Day2/3

    The sun shined into my apartment through the exposed crack between my curtains. I rolled over trying to get the sun out of my eyes but realized in my half awake state that it was already too bright to hide from it. I groaned slightly but refused to attempt getting out of my bed.

Out of nowhere my mail tone went off, making me jump. I reached over to my nightstand and flipped my phone open. The brightness from the artificial light blinded me for a second but as soon as I saw the name of the sender I found myself smiling stupidly.

 

    From Kyousuke: Good morning! Would you like to go somewhere today? Since it’s Sunday I have the day off and was thinking about going to Akihabara. I figured I should ask if you wanted to join me.

   

My heart fluttered as I read his proposal. We’ve been messaging each other and talking on the phone for over a month now but neither of us had any free time to hang out since I’m usually working on Sundays. But today was my one day off. I haven’t been to Akiba for a while either making this the perfect way to spend my day off.

I replied and jumped up from my bed to get ready. Something about this really made me shine. I felt so happy and was singing the entire time I was showering. The more I played out the day in my head the giddier I got. The idea of spending time with Kyousuke made me feel like I could fly. We’d really gotten close over the span of a month or so. It was like every conversation was natural and was effortless. We just clicked so well. His laid back attitude matched mine and we had so much more in common beyond that. Not to mention how warm just talking with him made me feel.

I was practically skipping around my apartment all morning. I browsed my clothing options over and over. I had to wear the perfect outfit. After finally deciding on a oversized sweater and leggings combo with a jacket over it I was finally ready to leave. Wait a second, if I left not I’d be early by 20 minutes... I pouted out my lips in frustration. I always did things like this from excitement.

After waiting around for what seemed like forever I decided to finally leave my house. The sun had hidden itself behind the overcast sky by the time I arrived at the station. I was still early, despite trying to delay my departure so I sat on a bench and decided to mail Kyousuke to tell him I arrived and where I was.

Sitting there for a few seconds I watched the people walk by. I mulled over what the day was going to be like. I was looking forward to going to Akihabara since I had some money saved up. “I hope there’s some good finds today.” I hummed to myself silently.

    Suddenly Kyousuke’s face appeared in my mind. I felt my face grow warm, contrasting the overall cold temperature that was infecting my body for most the morning. I was stuck in a daze imagining what it would be like spending time with him. We hadn’t see each other since we first met. An anxious feeling overwhelmed me slightly. Do I look alright? I pulled my mirror out and realized I hadn’t put on any makeup.

    “Aaa…” I cried out softly quickly reaching for my eyeliner, lost somewhere in the depths of my purse. Why do girls always have such big purses anyway? I found it and quickly tried to apply some before it was too late. What was I thinking? I lectured myself. I finished my makeup before he arrived luckily, yet something seemed weird. Rarely do I care about makeup; especially around friends. My face turned even redder thinking about why this was the case. I replayed all the conversations we had in my head trying to figure out why and realized how happy I was anytime we talked. Something about it made me feel all jumbled up and warm inside. It had been a while since I’ve felt anything like this, yet at the same time it was so new to me.

    “Yo.” A cheerful voice in front of me broke my thoughts and startling me letting out a small shriek. Kyousuke let out a little chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

    “S-sorry, I was just lost in thought.”

    “Well the train doesn’t come for another 15 minutes, wanna go to a close by cafe with me while I grab something to eat for the ride.” I nodded as I stood up following his lead to the shops across the street.

    On the way there we spent our time talking trivial things like the anime that was on last night and boring everyday things. “I’ve been really stressed over some school work stuff.” He commented. “I really wanted to just get out and get my mind off of things you know? I’m glad you were able to come with me today.”

    “Uh-huh, me too. It’s nice hanging out again. Leave it to me to distract you completely!” I exclaimed confident I would succeed.

    “Well aren’t you enthusiastic about helping me out?” His tone was playful and smile made me feel like I was ready to melt.

   

 

    The train station was packed and we almost got lost trying to get out to the street. The train ride itself was fine but actually getting to the street was a different story. The crowd was unbelievable and it had been ages since I was in a crowded place during a rush like this. I started feeling uncomfortable as we tried to weave our way through the people. My chest started to feel heavy making the task of following Kyousuke out of the mass of people harder and harder. The distance between us was growing and eventually I nearly gave up, almost stopping dead in my track but the motion of the crowd was forcing me forward. I started to space out wishing I was anywhere but here. I felt something brush against hand my hand, then grip it firmly. I looked up and saw Kyousuke giving me a half smile which snapped me out of my stooper.

    “What are you doing, silly? You can’t just stop like that.” he turned around, but without letting go so his hand could be a guide for my path. I felt myself grow calmer. Again his presence made me feel safe. The feeling in my chest was still there but much more subdue now and manageable.

    We made it out of the station and I told him I needed to sit down for a moment. We moved to an empty bench for a moment while I caught my breath.

    “Is everything alright?” There was a hint of concern in his voice.

    “I’m fine… I just haven’t been in a crowd like that in a long time.” I admitted. I felt embarrassed for having an episode like that. My head still felt a bit light headed from it event. I looked over at Kyousuke and saw a look of worry. “Sorry for that happening, I’ll be fine really.” His expression didn’t change much hinting towards him not being fully convinced I was okay. I thanked him before standing up. I didn’t want him to worry, so I made sure to act as if I was full of energy as I scoped out the stores nearby.

    “So, got anywhere in particular you want to go?” I looked back at him.

    “Actually there was a new visual novel that just came out. It’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Akiba in the first place.”

    “Well then, shall we go?”

    The energy in Akiba couldn’t be beat. It felt like a weird home away from home. Everyone was into something and expressed enthusiasm for their hobbies. It was comforting knowing you were around similar people. It was good to be in a comfortable place, especially after what happened.

    We stopped by the store that Kyousuke goes to buy his visual novels at. It was a small shop I had never been to, mainly because its focus on visual novel which I wasn’t particularly fond of. As we walked in and I saw the stand with the game my mouth dropped open from the surprise of what kind of game he was looking forward to buying. I stood next to him and peered over his shoulder looking at the cover of the case.

    “Wh-what is this?” Just reading the title made me feel dirty. “An eroge…?” Kyousuke’s face started to turn red. I looked back at the title and read it again making sure I got the name right. Getting My Sister Pregnant Can't Be This Hard?! I looked back at Kyousuke unsure what exactly to think.

“That’s some…interesting taste.” was the only thing I could think of to say.

“I didn’t really think this through did I?” He noted realizing how awkward it was for me to see this. His voice sounded defeated. “I hope this doesn’t make you scared to talk with me or anything.”

“Of course not.” He didn’t seem very certain about answer so I added, “It’s just a game after all. And besides... I don’t really think anyone should be judged for their fetishes.” I said it quietly and felt myself become embarrassed admitting something so strange to him.

“I’m glad you aren’t weirded out by or anything.”

After some awkward silence we headed to the counter and paid for it while Kyousuke shamefully looked away. As we turned around I playfully teased, “Aww you weren’t embarrassed having someone see you buy such a lewd game with your friend?”

“I-it's embarrassing that you know I play games like this, is all.” He avoided eye contact with me as he murmured his response. For some reason I felt the need to reassure him everything was fine and I wasn’t bothered at all by it. This was a bit out of character considering how much I love to tease other, often times getting carried away with it.

“I mean it’s not that odd, really. You’re a grown man who likes otaku related things. It’d be weird if you didn’t like stuff like this. Hell I’ve played a few eroge in my day. I just don’t find it appealing most the time. I’d rather read a doujin and get all the good parts quick. Plus the art is usually better.”

“Really now? So what kinda doujin do you like?”

“I really do like femdom stuff.” I realized what I had said moments after the words left my mouth and felt my face grow red. “Oh gosh, please forget I said that.” Kyousuke looked over at me, our eyes meeting.

“It’s cute how you say something without thinking like that. It lets me see an honest side of you even if it's only an accident.”

“C-cute?” I tried to say something else but was unable to. The compliment blind sided me. My mind was jumbled up and face so warm I’m sure Kyousuke could see the steam coming out of my ears.

“Yes, cute.”

“N-nyee, b-b-but” My mind was completely failing me now. I could barely get a single would out. Calm down. Calm down. This isn’t that big of a deal is it? I’m just not used to being complimented. Especially like that. I rambled on and on as we continued walking down the street.

Suddenly I was jerked back as a car rushed in front of me. I let out a small shriek as I flew backwards towards the force pulling me. I fell into Kyousuke. Luckily he was ready for that so he caught me instead of losing his own balance.

    “You need to be careful what you’re doing, Anon. This is the second time I had to catch you.” Kyousuke scolded me playfully.

“R-right.” I looked down embarrassed as we waited for the traffic to pass. All these feelings I felt were so new to me. I haven’t met someone this…I’m not even sure what to call it. There’s something about Kyousuke that makes me so happy and warm. My chest started to feel heavy. I didn’t have a crush on him did I? Of course not, I barely even know him. It felt like it was something more than that. I’m just not sure what. It was nice to have him looking after me like that though.

“Want to grab something to eat?” He inquired. I looked over at him and nodded. With the amount of people on the street we had to stand close to each other. Seeing his face so close up made my chest feel even heavier. I hadn’t stopped blushing from earlier and seeing all the soft features of his face made everything more intense. Being around him like this was almost unbearable in a way. I haven’t felt so overwhelmed with emotions ever really. Not to mention my mind was starting to go blank just trying to think of things to say after he said I was cute.

I was quiet the whole time walking to a restaurant due to all the thoughts floating around in my head. I was too embarrassed to try and strike up a conversation in my state. Once we got our food and sat down, it was another story. We were face to face. It was hard not to make eye contact with how tables work. It make my emotional situation even worse.

“Are you doing alright? You’ve been rather quiet.” Kyousuke asked me almost as soon as we sat down barely giving me time to settle in my chair. The question seemed to be on his mind for a while. I took a deep breath, hopefully making it not painfully obvious that I did, and answered:

“It’s just been a very long time since I’ve spent time like this with someone.” My voice came out weaker than I had hoped. Kyousuke processed this for a moment then replied.

“So you don’t go out with friends often?”

“Not really. I typically talk to online friends. I hadn’t met anyone since I moved to Tokyo. I talk to coworkers during work but never outside store hours.” I hope he doesn’t think of this as too pathetic. “I’ve never really been one to be good at making friends. At least I haven’t since I was very young and things were simpler.”

“I’m a bit similar in a way. I don’t often get out or make friends with people. It’s not that I can’t or won’t make friends. I just don’t find I need too often times.” He paused with a thoughtful expression. “Maybe I really did want to make friends and that’s why I’ve been so happy we’ve be talking.” His cheeks transitioned to a rosey colour as he said this. All his little facial expressions were so charming. Especially the way his eyebrows got when he smirked like he usually does.

“It has been nice. I’m glad we got to hang out today as well. I’ve had a blast.” I smiled back at him.

“Honestly…” He had that thoughtful look in his eyes again, as if he was really carefully choosing his words. “Going to Akiba has really reminded me of the times I used to come here with my Imouto.”

“Oh? You have a sister?” He nodded in response and I felt something wellup in my chest. It wasn’t a very comfortable feeling but I ignored, gulping to clear my throat as Kyousuke explain.

    “She was really into anime and visual novels, but was popular at her school so was hiding it. She felt awful having to hide her favorite hobbies so I helped her out. I was a sorta life coach for her. We had a lot of adventures together. It’s a bittersweet looking back on it now.” the more he talked the more somber his voice grew.

“Do you still talk with her?” The feeling wasn’t going away but I was too curious not to ask about something like this. I wanted to get to know him better and this was obviously something important.

“Unfortunately we don’t… A lot happened between us.” His voice sounded a way I’ve never heard before. It was remorseful and somber. The feeling in my chest had moved down to my stomach making my gut wrench from the feeling. Why was this affecting me so bad? I hated seeing him like this but overall nothing bad has really happened.

We sat there for a second, both of us taking in what was said. Eventually I felt the need to talk about my own siblings.

“You know, I never felt much for my siblings. Neither of them treated me well…really it was the opposite of well. You’re lucky to have had a good relationship even if it was temporary. Maybe you could fix it?” My voice nearly broke at the last question.

“I don’t think I could. It’s not the first time she’s treated me like I don’t exist but it doesn’t make it any harder. I just wish I could be there for her as a brother… She just doesn’t want something like that. She’s so stubborn.” Kyousuke’s expression didn’t change the entire time he spoke and his tone matched. Suddenly I knew exactly what it was I was feeling. That last statement really made the feeling stand out. I was jealous. He seemed to really care about his sister, even though something bad happened he still wanted the best for her. I thought about this for a moment and thought how nice it would be to have someone like Kyousuke treat me like that.

“Sorry for mentioning something that wasn’t a very cheerful topic. I just really enjoyed being out and about with someone. You’re great company.” he went from looking downward to staring me in the eyes as he said it, his eyes twinkling. The happiness beaming from him happened so fast but made me feel the mood had completely flipped and reminded me how wonderful the day had been so far. We continued on for the rest of the day, going to an event for a game we were both interested in and looking through a few more shops. We didn’t mention his sister again for the rest of the day or anything else that was gloomy but I’m glad we got to talk about it. It made me want to learn more and more about Kyousuke; both good and bad sides.