Flowers of the Future

Past - First Date

We agreed on the details for the date over the phone, after she had so boldly asked me out. My heart was soaring, I never would have expected this development. Still, I didn't want to get my hopes up; the way she asked me out in such a passive manner didn't sit well with me. I wanted her to go the extra mile for me, I wanted to feel like I was that special someone to her. I had initially decided I would arrive somewhat after the agreed time, only ten minutes late or something, but I ended up being so nervous that I arrived half an hour in advance instead. Thankfully, Umi was very punctual and she arrived at the shrine, our meeting place, by 1 pm exactly, so she never knew I had been so excessively early. I noticed her from a distance and casually waved at her. As our eyes met, her pace quickened somewhat. Clearly she was happy to see me, her smile was a lot broader than usual, but there was also a very clear blush on her cheeks. It seemed to me like she hadn't often been on a date before.

"Hello, Maki, I hope the trip here wasn't too inconvenient." Of all the things I was expecting her to say, that line was just about the least likely option, and she said it with such sincerity too. She clearly wasn't trying to act cute, like some other people would, so was she always this unintentionally adorable?

"The trip was alright", I said while absentmindedly playing with my hair. Umi's jade eyes lit up, as if that answer pleased her tremendously. Before she could catch me staring, I crossed my arms and changed the subject. "So where are you taking me today?"

Silence followed and clear panic was legible on her face. Her skin turned white as a sheet and her eyes almost became twice as big. Was she being serious? Had she not thought of any plans beforehand? Could she not improvise something? There's no way I'd be the wiser if she did.

Eventually the corners of her tight-lipped mouth began trembling and I couldn't bear to watch idly anymore. I sighed and continued: "I'll take you to the mall and show you my favourite stores there."

Umi quickly composed herself again. "A-alright!"

"But you better remember them, okay?" I said, trying to maintain my confident demeanor. Umi nodded in response. I took off and so did she. For a short while we were walking side-by-side without saying anything. I glanced to my left and eyed her right hand for a bit before wrapping my left around it. Umi flinched at the sudden advances, but didn't try to pull her hand back. For another while longer, we walked like that, wordlessly. When we were making music together, it felt like we were dancing a passionate tango, evenly paced in our intensity. This date felt more like a waltz and she had never danced one before. The feeling of her hand in mine was nice though.

We were in a clothing store, quite expensive, but it was one of the few places that provided items up to my standards. I was holding out a number of dresses in front of me, facing a mirror. It was difficult choosing between one or the other. I turned to Umi, who was browsing in the section with formalwear. "Which do you prefer?"

Umi looked up from the suit that she was inspecting. "Hmm... the left dress is a bit short for my liking." It reached a little above the knees, but not that much, well covering the thighs. Then again, Umi had always been very vocal about her disdain for revealing clothing. She herself was used to the uniform she'd wear during archery practice, which reached all the way to her ankles. "The right dress complements your eyes better too." The nonchalance with which she made her second remark made me almost do a spit take. I looked into her eyes to see if there was any irony or insincerity that I was missing, but there was no trace of that. I averted my eyes and put the two dresses back where I'd found them, while making a mental note to buy the rightmost one later.

"A-anyway, what about that suit you're looking at?" I tried getting the conversation back on track.

"I'm looking for something to wear to formal occasions, like a job interview", Umi said with a pensive look. Clearly this particular suit was a nice fit in her eyes. It was a blazer and trousers two-piece set, with a white blouse and striped tie.