Not a Double Date
“Hey! I almost forgot, we’re still going to the amusement park right?”
Rika looked up from her PC monitor with a shocked expression.
“Really?”
Rika smiled and waved her hand.
“I’m joking, I bought the tickets yesterday.”
“Look at you planning ahead.”
Kiko scooted her chair closer to Yuki and Rika’s desk.
“Amusement Park date this weekend?”
“Yes! I haven’t been in ages. How about you Kiko?”
Kiko crossed her arms.
“I haven’t either now that I think about it. Hidetake and I usually have other things we do.”
Yuki’s eyes lit up, her twin tails bounced with her excitement.
“We should have a double date!”
Rika stared at Kiko, trying to communicate that she’d rather it just be the two of them.
“Uhhhhh-actually! We’re going to see a movie on Saturday.”
Yuki clapped her hands excitedly.
“That’s fine, we’re going on Sunday!”
/Ah!!!/
“We’re going to the movies on Sunday also!”
Yuki lifted an eyebrow.
“You’re going to the movie theater two days in a row?”
Kiko itched the side of her face, while trying to hide the fact she was making up a plausible story in her head.
“It’s a hobby of ours.”
“Really? Let’s go on a movie double date a different weekend then!”
Kiko smiled widely.
“Definitely!”
The truth was Kiko and Hidetake never saw movies together. Hidetake only ever wanted to see animated features and the one time they did go, he spent the entirety of the movie analyzing and criticizing it.
/I’m going to have to talk to him./
“Don’t worry about us, you two enjoy yourselves this weekend!”
“Speaking of which...”
Rika pointed to a clock on the wall.
“Happy weekend everybody, good work this week.”
“Good work!”
“Are we going to the bar?”
“Yeah, I want to go.”
Rika looked at Yuki with her arms crossed.
She smiled and rubbed her arm.
“I won’t drink as much this time.”
Rika patted her on the head.
“Let’s get going.”
As they walked Yuki noticed they were three as usual.
“Has Hidetake ever gone for drinks with you two.”
Kiko and Rika both looked at each other, obviously remembering something unpleasant.
“He isn’t exactly one to go drinking with...”
Kiko held up her hand.
“She puts it kindly. When he drinks he likes to talk, a lot, about otaku stuff.”
“Is that so bad, I like anime.”
“It’s not a friendly conversation about favorite shows. It’s more like deeply analytical ranting.”
Yuki giggled.
“There’s no way it’s that bad.”
Rika nodded.
“He went on for two hours about the quality of writing in contemporary light novels and manga, and how its inversely correlated with character design and art.”
She paused.
“He went so in depth I still remember it... That was two years ago.”
“I actually agree with that... Two years!?”
They both looked at each other guiltily.
“That was the last time we invited him.”
Kiko thought for a moment, staring into the distance.
“That sounds so bad.”
“You think!?”
“It’s just. He began telecommuting around then, he’s also usually gaming with his friends on Fridays.”
Yuki crossed her arms as they walked. Staring at both of them scoldingly.
Kiko took out her phone.
“Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
