A week after the exams ended, Hinata, Shuuta, Asahina, and I decided to celebrate by going to the planetarium and aquarium together. It was a fun idea—a way to unwind after all the studying.
If you ask me, yeah, this totally counts as a double date.
"I wonder if the stars are really watching us from the sky," Hinata mused, her voice soft as she gazed up at the simulated night sky in the planetarium.
"I guess we could ask the expert," I replied, grinning.
"The expert?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah—Coogle," I said, pulling out my phone to show her the search engine.
Hinata stared at me for a moment, then sighed. "That's not an expert, Yukito."
"Hey, it was a joke," I said with a chuckle.
"…You've got some weird jokes today. What's going on with you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in concern.
"No, it's nothing," I replied, though something in my voice must have given me away. I wasn't sure why, but I'd been feeling a bit off lately.
Ahead of us, Shuuta and Asahina had been watching our little exchange, clearly entertained.
"Whoa, I never thought I'd live to see the top gyaru actually laughing and caring for my friend," Shuuta teased, rubbing his chin dramatically. "As expected, Yukito!"
"Asahina, is this really a rare sight?" she asked, turning to him with a playful smile.
"Well, let's just say that sometimes Yukito and Hinata are like oil and water," Shuuta said, smirking. "They don't always mix well."
Hinata blinked, turning to me. "Does that mean Yukito-kun and I aren't compatible?" she asked, teasingly but with a hint of curiosity.
"I never said that," Shuuta replied, grinning. "In fact, you two are quite the rare couple."
"Rare, huh?" I glanced at Asahina. "Looks like you have a unique taste in boyfriends, Asahina-san," I said, flashing her a smile.
After that, we continued our tour to the aquarium. The dim lighting and soft glow of the tanks filled with colorful marine life made the atmosphere both peaceful and exciting. As we wandered through the displays of sea creatures, we unexpectedly bumped into a familiar face.
"Yukito-kun, we meet again," said Himeya-san, who approached us with a warm smile. Behind him, I noticed his family—Touka-san, Asumi, and Akari.
"Himeya-san? What a coincidence. Are you here for a family outing?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, Akari insisted on coming to the aquarium, so here we are," he said, chuckling.
"Pouting Papa! Don't make it sound like I'm just a nagging daughter," Akari chimed in, puffing her cheeks. "Asumi-nee wanted to come too, right?" She nudged her older sister playfully.
"W-what? I didn't do anything childish like that!" Asumi stammered, turning away, embarrassed.
"Good grief, these two…" Touka-san sighed, but her expression softened. She gave both of them a gentle karate chop on their heads.
"Ouch!" Akari yelped, rubbing her head.
"Ow, that hurt!" Asumi echoed, grimacing.
"Mama, that was too much power!" Akari complained.
"Mama, I wasn't even the one causing trouble," Asumi added, still rubbing her head.
Touka-san just smiled at them, clearly enjoying the little family banter. It was nice seeing them like this—close-knit and lighthearted. Hinata seemed amused too, watching their dynamic with a smile on her face.
After saying our goodbyes to Shin's family, we parted ways and made our way to the entrance of the aquarium.
"Whoa, that was quite the visit if you ask me. I never knew our high school president was the daughter of such a successful novelist," Shuuta remarked, still processing the revelation.
"Yeah, and what surprised me more was that Yukito-kun already knew about her," Asahina added, casting a curious glance at me.
"Well…" I glanced over at Hinata, noticing the slight tension in her expression.
"Yukito-kun and Asumi-san were partners during last year's high school festival," Hinata explained, her tone calm but her eyes reflecting a subtle hint of something deeper.
"Oh... lucky you, Hinata-san," Asahina teased, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Lucky?" Hinata looked confused for a moment.
"Well, you've got quite the prize now," Asahina replied with a wink, causing Hinata's face to flush red.
"T-thank you, Asahina-san," Hinata stammered, clearly flustered by the comment.
After leaving the aquarium, the four of us decided to stop by a nearby café that was popular with students from our school.
"The aroma in here is really nice. It's so relaxing," Shuuta said, taking in the warm, inviting atmosphere of the café.
"Yeah, I wonder what kind of coffee beans they use," I added, inhaling the comforting scent of freshly brewed coffee.
"Oh right, don't you work part-time at a café, Yukito?" Shuuta asked, turning to me.
"Not a café, actually. I work part-time at a bar," I corrected him with a small smile.
"That's pretty mature of you, Yukito-san," Asahina said, sounding impressed.
"Well, you've got to work if you want to achieve something, right?" I replied, my smile widening slightly as I reflected on how true that statement felt.
A few moments later, the waiter arrived at our table. He had striking green eyes that shimmered like emeralds, and there was something about his presence that almost hypnotized me. He had an air of calm confidence—a cool guy, if you asked me.
"Have you decided on your order?" he asked, his voice smooth and professional.
We gave him our orders, and after jotting them down, he disappeared into the kitchen to prepare our drinks.
After our orders arrived, we started talking about our day, and the four of us took a selfie together.
"Hey, Yukito, how did you know that the Prez's father is Himeya-san?" Shuuta asked, leaning forward with interest.
"Well, we met him when we went to ComiFes," I replied, recalling the memory with a smile.
"Oh, you went to ComiFes with your sister?" he said, surprised.
"Yeah, and I also brought Hinata with me," I added casually.
"When was that?"
"It was a while back," I chuckled, avoiding specifics. "Feels like forever ago."
As we continued chatting, the waiter who had been nearby approached our table, his interest piqued by our conversation.
"You guys know Himeya?" he asked, catching all of us off guard.
We exchanged glances, unsure how to respond at first. Finally, I spoke up. "Ye-yeah, we know him. Why?"
"I see… How's he doing these days?" the waiter asked, as if genuinely curious.
"He's doing well. We met him and his family not too long ago," I replied.
"Oh, so Touka was with him?" the waiter asked, his tone hinting at familiarity.
"Mister, how do you know Himeya-san?" I asked, now curious about this stranger's connection to him.
"Well, of course I know him! He was a friend of mine back in high school," the waiter said with a nostalgic smile.
"Really? So, you're far from home, huh?" I commented, catching on.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, a puzzled look crossing his face.
"Himeya-san's from Enoshima, and I'm guessing you are too, right?" I clarified.
The waiter chuckled. "Yeah, that's right. I moved out of Enoshima a few years back, and now I'm here running this café."
"So, you own this place?" Shuuta asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Yep. Name's Hiro. Takamine Hiro," he said with a friendly grin.
"Oh, I'm Aki Yukito. This is Kamihate Shuuta, Futaba Hinata, and Asahina Makoto," I introduced everyone to Hiro-san.
Hiro nodded at each of us, his smile never fading. "Nice to meet you all. It's always great to see young folks who know Himeya."
"So, you were close to him in high school?" Hinata asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, we were pretty tight back then. He was always into writing, even in those days. Seems like he really made something of it, huh?" Hiro replied, looking thoughtful.
"Yeah, he's pretty famous now," Asahina chimed in, joining the conversation.
We spent the next few minutes exchanging stories about Himeya, and Hiro shared some amusing anecdotes about their school days. His tales painted a more relaxed, down-to-earth version of the man we had met at ComiFes. It was funny how people could change but still stay the same at their core.
"So, do you still keep in touch with him?" I asked.
Hiro shook his head. "Not really. Life took us in different directions, you know? But it's nice to hear he's doing well. Maybe I'll reach out one of these days."
"Well, if you do, tell him we said hi," I said, finishing the last sip of my cappuccino.
"I will," Hiro said with a chuckle, and then, with a nod, he headed back to the counter, leaving us to our conversation.
As we settled back into our seats, I glanced at Hinata. "So, what do you think? Pretty cool, huh? You never know who you'll run into."
Hinata smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I didn't expect that. It's kind of crazy how small the world feels sometimes."