Date A Live - Volume 18 - Chapter 3.4

Fragmentary Chapter/ 4: Date 

—Sunday. The day of the date. 

Takamiya Shinji was waiting in front of the station for Mio. 

Since they lived at the same home, he thought it would be fine for them to leave together, but his sister Mana had said, “Are you stupid Nii-sama? No, I made a mistake. Nii-sama is a fool. Girls need time to prepare. You should pass the time by heading there first.” So consequently, Shinji was driven out of the house before the expected time. 

“…………” 

While looking at the huge clock at the square of the station, there was only five more minutes to wait. 

As soon as he realized that, his restless heart began to violently pulsate once again. 

But of course that was natural. 

After all, Shinji was about to experience the challenge of the first date in his life. 

Moreover—it was with his first love. 

“I-I should check it over one more time……” 

As Shinji said that, he took out the notebook and map with the time table from his bag. Although he had carefully memorized the contents last night, he still snuck them in his bag just to be sure. 

However, it was still a difficult matter to carry so much at once. He wondered if in a few decades there would be a compact device that would allow him to do this all at once. It would be nice if he could listen to music and take pictures at the same time. It would be even better if the functions of a phone are added as well……although, such an object would need extravagant hopes in order to come to pass. 

“—Shin!” 

As Shinji was thinking over such matters, he heard Mio’s voice coming from the front. 

As he raised his head up, his heart skipped a beat after seeing her lovely appearance. 

“—” 

The next moment, time had stopped. 

Of course, time did not really stop. However, in front of Shinji’s eyes, the surrounding scenery seemed to be completely still. 

In that static world, Mio made a small dash to Shinji’s side. 

Accompanying with that movement, the white hem of her dress and her well-styled hair swayed in the air. 

For a while, Shinji lost the ability to speak. 

Originally, Mio was a beautiful girl bestowed with the grace of God. However, since she usually dressed in a boyish style by imitating Mana’s clothes, seeing this girlish charm now was particularly shocking. 

“……Shin? What’s the matter with that scary face?” 

“Ha……” 

“S-sorry, did I have that expression?” 

“Un, it looks just like you are going to war.” 

After hearing Mio’s worried words, Shinji couldn’t help but have a wry smile on his face. He wondered if such a dangerous expression truly appeared on his face. 

Nonetheless, such an expression may not be a mistake. Since right now, Shinji’s current state of mind drew many similarities to a new recruit about to enter his first battlefield. 

“War (Date)……? Haha……” 

“Eh?” 

“N-no, nothing. I was just a bit startled. That…because Mio you are t-too……” 

Shinji felt his cheeks turn fiery red as he desperately struggled utter those words. 

“……Cute.” 

Hearing what Shinji had just said, Mio froze for a moment before smiling at him with rosy cheeks. 

“Really? Fufu. I’m glad.” 

“—” 

Those gestures, expressions, voice, and speech, there was enough excessive love to cause one to want to unintentionally embrace her. 

However, such a thing being done right after their meeting would be too perverse. As if trying to suppress himself, Shinji took in a deep breath. 

“Then, Shin, where are we going today?” 

“A-ah……there’s something that I want to show Mio.” 

“What did you want to show?” 

Mio slightly tilted her head in wonder after hearing Shinji’s words. 

Even though his heart was being pierced through every single one of Mio’s actions, Shinji was still somehow able to express his affirmation in his stunned state. 

“You just look forward to it. Come, let’s go.” 

“Un, that’s right.” 

Then, as Shinji turned around to hurry on forward, Mio approached closer to his side. 

“……!?” 

The next moment, Shinji felt a jolt of electricity course through his entire body. 

The reason was simple. Mio, who was standing beside him, had reached out to grab his hand. 

Moreover, it was not just a simple handshake, but rather the so called “couples walking hand-in hand” with all five fingers intertwined. 

“Mi……, Mio-san……? Did you do something……” 

As his brain was not able keep up with such a treatment, Shinji couldn’t help but attach a strange honorific to her name. Although he wasn’t able to confirm due to a lack of a mirror, it wasn’t hard to imagine that his face had turned red as a tomato. 

Then, Mio raised her brow as if curious about Shinji’s response. 

“……Is this wrong? Sure enough practice and knowledge are not the same. When I asked Mana, she said to do something like this. 

“! Ah……no, I don’t think it’s wrong. I think……” 

Listening to Mio divulged her inside story, Shinji responded back while spreading his eyes wide open. 

That’s right. From this morning’s events, it was clear that Mana was supporting Shinji and Mio’s date in various aspects. ……it was because of her that he was able to reach a point he did not expect yet. He thought about expressing his thanks to her when they got back. 

“Really? Hehe, really……that’s wonderful. If it was wrong, I would have to change the way.” 

“Eh?” 

“—How should I say this? This act is very……desirable. This way right now, holding hands with Shin, there is a sense of security. But only my heart isn’t stable. There is a faint excitement……rising? It feels like my heartbeat is a little bit faster. This must because Shin holds some miraculous power. 

“…………” 

Seeing Mio’s straightforward and transparent expression, Shinji grew hotter to the point of feeling dizzy. 

“Shin? What’s wrong? You look a little bit feverish.” 

“N-no……it’s nothing……” 

As Shinji was about to give an evasive answer—he swallowed back his words just before uttering them. 

Mio was using her newly learned words in an attempt to convey her feeling to Shinji. In comparison, Shinji was trying to hide his inner thoughts; it was a practice that even he himself felt was despicable. 

The realization boiled in Shinji’s brain as he turned to face Mio. 

“I-I…am also the same. Holding hands with you…makes my heart race as well. Just from this……there a feeling of being blessed in being born in this world.” 

“Hehe, that’s exaggerating it a bit.” 

Mio spoke as she pulled Shinji’s hand forward. 

“—Well then, let’s get started. Our war (date).” 

“Eh?” 

While checking if the previous whispers were heard correctly, Shinji stared in a momentary daze before bursting out laughing alongside Mio. Then, the two of them walked side by side to the station.