The Wager (Kuroko no Basket)

Phase 9: Summer Date??

I stare at my cellphone and re-read the text Kise sent me earlier. "Shopping followed by a summer festival, huh?" I mutter. I lay down and continue to stare at the text. "Ugh, what a hassle." I sigh and put my cell phone down. "I wonder what I should wear tomorrow...?" I mutter. I bolt up. "What am I thinking?!" I exclaim. Ugh, something's definitely wrong with me... I feel kind of excited and nervous at the same time. I clench my hands into fists. Get a grip, Kimiko. Just wear whatever you grab first as usual. Another moment passes by. But... then again... I sigh. I can't deal with this anymore. I pull my cellphone out and call a number I haven't called in a very long time.

My cell phone plays the dial tone for a few seconds before the person on the other end picks up. "Hello? Kimiko?" Masami Kirigaya, an acquaintance of mine from Teiko, greets.

"Masami," I greet.

"It's been a while, Kimiko!" she says cheerily. I can almost see her bright violet eyes and radiant smile now. Masami was always pretty bright and friendly when we were in middle school. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," I reply. Speaking with her makes me feel a bit calmer somehow. "I-I have a question for you though..."

"Huh? For me?" she asks. "What is it?"

"Well... Tomorrow, I'll be hanging out with Kise all day," I begin.

"Like a date?" Masami asks. She chuckles. "Who would have thought?" she asks. She seems pretty happy about it.

"N-Not really!" I reply hastily.

"There's no need to get embarrassed, Kimiko. When did this happen though?" she asks. She sighs. "Geez, I miss out on everything now that I'm in Kyoto..."

"What are you talking about?" a somewhat familiar voice asks in the background.

"Ah, Sei..." Masami begins hesitantly. Something sounds kind of wrong. Her voice sounds a lot duller than it used to be. She doesn't sound as cheerful. "Kimiko and Kise-kun are going on a date tomorrow."

"Is he?" Akashi replies. "Interesting." It's quiet for a moment. "Who are you speaking to?"

"Kimiko," Masami replies. Something is definitely wrong. "It's not Testu, so it's fine, right?" There's another short moment of silence. "Ah, sorry, Kimiko," Masami says. Her voice sounds a bit more cheerful, but not nearly as bright as it used to be. "So what's the problem?"

"Are you okay, Masami?" I ask.

"Don't worry about me, alright?" she replies gently. "What did you call to ask?"

It feels wrong not to ask if she needs help, but at the same time, I know that if she intends on keeping her problems from me, she won't say a word no matter how much effort I put in. "Um..." I begin. "What should I wear?"

She laughs softly, but again, it doesn't sound nearly as happy as it used to. "Let's figure it out together, okay?"

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Morning comes and after eating breakfast, I change into the outfit that Masami helped me pick out last night. She did really well. It's something that is a bit more date appropriate, but something that fits into my usual style. I sigh quietly. I'm getting too worried about this for no reason. It's just hanging out with Kise. It's nothing different from hanging out with Shintaro. Right. It's just like hanging out with Shintaro.

There's a knock at my door before my mom walks in. "That good looking guy from last time is here to pick you up?" she says. She seems utterly lost.

I nod. "I know. He wanted to hang out today," I reply. "I'll be home when the summer festival is over," I say.

"You'll be out all day?" my mom asks, her eyes wide in surprise. I haven't hung out anywhere in a while. I usually just stay home on my days off.

I nod again. "That's the plan."

"A-Alright..." she replies hesitantly. "Be safe."

"Yeah, I know," I reply.

I head downstairs and Kise smiles at me from the front door. "You look really pretty today too, Kimikocchi!"

"Where are we going?" I ask as I head out the door with him.

"I was thinking about going shopping in Shibuya first," he replies. Oh man. "First" meaning there's more after that.

As I sigh and mutter that today is going to be a pain, I realize that I'm not really nervous anymore. It's kind of just... natural. I feel at ease somehow, but I'm kind of enjoying myself too. I glance at Kise and he smiles at me. He looks really happy, and somehow, it kind of makes me happy too.