Home Date? No, I'm Cooking At Her House For Some Reason - Chapter 2

May 16 (Monday): Confession…

The final day of the cultural festival was a day for students only, so the school was relatively quiet except for the gymnasium.

I was in my classroom with my four close friends, engrossed in a board simulation game (SLG).

This wasn’t the type of SLG where players move alternately. Instead, we predicted the opponent’s movement, took good positions, and attacked.

We were chatting and writing down our action plans on sheets as we played.

“…Since the inertia moves to this position, next it’ll go here, then here, and then face this direction…”

“Hey, what should we do for lunch? We have meal tickets, so should we go to the cafeteria early and buy something?”

“Wait a minute… if I move this way, I won’t have enough thrust… what should I do?”

Then…

Okada-san entered the classroom through the back door and seemed to be calling for me. She seemed to be in a hurry, but was there something urgent?

The class exhibit was already over, and since she wasn’t involved in the performance in the gym, she shouldn’t have anything else to do.

That’s why we were leisurely playing the SLG from the Z & ZZ Gundam era in our classroom.

“Hattori-kun! Can you come here for a moment? I need you for something.”

“Hold on a sec! Sorry, something came up. Go ahead without me.”

“”””Got it.”””
My three friends smirked and gave me a knowing look.
“What’s up?”

“””Nothing…… isn’t it obvious?”””

As I left the classroom, Okada-san took my hand and started running.

Even though we’ve only recently become acquainted, I didn’t think she was the type to rush like this.

Did something urgent came up?

“What do you need? Is there something missing? The cultural festival should be over with the performance on the gym stage.”

“Can you come this way?”

“???”

She led me to a secluded spot in the special classroom building.

Since it was a day for students only, no one else was around. She asked me to sit with her on the stairs.

We started talking a lot during the preparations for the cultural festival.

After spending two weeks searching for materials together after school, we naturally became quite comfortable with each other, occasionally walking hand in hand like earlier.

She had a slightly round face, slightly long black straight hair in a short style, and was more cute than beautiful, making her easy to talk to.

She was a bit taller than average for a girl but still shorter than me, the tallest in the class.

She didn’t seem skinny but looked slender, perhaps due to her height. Her legs, extending from her skirt, were nicely slim and exactly my type.

She was quite popular among both boys and girls, though not necessarily considered one of the top beauties in the class.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hattori-kun, you said you weren’t dating anyone, right?”

“Yeah, that hasn’t changed.”

We had talked about relationships during the festival preparations, ensuring no one had a jealous partner that might cause issues.

I had said I didn’t have a girlfriend. It’s not like I had become more attractive in just a couple of weeks.

“I’m gladーーーー.”

“Hmm?”

“…Please go out with me!”

After some hesitation, she confessed out of the blue.

I had a feeling this might happen… when she called me out.

But still, the fact that I was confessed to for the first time is something I strongly feel is unbelievable…

“Why do you like me? My face isn’t that great? I am tall though.”

“Hmm, I like that you’re kind. You helped me a lot during the festival prep. I value kindness and being easy to talk to over looks. But I don’t think you’re unattractive either.”

Hearing her say I wasn’t unattractive made me happy.

No one had ever said that to me so directly before. I helped because it was my task too, and seeing someone having a hard time made me want to assist.

Isn’t it normal to help someone struggling if you’re done with your part?

“I was just being myself.”

“Even so, it made me happy.”

“Really? That makes me glad. It was worth helping.”

“Yes.”

I could feel my face turning red.

It was embarrassing but hearing this was important, so I asked.

“Aren’t you worried that I might not be your type?”

“I am, but I figured I’d confess first and see.”

“I have preferences, but it’s not like I’m popular enough to be picky. I think it’s more important to be easy to get along with and easy to talk to than to worry about preferences. If the appearance isn’t too bad, it’s fine. Also, I guess I prefer slender legs. Hahahaha.”

“Eh? Legs? Is that so? Hahahaha.I’m not confessing to someone just because they perfectly fit my preferences either. I think it’s more about liking someone you find appealing.”

Since our relationship wasn’t a dreamy one based on appearance, it felt like we could have a comfortable distance.

I was overjoyed just to be confessed to and wanted to date her.

It’s more about personality and ease of getting along than looks.

“So, what do you think?”

“Is it okay if it’s me? In that case, shall we go out, like a trial period? When you get to know me better, you can decide if you really want to go out with me. If it’s not okay, just say so. But if it’s alright with you…”

“Does that mean Hattori-kun won’t reject me?”

“If I find that we’re so incompatible that I can’t stand it, maybe it’s better to break up. Since I’ve never been in a relationship with anyone, I don’t know how bad it will be that I won’t be able to date you.”

I suggested trying it out, and Okada-san agreed.

As a beginner in love, I wasn’t sure what to do and didn’t want to burden her.

Besides, after being confessed to, I can’t criticize her; I can’t afford to be so indulgent.

“Tomorrow is the make-up holiday for the festival. Do you have any plans? If not, how about a movie? I don’t have any plans, so I was just going to hang out at home.”

“Really? I don’t have any plans, so it’s okay.”

“Since Yamada is busy, I didn’t plan anything with the guys. Let’s watch a movie and chat over tea.”

“Yay! What time do you want to meet up?

We planned our first date for the next day.

I’d never gone out with a girl alone before, so I was both nervous and excited.

We needed to pick a movie we both liked to avoid any disappointment.

“Anytime is fine, but it depends on the movie. What do you want to watch? I’m not into romance, especially in Western films. Are you okay with horror or action?”

“Let me check the movie listings on my phone… How about anime?”

“Sure. I think they’re showing a popular movie right now.”

“Then let’s meet at 9:30.”

“Sounds good. See you then.”

With our plans set, I wondered what to do next.

Going back to my friends would just invite teasing, so I wanted to enjoy the festival with her.

“What do you want to do now? We were going to play games, but it feels pointless now.”

“Shall we watch the performances in the gym?”

“Let’s do that.”

Watching the festival performances with her was a new and enjoyable experience.

Watching live bands and drama club plays with her was much more fun than with just the guys.

After watching the performances and having a break in the cafeteria, we returned to the classroom where my friends teased me, but having a girlfriend made it easy to brush off.