"Shirase, Nee-san knows you occasionally like to say weird things, but today is your first date with Nino—you absolutely cannot mess it up..."
"When dealing with girls, you must always be attentive, especially with someone as pretty as Nino. It's very rare that she'd agree to a date with you…"
"Oh, right! Do you have enough money? Boys must never go out on a date without money. Imagine how embarrassing it'd be if she saw something she liked, but you couldn't pay for it?"
All Shirase did was dry his hair, but Kojima Kana stood behind him nagging for quite a while, continuously displaying her "Nee-san-like maturity and thoughtfulness."
Shirase could only respond patiently, one sentence at a time.
Kana accompanied him to the doorway. Seeing his collar slightly crooked, she immediately said, "Don't move."
Shirase turned around puzzled, only to see the beautiful onee-san stand on tiptoe, gently straightening his collar with eyes full of tenderness.
After finishing, she smiled in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad. You really do have a handsome face. I bet if Nino isn't careful tonight, other girls might try to chat you up~"
Shirase didn't respond; he just quietly stared into her beautiful eyes.
"W-what are you looking at me for…?" Kana's cheeks flushed pink, her gaze dodging.
Shirase suddenly smiled. "Kana-nee, could it be you actually don't want me to go on this date?"
"How could that be?" Kana instantly denied. "As your older sister, seeing you grow up enough to date girls makes me happy, of course."
Shirase didn't expose her. "That's good, then. Next time, how about we go on a date too?"
"Eh?" Kana's heart skipped in delight. She bashfully turned her head, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from rising. "Are you serious?"
"How could I joke about this? Didn't I already tell you before? I'll always like Kana-nee."
"Tch, childish words from a little brat." Kana said disdainfully, yet despite her dismissive tone, the joy in her eyes was impossible to hide.
She nervously fidgeted with her fingers, cheeks still rosy, pretending to be calm. "Since you've said so much, let's talk again when I have time next week."
"Alright, then it's settled," Shirase nodded.
"I get it, now hurry up and go. Don't keep the girl waiting!"
Kana pushed Shirase out. Only after he disappeared from sight did she reluctantly close the door.
Thinking back to what Shirase had said, she felt her cheeks burning hot, her ears warm as well.
"Really, why did he have to say 'date'? Wouldn't it have been fine to just say he wanted to hang out with me? Seriously, I can't do anything about him…"
Kana muttered cheerfully, her steps light as she picked up her phone from the table, immediately dialing Kirisu Mafuyu's number.
After three rings, Kirisu Mafuyu's voice sounded: "Kojima?"
"Hey, I have a question! If I'm going on a date with a boy, what kind of clothes should I wear? Would my usual outfits be a bit too mature?" Kojima Kana asked eagerly.
On the other end, Kirisu Mafuyu frowned. Her expression perfectly conveyed: Elderly person—subway—smartphone.
You're seriously asking someone like me, who has no luck with men, about dating?
Kirisu Mafuyu was just about to brush off the question when she suddenly caught the key phrase in Kana's words.
She quickly asked, "Wait, what do you mean by 'too mature'? Could the boy you're dating possibly be...?"
"What's wrong?" Kana hadn't realized she'd revealed something important.
Kirisu Mafuyu's tone turned solemn. "Are you planning to rob the cradle?"
"…"
Kana, thoroughly choked by her friend's blunt question, was left speechless for a long while.
...
Meanwhile, Shirase waited at the entrance of the apartment building for about ten minutes, finally spotting that familiar figure approaching.
The girl's attire was slightly different from usual, though on closer look, not drastically so. Her silky hair glowed softly in the sunset, tinted a lovely shade of rose. A dark, waist-cinching mid-length skirt gently swayed as she walked, and the white polo shirt emphasized her graceful, curvy figure even more beautifully.
Nakano Nino's delicate, captivating collarbone peeked out alluringly. Her fair, jade-like earlobes were tinged faintly red under the sunset, betraying her nervousness. Her skirt ended just below mid-thigh, exposing slender calves wrapped tightly in white thigh-high stockings, outlining their elegant curves.
"Have you waited long?" Nino spoke first, noticing the clear astonishment in Shirase's gaze, secretly feeling delighted.
Shirase shook his head. "I just got here myself."
Then he deliberately put on an appraising expression, openly looking her up and down.
Nino felt self-conscious under his gaze. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Shirase sighed. "You're dressed so beautifully, it makes me reluctant to take you out."
"You mean you want to cancel?" Nino slightly lifted her chin, eyes smiling with hints of shyness, a blush quickly blooming across her face. Her bright eyes rippled with quiet delight; sparse, fluttering eyelashes seemed to express both girlish happiness and a little embarrassed annoyance.
"How could that be? The prettier you dress, the more I want to take you out to show you off," Shirase confidently declared.
Nino's blush deepened. She shot him a glare. "Watch your words, that sentence sounds way too ambiguous."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. But isn't it something that'll happen sooner or later anyway?" Shirase answered nonchalantly.
Nino's heart trembled slightly—those words implied far too much.
The moment their eyes met again, she felt as if her heart was flashing like a colorful neon sign by the roadside—sparkling, dazzling, and inexplicably nervous.
Seeing her awkwardness and shyness, Shirase changed the topic: "How long before the movie starts?"
Hearing this question, Nino's mood relaxed slightly. "About fifty minutes."
"No need to rush at all, then. Want to get something to eat first?"
"Sure, there's a dessert place and a milk tea shop near the theater."
Walking along, Shirase muttered aloud, "Milk tea? Wonder if they have that famous silk-stocking milk tea."
"What milk tea?" Nino suddenly turned to look at the boy beside her, suspecting she'd heard wrong.
Shirase guessed her thoughts and quickly explained, "It's not what you're imagining. 'Silk-stocking milk tea' refers to tea brewed to a color resembling stockings—hence the name."
"Pervert," Nino murmured softly.
Shirase objected indignantly, "Hey, I was kindly educating you, and you call me names?"
Nino deliberately put on a proud look. "You're a pervert to begin with. Did I say anything wrong?"
"Well, if you put it that way, I guess there's nothing I can do… By the way, I noticed that you look even better in white stockings than black ones," Shirase teased with a laugh.
"…"
Nakano Nino clenched her little fist, blushing furiously. So when this guy suggested I wear black stockings before, was he just messing with me?
He actually likes both black and white stockings?!
Definitely a pervert!