Next day
"Yui, nothing will happen if you keep pacing like that", Kinoko says from her seat on Yui's sofa, as Ibara, her and Setsuna watch the silent girl pace in the living room of her apartment. The said girl was very nervous, considering the fact that she never dated anyone and not in million years she had expected someone to make her laugh. If the game was made by a group of developers, she could have escaped her predicament with ease, but the situation was very different here. There were a number of problems in front of her. First, the game was made by single person, which means that he clearly fell in the criteria of the challenge. Second, her fans were not shutting up about how the game developer, Izuku Midoriya, deserved the reward for his efforts. It's not that she was trying to get away from the consequences of her challenges, but it was quite hectic considering how her fans nagged about it and Yui wanted only one person in life to nag her not thousand. But the third reason which terrified her a lot.
Not many people knew this, but Yui has serious social anxiety issues and that added with her early introverted habits didn't help very much. She has no idea how to start a conversation, how to make a conversation keep going, how to react and that terrified her very much. She never left her apartment without her mask or hoodie, and the gamer could easily count on her fingers how many times authorities stopped her just to make sure that she was not suspicious. And not to forget, this was technically her first date of her life. She didn't know how to present herself for a date and how to keep a date interesting.
"Will you sit down for a second Yui? You are making me motion sick", Setsuna says from her seat to which Yui retorts, "Why did you come here then? I thought you had a job. I can understand Kinoko and Ibara being here. We literally live in the same building, but don't you live at the other side of the city".
"Yui, you are talking as if we lost our job", Ibara points out to which Yui with her monotone voice says, "No offense Ibara, but you own a flower shop. You are the boss of your own place and hence you can come and leave any time you want. Kinoko can still do her research of her beloved mushrooms from her apartment. She doesn't have to go to lab for that. And I basically took a break to sort my thoughts".
"Hey! You are talking as if all I talk about is mushrooms", Kinoko says and the other girls give her not impressed look. "Should I remind you high school?" Ibara asks to which Kinoko quickly says, "Let's not talk about our dark history called high school days, shall we?"
"Well I care about you Yui, so I took a paid leave", Setsuna says cheekily to which Yui looks at her skeptically and asks, "And your boss said ok?" The green haired girl looks offended and says, "Hey, what do you took my boss for? He is my senpai first and my boss later. And not to forget, our studio doesn't have a project currently and we just celebrated our anniversary yesterday. So I thought, 'Why not bother Yui?'". The gamer girl gives her an unimpressed look and the animator cheekily grins at her. The girl sighs and flops on the couch next to the florist and says, "What am I supposed to do? Would I be bothering him? Would I offend him? I am not a fun person? Would I bore him?"
"How can you bore him if you didn't even contact him in the first place?" Kinoko asks which caused Setsuna to snicker and Yui to stare at the green haired girl, which the later took that staring as a glare. "I mean she has a point", Ibara says with a nod, herself trying to understand Yui's situation.
"Well I am sorry that I don't have his number", Yui retorts to which Setsuna says, "Girl, you could have asked me. I am literally his childhood best friend and his co-worker. In fact he lives just across the street. What is stopping you from asking his number?"
"Well... I don't know. I don't want to impose on him. What if he has a girlfriend or a wife?" Yui asks with a monotone voice which came out meek for her friends. Setsuna sighs and says, "Great! Now we have two socially awkward people who are very afraid to ask each other out". She then takes in quick breath and says, "Well lucky for you Yui. Izuku's mother is asking him to find a girl to marry".
"Wasn't this supposed to be a single date?" Yui asks to which Setsuna says, "See, just few days ago, you were complaining how your mother was nagging you to find a partner and Izuku's mother is asking him to get married. I totally see this as a win-win situation".
"Well for your kind information, nobody marries a guy as soon as she meets them", Yui says to which Kinoko says, "Well Yui has never heard about 'elopement' or 'shotgun wedding'". Ibara looks chastised and quickly says, "Pre martial sex is a big no! How disgusting! It goes against the word of god!" which causes other girls to sigh. Setsuna looks at the florist and asks, "You are saying that you never went that far with your boyfriend?" The florist gains a proud look on her face and says, "Well you are absolutely right! I am glad that I have an understanding boyfriend in Jurota".
"I kind of feel bad for him", Kinoko says bluntly which caused Ibara to gain a mortified look, Setsuna to laugh and Yui to have an amused glint in her eyes. "You are saying that you gave away your purity?" Ibara asks with her eyes widen with shock and Kinoko says, "I mean I am already engaged. I don't have a problem if I get pregnant by my fiancé. Both of us are financially stable so taking care of a child is not a problem".
"A CHILD BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK!? THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE!" Ibara roars and Kinoko exclaims, "Chill Ibara! It's not that I am having sex with someone else. I am having sex with my fiancé for crying out loud! Don't react like that! I love him!" Yui and Setsuna groan at this. It was actually a common sight to see Ibara and Kinoko to bicker. Kinoko not wanting to drag the topic of pre martial sex like a rubber band, quickly asks Setsuna, "Hey! Say us more about this Izuku Midoriya". Ibara quickly looks at Setsuna with curiosity, completely forgetting about the argument and she says, "Yeah! Say us! What kind of a guy is he? Is he good enough for our Yui?"
Yui would be lying if she was a not a tad bit curious about her date. She was looking at Setsuna and the said woman gave her a smug grin, which annoyed Yui a lot. She lets out a sigh and says, "FINE! Even I am curious".
"You should be curious", Setsuna says as a matter of fact and she says, "Izuku, is my childhood best friend. We played together, we hanged out together, and sometimes we even slept on the same bed. Ibara get your mind out of the gutter". Ibara was about to retort back, when she looked at the others and none of them took the meaning of the words the way she did. She blushes in embarrassment and apologizes. Setsuna continues to say, "Yui, I am going to be truthful when it comes to Izuku, because when he says these things, I don't want you to misunderstand". The gamer nods and the animator continue saying, "In his whole life, Izuku has dated only two girls. Do you remember Texas_Girl from yesterday's stream?" Yui nods and says, "Yeah! She did mention that she had dated him at some point".
Setsuna nods and says, "Yeah! She was basically his first girlfriend and after breaking up with her, he was single for six months and then he found another girl. They dated for two years but because of the reasons which Izuku will reveal to you, if you go out with him, they broke up and Izuku has been single for eight years now". "Thank god! I was partially wishing for my date to have some dating experience because I have no fucking idea what I am supposed to do", Yui says to which Ibara retorts, "Language!"
"Don't worry much. Izuku is nice. How nice? He is literally 'I love pandas' nice but there is only one thing that would make him very angry", Setsuna says which causes everyone's attention to perk up. Yui gulps down the saliva which was building in her throat and asks, "And that is?"
"Talk bad about his mother, Ochako, me and his daughter and he would literally let the hell loose on you and for the love of god, please don't talk about 'The Dynamight Heads' around him or with him", Setsuna says out loud which caused a chill run down the listeners' spine. But amongst that Ibara heard something and she quickly noticed Yui's lack of comfort. The florist quickly says, "Wait a minute! Did you just say 'daughter'?" Yui perked up and internally thanked Ibara. She was not sure whether she heard Setsuna correct or not, but to think that even Ibara heard that word relieved her, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
"Yeah! I did say daughter", Setsuna say and there were number of emotions going through Yui's mind, but before she could say anything, the dinosaur obsessed animator says, "Let me finish. She is not his biological daughter. Do you remember I used to talk about this girl named Ochako in high school? She was our best friend and she died while giving birth to her. Izuku adopted her daughter as his own". A look of understanding dawns on Yui's face.
"What is his problem with Dynamight Heads? As much as I know, even you hate it. And if I have to be honest, I thought that you would like it. The number of profanities used in their songs is too much for my liking", Ibara says to which Setsuna replies, "It is something I and Izuku don't like to talk about". She then takes in a deep breath and asks Yui, "So, do you want to text him?" The gamer nods vigorously and the mycologist asks, "Yui, are you sure about this?"
The gamer looks at Kinoko and says, "Yes. I want to meet him and know about him", and she gives her phone to her dinosaur obsessed friend. Setsuna quickly feeds Izuku's number and tosses the phone back to Yui. The gamer looks at the number nervously and Kinoko asks, "So, are you going to text him or not?"
"What should I say?" Yui asks to which Setsuna sarcastically says, "Start with a 'Hello'". The gamer looks at the animator with an annoyed expression and in a monotone voice says, "Even I know enough social cues to know that I should start with a hello". "Chill girl! I was just pulling your leg", Setsuna says which causes Yu to give 'Seriously?' look.
"Maybe", Setsuna says honestly which causes Yui to sigh. Ibara lets out a deep frustrated sigh and says, "Yui, just ignore her and message him". The gamer simply nods and starts typing a message.
Yui: Hello, how are you?
But Yui quickly deleted everything she wrote. She looks up and see Kinoko, Ibara and Setsuna all lingering around her, looking into her phone. "Why did you do that?" Kinoko asks which the gamer ignores and asks, "Did you guys forget the concept of personal space?" The question was promptly ignored and Setsuna says, "Now that I think about it, Yui was being way too friendly over there".
"I know right" Yui says and she looks at her girl-friends and asks, "What am I supposed to text then? I have never texted a guy before".
"You know, it would be better if you start with an introduction. Some people tend to ignore messages if they have no idea who they are", Ibara says to which Setsuna says, "Ibara, you are a fucking genius. Izuku doesn't reply to messages if he has no idea who the person is". Ibara looks at the animator with a chastised look as Kinoko simply looks at them as if she realized something. Yui types,
Yui: Hello, this is Yui Kodai speaking. I hope I am not disturbing you
The gamer's finger hovers over send button and like a coward, quickly places her phone on the table and takes in a deep breath. Setsuna, Ibara and Kinoko look at her amusingly and Yui asks, "Was texting always this difficult?" "No, you are just being a coward", Setsuna says to which Yui in monotone voice says, "Hey, never dated anyone in life before, remember. I have knowledge of a goldfish when it comes to dating". "You do realise that goldfish can remember anything up to five months?" Kinoko says to which Ibara says, "I thought that you were a mycologist not a zoologist", which causes the mycologist to give 'I am not impressed' look.
But second b second, Setsuna was growing impatient. Yui was hesitating. If this is going to happen, then her childhood best friend and high school best friend would remain single their entire life. She has to do something. She looks at Kinoko and Ibara who were arguing about goldfish and what not and her gaze falls on Yui, who was spacing out. Yui's phone was on the table in front of the sofa. If she played her cards right, then she could easily grab the phone. The message which the gamer wrote was good enough, Setsuna's eyes fall on the clock. The time was nearing afternoon break and she was very much sure that Izuku would be free now.
"AH! FUCK IT!" Setsuna exclaims as she grabs Yui's phone. This caused the others to jump in their skin and Yui's eyes become mortified. 'Shit! I didn't lock my phone!' Yui thinks as Setsuna pressed sent.
"Why did you do that!?" Yui asks angrily as the animator tosses the phone back to the gamer. "Yeah Setsuna! Why did you do that?" Ibara asks to which the animator replies, "Because she was hesitating". Kinoko and Ibara gain an understanding look as Yui looked confused.
"What do you mean by that?" Yui asks to which Setsuna replies, "Yui, a relationship won't last forever if you hesitate. I know that very well. If you want to have a relationship, hesitation is something you shouldn't have". Yui was about to retort, but she keeps quiet. Maybe she should listen to Setsuna for once. But what did she mean by 'I know that very well'? She was about to ask when suddenly her phone buzzes with a new notification. She looks into the phone. It was Izuku.
"It's him", Yui simply says to which Kinoko says, "What are waiting for? As much as girls hate it to be kept on read, even boys don't like it. You should not play hard to get". "Play hard to get won't work every time", Setsuna simply says and Yui looks Ibara who says, "Don't look at me like that. I dated only one person to give you any helpful advice". The gamer nods and opens the message.
Izuku: Hello Kodai. You didn't disturb me. I was on a break. How did you get my number?
Yui takes in a deep breath and asks Setsuna, "What should I do?" "You are well equipped to answer that", was the reply she got. The gamer takes in a deep breath and types,
Yui: Setsuna gave it to me. I believe you know her
Izuku: Ah! I know her very well. She is a friend from childhood. I hope she is not troubling you
Yui: I can't comment on that
Izuku: XD
"Hey!" Setsuna says, sounding a bit offended and this caused Kinoko and Ibara to laugh. Yui had a smug smile on her face. She can laugh afterwards, now she was pressing matters, literally in her hands.
Yui: Midoriya, the reason I am messaging you is because your game made me laugh
Izuku: I know
Yui: And two months ago, I made a challenge stating that I will go on date with anyone who makes me laugh or display any other emotion
Izuku: I know
?Yui: So... will you go on a date with me
Yui: You don't have to if you are feeling uncomfortable. I will totally understand if you refuse
Izuku: Well Kodai, to say you the truth, I had no intentions of making you laugh. I heard from my colleagues that you were quite infamous on ViewSpace for giving harsh critiques. So I did that. And on the way I thought to troll you too in the process.
Yui looks at Setsuna and asks, "Did you know that?" to which the dinosaur obsessed animator simply nods. The gamer's mood sinks a bit. He had no intentions to date her. He just wanted her to give him a good review.
Izuku: And about the date, I don't see a problem in that. I would be very happy to go on a date with you.
Yui blinks once. She blinks twice. She rereads the message once again. He wants to go on a date with her? Her mind was so engrossed with her thoughts that she didn't even realise that her friends were celebrating in the background. She quickly types,
Yui: Are you sure? I don't want to force. You are free to decline. I am not an obsessed Yandere
Izuku: XD
Izuku: Don't worry. I am totally fine with that.
"Don't worry Yui. I know Izuku very well. Yanderes don't turn him on. It is Kuudere like you that get him excited", Setsuna says teasingly which caused Yui to blush and others to laugh. The gamer flicks her finger on the animator's forehead and suddenly another message comes in.
Izuku: So.... Where shall we meet? I am fine with any place.
?Yui: Are you sure that I can select a place
Izuku: Yeah. It would be better if we go to a place where you can be comfortable
Yui blushes a bit at his kindness and concern and she types,
Yui: How about that famous restaurant near the Musutafu Prime Mall? I always wanted to go there
Izuku: You mean Black Mist restaurant? Sure! I am totally good with that. Where shall I pick you up?
Yui: You don't have to pick me up. How about we meet inside the mall? I believe you can recognize me with ease
Izuku: Sure. Seems like a good idea. You can ask Setsuna how I look like. I am plain-looking guy, so I can be hard to spot in crowd.
At the cue, Setsuna shows Yui the picture of Izuku along with a small blonde haired girl. The gamer's eyes widen. That is plain!? He looks totally handsome. Those green eyes, that green hair and freckles that spectacles totally made him look handsome. Kinoko whistles lowly and says, "If I didn't have a fiancé, I would have totally dated him".
"I agree", Ibara simply says and her eyes fall on the little blonde girl. The florist asks the animator, "Is she his daughter?" to which Setsuna proudly says, "Yes, she is. Isn't she a cutie!? She calls me Aunt Suna and I play with her every time I visit his place".
"She is totally cute! I can easily see that she is a daddy's girl", Yui says with a fond smile on her face. Setsuna looks at the gamer and teasingly asks, "What's up Yui? Did you motherly instincts wake up? Do you want to be Hanabi's mother?"
"Her name is Hanabi?" Kinoko asks, totally ignoring Yui's reddened face. "Yeah! Her mother wanted to name her that before she died", Setsuna says with a sad smile on her face.
"That is a nice name", Ibara says and Yui types,
Yui: You are not that plain-looking. In fact you look nice
Izuku: ....
Izuku: Well... thank you
Izuku: So does this Saturday afternoon work for you?
Yui: Yeah. I am totally fine with that
Izuku: Well, that settles then. Let's meet up this Saturday afternoon at Musutafu Prime Mall. We can explore the mall or we can go to the restaurant directly if you want.
Yui: Ok. I am looking forward for the date
Izuku: Me too.
Izuku: Ok bye. I took my break a bit early, and I have to resume my work. See you soon
Yui: Sure. See you on Saturday
Yui places her phone back on the table, and leans back in her seat. She takes in a deep breath. Setsuna, Kinoko and Ibara look at her silently, as if they were waiting for something. Suddenly Yui screams at the top of her voice, causing sleeping Kuro to jump out in panic from his bed. The girls squeal in delight. This is something Yui did when she accomplished something. The girls hug each other and Setsuna says, "Congratulations girl! You totally nailed that!"
"That was so nerve-wracking", Yui confesses as Kinoko gives her a glass of water. "But you still did it! You went Plus Ultra!" Kinoko says to which the gamer replied, "Didn't hear that for many years". Suddenly Setsuna starts to wear her jacket and Ibara asks, "Where are you going?"
"Shopping. Get ready!" Setsuna says and Yui asks, "Why?" The animator looks at Gamer and says, "Well Yui, if I was a guy then I totally don't want to see my date wearing a Kamen-Rider T-shirt for the date".
"What's wrong with Kamen-Rider T-shirts? They are comfy", Yui retorts to which Ibara says, "Yui, it is a common sense to wear something nice for the date. That way you are showing your date that you are actually looking forward for the date". "Dating is that complex!?" Yui asks in shock to which everyone else nods.
"And while we are at it, we should also change your hair style a bit", Setsuna says to which the gamer asks, "What's wrong with my hair?"
"You know, it is kind of 'meh'", Setsuna says, hiding the fact that Yui's current hair style reminded her lot of Ochako and it was bound to remind Izuku too. Izuku is doing this to get over Ochako and any reminder would not be helpful. "You know, she is right. Maybe a trim and a perm, a little bit of highlighting might look good", Kinoko says to which Yui says, "Anything but highlighting! I don't want to damage my hair with chemicals!"
"Ok fine! Go get ready!" Setsuna says and Yui heads into her room to change her clothes. The gamer girl was finally glad that she was taking a step into the dating aspect of her life. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't excited. Finally a normal dating life was just around the corner.
Little did she know, that her dating life would end up being very far from normal.