Remembering Hitomi's words, Kazuya let out a resigned sigh. He knew that eventually, the plot would push him into meeting Chizuru—but he never imagined it would happen like this.
He had already come up with a plan for their date, and unlike in the original story, they had agreed to go to an amusement park. He had sent her the full plan, along with a description of what he'd be wearing.
Leaning against the wall at the train station, Kazuya stood dressed in dark navy jeans, a black polo shirt, and sneakers that matched his top. He was lost in thought as he watched the crowd go by—he'd arrived five minutes early.
One of the first things he'd done during the past month was overhaul his entire wardrobe. The original Kazuya's clothes just didn't sit right with him.
Many of the people passing by couldn't help but stare at him.
Thanks to the system's help, he'd improved his physique to better match his sharp, intense eyes and had become objectively attractive. What once had been a solid 4/10 face was now closer to an 8/10—borderline model tier.His vibe, which once gave off "delinquent energy," had shifted into that of someone experienced and composed.
He had even considered dying his hair black, but ultimately scrapped the idea. He wanted to keep his individuality, while also staying somewhat true to the original Kazuya as a show of respect for his memory. Plus, there were already way too many black-haired protagonists in the anime world.
During all this time in his new reality, he had realized something unsettling: he couldn't remember anything about his past life—specifically, nothing about his family or personal history. He had asked the system about it more than once, but it would always cut him off with the same message:[Access denied. Insufficient authority.]
It worried him… but there wasn't much he could do about it. At least, not yet.
Caught up in these thoughts, he didn't notice someone had been calling out to him until a hand touched his shoulder.
"Hey, excuse me... Are you Kazuya-kun?"
A feminine voice rang out—impatient and just a little worried.
"Yes?"
Kazuya snapped back to reality and instinctively turned toward the speaker, answering without thinking.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't at all prepared for what he saw.
Fair skin, light brown hair cascading down her back like a waterfall, and a face with nearly perfect features—softened by a light blush and eyes the same warm brown as her hair.She wore fitted jeans and flat sandals, paired with a summery cream floral blouse. Over that, a sky-blue cardigan, held together with a single button, matched perfectly. Dangling from her ears were heart-shaped pink earrings that went with her purse.
The entire image hit him like a truck and left him speechless for a few seconds.This was his new reality.
[Host is about to start drooling over the girl.]
Recovering quickly—thanks to Siri—and feeling a bit embarrassed, Kazuya responded.
"Chizuru Mizuhara-san?"
He asked politely, pretending not to know who she was.
"That's me," she replied with a small smile, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I've been calling you for a while. Is something wrong? You looked deep in thought."
Her smile faded into a more concerned expression.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Nothing to worry about. I was just thinking about some stuff."
Kazuya answered, slightly flustered, and quickly changed the subject as his eyes drifted over her outfit.
"By the way—you look cute. That outfit really suits you."
"Thanks. You look good too," she replied with a polite smile.
Kazuya smiled inwardly at the generic answer.There was no doubt she was good at acting. But he wasn't bad at it either.
[Acting Lv3 (1940/3000)][Persuasion Lv3 (1870/3000)]
With the help of these modules, he'd become quite skilled at making his excuses and lies sound completely natural, especially around his friends.
"Come on. Let's talk over at that café."
He said, extending his hand toward her.
Chizuru was slightly taken aback by the gesture, and although she felt a bit hesitant, she eventually took his hand with mild uncertainty after noticing he didn't seem to have any hidden intentions.
Kazuya smirked inwardly. Without her realizing it, he had already pulled her into his pace—something very different from her usual girlfriend-for-hire gigs.
Mizuhara was used to clients who were either desperate or socially awkward. Those kinds of people easily bought into her act. But this Kazuya was different—he wasn't playing that game, and she didn't know how to react.
Once inside the café, Kazuya pulled out a chair for her and gestured for her to sit.
Caught off guard once again, Chizuru simply followed his lead and sat down.
Taking the seat across from her without even glancing at the menu, Kazuya asked,
"What do you think about a coffee? It's the perfect match for this nice weather, don't you think?"
"S-sure..."
Chizuru was starting to feel a little unsure of herself.
Kazuya waved over the waiter and placed their order. Once the waiter left, he jumped straight into the conversation.
"So tell me, Mizuhara-san. Are you in university?"
"Yes, I'm a freshman."
"Oh really? I'm also in my first year. Though I had some... issues, so I had to delay things a bit."
"Is that so? Then should I be calling you Senpai?"
She asked with a joking tone, trying to regain control of the conversation.But contrary to her expectations—
"Heh, Mizuhara, being called Senpai by such a beautiful kouhai would definitely make my day."
Kazuya replied with a soft chuckle as he noticed a faint blush deepening on Chizuru's cheeks.
"T-thanks... I guess."
She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
Since Chizuru didn't seem uncomfortable with him dropping the honorific, Kazuya decided it was best to keep addressing her casually.
"Uhm… if you don't mind..."
Acting with just the right amount of hesitation to avoid any misunderstandings, Chizuru gestured slightly toward him.
Realizing what she meant, Kazuya pulled out his wallet and placed some money into her hands.
"This feels like paying a prostitute without even having sex."
Kazuya thought to himself.
As for Chizuru…
"It's weird accepting money from a guy who could easily get a girlfriend."
Both of them were clearly feeling awkward about the whole exchange.
Right at that moment, the waiter arrived with their order, saving them from the uncomfortable silence. As he set the drinks on the table, Kazuya smoothly returned to his gentlemanly demeanor.
"Would you like some sugar?"
"Y-yes. Just one, please."
Kazuya picked up a sugar cube and dropped it into Chizuru's coffee.
"Anyway, like I was saying earlier—I'm majoring in business management."
He said, taking a calm and refined sip of his own coffee.
"In my case, I'm studying literature. I love reading and analyzing classic novels."
Chizuru added, mirroring his gesture.
"Sounds interesting. I like books too, though I lean more toward tragedies. Especially Shakespeare's works."
That comment definitely caught Chizuru's attention.
After about five minutes of exchanging opinions on different literary pieces, they left the café together.
It was time for the real date to begin.