151. A Date….Really! (3)

Reiji packed the remaining sweets in a container provided by the proprietress while Yui sipped her drink and swung her legs playfully.

Her gaze never left him, and a small smile hung on his lips when he noticed.

'Seems like she really enjoyed it.'

He closed the lid on the box and walked over to the counter to pay, scratching his chin awkwardly when he saw the proprietress grinning at him with a sly glint.

"Initially, I was reluctant to take on the reservation, since it's something I've never really done and is also a lot of work. But seeing you two so happy genuinely made my day," she spoke, counting the bills handed to her by Reiji.

"I wanted to thank you for that. I realize my request was on short notice, but at least from our side, it was well worth it."

The proprietress shook her head.

"No need to thank me, I quite enjoyed serving you two. That's why I'll only take payment for the food itself; you can take back the money for the reservation."

She handed back almost half the money he'd given her, though Reiji pushed it back immediately.

"No, please take the full amount. If not for the reservation, consider it compensation for making her this satisfied," Reiji chuckled, pointing to Yui, who had opened the box back up to sneak in another sweet.

The redhead on the verge of diabetes glanced up when she felt two pairs of eyes on her, freezing in place with a deep blush out of embarrassment as her bulging mouth stopped chewing.

"Pfft, haha!" the proprietress laughed.

She took the money without hesitation this time and pulled out something from a drawer under the counter.

In her hand was an omamori, a small bag made of colored and nicely decorated brocade that usually contained talismans or prayers.

She gave the dark red omamori to Reiji, who raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"This is a protection charm I personally made years ago, and I want you to give it to your girlfriend. Seeing her enjoy my work so much reminded me of myself and how obsessed I was with sweets back then," she sighed with a hint of reminiscence. "It may not mean much to you two, but please accept it."

Reiji pursed his lips but nodded and pocketed it quietly after checking that Yui was focused on the drinks again.

"Thank you."

'I'll give it to her later, at the last stop.'

The proprietress looked relieved when he accepted it and waved goodbye at the pair once Yui got up and joined Reiji at the counter.

The two of them walked out towards their car, with Yui skipping along whilst humming a tune.

"Don't get in the car, I'm just going to drop off the sweets in the backseat," Reiji said, unlocking the doors with his keys.

After he placed the container of sweets in the car and freed his arms, he locked it once again and grasped Yui's hand.

"Where are we going now?" she asked with anticipation.

"We have an hour until our next reservation, so for now, let's look around the shops on this commercial street. There's a lot of stuff here that you either can't find in the city, or they're too expensive there."

There were a multitude of shops around, and Yui studied the options closely and then pointed at a clothing store across from them.

"Let's get some yukatas! The ones I have are not very comfortable."

"Sure."

The two of them entered the store and saw a variety of traditional clothing on the hangers for both men and women.

The owner was an elderly man who greeted them with a smile.

"Are you two looking for anything specific?" he inquired politely.

"Some Yukatas for both of us. Do you have any recommendations?"

The grandpa adjusted his glasses, mumbling under his breath as he rifled through the clothes and occasionally looked their way to compare styles.

Then he pulled out two women's yukatas, a bright red one with flowery designs and a black sash, and a maroon one with a deep gold sash and wave-like patterns.

"These two suit the young lady very well, especially with her hair and eye color. The bright one is more youthful and vibrant, but the second has a mature look that is more understated," the old man explained.

"Do you want to try them on?" he asked Yui, taking them from the shopkeeper.

Yui didn't respond, simply racing to the changing rooms after grabbing the clothes from Reiji's hands.

The old man smiled and went back to searching, shifting his focus to Reiji.

This time, he took out a black yukata with a navy blue sash and white doves imprinted across the body. The second one had deep blue fabric, with the sash a paler blue, and zigzag black patterns.

"These not only suit your style, but they match well with the designs the young lady is trying on."

"Oh, I like these..... I'll go try them on."

He entered the adjacent changing room and started to try the first one, running into a bit of trouble initially.

This was his first time wearing a yukata, not counting his inherited memories, so there was a moment of disconnect on how to proceed.

But he figured it out quickly and stepped out while wearing the black one.

Yui was already waiting for him.

His eyes went round with appreciation, because the bright red yukata highlighted her great figure and gave her a sense of unbridled freedom, a description that suited her personality very well.

Yui's face also lit up when she saw him, but then she took a step forward and slowly adjusted his clothes.

"This needs to be brought a little more to the right," she whispered, her expression warm and affectionate.

Reiji stood still, allowing her to make the changes so that he could observe her yukata from a closer perspective.

"It looks really good on you," he muttered quietly.

"So does yours."

Just as the mood was getting heavier, a loud cough came from behind them.

"Ahem.....I see that both of them fit you two perfectly!" the old man applauded. "Would you like to try on the other one as well?"

Reiji's mouth twitched, both out of understanding and annoyance.

The two separated and returned to the changing rooms to try on the other option, and Reiji chuckled inwardly when he saw Yui's irritated pout at being interrupted.

A few minutes later, they both left the shop with packages in each hand, and Yui's eyes sparkled as she hugged the clothes to her chest.

Reiji clicked his tongue, not as happy as she was.

When he was still changing into the other yukata, she'd already come out and paid for both of their sets, adding on a few more that the shop owner had recommended.

He wasn't old-fashioned to the point where he thought the man should pay for everything, but he felt like it was his responsibility to cover the costs on the first date since he was the one who planned it.

Unfortunately, she denied all requests to pay her back.

"Let's go to that skewer stall!" Yui exclaimed after they had put away the clothes in the car.

"Sure, but aren't you full by now?"

"Huh??? Are you calling me fat?" Yui glared unseriously.

"No, not yet," Reiji replied with a smirk.

".....What's that supposed to mean?"

She twisted the skin on his waist with no real power, snorting when she saw him laugh openly.

Over the next hour, the two of them explored the other shops on the street, including the skewer stall, the arts store, and even the local pottery studio just for fun.

Then they entered a small shop that included handcrafted trinkets and goods.

"Reiji, look! That looks like you!" Yui squealed with excitement, tugging Reiji's sleeve to get his attention.

She was referring to a goblin-like carving on one of the shelves, which was painted black and white to give off an eerie vibe. It had light blue eyes as well, which made it even more creepy because it stood out against the dark colors.

Reiji gave her a deadpan stare.

"Are you serious?"

"What? I think it's cute!" Yui giggled, placing the goblin in her basket.

"You're buying it!?"

"Yep! It'll go on my desk at home!"

Reiji felt the urge to facepalm, but he just rolled his eyes and picked up a red daruma doll instead.

"Alright, then I'll get this one."

Yui squinted her eyes.

"What are you implying?" she questioned.

"Hm? Nothing, I just think this'll go great on my desk. The red is so bright, it'll give my room some color."

Yui crossed her arms and blew her hair out of her vision in a huff.

"Touche, but I don't have a moustache!"

"Really? I didn't notice....."

"REIJI!"

"ACK!"

***

Reiji fiddled with Yui's hand as he drove, squeezing it reproachfully whenever she scratched his palm.

He turned the car, veering off-road and onto a dirt track that stretched into the woods.

"Where are we even going?" Yui muttered, her eyes suddenly going wide. "Wait, I've read about this before!"

"...What do you mean?" Reiji asked nervously, hoping his surprise hadn't been discovered.

"I've read that people trick children into cars and then remove their organs in a dark, remote forest!"

Reiji slammed the brakes, making her lurch forward with a yelp.

"...There's something wrong with your head," he declared with a sigh.

The car started moving again, and he made another turn after ignoring her grumbling, the trees giving way to a beautiful scene.

In front of them was the river they'd seen on the way to the village, with clear blue waters and lush greenery around it.

One could see various birds flying around and floating in the water, and there was even a deer on the other side of the bank grazing on the abundant grass.

The car slowed to a stop next to a dock, where a multitude of boats had anchored themselves.

A middle-aged woman was standing next to one of the larger boats, her arms crossed behind her back as if she was waiting for someone.

Yui turned to Reiji with shock in her eyes and a gaping mouth, which made him grin proudly.

"We're going on a boat ride around the river."