Date Her Instead Vol. 1

Chapter One: It's Time To Confess!

"Haruna, hurry up before your breakfast gets cold. You have to leave in 10 minutes you know?" her mom called. "Yeah I know, I'm coming!" Haruna said, feeling annoyed once again at her mother's constant reminders. Rushing back downstairs with her bag, Haruna quickly ate her scrambled eggs, waffle and a piece of toast, downed it all with a glass of orange juice and then headed out for school.

It was only about a block into her walk that Haruna felt an impact that wrapped around her shoulders. "Morning Haru-chi!" a cheery girl beamed at her. The girl's name was Chiyo Wakabayashi and she's what people liked to call a "gal-type" or "gyaru-type" of girl. Everything about this girl stood out, from her dyed auburn colored hair with gold highlights at the end of her side ponytail, to the way she wore, well, really anything. In this instance, it was her uniform. The top of Chiyo's collar had been intentionally stretched out, nearly revealing her sizeable breasts and bra (if she decided to wear one that day). Her bow hung loosely tied and of course her skirt was only allowed to be far enough down so that it covered her panties (at least while she was standing).

The two biggest things that Chiyo wore that weren't school regulation were her big fluffy white socks that covered her ankles and halfway up her shins, and her school-issued jacket, which she had elected to dyed a brilliant red and decorate it with glitter. It wasn't like Iwanai Municipal had a strict uniform policy per se, but they definitely didn't approve of Chiyo's style. However, after punishing her multiple times and it having no effect at all, the school decided that as long as she was showing up, it was good enough.

"Chiyo, that hurts! How many times to I have to tell you to not do that!" Haruna exclaimed. "You're always so sensitive Haru-chi. A little skinship never hurt anyone!" Chiyo said. "Yeah, maybe it doesn't hurt you," Haruna said. Chiyo laughed. "Hey, anyways, today's the big day right girl?" "Y-yeah. Look, you don't need to make a big deal out of it or anything," Haruna said quietly. "Aw c'mon! My girl's finally coming into the world of love! Out of all the years I've known you, this has literally never happened! I'm ready to celebrate!" Chiyo said all giddy. "Be quiet! I don't need the whole neighborhood knowing about my cr-... crus... mmm..." Haruna's face turned a deep shade of red. "That's adorable," Chiyo said smugly with a hand over her mouth to cover a snicker. "Gah, just shut up!" Haruna shouted before storming ahead. "Hey, wait up!" Chiyo called.

"In all seriousness, you shouldn't be wound so tight girl. It's bad for your head, heart and the goods, if you know what I mean," Chiyo said. "Why do you have to say it like that? Haruna sighed. "Besides," Chiyo continued, ignoring her. "A cute girl like you should be a shoo-in!" "I'm not really all that cute..." Haruna muttered. "Hm? Whaddya mean you're not cute? C'mon, you've got that long, silky black hair, those deep green eyes and your legs are so shapely because of that height of yours. Y'know some guys really dig tall girls. Heck, I might too," Chiyo said that last part with a wink directed to Haruna. "Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I don't swing that way," Haruna said flatly. "Hey, I don't either, but it doesn't hurt any to admire the scenery," Chiyo said.

As the two girls talked, it wasn't long before they reached the school due to them both living fairly close by. While Chiyo continued to chat away, Haruna became silent from nerves. Once they both got inside and in front of the lockers, Haruna froze. "C'mon girl, don't get cold feet now!" Chiyo loudly whispered to her while giving her a shove forward.

The momentum given to Haruna carried her all the way to Akio's locker. "W-well, here goes nothing..." Haruna muttered to herself. Taking a quick look around her to make sure no one was watching, Haruna swiftly opened Akio's locker, threw her letter inside and then slammed it shut before rushing off to her classroom.

*****

"Kanako! It's time to go!"

The mother of Kanako Nakatomi was yelling for her daughter, but to no avail. With only five minutes until she was supposed to be at school, the girl was still fast asleep. "Oh, this is ridiculous. I need to leave too," the mother said as she looked at her watch. "Alright, have it your way! It's not my fault if you're late!" she called before heading out the door.