Chapter 5: Choice Date (Part 1)

Although Chou didn’t know anything about date etiquette, she was well aware of the rules of which society was run on. There were certain expectations that the rabbit girl had to meet in order to not come across as a complete dick. And one of those was taking turns. This fundamental aspect of interpersonal interaction was taught as early as kindergarten, and reinforced by grown-up games like chess or in one of Chou’s favorite turn-based RPGs like Bucket Monsters. And, so, it stood to reason that if Fumihito had chosen the location for their last date, it was now up to Chou to decide where the two would meet.

Chou went through a checklist in her head.

Fancy restaurant ✓

Water fountain ✓

Beach ✓

It was like Fumihito had already used-up all the rom-com clichés! Where was Chou supposed-to take him now?! “Deep breaths, Usagi,” she thought to herself, “you’ll think of something, so just relax.”

Chou paced across her pink bedroom rug for another half-hour, racking her brain for any other locations that could hold romantic potential, occasionally taking a break only to glance over at her bedside clock and groan as she realized she was steadily running-out of time. Every second spent not writing her novel meant that Chou was losing potential royalties, not to mention creating openings for other authors to swoop in and take her spot on the New Pork Rinds newspaper’s “best-sellers” list! And every second that she wasn’t on a date with her King Charles spaniel “boyfriend” was another second that she could be writing! …Except that in order to write romance, the aromantic lagomorph needed to date Fumihito for inspiration!

“Argh! Why is fate so cruel?!” Chou fell overdramatically to her knees. Even in the privacy of her own room, she was a total drama queen. “If only there was someone I could ask for help! I can’t reach-out to my coworkers! If they find-out I’m having trouble writing a simple romance novel, they’ll never let me live it down! And Fumihito already chose the location of our last three dates, so I can’t just ask him to choose again!”  Chou kicked a nearby plush across the room in frustration. “Think, Usagi, think!”

A lightbulb suddenly lit-up above Chou’s head!

…She looked-up in confusion at the illuminated ceiling light, before directing her eyes to the doorway. Standing there was Chou’s sister, Hisui Usagi, who had just turned-on Chou’s bedroom light.

“Hey, Sis, are you alright? You’re screaming again.”

“Oh, hey, Hisui,” Cho sighed. “It’s about Fumihito…”

“That guy you’re ‘dating’?” the larger rabbit asked. “He’s not cheating on you, is he? I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised! You’ve seen that elephant you work with, right?! She’s HUGE!”

“YOU’RE NOT HELPING!” Chou blurted out. She took a deep breath, “Actually, Sis… can I ask you question?”

“Shoot.”

“You’ve had boyfriends and girlfriends, before, right?”

“I was never really… serious, with any of those men, though. I just… hadn’t discovered myself, yet. Sorta like you and Inugami, right?”

“But you did still date them, right?”

“Well, yeah?” Hisui affirmed, although her tone didn’t sound all too certain.

“And, even though you didn’t really love them, it was still romantic?” Chou asked.

“Well, I mean, for them, maybe?”

“Right, right…” Chou nodded, pulling out a notepad and scribbling something down. “And what about your girlfriends? Where did you go on dates with them?”

“What are you, couple’s therapy?!” Hisui joked, elbowing her sister. “When did you suddenly start giving a shit about my relationships?”

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“I didn’t,” Chou bluntly stated. Even her vast knowledge of who her sister was wasn’t enough to help Chou understand the larger bunny’s fascination with romance. “It’s just… it’s my turn to invite Fumihito on a date, and I don’t know where the fuck to go.”

“How about the fountain?” Hisui asked.

“Been there, done that.”

“Sis, it really doesn’t matter. So long as you’re with the person you love, anywhere’s romantic!”

“What are you, my marriage counselor?!” Chou groaned. “Besides, I don’t ‘love’ Fumihito; I don’t ‘love’ anybody! What part of this aren’t you getting?”

“Ok, ok, ok…” Chou’s sister sighed. “…Right. Well, why not just go somewhere where YOU want to go?”

“Huh?” Chou asked. “But what about Fumihito?”

“He likes you, right?”

“Yeah, we’re friends.”

Hisui facepalmed. “No, I mean, he like-likes you, right?”

The smaller sibling nodded.

“Well, then, anywhere you go will be romantic for Inugami! So all you need to focus on is choosing somewhere where YOU want to go!”

With a spring in her step and a boost in her confidence, Chou grabbed her cellphone and hopped past her sister and out of the doorway. Somewhere that she wanted to go to, huh? The rabbit girl knew just the place to take Fumihito! “Thanks, Hisui!” she called back, grabbing her jacket off the coat-rack and wriggling into it.

“Wait, Sis!” Hisui called back, running up to Chou as she heard their front door open, holding a purple checkered skirt and a pink tank-top. “I think you forgot something! Teehee!”

“I’m in a hurry!” Chou replied. “Toss me the skirt,” she said, stepping into her shoes as her sister threw the garment her way.

Chou caught the skirt in her teeth like a show-dog catching a small plastic disc that you toss. She ran down the street, buttoning-up her jacket with one hand and holding her phone to her ear with the other, the checkered fabric still hanging out of her mouth like a slice of toast that a lovestruck anime schoolgirl hadn’t finished eating before she realized she was late for school! After she finished calling Fumihito (and awkward interaction, given that her skirt was muffling her voice), she put the phone into her right jacket pocket, pulled her skirt over her underpants and zipped it up.

 

Chou’s hands fell by her sides in exhaustion as she reached her destination. Luckily, she had plenty of time to catch her breath as she awaited Fumihito’s arrival. Her chest was frantically puffing in and out as she panted, taking a break every few minutes to catch her breath. Exercise wasn’t the rabbit’s forte. But that wouldn’t be of any concern, where she was going.

“Ah, there you are?” Fumihito called out as the dog pulled up in his car. “Well, are we gonna head inside, or what?” he smiled.

Chou nodded, giving her brown hair a flip with her hand and turning on the spot to walk through the door. “Hisui’s a genius,” Chou thought, “this will be the most fun date I’ve ever been on!” …Not that that was exactly a large accomplishment, considering that all of her previous dates had ended in embarrassment.

To be continued…

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