The dinner proceeded normally after Akari returned from her task.
There was an odd air of tranquility when she returned to the room, but Akari dismissed it as her imagination.
Oddly enough, her parents were even acting kinder with her.
Did Takei do something?
Well, she would probably not find out unless someone snitched. Of course, neither her parents or Takei intend to tell her about the situation that just unfolded.
The conversation would most likely remain only known to the parties involved.
Putting that aside, everyone enjoyed the dinner thereafter and Akari's parents returned to their bedroom after the fact.
It seemed that they knew Takei had something planned in advance, so they decided to be considerate of him.
At the thought of that, Takei smiled and mentally thanked them for their consideration.
Akari decided to lead Takei to her room after they finished cleaning the dishes together.
It was the first time he had ever been in a girl's room, so he was rightfully nervous. Even though Takei had been friends with Rikka for a long time, he had never visited her room.
As Akari opened the door to her room, Takei was overwhelmed at the sight of it.
A large room adorned with stuffed animals and cute things was what filled his vision.
Although there was a dignified feel, there was also the large amount of cuteness to balance it out.
Making a mental note of Akari's love for all things cute, Takei walked into the room while his brain worked overtime.
Akari moved some things and sat down on her bed and patted the place next to her.
"Come sit down, Takei. Excuse the mess..."
Although the room was spotlessly clean, Akari still apologized for the nonexistent mess that was supposedly plaguing her room.
Maybe girls have a different sense of cleanliness than guys?
Takei thought about the different perspectives between the genders, as he sat down next to Akari.
Taking a more thorough look at her room revealed the true nature of the goddess.
There were organized shelves for all of her belongings, a clean and tidy closet, and a labelling system for all of her beauty items.
Takei let out a low whistle as he recognized the true power of the goddess.
"What's wrong?"
Akari seemed concerned that Takei was observing her room so intently. Rather, she seemed a bit embarrassed about it.
"This is the first girl's room I've ever been in..."
"..."
She looked away for a second, as a giant smile began to appear on her face.
Truth be told, Akari felt victorious at stealing Takei's first. Misunderstandings aside, she was beyond elated to hear that her room was the first for Takei.
"What do you think?"
Knowing that the first may not be the best, Akari decided to ask for Takei's opinion.
"I think it's a lovely room, it definitely suits you."
"Fueh?!"
Even though Akari was the one who was asking the question, she couldn't withstand the large amounts of damage that Takei was doing to her psyche.
Shivering from the embarrassment, Akari turned to Takei and complained about his natural smooth nature.
"That's unfair how easily you say such things, you know?"
Unsure of how to respond, Takei asked her if there was anything he could do.
"How am I supposed to fix that?"
The goddess was embarrassed by his manner of speaking, but she wasn't displeased in the slightest.
"You don't have to do anything..."
Pouting slightly, Akari mumbled her response.
Takei was a bit stunned to hear her response, so he looked at her with a discerning gaze.
Girls are confusing...
Making a mental note to himself, Takei vowed to improve on his knowledge of women for future reference.
"Well, I have something to give you."
Finally reaching the reason why he came here today in the first place, Takei reached into his pocket and brought out a small black box with a red bow wrapped around it.
"What is this?"
Akari seemed confused as to why Takei had brought out a gift of some sorts.
"It's your birthday, remember?"
"Ah..."
Due to the important dinner in which Takei met her parents, Akari had completely forgotten what day it was.
However, there was a certain person who didn't forget.
"That's why I got you a present."
Takei handed the box over to Akari and encouraged her to accept it.
Akari examined the box before returning her gaze to Takei. "Can I open it?"
He nodded back in turn. "Go ahead."
Seeing how Takei was encouraging her, Akari opened the small box in her hands.
As the bowtie was unwrapped by her, there was only the box itself left to open.
Akari slowly yet gently lifted the lid of the box to reveal the item inside.
It was the scarlet gold bracelet that Takei decided on with the help of the female clerk from a few days ago.
The design was very simplistic, but Takei believed that the subdued color and design would fit the goddess perfectly. Akari tended to like cute things, but she preferred subdued accessories that could be worn anywhere.
That's why Takei ended up choosing this specific bracelet which was a scarlet red rope that was combined with a thin gold bar that ran alongside the bracelet's length.
Akari looked at the bracelet with a bright expression at first, but then a deep shadow covered her face.
It's a friendship bracelet...
She instantly realized that it was a bracelet meant to be shared between friends. Akari was thankful for the present and everything, but she was a bit displeased at the nuance behind it. The main reasoning being that she wanted a relationship that was more than just friends.
Noticing her silence, Takei immediately became anxious at her opinion on his present.
"Well, what do you think of it?"
The deep shadow retreated from her expression, as a bright smile appeared on the goddess's face.
"I think it's perfect. I'll cherish it forever."
Akari dispelled the slightly negative thoughts she had and replaced them with her gratitude as his friend. She decided that this "friendship" would be okay for now. The stage after it could be saved for when Takei was ready.
"..."
As she was mulling over this, Takei was slightly blushing due to Akari's cuteness.
She had put on the bracelet and was fiddling with it, while also saying that she would cherish it forever.
In the end, it left a happy and elated feeling in Takei's heart.
---
Akari's True Affection Meter: 84 -> 88%
She is so beyond infatuated with him, that it even scares the author.
Author-san: Takei made a good choice with that bracelet, but he's unknowingly bringing her to an outrageous realm of affection.
Sugar-san: What's wrong with that?
Author-san: Nothing... Actually, where's Serious-san?
Sugar-san: He told me to wake him up when the seriousness starts.
Author-san: ...