Date Her Instead Vol. 7 (Final Volume)

Chapter Twelve: I'm Such A Liar

On the following Wednesday morning, Chiyo came over as planned. Having done this routine often enough now, Michi made sure to at least be awake and dressed by the time Chiyo showed up. As always, she got a cheery, "Mornin' Mi-chan!" which ran very opposite to Michi's mood that early in the day. Giving her usual "mm," back, Michi let the gal in.

While Michi continued to get ready, Chiyo went to work in the kitchen. It was her turn to make both of their lunches, and while she was at it, she figured she'd make breakfast too. That could be considered a lot for the average person, but Chiyo was actually pretty quick in the kitchen. It also helped that she felt extra motivated because she was cooking for Michi.

"Hey, Mi-chan," Chiyo called. "Ya want anything specific?" "...No, just make whatever," Michi eventually answered. Turning her attention back to the ingredients she had gathered in front of her, Chiyo thought for a moment before deciding. "Alright, that's what I'll go with," she said to no one. "Oh, and I think I'll make some rolled eggs too, with plenty of sugar. I know she loves those."

Through her cooking experiences with Michi, Chiyo had been getting to know all kinds of preferences that the girl had. For instance, she liked her rolled eggs really sweet, but she liked sour grapes over plain ones. They were just little details, but each one she learned made Chiyo really happy.

And, it wasn't as if the effort to learn more was one-sided either. Michi wanted to know more about Chiyo too, but... she found it to be somewhat awkward to just ask questions about the gal. "It's times like these that I wish I could be a little more honest..." Michi sighed internally as she finished tying her hair. "Maybe today I'll manage to ask her something..."

By the time Michi got out of the bathroom, she found that Chiyo had already finished making breakfast and was finishing up on their lunch boxes. "That was fast," Michi commented. "Well, we had some leftovers, so I used that, and then made a couple of new things," Chiyo said. However, Michi couldn't help but notice the gal's phrasing. "We..." she muttered back to herself. "She makes it sound like we live together or something..." But just the thought of that threatened to send Michi's mind into a tailspin, so she quickly put it in the back of her mind and went to sit down at the table.

Chiyo joined her soon after, and they both served up their plates of sausage and scrambled eggs, along with a small bowl of oatmeal. The two girls then gave their thanks, but as Michi went to take her first bite, she stopped. Looking across the table, she saw Chiyo as she was bringing a spoonful of oatmeal to her mouth. She blew on it lightly a few times, then used her free hand to brush back a lock of hair hanging loose by her mouth. Taking a bite, Chiyo seemed pleased by the taste, then happened to look up.

"Like something ya see, Mi-chan?" she said, noticing the girl staring at her. "Y-Yeah right," Michi said back, sounding a bit flustered. "I was just making sure you wouldn't burn yourself." "Oh yeah?" Chiyo said, her voice light. When Michi looked back at her face, she saw Chiyo had a gentle smile aimed right at her. Immediately, the heat in her cheeks rose, and Michi had to look away again.

Oddly enough, it was at that moment that a question came to Michi's mind. Eager to be able to change the subject, she asked it without a second thought.

"Have you ever thought about stopping being a gyaru?"

The question was so abrupt that it actually made both of them freeze. "Wait, what did I just ask?" Michi thought as she realized what had just happened. For a moment, she thought about taking it back, but then she decided not to. "I'm actually kind of curious what she'll say..."

"Stop being a gyaru, huh?" Chiyo repeated back. The way she said it made Michi wonder if it was something she had ever considered. "And if she has," Michi thought. "Then why?" Somehow, it seemed like asking this one question was opening a floodgate of curiosity for Michi.