Chapter 4: A Manual for Dating

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The midterm exams are finally over!

As soon as the chime signaling the end of the exam rang, I couldn’t help but make a small fist pump. The girl sitting next to me gave me a weird look, and I quickly pulled my hand back.

The grades won’t be out for a while, but I felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment. I think I was able to show the results of my hard work.

If I get good results here, maybe I can gain some confidence in myself. Perhaps, I’ll be a bit closer to being a man worthy of Nanase.

After the exams, I went to work, and by the time I returned to the apartment, it was past 9 PM. Nanase was having a post-exam celebration with Sudo and the others, but she said she would come here afterward.

──After the exams, I want to give my all to you, Sagara-kun.

Remembering Nanase’s words made me feel restless. Unable to sit still, I paced around my small room until the intercom buzzed. Trying to calm my racing heart, I opened the door.

“Oh, Sagara-kun!”

Nanase, with her makeup perfectly done, beamed when she saw me.

“Oh… W-Welcome back.”

“Long time no see! I’m back!”

Seeing Nanase’s genuinely happy smile lifted my spirits. I had seen her a few times before the exams, but she always had a desperate look on her face. It was the first time in a while that I saw her smile.

“Can I come in?”

“…Yeah, come in.”

Trying to act composed, I invited Nanase in. She awkwardly walked in and sat down in the corner of the room. When I sat next to her, I could feel her tense up.

…Wait. Is she really nervous?

Nanase’s face was bright red, and she didn’t seem able to look at me directly. Her nervousness was contagious, making me feel uneasy as well.

“…N-Nanase? Are you okay?”

“Huh!? Y-Yeah! I’m totally fine…!”

Her voice cracked as she nodded repeatedly. She didn’t seem fine at all.

How did we usually interact…?

Being alone together for the first time in a while, I didn’t know what to do. The last time Nanase came here, she was drunk and pushed me down. The memory of her chest pressing into my palm resurfaced, making me overly conscious.

After a moment of awkward silence, Nanase leaned closer. Our arms touched, and I caught a whiff of her sweet scent. Flustered, Nanase hesitantly asked,

“…Do you want to… cuddle?”

Cuddle… Is that something you announce before doing?

What does cuddling even mean? What level of cuddling is Nanase expecting? How do couples usually cuddle…?

My head started to ache from overthinking. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find the answer. For now, it might be best to take a rain check.

“…You don’t have to force it. Let’s just act normal.”

“Y-Yeah… you’re right.”

Nanase sighed in relief at my suggestion. It seemed that cuddling was a high hurdle for both of us.

Trying to act normal, I maintained a certain distance from Nanase. Wait, is this too far…? Should I get a bit closer?

Even though I said we should act normal… what is normal?

I couldn’t remember how we usually interacted. Sitting across from each other, both of us looking down awkwardly, we didn’t look like a couple who had been dating for six months.

“H-How were your exams?”

“Oh, uh… I’m fairly confident.”

“I see. Me too…”

After exchanging some forced conversation, another silence fell. Just as I was about to speak, Nanase stood up.

“Um… I should get going.”

At that moment, I felt a bit relieved. Nanase waved goodbye and left my room, looking a bit lonely.

…What is our normal?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find the answer. Sitting down, I banged my head on the table.

◆◆◆

On the third night of summer break, I was eating udon with tempura flakes and cut cabbage, topped with soy sauce. It was a far cry from Nanase’s cooking.

Since starting to date Nanase, my diet had improved significantly, but on my own, this was the best I could do. Just adding cabbage was progress, I hoped.

There were no signs of her in the next room. Her red bicycle wasn’t in the parking lot, so she was probably at work.

Since that day after the exams, Nanase and I hadn’t been alone together. We lived next door, so we could see each other anytime, but I didn’t know what to do, so I made excuses about work and avoided her.

If we were alone now, the pressure to cuddle would make things awkward. That would be… uncomfortable.

As I pondered what to do, my phone rang under the table. Seeing it was a call from Hojo, I wondered what he wanted and answered.

“Hey, Sagara. What were you doing?”

“Eating udon.”

“Sagara, you really like udon. If you’re from Nagoya, you should have kishimen.”

Hojo said, laughing on the other end.

We weren’t close enough to chat on the phone without a reason, so he must have had a purpose for calling.

“Is something up?”

“Oh, right. We’re going to Lake Biwa the day after tomorrow, right? I’ll pick you and Nanase up at 8 AM.”

“…Oh.”

Lake Biwa. I had almost forgotten about that.

We had planned it so long ago that it had slipped my mind. We had agreed to go to Lake Biwa during summer break with the same group we had Takoyaki Party with.

“What? Did you forget?”

“No, I forgot, but I’ve already arranged to take the day off work, so it’s fine.”

“Good. Don’t oversleep.”

“I won’t.”

I thought the conversation was over, but Hojo brought up another topic.

“So, how are things with Nanase?”

“…Uh, well… pretty good, I guess…”

Occasionally, Hojo would ask about our relationship. Whether he was genuinely concerned or just entertained, it was probably both.

…Should I consult Hojo…?

He likely had a perfect manual on dating. He surely knew all about what cuddling entailed.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to ask such an embarrassing question like, “How should I cuddle with my girlfriend?” So, we ended up chatting about trivial things before hanging up.