her.

"Sorry for making you wait, Himawari..."

I stood beside her. At that time, I noticed what is she wearing on our date.

She is wearing a light blue v-neck t-shirt with a design that could be called 'cute', along with a mustard-colored skirt and a pair of white sneakers. Her brown hair is adorn with a sunflower stuck in her side ponytail with her forehead bangs. She is also holding a small crossbody bag on her shoulder to her waist.

"Himawari?"

"Y-yes..."

When I called out to her, she shivered a bit, but even so, she did respond to me and started to look at my face. She is blushing and has a slight smile on her face, but she is embarrassed and nervous too. As she is holding onto her skirt too tightly, I can see some sweat forming on her forehead too.

Good Grief.

.

"You look super cute today, you know..."

"Etto, um, um..."

I complimented her as soon as we sat down at our seats. Well, what I just said now is thoroughly a -- complete truth. Yeah, I did find her cute.

Now we are sitting inside a cafeteria that is very far away from the one Himawari chose, as I don't want to enter that cafe again. Yes, I don't. 

Why? Because there was an incident happened between me and one of the workers working there.

Upon hearing my compliment, Himawari started to stutter, and I didn't understand a single word she said until now.

"Should I say that again?"

"N-no, b-but t-thank y-you v-very m-much..."

"Hmm..."

One thing I noticed until now is sure a surprise for me; that I didn't get a single affection point from her. Why though. Hmm?

[AOI HINATA [SWEET GIRL]

AFFECTION: 85 (CHILDHOOD LOVE!!)]

Wait. I think there is an extra sign '!' in my image; the same thing could be observed in some of my other heroines, like Komi-san.

I tried asking the system about this, but she --

She said that she had no idea what I was requesting, and yes, the system also mentioned that she would never inform me because it is my responsibility to find these things.

Thinking about that time made me uneasy because the laugh the system did at that time was too hilarious.

[S-SHUT U-UP]

Good Grief.

.

"R-Ren, y-you t-too..."

Himawari spoke to me when I was deep in contemplation, but I failed to hear clearly about whatever she said. So, I asked her again.

"Hmm?"

"You are also looking more h-handsome and c-cool today..."

Oya. Did Himawari compliment me, hmm? Well, this is not my first time, but still, when I heard it from her, it felt fresh as well, um, good, I think.

She is nervous. I can see that, as she is shivering a little bit, and she did stutter when she complimented me. *sigh*

So, I grabbed one of her hands. She did react a bit surprised, but even so, she let me hold her hand. I gently tightened my grip on her hand and said --

"Hmm. Thank you so much, Himawari. And one more thing, don't be nervous, okay...? Just try to be yourself and act like you usually do, Himawari."

[AOI HINATA: +5 AFFECTION POINTS]

"I w-will t-try my b-best..."

Okay, now I did gain some affection points from her. But the problem is --

[AOI HINATA [SWEET GIRL]

AFFECTION: 90 (CHILDHOOD LOVE!!!!)]

The increasing number of exclamation marks in my image formed inside here...

..

We ordered two cups of coffee with a plate of macrons.

After five minutes, our order, at last, is in front of us, on our table. There is a piece of paper on the plate of macrons that says 'CUTE COUPLE' with a smiley face drawn beside the saying.

Well, I think the owner and the workers here have some misunderstanding about us.

Now that I think about it, if any other person would see us, they would have the same idea, we being a couple. Because we are sitting beside each other, our shoulders touching each other, the girl sitting beside me has a tint on her face, and we are holding hands also. So, it's natural to have this kind of idea about us.

But one thing is good: Himawari is back to her usual self. She seemed to enjoy her time with me, as her bright smile didn't vanish from her face, from the moment when I complimented her.

..

We sat there drinking coffee while enjoying the chocolate-flavored macron with it. We also talked about our classes and things related to the teachers. I still haven't brought up the topic of swimming class, as I don't want to ruin the moment Himawari is enjoying. But I will be sure to ask about it from her today.

As I was thinking of the right time to ask her the questions, Himawari suddenly brought a piece of macron in front of my mouth. Hmm?

"R-Ren, please let me f-feed you... Open your mouth..."

"..."

I didn't say anything, as I just opened my mouth and let Himawari feed me the chocolate-flavored macron. When she was done, she showed me her most cutest face I had ever seen on her face. I wanted to pat her head, but I controlled myself to do so.

It's because this action of Himawari, feeding me a macron, has already been caught and seen by everyone here, including the cafe owner, who is standing at the reception with a grin smile on his face.

Good Greif.

After noticing everyone's reaction, I gazed back at Himawari, who was looking at me with some expectancy in her eyes. Hmm? Now, what?

Do you want me to feed you or something, huh --

She nodded her head. No, wait. How does she know what I am thinking, huh?

Don't tell me --

When I tried to think deeper, she suddenly spoke --

"R-Ren, come on. Feed me too, just like I did with you... Aaahh"

"Oh..."

I am quite surprised by this. Yes, I am.

I mean. Who wouldn't be surprised if a cute girl like Himawari asked you to feed her? And you know what, this girl has always been a shy girl, as far as I can remember, so this action of hers is somewhat surprising to me.

.....

She didn't have any friends that time when I first met her at the park. She was sitting on the swing in that park while others were playing different games with each other. She was looking down at the ground, muttering something. When I sat near the empty swing, I swung so highly that many of the children present at the park started to praise me. Yes, they began to call me a 'monster'.

I don't know why, as I didn't do anything that strange. I just used the full potential of that mere swing. I just swung at the full 360-degree without producing any sound like 'Whooo' or something like that. While others were surprised, the girl named Hinata Aoi had some stars in her eyes.

Yes, she started admiring me for this act of mine and wanted to do the same, I mean the swing. So, she started to come into that park after that little incident of mine. As soon as she reached there, she first asked about my whereabouts from other people by saying 'Did you see that cool boy?' or 'Um, have you seen him?'

I mean. It was okay to ask the people and children about me, but she didn't even spare the animals from her investigation. Yes, she even asked the park dogs and cats. I mean -- *sigh* Well, her wish did come true, as one day, I decided to take a walk in the park for some reason. And when she noticed me, her eyes sparkled, and she ran towards me. I just stood there, observing her quietly. About one minute later, she finally reached out to me, standing in front of me while breathing heavily.

She said --

"I have been l-looking for you for a-about 15 d-days straight, y-you know..."

"Hmm"

I was eight years old at that time. And yeah, I was working under the White Room creator, Professor Ayanokouji, Ayanokouji Atsuomi. He had given me the order to kill someone named -- Ah, I don't seem to recall his name, and also, there is no need to remember someone who is not even alive, right?

.

Himawari told me she wanted to befriend me, so I didn't even think twice. I just agreed with her and said, Okay.

I just wanted to make people my tools. If they are not too beneficial to me today, they may be soon, so I should not miss this chance either.

By tools, I mean to use them to make some things easier for me. And I made Himawari my tool by asking her to do some things for me, and in exchange for it, I would teach her how to do the 360-degree swing. And she agreed to my condition.

We meet each other at 6 in the evening, every day, at the same park. I stand beside her or sit at the nearest bench and watch her fall every time. It continued for about fifteen days until and unless that incident happened between us.

..

"Come on. You can do this, Himawari..."

"Y-yes. I will try my best."

On the fifteenth day, when I said this and heard the Himawari response, I used my power a little bit more, which caused the swing to get more momentum. She did the full swing, but her grip loosened. Due to this, Himawari yelled in terror, her whole body in the air, and she also had a surprised expression on her face. Well, who will not be scared by this? Hmm, except for me.

She stayed in the air without moving for around five seconds until gravity began to have an impact.

The front of her face probably would be the very first part of her body to contact the ground, which would undoubtedly hurt her terribly.

When I was witnessing her fall, my body moved on its own in the direction where her fall would land.

And I saved her from getting hurt as she fell on top of me. Her whole body weight was on me even though I tried my best not to, but since we both were kids at that time and had the same body size. It's inevitable.

We remained in the position where one of my hands was gripping her waist, her chest on my face, her lower body on my stomach, her hands were also holding onto my head while she was crying loudly. On the other hand, my back was on the ground and there was a sharp rock on the ground that --

"~sob~ ~sob~"

"Good Grief..."

She kept me motionless in her stronghold while I grumbled to myself as I slowly rose to my feet. I had to move my legs forward because if I didn't, the pain in my back would surely increase, and maybe if I didn't move, I would surely get an injury mark on my back at that time.

I held her body with both of my hands and took her to the nearest bench. I dropped her down on that bench; she shivered a bit from my sudden action of her dropping, but she calmed herself down as she stopped crying.

Then I said nothing to her and left her alone in that park when I heard someone calling her name.

.....

[BACK TO PRESENT]

"R-Ren...?"

"Hmm..."

"Why are you spacing out? Do you not l-like this C-cafe? If that's the case, then --"

"No, it's not like that. I was recalling my first meeting with Himawari in my mind, and how clumsy she was at that time..."

As I said this, her face blushed hard, and she started to pout a little while her gaze looked down at her coffee cup.

"..."

We sat quietly for about five minutes until I decided to break the silence.

"Here... Open your mouth..."

I grabbed one of the macrons by my fork and offered it to her, taking it toward her face. As soon as she heard my voice, she turned her face in my direction, where one of her cheeks got touched by the macron my fork had been holding.

Oh. I guess some of the creams ended up on her cheek. She took out her handkerchief and cleaned her face with it. When she had done so, she opened her mouth and accepted my feeding.

Huh, now that I think about it. Himawari looked cuter as well as sexier just now, hmm? Is it my imagination or what? No, it --

[...]

...

*sigh*

I sighed as we reached our next destination, which was a theater. Yes, we are now going to watch a 'horror' movie. She didn't ask for my approval, so she apologized to me as we continued our walk. Well, it's not like I hate horror movies or anything like that; instead, I like that genre a little bit. But still, she should have asked me about my consent.

We entered the movie hall; the seats she booked for us were at the back of the theater, where, currently, no one was present.

So, we sat in our booked seats, still holding hands. We have been holding hands since the moment I held her hand in the cafe. She didn't let go of my hand, and it's not like I hate this or anything.

We sat there in complete silence. There are some people present in the hall, but they are all in the front seats, and they are also mostly single. I mean, it seems that most of them are not in any relationships or are on their own. Since the movie hasn't started yet and my childhood friend is also silent, I am observing the people who are here to watch the movie.

.

This is good. I don't seem to find anyone who knows me or is from our school. And the movie also seemed to start very soon, as the countdown to 10 had already started.

Let's see how much --

"R-Ren..."

"Hmm...?!"

Himawari called out to me just as the movie was going to start. I turned my face toward her to finally notice the current expression on her face.

She is blushing very badly, she is breathing heavily, and her drenched eyes are looking directly into my eyes. She is slowly moving toward me while tightening her grip on my hand to show that she doesn't want me to run away.

Well, don't worry; I will not run away, Himawari.

When her face came too close to mine, I could easily feel her rough breathing. The distance between us was so close that if she moved a bit more toward me, she could kiss me without any difficulty.

I thought I was going to lose my second kiss—no wait, that kiss was just an accident. So I can say this is my first kiss, right -- But...

.......

[MAGICAL HANDS] is the name of one of my abilities, which is solely for the responsibility to 'calm' my heroines down or help them find peace by holding onto my hands.

This ability could be said to be good or very dangerous for me.

It could be said to be a good ability because if one of my heroines is in trouble, feeling anxious, terrified, sad, or has an expression like the former feelings, then this ability should work perfectly and will be of great use to me.

It could be said 'dangerous' as well, because if I held a heroine's hand for more time than necessary, then this would have a high impact on her. Yes, it will make that heroine's temperature rise, their breathing abnormal, and their normal eyes form a pink heart inside. And, I guess, they started to feel like they wanted to do more things with me, like kissing, hugging, and, well, maybe many other things also.

..

Himawari is showing the same signs as I just mentioned. Her body temperature is high, her breathing is rough, and I can see a small pink heart inside both of her eyes.

I noticed these changes when she suddenly pulled herself back as she heard someone call out my name. She also loosened her grip on my hand, which she had been holding for about 30 minutes.

When she let go of my hand, she again started shivering a little bit. She tried to put both of her hands on her face, trying to hide her face, but she couldn't do that. So, she turned her face away from my direction to the other side, towards the wall.

I also heard some muttering from her, like, 'W-what I was trying to do just now, a-am I trying to k-k-k-kiss him...? Haah, how e-embarrassing...'

Hmm, how cute. But I think Himawari will be fine after some muttering to herself; the real problem right now is the other girl who called out to me.

.

"Kaneki-kun??"

I don't know, but my senses are tingling, saying, 'Don't you dare turn your head in her direction because if you do, then something bad will happen...'

During these past few months, I guess I never heard this voice, so it can't be one of my 'unlocked' heroines.

But I think I heard her voice before; my innermost mind says that she is one of the women I had contact with in the past, not like my contact with Himawari, who has become a childhood friend of mine now. But still --

"Hello, hello... You are Ken Kaneki-kun, right? Right?"

As she said this, she seemed to come towards me, and I could hear her footsteps in this messy place, the theatre, which had become loud just now.

I sighed lightly.

Yeah, she is one of those women.

She has pinkish-violet undertones in her long, silky black hair. She has a flower crown, earrings, and a key necklace, along with many braids that give her individuality.

Her name is Yui Kanakura. Tch. Who would have thought I would have the opportunity to see her again in this life, let alone at this theatre?

Good Grief.

"Hmm? Me? I think you got the --"

[YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE HEROINE [YUI KANAKURA]]

No, no, no, no...

That can't be true. Because if the possibility of her being one of my heroines comes true, it means there are some possibilities that 'those' women might be my heroines also.

[YUI KANAKURA [FEARSOME ONEE-SAN]

AFFECTION: 50 (CHILDHOOD?????!!!)]

But why the hell is this woman here? Does she not have any work left to do, huh? As far as I can remember, I left her when she became the head, or one might call her the leader, of the Chinese mafia group named Char Siu, meaning 'barbecued pork'.

I don't know who the hell is behind this name or who suggested it. But it's a nice name. Yes, it's a good name for an organization like that.

"*ahem* Um, I think you got the wrong person here. My name does contain Kaneki, but my name is Ren. Kaneki Ren."

I introduced myself, as I usually do these days. Yes, I have to change my way of introducing myself for a better one. In the past, I would say, that 'name is Kaneki...' and nothing else.

She was waiting for my reaction, which I gave. Upon hearing it, her response was like this: She had a frown on her face and a bewildered expression.

She murmured something under her breath before turning her head in a different direction, and now she is beaming. She must be considering something since I can tell by looking at her reaction.

.

"Oh, oh. I see. I see. Then, I apologize for disturbing both of you."

"No, no, it's fine... Oh, look, the movie is going to start, Himawari."

I immediately gave Himawari, the girl seated next to me, my complete attention after Kanakura Yui-san apologized.

She was gazing at me furiously while pouting, and I realized that she was silent. Her hands are likewise folded.

So, when I called out to her, she started her questioning.

"Ren, who is she?"

"Hmm? Oh, she, huh? I don't know her. There was some misunderstanding between us, as she mistook me for someone else. Hmm, but why are you asking this? Are you jealous or some--"

When I told her this, her glare lightened a bit. But when I was asking about her being jealous or not, she interrupted me and said this:

"Yes, I am. I am here on a date with you. So, I don't want to see you talk with other girls. Just look at me."

She is jealous, huh? Well, let's bring her back to her usual self.

"Oh, just as you wish. Aoi-chan..."

I called her by her first name, not by her nickname. And I got the reaction just as I wanted.

"Hmph -- W-what d-d-did y-you j-just c-call m-me? Y-you called me by my f-first n-name --"

"Hmm, what are you talking about, Himawari?"

"Ren! Don't tease me."

...

We are both enjoying the movie. It is not that scary, but the sound effects are great. These sound effects might be scary for others, but not for me.

Himawari has a look that could be said to indicate she is somewhat scared. She is holding onto my arm, and when any horror sound is produced in the movie, she tightens her grip. Well, it is fine with me, though.

But I am feeling somewhat uncomfortable because of the other person who is also sitting next to me. The person is none other than the one who interferes with us, the leader of Char Siu, Yui Kanakura.

I thought she would be sitting anywhere other than here, but she rather chose to sit here next to me. Her whole focus is on me, while others, including me, are on the movie.

She is not alone here, as I noticed some Chinese guys in this theatre. Their focus is on us, well, mainly on Kanakura-san, but sometimes they also see me from the corner of their eyes.

*sigh* I sighed and thought to myself that letting them do whatever they were doing right now would be the best thing for me to do here. So, I continued watching the movie.

..

When the movie finished, we both stood up from our seats and left the place as soon as possible because I had a call to attend in my apartment at 8:45, and right now, the time is 8:30 in the evening.

So, I need to be there on time.

.

"R-Ren... W-wait"

"Sorry, Himawari, but I have some important work to do in my apartment. If you planned anything more, I am sorry, okay --"

"Well, if you have important work to do, then it can't be helped. Okay, I get it."

When both of us reached Himawari's home, which is also in the same neighborhood where my apartment is, I told her my reasons for coming here so soon. She didn't say anything all this time when we were coming back here from the theatre, but she did have a disappointed expression on her face all this time.

Upon hearing my words, she showed me her bright smile. This time is the second time today, that I wanted to pat her head.

This time, I unconsciously, or consciously, I don't know, raised my hand and started to pat her head. She didn't look surprised; instead, she began to smile more brightly and, at last, hugged me very tightly.

Oh, man. She is too much of a sweet girl, hmm. Well, I think I should give a final touch to this date. What should I do? Hmm? Let's think: the kiss would be the best choice here, but I don't want to give her a peck here.

After thinking for about 10 seconds, I decided what to do.

"Himawari?"

As I called out her name, she broke the hug, looking disappointed and somewhat sad. So, I grabbed her chin with one of my hands and raised her face; we were now looking at each other. This whole thing made Himawari's face go completely red. She then closed her eyes and made her lips move like she wanted a kiss. 

Oho.

Well, not today. I bent my face a bit and kissed her forehead lightly. When she felt it, she opened her watery eyes. I said --

"With this, our date came to an end, Himawari..."

[AOI HINATA: +5 AFFECTION POINTS]

[HER IMAGE OF YOU CHANGED FROM [CHILDHOOD LOVE!!!!!] TO [MY LOVE!!!]]

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A/N: WELL, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THIS CHAPTER, HMM...? I THINK, I DID A FINE JOB HERE.

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