Date Her Instead Vol. 2

Chapter Twelve: Out Of Reach

On the same day as Haruna's outing with Jasmine, Kanako received a surprise guest. She had just been sitting on her back porch with the door open when she heard the front doorbell ring. With it still being early afternoon, Kanako was still the only one home, so she got up and went to see who it was.

When she opened the door, it was none other than Akio. "A-Akio-kun?!" Kanako shouted. "What are you doing here?" "Well, I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd come see if you were home. It's been so long since we've hung out together, so I was thinking maybe we could go do something." Akio had only phrased it as "hanging out," but Kanako heard "hanging out with a boy, which means it's a date." Blushing at the thought, Kanako struggled to find words. "I, um, well... yeah, I'd love to," she said, finally getting her bearings. "Just give me a little time to get ready." "Sure," Akio said with a smile. Being invited in for the wait, he went to sit on the couch in the living room as Kanako changed her outfit.

As she quickly sorted through her clothes, Kanako eventually settled on an ensemble of a red t-shirt and a white skirt. Putting it on, she took a look in the mirror before deciding she was satisfied with what she had picked. The shirt was a little tighter than Kanako would've liked, but she liked the outfit too much to change, so she stuck with it. Once Kanako had grabbed her phone and purse, she ran back downstairs to find Akio exactly where she had left him.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Kanako said happily. "Great," Akio said before making a nervous face. "So listen. I was hoping to have you pick out where we went, but I just got a text saying I have to pick up a couple of things. I hope you don't mind running errands with me." Kanako shook her head. "T-That's fine," she said, simply content with being able to spend time with her crush. Akio breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright. Well first we'll need to go to the pharmacy." The pair then went out the door and began walking in the direction of downtown.

While they headed toward their destination, Akio started up a conversation. "You know, it really does feel like it's been forever since we did anything like this." "Y-Yeah. I think the last time might've been before the school year started," Kanako said. "Things have just been so crazy..." Akio laughed. "I bet. But hey, at least we get to do this now right? Better late than never." Kanako blushed a little. "Y-You're right..."

To Akio, the day had simply turned into errand-running, but to Kanako, the atmosphere still felt very date-like. "I know it's not technically a date, but... maybe I can kind of turn it into one," Kanako thought. It certainly wasn't what she had imagined for a first date, but it would have to do. If it wasn't official, it's not a like a little nudging couldn't hurt, right?

So while they continued on their way, with Akio talking about an earlier summer experience he had, Kanako began to think up ways she could get what she wanted. Ultimately, all she really wanted was to gain Akio's favor. With her deal in place, Kanako knew there was no way Akio would pick one girl over the other just because she batted her eyes at him. But, a plan was beginning to form. Maybe, if Kanako could act more girlfriend-like toward Akio instead of trying to convince him she was dating Haruna, it would have the same or an even better effect. "After all, it's Akio-kun I want to be with. Why shouldn't I take advantage of this?"

It was very out of character for Kanako to act the way she was. She typically wasn't one to try out plans on people, but this situation was unique. It had been quite some time since Kanako and Akio had been alone together, so having a chance presented in front of her like that just seemed like too much to pass up. Of course, part of her felt like it was wrong. It felt unfair to Haruna, who was also in the running. But as the saying goes, love is blind, so Kanako ultimately went with plotting over fairness.