"I am so sorry about that sir." The first thing that Kouji had to do was apologize for the scene and mess caused by the pair. As much as he wanted to run after Himawari, what they did had to be taken care of first. "We'll clean it up, please don't get made at us."
"Do not fret." Despite what just happened, their server remained as composed as ever. "We'll take care of things and get the two of you another plate. Please, I believe it would be best if you attended to your lady."
"Really?" He wasn't expecting a response like that. These people really took their jobs seriously. "Um, okay I'll just go check on Himawari." Kouji politely and awkwardly bowed as he made his way towards the establishment's restrooms.
As much as he wanted to charge in after her, there was one problem. She obviously just went into the women's restroom, where someone like him wasn't allowed him. The boy sighed as he scanned his surroundings to ensure no one was around to catch him. "I'm going to get into some major trouble." With massive levels of bravado, he quickly stepped through the doors and prayed there wasn't someone who wasn't her in there at the moment.
Thankfully, it seemed to be empty as he walked inside. There was almost an air of silence other than the small sniffles of one sad girl. "Himawari, are you in there?"
"K-Kouji?" She meekly replied in a mix of dread and shock. "What are you doing here? This is the girl's restroom."
"Seeing as you're not calling me a pervert, you must be really upset." He spoke as he opened up her stall door and entered inside. This would look really bad if someone were to walk in on them. So the boy talked to her with hushed tones. "I couldn't let you lock yourself away on our first date."
"Oh, I'm such a fool." She lamented out loud to him. "I completely ruined your first ever date. Now we're here, with me crying over how big of a failure I am."
"I wouldn't call you a failure." He assured her.
"And what makes you say such a ridiculous lie like that?"
"Well, no matter how big of a mess you made, I still followed you, right?" He even chased her into this bathroom, knowing that it would make him out to appear like the bad guy. "Plus, it makes me really happy to see how much you cared about making this the best date ever." Sure, they almost never get what they want, but he was glad that she put his joy in mind first.
"Well, it still doesn't matter if I wanted this to go well or not. The date's ruined now."
"It doesn't have to be." He took one of her hands and guided the girl onto her feet. "Our food's still coming, and I have a lovely girl who needs some cheering up." Kouji smiled for her, which prompted Himawari to return a soft, shy smile in return.
"Thanks." She turned back to normal after he said the right words. "I really needed that." It was moments like these that showed her how she really fell for him. Despite always being the one to try and be independent to prove to everyone that she deserved to be where she was. It was nice that he broke down her walls and taught her how to rely on others.
Their relationship was certainly a testament to that philosophy. They had been through a lot together with many ups and downs. If anything, there were more downs than ups, seeing as they even had a breakup thrown in there. Yet their hearts knew the truth of their feelings. How they had walked into each others lives to really make a mess of what they believed to be their plans.
With their stealth skills, the pair were able to slip out of the restroom without anyone spotting them. It was quite lucky for him that no one noticed him trespassing onto the ladies' private domain, but there was no way he'd allow those rules prevent him from coming to the aid of one of his lovers.
The couple returned to their table and sat back into their seats. While they were gone, it seemed that the crew had already quickly cleaned up the mess that she left behind. Kouji was impressed that these people really held a high standard of service for their restaurant. If there was any encouragement for him to find a way to earn a ton of riches, it would be for more experiences like this.
"I hope the two of you are doing well now." Their server returned. He had brought them their shared meal remade after the last one got knocked all over her. "Please, enjoy your meal."
"Thank you." They both said as the plate was placed down. "And we're sorry for the mess."
"Again, no worries. It's all taken care of now." With that, their server left the pair to enjoy their food and the rest of their romantic outing.
"You know, I'm still a little worried about the food you picked out." It was the fancy blowfish known for being capable of killing those who consumed it. Why anyone would want to take that risk was beyond him.
"This is a fine establishment with some of the best chefs." She assured him that as long as it was done properly, then there was no risk at all.
"Even the best can make mistakes." He responded. It was both to show off his concern, but also a subtle nod to how he viewed her today.
"Then how about this?" Himawari handed him a pair of chopsticks, beckoning him to pick up a piece. "You feed me one, and I'll show you it's perfectly safe."
"Okay…" Nervously, he picked up a piece and directed it towards her mouth. There was a lot of anxiety inside of him as the boy was filled with worry that he might end up being the one to kill her. Slowly, he lifted it to her, where she took a bite from his feeding.
"Delicious." She simply said after chewing. "See, completely fine."
"I guess I was being too worried." He breathed a sigh of relief. However, when he went to pick out his own piece, she stopped.
"Now it's my turn." She said, taking out another pair of chopsticks. Himawari picked out what she believed to be a fine piece and lifted up to his face. "Say, ah."
"…" He chuckled, realizing now just how fortunate his life had become during the last year. These girls were beyond special to him. "Ah…" And with that, he opened his mouth and accepted her offering. The fugu was one of the best things he had ever tasted.