Still on Sunday afternoon, Isagi arrived at the agreed meeting spot to go out with Uzaki: a central plaza in Koshigaya, right in front of the large fountain decorated with fish statues.
He was wearing a simple white shirt, dark jeans, and kept his hands in his pockets while checking the time every now and then.
The atmosphere around him was calm; a few families walked through the plaza, children played near the water, and the warm late-afternoon breeze gently swayed the surrounding trees.
While waiting for his troublesome senpai to arrive, he couldn’t help but think about the many times the two of them had gone out together over the past few weeks.
Even with his packed schedule of training, studying, and other responsibilities, he always somehow managed to make time for her.
Uzaki had already become, by far, the person closest to him at that moment.
Her invasive, noisy, and absurdly energetic personality had barged into his life without asking for permission, and as exhausting as it could sometimes be, he liked it far more than he would ever admit out loud.
And he wasn’t a hypocrite with himself.
From the very beginning, he had found Uzaki extremely attractive.
Her body drew attention in an almost unfair way, and she seemed to enjoy provoking that constantly: short clothes, excessive closeness, sudden hugs, the way she clung to him without any shame at all… everything about her seemed designed to test his patience on purpose.
Many times, while she rambled excitedly about some random topic, part of his mind inevitably drifted toward her legs, her exposed waist, or her absurdly full chest practically crushed against his arm whenever they walked together.
And honestly?
He desired her…..
He was a man, not some enlightened saint above worldly desires.
Of course he had imagined inappropriate things involving her more times than he would like to admit….
But she wasn’t just a sexy body and a pretty face—she was genuinely fun too…
One of the first times they went out together, Uzaki insisted on challenging him to a basketball game at an arcade, swearing that she would “completely destroy an antisocial kouhai.” Five minutes later, she was complaining that he “took stupid games way too seriously” after losing by a humiliating margin.
Even after losing, she still clung to his arm while they left the arcade, grumbling that she demanded a rematch in the name of her honor.
On another occasion, Uzaki practically kidnapped him to watch a horror movie at the theater after spending days teasing him, saying that “serious guys love this kind of dark stuff.” The problem was that she herself panicked before the movie was even halfway over.
Every time a scary scene appeared, Uzaki hid behind his arm, grabbed his sleeve, or shut her eyes while pretending to be brave, saying things like, “I’m just protecting you from the scary atmosphere, okay?” By the end of the movie, he walked out with a numb arm from how much Hana had clung to him during the jump scares, while she shamelessly insisted that “it was part of the cinematic experience.” The most irritating part was how genuinely comfortable she seemed beside him, as if sticking to him like that was the most natural thing in the world.
There was also the absolute disaster of the afternoon when Uzaki decided to “teach Isagi how to have fun like a normal college student” by dragging him to a local festival.
In less than an hour, she managed to lose half her money trying to win a stuffed animal from claw machines, dragged Isagi into participating in a ridiculous shooting game contest, and even convinced a vendor to let them try on traditional yukatas “just for fun.” The worst moment happened when Uzaki tripped over her own sandal while trying to eat takoyaki as she walked and ended up spilling sauce all over Isagi’s clothes.
She panicked for exactly three seconds before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, practically bent over in the middle of the street while Isagi stared silently at his stained shirt….
Even so, the loudest, most exhausting, and most unpredictable moments of the past few months almost always involved Uzaki… and honestly, he could no longer imagine his routine without her around.
He had barely waited a few more minutes before hearing a loud and extremely familiar voice echo across the plaza.
“Isagi-kun~~!!
Over here!
Over here!!” The person occupying his thoughts finally appeared running along the stone pathway, waving both arms exaggeratedly as if afraid he wouldn’t notice her.
She wore short denim shorts, a light blue cropped top that exposed part of her stomach, and a hoodie tied around her waist.
Her short silver hair bounced with every step, while that huge, energetic smile seemed to completely light up her face.
She stopped right in front of him, placing her hands on her hips while catching her breath.
“You actually came!
I was starting to think I’d have to go to your house and drag you here myself!” she said teasingly before narrowing her eyes and scanning him from head to toe.
“Well, well… you even dressed up properly.
Trying to impress your senpai?” Isagi merely shrugged, keeping his usual calm expression.
“Maybe I am, who knows….” he replied casually before looking directly at her.
“But hearing you say that is honestly insulting.
Did you forget that I take my commitments seriously?” Hana slowly narrowed her eyes before leaning her face closer to his with an obviously mischievous smile.
“Hmmm… that answer’s way too serious.” She tilted her head slightly while observing him carefully.
“Is the kouhai nervous about going out with me?
Look at that serious face… it’s way too cute.” Before Isagi could respond, she stretched out her finger and poked his cheek without hesitation.
Isagi immediately turned his face slightly to the side, trying to avoid the teasing, which only made Hana laugh even harder.
“Cut it out, Uzaki.” “It’s Hana!” she shot back instantly, puffing her cheeks in fake annoyance.
“How many times do I have to repeat that to you?” Right after that, she took a small step back and slowly spun around as if she were modeling, letting him get a better look at her outfit.
“So?” she asked with a smug smile.
“Do you like it?
I picked it out specially for today.
Wanted to look cute for my favorite kouhai.” Isagi looked Hana up and down for a brief moment.
Ever since meeting the girl standing before him, he had practically taken on the role of the “more mature” one between the two of them, always maintaining a more serious demeanor to balance out her chaotic and hyperactive personality.
Even so, there were many moments when he ended up showing sides of himself he normally hid from other people—responding to her teasing, playing along with her antics, or simply allowing her to invade his personal space without truly complaining.
Deep down, he knew exactly why he did it.
She was noisy, impulsive, dramatic, and exhausting sometimes… but she also made everything around her feel more alive.
With her nearby, even simple things like walking through the plaza, eating ice cream, or helping children with a kite stopped feeling ordinary.
It was irritating how easily she dragged him into situations he would normally avoid, and even more irritating to realize he was starting to enjoy it.
He liked the way she laughed without worrying about anything, her exaggerated honesty, the way she always said exactly what she thought, and most of all, how absurdly easy it was for Hana to get close to him without creating any awkward tension….
To maintain his serious composure, he answered with complete sincerity: “It looks good.
It suits you.” Hana froze instantly.
For a full half-second, she remained completely still, as if her brain had short-circuited trying to process such a direct answer.
The next instant, she covered her face with both hands while letting out a muffled sound of pure dramatic despair.
“Uwaaaah!
What kind of direct answer was that?!” she exclaimed, rocking side to side.
“My heart can’t handle this!
Isagi-kun being honest like that is way too unfair!” Despite the exaggerated reaction, she clearly looked happy.
A few seconds later, Hana burst into loud laughter again and, without asking for permission, naturally grabbed his arm and pressed herself against his side as she started pulling him across the plaza.
“Come on already!” she said excitedly.
“Ice cream first, then we’ll figure out the rest.
I’m dying from the heat!” The two of them walked to a famous ice cream shop in the plaza.
Hana practically dragged Isagi by the hand while excitedly commenting on every storefront they passed, changing topics every few seconds.
“Look at that teddy bear!
Would you buy it for me if I made puppy eyes?” “No.” “How cruel!
Heartless kouhai…” At the ice cream shop, Hana spent almost ten whole minutes deciding on a flavor.
She changed her mind with every new option on the menu, complained that “it was impossible to choose,” and even tried convincing Isagi to decide for her.
In the end, she picked a double-scoop cone: strawberry and chocolate on top, mint underneath.
Isagi, on the other hand, simply ordered vanilla.
As soon as they left the shop, Hana immediately started devouring her ice cream enthusiastically.
“This is perfect!
Wanna try some?” she asked, shoving the cone toward his mouth without warning.
Isagi immediately turned his face away.
“I have my own.” “But mine is clearly better!
Come on, just one bite~” She insisted so much that, after nearly a full minute of being bothered, Isagi finally tried some just to make her stop.
Hana instantly flashed a triumphant grin.
“See?
Way better than your boring vanilla ice cream.
It suits you perfectly.” Isagi merely sighed at the teasing, though a faint smile had appeared at the corner of his lips.
The two continued walking through the wide plaza, surrounded by trees, benches, and families enjoying the rest of the afternoon.
Hana didn’t stop talking for even a second.
She commented about her college club, complained about a professor she liked annoying on purpose, and at some point started enthusiastically talking about a cosplay event happening the following month.
“You’d look amazing dressed as a prince or a knight!” she said, pointing at him excitedly.
“Imagine you all serious wearing a cape… it’d be hilarious!” “No chance.” “You didn’t even consider it!
I could pick the outfit for you.” “That only makes the idea worse.” Hana pouted dramatically, but quickly smiled again.
Then, in the middle of their walk, she suddenly stopped after spotting a group of children struggling to fly a kite that absolutely refused to go up.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
“Wait here!” Before Isagi could even respond, Hana ran toward the children.
In less than two minutes, she was already among them, holding the kite string while running around full of energy.
“Isagi-kun!
Come help!” she shouted between laughs.
He shook his head at the scene, but approached anyway.
After a few quick adjustments to the string and a couple more attempts, the kite finally soared high into the sky.
The children immediately cheered, and Hana started jumping in place as if she had just won an important competition.
“We did it!
See how amazing I am?” she said while running back toward Isagi and grabbing his arm again.
“You helped too… a little.” “You did almost everything.” “But you looked handsome chasing after the kite….” she teased with a mischievous grin, lightly poking his stomach.
“Athletic kouhais are definitely the best type.” They kept walking leisurely until they passed by a street artist doing caricatures.
The moment she saw the stand, Hana practically dragged Isagi over and insisted they get a drawing together.
They sat side by side on the small bench in front of the artist, and Hana immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leaning against him without the slightest embarrassment while making exaggerated poses and silly faces for the artist.
When the caricature was finally finished, Hana laughed so hard she almost lost her breath.
In the drawing, she had an absurdly oversized head, a huge smile taking up half her face, and sparkling eyes full of excitement, while Isagi wore an impossibly serious expression with crossed arms and furrowed brows as if he were being forced to participate against his will.
“This is way too perfect!” Hana said between fits of laughter, pointing at the drawing.
“He captured your exact ‘kouhai bored with life’ expression!
I’m framing this!” Isagi took the caricature from the artist’s hands, stared at it for a few seconds, then carefully folded it before slipping it into his pocket.
“You make too much noise.” “And you like that,” she immediately shot back, sticking out her tongue with a teasing grin.
They continued walking through the plaza as the crowd around them slowly started thinning out.
In a more wooded area near the artificial lake, a dog suddenly came running toward them.
Before even realizing it was just a young and extremely energetic golden retriever, Hana let out a small scream and immediately hid behind Isagi, clutching the back of his shirt.
“H-Hey!
Get that thing away from me!
Big dogs are scary!” The dog, completely oblivious to her panic, simply wagged its tail while approaching playfully.
Isagi remained calm.
He crouched slightly, extended a hand, and let the animal sniff his fingers before scratching behind its ears.
The golden retriever immediately became even more excited, wagging its tail so hard it looked ready to take off.
Hana slowly peeked over Isagi’s shoulder, still holding onto his shirt.
“…You’re not afraid of anything, are you?” “It’s just a dog.” “To me, that thing’s basically a wolf in disguise,” she replied, though she was already laughing at her own reaction.
“My kouhai hero protecting me from wild beasts…” Shortly afterward, the dog’s owner came running over and apologized repeatedly.
Once Hana realized the dog was actually gentle, she completely lost her fear and started petting it nonstop, crouching down to take a picture hugging the dog while Isagi silently watched everything.
The afternoon continued in that same lighthearted and chaotic rhythm.
Hana dragged Isagi from place to place without giving him enough time to properly complain.
She insisted on taking pictures in front of a statue near the lake, bought cotton candy for both of them even after he said he didn’t need any, and at one point challenged him to a race to the next bench in the plaza.
Naturally, she lost badly.
“That doesn’t count!” Hana complained, hands on her knees while catching her breath.
“Your legs are way longer!
That’s genetic cheating!” “You’re the one who suggested the race.” “Irrelevant details.” As the sun began descending on the horizon, painting the sky in orange and golden hues, the two finally decided to rest for a while.
They sat side by side on a bench near the plaza’s artificial lake, watching the water reflect the late afternoon light.
Hana absentmindedly swung her legs while licking bits of cotton candy off her fingers, still full of energy even after hours of nonstop walking.
Meanwhile, Isagi seemed more relaxed than he usually allowed himself to be.
“…You know, Isagi-kun….” she began, her voice quieter than usual, “you’re really different from what I imagined when I first met you.” He raised an eyebrow while looking at her.
“How so?” “I don’t know… You seem serious and calm, almost antisocial sometimes.
But whenever we go out, you always come along with me.
Even when I drag you everywhere, you never genuinely complain.” Hana gave a small sideways smile.
“Honestly, I think you even enjoy it a little.” Isagi stayed silent for a few seconds, staring at the lake water.
Then he answered in his usual calm tone: “It’s not bad spending time with you.
It’s… exhausting, but fun.” Hana blinked, surprised by the direct honesty.
A faint blush spread across her face, but she quickly hid it with a loud laugh while poking his arm.
“Uwaaah!
Look at this!
Isagi-kun giving indirect compliments!
My heart almost stopped just now!” She moved closer on the bench, deliberately pressing her shoulder against his.
“Careful, okay?
If you keep being this nice, I’m gonna get used to it and start wanting to go out every day.” Isagi turned his face toward her.
The two were very close.
The gentle wind played with Hana’s short silver hair, and the sweet scent of cotton candy still lingered in the air between them.
“Maybe I wouldn’t mind,” he replied calmly….
Hana fell quiet for a rare moment.
Her blue eyes blinked several times as if processing his words.
Then a soft smile—different from her usual exaggerated grin—appeared on her lips.
“…Sometimes you say things like that out of nowhere and leave me flustered, you know?” she murmured, looking away toward the lake without moving away from him.
“That’s not fair.” Isagi didn’t respond.
He simply stayed there, feeling the warmth of her shoulder against his.
Hana, meanwhile, gently rested her head on his shoulder, pretending it was casual.
They remained like that for a while, wrapped in a comfortable silence that was rare whenever she was around.
The sun slowly descended, painting the sky in darker shades.
After a few minutes, Hana lifted her head and turned slightly to face him better.
Her cheeks still held a faint blush, but she had regained her usual playful tone.
“Hey, Isagi-kun.” “Hmm?” “Next week… do you have any plans Saturday night?” He thought for a moment.
“Nothing scheduled.” Hana’s face lit up with a huge smile, though there was a nervous glimmer behind it.
“Then… wanna come have dinner at my house?
My mom’s gonna make a ton of food, and she’s always asking about the ‘nice kouhai’ I talk about all the time.
It could be fun!
Plus you get free homemade food!” She tried to sound casual, but the way her fingers fidgeted in her lap revealed her anticipation.
Isagi looked at her for a few seconds.
Then he gave a faint smile.
“Alright.
I’ll go.” Hana froze for half a second before letting out an excited squeal, nearly jumping off the bench.
“Seriously?!
You accepted!
Wow, I thought I’d have to beg you for at least twenty minutes!” She laughed loudly and gave him a quick but tight hug, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“You’re the best kouhai in the world!
I’ll text you the time and address.
I promise it won’t be boring!” Isagi let her hug him, lightly patting her back.
“No need to exaggerate.
Just don’t do anything stupid before then.” “Me?
Never!” she replied while letting go of the hug, still wearing that bright smile.
“It’s gonna be great.
My mom’s gonna love you.
And my dad… well, he’ll probably ask you weird questions, but just ignore him.” They kept talking while the sky darkened completely.
Hana went back to rambling nonstop about the kinds of meals her mother usually cooked, how she would prepare the room so he wouldn’t feel awkward, and how she planned to show him all her childhood photo albums “just to embarrass you.” Isagi listened with his usual patience, occasionally responding with short comments that only made Hana laugh harder.
When they finally decided to leave, Hana grabbed his arm again while they walked toward the station.
“So it’s settled, okay?
You can’t back out now.
If you try to run away, I’ll come to your house and drag you there personally!” “I already said I’m going.” “Great!” She squeezed his arm happily against her body.
“I can’t wait to show you where I live.
It’ll be like… an official invasion of the senpai’s territory.” Isagi merely shook his head, but the faint smile that refused to leave his face showed that he, too, was feeling a little excited…
The afternoon ended with the two walking side by side, Hana’s arm firmly intertwined with his while the night sky slowly began appearing above them, the two returning home without any hurry….
_______________________ (A/N: First of all, thank you for reading this story.
Your support there also helps a lot in keeping the story updated consistently.
I hope you continue enjoying Isagi’s completely cursed new life in this crossover world.)