Lesson Five

Chapter Four: Movie Night

~Futaro~

Futaro's phone buzzed, and he glanced down at the screen to find a new message from Naoka, Haruki's sister. "What kind of movies do you like?" she asked.

He hesitated for a moment. The truth was he had a soft spot for rom-coms, but that was something he loathed to admit. Instead, he typed back, "Superhero movies," and hit send.

"OMG, me too!" Naoka replied almost instantly, complete with a string of emojis. She really did remind Futaro of Haruki in a way. Their positive attitude was annoyingly infectious. "There's a new one showing tonight!" She said in one message. "Wanna go watch it together?"

Futaro groaned, his reluctance evident in the crease between his eyebrows. He hadn't expected the conversation to lead to an impromptu date. At first he was simply replying to her to be polite, but this had already gotten out of hand. Turning to Itsuki, who sat nearby grading papers, he asked, "As a woman, you would know. What's the best way to cancel a date you don't want to go on without hurting her feelings?"

Itsuki looked up, clearly surprised that Futaro was coming to her for advice. She adjusted her glasses, "Why not just be honest about how you feel? You can always reschedule for another time."

"But I don't really want to go," Futaro muttered under his breath, trying to ignore the coy smirk forming on Itsuki's face. She scanned his face for a bit longer than he felt comfortable with. She had developed a frustrating habit of staring at his face for long periods of time. Whenever he'd ask what she was looking at, she'd shrug and tell him "nothing." but that nothing didn't feel like nothing, and he was sure that if he pried any further, he'd still be no closer to an answer. She makes me feel like I have a grain of rice stuck to my teeth 24/7.

"Why don't you give her a try, Uesugi-sensei," Itsuki encouraged gently. Her comment rocked him from his own insecurity about his face. "You never know what might happen unless you take that chance."

Futaro frowned, rolled back to his desk, and began writing in his class planner. "Why should I? I was looking for a way to get out of the date," he frowned from behind the stack of English books between them.

"I suppose I'm pretty bad at giving advice," Itsuki said, leaning back in her chair. Futaro felt her roll her chair over to him. "Alright, answer this: When was the last time you went on a date?"

Futaro hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "I, uh, haven't really dated anyone since...well, you know," he confessed with a slight pang of embarrassment in his voice.

Itsuki's eyes flickered with a hint of sadness, seemingly quick to realize the dour past that she had inadvertently unearthed. "Oh shit. Don't tell me...Not since Yotsuba?" she replied, failing to hold back her surprise. Futaro pursed his lips and inhaled sharply. He thought about chastising her inability to read the room.

"I see," Itsuki cleared her throat. "All the more reason. You should go on that date with Naoka. It's been years, Uesugi-kun-I mean, Uesugi-sensei! You might even end up liking her, and if you don't, then at least it was another night out that you can notch under your belt." She looked at him knowingly, adding, "I can tell you want to be more social."

Futaro stared at her in surprise, taken aback by how perceptive she was when it came to things about him. Before he could respond or digest her insight, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Itsuki quickly gathered her things and stood up.

"Come on, Casanova-sensei, we should get to volleyball," she said with a wink, heading towards the door.

Futaro sighed, still unconvinced. He followed Itsuki, his mind cloudy with thoughts about the upcoming date and how much of an impact Itsuki had made on his life lately. In the gymnasium, Itsuki and Futaro divided the volleyball girls into two teams. They positioned themselves on opposite sides of the court.