When I Helped Out At My Classy Classmate's Family Home, They Started Going All Out To Close In On Me From Every Angle. - Chapter 27: Does going out with a girl count as a date?  ―1

Does going out with a girl count as a date?  ―1

On a holiday in mid-May.

At 8:30 AM, I was putting on my shoes at the entrance, preparing to head to the kitchen.

Although I was technically a live-in guest, I was receiving three meals a day, and my electricity, gas, and water bills were covered. On top of that, my part-time job paid three times the typical hourly rate at a restaurant, which was an almost absurdly good deal.

At this point, I began to worry that I might be getting too much, and I thought I should at least pay for rent—but—

“Don’t worry about it. Like I said before, just relax like it’s your own home. Treat it like it’s your own home.”

Yuri-san had kindly declined when I offered.

In that case, I decided to repay the favor through my work, and I made it a point to enter the kitchen earlier than anyone else and do the prep work.

I finished putting on my shoes, slapped my cheeks, and motivated myself.

“Alright! Let’s do our best today!”

“Yo, Tetsu. You can take the day off today.”

“Huh?”

Just then, I was told this by Gen-san, who had walked over.

I was taken aback and blinked a few times in confusion.

“Is it really okay?”

“You’ve been working hard all the time, so it’s important to take a break now and then, right?”

“I-I see… understood.”

Though confused, I nodded, and Gen-san smiled, then went back.

I stood still at the entrance, with my arms crossed, muttering to myself.

I unexpectedly got a day off, but what should I do with my time?

“Oh? What’s wrong, Tetsu-kun? You’re spacing out?”

As I was deep in thought, Yuri-san came in, taking over from Gen-san, and asked me.

“I just got the day off from work and was thinking about what to do.”

“I see. Well, I have just the thing for you.”

Yuri-san clapped her hands together and said, “Wait here for a moment,” as she went back the way she came.

A little while later, she returned with a piece of paper in her hand.

“This is something a friend gave me, but I want to give it to you. Would you like it?”

Yuri-san handed me the piece of paper.

What could it be? I peered at it and—

“A ticket for Amanyan the movie!?”

I let out a mix of surprise and excitement.

Amanyan was an anime adaptation of a popular manga, and it had been such a success that a second season and a movie were in the works. The nationwide release for the movie had started at the beginning of the month.

Seeing my excitement, Yuri-san looked at me in surprise.

“Oh? You know this work?”

“Yes! It’s the movie adaptation of my favorite manga! I’ve been so excited about it and was planning to watch it when I had the time!”

“Then it’s even better that you’re the one who gets this ticket.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Yes, I’m not really into anime movies, so I’d rather you enjoy it.”

With a gentle smile, Yuri-san handed me the ticket.

Taking the ticket, I smiled and bowed my head.

“Thank you! I’ll be sure to enjoy it!”

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

Yuri-san narrowed her eyes and added, “Oh, by the way…”

“There are two tickets, so maybe you should invite someone to join you?”

“Two?”

I hadn’t noticed since they were stacked together, but as Yuri-san said, there were indeed two tickets.

“If you have a friend who likes this work, why not invite them?”

“That’s true. It would be more fun to watch it with someone.”

“Mom, are you chatting with Tetsu-kun here?”

“Oh, Ayame.”

Seeing me and Yuri-san talking, Ayame approached us. It hadn’t even been ten minutes since her conversation with Gen-san, but she always seemed to appear right after the next.

“It seems Tetsu-kun got the day off from work, and he was wondering what to do, so I decided to give him a movie ticket as a gift.”

“A movie ticket?”

“This one.”

When I showed her the ticket, Ayame tilted her head, her eyes shining with excitement.

“‘Amanyan’!? It got made into a movie!?”

“Yeah, it’s a popular series.”

“Wow! This is amazing! It’s just… amazing!”

“So not only Tetsu-kun, but Ayame, you also know about it?”

Yuri-san asked with a surprised look as Ayame seemed to have lost her words in her excitement.

Ayame nodded repeatedly.

“Yeah! Tetsu-kun taught me about it, and I fell in love with it!”

“That’s great. If you like the same thing, it’ll bring you even closer.”

“Hehe, yeah. I hope so.”

Ayame’s cheeks relaxed, and she looked even more innocent than usual. The contrast with her usual elegant demeanor struck me, making my heart skip a beat.

Feeling my cheeks grow warm, I looked down at the ticket in my hand.

“If you know someone who likes this work, maybe you should invite them…”

“I became a fan after Tetsu-kun told me about it.”

The Amanyan I recommended to Ayame, she read it honestly. She told me, “I’m so happy to be able to like what you like, Tetsu-kun.”

So, I had already decided who I wanted to invite. The person I wanted to enjoy it with was none other than her.

Scratching my cheek in embarrassment, I opened my mouth.

“Hey, Ayame? If you’d like, would you want to watch it together?”

Yuri-san and Ayame both widened their eyes.

My heart was racing with excitement as Ayame smiled brightly, like a sunflower.

“Yes! I’d love to!”

I was truly happy I had asked without hesitation.