“Yes, that’s it. 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.

But for Honoka, who had never seriously fallen for someone before and was bound by a strange pride, perhaps this was the only way she could acknowledge her own romantic feelings for Rinta.

“For that to happen, I need to make him think I’m attractive.”

Honoka reached the conclusion that to make Rinta fall for her, she should dress as attractively as possible for their fake date today.

—That’s right. This wasn’t about the cute feeling of “wanting Hirarin to like me”. It was about “making Hirarin fall for me”, ohoho.

With these thoughts, Honoka began selecting clothes from her closet again.

“Hmm, maybe I should make him fall for me with the charm of a sharp, mature woman…”

She took out a pantsuit and examined it, but she then felt that if she went with the sharp, mature woman look, she might lose to Reika-shochou. So she took out different clothes instead—a blouse and miniskirt that made her look slightly younger than her age.

“Alright, this would be the cute girl route.”

—Oh, wait. She might lose to Ruka-tan when it came to cuteness… But she was shorter, so wouldn’t a cute style suit her better actually?

Until now, Honoka had never thought about winning or losing when comparing herself to Reika or Ruka. They were both wonderful women, but since there weren’t any decent men in the same office, there had never been any competition. Thinking about appearing more attractive than Reika or Ruka was a first for Honoka. She couldn’t find a good answer.

And amid all her worrying, Honoka suddenly realized something.

—Wait a minute… come to think of it…

“I wonder what kind of girls Hirarin likes…?”

Come to think of it, she had never heard about Rinta’s type of woman. She regretted not having gathered that information earlier… but it was too late now. She had to decide on today’s style without knowing his preferences.

“Hmm… I really can’t decide…”

What would make her look most attractive…?

—She should probably show off her large chest to create a mature impression, but with a touch of cuteness in her fashion to drive Hirarin crazy.

That was the answer Honoka arrived at.

“…So, this one then.”

A knit sweater that emphasized her chest, with a slightly longer half-coat to add cuteness. For the skirt, she chose a knee-length flared skirt that wasn’t too short and had a somewhat adult feel.

After putting on her selected outfit, she carefully applied makeup. Finally, she was fully prepared.

“Hehehe. Just you wait, Hirarin.”

Muttering this, Honoka slung a small shoulder bag over her shoulder and headed for the entrance. There, her mother was waiting, wearing a tulip hat and sunglasses.

The classic stalking outfit. Her mother looked at Honoka and grinned.

“Now, shall we depart, Honoka?”

“Mom… you’re really into this, aren’t you…”

“Hehehe. Of course. You’re putting in effort too, aren’t you? You certainly look different when meeting your boyfriend.”

“W-well, yes. Looking beautiful is a woman’s duty, hohoho.”

“Indeed. That’s good, ohoho.”

The mother and daughter, who were quite similar in some ways, exchanged somewhat competitive words before leaving the house and heading to the meeting place.

＊＊＊

When Honoka arrived at the meeting place in front of the station, Rinta was already there. He was standing in front of a bronze dog statue in the station plaza. He hadn’t noticed Honoka yet.

Of course, her mother was keeping her distance, following a bit behind.

Looking at Rinta’s clothes, Honoka saw he was wearing the same suit he usually wore at the company. He didn’t seem to have put in much effort.

—Huh? This made it look like she was the only one who put in effort, the only one looking forward to the date… Ugh…

Feeling a bit frustrated, Honoka approached Rinta with slightly stomping steps. As she passed by, she could hear men around her murmuring.

“Hey, look at that girl. She’s really beautiful.”

“You’re right. Is she a celebrity?”

—That’s right, that’s right. This made all the effort she put into dressing up worth it. Hehehe.

Her heart, which had become slightly displeased at seeing Rinta’s outfit, easily flipped back with the surrounding voices. Honoka seemed rather simple-minded.

—Now Hirarin would be a pushover. She’d knock him out in seconds. Hehehe, she couldn’t wait.

Thinking that Rinta would surely be mesmerized by her unusually beautiful appearance, Honoka called out to him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Hirarin~”

“Oh, Honoka, you’re here. Let’s get going then. As planned, we’ll eat first and then go to the bowling alley.”

“Huh…?”

—What was with this casual reaction?

A pushover? Knock him out in seconds?

—No, no, no. After all that effort she put into her makeup and agonizing over her outfit, she got no reaction!? Other people were praising her so much, but the one who mattered, Hirarin, was like this?

“What’s wrong, Honoka? Does your stomach hurt?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you look like you’re in pain.”

—That’s because of you! What an insensitive man… Ah… my heart is about to break. No, I can’t give up so easily. Come on, me, you can do this!

Honoka rallied herself and switched her mindset. She renewed her vow to make Rinta fall for her.

And when Rinta finally fell for her, she decided she would make him get down on his knees and apologize for his lack of reaction earlier.

“I-I’m fine. Shall we go?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The Italian casual restaurant with good reviews that Rinta had found on the gourmet site was about a five-minute walk from the station. The bowling alley was also just a short walk from there. The two began walking side by side through the shopping district in front of the station.