Date Her Instead Vol. 3

Chapter Seventeen: One Step Away

It wasn't until after dinner that Kanako finally went home. The rain had passed, leaving her a dry path, and after how long she had stayed, it turned out that her uniform had dried too, so she just changed and gave the clothes she borrowed back to Haruna. For a moment at the door, the two girls stood in front of each other. "T-Thanks for having me..." Kanako said awkwardly. "Yeah, sure..." Haruna muttered back. As it had turned out, Haruna's parents had come home while they were sleeping and when they woke up, their positions had been pointed out to them.

That was part of what had led to making the current air awkward, but it wasn't as if there was much more to say, so Kanako simply opted to leave and not ask why Haruna had asked her to stay for longer. Once she was out the door, Haruna turned around and leaned up against it. "Geez..." she sighed, not knowing what else to say about what had just happened. "It's nice to see you two getting along so well," Haruna's mom suddenly said as she walked over to the entryway. "Although..." "What?" Haruna asked. "...Don't you think you two are a little old to be holding hands like you were?"

It was a question that Haruna hadn't expected. "Um..." she let out, unsure of how to answer. "I've heard from a couple of other parents that some of the kids at school say you two are always doing that. Going to school, coming home, in between classes... Isn't that a bit much? It's fine that you're close again, but I don't think it needs to be to that degree."

Receiving a sudden lecture, Haruna remained quiet for a second. "...Who cares?" she finally said. "Huh?" her mom let out. "It's what we want to do, so that's what we do. Why should it matter what other people are saying?" Haruna asked with a hint of irritation. "There's no need to get mad about it. I'm just wondering if it's for the best. I would hate it if other kids made fun of you for it. I'm just looking out for your well-being dear," Haruna's mother explained. However, that explanation only further annoyed Haruna. She wanted to offer some sort of retort, but considering there was no actual malice behind her mother's words, it was hard to come up with one. Instead, Haruna just let out a "Tch, whatever," before breezing past her and marching up the stairs to her room.

Flopping down on her bed, Haruna huffed. "Concerned for my well-being huh?" she muttered. Truthfully, it wasn't as if students were just ignoring Haruna and Kanako holding hands. There was a whole rumor mill circulating, trying to figure out what the deal was between them. But, there also seemed to be this unspoken rule not to ask directly. Haruna didn't really get why, but she was grateful for it nonetheless. After all, there was really no good way to explain what exactly was going on. "It'd be nice if mom did what they did..." Haruna thought.

While her irritation rose, it became quickly replaced by another feeling. Taking a second to think, Haruna found her mind flooded with embarrassment as she was reminded of how she had acted toward Kanako. "Oh my Goddd, I can't believe I did that!" she screamed internally. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me?! I mean, sure, I wanted to spend a little more time together, but why'd I have to ask like THAT?! Ughhhh!"

*****

When Kanako got home, she went to the kitchen to make tea. It wasn't a long process, and once it was complete, she took her cup and sat down at the kitchen table. There was something specific that Kanako wanted to think about. "Why did she lie?" she wondered. Knowing full well that Haruna actually liked storms and rain, Kanako had been extremely perplexed by Haruna agreeing with her that the reason for her to stay was due to the weather. "Or... maybe the better question was why did she really want me to stay in the first place?"

To see Haruna with such a pleading look on her face had been a sight Kanako had never expected to see. Her eyes had practically begged Kanako to stay with her. "Why did she look like that?" Kanako wondered. "Why was it so important to her that I stay?" So many questions and no answers. All Kanako could do was ponder.