Date Her Instead Vol. 2

Chapter Twenty-One: Awkward Encounters

Just after Haruna left the room to go downstairs, Kanako began to stir. She had gotten the feeling that someone had been staring at her, creating a scene in her dream of a black bear glaring at Kanako like she was a piece of meat. Opening her eyes, the sleepy girl shook her head. "That was weird," she thought. "Is it because of the bear from the other day?"

Deciding to not give that dream further thought, Kanako shifted out of her futon and began to get ready for the day. She folded her sheets, made sure the futon was put way properly (then stared at Haruna's, which annoyed her a little bit due to the fact it WASN'T put away at all), then Kanako went to get dressed.

"Oh. Right..." she sighed to herself. "My clothes are in my room, which Mi-chan took over..." Kanako sat back down. "Now what? I hope she comes out soon. I can't really spend all day in these pajamas." As Kanako waited, she thought back on her last interaction with Michi. "... I get the feeling that today is going to be uncomfortable." Then Kanako flopped down onto her back. "This was supposed to be fun. How did it turn out like this?" she wondered.

For a moment, Kanako stared at Haruna's futon. Truthfully, while she had definitely been bothered by the fact that Michi had basically commandeered her room, Kanako had also been glad. "I'm happy that I got to spend so much time with Haruna like this," she thought. "Our relationship... is starting to feel like how it used to be." However, on second thought, Kanako realized that that wasn't quite right. It was certainly true that she and Haruna were on better terms with each other than they were several months ago, but the dynamics of their relationship were different from before.

In the past, Kanako and Haruna's friendship had consisted more of Haruna just telling Kanako what to do. Oftentimes, their days spent playing together was full of Haruna giving out commands and Kanako following them. In truth, it hadn't particularly bothered her. Kanako had simply enjoyed being able to spend time with her best friend. And, it wasn't as if Haruna was doing or saying things out of malice, it was just the way she was. Overall, as long as they were having fun, Kanako didn't mind in the least.

But, as the days to their soon-to-come fight drew near, Kanako had begun to notice things changing for the worse. Haruna would sound more aggressive with how she spoke, and her actions were always rushed and done with a display of annoyance. It also always seemed like whenever Kanako asked Haruna to play, she'd agree very reluctantly. Once they had their falling out, the girls' relationship got complicated and bitter. "Thank goodness we were able to finally patch things up..." Kanako thought with relief. The problem of Haruna's attitude toward her had weighed on Kanako's mind for years. Having actual answers to her long awaited questions had definitely helped to lessen that weight considerably.

Now, after about 4.5 months of pretending to be a couple for the sake of winning Akio's heart, Kanako wasn't quite sure how best to describe her relationship with Haruna. She knew they were friends, but it was different from when they were little. "It's like she's... more protective of me..." Kanako thought. For a moment, she considered just chalking it up to acting, but before she could even do that, the memory of the previous night's events came to her. Remembering how Haruna had held her and comforted her made Kanako feel embarrassed, but also happy. Thinking back even more, Kanako remembered how Haruna had won that big stuffed animal for her at the festival. "I think..." Kanako began, her face slowly turning a shade of pink. "... I like this Haruna too..."

Unfortunately, as Kanako had continued to stare at the futon next to her, reality had come back. While she was happy that she had gotten to spend more time with Haruna, she hated that it had come at a cost. "Why does it seem like I had to give up Mi-chan for this?" Kanako wondered, feeling depressed. "I just don't understand anymore." Kanako briefly reflected on her fight with Michi. "Mi-chan looked like she was in a lot of pain... but why? And why is she always so quick to attack Haruna and Akio-kun? I don't get it..."