I Started Dating Someone By Taking Advantage Of Her Weakness, But I Was Actually Dating Her Mother - Chapter 13-14: First Date (Part 9&10)

“Kaneda-kun, there are so many people.” 

“You’re right. It seems the dolphin show at this aquarium is quite popular, so many people have arrived early to secure spots.”

The pool where the dolphin show was held was located outdoors, therefore Jin and Yoriko exited the building and headed toward the dolphin exhibition pool. The pool was fan-shaped, with tiered seating arranged around the outside. Already many families and couples had secured their spots, leaving only a few vacant seats.

“Kaneda-kun, there are empty seats in the front row. Let’s sit there.” 

“Good idea. We should be able to see well from those seats.”

The seating rose higher toward the back, and there were exactly two vacant seats at the very front. Jin and Yoriko sat down and waited for the dolphin show to begin.

“The dolphins swimming in front of us will perform tricks, right?” 

“I think so.”

Yoriko pointed to the three dolphins swimming gracefully in the large tank in front of them as she asked Jin.

“I’m feeling a bit nervous even though we’re just waiting for it to start.” 

“Y-yes. If you’re nervous, would you like to hold hands?”

While Yoriko was excitedly waiting for the dolphin show to begin, Jin, on a sudden impulse, asked if she wanted to hold hands.

(Oh no, maybe I got a bit too carried away. I wonder if I’ve offended her?)

Jin immediately regretted the words that had slipped out of his mouth. He had judged their date to be going well so far and had become curious about what it would feel like to hold hands with a girl.

(That’s true. It really does feel like a real date. Kaneda-kun has spent a lot of money on me, so I suppose I could at least hold his hand.)

Yoriko felt apologetic about making Jin spend so much money on this date. While threatening her daughter was an unforgivable act, she thought this would be a significant expense for a student’s allowance and felt inclined to grant at least this small request.

“That’s fine. Here you go.” 

“Oh, thank you.”

Yoriko gently offered her hand, and Jin nervously touched it.

(It’s warm. But her fingertips and palm are a bit rough and calloused. Hmm, it’s a bit different from what I expected, but my heart is racing.)

As Jin held Yoriko’s hand, he felt its warmth. However, at the same time, her hands were quite rough, a bit hard and calloused. He had expected a soft touch, but it was different from his expectations.

(Hehe, I’m holding hands with a boy. Kaneda-kun’s hand is soft and warm. I wonder if it’s a bit sweaty because he’s nervous. It’s somehow innocent and reminds me of my younger days.)

Yoriko was reminiscing about the bittersweet memories of her school days. As Jin and Yoriko held hands, they were each lost in their own thoughts.

“Thank you for waiting. We will now begin the dolphin show.” 

“Oh, it looks like it’s starting.” 

“I’m looking forward to it.”

When it was time for the dolphin show to begin, a young woman with a microphone appeared on the side of the pool. Jin and Yoriko were waiting with their hands still joined, and Jin felt Yoriko’s grip tighten slightly.

“Today, three dolphins will be performing for everyone gathered here. First is the male dolphin, Taro.”

The female announcer began introducing the dolphins swimming gracefully in the pool.

SPLASH!

“Amazing! He jumped when she called out his name.” 

“Ah!”

Yoriko let out a cry of delight at the dolphin Taro’s jump. She released Jin’s hand and was applauding enthusiastically.

(Tsukimizato-san looks like she’s having so much fun.)

The remaining two dolphins were then introduced, and under the instructions of the trainer who appeared during this time, various tricks were performed.

“This concludes our dolphin show. Please continue to enjoy your time at our aquarium.”

The approximately 10-minute dolphin show ended, and the female announcer and the trainer returned to the staff room at the back of the pool. The dolphins that remained in the pool began to show their graceful swimming once again.

“Kaneda-kun, that was amazing. I was surprised that dolphins could jump so high.” 

“Yeah. And dolphins are really smart, aren’t they?” 

“They certainly are! They were understanding and following the trainer’s instructions.”

Yoriko, still not completely calmed from her excitement, enthusiastically discussed the dolphin show with Jin.

“Tsukimizato-san, it’s a bit late, but shall we have lunch?” 

“Yes, but where should we eat?”

Jin checked the time and saw that it was almost 2 p.m. Though it was already past the typical lunch hour, considering that Yoriko had eaten a parfait earlier, Jin invited her to have lunch at this time.

“We haven’t finished seeing the whole aquarium yet, so would the on-site restaurant be okay? If re-entry was allowed, we could eat outside, but since re-entry isn’t permitted here, we don’t have much choice.” 

“That’s true. Since we’ve come all this way, I’d like to see all the exhibits.”

Since this aquarium did not allow re-entry, if they wanted to continue viewing after lunch, they had to eat inside. With no other options, Jin invited Yoriko to the on-site restaurant.

“According to the guide map, it should be around here.” 

“Kaneda-kun, I found it.” 

“You’re right. Thank you, Tsukimizato-san. Since we’re past the busy lunch hour, it seems quite empty inside.”

Jin and Yoriko walked towards the restaurant, guided by the facility map. Since it was past the typical lunch hour, the restaurant was not crowded, with only a few families with small children who seemed to have also avoided the rush hour.

“Tsukimizato-san, what would you like?” 

“Well…”

(I underestimated it, thinking it would be a family-friendly restaurant. Everything is slightly expensive. I don’t want to burden Kaneda-kun any further. What should I do?)

The on-site restaurant operated on a prepay system where customers decided what to order at the register and paid in advance. Yoriko was pondering what to choose while looking at the menu posted on the wall, but the prices were set higher, what might be called “tourist prices”, and she felt like she didn’t want to cause Jin any more financial trouble.