Chapter 29 (1/2)

Episode 29: Houjou Kokoro Ridiculous Production-Arc

Once I separated from Kokoro, I returned to my room.

After this, I will have a date with her as promised.

The destination has already been decided, and since Kokoro has already consented, all that’s left is to make our preparations.

“What should I do?”

I was alone, at a loss as to what I should wear.

I have never been on a date.

Aside from my hypnotic abilities, my academic and physical abilities aren’t that different from other students. Even my judgement skills are still poor.

What should I do at times like these?

“What should I wear? No, no wait. My partner is Kokoro.”

What was I so lost about?

What’s the point of thinking about this sort of troublesome thing. What’s the point of being lost?

In the first place, Kokoro shouldn’t care about whatever I wear.

Wait, but today I promised that we’d have a lover’s relations.h.i.+p, so I should at least do a minimum amount of arranging my appearance.

“No, there’s no need. Normal should be fine.”

I closed my drawer of western-clothes and opened it once more.

Well, at the very least, so that I won’t suffer a loss, it should be fine if I wear something that I like a little bit.

“No, no, no.”

If I do such a thing, it will likely be noticed by Kokoro.

It was humiliating for me to get strangely fired up like some sort of country b.u.mpkin. Rather, isn’t it fine if I just go to the extent of wearing the clothes that I always do?

“However, if I just do it to the extent that it’s not found out-”

No, I should give up. Kokoro would definitely notice this.

But if the part that’s noticed is the fact that I just arbitrarily did it, then wouldn’t my partner think that I don’t sufficiently respect them?

Although temporary, this was the story I accepted.

“Wait, that’s no good.”

Yeah, that’s right. This is as it should be.

Ah, wait. At the very least—

Acting separately from Kokoro, I headed towards the meeting place.

I thought that we should go together since we both left from the apartment, but apparently Kokoro held a certain amount of admiration towards this sort of meeting.

Since she’s never had a lover, she probably wants to try things that an average couple might do.

“……”

I arrived 30 minutes early at the meeting place, in front of the station.

This was how I show my respect. Although I hear that it’s fun to wait, being made to wait is bad–or so is my show of respect. Yes, that’s all it is.

“It’d be bad if I arrived late, after all.”

It’s better than stirring up anxiety from thinking that I may have perhaps forgotten about her.

It’s just that she arrived earlier than I antic.i.p.ated.

“Ah.”

“……ah!”

However, Kokoro had already been waiting for me in front of the station.

Kokoro energetically waved her hand and rushed at me as though she couldn’t wait.

This girl, since when has she been waiting? I’ve heard that women take a lot of time getting ready, though.

“30 minutes early. To think that you would come this early, I’m so happy!”

“Ah, no……you were waiting?”

“No, I just got here!”

Kokoro bombarded me with a smile, as her excitement did not cool down.

Furthermore, the clothes she was wearing was the one whose coordination I liked the most. Even though I’ve never once confessed this to her, just how did this girl know about this?

“How stupid. Since trains run by this area only every 30 minutes, there’s no point even if you came earlier.”

“That’s right.”

While smiling broadly, Kokoro tightly clung to me.

Even I could understand what this girl was thinking. However, I don’t like it.

“Wait for now.”

“I see……”

Kokoro distanced herself from me just a little bit.

After being troubled once about what I should do, I grabbed Kokoro’s hand as though to s.n.a.t.c.h it away.

“Ah……”

“We’re waiting.”

“Ok!”

Sitting down on the station’s cold seat, the two of us waited for the train.

Since were ultimately going to end up waiting, there was no need for me to arrive early, huh.

“Fufuh~”

While swaying her dangling legs, Kokoro was acting merrily like a little kid.

Realising only now that there were people in our surroundings, I became extremely embarra.s.sed.

However, telling the current Kokoro to let go would be kinda awkward.

This is bad, I need to distract myself somehow.

“This is your first time doing this, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Mast……as you have also seen. My father is rather particular about such matters.”

It was because Kokoro’s father cherished her so much that she became so sheltered. It seems that he would have opposed her living alone if the security wasn’t that strict.

Naturally, it was because Kokoro herself was excellent that her wish to live alone was able to pa.s.s through. There were also several restrictions such as her having to come home during national holidays.

And so, Kokoro’s father was about as skilful as Kokoro and was quite sharp about many things.

As he noticed the presence of a man three days after I made Kokoro my slave, I had Kokoro and her mother cooperate to hypnotise him.

Incidentally, the car Kokoro uses to commute to work—the Lancer Evolution–was also a car from her father’s collection.

“Ah, it’s here. Let’s go quickly! The adjacent seats will disappear!”

“No, it’s not that crowded, so-”

Personally, I don’t like trains very much. I don’t like the act of waiting in and of itself. I also dislike crowds.

Also, I end up feeling like I’m locked in a box that I can’t do anything in. For the trains without toilets, one has no choice but to get off when their stomach hurts.

“Come, come! Let’s go!”

It’s only this time.

Because Kokoro desired it, I will get on the train this time only.

There was an event that was only held on today, which was a holiday.

That was held at this large display facility, an exhibition centre. Woof-Meow s.p.a.ce-Time. Many facilities related to dogs and cats had been temporarily gathered into this chaotic s.p.a.ce.

As it was something that Kokoro and I had in common, it was picked because it seemed that even I would be able to enjoy myself.

“Hey, over here.”

“Y-Yes!”

I held Kokoro’s hand so that we wouldn’t stray away from each other.

Rather than couples, families were more prevalent at this venue. There was an odour peculiar to animals, and if someone wants to have a date here, it is indispensable for them to be selective of their partner.

“Kokoro likes dogs, right?”

“Yes, I kept one at my house in the past……”

“Once they died, you were troubled over whether to keep another one, right? My house was also like that, so there is no second one. That’s why we made do with these facilities.”

As Kokoro was being pulled by the hand, she had no idea where I was taking her. Entranced by the puppies pa.s.sing by, she was took fascination in many different things. There were a lot of fas.h.i.+onable dogs and cats.

“Found it.”

Finding the right place shown on the map, I confirmed that the room was open.

“Dog, two adults.”

“Um, this is……an open petting place?”

Lifting her face, her eyes caught the signboard which contained the name of this facility.

“Rather than a petting plaza, it’s more of a private petting room. It’s a facility that you can use to play with puppies in a s.p.a.ce for about 10 minutes.”

Completing a simple procedure at the reception, I entered the designated room.

While still unable to regain her reason, Kokoro was pulled by my hand and entered the room as well.

In that instant, it was just the two of us as her eyes lit up on the spot.

“It’s a pup-pup!”

“A puppy.”

A few puppies were wagging their tails and waiting inside of the room.

First, the majority of them gathered around Kokoro.

“This is……this is!!”

“That’s right.”

“Is it ok to do as I please!?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Kokoro turned her bright eyes towards me as she desperately petted a puppy.

She probably never had an opportunity to touch a dog like this up until now. Kokoro’s sole drawback was that she didn’t know how to take her foot off of the gas pedal.

She couldn’t pet a stranger’s dog or the ones at the pet shop that much either, after all.

“Goochie, goochie!”

Kokoro’s innocent smile was directed at the dogs. Although dogs were friendly towards humans, they were being approached by such a person.

I stroked the little, slow-witted dogs with a *tickle*.

“You guys came out late, huh.”

Although there are times when dogs choose people, they are inherently animals that like to be touched. They were wonderful animals that would even approach someone like me.

Although Kokoro, who was next to me, seemed quite nostalgic, I felt that her condition was a bit too abnormal.

“Kyah, wow, amazing!”