After lunch, I revived an old memory and we stopped by the escape room cafe we had visited before. There, Hina chose the highest difficulty level: a horror-themed escape from a closed hospital.
...I'm sure at first, Hina said she didn't like horror themes either. Why the sudden change of heart?
No matter how I thought about it, this had to be Ako's doing. I felt like I'd have to give Ako a German suplex later. Or not.
Surprisingly, we nearly failed to escape. When we finally succeeded with only 10 minutes to spare, my first feeling was relief rather than a sense of accomplishment. It was enough to make our previous record-setting escape feel meaningless.
Seriously, I hate jump scares with a passion...
"...Are you okay, Hina-chan?"
"Sorry, Mika. I was being needlessly stubborn..."
"Ahaha... In times like these, you can just say you're okay."
It was true that Hina had a harder time than me, but frankly, I wasn't much better off. Because of that, the time we spent clinging to each other was probably longer than the time we spent trying to find a way out.
It was hard to shake the thought that, while this might be fine for others, it was not the optimal escape room theme for the two of us to come and indulge our personal feelings.
The room with the morgue theme was absolute hell...
"...From now on, when it's just the two of us, let's not even glance at anything related to horror. Yes, I think that would be better for our mental health."
"Sorry..."
"Hey, Hina-chan. Are you really okay?"
"I-I'm fine. Um, I'm just going to use the restroom for a moment."
"...Ah, yeah. Go on ahead."
While Hina, who seemed strangely distracted, was away, I fell into thought about what to fill the empty slot in our date schedule with.
Originally, after the escape room cafe, I had planned to stop by a table tennis hall and then visit a dog cafe. But as it turned out, the dog cafe was closed today and tomorrow.
A bowling alley or a shooting range, which were among the original candidates for our date? Both felt a bit redundant now that table tennis was on the schedule. They were the ones that lost out to the table tennis hall in the first place.
Hmm, an arcade or a manga cafe didn't sound bad. If all else failed, we could just chat at a normal cafe. Hina wasn't the most talkative person, but she was always good at responding.
...No, on second thought, a cafe might not be a good idea. In my experience, the longer a conversation with Hina goes on, the more likely it is to drift toward work-related topics. So, a manga cafe would be better...
"Whoa...! Oof."
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Ooh. I'm okay... Thank you, pretty unni!"
"Ahaha, it was nothing. Be careful!"
A girl who looked to be about middle school age slipped on a patch of ice near me, and as I helped her up, a good idea for a date spot suddenly came to mind. I turned on my phone, did a quick search, and found a place in the district right next to this one.
"Mika, I'm back."
I assumed Hina's strangely flushed face was due to the cold, and I linked arms with her as she approached.
I had an idea for our next location, but first, it was time to settle the score at the table tennis hall.
"Hina-chan, are you confident?"
"If you're okay with it, I don't mind making a bet."
"N-No, I'll have to respectfully decline..."
For the record, my skill level was barely past the beginner stage, and unlike me, this was Hina's first time playing table tennis.
The reason I couldn't confidently accept the bet was because the very idea of betting had become a form of PTSD for me...
***
"Hmm. If I'd known you were that bad, Mika, I would have insisted on the bet."
"...Shut it, Hina-chan. I'm never making a bet again as long as I live, so get that straight."
"There's no point in making promises you can't keep, Mika."
"Ugh. Rematch next time. Yes, this loss was unavoidable, so it doesn't count."
"I doubt the result will change next time we play."
"...Something other than table tennis."
My choice not to accept the bet turned out to be an exceedingly wise one.
The main reason was that I couldn't even properly utilize my meager skills because I had trouble controlling my strength.
On the other hand, Hina, who learned the basics from me, improved by leaps and bounds, quickly reaching a level equal to or greater than my old self. If only I could have controlled my strength, my excellent athletic reflexes would have made it an even match. It's so unfair.
...Anyway, I will never accept a bet again.
I've already been burned once; am I crazy enough to do it again? No matter the stakes, if I accept another bet, I'm an animal, not a person.
"So, where are we going next?"
"Um, well. About that..."
Our next destination, according to what I've heard from others, was one of the undisputed champions of winter date courses.
An ice-skating rink.
I didn't know if it was actually a good date spot or not. So, we were about to find out.
"...Do you think that will be fun?"
After taking the subway to a different district, we arrived at the ice-skating rink, and Hina expressed her doubts. It was a valid question.
"Ahaha, who knows? If I were alone, maybe not, but since I'm with you, Hina-chan, I think it might be a little different. For now... yes, I think it'll be a decent way to spend the time until dinner."
We rented skates, and after a simple stretch before entering the rink, I personally put the skates on Hina's feet. My own feet aren't particularly small, but Hina's were even smaller, which was incredibly cute.
"They're like little baby feet. So cute☆"
"...Ugh. There's no need to tease me."
"Hm? I wasn't teasing. Hina-chan, isn't it about time you realized how honest a person I am?"
"Well, that's true, but."
"I don't want you to get into the habit of comparing yourself to others, Hina-chan. Yes, you have a charm that others don't."
"Mika, I'm really grateful that you say that, but... sometimes I wish you'd see me in a different, more... mature light. I'm just disappointed that I can't."
After lacing up her skates just right, I pulled Hina into a hug and buried my face in the top of her head. The familiar scent of her shampoo brought back old memories.
"Hmm. Could it be... you want me to see you as a mature woman, Hina-chan?"
"...Yes."
"You know, I don't think that has anything to do with your body type. I won't say I don't have a physique that's close to my ideal type, but... I like people with mature personalities and handsome or pretty faces the most. In that respect, there are few women who fit my tastes as well as you do, Hina-chan."
It was something close to an excuse, but it wasn't a lie. Honestly, regardless of who it was, I had never once felt sexual desire just from looking at someone's appearance... their body, I mean. There were moments when desire would spike when we kissed, but it was at a level I could easily suppress.
Instead, I looked at faces. A lot. And Hina's face was a perfect mix of the handsome and cute features I preferred. In other words, she had all the requirements to captivate an *eol-ppa* like me. (TN: Eol-ppa is Korean slang for a person who is primarily attracted to someone's face.)
"Well... let's take it slow, one step at a time, Hina-chan. Yes. After all, we're still students, right? As for teasing like what happened earlier, I'm more than happy to accept it anytime."
Hina, still in my arms, gave a small nod. I didn't need to see to know her face was flushed red. Despite her strength and her outwardly tough personality, on the inside, Hina was a complete girl.
I naturally put on my own skates, went onto the ice first, and stood there, offering my hand to Hina. It makes a big difference whether you have someone who knows how to skate leading you at first.
"Alright, first... let's start with walking."
Normally, you'd have to learn how to fall first, but since our bodies are so durable, it felt a bit unnecessary. There wasn't a single person on the rink wearing a helmet, so it didn't seem necessary to start there.
I slowly taught Hina how to walk, how to stop, and the general posture. How much time had passed since I started leading her around the ice? Like a kid who was good at anything physical, Hina adapted in no time, let go of my hand, and began to skate stably on her own.
After getting the hang of it, Hina, who was naturally gliding across the ice, started to pull ahead of me. It seemed her competitive spirit had flared up again, and her attitude suggested a race, but this wasn't really the place for that, with children around.
In the end, after skating a lap by herself, Hina returned to my side and, in a manner that looked completely and utterly intentional, half-crashed into my arms. It wasn't a hard impact, so I didn't fall.
"Mika... to be honest, I'm not sure if skating itself is that fun."
"Ahaha... I think it probably gets fun once you reach the stage where you can race or do tricks. Wasn't it like that when you learned to water ski? You had to start with the basics then, too."
"...That's true. Still, it always feels nice to build new experiences like this with you. That's why, Mika, I'm grateful to you, but at the same time, I feel sorry. For making you work hard to find things for us to enjoy together..."
"Hey. You're being uncharacteristically chatty today, aren't you? I don't need your thanks or your apologies, so just be quiet and follow me."
I took Hina's hand and glided forward. Without a hint of hesitation, she naturally found her posture and, at some point, came closer to my side and linked her arm with mine.
Was this a sign that we should learn figure skating together...?
As we leisurely cruised around the rink together, the fun of the activity itself had long become secondary. We were simply putting meaning into the act of spending time together, doing our best to fully enjoy the heart-warming atmosphere.
We had plenty of time ahead of us, but our desire to cherish every moment we spent together in the now must have been one and the same.
***