FTL: Alisa
Editors: Dexter
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2
To avoid being spotted by our classmates, we decided to have lunch at a family restaurant a bit away from the station.
While there might be suspicions about us being a couple, that’s just the sad reality of a pair with a noticeable gap. But as long as we didn’t hold hands, no one would think of us as lovers.
I was aware about the imbalance between me, an ordinary guy, and the school’s renowned beauty, Arisaka Yorka, that’s why it should be easy to keep our relationship a secret.
“Hey, Arisaka. If you’re worried, we could just meet there,” I suggested, trying to be considerate.
It was noon, and most students had already left since today was just the opening ceremony. Still, Arisaka was overly cautious about the distance between us. It started the moment we left the art preparation room. After changing shoes at the lockers, we walked as if our paths home coincidentally matched.
“No, it’s lonely not being able to talk together.”
And there it is – Is she an adorable alien from the planet Cute or what?
With her mature appearance, Arisaka’s childlike imitation made her cuteness even more prominent. She kept a careful distance, glancing around vigilantly while maintaining just the right distance for conversation.
Because the family restaurant wasn’t crowded yet during lunchtime, we quickly found a seat.
“What should I eat?”
While Arisaka carefully examined the menu, I decided almost instantly without even opening it.
“I’ll go for the mixed grill with an extra-large portion of rice and the drink bar set.”
“Already decided?”
“My favorites never change.”
“You’re so decisive.” Arisaka studied the menu with a serious expression.
“You seem to be taking a while.”
Arisaka lifted her face from the menu, eyeing me with a meaningful expression. “This is my first time at a family restaurant, so I don’t know what’s good.”
“Seriously?”
How many high school girls these days have yet to experience a nationwide chain family restaurant in Japan?
“You’re quite sheltered, aren’t you?”
“Never had the chance. When I was little, a housekeeper used to prepare my meals, now I enjoy cooking as a hobby. I never had close friends to go out with either.”
I’d heard before that the Arisaka family lived in a top-floor penthouse of a tower apartment in the heart of Tokyo. Her parents, both busy with work domestically and internationally, rarely come home. Her older sister, a university student majoring in science, slept at her research lab on weekdays, practically living alone most of the time.
“Well, from now on, you can come with me anytime. Just choose what you’re in the mood for today, and next time, order something different.”
“The first time is important.”
“I don’t remember what I ordered the first time at a family restaurant. Probably something like a kid’s meal.”
“But you do remember.”
“A kindergartener wouldn’t order things like a Cobb salad or a Japanese-style set meal, right?”
“…But, today is my first date with Sena.” Arisaka said, covering her face with the menu to hide her shyness.
So cute. I felt like I was going to die from the cuteness.
“What’s this button for?” Arisaka asked then pressed the call button, almost like trying to divert the conversation.
“May I help you?” Naturally, a waiter arrived to take our order.
“Uh, well. Then, Sena, order for me!” She panicked and threw the responsibility my way.
“Mixed grill with extra rice and seafood tomato pasta for her. Two drink bar sets. Also, please bring us some french fries. Is that alright, Arisaka?”
“Perfect.”
The waiter repeated the order for confirmation and then closed the tablet.
“Please use the drink bar over there,” he said before leaving.
“Hey, why did you decide so quickly? And why seafood tomato pasta?”
“I ordered something I wanted to eat. If you don’t want it, you can exchange with mine. Besides, if we go for meat and seafood, we won’t overlap. You don’t have a seafood allergy. And the fries are for both of us.”
“…Sena, you always take on any requests, huh?”
“Should we also have dessert in the end?”
“I’m all for that.”
“Great.”
“Oh, how about we order something different and share?”
“Sounds good.”
“Then it’s settled!”
Arisaka happily browsed the menu again, and I took a moment to admire her joy.
“Sena, is it fun just looking at me?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“But your gaze is distracting.”
“Well then, while you’re deciding on dessert, should I grab us a drink? Any preferences?”
“Wait. I’ll come with you.”
We headed to the drink bar together. Arisaka got excited again while operating the drink dispenser.
“This is fun! So many options, and you can drink as much as you want!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling like a child’s.
Indeed, I, too, used to find the act of pouring drinks fascinating when I was little.
I thought our first date would be more nervewracking. However, in the familiar territory of the family restaurant, her unexpected enjoyment made me feel less awkward than expected.
Girls’ smiles were truly magnificent. While troubles could become enjoyable surprises as you accumulated experiences, the first one should ideally be in a situation with fewer uncertainties.
As I was sipping my drink, I secretly felt a light sense of relief. We returned to the table with our beverages, and soon our meals were served.
“Itadakimasu,” she said, clasping her hands together in front of the seafood tomato pasta.
I found her manner charming. Even familiar dishes taste far better when shared with Arisaka.
While we were savoring our dessert after the meal, there was one more thing I needed to address.
“Arisaka.”
“Why the sudden serious expression?” Arisaka, using a long spoon to eat her parfait, stopped and looked at me attentively.
“There’s still an important step we haven’t taken.”
“On our first date, we had a pleasant meal. What more could we want?”
“Actually, most couples address this before getting into a relationship.”
“Huh? Is it that crucial?”
“Yeah. Our unfulfilled desires during spring break was probably due to neglecting this.”
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“Intimate interactions between a man and a woman are essential to deepening relationships. In extreme cases, couples without such connections might as well be on the verge of breaking up!” I passionately emphasized the point.
“Deepening the relationship, intimate interactions. Without those, they’ll break up… Could it be—”
Arisaka took a deep breath, seemingly catching on to what I was implying.
“But doing that before even officially dating… Is that normal? Is that how it’s done?”
“Actually, it’s more surprising that we haven’t.”
“Is this a joke? Isn’t the order wrong? Don’t you normally go through stages and save that, you know, for last? Does everyone just do it without much fuss?”
Arisaka, seeming more agitated than necessary, turned redder by the second.
“I want to do it right now!”
“Why are you saying something so absurd in a family restaurant!?”
Arisaka shouted with a voice far louder than my determined declaration. The attention of the entire restaurant focused on our table. Arisaka shrunk down like a cat.
“I don’t think what I said is absurd…”
Now it’s my turn to be bewildered by her hypersensitive reaction.
“…Sena, have you been wanting to do this since last year? Like, when you were in the art prep room, were you always thinking about that?”
“Well, if the timing was right, I did consider it.”
“…I sense danger.”
“Arisaka, are you, by any chance, thinking of something way too ahead!?”
“Don’t play innocent, you beast.”
Being intensely scrutinized by the beautiful girl, I finally understood the source of her misunderstanding.
“What I want is—exchanging contact information.”
“Why haven’t we done that until now?”
My girlfriend asked with a straight face, seamlessly shifting back to casual conversation like the earlier misunderstanding never happened. The aura around her made it clear not to mention the previous confusion.
“Probably because you always seemed uninterested in having friends.”
She had been surprisingly adamant about not exchanging contact information with anyone since entering school. She wasn’t even part of the class group LINE. Last year, if needed, I would verbally pass along any necessary information.
“Well, there hasn’t been anyone I wanted to talk to or exchange messages with.”
“Then you have LINE installed?”
“Only for communication with family.”
“How about adding a boyfriend to that?” I stated once again, expecting a straightforward “Sure,” given the flow of the conversation.
However, Arisaka suddenly fell silent. With a composed face, she just stared directly into my eyes.
“Is that a no?” I couldn’t bear the silence and cautiously asked.
“Of course, it’s fine,” she replied, smiling.
“Your mischief is bad for my heart.” I sighed, resting my forehead on the table.
“Why are you so shaken?”
“When you’re joking, please make it a bit more obvious. It’s too convincing to brush off.”
A beautiful girl’s poker face left no room for error.
“I just wanted to scare you a bit since you’ve been leading all along.” My girlfriend said this innocently.
“I only brought you to a family restaurant; don’t make it sound so grand.”
“I’d appreciate anything my boyfriend does for me.”
And so, after nearly a year, we had finally exchanged contact information.
Plebian Translation 