After finishing lunch, we headed to the escape room cafe we had visited before, recalling old memories. Hina chose the horror theme of escaping from an abandoned hospital with the highest difficulty.
…I could’ve sworn at first Hina said she didn’t like horror themes. What made her change her mind?
This had to be Aco’s doing. I thought I might have to give her a German suplex later. Or maybe not.
Surprisingly, we almost failed to escape. When we finally succeeded with just 10 minutes left, the sense of achievement was overshadowed by a sense of relief. It was almost embarrassing compared to the record we had previously set.
Honestly, I hate jump scares with a passion…
“…Are you okay, Hina-chan?”
“Sorry, Mika. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn…”
“Aha-ha… At times like this, you can just say you’re fine.”
It was true that Hina struggled a bit more than I did, but frankly, I wasn’t doing super well either. We spent more time hugging each other than figuring out how to escape.
The thought that this escape room theme was not really suited for two people like us, unlike others, was hard to shake.
Especially the room themed around the mortuary was really hell…
“…From now on, let’s not give any attention to horror themes when it’s just the two of us. Okay? It seems better for our mental health.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Hey, Hina-chan. Are you really okay?”
“I’m, um, fine. I just need to go to the restroom for a minute.”
“…Oh, okay. Hurry back.”
While Hina, who seemed to be lost in thought, left, I fell into contemplation about how to fill the gap in today’s unconfirmed date course.
Originally, after spending time at the escape room cafe, I planned to visit a ping pong place and then a dog cafe. But, it just so happens that the dog cafe is closed today and tomorrow.
Bowling alley or shooting range? Both of these don’t sound appealing now that the ping pong place is added to the schedule. They were places that didn’t get chosen because they were overshadowed by the ping pong place.
Hmm, an arcade or a manga cafe also doesn’t sound too bad. If all else fails, we could just have a normal conversation in a cafe. Hina doesn’t talk that much, but she does respond well.
…Wait a minute. On second thought, maybe the cafe is not a good idea. From my experience, the longer the conversation with Hina goes, the more it tends to veer toward topics related to work. So, maybe the manga cafe would be better…
“Whoa…! Whoops.”
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Ugh, I’m fine… Thank you, pretty lady!”
“Aha-ha, it’s no big deal. Be careful out there!”
When a middle school kid slipped on the ice nearby, I helped her up and suddenly thought of a great date place. After checking my phone, I found there’s another ice rink right next door.
“Mika, I’m back.”
Hina’s somewhat excited face, which I took as being due to the cold, drew closer and I wrapped my arm around her.
I had thought of the next place, but for now, it was time to settle the score at the ping pong place.
“Are you confident, Hina-chan?”
“As long as you’re okay with it, I’m fine with making a bet.”
“Th-that’s something I would really rather not do…”
Just so you know, my skill level was at the point where I might have just barely shed my beginner’s label, and Hina was trying ping pong for the first time.
Even so, I hesitated to accept the bet because it had become a source of PTSD for me…
*
“Um. If I had known you would be this bad, I would have tried to make you bet anyway.”
“…Shut up, Hina-chan. I’m not going to bet for the rest of my life, just so you know.”
“Better not say things you can’t keep, Mika.”
“Ugh. Let’s face off again next time. This defeat doesn’t count; it was simply unavoidable.”
“Just because we face off again doesn’t mean the outcome will change.”
“…Let’s make it about something other than ping pong.”
My choice to refuse the bet turned out to be extremely wise. I couldn’t perform even my limited skill due to a lack of power control.
Meanwhile, Hina, who had learned the basics from me, improved tremendously and quickly reached a level equal to or surpassing my former self. If I just had better power control, with my good reflexes, I could have had an even match. It’s so frustrating!
…Anyway, I’m never going to take any bets again.
Having already been burned, why on earth would I want to do that again? No matter the content, I’d be nuts if I did.
“So, where are we going next?”
“Um, well. About that…”
The next place I heard about from others was a solid winter date spot: the ice rink.
I honestly don’t know if it’s actually a good date spot or not. So let’s go find out.
“…Do you think that’ll be fun?”
After taking the subway to the area and arriving at the ice rink, Hina voiced her doubts. A reasonable question, indeed.
“Aha-ha, well, I don’t know? If it’s just me, maybe, but being with Hina-chan makes it a bit different. Anyway… yeah, I think it’ll be fine for killing some time before dinner.”
We rented the skates and before stepping onto the ice, I helped Hina put on her skates after a quick stretch. My feet aren’t exactly large, but Hina’s are smaller, and so incredibly cute.
“Such tiny little feet. Adorable☆”
“…Hey, there’s no need to tease me.”
“Huh? I’m not teasing. Hina-chan, you should know by now how honest I am, right?”
“That’s true, I guess.”
“I don’t want Hina-chan to get into the habit of comparing herself to others. You have a unique charm that no one else has.”
“Mika, I really appreciate you saying that… but sometimes I just want to look a little more like a grown-up to you. I wish I could.”
After adjusting her skates properly, I pulled Hina into a hug and buried my face in her hair. The familiar shampoo scent brought back old memories.
“Um. Does that mean you want me to see you as a mature woman, Hina-chan?”
“…Yeah.”
“Well, I think that has nothing to do with Hina-chan’s figure. I won’t deny I have an ideal shape in mind… but what I like the most is a person who’s mature on the inside rather than just beautiful outwardly. In that sense, there aren’t many girls who fit my tastes as well as you do, Hina-chan.”
While it’s kind of an excuse, it’s still true. Honestly, I’ve never felt sexual desire just from looking at someone’s body, no matter who they are. Sure, there are times when lust spikes momentarily, like during a kiss, but that’s something I can easily suppress.
Instead, I focus more on faces. A lot more. And Hina perfectly embodies the combination of beauty and cuteness I prefer. In other words, she’s the exact type of girl I can’t help but fall for.
“Well then… let’s take our time and move forward, step by step, Hina-chan. After all, we are still students, right? So, if it’s light teasing like before, I’m totally open to it.”
Hina, nestled in my arms, gave a small nod. I could bet she was blushing bright red even without looking. Despite her outwardly strong demeanor, inside she’s completely just a girl.
Naturally, we put on our skates and I reached out my hand to Hina as we got closer to the rink. The difference between having someone who can skate and one who can’t is significant.
“Okay, first… let’s just start walking.”
Normally, we’d have to learn how to fall first, but given how strong Hina is, it didn’t seem necessary. In fact, you could barely spot any kid in the rink wearing a helmet.
After showing Hina the basics of walking, stopping, and general posture, we skated for a while. Naturally adapted and quick on her feet, Hina let go of my hand and began to skate confidently.
Once she got the hang of it, she began to take off, leaving me behind. Maybe it was her competitive spirit kicking in, wanting to race. But it wasn’t really appropriate to do that with younger kids around.
Ultimately, after completing a lap alone, Hina returned to my side, hugging me in a way that looked quite intentional. She didn’t slam into me, but it was close enough.
“Mika… to be honest, I’m not sure if I find skating itself that fun.”
“Aha-ha… I think it will get really enjoyable once we start racing or doing tricks. Didn’t you feel the same when you learned water skiing? You had to start with the basics back then, too.”
“…That’s true. Yet, whenever I experience new things with you, I find it enjoyable. So Mika, I’m really thankful but also feel kind of bad for making you struggle to find fun things for us…”
“Hey! Aren’t you being a bit too chatty today? You don’t need to thank or apologize, just focus on following along.”
As I held Hina’s hand and glided forward, she smoothly adjusted her posture and, at some point, came closer and linked her arms with mine.
Is this what it feels like for us to be learning figure skating together…?
As we leisurely skated across the rink, it dawned on me that our fun had slipped into the background. Right now, we were more focused on simply spending time together, cherishing the warming atmosphere, and doing our best to enjoy it.
While we have plenty of time ahead, we both shared the desire to treasure every moment we spend together right now.
