My Girlfriend Wanted an Open Relationship, So I Broke Up with Her and Found a Sweet Yandere - Chapter 16: The Date

[Yuuta’s POV]

I arrived at City Square slightly out of breath, scanning the crowd for Iroha-san. She wasn’t hard to spot—standing by the fountain, her arms crossed and a playful smirk on her face. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and she wore a simple yet stylish outfit: a cream cardigan over a navy skirt that swayed lightly in the evening breeze.

“You’re late, Takahashi-kun,” she said, tapping her foot theatrically.

“Sorry,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. “I overslept.”

“I figured,” she teased, her tone light. “You owe me snacks for making me wait.”

“Fair enough,” I replied with a chuckle, and we headed toward the cinema together.

—

As we stood in line for tickets, I glanced at the movie poster she’d picked out. It featured a young man standing under a streetlight, his face shadowed with a mix of longing and sorrow. Beside him was a woman with a suitcase, her back turned to the camera, as if she were walking away.

“A Half of Her,” I read aloud. “What’s it about?”

Iroha-san’s eyes sparkled as she explained. “It’s about a pair of high school friends who never confess their feelings for each other. The female lead leaves for a foreign country to study, and the male lead, heartbroken, spends the day wandering aimlessly. Later, he returns to find a mysterious woman crouched under a light pole—it turns out to be her, but at the same time, she’s also in a foreign country. Based on a novel—author’s a weirdo, or so I heard. Apparently, he takes ages to release his works.” She looked around and noticed people staring at her because she was quite loud.

“…That’s what was in the trailer, at least. It’s got mystery, drama, and a bit of psychological stuff. The trailer says it’s about events that defy logic and science!”

“That sounds… intense,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s more than that!” she said, nudging my arm. “It’s deep. I bet you’ll love it!”

—

After grabbing popcorn and drinks, we handed our tickets to the usher, who frowned as he checked them.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but it seems there’s an issue with your seats,” he said.

Iroha-san tilted her head. “What kind of issue?”

“The seats you booked were accidentally double-booked, and the other party already claimed them. Unfortunately, the hall is completely full.”

“Wait, what?!” Iroha-san exclaimed, clearly irritated. “So what are we supposed to do now?”

“We can refund your tickets or offer you seats for another movie,” the usher said apologetically.

We argued with the usher to no avail.

Iroha-san sighed, clearly disappointed. “Guess we don’t have much of a choice, huh?”

I shrugged. “Let’s see what else is playing. Might as well make the most of it.”

—

We ended up choosing a sci-fi movie with a ridiculous premise: an intergalactic war fought between alien chefs using cooking utensils as weapons.

“Battle of the Galactic Chefs?” Iroha-san asked incredulously as we settled into our seats.

“It was either this or a documentary about ants,” I said, trying to stifle a laugh.

The movie started, and within minutes, we were both snickering at the absurdity on screen. The alien protagonists were battling with giant spatulas and ladles, shouting dramatic lines like, “Your soufflé lacks soul!” and “Taste the wrath of my cosmic seasoning!”

By the time the villain declared his plan to conquer the universe with a sentient soup, Iroha-san was doubled over with laughter, clutching her sides.

“This is so stupid!” she giggled, wiping tears from her eyes.

“That’s what makes it great,” I replied, grinning.

—

About halfway through the movie, a particularly ridiculous scene involving an alien riding a flying teapot made Iroha-san laugh so hard that she accidentally spilled some popcorn on me.

“Ah! Sorry, Takahashi-kun!” she said, trying to brush the popcorn off my lap.

“It’s fine,” I said, waving her off, though I couldn’t help but notice the slight flush in her cheeks as she leaned closer.

“Still, I should’ve been more careful,” she muttered, avoiding my gaze.

I smiled awkwardly. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I wasn’t really using my lap anyway.”

She blinked at me for a moment before bursting into laughter again. “You’re such a dork, Takahashi-kun.”

—

By the time the credits rolled, we were both in high spirits.

“Well,” Iroha-san said as we exited the theater, “that wasn’t the movie I wanted to see, but it was definitely… memorable.”

“Memorable is one way to put it,” I agreed. “I don’t think I’ll ever look at teapots the same way again.”

She giggled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for making it fun, even if it wasn’t what we planned.”

“Anytime,” I said, offering her a small smile.

—

As we walked back toward the train station, Iroha-san suddenly spoke up. “You know, Takahashi-kun, this kind of felt like a real date.”

I froze for a split second, caught off guard by her words. “Uh, well… I guess it kind of was, huh?”

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “Don’t worry. I know you don’t see me that way.”

I relaxed slightly. “Yeah, I mean, I just got out of a relationship. Going on a real date this fast—that’s not a good look for a gentleman like myself, is it?”

“Right,” she said, her tone light but with a hint of something I couldn’t quite place.

—

As we parted ways at the station, Iroha-san waved cheerfully. “See you later, Takahashi-kun!”

“See you,” I called back, watching her disappear into the crowd.

“Arrived like wind and departed like a storm.”

It had been an odd but enjoyable evening, and as I headed home, I couldn’t help but think that, even without romantic feelings, it was nice to have someone like Iroha-san in my life.

“Haa…need sleep.”