Date Her Instead Vol. 5

Chapter Sixteen: Enter Stage Right

"Then again, Chiyo is better at this stuff than me..." Kanako thought. "But there was Christmas... but she knows what she's doing... It wasn't her fault... but it kind of feels like it was a little bit, even though it wasn't..." Back and forth Kanako went, until eventually she threw her hands up in the air. "Ugh!" she exclaimed. "I don't know anymoreeee!"

Which was stronger: her worries about Chiyo's success rate, or her desire to be with Haruna? When put that way, the answer was obvious. "Even if I have my doubts, it's not like I'm coming up with anything," Kanako concluded. So, with that, Kanako decided she would go along with whatever plan Chiyo proposed. After all, it was better than nothing.

*****

When the time came for them to meet up the next day, the two of them ended up at a cafe some distance from the school. "Why did we need to go so far?" Kanako asked after they were seated. "Well like, even I think my idea is kinda crazy, so I didn't wanna risk others hearing it," Chiyo said. "C-Crazy?" Kanako repeated nervously.

"I guess I should just get right to it huh?" Chiyo said, seeing Kanako's worried expression. "So listen. Our class is doing a play, and believe it or not, they chose me to be one of the main roles." "Okay..." Kanako said, tentatively nodding along. "To play the other starring role, they chose Haru-chi," Chiyo said. "...W-What?" Kanako stuttered out from her shock. "Haruna on stage? How did they even get her to agree to that?" "She was pretty much forced into it," Chiyo said with a sigh. "But! This is actually a great opportunity for ya, Kana-chan." "Opportunity?" Kanako repeated, confused. Chiyo gave an excited nod. "The play is more or less a love story. Haru-chi's playin' the male role, and I got put in the female one. But, I started thinkin' maybe we could use this. If Haru-chi has to be on stage thinking about love, and then she sees you, then maybe that'll be enough to get over that last bump!"

"Sees... me?" Kanako said, trying to grasp what Chiyo was getting at. "...W-W-W-Wait a minute Chiyo! A-Are you saying you want me to take your place on stage?!" "That's right!" Chiyo said with a big thumbs-up. "N-No way!" Kanako immediately refused. "I can't do that! Not only do I have no acting skills, but this play is for your class Chiyo! If I suddenly appeared on stage, it would cause a big mess!" "Well, yeah, that's true," Chiyo agreed easily. "Then-" Kanako began to speak, but Chiyo continued. "Guess we'll need help after all."

"H-Help?" Kanako said. "Yeah. I kinda figured we wouldn't be able to pull this off alone. But, the question is who to ask," Chiyo said. "H-Hang on. I haven't even said I'll do it," Kanako protested weakly. In response, she got a serious look from Chiyo. "Kana-chan," she said. "Do you trust me?" Hearing such a question made Kanako freeze. She had just been thinking about that last night. "I-I trust you..." she said quietly. "That didn't sound very convincing..." Chiyo said back.

"I..." Kanako began. "I do trust you Chiyo. Actually, you've become one of my closest friends. I even think of you as a big sister at times. But... I'm scared. Last time, when I tried to tell Haruna how I felt, she ran away. Since then, I haven't had much of a chance to tell her. I know what happened wasn't your fault, but a part of me can't help but associate you with that failure. When I think about how bad it went before, I worry that if I mess up this time, it really will be over."

For a moment, both girls were quiet. "...I get it," Chiyo finally said. "Really, I was wondering if you'd have any concerns. I know I would if I were you." Kanako looked at Chiyo as she went on. "But, I'm also pretty selfish." "Selfish?" Kanako repeated. Chiyo nodded. "Yup. The thing is, I like, really, really, really want you and Haru-chi to get together. And, I tried to help make that happen, but it obviously ended in failure. But, instead of giving up, I wanna keep trying to help."

"Kana-chan," Chiyo said, keeping her full attention trained on the girl sitting across from her. "Will you give me another chance? I promise, this time it'll work." The gal said those words with plenty of belief behind them. Personally, Kanako wasn't sure if she could fully accept it, but when she thought about it, she ended up right back where she had been last night. She had no plan, and the girl in front of her did. At the very least, she could hear her out.