Chapter 69: An Ordinary Date
After wrapping up their morning itinerary, the two managed to find a window seat at a maid café to sit down and rest.
The interior was thoroughly decked out in Christmas decorations, with red and green ribbons twisted around the pillars, snowflake-shaped ornaments hanging from the ceiling, and cartoonish Christmas tree stickers lining the walls. Akihabara's signature otaku atmosphere looked even more dreamlike under the holiday display, and the maids had swapped their usual attire for red-and-white Christmas edition uniforms, topped off with fluffy Santa hats that made them look exceptionally cute.
As they waited for their meals to arrive, Ai suddenly spoke up, "What did you think of Sai's maid outfit?"
Hikaru answered instinctively, "It looked really nice."
The second the words left his mouth, he realized Ai was referring to his date with Emi Sai during the dating reality show. Back then, she had also taken him to a maid café and even dressed up in a maid uniform herself.
*Is Ai actually jealous?* Hikaru thought, quickly scrambling to explain, "That was all just for the script, you know. Sai was basically just putting on a show for the cameras."
Ai burst out laughing. "I know that, silly." She pulled out her phone and tapped into Emi Sai's social media account, where the feed still frequently featured photos of her daily interactions with Takuya Taira.
"They're actually still dating. To be honest, that catches me a bit by surprise," Hikaru said, glancing at the screen.
Ai poked further with curiosity, "Why does it surprise you?"
Hikaru stammered a bit, "It's just... I always felt like Sai wasn't the type to take relationships very seriously."
He immediately added, "Whatever you do, please don't ever repeat that to her."
"That is pure prejudice on your part. Sai is actually a really sweet person," Ai defended her friend. "She actually asked me just a couple of days ago when you were going to do a collab on her channel."
"I haven't even enabled the livestream feature on my channel yet," Hikaru shrugged, throwing his hands up. "Though getting it set up should be easy enough, and I've already met the requirements for monetization."
"Are you planning to become a full-time YouTuber, Hikaru?" Ai asked, her eyes blinking.
"No, it's just a hobby." Hikaru thought it over. "Most celebrities act way too aloof and rarely interact with their fans from a close distance. I don't really like that vibe."
"Think about it—having that many fans but never actually getting to listen to them flatter you, wouldn't that be a massive waste? That's why going live is a great option," he said, looking incredibly proud of himself.
Ai immediately teased, "Wow~ you're really vain, aren't you, Hikaru?"
"It's just human nature. I don't see anything wrong with it," Hikaru replied as if it were a matter of course.
Ai rested her chin in her hands. "I really envy how upfront you are, Hikaru. It feels so good to see someone face themselves honestly—knowing exactly what they want without hiding behind a bunch of filters."
"You're plenty honest already, Ai," Hikaru paused briefly before adding, "Well, at least you are with me."
Realizing he was referring to her confession from the night before, Ai felt a sudden blush burn across her face and quickly looked away.
A moment later, two plates of omurice were served to their table. The maid, styled in her festive Christmas uniform, asked sweetly, "Would you like me to cast a spell to make the omurice delicious?"
Hikaru waved his hands frantically, "No, no, no, I'll pass."
Once the maid had walked out of earshot, Ai said softly, "Since you rejected her, let me cast the spell for you instead."
"You know how to do that?" Hikaru looked at her with amusement.
"Nope. That's why I have a completely different chant." As she spoke, Ai formed a heart shape with her hands.
She looked at Hikaru with immense tenderness. "Merry Christmas. I hope I get to spend every single Christmas in our future right by your side."
The girl offered a gentle smile, the stars dancing inside her eyes gleaming under the cafe lights to the point where he couldn't tear his gaze away. Hikaru desperately fought down the urge to leap across the table and wrap her in a hug. Taking a deep breath, his expression turned incredibly serious. "I have a feeling your wish is definitely going to come true."
"I think so too," Ai nodded solemnly.
After finishing their meal, they spent the rest of the afternoon drifting through the streets of Akihabara. The district was packed with viral, trending shops, and Hikaru followed his guide to check them out one by one—ranging from stores selling retro game consoles from the last century to shops packed with intricate robot models and Ultraman merchandise.
When they accidentally wandered into an adult video store, the shopkeeper let out a slimy chuckle. Before Ai could even process what she was looking at, Hikaru grabbed her hand and fled the scene at the speed of light.
As night fell, the avenues of Akihabara became significantly more vibrant. Neon lights flashed in an array of brilliant colors, and couples could be seen everywhere, strolling hand-in-hand. Groups of teenagers dressed in cosplay were posing for photos, eccentric otaku were locked in heated discussions, and he could even spot a few people huddled in a circle playing out what looked like a dramatic love triangle. The atmosphere was incredibly lively, if a bit chaotic.
"The crowds are really starting to pick up," Hikaru said, surveying the sea of people filling the street.
"Well, it is Christmas, after all."
Hikaru pulled out his phone. "There's one last stop." He pointed toward a towering building looming a short distance away.
"Let's check out the UDX observation deck. We should be able to get a view of the entire Akihabara nightscape from up there."
The two took the elevator up to the UDX observation deck. It was an open-air terrace; as the night breeze brushed against their cheeks, the glittering night view of Akihabara unfurled right before their eyes. The countless household lights resembled a blanket of stars, various neon signs wove together into a brilliant web of light, and the massive electronic billboards and storefront signs along the streets flashed in a vibrant spectrum of colors.
There were plenty of other couples on the deck enjoying the romantic Christmas night, with a few pairs completely lost in passionate kisses in the corners, entirely immersed in their own sweet worlds.
"It's beautiful," Ai said, stepping closer to the railing, the city lights reflecting clearly in her eyes. "Looking down from here, it feels like the entire world has started to sparkle."
Standing right behind her, Hikaru admired her profile as it caught the glow of the city lights. "Yeah. It really is beautiful."
Ai spun around. As if sensing the shift in the air, she quietly locked eyes with Hikaru.
The corners of her mouth curved up, her eyes rippling with deep emotion.
Hikaru took a step forward, wrapping his hands around Ai's slender waist before leaning down to press his lips firmly against hers in a deep kiss.
A moment later, they parted, and Hikaru let out a sharp breath. "It's entirely your fault for being this irresistible, Ai."
"I really don't want to say goodbye tonight," he murmured, looking up at the night sky. The weather was clear tonight with barely any cloud cover, leaving the stars scattered beautifully across the dark velvet canvas.
"Mm-hmm," Ai stepped closer to his side. "It feels like every single moment I spend with you is happy, Hikaru."
"Even if we aren't doing anything at all, just being together..." Ai could feel her heart dancing with a quiet, joyful flutter.
But happy times are invariably brief, and their Christmas date eventually had to come to an end.
Hikaru drove his low-profile black sedan down the road, with Ai sitting in the passenger seat looking visibly deflated. She stared out the window at the passing traffic, her eyes completely out of focus, her mind clearly drifting elsewhere.
*We're almost home,* she thought. If it were possible, Ai wished she could freeze time at this exact second so they would never have to part.
Perhaps her wish actually carried some weight, because a moment later, Hikaru's brow furrowed.
"Gridlock," he said helplessly, releasing his grip on the steering wheel. "I really should've seen this coming. It's Christmas night."
The sea of brake lights ahead stretched out with no end in sight, completely locked up. Yet, seeing this, Ai's mood instantly brightened.
"Tokyo traffic is always terrible on Christmas," Ai chimed in. "Mm-hmm, and it gets even more crowded and locked up around New Year's."
"Have you been stuck in traffic like this before, Ai?" Hikaru asked with curiosity.
"Not personally," Ai said honestly. "But the President has. He got stuck for several hours once."
"Let's hope we aren't that unlucky tonight," Hikaru laughed weakly. *How did we manage to hit a traffic jam right at the very end of our date?* he thought. He didn't love this kind of development; it felt like it was slapping a clumsy ending onto what had otherwise been a flawless day.
Hikaru wanted their date to wrap up smoothly, leaving Ai with a pristine memory so she would be excited to go out with him again in the future.
Ai's tone, however, was incredibly bright. "It's totally fine if we don't get back right away. We can just stay here and look at the stars."
Hearing that, Hikaru opened the sunroof, only to discover that a sudden blanket of dark clouds had rolled in out of nowhere, blotting out the stars and leaving the night sky pitch-black.
"Uh..." A gust of chilly air swept into the cabin, making Ai shudder.
Hikaru immediately shut the sunroof back up and reached over to grab Ai's hand, noticing that her fingers felt a bit icy.
"Are you cold, Ai? Do you want me to turn up the heater?" Hikaru asked.
"No, it's fine," Ai shook her head gently. A few seconds later, she swallowed softly and whispered in a tiny voice, "Just... hold my hand to keep me warm, Hikaru."
So, Hikaru kept his hand firmly wrapped around Ai's. In the quiet stillness of the car, the body temperature of both teenagers began to skyrocket.
Right when Hikaru felt like he was about to start sweating, the sea of cars ahead finally began to filter forward, and he reluctantly let go of her small hand.
Without any further incidents, Hikaru safely delivered Ai back to her house, and the two stood by the front door for their final goodbye. The little villa was completely dark, though the light in Aqua's second-floor bedroom was still burning. Having picked up the sound of the car engine, two pairs of tiny eyes peeked out through a tiny slit in the curtains, peering outside as hard as they could.
"Make sure to get some good rest tonight," Hikaru instructed.
"I know~" Ai said, a wave of disappointment washing over her as her tone dropped.
With that, Hikaru turned to make his way back to his car. But halfway there, he suddenly spun around and gave Ai a big wave.
"Ai!" He flashed a brilliant smile. "See you tomorrow."
Ai's eyes lit up instantly. "See you tomorrow!" She waved back happily, keeping her eyes glued to Hikaru's car as it drove off, watching until it completely vanished into the night.
Up in the second-floor bedroom, Ruby nudged her older brother. "What did they just say? I couldn't hear anything."
"Do you seriously think I heard it either?" Aqua said, completely
exasperated. "Ai's already back inside. Go to sleep."
"Oh." Ruby let out a massive yawn.
Aqua watched Ruby's retreating back as she walked out the door. "See you tomorrow," he muttered casually to himself.
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