CH. 103 - Ask to Dance

 Eventually, after some planning and preparations, the boys figure out just how they plan to ask their dates out. Later, Sugawara approaches the girls who came up with the plan with his head hung low. They look at him as he steps up to them.

 “I’m sorry…” he says as they look concerned before he lifts his head with an excited smile. “But it worked exactly as we planned!” He says as the girls cheer and hug him.

 “Thank you, Sugawara!” Shiori says happily.

 “This is gonna be amazing!” Chizuru says too. Sugawara giggles as he steps back.

 “But just a heads up. They’re not the most… charming guys ever. Their plans are.. unique, to say the least.” Sugawara warns as the girls look at him surprised but smile anyway.

 “Whatever happens, I’m sure we can handle it.” Lucy says. Suddenly, she’s standing in her home with a blank stare. “Well, at least it’s unique…” she says with a mumble as she stares at a large stuffed bunny the size of a large human in her living room. Kenji pops out from behind the stuffed bunny.

 “Oh, there you are.” he says as Yuri pops out too on the other side.

 “Ryuji left this here. He said to leave it for you.” She says with a giggle. Lucy sighs with a smile before grabbing onto it.

 “Great. I guess.. I’ll just take it to my room.” Lucy says with a grunt as she picks up the large stuffed bunny. She makes her way up the stairs and plops the bunny down right in the center of her room, dropping her bag too with a huff before looking at the stuffed animal. She smiles before giggling and hugging it tightly, letting out a pleasant sigh.

 “Ah~” she then hears a slight crumpling noise as she hugs it. Lucy looks surprised as she seems to hear a piece of paper inside the bunny. She goes around the back and finds a zipper, so she opens it up, finding a sheet of paper inside. She takes it out and begins reading.

 “ ‘Lucy. If you’re reading this, then you’re on the first step to finding me. Follow the clues, come find me.’ That’s not ominous at all.” Lucy says with a smile. She turns the paper around and sees a pair of chopsticks taped to the back. She smiles before rushing back out of her room and out to the restaurant.

 Once she gets to the closed restaurant, she notices a sheet of paper stuck under the doorway, so she grabs it and reads another clue. She smiles and looks up to see an eyepatch taped to the door. She grabs it and heads off to Shiori and Hikigaya’s house.

 There, she rereads the clue and walks to the house. She focuses as she wanders around the home, looking for the next clue. As she does, the family notices her walking around with confused looks.

 “Uh… is she here for Shiori?” Asami asks as Takanou shrugs. Lucy eventually sees a folded piece of paper sticking out of a bush by the front door. She grabs it and pulls out a flower taped to the paper. She smells the flower happily before reading the note. She chuckles as she reads the note before looking up.

 “I should’ve just gone there first.” She says softly as the sun begins to set. She eventually makes her way to Ryuji’s home and knocks on the front door. After a moment, Jun answers the door with a surprised look.

 “Lucy. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.” He says. Behind his back, he waves his hand as Fuyuko sees and nods from around the corner before rushing off.

 “Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t.” She says with a smirk as Jun sweats a little. “Is Ryuji home?” She asks.

 “Uh…” he answers while looking over his shoulder. From around the corner comes a thumbs up as Jun exhales. “He is. Come in.” He says with a soft smile, stepping aside for her. Lucy smiles as she steps in. Lucy looks around with a smile as she tries to find anything out of place before she suddenly stops. Her eyes widen as her mouth opens with surprise.

 In the dining room, Ryuji stands dressed in a casually nice shirt next to an open seat. The table is set nicely with candles and flowers. A candlelit dinner for two with food made by Ryuji himself. Lucy blushes as Ryuji offers his hand to her. She takes it gently, unable to remove her eyes from the sight before her as he leads her to sit. He then walks around the table and takes his seat across from her. She still stares at the table, taking it all in as Ryuji smiles at her.

 “I take it you like?” he asks. Lucy kind of snaps out of it before trying to smirk.

 “I mean, I totally expected this but… it still hits different actually seeing it… for me.” She says softly. Ryuji smiles and nods gently.

 “I figured you wouldn’t quite enjoy going out to a fancy restaurant.” He says softly. Lucy smiles warmly at him.

 “So you set all this up for me?” She asks softly.

 “I know what you like.” he says before pushing a small box her way. She opens it and sees a couple rolled blunts in it. She takes them happily and sniffs one deeply, letting out a pleased sigh.

 “Ahhhh~ oh yeahhh.” Lucy says happily. She puts it down as Ryuji offers his hands to her. She smiles and puts her hands in his, only for him to cover her hands with his. Lucy looks surprised for a moment, feeling him place something in her palm before he guides her to turn her hands over. She does and sees a small note in her hands.

 ‘Dance with me?’

 The note reads. Lucy’s eyes shine as she looks at him and nods, almost tearing up. Ryuji blushes as they both get up and hug each other tightly. He holds her for a moment, swaying slightly as Ryuji speaks.

 “After dinner, wanna watch a movie in my room?” He asks. Lucy nods again and looks at him with a smile.

 “Gotta put your gift to use.” She says as he nods back. They stand together, Lucy with her arms around his neck and Ryuji holding her hips gently as they sway together softly. By the doorway, Fuyuko joins Jun’s side as they watch the teens love so honestly.

 “Look at our baby… he’s so grown up…” she whispers, leaning her head on Jun’s shoulder. He hums in response before looking at her softly.

 “Fuyuko.. why don’t I take you out tonight?” He asks in almost a whisper. She looks at him, surprised.

 “But you never offer to take me out… you think I’m-” she begins before Jun almost flinches at her words, shaking his head sharply before gently placing his thumb on her lips, holding her face in his large palm.

 “You’re more than strong enough…” he whispers as Fuyuko’s eyes shine and a loving expression spreads across her face. She nuzzles his hand a bit as she nods. Jun smiles as they grab their coats and head out, leaving Ryuji and Lucy to enjoy themselves on this romantic night.

 Somewhere else, same time when the sun has already gone down, in a parking lot at the school, orange lights are strung around with colors of green, red and white also shining brightly through the stalls and pop up vendors set up around. People dress for the cold weather as they look at the small market set up with Christmas decorations all around, taking in the smells of fresh food and sights of cute toys and gifts. Goda walks down the walkway in the middle of the market as Chizuru walks beside him happily.

 “Thanks again for agreeing to help set up. That was mostly poor planning on our part…” Goda says, rubbing the back of his head.

 “It’s really no problem at all, Mr. Goda. You’ve really helped me get stronger over the years so it’s the least I could do!” She says, flexing her arm a bit, placing a hand on her bicep. Goda chuckles a little as he smiles at her. “I just can’t wait for them to announce the raffle winners on stage! The winner gets a cute pink waffle maker!” Chizuru says happily.

 “You want to win?” Goda asks. Chizuru nods happily as he laughs out loud. “Ha ha! Well, that’s too bad because I’m gonna win!” he shouts before leaning close and whispering. “I put in four tickets with my name on it..” he whispers with a smirk. Chizuru gasps.

 “Mr. Goda! That’s cheating!” She pouts as he laughs.

 “Maybe so! But you’re gonna have to be faster than that if you wanna stop me from winning pink prizes for my daughter!” He says with a laugh as Chizuru looks surprised and stops. Goda keeps walking though as he waves. “Anyway, there’s nothing left for you to do, so enjoy yourself. Goodnight, Chizuru.” He says as he walks off. Chizuru smiles before turning around and looking at the sights before her. Around the corner of a dark hall, Goda rushes and peeks out before turning back.

 “Alright. She’s in. Now I could only get her here, I couldn’t get anything else approved, so you’ll have to make it quick or security will get you.” He says to someone in the dark. Touma walks into the dim light with a sharp look before anxiety kicks in and he gets nervous.

 “R-right… thank you, Mr. Goda…” he says softly as Goda pats him on the back hard, causing him to stumble forward and into the market. Touma sneaks through the market, doing his best to avoid Chizuru as she wanders around happily, enjoying the market.

 Touma eventually makes his way to the stage and leans against the side, taking in a deep breath, trying to calm his nervous. He looks determined as he steps onto the stage and grabs the microphone gently with shaking hands. Some people turn and look at him, noticing him as he takes a deep breath before speaking into the mic.

 “Uh, hello!” He says as the speakers make his words clear to everyone. They all stop and look at him. Chizuru notices him and steps a bit closer to the stage.

 “Touma?..” she says softly, watching him. Touma sweats nervously as he tries to smile, staring right at her.

 “I j-just wanted to say hi, and if you’d give me the time, let me make you smile.” Touma says in rhyme as he looks right at Chizuru. Suddenly, a soft, cute musical beat starts playing as his shaking stops a bit.

 “Your face, when it’s you and me, there’s no place I’d rather be than home base, baby can’t you see?” Touma sings shyly as a couple of security guards notice him and step onto the stage heading his way. They go to grab him, but he quickly dodges and jumps off the stage, stepping towards Chizuru.

 “Your eyes, baby, I’d walk a mile, just to end up in your arms for a little while, don’t you lose your smile.” Touma continues as the security guards rush his way. He ducks and dodges them, rushing back and forth before getting back on the stage.

 “Look my way, baby, don't you see the kind of love you’ve made in me? Please believe in me, listen carefully when I say-” he sings before the two guards rush him on the stage. He looks nervous as he shouts. “Chizuru! Will you dance with me?!” he shouts before being tackled off the stage to the ground by the security guards. Everyone winces as Touma groans on the floor. He then looks up when he notices someone step close to him. Chizuru crouches before him and smiles a loving smile as her eyes shine.

 “I’d love to.” She says as Touma smiles a big smile before the guards pick him up.

 “Come on, Romeo. That’s enough disturbance for the night. You’re kicked out of the market.” The guard says before escorting him away. Chizuru watches him go with a blush on her face before she giggles and wiggles to herself, giddy about what just happened. She then skips off after him.

 That same night, Shiori works at her desk when Hikigaya suddenly steps into her room, hanging on the doorframe.

 “Shiori! I’ve got Chief on the line. He said he needs Fullsky and Watchdog.” Hikigaya says with a hurried tone. Shiori doesn’t seem bothered by him, not even looking his way.

 “Yeah right. I bet you’re just embarrassed to ask to go on patrol together.” She says as Hikigaya stares at her blankly before lifting his hand from behind the doorframe and showing the phone with the active call. Shiori is surprised before smiling awkwardly. “Oh.” She says.

“Do I got you both? Good. I’ve been getting reports of this strange dirt monster thing running around the mountain parks. I’d send some of my officers, but frankly, this is a bit above their pay grade.” Chief says through the phone. Shiori crosses her arms and smirks in her chair.

 “Right. What happened to no longer going easy on us? How do we know this isn’t a trap to arrest us?” She asks as even Hikigaya is surprised.

“Oh. Well, err, I wouldn’t do that.” Chief responds.

 “Very convincing.” Shiori says before Hikigaya speaks up.

 “Come on. We can trust him not to trick us. His pride requires him to catch us fair and square, right?” Hikigaya asks as Chief droops a little on the other side of the call.

 “Right…” he says with an annoyed smile. Shiori sighs and gets up.

 “Alright, I’ll trust you. But if it’s a trap, I promise I’m going to blow something up.” She says as Chief answers.

“Of course.” He says. The two then suit up and head out.

 They make their way to the forests on the mountain surrounding a park. They wait in a tree for a moment as Fullsky looks around.

 “I don’t really sense anything… you sure this is where it’s at?” She asks.

 “Yep.” Watchdog answers swiftly, looking at the park. She looks at him for a moment before looking a bit unsure. She lifts her hand to touch his shoulder but stops when he perks up. “There! I’ll get it!” he shouts before diving out of the tree and into the park without any hesitation. Fullsky is shocked but jumps after him. Watchdog seemingly grabs onto something with a smile. “Don’t worry! I caught it! Woah!” he shouts before suddenly getting yanked around by this thing in his hands. As he is pulled around the park swiftly, he’s tearing up the grass around, leaving behind a thick line of dirt as he goes.

 “Watchdog! Wait, you’re ruining the park!” Fullsky shouts as she chases him.

 “This guy’s really strong! Maybe if you hit it with a fireball, it’ll slow him down just enough!” Watchdog shouts. Fullsky nods before igniting her fist with flame and aiming. She throws a fireball his way, but the thing in Watchdog’s hands is too fast and dodges. Fullsky grunts as she tries again. Watchdog is dragged around the park over and over, moving with no particular rhyme or reason as he tears up the grass behind him. Fullsky continues to shoot fireballs his way but misses until one shot specifically hits the ground where it was torn up and ignites in flames. The flame quickly spreads, running along the torn up areas by Watchdog and this thing. Fullsky looks worried.

 “Watchdog! I think I accidentally set the park on fire!” She shouts. Watchdog then stops and looks back before rushing to Fullsky, grabbing her by the waist and throwing her high into the air. Fullsky is shocked by this action, but suddenly her eyes grow wide as she looks down at the park. There, in the grass and spelt using the torn up lines Watchdog drew now illuminated by the fire lining it, spells a question.

‘Dance with me?’

Is spelt in flames on the ground. Shiori sees this and her eyes instantly start shining. Hikigaya watches her from the ground with a smile as she starts falling back down. Too excited to wait, Shiori flies down hard, falling faster before slamming right into Hikigaya. She tackles him as they roll together through the grass before coming to a stop in the middle of the flames and grass. They giggle as she holds him down by his shoulders with bright eyes.

 “Yes! Yes, of course!” She almost shouts as Hikigaya giggles before Shiori slams her lips against his. Hikigaya holds her tight as Shiori’s fire burns around them, even wrapping around their bodies as they kiss passionately on the ground. After a moment, they get up, pat out the fire on themselves before Shiori waves her hand, sending a cold frost wave around, instantly putting out the fires. They hold hands for a moment as she looks at him lovingly.

 “I love you so much, Hikigaya.” She says softly. Hikigaya smiles and kisses her forehead before she leans her head against his chest.

 “I love you too.” He says to her. Suddenly, a bright light comes down upon them. They look up with squinted eyes as they see a helicopter pointing its light down at them. It moves the light away as Chief speaks into the megaphone.

 “You should’ve seen him when he asked for my help. He looked like a nervous teen boy asking out his crush, haha!” He laughs into the speaker.

 “Which I am!” Hikigaya shouts back over the loud helicopter sarcastically.

 “Oh. I guess you’re right.” Chief says back. “Anyway, I’ve got a mess to clean up so I’m giving you 30 seconds head start before I come down there and put you in cuffs!” Chief shouts through a smile as he starts counting. Shiori and Hikigaya look at each other with a smile before rushing off into the night.

 Somewhere else, Suiyoubi walks along in her warm coat and a smile on her face. The sounds of a second pair of footsteps walking beside her.

 “I’m really surprised you asked me to do this.” Suiyoubi says.

 “Let’s not talk about it. If I think about what I’m going to do, I’ll never do it.” Kitaro’s voice speaks as Suiyoubi smirks a little but keeps her lips shut. They walk together as they make their way to Hisana’s house, Kitaro carrying a duffle bag on his shoulder. Kitaro knocks and meets with her parents, says something as the parents smile happily, then step aside letting them in. They go to Hisana’s room and close the door behind them. Suiyoubi then reaches into her bag and pulls out some black rope.

 “Now, shall we get started?” She asks ominously, pulling the rope taut. Kitaro sweats as he sighs and begins taking his sweater and shirt off.

 “I swear, if anyone else finds out about this…” he mumbles as Suiyoubi giggles and turns around, looking away from him.

 “I won’t say anything, I promise.” She says as Kitaro changes reluctantly. Suiyoubi stands in silence for a moment as she waits before she speaks up. “Why did you ask me to do this with you?” She asks softly. Kitaro stops for a moment before looking down softly.

 “Because… you’re the only one I trust to not judge me…” he admits softly. Suiyoubi’s smile only grows subtly before Kitaro continues. “And you were the only one who knew how to do this.” He says plainly. Suiyoubi giggles as Kitaro finishes changing. “You can turn around now…” he almost mumbles. Suiyoubi does just that and looks at him. Kitaro stands awkwardly wearing only thin grey sweatpants. He blushes as he looks at her. Suiyoubi blushes a little too as she approaches him with the rope.

 “Even though I do find you attractive, I promise to be respectful.” She says as she starts wrapping the rope around Kitaro’s body. He looks nervous as she focuses on her work. She ties him up in artistically attractive ways until eventually his arms are tied behind his back. Kitaro then crawls onto Hisana’s bed and sits as Suiyoubi ties his legs up too. “And now, for the final touch.” She says as she pulls out the same bunny mask he used when the boys infiltrated girl's night. She puts in on his head and steps back. “Hisana’s on her way already. You sure you’ll be okay?” She asks.

“Yeah, if she can do this, I can too.” He says under the bunny mask. Suiyoubi smiles and goes to leave before Kitaro speaks again. “Suiyoubi.” He calls out. She stops and looks at him in his bunny mask. “Thank you for helping me with this. I’m not certain I’d feel comfortable with anyone else.” he says softly. Suiyoubi lights up subtly before nodding a bit.

 “Of course.” She says back before leaving the room. Kitaro sits there in silence as his thoughts rush through his head.

 ‘This is crazy… why did I agree to this?’ he thinks as he moves a little. ‘The ropes are tight and a little uncomfortable. I’m not sure if that’s just how it is or if it’s because I’m not used to it. I hope Hisana appreciates what I’m going through for her…’ he thinks, then pauses. Then a subtle wave of anxiety rushes over him. ‘But what if she doesn’t like it? What if this isn’t how she wants to see me? What if she doesn’t like me anymore after this? Do I even care? Why do I care what she thinks of me? Maybe it’s safer to just stop and ask her normally.’ He thinks before wiggling some more, trying to move, but then he hears the sound of the door opening. He suddenly stops and looks over to see Hisana standing by her door. She looks surprised and even stunned as she drops her bag on the floor.

 “Kitaro..?” she calls out. He gets nervous about her reaction.

 ‘Uh oh… here it comes. If she doesn’t like it, I’ll have to come up with an excuse. But if she does… who knows what she’ll do to me like this. It’s not like I could really fight back. Whatever… it’s fine, I guess.’ He thinks, preparing himself for whatever she plans to do next. Hisana then approaches her bed slowly and gently sits on the edge. Kitaro tenses up as he closes his eyes. ‘Okay, this is fine. I’ll let her do whatever and figure it out later.’ He thinks when suddenly his mask is gently lifted off his head. He looks up surprised to see Hisana smiling at him softly as she holds the mask.

 “Kitaro.. What’re you doing here?” She asks quietly with a warm smile and blush on her cheeks. Kitaro is a little surprised and slowly answers.

 “I, uh.. uh, I wanted to see you…” he says softly, sweating and blushing as he looks at her.

 “So you tied yourself up for me?” She asks with a giggle.

 “Kinda…” he answers.

 “Well, I appreciate the effort you put in for me. I know how hard this is, haha!” She says with a laugh. Kitaro chuckles a little too, relaxing a bit before Hisana begins to untie him. His eyes grow wide as he speaks.

 “Wait!” he says, surprising her so she stops. Kitaro sweats awkwardly as he speaks, composing himself. “Don’t you want… to like take advantage of me or something while I’m tied up first?..” he asks softly. Hisana looks at him for a moment before answering.

 “You never did that to me.” She says plainly. He looks at her, surprised, before she looks away softly. “I mean, of course I want to. I’d kill for you and me to mess around like that at least. But I also know you’re not really comfortable right now. This isn’t exactly something you want, so…” she says softly before smiling at him. Kitaro stares at her for a moment before nodding. Hisana then continues to untie him until he can do the rest. He leans back on his hands as she sits next to him.

 “Thank you.. for that…” Kitaro says softly. Hisana nods before blushing and scratching her cheek lightly, awkwardly.

 “Did you maybe wanna..?” she asks as Kitaro closes his eyes with a plain look.

 “No, I don’t.. really think so.” he says softly. Hisana giggles and nods again.

 “Hehe okay.” She says. They sit in silence for a moment more before she smirks and leans closer to him. “Soooo, you wanted to see me so bad you tied yourself up?” She teases. Kitaro blushes a little as he looks away.

 “Heh… well, actually I had something I wanted to ask you.” He says. Hisana looks surprised as he continues. “I imagine you want to go to Prom?” he asks.

 “Yes! Yes! Very much so!” she says excitedly as she leans closer to him.

 “Well, would you like to go with me?” He asks, looking into her pink, excited eyes.

 “Yes! Yes! Even more so!” She says, leaning even closer to him so their faces are almost touching. Kitaro chuckles as he smiles at her.

 “Then you got it.” He says as Hisana smiles a big smile, her eyes shining brightly. She cheers as she jumps on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. They fall back onto the bed as Kitaro struggles to push her away.

 “Hey! You can’t take advantage of me now that I’m free!” He says as she kisses his face repeatedly before he grunts and lifts her up by under her arms, putting her in air jail. He glares at her, embarrassed, as he lifts her above him before he gets a surprised look as something drops on his cheek. Then another and another. Tears fall onto his face as Hisana smiles happily.

 “This is the greatest day of my life! A literal dream come true!” She says as tears fall from her face. Kitaro calms as he smiles softly. He then slowly lowers her back down onto his chest as she cuddles up to him, letting out a pleasant sigh.

 “Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it. It’s only one dance.” He says as Hisana nods with a happy smile.