I Started Dating Someone By Taking Advantage Of Her Weakness, But I Was Actually Dating Her Mother - Chapter 33-34: The Second Date (Part 9&10)

(It’s very delicious, but I can’t relax.)

Yoriko grabbed the sushi with her hand, dipped it lightly in soy sauce, and put it in her mouth. The fresh fish melted and spread in her mouth, with the slightly tangy shari rice joining to cover it, creating a luxurious taste she had never experienced before. However, more than that, she found herself wondering how much this one piece cost, making her feel restless.

“I think it’s delicious, but what do you think?” 

“It’s really, really delicious.” 

“I see. I’m happy that you’re enjoying it.”

Yoriko answered Jin’s question while being careful not to seem unnatural.

(Sigh, this is the last piece. Eight pieces alone feels a bit insufficient.)

The sushi arranged on the geta consisted of eight pieces, and Yoriko was about to eat the last one. Honestly, this amount didn’t satisfy her stomach, but she could easily imagine it would be expensive, and she felt scared to order more.

“Do you want to order anything else, Tsukimizato-san?”

Shake shake shake.

“I’m already full.” 

“I see. Then shall we leave?” 

“Yes.”

Yoriko couldn’t bring herself to say she wanted to order more and lied to Jin, who had already finished eating, saying she was full.

“Two deluxe sushi sets for 18,000 yen.”

(No way, that’s 9,000 yen for one set?)

Jin and Yoriko left the counter seats and headed to the register to pay. When the female server told them the amount, Yoriko was shocked that 9,000 yen worth of food had gone into her stomach.

“I’ll pay with this, please.” 

“20,000 yen received, and here’s your change of 2,000 yen. Thank you very much.”

Jin took money from his wallet and quickly settled the bill.

“Well then, shall we go, Tsukimizato-san?” 

“Yes, um, thank you for paying.” 

“It’s fine. Just having you go on a date with me like this makes me happy.”

(Oh, I feel bad for relying on Kaneda-kun so much. What can I give him in return…?)

Toward Jin, who quietly paid without saying anything, Yoriko worried about what kind of return she could give him.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Tsukimizato-san?” 

“Huh? Let’s see. Oh, I know. Shall we go to a park?” 

“A park, huh. That sounds nice. There are several places we could go from here, but let’s leave here first.” 

“Yes. We can think about our destination on the way.”

Jin and Yoriko decided to go to a park and leave the department store.

“From this location, the closest would be the station plaza. Next would be Central Park, which is a short walk away, and then there’s the seaside park, which is two train stations away.”

Jin and Yoriko left the department store and began thinking about their next destination. From Yoriko’s suggestion, Jin referenced his mental database and proposed three destinations.

“If we go to the seaside park now, considering the time we’d have to leave, it would be tough, so would Central Park be okay?”

“That’s fine. Well then, shall we go?”

Yoriko had a set time to return home because she had to prepare dinner. The station plaza had heavy foot traffic, and even though it was maintained as a park, it wasn’t really a place where one could relax. Given these circumstances, when she suggested Central Park, which was a short walk from their current location, Jin accepted the proposal.

“There’s a lot of foot traffic around here. It seems difficult to walk side by side. Make sure to hold my hand tightly so we don’t get separated.”

“I understand.”

Since Central Park was on the back side of the station, they had to cross the railway tracks. Rather than a level crossing, it was a tunnel called an underpass that went beneath the tracks, and perhaps to save on construction costs, the walkway became very narrow just in that section.

There were many other people trying to move to the opposite side of the tracks as well, creating a crowded situation that made walking difficult. Jin acted as a shield to protect Yoriko from the flow of people as they moved through this narrow walkway.

“Whew, we somehow managed to get through.”

“Yes. This side hasn’t changed since long ago, so it’s completely different from the streetscape on the other side.”

“I think so too. There are quite a few old buildings, and it feels like you can sense the era.”

The opposite side of the tracks hadn’t been heavily developed, so it retained the old-fashioned townscape. The wooden buildings were closely spaced, creating a streetscape that continued like an old-fashioned station-front shopping district.

“That’s right. Most of the shops have closed down, and it’s become so desolate that it’s hard to believe there was once a time when it was lively.”

Yoriko barely had memories from her childhood of when this back-station shopping district still retained its vitality. Though she didn’t say it aloud, she vaguely remembered what used to be sold in the combined residence-shops that were now closed.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Hah, hah, we finally made it.”

“Tsukimizato-san, are you alright?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine. I might have gotten tired because we walked quite a bit.”

Since Yoriko had been matching Jin’s walking pace, by the time they reached Central Park beyond the old back-station shopping district, she was nearly out of breath. Seeing Yoriko breathing heavily with gasping breaths, Jin thought she might have become unwell and asked her with a worried expression.

(As expected of a young man. With my stamina, it was all I could do to keep up.)

Yoriko, while catching her breath, was made to realize the difference in their ages.

“Shall we rest a bit on that bench?”

“Y-yes. Sorry for making you worry about me.”

Jin judged that it would be better to let Yoriko rest and suggested they rest on a bench installed near the park entrance.

“Sorry for walking at my own pace. I should have been more considerate of you, Tsukimizato-san.”

“It’s fine. It’s because of my lack of exercise, so don’t worry about it.”

Jin had little experience walking with people other than family members, and he hadn’t noticed that Yoriko was pushing herself to keep up. Once they sat on the bench and he could think calmly, he reflected on his lack of consideration and apologized to Yoriko.