I Ended up Getting Close With the Class Madonna Who Keeps Rejecting Confessions, Saying She Doesn’t Plan to Date Anyone - Chapter 7

“What do you mean by that?”

I stopped walking without thinking.

Shinoba stopped a step later and turned to look at me.

This girl looked at the schedule I carefully made, laughed, and even said, “Are you serious about this?”

“It means exactly what I said. I just wanted to check if this was a joke or not.”

“I’m completely serious. Anyone would be satisfied with this perfect date plan.”

“…This is the plan?”

—11:00 Meet at Minakura Station

—11:15 Lunch

—11:35 Depart

—11:51 Arrive at the movie theater

—11:59 Movie starts

—14:01 Movie ends

—14:14 Back to Minakura Station

—14:38 Arrive at Kayanami Station

—14:48 Arrive at the science museum

—14:54 Planetarium

“Can you believe this? There’s even a second page. I’m too scared to look at it.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s too packed! Is Sousuke-kun the type who thinks a date will be fun as long as you stuff it with events?”

“Well, of course, it’s fun if we go to fun places. Just so you know, after the movie and planetarium, I planned bowling, karaoke, and a night view spot to end the day.”

She hadn’t read the second page yet, so she didn’t understand the full glory of my schedule. Once she saw it all, maybe she’d change her mind.

But.

“This is exhausting! It’s way too much!”

Shinoba raised her voice, handed my phone back, and pressed her temples like she had a headache.

“Listen, Sousuke-kun. You’re completely misunderstanding something here.”

“Wait, we’ll talk while we walk. We need to get going or we’ll miss the movie.”

I started walking again, and Shinoba followed beside me.

The Minakura Station was fairly crowded for spring break.

It was the busiest place around here, so most people probably thought of it as the go-to meeting spot.

I was the same. I figured if we met here, we’d find something to do anyway.

“Wait, are you seriously planning to have lunch in just twenty minutes?”

“Of course. Otherwise, we’ll be late for the movie.”

When I picked up my pace, Shinoba followed beside me.

“Look, what I’m trying to say is that you planned too much. Rushing from place to place like this will just tire us out. Can’t we watch the later showing?”

“I can’t. I already bought the tickets.”

“You’re only careful about things like that!?”

That might’ve been the loudest I’d ever heard Shinoba’s voice.

In the end, after she insisted that a twenty-minute lunch was ridiculous, we agreed to skip it for now and just head to the theater.

Since the schedule changed a little, we had more time to relax. We walked side by side toward the movie theater.

“Hey, Sousuke-kun. Do you know what a date really is?”

I touched my chin and thought about it.

“It’s when a boy and a girl go out together and have a fun time, right?”

“…Well, that’s technically correct.”

I’ve written date scenes in my novels many times before. I didn’t want her to think I knew nothing.

…Though, to be fair, those scenes were usually the ones people criticized the most.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew I had to if I wanted to improve. If Shinoba was saying this much, then I was probably wrong somewhere.

That’s why I made this fake dating deal, to learn from it.

“Spending fun time together is right, but fun time doesn’t always mean going to fun places.”

“So you’re saying sitting on a park bench doing nothing is more fun than watching a movie?”

I said it, expecting her to deny it right away.

But she didn’t.

“Sometimes, yeah. At least for me, I think relaxing at a park would be more fun than a date packed this tightly.”

“…Seriously?”

“That’s an extreme example.”

When she saw my shocked face, Shinoba quickly tried to explain herself.

“If we keep running around like this, we’ll end up feeling more tired than happy.”

“…You’ve got a point.”

She was right.

I’d been trying so hard to make good memories that I focused only on going to fun places. I thought that was what made a date enjoyable.

Because of that, my schedule was too tight. I hadn’t thought about her energy or how she might feel.

In the end, it was a selfish plan made just for me.

…No wonder people always said the heroines in my stories were weird for enjoying this kind of date.

“Sousuke-kun, have you ever been on a date before?”

“Not officially.”

“I figured…”

Shinoba sighed and dropped her shoulders. That reaction was seriously annoying.

“That’s a rude reaction, you know.”

“Let’s ignore whatever unofficial date means for now. I’ll just have to teach you what a real date is.”

She let out a small sigh and lightly tapped her chest with a confident smile. It looked a little forced, but still cheerful.

It was a valuable opinion from a real girl. There’s probably no single right answer, but I could definitely learn something from her.

Still, I needed to check one thing first.

“I appreciate that, but can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Walking beside me, Shinoba tilted her head up toward me.

“You… have you ever been on a date yourself?”

Beginner or experienced.

From the way she talked, she didn’t seem to have a boyfriend now, and probably never had one before.

But that didn’t necessarily mean she’d never been on a date.

If she did have experience, then her advice would be even more valuable to me.

While I was thinking about that, I noticed Shinoba had stopped walking a few steps ahead.

I turned around to check on her.

She wasn’t angry exactly, more like she was sulking a little.

When I waited for her to speak, she puffed out her cheeks slightly, glared at me with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

“That’s… a secret.”

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Afterword

Thank you for helping the story rise in the rankings!

In return for all your support, we’ll be doing back-to-back updates this weekend!!!

The Date Arc is heading into its climax―.

Just when the two start to enjoy themselves, trouble draws near…!?