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Mashiro could feel her heart pounding louder with every step she took. She kept fidgeting with her hands in an attempt to distract herself, but it did little to calm her nerves. She tried to remind herself that she had nothing to be nervous about, but her brain wouldn’t listen. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head.
“You good, Shiro-chan?” Nanami asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“I think so,” Mashiro said, not completely sure.
Nanami easily saw through her, stopping so that she could make Mashiro look her in the eyes. “Hey, you’ve got this! The two of you are going to have a great time! Don’t worry!”
Rui spoke up as well from behind Mashiro. “You have no reason to be nervous, Kurata-san. Futaba-san has told you that she reciprocates your feelings.”
“I know, but what if I say something weird? Or do something dumb? What if I ruin this? What if I make her not like me anymore? What if-”
Rui put her hand on Mashiro’s other shoulder. “Relax, Kurata-san. Panicking about all those ‘what if’s will not help anything.”
“Tsu-chan absolutely adores you, there’s nothing you can do that would change that, I’m sure.” Nanami flashed the most reassuring smile she could.
Mashiro took another deep breath, nodding. “Right… you’re right. Thank you both for coming with me, I was worried I’d just run away if I didn’t have someone help me.”
“It’s nothing! We’re glad to be able to help you out. Right, Rui-rui?”
“I would not have agreed if I had thought it to be troublesome.”
“See? Now come on, let’s keep going! We don’t want you to be late for your first date!” She grabbed Mashiro by the hand and started to dash down the street, pulling her along.
—
“You’re sure this suits me?” Tsukushi asked, nervously looking at her outfit.
“For the millionth time, Fusuke, you look great!” Touko said, “Shiro will love it, I know it~!”
Tsukushi had asked Touko for help in getting ready, which had somehow led to Touko convincing her to wear a suit. Tsukushi wasn’t very confident in how she looked in it, but she couldn’t deny that she did like the feeling of wearing it. She had styled her hair into a low ponytail to go along with it, but only after lots of encouragement from Touko.
“If you say so,” Tsukushi sighed. “Thanks for walking to the restaurant with me though, you didn’t need to do that.”
“It’s no problem! I want to be able to say hi to Shiro anyways,” Touko chuckled. “Oh! I think that’s her up there with Rui and Nanami!”
Touko waved to the approaching three, where Nanami was practically dragging Mashiro along while Rui followed behind at a slight distance. Nanami stopped when she spotted Touko, waving as well.
“Touko-chan! I wasn’t expecting to see you here!”
“I was helping Fusuke get ready,” Touko explained, “Which I’m guessing is also why you and Rui are here?”
“Yeah! Shiro-chan was nervous and asked us for some help,” Nanami nodded.
“Ah! Nanami-chan!” Mashiro shouted.
“Oh, sorry Shiro-chan!”
Touko and Nanami continued talking, and they roped Rui into their conversation once she had finally caught up, but Tsukushi very quickly lost her concentration on whatever it was they were saying. She found herself distracted by Mashiro. She was wearing a flowy white dress with a few blue accents on it. And she looked absolutely beautiful. Tsukushi just couldn’t take her eyes off of her.
It seemed, however, that Tsukushi wasn’t the only one in a trance. Mashiro was gazing back at her with a flushed face and a nervous smile. Touko and Nanami just kept on talking excitedly all the while, oblivious to how the two were currently lost in their own world.
Thankfully though, Rui seemed to notice. “Kirigaya-san, Hiromachi-san, perhaps we should leave these two alone so they can get on with their date.”
“Oh! Right!” Touko said, giggling, “Sorry, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.”
The three waved a farewell as they walked away, leaving Mashiro and Tsukushi alone. The two stood in silence for a moment, both still nervous.
Tsukushi was the first to break the silence. “You look really pretty, Mashiro-chan.”
Mashiro moved to cover her face as it flushed a deeper shade of red. “Thank you… You look really handsome. It suits you.”
Tsukushi smiled, it seemed Touko was correct about Mashiro liking it. “Well, uh, should we head inside?” She offered her arm out for Mashiro.
Mashiro nodded, wrapping her arms around Tsukushi’s and letting her lead the two of them into the restaurant.
—
“Ooh, those two are so cute!” Nanami whispered.
Instead of actually leaving when Rui tried to get them to, the three of them ended up hiding around the corner of the building, watching Mashiro and Tsukushi.
“We really should just let them enjoy their date night in peace,” Rui insisted, trying to get the two to leave.
“But don’t you want to see how things go?” Touko said, not moving.
“You can just ask them how it went when we see them at school tomorrow,” Rui crossed her arms.
“But I can’t wait that long!” Nanami said, “There’s no harm in us watching over them, right?”
“Oooooor,” Touko began with a mischievous tone, and Rui swore that she could practically see a lightbulb going off over her head, “Hear me out, we could act as their wingmen to make sure the date goes well!”
“That is a horrible idea.” Rui said flatly.
“That’s a great idea, Touko-chan!” Nanami cheered, her eyes sparkling with excitement, “Let’s do it!”
“Yeah!” Touko pumped her fist in the air, “Ok, first things first the three of us need to get a table sorta close to them in the restaurant-”
Rui cut her off, “I do not have the willpower to try and stop you, but I will not be a part of this. I am going home, good night.” She turned to leave.
“Oh no you don’t!” Touko protested, grabbing onto Rui’s wrist before she could walk off and dragging her towards the front of the restaurant, Nanami following happily behind them.
—
“...It was really busy but Eve-senpai and I were able to handle it!” Tsukushi said with a triumphant smile.
“Wow… You really are amazing Tsukushi-chan,” Mashiro marveled, “I don’t think I could ever handle that much stress…”
“I’m sure you’d be able to get used to it,” Tsukushi shook her head, “You’d just have to…” She suddenly trailed off, a confused expression taking over her face as she looked just behind Mashiro.
“What is it?” Mashiro asked before turning around.
Behind them was Nanami, Touko, and Rui, who were being led to a table by a waiter. Rui did not seem particularly eager to be there, but the other two had very big grins upon their faces as they sat down at a table not too far away from where Mashiro and Tsukushi were seated. Confusedly, Mashiro and Tsukushi waved to the three of them. Touko’s smile immediately dropped and she jumped up from her seat panickedly.
“Shoot!!! We’ve been spotted!” She shouted, grabbing Nanami’s hand and running off, out of sight.
Still sitting at the table, Rui just sighed deeply.
“What… was that?” Mashiro asked, turning back to Tsukushi.
“I have no clue,” Tsukushi chuckled.
“Anyways,” Mashiro shook her head, laughing as well, “What were we saying?”
—
“...So that’s the plan,” Touko finished explaining in a half-whisper, “What do you think?”
“I like it!” Nanami cheered, forgetting that they were trying not to draw attention. She immediately covered her mouth once she realized how loud she had been.
“I’ll go first, you wait at the table for my signal, ok?” Touko suggested.
Nanami nodded. “I’ll go sit down first so we don’t look like we’re together.”
“Good idea!” Touko said, “That’ll raise less suspicion.”
And with that, Nanami went to go sit back down at their table. Touko waited a few seconds before she walked back that way herself, stopping by the door to the restaurant kitchen on her way. Peaking in to make sure no one was looking, she grabbed an apron that the waiters typically wore and put it on. She then continued her walk back to Tsukushi and Mashiro’s table.
“Is there anything I can get for you two?” She asked.
The only responses she got were two confused stares in her direction.
After a few seconds, Mashiro spoke up. “Weren’t you just sitting at a table?”
“Pssh, nah. That was someone else.” Touko brushed it off.
“Yeah, when did you become a waitress?” Tsukushi asked.
“Uh… A while ago!” Touko said, “I must have forgotten to tell you guys, whoops!”
The two just stared at her again, unconvinced.
“...Anyways, how are things going for you two?” She continued.
“Um… They’re going well?” Mashiro said, definitely not sounding sure.
“Good, good!” Touko grinned, “Hey, Shiro, did you know that Fusuke was super nervous when I was helping her get ready? She kept talking about how she knew you would look super pretty and wanted to make sure she’d look just as nice and-”
“Touko-chan!” Tsukushi quickly cut her off. Mashiro giggled.
“What? I’m just trying to help you out!” Touko exclaimed. “I’m sure Shiro finds it adorable, right?”
“That’s not helping at all!” Tsukushi half-shouted, her face flushing.
“Aw~ don’t say that!” Touko turned to Mashiro, “Come on, what do you think, Shiro?”
“You are rather cute when you’re all flustered like this,” Mashiro muttered with a smile.
This of course only made Tsukushi’s state worse, as her blush deepened and she tried to look everywhere but at Mashiro. Touko grinned, celebrating her success.
Out of the corner of her eye Touko noticed an actual waiter approaching the area. “Uhhh welp! I’ve gotta go!” And with that she ran off, tapping Nanami on the shoulder as she passed to give her “the signal”.
—
“...So she definitely doesn’t actually work here, right?” Mashiro asked as she watched Touko run off.
“No, definitely not.” Tsukushi couldn’t help but laugh.
Throwing a glance at the table where Rui was still sitting, the two of them could see Nanami getting up to leave, presumably to follow Touko. As they watched her walk off, the two managed to catch Rui’s eyes. She mouthed the words “I’m sorry” to them with a very tired look on her face. The sight sent both Mashiro and Tsukushi into laughter.
Meanwhile, one of the real waiters delivered their food, and for a moment the two of them were able to forget about the chaos. Enjoying their brief period of peace they talked and ate their food and were able to just enjoy a normal date again. But of course, that peace was not going to last. Soon Nanami came up to their table wearing the same apron as all the waiters, while Touko went to sit back down.
“Hey there, what can I get for you two?” Nanami said, putting on a much more convincing waiter act since she actually had experience.
“Since when did you work here?” Tsukushi asked in a joking manner.
“Uhhh… I’ve always worked here,” Nanami lied with a smile.
Mashiro seemed confused. “No, I thought you worked at the-”
Nanami cut her off. “Anyways, what would you two like to order?”
“Nanami-chan we already have our food,” Tsukushi laughed.
“Oh, yeah,” Nanami chuckled, “Anyways, Tsu-chan, did you know that Shiro-chan was trying to write you a poem earlier this evening? She wanted to be super romantic, and sweep you off your feet, and-”
“Ahhh!! Nanami-chan!” Mashiro waved her arms, trying to cut Nanami off, her face flushing red.
“What’s wrong?” Nanami asked, “I’m sure Tsu-chan will find it sweet~.”
“I-it’s embarrassing…” Mashiro muttered.
“You wrote me a poem?” Tsukushi asked, genuinely flattered by the idea.
“I tried to,” Mashiro said, hiding her face, “None of them turned out good though…”
“That’s not true, Shiro-chan! That last one you wrote was super cute!” Nanami cheered.
“Y-you weren’t supposed to read them!!” Mashiro was growing more flustered by the moment.
Tsukushi giggled at how red Mashiro’s face had become, finding it rather cute. She did feel a little bit sorry for her though, having gone through essentially the same thing earlier with Touko. It seemed that now both of them had been on both ends of this situation. That realization made Tsukushi giggle even more.
“Oh! Uhhh,” Nanami said suddenly as she looked around, “I’ve gotta go! Enjoy your food!” And with that she dashed off.
—
The next couple of minutes were once again peaceful. Mashiro was able to calm down from her flustered state, and the two of them were able to finish their meals and order dessert. Both Nanami and Touko had seemingly disappeared again and Rui sat alone at their table, enjoying a meal of her own.
“I’m sorry, Tsukushi-chan,” Mashiro said at one point.
“Huh? Why are you apologizing?”
“I wanted our first date to be perfect… but it’s been kind of a mess,” Mashiro looked down at the table, avoiding eye-contact.
Tsukushi reached across the table to hold Mashiro’s hands. “Hey, don’t worry about it, okay? I mean, yeah, things aren’t quite going how I imagined they would, but it’s not been bad! I’ve still had a fun time with you, even with Touko-chan and Nanami-chan’s shenanigans.” She chuckled.
A small smile grew on Mashiro’s face as she looked back up at Tsukushi. “Really?”
Tsukushi flashed a brilliant, reassuring smile back at her partner. “Really!”
“...I’m glad.”
Tsukushi squeezed Mashiro’s hands in a way she hoped was reassuring, and Mashiro returned the gesture. The two of them let themselves fall into a comfortable silence for a moment, just enjoying each other’s presence and company as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
Unfortunately, of course, their peace would not last. Soon enough, Touko and Nanami returned, this time pulling Rui along with them. They placed her in front of Mashiro and Tsukushi’s table, gave her a big thumbs-up, and then ran back to their own table.
Rui sighed. “I would like to apologize to the two of you for the events of tonight. I had tried insistently to get them to just leave and go home, but neither of them would listen. I had also tried to get them to leave me out of this, but it seems that the both of them are more stubborn than I thought.”
“I had been wondering how you managed to get tangled up in all of this,” Tsukushi laughed. Mashiro nodded.
“Yes, I was quite literally dragged into it,” she shook her head, “Nevertheless, I believe it is time that I leave. I have finished and paid for my meal so I have no reason to remain here, especially since I had no intention of coming here in the first place. I shall leave the two of you to your date.”
She nodded politely and then turned to leave. Before she got too far away, however, she paused, turning back to the two of them. “Ah, before I go. Kurata-san, don’t forget to show her that .”
“Ah! Thank you, Rui-san!” Mashiro said, “I almost forgot.”
Rui smiled gently as she silently turned away and headed towards the door. Tsukushi looked to Mashiro with a confused expression, but before she could even open her mouth to ask what “that” meant, Touko jumped up from her seat and ran towards Rui. Nanami followed close behind.
“Rui-rui, where are you going?” Nanami asked.
“Yeah, come on, you can’t leave!” Touko insisted, “What about the plan?”
“I never agreed to this plan, might I remind you,” Rui answered flatly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I will take my leave.”
“Nuh-uh!” Touko said, stepping in front of Rui and trying to block her path. “You said you’d help us out!”
“I absolutely did not ever say that.” Rui shook her head as she tried to step around Touko.
Touko continued to try and get Rui to stay, her voice rising each time. Rui remained as unaffected as ever as she tried to get around her so she could leave. Nanami stood to the side quietly, absolutely unsure of what to do. As the situation continued to escalate (rather one-sidedly), more and more of the restaurant started to take notice of the commotion.
Someone must have complained or something, because after a few minutes, the manager of the restaurant appeared. She very forcefully asked Touko to leave, and though she tried to persuade the manager to let her stay, Touko exited the restaurant. Rui and Nanami both left shortly afterwards, and peace returned to the establishment.
After everything had finally quieted down, Tsukushi turned back to Mashiro, finally able to ask the question that had been on her mind the whole time. “What did Rui-san tell you to show me?”
“Ah! About that…” A light blush dusted on Mashiro’s face, “Um… all the poems I had tried to write for you failed, so Rui-san suggested that I try writing them as if they were song lyrics instead, so I…” She reached into her bag and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, handing it to Tsukushi. “I wrote a love song for you.” After saying that, she immediately averted her eyes, too nervous to see Tsukushi’s reaction as she read what she had written.
The writing on the paper was shaky, but the words weren’t too hard to make out. Tsukushi couldn’t help but smile as she read them, each line full of so much joy and nervousness and just pure adoration. Mashiro’s descriptive and dream-like lyrics felt so fluffy and soft, filled to the brim with all of her feelings. Tsukushi almost felt overwhelmed by it all, but definitely in a good way.
When Tsukushi finally looked back up from the paper, Mashiro hesitantly spoke up. “What did you think?” Her voice was quiet, shaky. She was always nervous when it came to sharing what she had written with others, and sharing a love song she wrote with the person she wrote it for only amplified those feelings tenfold.
Tsukushi simply smiled, hugging the lyrics to her heart. “I love it.”
Mashiro let out a breath of relief, letting a smile grace her features.
“Mashiro-chan?” Tsukushi asked, trying to get Mashiro to look back at her.
It worked, and Mashiro looked her way. “Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I-I love you too.”
—
Outside the restaurant, Touko and Nanami waited like sad puppies. Rui had immediately left to go home, but the two of them were still determined to see how the date went. They sat against the wall of the building, perking up any time someone exited in hopes that it would be Mashiro and Tsukushi. So when Mashiro and Tsukushi did finally leave the restaurant, the two of them hopped up excitedly to meet them.
“There’s our favorite lovebirds!” Touko cheered.
“Did you guys really wait out here for us?” Tsukushi ignored Touko’s comment.
“Mhm!” Nanami nodded proudly, “Of course!”
“Why…?” Mashiro asked, confused.
“We wanted to see how things went, of course!” Touko smiled.
“So?” Nanami questioned, “How was your first date?”
Tsukushi and Mashiro looked at each other with rather unreadable expressions as they silently debated what to say.
“It was…” Tsukushi chewed on her next words for a moment, “Rather interesting, thanks to you two.”
“Yeah,” Mashiro nodded, “It was definitely… unforgettable.”
Both Mashiro and Tsukushi laughed.
Touko pumped her fist in the air. “Yes! Mission success, Nanami!”
Nanami joined her. “Yeah!”
“We’re the best wingmen!”
“Yeah!!”