When it comes to classic date spots, amusement parks and cinemas come to mind.
Aquariums and zoos are also solid options.
That said, all of them cost a fair bit.
Of course, it goes without saying that Yuzuru’s family was wealthy. If he asked his parents—especially if he said it was for his fiancée—they’d likely hand over enough money for both of them, plus a little extra.
But Yuzuru didn’t want to do that.
And Arisa didn’t want to beg his parents for money either, nor could she afford to cover the entire cost of a date herself.
So naturally, they ended up with a wholesome, budget-friendly high school date.
Somewhere inexpensive.
Somewhere both of them could enjoy.
And somewhere that wouldn’t tire them out.
When you put those conditions together…
The only things that came to mind were museums and art galleries.
“By the way, Yuzuru-san, do you usually go to museums or anything like that?”
On the way there, as they swayed along on the train, Arisa asked him that.
“…Well, I suppose.”
To be honest, not really.
It wasn’t that he had no interest, nor that he wouldn’t enjoy it—but he’d never go out of his way to visit one.
That said, Yuzuru was still a boy.
He wanted to look cool in front of the girl he liked.
He wanted to show off a little.
He wanted to come across as an intellectual boyfriend.
But he couldn’t lie.
So—
“Well, about as much as anyone.”
“So… not very often, then.”
She saw right through him.
“…What about you, Arisa?”
“About average.”
“So you don’t go much either.”
While Arisa’s domestic skills and thought processes were a bit different from the average high school girl, her tastes weren’t particularly unusual.
Which meant she also wasn’t the type to frequent museums or galleries.
“You don’t really get many chances, do you?”
“Yeah… not really.”
They’d both been a few times as children, brought along by their parents—
but since entering high school, neither had gone.
“Well then, let’s call this a good opportunity.”
“Sounds good.”
As they chatted, they arrived at their station.
After getting off the train and taking a bus, they finally reached their destination.
It was a large history museum.
They paid the entrance fee and went inside.
“Wow… there’s actually quite a lot of detailed information written here.”
“We covered this plant opal analysis thing in class.”
Since both of them had studied Japanese history, they could follow the exhibits reasonably well.
“I think I came here once when I was little.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes… though all I really remember is seeing some weird clay figurines.”
As she said that, Arisa narrowed her eyes slightly.
“It’s interesting how the same things can look different now.”
“Maybe it just means we’ve grown?”
“I hope so… though maybe we’ve just gotten older.”
“…We’re not that old.”
Chatting like that, they continued deeper inside.
“Ah, we learned about this too. I think… these were made to pray for fertility and prosperity, right?”
Reading the caption beside a nude female statue, Arisa smiled happily.
“Got it right.”
Meanwhile, Yuzuru was thinking something rather stupid like ‘Not sexy at all’.
“Hm? …This one doesn’t have a description.”
Quietly displayed near the statue was something like a stone pillar.
It stood taller than either of them—around two metres.
The only label read:
“Stone Rod.”
“…Ah, that’s…”
Arisa didn’t seem to recognise it.
But Yuzuru did.
“You know what this… stone rod is?”
“Yeah, sort of. I think it was mentioned in the corner of a textbook or something.”
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
It was… a bit hard to explain.
“What is it?”
“Well… um, I think it’s similar to the female statue… but what was it again? I forgot.”
Since it was awkward to explain, he decided to pretend he didn’t remember.
“Hm.”
Murmuring that, Arisa pulled out her phone.
Yukishiro Arisa was a modern girl.
If she didn’t know something, she could just ask Google.
“Then I’ll look it up now. Let’s see…”
She typed it in—
and then froze.
She was reading carefully.
But her cheeks slowly turned red.
“….”
Without a word, she put her phone away.
“…So?”
When Yuzuru asked, Arisa lightly punched his chest.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“…No idea what you mean.”
“If you keep playing dumb, I’ll start to dislike you.”
“…I knew.”
