Date Her Instead Vol. 2

Chapter One: Understanding The Pain Of One's Own Heart

And yet, there Kanako's friend-turned-enemy was, apparently waiting for the same boy as well. The three had actually grown up together, with their families being close both as geographically and as friends. While Kanako had noticed her feelings long ago, Haruna had only found them recently. Regardless, they were both in the same boat.

They fought, but it wasn't long before Akio showed up. After hearing both their confessions, he gave an answer neither of them had been expecting: He wasn't going to choose either of them. Instead, he had a proposal. It was ridiculous and one that no person in their right mind would ever agree to. But, then again, love makes people do weird things. And this thing happened to be:

"If the two of you go out with each other for one year and convince me you're dating, I'll pick one of you to date after that year is up."

And so, that began a flurry of events over the next couple of months. There had been a lot of yelling, crying and awkwardness, but Kanako had felt like things were really starting to get to a point that she could be comfortable with. She viewed the deal as a way to regain her friendship with Haruna, and it seemed to be working. That is, until Michi had dropped a bombshell on her.

Her best friend had posed the question of if Akio was just manipulating the whole situation for his own enjoyment. Knowing Akio how she did, Kanako figured that was probably unlikely, but the question made her wonder other things. She hadn't thought about it much, but her line of thinking had brought her to a conclusion: Was there much point in going through with a fake relationship just to go out with someone? Even if it was the boy she had been in love with for years, Kanako found that to be a hard pill to swallow. That was what led her to the question that had stumped Michi.

"...I don't know what you should do Kana-chan," Michi finally answered. "Honestly, it's not my decision to make. That's an answer you have to find for yourself." Michi paused, then stood up, stretching a little before continuing. "But, if you want my personal opinion, I think you'd be better off letting go of your feelings for Miyashita-san and cutting ties with Endo-san."

Kanako stared. Her mind was searching for some sort of counter point, anything that could justify her staying in the deal she made. Ultimately, while it arguably wasn't a good one, Kanako found a reason. "I... have had these feelings for Akio-kun for a long time," she began. "It's not so easy to just throw them away. Believe me, I've tried. But now, not only do I have a chance to really be with him, but I've been given a chance to make up for past mistakes. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Even if it comes at the cost of being manipulated?" Michi asked pointedly. Kanako looked down to the floor. "...I know that could be the case. However, I think I owe it to both Akio-kun and Haruna to at least try for a little longer. Who knows? Maybe Akio-kun will make a decision way before a year is up."

Michi sighed. "Well, if that's what you're deciding, it's not like I can stand in your way. That'd be too daunting," she said with a shiver. Kanako cocked her head. "Come on, I'm not that stubborn." "Kana-chan, I don't think you really understand how much destructive power you hold when you get serious." Kanako shrugged. "I don't really get why everyone tells me that."

Seeing that their talk had reached its natural end, Michi decided she was going to head home. "I'm glad you told me the truth," she said with a smile. "Also, sorry again for assuming the worst." "It's fine. I should've just told you from the beginning," Kanako said, smiling back. After a couple more parting words, Michi left. "I should probably go looking for Haruna. After all, we still have to make that recipe for class," Kanako thought as she looked at the counter full of cooking tools and half-chopped ingredients.