Can't We Skip Dating?

Utaha had left.

Tomoya couldn't leave yet, since he still had to endure the lectures from Eriri and Megumi until he changed his mind. 

But Utaha couldn't stay another second.

Eriri saw her off at the entrance.

"Tomoya's totally out of his mind—he's like a lunatic… Tch, I'll definitely make him change his mind and apologize to you."

It was already July, and the night air was no longer cold. Feeling the breeze on her face, Utaha slowly let out a breath.

"No need. Who knows, maybe I really will agree to it."

"Hey, Utaha, you—"

"Eriri, between a body that a girl in love might give away in a moment of heat, and my future dreams, career, and livelihood… which do you think is more important?"

Eriri froze, unable to answer.

Some things just can't be compared. Even if you could decide which was heavier or lighter, it's still not easy to throw one away for the sake of the other.

After a long silence, Eriri managed to ask a difficult question.

"Then… what about Tomoya? Are you giving up on him?"

Utaha turned back and saw the stubborn glint in Eriri's eyes. She finally smiled. "If that's the case, shouldn't you be happy, Eriri-san?"

"I'm not happy about this kind of surrender… What the hell is this…"

Eriri irritably kicked a small stone at her feet, grumbling under her breath, "Even if I want to win, I want to win fair and square."

"You won't beat me fair and square, you know. I'm a bad woman who uses all kinds of underhanded tricks."

"Utaha! And here I was being so nice and worried about you!"

"Yeah, I know. Thank you."

Those simple words somehow smoothed out Eriri's frizzled temper.

"Tch… the party's almost over. Want to wait a bit longer to leave? I'll have Dad drive you home."

"No need. The station isn't far, and it's not that late. A walk will help clear my head…"

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard voices from the garden. The sound grew closer, and both voices were very familiar.

Eriri turned around and saw her father walking side-by-side with Akira.

"Dad?"

Mr. Spencer looked up at her voice, then smiled warmly. "Oh, my precious daughter—sending your friend off?"

"Yeah. Is Mr. Akira leaving too?"

Akira nodded and walked past Eriri to stand directly in front of Utaha. He leaned slightly to look at her face. "Something happen?"

"Nothing," Utaha replied calmly.

So Akira didn't press further and instead said, "Walking alone at night isn't safe. Let me give you a ride."

Before Eriri could object, he seemed to anticipate her and added, 

"Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything inappropriate. You can stay on the phone with her if you want, and if anything happens, call the police."

Mr. Spencer had been busy hosting guests and knew only vaguely why Utaha was here tonight.

He wasn't as informed as his wife. So when he saw that Akira seemed to know Utaha, he was a bit surprised.

But after hearing his words, he came over, patted Eriri on the head, and laughed. 

"Don't worry. I haven't known Mr. Akira for long, but I can already tell—he's a very trustworthy man. I haven't met someone so straightforward in a long time."

Akira spread his hands. 

"Honestly, I'm just bad at socializing. So I figured I'd speak plainly. We're not in the same business, and there's no conflict of interest, so why bother playing games?"

Mr. Spencer let out a hearty laugh.

"Come on," Akira said again, with a tone that made it sound more like a statement than an offer.

"If you've got something you want to say, we can talk on the way."

Utaha hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Saying she wanted to clear her head with a walk was a lie. She had no habit of strolling, especially when she was this emotionally and physically drained. 

What she really wanted was to get home, collapse onto her bed, and sleep.

Since she'd already caused so much trouble for the Sawamura family tonight, there was no way she'd ask Mr. Spencer to drive her home. 

But if it was Akira… it didn't feel like a burden.

Besides, there were indeed things on her mind. Even if she didn't want to say them aloud, knowing someone was willing to listen made her heart stir just a little.

So she agreed.

Akira brought his car around. It was rare for him to drive out, but this was a formal banquet—waiting for a taxi at the entrance afterward would've been awkward.

He didn't care much for appearances, but there were still limits.

Utaha got into the car, sat in the back seat, and waved to Eriri, who looked worried. Then she turned back and saw Akira handing her a phone with a GPS map open.

"Set the navigation for me. I'm not good with directions," Akira said.

Utaha silently typed in her home address, handed the phone back after the route was set, and leaned back against the seat once they had pulled out of Eriri's line of sight.

"Feeling really down?" Akira asked.

Utaha didn't answer the obvious question.

"Then… want to come over to my place?"

She slightly lifted her eyelids and looked at Akira through the rearview mirror, her gaze turning cold.

"Don't get the wrong idea. Until you agree to the deal, I won't lay a hand on you," Akira said with a smile. 

"The reason I'm inviting you over is simple. In my house… lives the most healing presence in the entire world!"

When he mentioned that "presence," Akira's voice brimmed with pride and confidence—like a child excited to show off a cool new toy.

Just like that, the mysterious and imposing image she had of Akira began to crack. 

He suddenly felt a little more human, a little more approachable.

It was like the way Eriri's arrogance could shift into shyness—this unexpected contrast stirred something in her, sparking a small flicker of interest amid her gloom.

"Mr. Akira… you're not talking about your favorite galgames, are you?"

"No, no, of course not. Games are a matter of personal taste. Just because I like something doesn't mean I'll overhype it."

"Then what is it?"

"Isn't it obvious? So, are you coming or not?"

…

An hour later, Utaha stepped into Akira's house.

She heard a soft "meow," and then saw a graceful white cat walking along the wall-mounted path—and a chubby black one lounging on the floor.

At that moment, she had to admit… Akira wasn't wrong.

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