I Just Wanted a Girlfriend, But Now I Have Three Fiancées! …Even Though I Don’t Remember Proposing to Any of Them - Chapter 13: I Drank Coffee and Now I’m Going on a Date

Chapter 13: I Drank Coffee and Now I’m Going on a Date

“Haru-senpai! Good morning!”

“Morning…”

Mitsuki was bursting with energy, same as always—

Meanwhile, I looked like death warmed over.

Why?

Because I didn’t sleep a single second last night.

It’s my first date ever.

Plus, I’m planning to finally come clean about the whole coffee-memory-loss thing today.

I was so nervous, I couldn’t shut my brain off at all.

“You look super pale! Don’t tell me… were you so excited about our date that you couldn’t sleep?”

“…Something like that.”

“Wait—s-seriously?!”

I was just joking, but she looked way more shocked than I expected—

Her voice even trembled a little.

“Y-You really couldn’t sleep because you were that excited for our date? Senpai, how old are you again?”

“I’ve never even been on a date before, alright…”

Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, but my brain was totally out of whack.

I couldn’t even tell if I was answering things the right way anymore.

“Whaaat?! Then that means… this is your first date ever?!”

“Keep your voice down… That’s super embarrassing…”

“Why’s it embarrassing? It’s my first date too!”

“Wait—really? That’s… honestly kind of surprising.”

“Is it normal? Or is it surprising? Which is it?!”

Mitsuki shot me a flat-eyed glare.

Okay, okay—

It was just… surprisingly unexpected.

“Well, I mean… you’re cute, Mitsuki.”

“C-Cute…? Haru-senpai, are you being bold today or something?!”

“I just kinda figured someone as cute as you must’ve dated someone already.”

“…that’s not true at all.”

She said it so quietly I almost didn’t catch it.

“Huh? What was that?”

“I said—Haru-senpai is the first person I’ve ever dated!!”

Before I could respond, Mitsuki grabbed my arm and started tugging me toward the shopping mall.

“Back in middle school, I never imagined I’d be going out like this with you, Haru-senpai.”

“Yeah, same. You were the ultimate sunshine girl back then.”

“I was not! Don’t exaggerate.”

Mitsuki and I had known each other since middle school.

I hated the whole rowdy sports club vibe, so I joined the literature club back then—
And Mitsuki?
She joined too.

“I remember being super surprised. Like, wow—one of the cutest first-years just casually joining our club?”

“Did you really think that? You were literally the only one who didn’t freak out when I joined, you know.”

“…Yeah, probably.”

I mean, I did think Mitsuki was cute.

Beautiful, even.

So it made sense that everyone else got flustered.

But the thing is—

I had Mei as my childhood friend.

And Mei was… stunning.

We used to walk to school together almost every day in elementary school, so I guess…

I just kind of got used to being around someone that cute.

“You know, Haru-senpai… You were the only one who actually talked to me when I joined the club.”

“Was I?”

“You were! Everyone else only started talking to me after you did.”

…Oh.

Now that she mentioned it, I kind of remembered.

Back then, our clubmates had no idea how to handle it.

A super cute first-year girl suddenly joined the literature club—and no one knew what to do.

So they treated her like some fragile, untouchable artifact, tiptoeing around her in silence.

I’d seen that same exact thing happen to Mei.

Even though her personality was… well, unique—her looks were top-tier.

And that always made it harder for her to blend in.

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t stand seeing it happen again.

So I just… talked to Mitsuki.

“Yeah… I guess that really did happen.”

“I was seriously so happy back then, you know?”

“No way. You can’t be serious.”

I mean, come on—

I was just some shy bookworm hiding in the corner of the classroom.

Why would she be happy that I talked to her?

“…Haru-senpai, sometimes you really do underestimate yourself to a ridiculous degree.”

“It’s not underestimating… It’s just that I don’t think I match up.”

“Match up with what?”

“You and me. I just don’t think we fit together.”

When I said that, Mitsuki gave me a small, gentle smile.

“That’s not true at all.”

“…You think so?”

“I know so. If anything—it’s the other way around.”

“The other way?”

“I’m the one who doesn’t measure up to you, senpai.”

“Now why would you think that?”

Mitsuki usually had a comeback for everything, so I figured she’d have an answer for this too…

But instead—

“That’s a secret ♪”

She just smiled and dodged the question entirely.

“Haru-senpai! Let’s go watch a movie!”

“Huh? Oh, sure. But… what about the rice bowls?”

“Who cares about that right now? Wait—you weren’t seriously planning to go on a date with a girl and only buy bowls, were you?”

“…Well, I kinda figured that’d be enough.”

“And that’s why we’re going to the movies! Movies are a must for a proper date!”

“They are?”

“They totally are.”

She said it with so much confidence, I almost believed her…

Even though she’d just said this was her first date too.

Still—

“Come on! Let’s go already!”

Her excitement was so overwhelming, I just gave up and followed her toward the theater.

But honestly… I don’t really watch movies.

Like, at all.

I had no idea what was even showing—let alone how to buy a ticket.

So, I just left everything to Mitsuki.

“Haru-senpai, let’s sit here!”

Mitsuki pointed to two seats near the front of the theater, right next to each other.

I didn’t really care where we sat—it’s not like I had any strong opinions about movie theater seating or anything—so I just nodded.

Then she leaned in and whispered a quiet, “…Yesss,” before quickly reserving the seats.

“Huh? Why’s it a bit pricier than usual?”

I tilted my head as I looked at the screen.

Was going to the movies always this expensive?

Before I could even finish that thought, Mitsuki answered with a proud grin.

“Yup! That’s ‘cause it’s a couple’s seat!”

“C-Couple’s what now?”

“Eh? You’ve never heard of it? It’s a special seat for couples to sit side by side and watch the movie together!”

“…Huh. Neat.”

Apparently, movie theaters had evolved way more than I realized since the last time I went.

Though I’m not entirely convinced that just sitting closer together counts as “evolving”…

“What’s it even like?”

“Actually… I don’t know either.”

“You don’t?”

“I did tell you, didn’t I? This is my first date too.”

“…Oh. Right.”

She just sounded so confident, I totally forgot.

“Looks like they’re letting people in now! Let’s go!”

The movie Mitsuki picked was some Japanese romance flick I barely recognized.

I think I’d seen the commercial on TV once or twice—never really paid it much attention.

But hey…

I probably wouldn’t ever watch something like this on my own, so in a way…

I was kind of looking forward to it.

“Whoa, Senpai! Look at this! It’s really a two-person seat!”

“For real. And hey—this little divider blocks the view from the sides, huh?”

“Ehehe. So, Senpai… what are we gonna do in here?”

“We’re watching a movie, obviously.”

I shot back a quick reply as I sat down, and Mitsuki plopped into the seat beside me.

Right then, a soft, sweet scent drifted over from her side.

“Can’t wait, Senpai.”

“…Yeah. Me too.”

Then slowly, Mitsuki’s hand reached over… and gently rested on top of mine.

I flinched a little, caught off guard—

But she just tightened her grip and didn’t let go.

“…Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

That was the best I could manage to sound even remotely calm.