Rinta had somehow come up with three different date course options.

“Thank you. For putting so much thought into this.”

Unusually for Honoka, she had a gentle smile on her face. And her words of gratitude came out very sincerely.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry I couldn’t come up with better options. I just tried to think of things you might enjoy. I really wanted to plan a more stylish date course, but this was the best my brain could manage.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure it was.”

“WHAT?! What did you just say?!”

Rinta glared at Honoka with sharp eyes.

“Oh, I’m kidding! It was a joke! Don’t be mad!”

“I’m not mad. I was joking too.”

“Really? That’s mean. You really scared me.”

“Haha. So even you get scared sometimes?”

“Of course I do. I’m a… delicate maiden, you know.”

“Huh? You? A delicate maiden?!”

“That’s right! Got a problem with that?”

“No, not at all.”

“Very well. I shall forgive you.”

“Haha, thank you for your forgiveness.”

—What was this? They were acting like a real couple, weren’t they?

Thinking this, Honoka felt a squeeze in her chest. This silly banter… but somehow it was incredibly fun.

“So, back to the main topic, which course would you prefer, Honoka?”

“Well… I…”

—Seriously though, what kind of guy was Hirarin?

By “what kind of guy”, Honoka meant it in a positive way, of course.

It was just a fake date, and she was the one who had imposed on him with this unreasonable request. Yet not only did Rinta not find it troublesome, he came up with three plans for her to choose from. That was the sense in which she wondered what kind of amazing guy he was.

—Hirarin really was a capable businessman.

What was important in sales was to provide customers with multiple options to choose from. Too many options would confuse the customer, while too few would leave them dissatisfied. Three options was just right—it was considered a magic number.

“Well then… I want to go back to my childhood and hit the arcade and bowling alley!”

“I see! Actually, I was hoping for the arcade and bowling too. We think alike.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

He said he personally preferred the same option she chose. Showing empathy was also an important technique for salespeople.

Was Rinta using a technique, or did he genuinely feel that way? When Honoka looked at Rinta’s face, his smile seemed natural, suggesting it was his true feelings rather than a technique.

—Hirarin didn’t seem like the type to rely on sales techniques.

Rinta’s sincere and earnest attitude was unconsciously moving others’ hearts. That’s what Honoka felt.

“So, Honoka. Next Sunday, right? Looking forward to it.”

Rinta said this with a smile as Honoka passed through the ticket gate at the station.

“Oh, yes. Me too…”

After saying that much, Honoka became too embarrassed to continue. She was definitely looking forward to her date with Rinta. No, more than definitely—she was fully aware that she was extremely excited about it, but she found it too embarrassing to say that directly to Rinta.

As she climbed the stairs to the platform after parting with Rinta at the ticket gate, Honoka reflected a little.

—Ah, she really was twisted, wasn’t she?

Why couldn’t she simply say she was happy when she was happy, or that she liked something when she liked it? From now on—she wanted to be able to express herself more honestly. That’s what Honoka was thinking.

But whether she could actually become more honest was another matter.

◇◇◇◇◇

Sunday, the day of her promised date with Rinta had arrived. If she couldn’t successfully fool her mother with this, the matchmaking talk would flare up again. Would it work out?

With such worries in mind, she chose what to wear today.

“Since it’s just a fake date, I don’t need to put too much effort into choosing my clothes, right?”

While saying this, Honoka was standing in front of her closet, selecting her outfit. In fact, she had already been agonizing over it for an hour since early morning. Suddenly realizing that her words and actions didn’t match, she hurriedly made excuses to herself.

“Oh, but even for a fake date, I’ll be seen by many people, so I need to look presentable. It’s not like I want Hirarin to think I’m cute or anything…”

After making these excuses to herself, Honoka suddenly thought:

—Wait, honestly, do I want Hirarin to think I’m cute…?

Could it be that she actually liked Hirarin? Did she want to date him?

Honoka questioned her heart. And she thought about it seriously.

Well, she liked him as a person. That was for sure, but was this love? Should she confess to Hirarin and ask him to go out with her?

“No, no, no, that can’t be right!”

What exactly was this feeling? Until now, Honoka had never experienced the sensation of liking someone so much she couldn’t stand it. Usually, men would confess to her, and she would date them because they were handsome or seemed like good guys.

The men she had dated before were, in terms of like or dislike, around “well, I guess I like them”.

So perhaps she was afraid of falling hard for someone unilaterally. Plus, somehow it felt frustrating to be the one asking to date someone. If possible, she wanted to be liked and confessed to, just like before. As someone who had always been extremely popular, Honoka couldn’t fully be honest with herself about these feelings.

“Yes, that’s it. That’s good. I’ll make Hirarin fall for me instead! That’s what I’ll do. Hehehe.”

Even though just yesterday she had thought about wanting to express herself more honestly. In the end, Honoka had come up with such a devious plan.