I didn't like Shibuya that much, to be frank. Even if being a teenage schoolgirl in Japan should have automatically made me a pilgrim of that particular district of Tokyo, reportedly one of the busiest in the world, I had to say I was absolutely not into it.

Girls, or, to be more precise, 'kogals' were flowing past us in a daze of jewelry and stylish clothes. I was always attracted to shiny things ever since I was little. Obviously, I should have became like those girls when I grew up, but I just wasn't into it. There was just something wrong with them that I couldn't exactly put my finger on. Maybe it was the whole exuberance of their appearance, their thirst for fashion to the point where some of them would sell their bodies for expensive handbags, or their tendency to dress up in unthinkable outfits...and yet, I couldn't help but admire them, for the way they lived their lives to their fullest without worry. It was pretty rare to see a sad kogal sitting around. All I saw passing by were happy girls with their friends shopping, making phone calls or chatting excitedly.

That, along with the loud music and the bright lights everywhere which made all the girls shine even more, would have surely given me a headache. Yet, here I was, being dragged by Shizuka around the shops inside the Shibuya 109 building, on a Saturday afternoon. The Shibuya 109 building was a heaven for women to shop at. Clothes, accessories, and beauty products were omnipresent here. In other words, Shibuya was to girls and kogals what Akihabara was to otaku and computer maniacs. Both were scary, honest.

Shizuka knew I didn't like it when it was too crowded, with my fear of getting lost by myself, but she absolutely insisted that I buy some clothes for my first date.

Yes, a date.

Yes, with Ogata.

No, Karen didn't know...

"Ayako-chan, I think I spotted Karen over there!"

...yet.

"Ah, never mind, she just had the same hairstyle," Shizuka said quickly afterwards, her tone shifting from excited to mild disappointment in a second.

Phew!

What's with all these people sporting the same hairstyle as Karen?!

If Karen ever heard about what I was going to do tomorrow, I'd certainly have her on my tail all day long spying on me and Ogata. Karen was a great friend, and she always helped me out, but she was sometimes a bit overprotective. No wonder she got along well with my mother.

She seemed to dislike Ogata a lot, but she had refused so far to tell me why she was like this with him.

"Ayako-chan! Over there, look!"

Shizuka was much more excited than I was about going on a date, it seemed. I must admit that I never thought about the possibility of a guy asking me out before. I mean, no guy had ever approached me, compared to Shizuka, who went on at least a few dates, as far as I knew. Of course, I fantasized about dates sometimes; I read manga, you know! But reality never quite compares with how fiction works.

"Wouldn't this dress look cute on you?"

I took out my new monocular from under my coat, and placed it over my left eye to look at the dress Shizuka was pointing at from afar, behind the window of a shop.

"The black shirt and skirt outfit over there?" I asked while searching for what she wanted to show me.

"That's dark blue, Ayako."

"Oh, whatever."

I walked towards the shop a little to see the outfit a bit more clearly. I guess I wouldn't look bad at all in that. The collar of the shirt looked pretty cute, too.

"Shall we go in and try it on? It doesn't look that expensive, either. Ah, you'll need fantasy stockings, too. Maybe something with leaves--yes, yes, I can already picture you in that! Let's go inside!"

She drags me away again.

Did I say anything about agreeing to try the outfit on?

  • * *

"Come on, Ayako! Are you done yet? I'm dying to see it!"

I was adjusting the skirt and shirt a bit in the mirror of the changing room before pushing the curtain aside to show myself to Shizuka.

"Well, I guess it fits."

She looked up and down at me and approached me slowly. She felt around my hips and sides, apparently trying to see if it fitted me as well as I said it did. There was, however, something terribly wrong with my outfit.

"I think this skirt is way, way too short," I argued.

"Aw, Ayako, girls aren't afraid to show a bit of skin nowadays. Don't tell me you don't watch TV."

I shrugged a little, and kept on arguing.

"Shizuka-chan, I appreciate your kindness, but this is simply too short for me." I looked down. "Look at it--it barely covers my hips!"

I heard her sigh, and looked up at her. She started looking around a little. I wondered what she was searching for.

"You know," I explained. "I can't see if people look at me, so I don't like, you know, to stand out that much."

She smiled at me, and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"But Ayako, standing out is part of seduction. You HAVE to stand out for your date to notice you among the crowd."

I blushed a little. She was right. I nodded my head in agreement, as there was nothing more I could say to this, frankly. I still felt bad about this skirt; even with stockings, there was no way it wouldn't show off skin I didn't really want to.

"Just have a little faith in yourself, and in me, too. Trust me and you won't be disappointed. I guess we can try a longer skirt."

It was my turn to smile now.

"Thanks, Shizuka-chan."

We started looking around for another skirt already. Every time Shizuka saw something of interest, she usually showed it to me for a closer inspection. I'm not really difficult about clothes, but I do have my standards.

We eventually picked something good that matched both my and Shizuka's tastes. I came out of the change room again, the skirt going down to just above my knees, which was perfect for me.

"Looks good, really good. You'll need stockings now. You can't walk around with those bare legs in winter!"

I frowned. I thought we were done, and she added more to the shopping list! I never expected her to be serious about buying some earlier.

"Shizuka-chan, I already have some stockings at home. They'll do fine."

"Ssh, you can't go out with just plain stockings. I saw some nice ones while you were changing." I felt her hands adjusting the skirt and shirt some more.

Normally I wouldn't allow this kind of intimacy with someone. I guess no one would, but Shizuka had always been someone I trusted a lot, as well as Karen. I watched as she took her time making the shirt look absolutely right. These were the kind of things I couldn't do by myself anyway.

"Great, you look good in that. Ogata-kun will love it."

"You know, I'm not sure I--"

"And now, stockings! Hurry up and change back!" she said with a nod, interrupting me. Looks like I won't be able to fight her back after all.

I nodded in defeat, and went back to the room to put my regular clothes back on.

  • * *

I kept nodding when she showed me some stockings she wanted me to wear. I must admit I was mildly excited at the prospect of going on a date. Yes, my first date in sixteen years of age. Don't laugh. It's something I always wanted, something I often read about in girly manga and novels. On the other hand, it was so sudden. I wasn't prepared, and it wasn't like I was in love with Ogata. The guy actually scared me a little, especially with what Karen told me about him.

"What do you think of those?"

Shizuka snapped me out of my thoughts by showing me a pair of fantasy stockings with leaves printed on them.

"Hmmmm."

I took them in my hand to look at them more closely. I guess they looked okay. Frankly, I wasn't trying to be difficult; I just wanted to go home, now that I'd bought a new outfit.

"If we add this to your outfit, you'll really look cute. Tomorrow morning I want you at my place at nine o'clock. When are you supposed to meet Ogata, and where?"

"Uh, two in the afternoon, in front of Hachiko."

She nodded and grinned at me, almost wolfishly.

"Ayako-chan, tomorrow you're going to become a woman."

Now I was scared.

"Y-Y-You don't mean..."

"Yes."

I gulped. She couldn't possibly think I'd...?

"Tomorrow," she continued, "I'm going to work on your hands and face a little. There'll be no way Ogata could resist you."

I blinked, twice.

"Shizuka-chan, I'm not sure. I mean, it's just a date, ne? I don't really feel anything for Ogata."

"Listen, Ayako-chan, there are some things a girl absolutely needs to be, at all times: Beautiful, cute, and charming. Regardless of what you feel for the other person, a girl absolutely needs to look good in any situation, if not her best."

I nodded at the lecture she gave me. I had to admit she was right, when I thought about it.

"Good, now let's take you home. Tomorrow is going to be a good day, for sure!"

I sure hoped so.

  • * *

Shizuka accompanied me home, and I ate dinner with Miyuki and my parents. It was uneventful, and for a good reason--I didn't say anything about tomorrow's date to my family. There was a 120% chance that Miyuki would forbid me to go off by myself with a guy I barely knew, and an equal chance my parents would interrogate me for hours before and after the date.

I went back to my room after a relaxing warm bath, and turned on my CD player to listen to a album I bought not long ago. I looked at the books I was planning on reading sooner or later on my desk, but there wasn't anything that appealed to me right now. I guess I just wasn't in the mood. I might be stupid, but tomorrow feels like something big for me. It was rather intimidating--almost frightening, even.

"...Futari ni God bless..."

I sometimes sang quietly along with the songs I was listening to. I often fantasized about being an idol on stage singing like that, in front of people I liked, giving them a good show. Call it a little girl's dream if you like. I knew I wouldn't ever be able to become successful in this area of business anyway due to my poor eyesight.

I sat on my bed and laid down there to think a little while the music played quietly in my room.

What was I so scared about, after all? It was just a date, right?

But it was my first...what would I do if he got bored with me? What about if he took me someplace where I couldn't see things? What if he tried to take me to a love hotel!? Aaah, this was all driving me crazy!

I guess I'd better find something to read and go to sleep.

  • * *

The next day, I arrived at Shizuka's place, dressed in what we bought the day before, along with a coat I bought not long ago. I opened the front gate, and rang her doorbell.

The sky wasn't very sunny, but as long as it didn't rain, it was fine with me. I preferred it that way, actually. It was easier for me to see outside.

"Ah, it's you!" she said as she opened the door, and dragged me inside. I climbed the stairs to her room after taking off my shoes. There, I discovered a chair in the middle of the room, apparently waiting for me.

"You sit down there, Ayako-chan, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Huh?"

"First, you take off your clothes," she said in a commanding tone. What was she thinking?

"S-Shizuka-chan!"

"Heh heh, just kidding. Just sit here," she said, patting the chair.

As I sat in it, she covered my upper body with a towel, and went to a drawer of her dresser.

"I've prepared a handbag I'm going to lend you. You'll find everything you'll need inside. Handkerchief, mirror, perfume, lip gloss, a foldable comb, some lipstick, about a thousand yen just in case, and a picture of us and Karen. Of course, if you use the thousand yen, I'll be expecting it back from you later. Oh, give me your cell phone, I'll put it in there, too."

I handed her my phone, and blinked.

"A picture of us? Why?"

"So you can show off how much you value friendship. It's very important to show that, despite your handicap, you've got friends and a life, you see?"

She had a point. Even if it was pretty obvious to me, it wouldn't be to other people. I found this quite weird, though.

"Don't you find this a little bit too much?"

"What, the picture?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Fine, fine, I'll take it out, then."

"All right, so, what's first?" I tried to show some enthusiasm.

"Well, obviously, we're going to pluck your eyebrows a little first."

Obviously!?

"Eh?"

"This is going to hurt a bit, but bear with it."

I closed my eyes and took a deep sigh.

"Don't worry, I've done this before," she said while I heard her pick a pair of tweezers up from her dresser.

I endured patiently as Shizuka started to work on me. After all, it was something she'd have to do in the future for her work. I winced and gasped a little in pain from time to time though. It definitely wasn't very pleasant.

"Don't be such a crybaby, Ayako-chan. Your nails will come sooner or later, and believe me, that'll hurt."

"S-Shizuka-chan?" I asked, unsure of her intentions now.

"Nope, this time I'm not kidding." I could sense the hint of a grin from her voice. She must be enjoying this immensely.

Once finished, she took a mirror and gave it to me. I pulled the mirror close to me to see better.

"They're thinner now. It looks good," I commented, blinking twice.

"Desho desho? You need to suffer to become beautiful."

I guess she was right. I still wasn't looking forward to more of that part of it, though.

She took the mirror away, and I closed my eyes again, resting there on the seat she prepared for me. It's not like I could do much else anyways.

"Next, I'm going to apply a revitalizing lotion. That will feel good, and your face can use it," she explained. "It'll give you a much fresher look."

I smiled a little, and listened as she squirted the lotion from a tube onto her hands.

"Okay, here I come."

I then felt her hands press onto my skin, applying the lotion to my face. It felt fresh indeed, and Shizuka's hands were soft and warm. She made sure it was spread evenly all over my face and chin.

"Mmmmm..." I let out, enjoying the touch greatly. It lasted a few minutes before Shizuka took her hands off of my face.

"I'm going to go wash my hands in the bathroom. Just wait a bit."

"Okay."

I just sat back, closed my eyes and let the lotion seep into my skin. This allowed me a bit of time to think again. I was going on a date! I should be happy, right? Yet, for some reason, I felt restless. This was all beyond my control, and I absolutely didn't like that.

"I'm back!" I heard Shizuka announce as she walked back into the room. I still had my eyes closed.

"Looks good. While it's drying, I'm going to file your nails properly and work on your hands. Ogata must absolutely feel how soft and smooth those delicate hands of yours are when he holds them, right?"

"Holding hands?" I asked, a bit surprised and actually shy about the idea of holding hands with a guy like this.

"During a date, you hold hands. That's a rule."

"Okay, okay."

I waited patiently and chatted a bit with Shizuka while she did my nails.

"So, you didn't tell Karen anything about this, huh?" Shizuka asked first.

"She doesn't seem to like Ogata much. I think they went out together before and it didn't work out," I explained.

"Hmmm. Maybe there's something more to it."

"She said she found out he had lots of girls' names in his cellphone address book. She managed to get ahold of his phone and take a look inside."

This actually made Shizuka laugh.

"Karen is after the pure, innocent type, then. It's not exactly common these days."

"R-Really?" How could I tell her now that that was what I was looking for in a boy myself? She'd make fun of me too.

"Even I have lots of guys in my phone's address book. I don't call them anymore, but it's a good thing to know exactly who might be calling you before deciding to answer or not, you know?"

That's actually clever, from a seductress' point of view.

"She's quite possessive, I th--aah!" I gasped a little in pain as Shizuka did something a bit wrong while she was filing my nails.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," she apologized, and went back to working on me.

"It's okay," I tried to reassure her. "I'm fine. It just suddenly hurt a bit, that's all."

She hmmed softly. I could sense she that was trying to be more careful now.

"Shizuka-chan...you know it's going to be my first date, right? Do you have, you know, any tips?" I asked, a bit shyly.

She laughed again a bit at that, which made me feel like I was asking a stupid question.

"What? Don't tell me you need dating tips after having spent so much time playing my copy of Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side!"

H-Hey!

"Mou! You know what I mean!"

As if I had played that game a lot. I only got one ending and stopped playing it afterwards.

"I'm joking, I'm joking. Don't panic."

Shizuka always had that reassuring tone and touch right after she joked with me, or when she saw I was a little uneasy. It immediately made me feel relaxed.

"Just act naturally, watch to see that your date's enjoying himself, and make sure you're happy yourself. There's no use going on a date unwillingly."

Of course, she said 'watch.' Surely she realized I couldn't do that well. She corrected herself shortly after.

"I mean, try to check if he's enjoying himself during the date and make sure there's as little distance as possible between you and him."

I nodded, trying to fully understand her words.

"And most of all, embarrassing remarks are not allowed!"

"Heeeh?" I admit I didn't understand well what she meant. Shizuka giggled at my reaction.

"I mean, try not to make a fool of yourself by saying something stupid. Weigh your words carefully. Some guys try to put a lot of effort into what to say to a girl, so it's only fair that you do the same, or he'll think of you in a bad way," she explained. That made sense.

She stopped what she was doing, and took some other tools from her tray.

"I hope Karen is having a good time with her family," Shizuka said softly while she was now painting my nails.

"Hm. She promised she'd bring back pictures from her trip to the United States."

"She's lucky to be able to go abroad once in a while. I'd like to see Europe sometime! Germany, France, Italy, Spain!"

I giggled a bit. Shizuka always had big plans for everything. What's worse, she often managed to make them possible to accomplish. I couldn't say the same for myself. Did I even have any plans for the future?

I admit Europe wouldn't be a bad destination for a trip though. Maybe she could smuggle me in her luggage when she goes there?

  • * *

My ordeal was finished about one hour later.

"Okay, all done!"

Shizuka had just finished applying some red lipstick onto my mouth. She said it'd actually make me look a little older.

I lifted my hand to my face to touch my cheek. It was so soft and smooth now! I had a hard time believing it.

"Wow."

"Good, isn't it? Here, take a closer look."

She gave me a hand mirror, and I held it close to my face to see better. The problem with this way was that I couldn't see all of my face, but I got the idea anyways.

"I really look good," I whispered, and inspected my hands and nails next. They were painted in some shade of pink.

"All right."

She helped me off the chair, and I looked down at myself. I didn't feel like I was myself today, but the feeling was fresh and exciting, as if I could do anything I ever wanted to now.

"Hmmm. We forgot jewelry yesterday. I'll lend you some earrings and a headband."

"O-Okay."

I looked her way as she rummaged through a drawer. She soon came back to me with a set of small, discrete earrings and a headband. She first carefully put each earring onto my earlobes.

"They're light blue. They'll contrast well with your dark hair without being obvious at first glance."

I nodded. I must admit that questions about appearance had completely slipped from my mind these past few years. I then felt her place the headband on my head.

"And some light blue here, too. It's perfect!"

I sure hoped so. Part of me didn't want to disappoint my date, and another one wanted to run away from him. I was sure that, if Karen were there, she would have gladly helped me with that second part.

  • * *

The sky was a bit dim, but it wasn't raining at all. Not yet, anyway. Shizuka was accompanying me to the rendez-vous point.

"I feel weird," I said to her as we got off the train at the Shibuya station.

"Excited? Nervous?" she asked back.

"Yes, exactly."

"That's the spirit. I was trembling all over the first time too. It's even worse at the love hotel!"

I facefaulted.

"Shizuka! You're making it worse!"

She laughed at me now.

"Just kidding. I'm trying to make you relax, can't you see?"

"Mou..."

We walked together for a bit, with me waving my cane around in front of us. As we exited the station, I placed my sunglasses on my eyes.

"Looks like he's here already." She pointed her finger in the direction of Hachiko, and as I tried to focus, I could indeed see someone there, in dark clothing with something white under the jacket. Probably a sweater.

"Come on, let's get closer!"

And she dragged me over to him. He offered a little wave of his hand as he saw us approach.

"Well, well. Did I get two for the price of one?" he asked, making me immediately blush. Of course, Shizuka laughed. It's hard to imagine her getting embarrassed.

"Oh, no, no, I'm just accompanying Ayako here. She couldn't have come here all by herself. I'm handing her to you now."

There was a slight pause.

"If Suzumiya didn't have the cane and sunglasses, you could pass for sisters, you know?" he remarked.

"I'd better leave you two lovebirds alone now. You've got work to do," she joked, and waved her hand as she left us two alone.

'"Work"?'

"Well, then. Do you need my arm or something?" he asked, politely. I guess he was just asking because of my handicap and not as an excuse to get a feel of my chest against his arm.

"I'll be fine following you. I can see a little." I smiled.

"Fine. Let's go to that arcade over there, for starters," he suggested.

An arcade? I haven't been to that kind of place in ages.

  • * *

Shizuka had lent me that money, but I brought some my own as well, and I was surely going to use it very soon.

We walked down some stairs to an underground arcade room. There were quite a few people here, but fewer than I'd expected when he suggested the idea of playing video games in Shibuya. I looked around a bit curiously, at the screens and the games displayed here. Rhythm games, fighting games, shooting...

"I'm good at some of these. Wanna see?" he asked me. Looks like he wants to show off. He walked up to a shooting game, dropped a 100-yen coin in, and picked the toy gun up from the holster on the console.

"Uh, well, it's not like I can really appreciate your skill, you know," I said, a little embarrassed. I guess he didn't think there was no point at making me watch him play a shooting game. Did he think I was going to see the screen in front of him well? Was he kidding me? I hoped that the date wouldn't be like that all day!

"Heh, I guess you're right. I didn't think about your eyesight," he semi-apologized. "Well, I've already paid, so, do you mind if I play at least a game?" he asked. I guess it would have been quite rude from me to refuse. I was being too nice, I think.

"It's okay, you can play," I replied, with a smile as sweet as I could master.

I looked at the screen while he shot at what I think were monsters. He was rather good, I think, since I saw the shapes disappear one after another after the screen flashed white every time he shot at something. I then took a look at him, a bit tired of watching the screen flicker over and over.

He was in a good pose, concentrated, holding the gun in front of him with both hands. After a little while, I thought that he wasn't really trying to show off after all. He seemed to concentrate on what he was doing. If it was showing off, he probably would have tried to play single-handed while chatting with me. God, I hated guys like that.

He eventually lost to some big evil tentacle monster, from what I understood, and he put down the gun back in place.

"Well, do you want to try a game where we can get closer to the screen?" he asked.

I looked around at the different game machines in front of each other, running some kind of fighting game.

"Hmm, I don't know," I said, honestly. I wasn't too much into video games, even if I did enjoy myself sometimes when Shizuka would play her game system with me when I went to visit her.

"What about rhythm games? You know about DDR and ParaPara Paradise, right?"

Of course, I played them often when I was younger with Shizuka and Karen. These games were a bit outdated, but I'd heard that you could still find some working ones in a few arcades.

"I know them, yes. I used to play some with Karen and Shizuka."

"This arcade has a room with some of these. Wanna try? You'd be close enough to the screen to see the arrows moving on the screen, right?"

I nodded at this. Looks like he's starting to get it. It made me smile.

"Sure, let's try."

We went to a back room, and there was still a unused DDR machine, along with some other games with different musical instruments there. I knew that kind of game had been popular for a while back then.

I put my cane and handbag beside the DDR machine and calmly stepped onto one of the dance pads. I noticed that Ogota had his hand out, ready to guide me, but he quickly saw I could do it myself. Come on, how difficult it is to walk onto a panel that's just centimeters off the ground?

"Are you good at it?" he asked me.

I shrugged a little.

"So-so. Don't worry about me. I can see the arrows well when the background is dark enough."

"Okay."

He was most likely just trying to be polite, but then again, maybe I was just being a bit too suspicious.

We danced along to the game's music. I must admit I was a little bit rusty. I was about fourteen when I last played it, but it's like riding a bike--you can't forget it that easily.

I wasn't doing too well, and scored Bs and Cs on most of the songs. I was about to reach for my handbag to put some more coins into the machine, but Ogata stopped me.

"I ran up some credits for you already. Let's keep dancing, okay?"

"Oh."

I smiled a little at his gesture, and climbed back on the dance pad for another set of three songs. This time, I insisted that he choose the songs, though.

  • * *

After a few more songs, I gently signalled that I was growing a bit tired of this. Sure, it was fun, but I guess he noticed that I wasn't that good at it and wanted to do something else. We went back into the main room, and that's when I felt his hand on mine.

So that's a guy's hand. Rough, big, warm...

He led me to a set of arcade games arranged in versus mode. You can't see your opponent this way, but you know that he or she is in front of you.

"You can see better if you sit directly in front of it, right?" he asked me, while pointing out a stool in front of one game.

"Huh, right," I said with a nod, and sat down while he went to his own machine in front of me. I looked at the controls; it seemed like a fighting game. I wasn't too comfortable with those. Shizuka or Karen always beat the crap out of me at them. I considered them guys' games, anyway.

I selected my character, trying to pick the strongest one. I must have looked stupid looking at the screen up close like I was doing, and I tried to hide my embarrassment by concentrating on the game about to start.

My character was a big guy named Maxima. Ogata used a female character whose name I quickly forgot. All I remember was that she looked like one of those idols you see in magazines. You know, the kind of girl who had her brains in her chest.

The battle started.

I started hitting the buttons randomly and making a few awkward moves. My character was slow, while his was apparently light as a feather. It took me a few seconds to get used to the controls. The game was fairly easy for me to follow; the backgrounds weren't too detailed and colorful, which made it easier for me to concentrate on the characters.

Kick, punch, chop, block...once more now...

Mou! Ogata is not really making this easy for me! I'm not sure if he was taking it seriously or not, but I ended up losing twice in a row. He didn't make any of those spectacular moves you see in TV ads for those games, but he beat me anyway. Seeing that I wasn't doing well, he stood up after the third battle, and went to me.

"Well, shall we go somewhere else now?" he asked, without making any comments about my poor ability at playing video games. I nodded and stood up, taking my cane in hand and following him closely.

I thought I had just made a fool of myself by playing these games badly with him. It was common for girls my age to know how to play these, right?

  • * *

As we left the game center, I suddenly felt the coldness of December again on my skin. More importantly, there was some wetness as well. Rain?

I looked at my hands closely, and saw a little bit of snow here and there. It wasn't falling too heavily, though. As I was inspecting my hands, I heard a whisper in my ear.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?"

It was a simple question, but the sheer power of the whisper in my sensitive ears made me jump a little. Yes, that's one of my weak points. Sadly, Shizuka knows this.

"Ah, um. Well, sure."

I put my sunglasses on to see better outside. Even though the sky was dim and the sun wasn't shining at all over us, it was still pretty difficult for me to see well.

One week ago, I wasn't wearing these at all. Now that they sit on my nose and ears, I feel much better outside during daytime. I was obviously against the idea at first, but you know how it is--parents push you to do it, friends push you to do it, something in your mind pushes you to do it, and, next thing you know, you're suddenly wearing sunglasses even when it isn't really sunny outside.

The thing was, as soon as I had honestly tried them, I was straining my eyes outside much less, and they made my everyday life more comfortable. I was still afraid that people would question why a schoolgirl would be wearing sunglasses all the time, but I guess that my cane helped them understand what they were for.

I let Ogata lead me again through the streets of Shibuya. We walked a little bit, my shoes clicking on the sidewalk. I stayed quiet the whole time, looking in front of me through my sunglasses.

However, as we crossed a street in the direction of the Harajuku district, my nose picked up a smell. A very, very nice smell.

"Taiyaki!" I let out, looking around to try to find who was selling some.

"Taiyaki...?" Ogata said too. As he saw me looking around, he seemed to be searching as well.

"Come with me." I then felt him take my arm gently and lead me further up the street. Ah, the smell is getting stronger...

My addiction to melonpan and taiyaki is actually legendary among my family and friends. Some said it would lead me to my end one day. Don't ask.

  • * *

Shortly afterwards, we were sitting on a bench together, a bag of hot taiyaki in my arms, and one of those delicious fish-shaped cakes in my hand. I was chewing on the head of the fish rather hungrily.

"If I knew you were this hungry, we would have gone to a café right away," he told me.

I finished munching on one of the taiyaki, and fished another out of the bag.

"Hmmm, I just love those. Do you want one?" I asked him.

"Sure."

I handed him one and kept munching on mine, watching the snow fall slowly around us. The warmth of the cake, filled with sweet red bean jam, was enough to make me forget about the cold.

"Do you see well when there's snow all over the place?" he asked me, out of the blue. The question surprised me at first, but I found it nice of him to ask. Was he that concerned about me?

"Well," I said between bites, "snow is white, and the sunlight blinds me already, so it just adds to the discomfort."

"That's why you wear sunglasses," he noted. Smart one.

"Right. They're not perfect, but they help a lot by making it less painful to see. When I didn't have sunglasses before, I was always blinking my eyes, because I couldn't keep them open long enough in the light. I was only seeing a picture or so every second, so I had to be extra careful."

"Hmmmmmm." He seemed to listen, and care, at least. Well, I hoped he was genuinely concerned.

He went silent after that, allowing me to finish my taiyaki in peace. After I polished off my second cake, I started to wonder when we were going to go, and where.

"So, what are we doing next?" I asked, curious.

"I originally planned for a movie, but I didn't take your eyesight into account."

It was a first for me. I didn't know if I should have felt insulted that he only thought of it now, or grateful that he cared about it. I mean, if he only thought of it just now, did he really prepare anything at all for our date? It's my first! He could respect that, at least!

My answer was surely going to surprise him anyways.

"I actually can go to the movies. The screen is big enough. I just need to be in the first rows of seats."

I understand though that people might think I couldn't see well in the theater given the distance from the screen to the seats, but honestly, as long as it's not a subtitled foreign movie, I can enjoy it pretty well, too.

"Then let's go," he said while standing up, brushing some snow off his lap, and I did the same to follow him, the rest of my bag of taiyaki in hand. I was feeling a little tired, and a movie would surely help me relax a little.

  • * *

We stepped into a theater in Harajuku, and picked a movie together. I wasn't too difficult when it came to movies, and we picked a romantic comedy. I forgot the name already, but it's not that importance. There were a lot of people around the theater at this time of the day, and I ended up holding Ogata's arm close to me to follow him, my cane in hand. The handy thing about this cane is that, when there are a lot of people around, it can disperse people easily. A little wave here and there, and people make room for me to go through. We sat in the middle of the row, and the screen was at a reasonable distance for me to see. I put my coat over the back of my seat and settled in, waiting for the movie to start.

"You're going to be okay here?" he asked

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

I closed my eyes while waiting for the movie to start. Was I getting tired? The seats were quite comfortable, actually. I could very well fall asleep here if I wasn't careful, but it would be most impolite of me to do so, especially after I insisted on going to the theater like he originally planned. Might as well relax a bit before the movie begins.

  • * *

I slept.

During the whole movie.

I don't believe it!

I opened my eyes only to be greeted by the credits rolling and people starting to idly chat about the movie they just watched as they filed out. I then heard a chuckle next to me.

"Sleep well?"

I jumped a little in my seat and looked to my right to see Ogata looking directly at my face.

"I...did I just...?"

"Yeah, you slept throughout the whole movie. Looks like you were quite tired."

I blushed red. How can I be more embarrassed!?

"Oh, my. I...I'm sorry, Ogata-kun! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! It was just so comfortable here, and I was feeling a bit tired from the walk earlier and the taiyaki I ate and..."

I wanted to find more excuses, but I was running out of ideas. Fortunately, he interrupted me before I could make an even bigger fool of myself.

"Don't worry about it. Watching your cute sleeping face for about an hour and a half was much more interesting than the movie." He grinned.

Even though it calmed me down, that remark didn't stop me from blushing even more.

Karen, is this what you were talking about...?

  • * *

We left the theater right after that. It was still snowing gently outside. I put my sunglasses back on, and held on to Ogata's arm again as we walked. I guess we must have looked like boyfriend and girlfriend here. It was strange. I was going out with this guy I barely knew, and yet, I wasn't feeling anything special for him. Shizuka kind of convinced me it was perfectly normal. It's true that, with all the novels and manga I read, I tend to believe in the ways that a love-love relationship develop in them.

"Let's see. I think I know the perfect thing to do to wake you up."

"Huh?" I was starting to wonder where he was going to lead me.

"You'll see soon enough."

I don't know if that's the kind of thing he says to every girl he leads somewhere he doesn't want her to know about, but for me, it was a little frightening. How was I supposed to guess where we were going, considering I can only rely on what he could tell me? That idiot.

He led me down some streets, and it took me a while to realize that we were back in Shibuya. However, we weren't exactly on the right streets for a girl to wander through alone. I was accompanied, mind you, but that didn't change any of my suspicions about where we were headed.

"Ogata-kun...these are love hotels, right?" I asked in a weak voice.

Oh my god, if it's what I think it is, Shizuka was right. But I wasn't prepared!

"This is just a shortcut. I never try to get to this point on a first date, don't you worry," he replied. Could I really trust him, though? Why did I accept this date, anyway!?

After a few more minutes of walking, we came back to Shibuya's main streets, which I was a little bit more familiar with.

"Where are we going, exactly?" I dared ask. I was still a bit confused, and looked down at my feet as I walked with him, letting him guide my steps through the streets.

"We're going to do some karaoke."

The words struck me. My eyes lit up behind my glasses.

"Karaoke?" I asked, just to make sure I had well heard the magic word.

"Yep. Is that a problem for you? You can't read the lyrics on the screen?"

"Never mind that. I absolutely love karaoke!"

And with that, I held onto his arm again, this time to drag him. Where? I didn't know where the nearest karaoke box was, but I wanted to prove my point.

  • * *

I let him rent a karaoke room for two hours. That was standard practice here, and two hours was enough for two people. Here was my chance to shine!

I ordered a orange juice and he, a soda. We weren't of legal age to drink alcohol, and I didn't think he was one of those who liked to break laws and all that, anyway.

"So you like karaoke that much?"

"You bet. Shizuka, Karen and I often go do some after school. When Karen doesn't have club activities, that is," I explained, while sitting down next to him. I looked down at myself, just to check if I was still good-looking. I know it might feel stupid, but that's how I was when I was nervous--always scared that something had gone horribly wrong with my appearance.

"How long have you known Sakazaki, if I may ask?"

I was puzzled. Why bring her up while he was with me?

"Oh, for a few years. We met when I was in middle school. Actually, it's been something like three years now. Yes, three years. Why are you asking?" I tried not to show it, but I was feeling a bit jealous that he'd be thinking of Karen at such a moment.

"Just out of curiosity. It'd not like I know her that much."

You're not very convincing, Ogata, you know that?

I let that slip when he grabbed the karaoke remote, and started looking at the songs available.

"Anything you'd like?" he asked me.

Tough choice here. I needed to think of something he'd also like without being selfish. I picked up the karaoke index while he browsed through the songs on the screen of the machine. There was always a book with a list of the songs and a way to find and select them on screen, so you could search for songs in the book while someone else was singing.

Now, what to choose...Shizuka told me to make sure my date was enjoying himself. Let's pick something nice and popular to begin with.

"What about 'Can You Celebrate'?" I suggested.

"That's a good start."

Namie Amuro's best song, in my opinion, would be this one. I was still a kid when it was first released but, even after all those years, I can still say I enjoy it a lot. It brings back fond memories of fun with Aoi. We spent a lot of holidays together.

"Where's the microphone?" I asked, looking around.

"Here." He grabbed it from the other end of the table and handed it to me.

"Thanks, Ogata-kun," I replied with a smile, and stood up, ready to show him how good I can be at singing.

I closed my eyes, and told him to start the music. I was facing him, determined to show him I knew the song by heart and didn't need to look at the screen.

I started singing while holding the microphone in front of my mouth. "Can You Celebrate?" is not a very difficult song. The lyrics came simply to me while the tune played in the background. I was so used to them, I could easily reproduce Namie Amuro's singing vibes by closing my eyes and picturing myself on stage singing like this. Call it a little girl's dream if you like; I don't care. This was my little hidden fantasy which fueled my love for singing.

The song soon came to an end, and I handed him the microphone. Our hands brushed, making me blush a little. I went to sit down on the couch and listened to him sing a rock song by Kinya Kotani. I was a bit surprised at first, I must admit; the song was very difficult to sing. He had a little trouble with the fastest parts, but overall, he was doing well.

While he sang, I looked for a song to sing next in the karaoke index. Hmmm, something nice and fitting winter? I knew what to select now.

I took the microphone back when he finished, our hands brushing again, and slowly went over to the front of him, my back turned to the machine.

"Chiisana shiaaaawase o... Daiji ni atatameeeeeteta... Nee..."

As usual, the song flew through me without effort. I opened my eyes to look at him as I sung. The lyrics were pretty romantic, actually, and it didn't occur to me until later that I probably didn't pick the best song for this kind of casual date. At least "Winter Wish" was appropriate for this season of the year.

As I was finished, I smiled at him, and went to sit down again, handing him the microphone for his turn. However, the handling of the microphone didn't go as smoothly as I had planned. My arm actually hit something, and before I could pull back, I realized it was his drink, which was now spilling all over the table, and starting to run off onto the knee of his pants.

"Aah!" I pulled my hand away. I didn't see the glass on the table!

He had reflexively pulled his legs away, but some of his drink hit the material and left a small wet stain. Even I could see it.

"I have a handkerchief, I'll take care of that!"

I looked around quickly for my handbag, as if there was some kind of emergency. Well, not really, actually, if you don't take into account my level of embarrassment at that moment.

I grabbed the bag and rummaged through it, trying to find the handkerchief. In panic, my hand grabbed something else and I extracted it from the bag, only to be treated by the view of a plastic packet containing something that looked like a ring...wait, it wasn't that.

"My, Suzumiya, you're quite the bold one, aren't you?" he teased, pointing at the condom I held in my hand just now. My heart skipped a beat.

Shizuka, you are so dead tonight. So dead.

  • * *

"Domou arigatou gozaimashita!" The lady at the counter thanked us for our visit to the Karaoke as we left.

I didn't even nod at her. I was busy apologizing to Ogata for the nth time already.

"I'm so sorry!"

I quickly told him back there that it was Shizuka who put this in there without me knowing, that I didn't want to do such things just yet, that I wasn't like that...Shizuka, you will pay, very dearly. Just you wait.

"It's okay. At least you found the handkerchief," he told me with a chuckle. I could tell he was making fun of me.

Oh, well.

"Shall I see you home? It's getting late."

I was planning to call Shizuka to come and pick me up, but since he offered, how could I refuse?

"Alright, but you make sure I'm on the right train this time. I'll call Shizuka. She'll pick me up at the station, okay?"

"Fine with me. I already know you're a big girl, with what you're carrying in your bag and all."

Was he planning to make me die of embarrassment?

The sky was dark by now, and I kept my sunglasses in one of the pockets of my coat. There was a little snow here and there on the streets, but, since the sun wasn't glaring off of it, I didn't pay it much mind.

  • * *

The trip back to Nakanobu was pretty uneventful and I met back with Shizuka at the station. I smiled at Ogata and bowed a little.

"Thanks for taking care of me today."

"It was pretty fun. I guess we'll see each other at school next year." He grinned, and waved at both of us before departing.

I waited until he was well out of earshot before speaking with Shizuka.

"You, miss, are going to pay dearly now," I said in a mock-menacing tone.

"Oh, you found the condom, huh? I thought it might come in handy, but forgot to tell you about it--"

I swayed my cane dangerously in her direction as she was teasing me. You don't mock Ayako Suzumiya like that!

"I could have died of embarrassment back there! Do you imagine what he must have thought of me!?" I snarled at her. Shizuka was a friend, a very good one, and even if sometimes I was kind of angry at her, I was never angry enough to stop considering her a friend. I usually calm down quickly.

She laughed and did her best to avoid my cane.

"Ayako-chan, Ayako-chan, I'm positive he didn't think of you less. You were just cautious by having that in your bag, y'know."

She was right, but that was not the point.

"Mou! I'll tell Karen!"

"I'm sure she'll find that funny too."

"MOU! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!"

I need melonpan, now.

  • * *

To be continued.

Author's note:

For those of you who were wondering (like the retooler), "Desho desho," apart from being a famous quote from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's opening theme, means "Right, right?"

Retooler's note:

I wish to apologize to Axel and his readers for taking so long with the retooling of this chapter. This was due to various factors, some of which I hope I can overcome soon so I can work better. I hope that you found that wait worth it (if indeed you were waiting for me), and to not take so long with Chapter 4. Well, if I do, you can be assured Axel will give me a poke in the ribs via E-mail--and might just have to a time or two. Until then, a lyric quote that I couldn't help but think of during Ayako's makeover scene:

"Beauty is a bikini wax 'n' waitin' for yer nails to dry Beauty is colored pencil, scribbled all around yer eye Beauty is a pair of shoes that makes you wanna die Beauty is a Beauty is a Beauty is a Lie."--Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows no Pain"