[Word count - 2,074]
A/N #1: Happy early birthday to Mitake Ran, the vocalist of Afterglow. I was going to do a single chapter stand-alone book for her birthday until I remember that this was sitting here, so... yeah. Enjoy the chapter.
A few days later...
Location - Residential Area
Your POV
It is a new day, and I am making my way towards CiRCLE to began my shift. My mom said she had to go on ahead early because of a meeting she had to attend to, so for now, it is just me. Today was such a nice day, not a single cloud in the sky.
As I kept walking, I eventually walked past Lisa's house, and that made me remember the date she and I had a few days ago. I did had a good time, and I hope something like that could happen again. But what are the chances of that happening, huh?
I decided to go to CiRCLE with the Galactic Guitar, hoping to get some practice in. As I made my way down the sidewalk, someone calls out to me.
"Hey there, (Y/N)-san."
I looked over to where the voice was coming from, and I was able to find the source right away.
Turns out it was Ran from Afterglow. I smiled as I made my way towards her.
"Good morning, Ran." I said to her. "How's it going?"
"Not bad, I guess." She said. "Are you heading to CiRCLE?"
"Yeah, I am." I replied. "Duty calls, you know?"
"Yeah, I suppose so."
Ran starts to look around, as if she was looking for something.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
"Ah, forgive me for being nosy, but... is it just you? Where's Marina-san?"
"Oh my mom? She had a meeting to attend to, so she ended up going on ahead." I explained.
"Ah, so Marina-san is as busy as ever, huh?" She said and grinned at me.
"Yeah, that's my mom alright."
After a short moment of silence, Ran narrow her eyes to my guitar case. She looked at it with curiosity. As she stared at it for a while, I spoke up.
"Ran? Is everything okay?" I asked.
She snapped out of her thoughts as I called out to her.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but notice that you have your guitar with you." She said.
"Oh, yeah, I thought it'd be a good idea to play a little bit while I am on my break later on." I replied.
"I see. Not a bad idea if you ask me." Ran said as a smile appears on her face.
"Is it okay if I see your guitar?"
"Sure thing."
I pulled the guitar out of the case, and I showed it to Ran.
"So, that's the Galactic Guitar, huh?" She said while staring at it.
"It's really one of a kind, and someday, I'll use this guitar to perform alongside the Girls Band Party."
Ran smiled upon hearing that.
"I'll look forward to when that time comes." She said.
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A few hours later...
Location - Live House CiRCLE, Lobby
When I got to CiRCLE, my mom didn't waste any time putting me to work. I had to do a maintenance check on all of the equipment, and if any of them were out of commission, she would send me to the store to get them replaced. Unfortunately, that ended up being the case.
It took a few hours to get everything I needed from the list, but I managed to get it all. I walked through the front door of CiRCLE with all of the replacement equipment. I know my mom is going to be thrilled when I bring it up with her.
"Mom! I'm back, and I got all of the replacements we need!" I called out.
Once I stepped inside of CiRCLE, I saw my mom behind the counter, and she was talking to Ran.
How crazy that this is my second time seeing her today, isn't it? The two turned their attention towards me.
"Oh, hey son." My mom said. "Were you able to get everything?"
"Yeah, I did." I replied.
"That's good. And by the way, Ran-chan has been meaning to talk to you about something." She said.
She made eye contact with Afterglow's vocalist, and she started to blush a little bit.
"M-Marina-san, no need to put me on the spot like that." She said with her face still red.
"Fufu, my bad. But you did say it was important, right?"
"Yeah, I guess I did say that." Ran muttered under her breath.
Ran looked towards me. Her face was still red, but no matter how embarrassed she was, she was able to say what was on her mind.
"So, (Y/N)-san... I was wondering... if you..."
Ran was struggling to speak. I bet she wishes that someone from Afterglow was here with her.
"If I what?"
She took a deep breath and spoke again.
"I was wondering if you... wanted to go on a date with me this weekend?" She asked.
Sounds like Ran wants to take me on a date as well, just like Lisa did last weekend. I've barely had any kind of interaction with Ran, and maybe this date could help me get to know her better.
"Sure, Ran, I would love to go on a date with you." I said.
"Wait, really? You will?"
"Yeah, it'll be fun."
First Ran lets out a smile...
"Thank you."
Then she grew serious for a moment.
"Ah, but can you do me a favor and not mention this to the other members of Afterglow?" She asked.
"Really? How come?" I asked.
"I don't need them to tease me about this, especially Moca." She said.
I guess it does make sense. I have heard that there were times where Ran would get teased by Moca and the others. I know it's their way of showing their love as friends, but... I'd be embarrassed too if Aoi did that to me.
"Don't worry, Ran." I said. "This is a secret between us."
"Thank you." She said before letting out a sigh of relief.
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That evening...
Location - Mitake Residence, Living Room
Ran's POV
My date with (Y/N) is right around the corner, and he said he was going to do something simple for me, but he won't say what it was. That guy has always been a total mystery, ever since we first met. At the same time, I guess I can see why everyone likes him so much.
Right now, it is night time, and I am pondering on what our date was going to look like.
"Hmmmm..."
While thinking about this, my father entered the living room.
"Ran, you're still up? It's getting late, you know?"
I snapped out of my thoughts as I looked up at the clock.
"Oh, I didn't notice. Sorry, I'll go straight to bed then."
As I start to make my way towards my room, my dad stopped me.
"Wait a minute, I need to tell you something young lady." He said.
"Hm? What's up?" I asked.
"Well, after giving it some thought, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go on this date with (Y/N)."
My heart stopped beating the second he said that.
"Huh? Why?"
"It's because I don't trust him, and who knows what he can do to you." He said.
I can understand where my dad is coming from... He's just being a father and doing his best to look out for me. However, he seems to forget that I am a third-year high school student, and I am capable of taking care of myself now.
"Father, aren't you getting ahead of yourself here?" I asked. "(Y/N)-san wouldn't do anything like that."
"You don't know how guys like him think." He said. "Therefore, you're not allowed to go on this date."
I was now getting annoyed because of what my dad was saying. I just stormed off to my room without saying another word to him. I am going on this date with (Y/N), no matter what he says.
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The weekend...
Location - Family Restaurant
Your POV
When I woke up this morning, I was quite surprised to get a text message from Ran. Not only she said she wanted to have our date at the family restaurant, but she asked me to meet her there, too. I was hoping to pick her up from her house and do something different, but she was so insisted on coming here... I wonder why?
I entered the restaurant and I start to look around to see if Ran was nearby. Thankfully, I was able to see her in one of the booths.
I smiled as I walked towards her.
"Hey, Ran." I said as I sat down across from her.
"You're late." She responded sharply. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.
"Sorry about that." I said before changing the subject. "So, what made you want to come here in the first place?"
Ran lets out a sigh as she starts to explain herself.
"It's my father." She said. "He... doesn't approve of me going on this date with you."
I was quite surprised when she mentioned this.
"Really? How come?" I asked.
"He thinks you're going to do something to me during this date, even though I am a third-year high school student, and I know you wouldn't do anything like that." She explains.
"Really? He thinks that?"
"Yeah, he does."
I have heard stories of how fathers are always protective of their daughters, and I guess Ran's dad is one of them. That gave me an idea, but first, I had to confirm something...
"Does your dad know that you're out of the house?" I asked.
"Well, I told him that I was going to hang out with a friend, but he didn't question it since he probably assumed it was Moca or someone else from Afterglow." She replied.
"Then this is perfect." I said.
"Huh? How so?"
"We don't need to think that this is a date." I said. "We can think of this as two friends just hanging out with each other."
Ran went silent for a moment, then lets out a smile.
"Heh, not a bad idea." She said. "You're not as dumb as you look."
"Yeah. Hey, wait a minute..."
Ran started to laugh.
"Relax, I'm only kidding." She said. "So, shall we order something?"
"Yeah, good idea." I said as Ran and I start looking through the menu, trying to decide on what to order.
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Towards the end of the day...
Location - The Park
Ran and I are having a good time on our "date". Even though Ran and I agreed that this wouldn't be a date, but in the end, we couldn't help ourselves. She even held my hand, which is quite surprising given how she has a tsundere mindset like Arisa.
After eating at the restaurant, Ran and I decided to walk around and enjoy the weather. Eventually, we found ourselves at the park, and the sun was already beginning to set. I noticed that Ran is staring at it, and a smile appears on her face.
"The sunset is beautiful." She said softly.
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" I replied.
"I wonder if Moca and the others are looking at the sunset as well." She ponders.
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"Well, after rehearsals, we always take our time to look at the sunset. I guess you can say that it's pretty important to us."
Ran took me by surprise once again by placing her head on my shoulder. I started to blush, and my heart was beating like crazy, but... I don't mind it one bit. If this moment makes Ran happy, then that's good enough for me.
To be continued
A/N #2: The third date chapter will be coming soon, so make sure you look forward to that as well.
Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope you guys liked it and I'll see you in the next one. :)
Next book to update: The Guitarist's Soul
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