Chapter 17

[[ In case you didn’t read the last chapter because of the trigger warning, Y/N went to Yuma’s apartment and found she had written Satou’s name all over her body. Y/N cleans her up and gives her some helpful advice on how to woo Satou like a normal person. Yuma is very thankful for this. ]]

With so much going on with Yuma, you almost forgot all about your date with Sumiko. Of course, that was impossible. You were looking forward to this, talking to a sane person. Having coffee like you were a normal student and not what Minoru and Oshiro had made you… A traumatized mess of a girl with an alcohol dependency.

Sumiko didn’t know that, didn’t need to know that. She liked you for the girl you were in high school, before everything went to shit. Oh, how you wished to be that girl again.

You hurried to the cafe you had agreed to meet at with a fresh bouquet. You’d paid in cash, threw away the receipt, so there was no evidence of the transaction other than the flowers in your hands.

The florist suggested pink or red roses, but even just seeing roses in the shop made you sick to your stomach. So the two of you settled on pink lilies, which symbolized love, femininity, and admiration. For all the time you spent admiring Sumiko.

You stood just inside the cafe, for long enough that you started to panic, thinking you got the wrong place.

That’s when she walked in the door. She was made up to perfection and clothed in an oversized button-down that fit her like a dress. You instantly felt drab in your everyday clothes. You couldn’t risk dressing up. Your yanderes might get suspicious.

“You look beautiful,” you blurted out, holding out the bouquet as if it was a hot potato you wanted to get rid of.

She blinked incredulously before laughing and taking the flowers from you, immediately burying her face in them. “Thank you,” she said graciously, after a deep inhale. “Why don’t we take a seat?”

You just sat down but then you immediately jumped to your feet again. “Oh! Uh, I’ll go put in our order. What would you like?”

But she put a comforting hand on your sleeve and gestured for you to sit back down. “You don’t have to. They have wait staff here. Just relax.”

You followed her instruction, let out a little laugh, so high and shrill to your own ears that you flinched right afterward.

Nevertheless, she gave you a relaxed smile. “Are you scared?”

You couldn’t help but nod nervously. If Minoru or Oshiro found out about this… You were shaken from your train of thought when Sumiko said, “I am too.”

You couldn’t help but look at her in disbelief. She looked so cool and collected. She laughed at the look you gave her. “Is it so strange? This is my first date with a girl. So I hope you’ll forgive any awkwardness on my part.”

“Awkward? You? I’m Awkward City over here,” you joked, trying to be funny.

She didn’t laugh at your expense, however, just smiled and shook her head. “I think you’re just perfect.” You didn’t know what to say to that… Luckily, she continued, “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought along a list of conversation topics for first dates. At the very least, it should help us break the ice.”

You nodded, trying and failing not to appear overeager. “Sure! Shoot.”

The two of you ended up talking for hours.

You started with favorites. What’s your favorite movie? Number one place to visit? Ideal day? Go-to drink? It was when you began asking and answering more serious questions that you really started to pay attention.

Do you stay in touch with your childhood friends? Sumiko had always been a band nerd and fairly withdrawn, but she still had four friends from elementary school that she stayed in touch with and still considered good friends. Whether or not things move forward, I’d like to introduce them to you sometime. I think they’d love you!

What makes you laugh? She laughed at TikTok compilations on YouTube, specifically those with D&D moral alignments in the title. Her absolute favorites were Chaotic Evil. Why so specific? I like what I like! Look it up for yourself later and tell me if you don’t at least crack a smile.

What do you like to do when you aren’t at work? Personally, she liked to go to concerts as much as her schedule would allow. The drummer in me lives vicariously through concerts! As a result, she could name the title and artist of most songs she heard on the radio as well as the approximate year the song was released.

If you could have your dream job, what would it be? This question got her really worked up.

“I want to be a professional musician!” Sumiko crowed with a wide grin. “Drums would be ideal, but I can also play the guitar and keyboard alright enough to make my own music. I’m working with this girl on campus who’s a singer. She gets all the fame but pays me a pretty penny. I just need to prove to my parents that I can have a stable career in music.”

Apparently her mom and dad wanted her to do literally anything else. They wanted her to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer… Or even a teacher, like her older sister. Anything other than what she was.

“Anyway, where do you call home?”

This question gave you pause more than any other. So far you answered all questions as Y/N, not Aina, but how could you truthfully answer this question as yourself?

“I’ve been Isekai’d,” was not a topic you wanted to talk about on your first date. On the other hand, you didn’t want to lie and say Aina’s childhood home or Minoru’s college house was your home.

You liked to think you had adapted to your life here in this world. You kind of had to in order to keep from going crazy… But some small part of you was still holding out hope that you would wake up one day and be back in your real room, in your real home.

“In my head, I live a terrific fantasy life,” you began before you started to explain your home. Your real home. You don’t know how long you spent rambling, but Sumiko listened attentively the whole time, nodding along and even asking the occasional question.

“It sounds beautiful,” she said when you were finished. “I’d love to hear more about your fantasy life, if you ever wanted to talk about it.”

You smiled but shook your head. It hurt too much to talk about, knowing you’d probably never make it back there.

You were about to ask her the same question, “Where do you call home?” when you saw a familiar face out the window behind Sumiko.

Yuma…? You thought to yourself, squinting at the girl as she stared into the cafe, seemingly looking right at you. You recognized that neon green afro anywhere.

“Um, if you’ll excuse me for just a second?” You asked Sumiko politely and, at her nod, got up from your seat and headed outside.

Yuma’s gaze followed you the entire time, as if you were a goldfish in an aquarium. She didn’t look perturbed, didn’t move at all until you walked right up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“Yuma! What are you doing here?!” You asked, giving her a small shake. What was she doing outside of her apartment? She was supposed to be a paranoid shut-in! You didn’t like her being so close to Sumiko, the tutorial girl. There was no reason for her to feel jealous or threatened, however. Satou was nowhere in sight.

Her tired eyes went wide, her face ashy. “I… I was headed to Student Health Services to get my arm checked out.” You relaxed marginally. That was good. Getting help was good. That was normal, functioning human behavior. Then she ruined it by asking, “Who is she?”

You gave her a glare and a forbidding scowl. “She’s none of your business! Did you follow me here?!”

“I just… I wanted you to walk me there. I don’t feel safe going alone.” There’s a killer on the loose. It went unsaid, but it was clear in the way she glanced around her, like she was waiting for someone off the street to come up and stab her in the back.

With a sigh, you released the girl and pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration. Why did this have to happen today of all days? “Alright,” you said at last. It was best to encourage good behavior, even if it meant running out on your first date in forever. “Wait here.”

Sumiko guessed your intentions from the look on your face as you walked back into the cafe. “Do you have to leave? So soon?”

“Yes, sadly. I had a really great time, though. I’d love to do this again!” Best to keep the ball in her court.

She smiled benevolently. “How about next week? We could go to a karaoke bar. There’s one down the block that services students of all ages on Fridays.”

You grinned in return, nodding along to her suggested plan. “Sounds good! See you then.”