Sunday.

Around eight o’clock, I slowly wake up.

I had trouble falling asleep yesterday, so I ended up sleeping in a bit. But well, since the meeting time is in the afternoon, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Today──is the day of my date with Monou-san.

For me, whose history of not having a girlfriend equals my age, this will be my first date in life.

…We’ve already had sex, yet I’ve never been on a date.

I can’t help but feel like this is a really pathetic situation for me.

In a way, it’s like I’m practically a virgin when it comes to normal experiences…

“…Alright.”

I get ready while pumping myself up.

I absolutely want today’s date to be a success.

The conditions for success──might be quite a bit harder than a normal date, though.

When Monou-san told me “anything is fine” as thanks for nursing her, the first thing that came to mind was a date.

I want to go on a date.

With Monou-san, like lovers.

Because… we always just have sex.

I want to go on a normal date in town with the person I like.

Shopping, watching a movie, eating meals.

I want to do that kind of ordinary date.

Of course──we have that oath between us.

My feelings must not be found out by Monou-san.

But──if I do nothing just because of that, eventually Monou-san will get pregnant and our relationship will end.

That’s why, at the very least, in the limited time we have, I want to do something about it somehow.

Even if it’s just a slim chance, I want to try reaching out.

Even if it doesn’t go well… that would still make for good memories.

If I can go on a date like lovers with the person of my first love, that would be more than happy enough.

“…”

One o’clock in the afternoon.

The meeting place is in front of the coffee chain store on the first floor of the station.

About five minutes after I arrived──Monou-san showed up too.

Seeing her appearance, I lost my words.

“Ara. You’re early. There’s still ten minutes left, right?”

“…”

“Sanzawa-kun?”

“Ah. Sorry.”

I ended up staring without thinking.

A sleeveless knit top and a tight skirt. The silhouette cinches at the waist, emphasizing her great figure. The high-brand bag slung over her shoulder also matched perfectly with her formal outfit.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Monou-san dressed like that, so it’s fresh… It’s really… suits you well.”

“I-Is that so? It’s nothing that special…”

She says it modestly, but… honestly, it’s hitting me hard.

This is bad.

Monou-san in casual clothes is totally my type.

If possible, I wanted to compliment her outfit more, but with my zero romance experience, I couldn’t find the right words.

“But is it really okay? For this to be the thanks?”

Monou-san says anxiously.

“Even if you date me, it won’t be fun──”

“It will be fun!”

I ended up saying it eagerly.

“Being able to date Monou-san feels like a dream… Rather than just meeting at home, I wanted to do more lover-like things…”

“…Eh?”

“Ah, no. Um.”

Bad.

I accidentally said too much of my true feelings.

This is pretty much a confession already!?

“I-I meant I wanted to practice! You know, I’m inexperienced in a lot of things… For the future, I wanted to gain experience with dates too.”

“Ah, ah, so that’s what it was.”

Monou-san nods as if convinced.

I somehow managed to deceive her.

“…Yeah. I understand. If that’s the case, I’ll cooperate.”

Monou-san nodded, looking a bit relieved.

After that, we started walking side by side from the station.

After thinking it over and over, I decided not to plan the date too much.

Putting in maximum effort to create the perfect plan and win Monou-san over.

I considered that pattern too, but if I appeal too obviously, there’s a risk she’ll notice my feelings.

Since we’re not even dating yet, if I prepare a super rigid, high-density date schedule, she’d probably be troubled.

In the worst case, she might even be put off.

After considering various things──I only reserved dinner, and decided to keep the rest free.

We can decide where to go while walking together. Well, of course, I did preview the nearby date spots just in case.

And as a result.

The first place we went to──

“…Hee. It’s pretty lively, huh.”

Looking around, Monou-san makes a slightly surprised face.

The first place we came to──was the Round One in front of the station.

Bowling, batting cages, table tennis, karaoke, arcade… a comprehensive sports attraction facility with all sorts of things.

“Want to try table tennis? That one’s open.”

“Y-Yeah. Let’s try anything.”

Arriving at the sports floor, we decided to just play whatever caught our eye for now.

…Hmm.

I never thought we’d end up coming to Round One.

This pattern wasn’t in my expectations.

About ten minutes earlier.

We had left the station and were walking a bit when──

“That place got renovated, huh.”

“Ah, the construction finally finished, it seems.”

We happened to look up at the Round One we were passing and had that conversation.

In the flow, I accidentally said,

“…Round One is kinda not it, right? Dating at a place like that is tough unless you’re young.”

I really didn’t mean anything deep by it, just something like let’s do a more adult-like date.

But Monou-san stopped walking and pouted.

“Mu… What do you mean? Are you saying a woman over thirty can’t do sporty dates like that?”

It seems she took it quite badly.

“Eh… Ehh?”

“Don’t underestimate me. Even though I look like this, I exercise quite a bit? I go to the gym once a… no, twice a month.”

Somehow she got strangely fired up, and with that momentum, we ended up heading to Round One.

Incidentally, Monou-san got overwhelmed by the crowd and her enthusiasm cooled instantly.

Since it was a holiday, there were tons of students and families.

“…How many years has it been since I played table tennis?”

Monou-san says anxiously while staring at the racket.

We go to an open table tennis area and stand across from each other.

“Here I go.”

“Y-Yeah…”

I swing the racket and hit it lightly. After one bounce on my side, a slow ball flies to her court.

“…Tei.”

Swish.

She swings with a yell, but the racket cuts through the air vigorously.

“…”

An unbearable atmosphere fills the place.

A few seconds later, Monou-san gets furious like a blazing fire.

“T-That’s cowardly, Sanzawa-kun! Hitting a curveball!”

“I didn’t! I hit it completely normally!”

“You make it bounce once on your side! That’s not manly, using tricks like that! Just hit it straight!”

“No, that’s the rule! For table tennis serves, you have to bounce it once on your own side!”

“Eh… I-Is that so?”

Monou-san looks bewildered.

Hmm.

This person really has no interest in sports at all.

She didn’t even know my brother was on Japan’s national soccer team.

Even after that, we tried serving a few more times──

“…Tei.”

Swish. Clack. Swish. Swish. Clack.

The results weren’t great. Either whiffing or hitting the edge and flying weirdly. No rally at all.

“…”

At first, Monou-san was getting competitive, but gradually her expression darkened.

In that sad atmosphere, we left the table tennis area.

“So Monou-san is the type that’s not good at exercise…?”

“T-That’s not true. I’m just bad at table tennis by chance… Ah. This one’s open! Let’s do this next!”

What we found while moving was a free space area.

It was about half a basketball court, with soccer balls, volleyballs, catch ball sets, etc. inside.

It seemed like a space where you could play whatever sport you wanted.

After entering through a gap in the net,

“…Ah. By the way, Sanzawa-kun, your knee injury…”

Seeing the soccer ball reminded her, and Monou-san said that.

“It’s completely healed. No problem at all for exercising as a hobby.”

Saying that, I reach for the soccer ball.

It feels like it’s been a really long time since I touched one. A few years ago, I was kicking a ball from morning till night, but now I don’t even have one in my apartment.

I roll the ball at my feet──and lift it high with a heel lift.

“Wah.”

Monou-san lets out a surprised voice. I lightly kick the falling ball with my toe and start juggling.

Pon pon, using both knees and toes, I play around a bit, then finally kick the ball high──and catch it behind my neck. It’s called a neck catch.

Immediately after, Monou-san claps.

“A-Amazing, Sanzawa-kun! How did you do that!?”

“Ahaha… It’s nothing much. Anyone who played a bit of soccer can do this.”

I downplay it, but it feels good to be praised.

“…The first one was amazing too. Like, lifting it from behind with your foot… How do you do it? Like this?”

Wanting to do the heel lift, Monou-san lightly touches the ball with her foot. But she doesn’t understand the mechanics at all and just fiddles with it.

Then, somehow, she accidentally steps on the ball,

“──Kyan!”

And falls flat on her butt.

“~~~~!”

“A-Are you okay!?”

“…I-I’m… fine.”

I hurriedly help her up, but Monou-san was rubbing her butt painfully.

“You should give up on heel lift. It’s hard for beginners to even lift the ball from the ground. Just hold it with your hands normally.”

“L-Like this?”

In the flow, I ended up teaching her juggling.

I recommended the pattern where you hold the ball with hands and use thighs, which seems relatively easy for beginners… but it didn’t go well.

After failing many times, on about the tenth try,

“One, two, three, four… five!”

She finally managed five continuous juggles.

Then Monou-san turned to me,

“I did it! Five times!”

And clenched her fist with a joyful smile.

A pure, innocent smile like I’d never seen before.

That childlike smile──made me feel like my heart was seized.

After juggling, we chose relatively easy sports like darts and mini bowling.

After enjoying for about an hour, we left the sports floor.

“Haa─, feels like I moved my body after a long time. As expected, it’s no good if I don’t exercise regularly.”

“Eh? Didn’t you say you go to the gym twice a month?”

“Ah… I-I do go, of course! But I just meant that gym alone makes training biased…”

…She probably doesn’t go.

It’s fine even if she doesn’t.

Why try to act cool there?

We take the elevator to the arcade floor.

At checkout, we got free tickets for crane games, so we decided to go check it out.

The moment we step into the floor, a flood of electronic sounds pierces our ears.

“These tickets seem limited to certain machines.”

“Yeah. Then let’s find one quickly and use them.”

“Monou-san, do you play crane games?”

“I don’t, it’s a waste of money.”

She says flatly.

“If you want something, just pay properly and buy it, right? Spending money on a game where you don’t know how much it’ll cost is inefficient.”

“Ahaha…”

A complete denial of crane games.

It feels very like Monou-san, though.

Walking through the crowd of machines, we find the zone where free tickets can be used.

Not elaborate figures of popular characters or huge plushies… but small keychains and snacks lined up.

Honestly, nothing particularly desirable, but

“Ah.”

Monou-san suddenly voices.

“What is it?”

“…No, it’s nothing but… this.”

What Monou-san pointed to was one machine.

Beyond the glass──small lizard figures were lined up.

Not super realistic, but nicely deformed cute designs. Various colorful types.

“Is this a leopard gecko?”

“…Yes, leopard gecko.”

Monou-san stares intently.

Her eyes are somehow sparkling.

Before, she said her only hobby was “watching lizard videos.”

After hearing that, I studied a bit too.

Apparently, the most standard in reptile keeping is this leopard gecko.

Japanese name──leopard gecko (Hyoumon Tokagemodoki).

Strictly speaking, it’s not a lizard but classified as a gecko.

As the name suggests, many have leopard-like patterns, but depending on the morph, color and pattern vary greatly. The pricing changes a lot based on color and pattern.

“Shall we do this one? We can use the free tickets.”

“Y-Yeah… Anything is fine, let’s just do it quickly.”

Monou-san says, somewhat excited.

I scan two ticket QR codes on the reader next to the machine.

Two free chances.

…Without discussing, Monou-san started playing, so I ended up watching from behind.

“By the way, Monou-san, if you like lizards, didn’t you ever think about keeping one yourself?”

“…I do want to, but when I hear from friends who actually keep them… I see a lot of parts that seem impossible.”

“Impossible parts?”

“Lizards basically… eat insects as food.”

“Ah─…”

Insects, huh. Yeah, that’s a high hurdle for women.

Actually… I’m not that good with them either.

“There are artificial foods too, but some pets only eat live food. So in the end, you have to prepare crickets or red roaches.”

“Red roaches?”

“…Feeder cockroaches.”

“Cock…!?”

Eh!? Leopard geckos eat cockroaches!?

With this cute appearance!?

“They’re different from regular cockroaches. They can’t fly or climb walls, and breed easily, so they’re valued as reptile food. My friend… breeds red roaches at home to save on food costs. Apparently, you can easily do it with a clothing case if you want…”

Breeding cockroaches at home!?

Do reptile keepers do that!?

T-That’s terrifying…!

If an earthquake comes and the case breaks… what happens?

Would the apartment turn into hellish screams?

“Considering all those concerns… for now, videos are enough, that’s my mode.”

“I-I think that’s good.”

Reptile keeping seemed way harder than I thought.

Keeping living creatures is tough.

“…A bit more to the right? But if I can hook the tail well…”

Even during the chat, Monou-san was focused on the crane game.

It was the type with no time limit and you can move the arm many times, so she was fine-tuning repeatedly. She looked very serious.

But enthusiasm and results don’t always match──

“…Aah.”

She used up both chances in no time.

“No way… Why does the arm suddenly loosen at the end…!? Is someone remote controlling it somewhere…?”

“T-That was unfortunate. It was really close though.”

“…”

Monou-san clenches her fist in regret. The silence was scary.

“Um, Monou-sa──”

“…Sanzawa-kun, wait there for a bit! So no one else plays it!”

She suddenly yells that and runs off.

Then she exchanges a 1000 yen bill and comes back quickly.

“One more time should do it… Yeah, definitely. So this is… practically free. 100 yen is like free for adults.”

“Um.”

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

She was completely focused on the game without looking back, so I silently watched.

Monou-san continues playing with extremely serious eyes… but even after using 1000 yen, no prize.

And… without hesitation, she runs for more change.

“Sanzawa-kun, don’t just watch silently, help! Look from the side!”

“Y-Yes!”

She was past the point of no return.

So this is what happens to someone who called crane games “a waste of money.”

Perfect setup.

Then, after struggling on the 18th try──

“I did it! Got it!”

Finally, a leopard gecko figure dropped.

And luckily, two.

No… not luckily. Because she tried so many times, the figures inside moved around.

Both were the same coloring.

Bright yellow with black patterns.

According to the poster in the back, it’s the High Yellow morph.

“1800 yen for two… yeah, practically free! Shopping under 1000 yen is like free for adults! And getting two of the most standard High Yellow──”

Desperately making excuses to herself while overjoyed, Monou-san.

Just watching her… I felt like I was about to lose it.

Ah, this is bad.

As expected, I really like this person.

A perfect adult that anyone would acknowledge, but sometimes shows a surprisingly childish face.

I’m completely captivated by this person.

After that──

Somehow, we ended up playing at Round One for a full four hours.

“…It went by so fast.”

“Yeah.”

Walking out of the facility, we have a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Somehow, it feels like waking from a dream.

Playing like students at a sports facility and arcade, now it feels a bit embarrassing in retrospect.

“…Sorry, because I insisted on going… If it’s date practice, we should’ve gone to more date-like places, right?”

“That’s not true. It was really fun. Somehow… I got to see many new sides of Monou-san.”

“…!”

“I’ll treasure the leopard gecko I got.”

“Y-You don’t have to treasure it that much. You can throw it away soon. Geez… why did I get so obsessed…?”

We decided to split the two leopard geckos, one each.

Getting matching ones… made me a bit excited.

“I won’t throw it away, I’ll keep it as a memento.”

“Memento?”

“As a memento of dating Monou-san.”

“…! D-Do whatever you want.”

Saying that, she walks ahead quickly.

Bad.

I might be getting too carried away.

It’s getting hard to hide my feelings.

I need to restrain myself somehow.

I hurriedly chase after Monou-san who went ahead.

After walking for ten minutes,

We arrive at the destination.

An Italian restaurant with a slightly retro exterior.

After much thought, I safely chose a popular one online. Not too expensive or cheap, about 5000 yen for a small course.

“I reserved here, just in case.”

“…”

“Monou-san?”

“…Eh? Ah, yeah. Thanks. For reserving it specially.”

Monou-san says that calmly──but the brief stiff expression she showed concerned me a bit.