Date Her Instead Vol. 6

Chapter One: We're Third-Years Now

On the Sunday following graduation, Chiyo had decided that she wanted everyone to get together for a celebration. The party was planned for the late afternoon, so with the free time until then, Haruna and Kanako wanted to spend the day together. Wanting as much time as possible, it was decided that Haruna would go to Kanako's house in the morning.

Of course, with it being a Sunday, Kanako's parents were at home. Haruna was a little worried because of that. She doubted anything... intimate would happen between her and Kanako, but with neither of their parents knowing about their new relationship, being caught in any awkward position stood to raise questions. "Although, I feel like both my parents and Kanako's would never even guess we're dating," Haruna thought. Her fears weren't entirely alleviated, but the temporary remedy would suffice for now.

Heading over to Kanako's house, Haruna knocked on the door. "Oh? What're you doing here Endo-san? You know it's not a school day, right?" Kanako's mother asked when she opened the door. "N-No, I know. Kanako and I made plans to hang out together... in the morning..." Haruna said, beginning to explain before realizing how weird that sounded. "Who plans to hang out on a Sunday morning? Doesn't that seem odd? Is Kanako's mom gonna wonder why I'm here?" Haruna thought, starting to go into a tailspin. However, her worries were for nothing.

"Huh. Well, she didn't say anything to me, but it's not like we're doing anything," she said. "Really though, a heads-up woulda been nice. I'm still in my pajamas." Sure enough, when Haruna took a good look, she noticed that Kanako's mother was wearing a white button-up long-sleeve shirt and pants to match, both of which looked rather silky. "I didn't wake you up did I?" Haruna asked, feeling guilty. "Oh, no, we've been awake. Well, two of us anyways. I'm afraid that daughter of mine is still curled up in bed, so like always, you'll have to wake her up," Kanako's mother explained with a sigh. "Sorry she causes you so much trouble." "It's fine," Haruna said back with a light smile. "I don't mind at all."

With their conversation over, Haruna headed up the stairs. The inside of the house was nearly identical to her own, with the only major difference being the stuff in the rooms. Past the entryway were stairs on the left wall, and to the right was a hallway that had entrances for the kitchen and living room. Going up and to the left, Haruna reached Kanako's room. She knocked, but got no answer. At this point, it all felt so routine to her that Haruna didn't even bother being cautious. She simply opened the door and walked in like it was completely natural.

Entering the space, Haruna always took notice of the fact that Kanako's room was much cleaner than her own. There was a piece of clothing here or there, and a few papers scattered on the desktop, but overall it was in much better condition. Just like her own room, Kanako's consisted of a bed alongside the far wall, a bookshelf in the corner and a desk next to it along the adjacent wall. For the most part, nothing much had changed, except for one thing. On the bulletin board hanging above the desk, Kanako had put up a bunch of pictures, most of which were of herself and Haruna. Plenty of them were from when they were kids, but a few were from more recently. Even on the desk, there were a few photos in frames, propped up to be looked at at any time.

In the center of it all was a girl that looked rather snug under her covers. Standing on the smaller side, she had plain, lightish-brown hair and blue eyes. Her looks were simple, usually wearing only a small amount of make-up and always keeping her hair in a ponytail unless she was sleeping. With her laying in bed, her hair loosened, it scattered in every direction, making for a beautiful mess to Haruna's eyes.

Smiling at the sight, Haruna reached out a shook Kanako gently. "Kanako, wake up. You told me to be here at 9:00 and you're still asleep." Yet again, there was no response. Wanting to tease her a little, Haruna leaned in. "If you don't get up... I-I'll kiss you."