My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

31. Date, Date, Date! (4)

The movie ended before we knew it.

Aki and I, leaving the theater, took some proof-of-attendance pictures to show our friends, and walked through the hallway lined with movie pamphlets down to the first floor of the building.

We’d started watching a little before noon, and since the movie was about an hour and a half, it was now around one.

Perfect timing to grab lunch and head to our next destination.

“Uuuh, that was fun…! Woo-joo~chan, Woo-joo~chan, you had fun too, right?”

Aki, her face slightly flushed, stretched languidly and looked up at me.

Seeing her, who’s a good head shorter than me, acting like that just made her look all the more cute, so I let out a small chuckle and gently took her hand, which had risen to reach me.

“It was fun, but I’m kind of shocked. I never thought the ending would be like that…”

I won’t go into detail, ’cause spoilers, but I never even dreamed it would end that way.

“Why? It was touching. Left an impression, and it’ll be memorable for a long time.”

“Yeah, it is, but… uhm, I still think I prefer a tightly-closed happy ending.”

“Tightly-closed happy ending? Ah, you mean like, they get married and have kids and that’s the end?”

“Yeah, and it’d be even better if they showed them raising the kids too.”

“Why? Does Woo-joo~chan like babies?”

“Well, if it’s a matter of like or dislike, I lean towards liking it…”

But, regardless of that, I just want to see the main male and female leads live happily together. Tragic or sad endings might leave a lingering feeling, but they make *me* feel uneasy, you know?

Like… it’s as if I’m the only one left behind after the movie ends, or something?

I’m trying to piece together and convey this feeling that’s hard to put into words, and Aki’s staring at me with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, I see. So, Uju-chan, you like little kids…?”

“……Doesn’t it sound a little weird when you put it like that?”

It makes it sound like I like kids for some impure reason or something.

“……Hehe, just kidding. Okay, I’ll definitely keep that in mind for later.”

“I don’t even know what you mean by ‘keep it in mind’…”

As I’m taking in Aki’s somewhat loaded comment, *ding*.

A notification goes off on my phone, which I’d just switched off silent mode.

Wondering who it could be at this hour, I take it out and see that it’s a slightly unexpected person sending me a message.

[Sender – Kim Seungwoo]

“Uju-chan, who is it?”

“A guy in my class. We’ve only recently gotten close…”

[Uju, is your seat number 316?]

When I check what he sent, it’s kind of out of the blue.

[Yeah, I think so? Why?]

[My uncle said he’ll move you and your girlfriend to better seats]

[Huh? Really?]

[It’s the Terra Zone, you know, the seats with the tables right behind the batter’s box? I’ve got a two-seater reserved there, so just head over there later]

Terra Zone meant VIP seating, the kind of place that cost 80,000 won per person, a place I couldn’t even dream of on my allowance.

But, to just give me a place like *that* for free?

This was so out of the blue, no, more like incredibly generous.

[Whoa, seriously thanks. I’ll definitely go see your uncle and thank him later!]

[Nah, my uncle hates that kind of thing. So, skip the thanks… He saw your photos and said your pictures were good, if you guys get caught on the kiss cam, it’d be a surefire hit]

[So he wants you to go all in with a passionate kiss, haha]

“……”

“Woo-joo-chan, what’s wrong? Something up?”

“……Huh? Oh, no, nothing.”

I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

Of course, I didn’t forget to reply to Kim Seung-woo.

[Okay, I’ll make sure to…!]

Today, I would make sure to kiss Aki.

“……Let’s go, Aki.”

“Ah, okay…!”

With that resolution, I gently took Aki’s hand.

* * *

Near the multiplex, a restaurant.

After finishing the movie and sharing our thoughts, Aki and I stopped by a nearby restaurant for a bit.

The reason, of course, was to grab a late lunch, and the restaurant’s name was ‘Trattoria Seoul’. Aki said that a Trattoria is basically a casual, small-scale eatery.

As for the ‘Seoul’ part, well, we’re in Seoul, so that explains itself, no need for further details.

“Aki, what are you gonna get?”

My stomach was growling since it was a bit past lunchtime. I casually scanned the menu while asking Aki.

“Atashi (Me), I’ll have the chicken salad, what about you, Woo-joo~chan?”

“I’ll take this, the Meat & Fish.”

“Meat & Fish…. Woo-joo~chan, were you hungry?”

“Yeah, a little. Why? Aren’t you hungry, Aki?”

I’ve known Aki for a while, and she’s not the type to eat small portions. She eats pretty normally.

So, the chicken salad Aki just ordered might not even be a full meal for her.

Aki shook her head at my question, looking like she was lost in thought.

“No, I’m hungry.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you order a proper meal and got a salad instead?”

“……Because I need to lose weight.”

“Huh? Lose what?”

“I’m, I’m going on a diet. A diet…”

“A diet…?”

I scanned Aki up and down.

Aki’s undeniably Western, so even though she’s only seventeen, her curves are quite defined.

Of course, she doesn’t have an ounce of fat on her, and her clothes fit her perfectly; there’s not a single flaw in her looks.

The way I see it, you don’t need to go on any diet at all.

No, actually, I’d rather you just kept growing exactly as you are now.

I know this sounds a bit perverted, but they say when girls lose weight, it’s the chest that goes first, right?

You’re perfect to look at right now, so why the hell would you even want to lose weight…?

“Why? Really? You’re so pretty as you are?”

I genuinely didn’t understand, and I tilted my head.

“……Ah!”

And then, suddenly, Aki’s face turned bright red.

Aki, flustered, embarrassed, fidgeted with the hem of her tennis skirt, her hands opening and closing, before glancing at me and stuttering out.

“……U, Uju~chan probably thinks that because you don’t know… but… I just can’t stand it myself.”

“Can’t stand it? What can’t you stand?”

“Uju~chan wouldn’t… understand even if I told you. It’s something only girls can understand…”

“……Huh?”

I have no idea what she’s trying to say.

This time, in a different way, I didn’t understand, and I unconsciously furrowed my brow.

It wasn’t that I was annoyed with Aki, of course. It was me, trying my best to understand what Aki was saying.

‘Something only girls can understand…’

What on earth could that be that I wouldn’t understand, even if told, being a guy?

If I think about it simply, without twisting it…

A kind of female empathy, maybe…?

“……Hmm.”

Even after pondering, I really don’t get it.

Honestly, if I could figure it out by just thinking for a bit, Aki wouldn’t have bothered hiding it from me in the first place.

It’s a problem that’d be solved instantly if I just asked, but Aki, with her cheeks flushed, isn’t likely to spill it out willingly.

Giving up on the puzzle, I leaned back against my chair.

And, right as I was about to change the subject, shift to some random chatter with Aki.

“Aki, we should maybe later….”

“──Oh, is that Aki and Woo-joo?”

A familiar voice drifted from not too far away.

It wasn’t the tone of our peers, and definitely not the tone of our parents’ generation either.

Mid-to-late twenties, at the youngest.

My thoughts went that far, and I turned my head.

“……Oh, Ms. Yoon-ah?”

“Oh my, it really is you two~?”

Recognizing us and speaking first was, predictably, Ms. Kim Yoon-ah.

She’d been Aki’s and my tutor since the 7th grade, and even with our parents on a business trip in the States, she still tutors us once a week.

“Ah, Ms. Yoon-ah. Hello. Are you with your friends?”

Three women stood behind Ms. Kim Yoon-ah.

I haven’t spoken to them, so I can’t really tell, but they all looked around the same age as Ms. Kim Yoon-ah. They must be out for lunch with friends.

As I greeted her amiably, Ms. Kim Yoon-ah nodded.

“Yeah, I was doing homework with my classmates at a cafe nearby and we came here for lunch. You two are… uh, on a date?”

“Yes, a date. We saw a movie and came for lunch.”

“W, Woo-joo-chan……?!”

Aki raises her voice, as if asking why I had to say that, trying to stop me.

I smoothly slip away from Aki’s hand trying to grab my arm and, with a deliberate smirk, added a line.

“Why? It’s a date, isn’t it? Weren’t we on a date?”

“I, it is…! But you don’t have to, like, shout it from the rooftops…!”

“If people see us walking around, they’ll find out anyway. It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“It does matter, it does! Even if Woo-joo-chan doesn’t care, *I* careee……!”

“Heh, these kids are cute. Yoon-ah, are they your younger siblings?”

“Yeah, they’re students I tutor. High schoolers.”

“You’re really good-looking. How old are you? You don’t look like a freshman, are you like a senior?”

“Looking at him, he’s definitely a senior. Sweetie, should your *nuna* buy you something tasty~?”

“Huh? Ah, um….”

It’s been a while since someone openly treated me like a little kid, so I was slow to respond.

I hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, when Ms. Kim Yoon-ah blocked my front with her arm and waved her hand as if to chase them away.

“Uh-uh, why are you guys like this? Didn’t you hear, they’re on a date?”

“What? Why are they *your* kids?”

“They’re my students, so they’re my kids. Anyway, don’t bother them and just leave!”

“You’re the one who bothered us first.”

A brief scuffle, but Kim Yuna-seonsaengnim’s friends, answering vaguely, backed off.

Not that they went willingly, though, tossing out cringe-worthy flirts like, “Hey, kid. Call me later if you miss your noona~”.

“Akkiya, Woojoo-ya. Sorry to interrupt your playtime, have fun and I’ll see you next week in class~?”

“Ah, yes. Seonsaengnim, enjoy your lunch too.”

“Okay, you guys enjoy your lunch too~”

With light greetings, the group headed off with Kim Yuna-seonsaengnim, growing distant.

-Hey, but he’s really handsome, how old is he?

-What are you gonna do with his age? He has a girlfriend.

-Who said I was gonna do anything? I’m just curious~

-Seriously, and that girl was super pretty too. Is she mixed or something?

Hearing the group’s conversation clearly, despite the distance, I suddenly thought this.

Those older sisters who are friends with Kim Yuna-seonsaengnim, they all seem outstandingly good looking and have good personalities too, but…

‘……Still.’

“Ugh, really… ! It’s all your fault, Woojoo~chan, you made me embarrassed. …Take responsibility, Woojoo~chan!”

After all, in my eyes, Akki is the prettiest, you know…?

“Woojoo~chan, are you listening?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. I’m listening.”

“What did I just say?”

“Um, you said you wanted to read a book…?”

“……No! You didn’t hear a thing!”

Even when she’s mad, she’s cute, y’know.

“…Pfft.”

A laugh slipped out before I knew it.

I wasn’t trying to make fun of Aki at all, it was just that this whole situation was funny, and plus, Aki’s red face was just adorable, so I laughed.

Aki, thinking I was laughing at her, turned her already red face even more crimson and glared at me.

“Uju~chan, stupid. …Honto (really) stupid!”

“……”

Hmm, it’s cute how she mixes Japanese into her speech when she gets worked up too…

“Excuse me, your orders are here.”

“……Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Aki, who had been so furious just moments before, instantly changed her expression, gave a soft smile, and took the dishes to place mine and hers in front of us.

“Uh…”

I was about to take my own dish but stopped, staring at Aki instead.

Even while angry, she instinctively took care of me, a habit ingrained deep within her. And then, she seemed to realize what she’d done.

“……Ah.”

She quickly pushed the dish towards me. And then, as if resuming her earlier anger, she glared at me with a slightly pouty face.

“……”

“……Hmph.”

She covered her mouth with her right hand.

‘……Wow.’

This is bad.

No matter where I look at Aki, all I see is pure, unadulterated cuteness.

I’ve been watching Aki for almost ten years, and if it’s like this even now, it feels like she’s just going to get cuter and cuter over time…

At this point, maybe I’m seriously in deep?

“……Munch.”

When I didn’t say anything, Aki, who had been glaring at me, pushed a piece of chicken from the top of her salad into her mouth.

I just kept staring at Aki and thought this to myself:

Even now, just looking at Aki’s face makes my heart pound and I can hardly keep my hands and feet still.

If we go to the baseball stadium this afternoon and end up kissing during the kiss cam,

Will I even be able to keep my head after that?

“……Aren’t you going to eat?”

I doubt it.

“If you’re not going to eat it, I will. …Munch.”

“…….”

Every time Aki shows me this cute side,

I feel like I can’t hold back the urge to kiss her…?