Dating within the school grounds made it hard to avoid the eyes of classmates.
No matter how vast the campus was, you'd inevitably run into a student or two along the way.
Even so, the traditional dating routine had to be followed—shopping, watching a movie, and dining.
If ANHS had an amusement park or aquarium, Kaoru would have added them to today's itinerary.
It was late October.
The autumn sky was clear, and the morning sun's rays spilled through thin clouds, streaking across the azure horizon before scattering onto the sidewalks.
The tangled shadows of trees swayed in the breeze, and the cool wind brushed against their faces.
Ichinose Honami stood beneath the tree, wearing a pale off-shoulder dress that revealed the delicate curve of her collarbone.
Her snow-white, tender arms peeked out from the sleeves—a departure from her usual style, giving her an air of innocent charm today, as if even her hair radiated a dazzling glow.
She wasn't wearing stockings, and only a small section of her fair, slender calves showed beneath the long hem of her dress.
Her feet clad in short socks, were tucked inside black leather flats.
Seeming slightly nervous, Ichinose kept glancing left and right.
Whenever she met a passerby's gaze, she would appear flustered, touching her ears as if adjusting her hair.
"Sorry I'm late," Kaoru said as he approached her.
In truth, she had arrived an hour early, but it still felt wrong to keep a girl waiting.
Ichinose Honami was startled to see him appear before her, but soon relaxed.
"It's fine. If I came out too late, I might run into Chihiro-chan and the others."
With a height difference of about twenty centimeters, Kaoru slightly lowered his gaze and caught sight of the girl's chest, barely concealed beneath her dress, puffing it up like cotton candy—tempting enough to make one want a taste.
She too tilted her head up, exposing her fair neck fully to Kaoru's view.
The delicate hollow of her collarbone gleamed with a smooth, creamy sheen, almost like custard.
A faint, sweet fragrance drifted into Kaoru's senses.
Clearly, she had taken a shower before heading out, now smelling as delightful as strawberry ice cream on a summer day.
"You look adorable today. Honestly, I didn't expect Honami to pull off this style so well."
At Kaoru's words, Ichinose blushed slightly.
In truth, she had spent over an hour getting ready—after all, this was their date.
"Let's go."
With a tone that was eighty percent gentle and twenty percent firm, Kaoru took Ichinose's hand.
The more he understood her feelings, the more he couldn't let her anticipation go to waste.
Ichinose bit her lip, her peripheral vision catching the glances of a few students nearby.
Her heart raced as if two fawns were wrestling inside her chest.
Her face warmed, but she didn't resist Kaoru's gesture.
Instead, she obediently followed behind him.
In truth, when Kaoru had first mentioned the date, she had been flustered beyond belief.
She could already picture the scene—even though they had left early to avoid most students, walking side by side like this still drew plenty of attention.
It almost felt like… they were boldly declaring their relationship.
Ichinose's cheeks burned, yet a hint of worry lingered in her heart.
She had assumed Kaoru would invite her to his room for a stay-at-home date, where they could simply chat in private.
But here he was, holding her hand and walking down the street with effortless ease.
The Keyaki Mall, thanks to the vast campus of Advanced Nurturing High School, rivaled some university districts in size.
If not for the lack of eccentric shops, Kaoru might have mistaken it for Ikebukuro.
Aside from the stores lining the walkways, the largest establishment was the central superstore, housing a variety of department goods and specialty shops.
At this hour, the mall had just opened, with only a few students browsing and staff bustling about.
The real crowd wouldn't arrive until noon.
Since this was a date, Kaoru made sure to give Ichinose the full experience.
They played games at the arcade, where he won her a plush caterpillar, and sampled various snacks from the food stalls.
He had considered feeding each other, but seeing how nervous she was, he quickly abandoned the idea.
Treating her like a princess, he kept a watchful eye on her safety, initiated conversations during waits, and bought everything that caught her interest—attending to her every need with meticulous care.
By noon, as more students began filling the mall, Kaoru led her to the cinema.
They picked a classic romance film and bought a bucket of popcorn to share.
The dim lighting and dark atmosphere were punctuated by the flickering images on the giant screen, casting their glow onto the girl sitting beside him, illuminating her delicate face.
The moment her clear eyes overlapped with the light, it was as if fireflies were dancing in the air.
"It feels like it was the same before," Ichinose murmured softly.
"This time, it's just the two of us," Kaoru tightened his grip on her small hand.
In many romantic tales, watching a movie is a rite of passage for every couple—holding hands in the dark, wrapping an arm around shoulders, stealing kisses, or even getting carried away by passionate scenes.
Clearly, Ichinose had thought of these things too.
Her face flushed slightly as she hugged the plush caterpillar in her arms tighter.
Wasn't this what dates were supposed to be about?
Surprisingly, Kaoru did nothing of the sort afterward.
He simply watched the movie quietly, occasionally grabbing a handful of popcorn to munch on.
The plot was cliché—the protagonists were about to graduate high school, and if they didn't confess their feelings now, they'd never get another chance.
Revolving around how to confess and make their feelings known, the male and female leads engaged in a battle of wits, testing each other's reactions, both growing increasingly anxious.
Ichinose stole a glance at Kaoru.
His outfit wasn't particularly flashy—just a light-colored T-shirt and casual pants—neither too eye-catching nor too dull.
The problem was his strikingly handsome face, which had drawn the attention of many girls along the way, though he seemed completely oblivious.
Of course, Ichinose didn't consider herself shallow.
What she cared about wasn't Kaoru's looks, nor his exposed skin, his well-defined fingers, the faint hint of collarbone, the masculine Adam's apple, or his clean, sharp jawline.
Instead, she remembered the naughty things Kaoru had done to her.
How could someone with such an innocent appearance kneel and lick a girl's foot?
And today, he seemed like a completely different person.
Not that she disliked it, but it felt... strange.
Before Kaoru could make a move, Ichinose found herself lost in memories of all the things they'd shared.
"Honami," he suddenly called her name softly, his dark eyes turning toward her.
"W-what is it?" Ichinose clenched her fists unconsciously, her gaze uneasy as she looked at him.
On the screen, the movie happened to reach the scene where the male and female leads accidentally kissed.
Kaoru stared at the girl beside him—her moist tender lips, her trembling eyelashes that seemed ready to flutter shut at any moment, even the way she leaned forward slightly, as if anticipating something.
So, Kaoru stuffed a piece of popcorn into her mouth, his fingertips now coated with her saliva.
"This popcorn tastes pretty good."
With that, he casually ate another piece right in front of her, completely unfazed.