A date with Manami

For some reason, Aisa-chan was super pushy about it, and today ended up being the day I’m heading out with Manami.

I said I’d take her somewhere, but we never actually decided where, and now here we are. Is this gonna be okay…?

Well, Manami seems happy just to go out and have fun anywhere, so we decided to meet at the station and just go with the flow.

As soon as we got to the station, we spotted a big entertainment complex and decided to check it out.

“Kouki-nii! Over here! Let’s do that next!”

“Alright… just let me catch my breath for a sec.”

This place has everything—sports facilities, darts, karaoke, you name it. Seems like picking this spot was a total win, since Manami’s been bouncing with excitement the whole time.

Whether it was a win for my stamina, though, is questionable.

“C’mon! Time’s limited, Kouki-nii!”

“Yeah, well, our energy levels are on different planets.”

“It’s just one year’s difference! Come on, let’s go, let’s go!”

Comparing Manami to Aisa-chan, that one-year gap feels like a chasm.

She grabs my hand, and I end up dragged into every activity she wants to try.

We hit up bowling, darts, billiards, played soccer despite it being just the two of us, messed around with tennis, catch—basically, we never stopped moving.

She challenged me to a match in every single one, and I didn’t have the luxury of going easy on her. Even when I went all out, there were times this younger girl completely wiped the floor with me.

“Not bad… Goddess of Victory, huh?”

After exhausting every activity, we wandered over to the arcade corner, taking a break while casually scoping out the claw machines and chatting.

“Nyahaha! Goddess of Victory, huh? You’re gonna make me blush!”

Manami’s always laughing and having fun no matter what we’re doing. She’s got this adorable little-sister vibe that just makes you want to protect her.

“Manami, you’re pretty cute, you know.”

“Wha—!?”

I didn’t mean to say it out loud, but it slipped, and Manami’s reaction was way more flustered than I expected.

“That was way too sudden, Kouki-nii!”

Her face turns bright red, and she starts smacking my arm. It doesn’t hurt that much—

“Ow, okay, that hurts! Ease up!”

“Oh! Sorry, sorry!”

She switches from smacking to rubbing my arm soothingly. It’s kinda ticklish, so I wish she’d stop.

For some reason, Manami finds this hilarious and starts poking and prodding at me.

“Kouki-nii, you’ve got some muscles hiding under there…?”

“I mean, I’m a guy. This is pretty standard.”

“Hmmm.”

Poke, poke…

I was about to tell her to cool it with the touching since people might stare, when—of course—someone we know shows up. Not my acquaintance, but Manami’s.

“Huh…? Takanishi…?”

“Yo! Hiii, hiii!”

Looks like some of Manami’s classmates. Guess we were making a scene in front of the claw machines, so we probably stood out.

Her underclassmen guy friends keep glancing back and forth between me and Manami.

“That guy… is he, like…?”

“Hehe! What’s it look like~?”

“Well, I mean… uh…”

“Her boyfriend… maybe?”

They’re sizing me up while talking to Manami, and it’s making me feel super awkward, like I’m being judged or something.

Manami’s probably like an idol among her classmates. She’s way more outgoing than her sister, so she might even be more popular. Though, Aisa-chan’s pretty friendly with everyone but me, so maybe not…

“…”

When our eyes meet, the guys give me a silent nod as a greeting.

They’re probably thinking, Manami, the girl everyone’s got a crush on, is with some random dude? He’s not even that impressive. That’s the vibe, right? Not that we’re actually dating, of course.

“You hear that, Kouki-nii? They think you’re my boyfriend!”

For some reason, Manami’s all hyped up and starts smacking my arm again.

“I said that hurts!”

“Hehehe!”

She’s not even listening.

“Well, sadly, he’s not my boyfriend~”

“Kou-nii, so… older guy?”

“Yup! My Onee-chan’s boyfriend.”

“What!?”

“Huh?”

Manami’s words shock me more than they do her classmates.

“Kidding, kidding! Uh, let’s see… he’s my mentor, and to my Onee-chan, he’s… a friend? More than a friend, less than a lover, maybe?”

“More like more than an acquaintance, less than a friend.”

“Ugh, if Aisa-nee heard you say that, she’d flip!”

Honestly, if I said “more than friends, less than lovers,” I’m pretty sure I’d be in for some terrifying consequences…

“So, basically, he’s not Takanishi’s boyfriend, right?”

Half the group of underclassmen looks visibly relieved. Man, Manami’s popular.

“Yup, that’s right~”

“Cool, cool. You guys still hanging out? If you want, maybe—”

One of them gets bold and tries to invite Manami to join them, but she cuts him off with a move that’s way over the top for just turning him down.

“He’s not my boyfriend yet, but I’m kinda hoping he will be~!”

And with that, she latches onto my arm.

Whoa, hold up! This is gonna cause a huge misunderstanding, and some of these guys look absolutely crushed!

“Don’t say stupid stuff like that.”

I nudge Manami off me, trying to set some distance.

“Sorry about that, guys. We’ve still got plans to hang out today, and I’ll make sure she gets home safe. Invite her out again sometime, yeah?”

“Oh… uh… yeah… sorry.”

“Ugh, Kouki-nii! You didn’t have to push me off like that!”

“Yeah, yeah, my bad.”

“You’re not even listening! Oh, see you guys at school! Byeee!”

Manami clings to me playfully as we walk away, waving wildly at her friends behind her.

“Watch where you’re going, or you’ll trip.”

“Oh… hehe… okay~”

I grab her hand, and she calms down, following along quietly.

Her classmates are left standing there, dumbfounded, watching their school’s idol walk off.

I make a mental note to tell Manami later to smooth things over with them. For now, we just keep wandering aimlessly, the two of us.