"I thought you were planning to buy me a gift, but I didn't expect you to buy a gift for Yukino," Akira-kun glanced at Yuigahama Yui.
"It will take some time to prepare a gift for Akira-kun. I thought Yukinon doesn't come to places like this often, so I wanted to choose something for her," Yuigahama Yui explained.
"Cat plushie, giant panda plushie, red panda plushie, panda badge… any of these would be fine,"
Akira-kun said, not asking what her gift was from him but listing the things Yukinoshita Yukino would like.
"Does Yukinon like cats that much?" Yui asked, a little surprised.
"If you turned into a cat, Yukino-chan would definitely take care of you for the rest of your life," Akira-kun replied.
Yui couldn't help but giggles at his words. She was about to choose a gift when she suddenly remembered that Akira also liked cats.
Could it be because of Yukino-chan?
"You choose first. I'll choose later. Let's go to Flash Animation in the evening. The first episode of Madoka Magica is almost finished," Akira-kun reminded her, intercepting her thoughts.
"Can I see it?" Yui's eyes lit up, as she decided to not think about it too much.
"No... but I'll watch it with you after it's done," Akira-kun said without hesitation.
"Okay." Yui smiled sweetly.
At first, she was sad when she heard him say no, but her mood brightens the moment he said that they will watch it together.
She quickly picked a very cute panda doll.
After making her choice, she glanced at Akira-kun.
"I'll wait for you outside."
Akira-kun watched Yui leave, then quickly picked up two different necklaces and walked toward the counter.
...
After leaving the zoo, the next stop surprised Akira-kun a little. Yui had dragged him to a mall, stopping in front of a swimwear store.
Akira-kun glanced at her. Her cheeks were lightly flushed.
"...Yui, do you want me to help you pick a swimsuit?" he asked softly.
Yui nodded shyly.
"Are you planning to wear it for me during summer vacation?" Akira-kun asked, understanding.
"A-Akira-kun… don't you want to see it?" Yui glanced at him, her face turning red from embarrassment.
"I want to see it, but I'm afraid that after watching, I might lose control and… be overcome by certain thoughts," Akira-kun said seriously.
"It's… it's okay. I… I can accept what you said," Yui blushed.
Akira-kun frown as he looked at her carefully.
"Did Ebina-san suggest this?" he asked.
"H-How do you know?" Yui asked subconsciously, then immediately regretted asking.
"Don't listen to others. I'll wait for the right time to tease you," Akira-kun said, patting her head helplessly.
"I… I'm sorry," Yui whispered.
"Come on, I'll help you pick a swimsuit."
"Eh?" she said softly.
...
At lunchtime, Yui brought Akira-kun to a Chinese restaurant said to be very authentic.
As soon as Akira-kun entered and saw the familiar signs, he felt a little nostalgic.
"What would you like to eat, sir?" a young girl asked in hesitant Japanese.
"Give me a plate of dumplings and a bowl of beef ramen," Akira-kun replied in fluent Chinese.
"O-Okay, sir" the girl said, stunned for a moment before smiling kindly.
Akira-kun and Yui sat down.
"Akira-kun really likes Chinese food," Yui said with a smile.
"I do. Thank you, Yui," he replied softly.
"You're welcome. Actually, this is the place Miura-san recommended to me. She said that even though you've been here for a while, you must miss the food from your hometown," Yui explained.
"Miura-san suggested this?" Akira-kun was surprised. He hadn't expected Yumiko to be so thoughtful.
"Hina and Yumiko gave me lots of ideas...but I feel like many of them are useless," Yui said, feeling embarrassed as she thought about some of the ideas that Hina give her.
"Dating isn't about trying to please each other. It's about building a better relationship and getting to know each other," Akira-kun reminded her.
Yui nodded.
Then, Akira-kun suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek lightly.
She pouted but wasn't angry.
He glanced around at the people in the restaurant and leaned closer to Yui. Her face turned red, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her lightly on the cheek before pulling back.
Soon, a plate of dumplings and beef ramen arrived.
"Please enjoy," the girl said with a smile.
Yui didn't understand, but she felt the kindness and smiled back.
Akira-kun gave her the bowl of beef ramen while he ate the dumplings. Yui found the ramen different from ordinary tonkotsu ramen, but the soup was extremely delicious.
Akira-kun added a splash of vinegar and a little chili oil to his plate before eating. The smell reminded him of winter solstice meals from back home, when he would always eat dumplings with his family.
...
After lunch, they arrived in front of a bookstore.
"This is it. They have many light novels and comics. It's very popular online, and many people recommend it," Yui said, showing Akira-kun her phone.
"Are you planning to let me buy some for reference?" he asked.
"Don't you like this kind of thing, Akira-kun?" she asked.
"I do, but being brought here feels like our roles are reversed. I want Yui to be happy on this date, but it seems like you're thinking of me instead," Akira-kun sighed.
"If you're happy, then I'm happy," Yui said without hesitation, as she smile.
"Hmm, you're unexpectedly smart today. Whose idea was this?" Akira-kun patted her head.
"Hina said you'd definitely like this bookstore," Yui admitted honestly.
"Her recommendation? Then I understand," Akira-kun said, glancing at the store.
If it is Hina's recommendation, there might even be that kind lf books here.
The two walked inside.
As Akira has guess, he immediately saw how popular the place was when a certain section caught his attention—an area for adult-themed comics.
He leaned forward and lighly whispered something to Yui, who face turned red upon noticing the section.
"I want to go there to buy some comics for reference. What do you think?" he asked seriously.
"No… you can't," Yui said, hugging his arm, tightly.
"Then teach me?" he asked.
"Y-You already know about those things....Akira-kun." Yui said hesitant.
"I know, but I have no experience. If something goes wrong…"
"You're such a bad guy," Yui muttered, looking down, flushed, water vapour coming out of her head.
Seeing her expression, Akira-kun stopped teasing her.
"Okay, let's skip that section. I'll just pick some normal light novels and comics," he said.
"If you… if you like it, you can buy it next time… when you're alone," Yui reminded him, blushing.
Akira-kun pretended not to hear her and browsed the light novels, selecting a few that caught his interest.
At the comic section, he noticed a lot of repetition: high school students with superpowers and love, transfer students finding romance, teens seeking friends and romance…
He decided to choose comics with good artwork but unknown plots. Even without enjoying the story, he could learn about drawing techniques.
"Akira-kun, will your manga be here in the future?" Yui asked softly.
"Probably. I hope so," he replied. His focus was on quality; popularity was secondary.
"Will you draw more manga in the future?" Yui asked.
"If possible, yes. I'll draw a lot," he replied, thinking of many animation projects.
"Can..can I always be your first reader?" Yui asked shyly.
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
"Thank you, Akira-kun,"
"You're welcome, little idiot," he said with a soft smile.
...
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