"That's perfect~ Flawless!"
Early the next morning, Kaede yanked Rin Ito out of bed to choose his clothes. It wasn't until around ten in the morning that Kaede finally let him off the hook.
"I'm going to play a pervert. Why dress up so nicely?"
"My boyfriend can't look bad when he goes out!" Kaede paused, her eyes shifting. "Besides... even though you're playing a pervert, this is to teach Ami's friend a lesson. How can it work if she spots you as a pervert right away? You should dress handsomely so she immediately likes you. Then, at the very end, reveal your perverted identity and shock her badly! Make her understand what 'looks can be deceiving' means!"
Rin Ito gave Kaede a strange look... his own girlfriend was this excited about him going on a date with someone else. Rin Ito and Ami's plan for today's date was to meet at the station, have lunch, and then go hang out. As for the afternoon's activity... hehehe.
Dressed and ready, Kaede and Suzu saw Rin Ito out. The moment Rin Ito closed the door, Kaede immediately pulled out her phone. Rin Ito, Ami, and Megumi Jinno shared one small group chat; Kaede, Megumi Jinno, and Suzu had another.
Kaede: [He's left.] Megumi Jinno: [Then let's get ready to go too!] Megumi Jinno: [We could just follow him openly. Why is Senior Kaede hiding it from him?] Kaede: [I am his girlfriend, after all. If he knows we're following him, he definitely won't act naturally.]
Arriving at the agreed-upon station, Rin Ito found a shady spot. Before long, Ami's figure appeared in his line of sight.
Ami today wasn't wearing her usual low pigtails; her hair was down, styled into a slightly more mature, straight black look. Beside her was Maki, who looked a bit tomboyish, cautiously surveying her surroundings, wearing a ponytail just like in the picture. Neither girl was in uniform. Ami was wearing a wide-collared T-shirt that read 'keepyoursmile' across the chest, the neckline revealing the edge of her small collarbone. Underneath a floral pleated skirt, she wore cute white over-the-knee socks. Maki, next to her, was wearing a T-shirt that read 'cutegirl' across the chest; Rin Ito felt they must have bought these shirts together. For sun protection, Maki was also wearing a thin, breathable hoodie. Instead of a skirt, she wore shorts that showed off half of her pale thighs, paired with proper black mid-calf socks.
Upon seeing the two, Rin Ito walked up to them, flashing a cheerful, sunny smile. "Hello~ Ami-chan, right?" "Eh... Mmm, I... I'm Ami."
"I didn't expect the real Ami to be even cuter than in the pictures. And this is Maki-chan, right? You're both very cute." Maki on the side pursed her lips... she had told Ami that Rin Ito was probably a fat, old guy and the photos were fake. She never expected... the real person to be even hotter than the pictures!?"
"O-old guy?" Rin Ito's mouth twitched. He was a few years older than them, but he wasn't old enough to be called an old guy, right? "I prefer 'Big Brother' over 'old guy,' you know. You must be hungry, right? Let's go grab lunch first. I know a really good restaurant nearby." "Got it, old guy."
As they walked, Maki scrutinized Rin Ito. Rin Ito's gentle, sunny smile greatly improved Maki's impression of him. Also... he didn't seem to get angry when she called him an old guy, and he seemed very calm.
Arriving at the restaurant, Rin Ito found a booth. It wasn't an especially high-end restaurant, but for two young girls like Ami and Maki, it was likely a place they only visited occasionally with their parents. While waiting for their food, Rin Ito chatted with the two, showing no arrogance and treating them not as little girls but as equals. This made them feel very comfortable.
And in the booth right next to where the three were sitting, Kaede and Megumi Jinno were straining their ears to listen to the conversation. Kaede had only left the house about five minutes after Rin Ito, pretending to take a walk in the yard to confirm he was gone. Suzu, meanwhile, stayed home to look after Mashiro. It wasn't that Mashiro couldn't manage without supervision—she would most likely just hole up in her room and draw all day—but Mashiro's luggage was being delivered today. Although Suzu really wanted to go along, she couldn't. Megumi Jinno lowered her voice and leaned in close to Kaede's ear with a mischievous grin. "They seem very happy~ Ami and Maki are so cute, Big Brother might just fall for them~" "Hmph... want to steal him? Tell them to come back when their boobs are bigger!"
After a while, Rin Ito's order was served. The waitress shot a strange look at Kaede and Megumi Jinno, who were practically glued to the back of their booth eavesdropping, then looked at the two girls happily chatting with Rin Ito. The waitress didn't say anything, but a moment later, she quietly handed the two an extra glass of lemonade and a look of encouragement.
After a simple lunch, Rin Ito started discussing the afternoon date plans with the two. "I only talked to Ami before, and I don't know much about you, Maki... Is there anywhere you want to go?" "An amusement park? Hmm... but going to an amusement park in this weather might be torturous."
Halfway through her thoughts, Maki suddenly realized she was seriously considering their date plans. This is his date with Ami; why am I getting so involved? Maki's eyes kept drifting to Rin Ito. This guy seems pretty nice, she thought. I was worried about Ami meeting a bad person, but he turned out to be a good person. "Just go ahead with your original date plans. Don't worry about me."
"Do you like manga, Maki?" Rin Ito asked with a slight smile. "Eh? Manga... it's okay." "Ami and I started chatting because we're both interested in manga. The original date spots included a manga bookstore, an internet cafe where you can read tons of manga, and a shop that sells cosplay gear."
Rin Ito paused. "You probably wouldn't be interested in the bookstore and the costume shop, Maki. So, let's go to the manga internet cafe. If you're not interested in manga, you can play games online so you won't be bored." "Sure!" Maki's eyes sparkled... He's being so considerate of me, even though this is their date. This guy is amazing!
Watching Maki feel happy for Ami, Rin Ito's lips curved into a smirk. Ostensibly, he was being considerate of Maki, but in reality, it was only to create a sharp contrast with his later behavior, making his eventual descent into depravity more shocking. The manga internet cafe was perfect... compared to a movie theater with surveillance cameras, the private booths at the internet cafe offered privacy with no cameras or outsiders. After all, Rin Ito didn't want to be socially executed. Plus... it would perfectly give Maki the impression that he had been plotting this all along and that his earlier niceness was all a calculated act. Hehehe...