Chapter 273: Kim Yoo-Sung's Bizarre Date
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 273: Kim Yoo-Sung's Bizarre Date
Perhaps her first time eating beef tongue suited her palate better than expected, because the President continued to eat only that for the rest of the meal.
Thanks to her, I got swept up in the momentum and ate nothing but beef tongue as well. Even though it's a specialty cut, it was still beef, and the bill for the three of us came out to nearly 20,000 yen.
After a satisfying meal, it was time to pay on our way out.
"Lunch is on me."
As the President said this and pulled a black card from her wallet, Rika, who was standing beside her, asked with wide eyes.
"What? We're not splitting the bill?"
"I enjoyed the meal so much for the first time in a while, so please let me treat you."
Perhaps because it wasn't a small amount, Rika looked at me with an expression that asked if it was really okay, but I just nodded with a wry smile.
"Just do as Kumiko-senpai says. It's not like she'll mind."
"If you say so…"
Rika put her wallet away, looking unconvinced.
I, on the other hand, was used to being treated by the President, so I took it in stride.
I knew all too well that trying to act cool and pay for it myself would be like trying to show off in front of an expert.
After we paid, we left the restaurant and started discussing where to go next.
Rika linked her arm with mine and said, "We've eaten, so now it's time for dessert!"
"We just ate. Can you really fit more in?"
"The stomach for meals and the stomach for dessert are separate!"
Spouting a classic excuse, Rika pulled my arm toward the cafeteria.
The sight must have struck a chord with the President, as she covered her mouth with her fan and laughed.
"Hohoho, she looks just like a cicada clinging to an old tree."
"Ugh-"
From my perspective, it seemed the President said it out of pure amusement, but Rika must have thought she was being mocked. She frowned and retorted, "Could you say koala instead of cicada?"
"Aren't they the same thing?"
"No, they're not! Koalas are super cute!"
Rika puffed out her cheeks in protest, apparently displeased with my reaction.
She looked just like a pouting child, which I found incredibly endearing.
As I smiled fondly and patted her head, Rika reluctantly leaned into my touch, averting her gaze.
"So, Kumiko-senpai, what would you like to do?"
When I asked for her opinion, the President paused with a thoughtful "Hmm-" but soon gave her cheerful consent.
"We were going to discuss our next destination anyway. Let's take a short break at a cafe and have some dessert."
I guess that settled our immediate destination.
I lifted Rika, who was clinging to my arm like a cicada… no, a koala, and headed with the President to the cafeteria next to the food court.
*
The desserts Rika ordered at the cafe were a Caramel Macchiato and a cheesecake.
Kumiko-senpai, on the other hand, only ordered a Matcha Latte, a clear display of their different tastes.
"So, how about we do some shopping here, then go play at Joypolis, visit Fuji TV, and then walk along the Rainbow Bridge?"
"That doesn't sound bad. The route flows naturally."
"What about you, Rika?"
"Hmm? I don't mind going anywhere."
Unlike the President and me, who are the types to plan things meticulously, Rika is the type to go with the flow.
Perhaps that's why, unlike when we were choosing lunch, she had completely handed the decision-making over to us.
"Ah, this place has great cheesecake."
The President stared at Rika, who was leisurely savoring her dessert, with a look of disbelief.
Ignoring her, Rika alternated between sips of coffee and bites of cake. Sensing our gazes, she picked up a piece of cheesecake with the fork she was using and held it out to me.
"Yoo-Sung~ Ahhh~"
"?!"
An act of affection straight out of a cheesy couple's playbook, right here and now.
Startled, I instinctively leaned back in refusal, but Rika just asked with a smile, "You're not going to eat it, even though I'm giving it to you?"
Feeling an unprecedented pressure from her, I reluctantly opened my mouth, and Rika's fork slid in naturally.
"I-It's good."
As I forced a smile and said that, Rika popped the fork that had just been in my mouth into her own, licked it clean, and muttered, "That was an indirect kiss."
Seeing this, the President hastily lifted the coffee cup she was drinking from and asked, "Yoo-Sung! Would you like to try some of my Matcha Latte?!"
"Huh?"
I stared at her, dumbfounded, but the President held the cup out steadfastly.
It seemed she was feeling a strange sense of rivalry with Rika.
It was obvious she would be upset if I ate Rika's cheesecake but refused her Matcha Latte, so I had no choice but to take a sip of that as well.
After taking the cup back from me, the President beamed, murmuring, "Hehe, an indirect kiss…" It was a side of her I rarely saw, and it felt a little refreshing.
Our somewhat chaotic date-planning session continued as we reviewed a few more options, finally settling on the order of DiverCity -> Joypolis -> Fuji TV Station -> Rainbow Bridge.
Since we weren't traveling by car, this was the most efficient route.
We decided it was better to explore one concentrated area rather than running around to various scattered locations.
"Alright, let's get going."
"What? Already?"
"It's not 'already.' If we want to stick to the plan, we're on a pretty tight schedule even if we leave now."
The President forcefully pulled up Rika, who was whining that her legs still hurt, and spoke to me with a confident air.
"Lead the way, Yoo-Sung."
"Where to first?"
"I'd like to look at some clothes, so let's go to the floor with the men's clothing stores."
"Huh? Men's clothing, not women's?"
"Yes. Men's clothing."
"I'm not planning on buying any clothes."
"I want to buy you a Christmas present."
The President pushed me forward from behind.
As if the title of "the older sister who buys you good food" wasn't enough, she was now aiming to conquer the title of "the older sister who buys you nice clothes." I was at a loss in the face of her grand design.
Even Rika, who had seemed uninterested just a moment ago, perked up at the mention of buying clothes for me and started trailing right behind us.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, I decided to simply stop thinking.
*
About an hour later.
I had become a mannequin for my two girlfriends.
Most of the clothes I usually wore were black or gray, and though they never said it, they must have been dissatisfied. The two of them had me try on all sorts of brightly colored outfits one after another.
The silver lining was my massive build. There weren't many clothes in my size, so most of the nice outfits were off-limits, like a pie in the sky.
If not for that, I probably would have been stuck there for much longer.
"Ah! That was fun!"
Even though it was my clothes we were shopping for, both of them looked refreshed as we left the mall.
My hands were full of shopping bags. I mentioned I should put them in a coin locker since I couldn't carry them around on our date, but the President solved the problem with a single phone call.
Apparently, the driver of the limousine she always used would deliver them directly to my house.
Once we were free from the mountain of shopping bags, we headed to the main Joypolis location in Odaiba as planned.
Joypolis is an indoor theme park run by the famous game company SEGA, a sort of hands-on arcade.
It's fully equipped with various VR machines, interactive attractions, and arcade games, and has apparently become a popular date spot for young couples recently.
The President, having been raised as a sheltered young lady, said she had never been to a place like this with friends.
Perhaps that's why she looked around at everything with a sense of wonder.
"It feels like I've stepped into a city of the future."
Even Rika, a typical social butterfly, was from Shizuoka, where there was nothing like this. She marveled at the large attractions inside the building.
"Wow! That looks fun! And that one too!"
Seeing that neither of them seemed to dislike it, I figured I had chosen the place well.
We decided to start with the attraction that had the longest line.
It was called "Halfpipe Tokyo," a thrill ride where people board a large, pipe-shaped vehicle that spins and moves from side to side.
"The wait time seems pretty long. What should we do?"
The estimated wait was 50 minutes. It didn't seem worth it for all three of us to stand around doing nothing for that long.
I glanced around and made a suggestion.
"How about I wait in line while you two go play in the arcade?"
"What? We can't do that…"
"Yeah. We came here to have fun together. That's not right."
I thought they were polar opposites, but on this, they were in perfect agreement.
"Today isn't our only chance. Let's ride that one next time we come."
"I agree with Rika. The lines seem too long today, probably because it's Christmas Eve."
As they spoke, they both grabbed one of my arms, as if to make sure I wouldn't get away.
A smile crept onto my face without me realizing it, and I decided to let myself be quietly dragged along wherever they led.