The wingman nobody asked for

Hey, let's hang out for a little!

Rantarou was rather shocked that after a while, Shuuichi agreed to spend some time with him. It was only a suggestion really, not an actual promise. It wasn't like Rantarou wasn't happy with it, no he was elated, it just took him by surprise. Especially since Shuuichi, who was usually so shy and hesitant, was the one who brought the suggestion back into light. After another lengthy phone call, they made it official.

"Does the aquarium sound fine..?"

The aquarium, huh? It only makes sense for someone like Shuuichi to pick such a place. Luckily, Rantarou has been there a few times, so he didn't need to worry about being a disappointment or getting them into avoidable troubles. Especially since he knew about the scheduling,

"Yeah, sounds good. How about at Thursday afternoon. It shouldn't be too crowded."

It was an ideal time since it'll be the time where people would only begin to return from work and school (at least the unfortunate kids who have yet to reach winter break.) Though the only thing that could be considered troublesome is that the two would be alone and considering that they didn't really know eachother, it could be really awkward. Well, hopefully something like this can open up Shuuichi a little more.

The plan was that Shuuichi was going to go to Rantarou's home then they'll go together from there. The reason why they established Rantarou's home because Shuuichi was far too nervous with the idea of Rantarou coming over for some reason. Rantarou didn't really mind it, he just hoped that his sisters wouldn't cause a commotion or try to bother Shuuichi while he was there. Especially considering that some were quite brutal in their teasings. They could be considered Kokichi tier or even worse, Rantarou didn't want to imagine it. The days eventually went by and it was Thursday. They chose the specific time of 3 PM, so it at least gave the two a good amount of time to get ready, especially since Rantarou tended to take his sweet time in the shower. It was at least a relief that both of them happen to be early risers. At 1 PM, Rantarou was drying his hair with a towel while beginning to look into his closet, wanting to get a head start. He wondered if he should tell anyone about this. Rantarou had to admit that he was nervous and could only imagine how Shuuichi could be feeling at the moment. Probably even worse than him. Maybe if a third person tagged along, it wouldn't be so bad but at the same time, a third person could make Shuuichi even more nervous. Rantarou carefully analyzed the two decisions and the possible outcomes. In the end, he decided to just leave it between the two. A third person could also make it a little more troublesome.

Around 2:30 PM, Rantarou heard the clicking sound of the door opening. Shuuichi must be here. As Rantarou headed down the stairs, he heard a small conversation. He couldn't make it out at first but eventually, it started to piece together. The two voices were Shuuichi and his youngest sister, as expected of her. When Rantarou continued to make his way downstairs, he heard them singing patty cake...?
Rantarou peeked to see the two indeed engaging in a game of patty cake. Shuuichi looked nervous as his movements were clearly slower than Rantarou's sister, since he was most likely rusty from not playing it in such a long time. His sister's voice also clearly overpowered Shuuichi's. Nonetheless, Shuuichi made an attempt to keep up with her. Rantarou couldn't help but to adore the sight as a smile crept up on his face. He heard the cheering of his sister after the game ended and Rantarou entered the scene. "Saihara, are you ready?" Rantarou asked and Shuuichi tensed. "H-how long have you been there...?" Shuuichi asked, a small flush on his face. "The whole game." Rantarou simply replied. His sister giggled. "Hara-tan is really slow compared to big brother and big sisters!" The little girl said with a laugh and Shuuichi looked away. "Hey, don't tease him like that." Rantarou said sternly.

"Wow, I didn't know you had a date." Rantarou turned his head to see the face of one of the twins. She looked at Shuuichi from head to toe. "Really?! Big brother has a girlfriend?!" The other twin chimed in, she looked surprised as she also looked at Shuuichi. "H-Hey! I-I'm a boy! A-and I just met him!" Shuuichi said defensively, clearly even more nervous from the increased attention. The first twin scoffed. "Your eyelashes are too pretty for a boy." She murmured under her breath, looking at Shuuichi's eyes. Shuuichi immediately got flustered and lowered his hat. "Don't bully him! Hey! Do you like big brother?" Said the second twin, clearly proving that she wasn't really much better. "Oi! You guys trying to kill him or somethin'? His head looks like it's about to burst!" Another sister came in, looking sternly at the three crowding around Shuuichi. "She has a point. Guys just leave him alone." Rantarou joined in, approaching his sisters. It took him a while but he managed to shoo them all away. He looked back at Shuuichi, his entire face was literally covered by his hat at this point. "Hey Saihara, are you okay?" Rantarou asked and Shuuichi slowly lifted the hat. His face was red and his eyes even looked a little tearful, giving Rantarou a pang of guilt. However, Rantarou saw the relief on Shuuichi's face when he noticed that it was just Rantarou. "Let's get going, okay?" Rantarou said as Shuuichi slowly began to get up.