Date Her Instead Vol. 7 (Final Volume)

Chapter Nineteen: Twisted

Satisfied enough with the outcome, Katsumi sat back and watched as the few remaining details were sorted out. One person sitting next to her asked her if there was a particular reason why Katsumi so adamantly volunteered for the scavenger hunt, but all Katsumi said back was, "It's a secret~." Briefly, she wondered if the person asking was hoping Katsumi's actions had been for the class, giving them a better chance to win the whole festival. Unfortunately, Katsumi couldn't care less about stuff like that. She had one objective (well, technically more than one, depending on the circumstances), and that was her only focus.

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It was the day before the sports festival, and Katsumi was walking through the halls. All around her, people were rushing from place to place as they made their last-minute preparations. It wasn't nearly as hectic as the cultural festival, but there were still plenty of students hanging things up and following the instructions of the student council and festival committee.

Katsumi had no interest in any of that though. While she had competed in sports, it was really for her own satisfaction (and trying to make herself look more impressive for Kanako). When it came to events that were supposed to emphasize school spirit, Katsumi didn't care at all. She'd rather just do her own thing. In this instance, it just so happened that her desires and the sports festival lined up (or rather, she was going to take advantage of it).

That was her plan, and yet, the day before the festival had come and still Katsumi wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do. Given, a lot of her plan would have to hinge on what slip she drew for the scavenger hunt race, but she thought that she should've at least had an outline of what her plan was by now. "Maybe I could find the box the slips will be in and stick one that works for me to the top inside the box? Then I could just grab it... No, that probably wouldn't work. They probably won't put those slips in until the race is about to start, and it's not like I'll be able to just sneak up to it with tape and do that..."

As Katsumi got lost in thought, she suddenly felt an impact. "Oof!" the person exclaimed, toppling over and sending papers spilling everywhere. "Oh, geez..." the person, a girl, groaned. Then she looked up at Katsumi, who had managed to keep her balance. "Sorry about that!" the girl said, not really sounding all that apologetic. "I guess I wasn't really paying attention!"

"...it's fine..." Katsumi muttered, bending down to help pick up the papers. "Oh, hey, thanks!" the girl said happily. "Hey, wait a minute... Aren't you Ikehara-san?" Hearing her name, Katsumi looked at her. In no way, shape or form did she recognize the girl in front of her. "Not surprising I don't remember her," Katsumi thought. "She's pretty bland... Even more than Yamane-san."

"Ah, I guess we've never talked," the girl said. "I'm —-----" The name immediately went into Katsumi's left ear and exited through her right. She had no desire to even bother remembering the girl's name. "I'm actually a third year too," the girl continued. "But our rooms are several spaces apart. I've heard a lot about you though! Hey, is it true you're only into girls?"

Katsumi stared at her. "Is she serious?" she thought. At the moment, Katsumi had two options. She could snap at her and call her stupid for not knowing that, or... "I think I'll have a little fun." Doing something like this made her feel a little guilty considering her feelings for Kanako, but it was a bit of a bad habit she had gotten into in junior high.

Inching closer, Katsumi smirked. "And what if I am? Does that bother you?" "Huh?!" the girl exclaimed. "N-No, it doesn't bother me! People can like whoever they want, r-right? Um, Ikehara-san, aren't you g-getting a little... close?" "Am I?" Katsumi whispered coyly, her face barely six centimeters away from the girl. "Here," Katsumi said. "Your papers."