Magical Girl with Demonic Time Magic-Chapter 83: Strange Encounter

Chapter 83: Strange Encounter
"So Itsuki, how about that table over there?" I say to Itsuki, who is on a date with me today, since it’s Sunday we have a previously scheduled meeting, it’s a bit strange, but we’re dating so it’s good to go out together and learn more about each other.
"Sounds great, Ayane," he says as we head to a restaurant. Honestly, the date just started a few minutes ago, but I don’t feel too comfortable with the place he chose for the date.
"Are you sure about this, Itsuki?" I question, looking at the location.
"Don’t worry, you’ll love it," he says as we enter the fancy restaurant he chose. I just chose the table we’ll be sitting at, honestly I don’t really enjoy these kinds of restaurants that much.
I feel out of place, and I think I’ve always hated the feeling of being out of place in places or around people, it’s strange and it gives me a bad vibe, but I accepted the date because he said it would be nice.
’...Everything seems so fancy...’ It’s already started, I’m wearing a nice dress, but it’s nothing too expensive or extravagant, so it makes me feel like people are looking at me and judging me.
I know that for an 18-year-old girl, I’m a bit childish in the way I act, but that’s who I am and I’ll never change that, but it’s impossible not to notice the stares as Itsuki guides me to the table.
Maybe it’s just an illusion of nervousness that many people feel, but it’s still unpleasant to feel that way, so I just try to do the minimum to not draw attention while not looking at the people.
"You can order whatever you want," he says, handing me the menu. We’re seated at a table near the window, which is a nice and more secluded location.
’Looks like it’s going to rain...’ I didn’t bring an umbrella, maybe I’ll need to wait for the rain to pass after the date is over if it really starts raining.
"It’s q-quite expensive, isn’t it?" I say, looking at the exorbitant prices. It’s not like I can’t afford it, I have a lot of money thanks to my parents who left it for me, but I still never really liked making big expenses.
I even like going out with friends and spending money, but it’s just a limited and controlled amount spent on things I like or think are fun to do on a daily basis to get out of the routine a bit.
"Really? I don’t think so, it’s quite average in price," he says with a certain narcissism as he also picks up a menu. We both choose in silence while I can only think about how everything has already started strangely.
’Tsk...I shouldn’t be thinking about Setsuna during a date with my boyfriend.’ Setsuna would take me to a simple but cozy place with reasonable prices and good food.
Like when we go to the diners I like, Setsuna is someone elegant, but also casual and simple, which makes her pleasant to be around and comfortable to talk to, which is difficult to find in most people.
’I wonder if there’s any simpler food?’ There are several dishes with strange names, I’d prefer something more simple. I honestly don’t like fancy foods that much unless they’re sweets.
Fancy foods tend to have a different and less welcoming touch than normal foods, but fancy sweets are a wonder that might be worth trying occasionally.
"Hmm...I’ll have this one," I say, choosing the dish that seems the simplest, ribs with shrimp that have a sauce I don’t know, and the price is also one of the lowest, which is more pleasant to choose.
"That’s a good choice," Itsuki praises without even looking as he chooses something expensive from the menu and calls the waitress to take our orders.
While the orders are being prepared, we talk. Itsuki is quite close to my ideal type of guy, but his narcissism is a bit difficult to deal with. I think that after spending time with Setsuna, who is such a good listener, it’s hard to have a conversation with someone who talks a lot about themselves.
’I wonder if Setsuna feels this way because I talk too much about myself?’ I wouldn’t call myself a narcissist, it’s just that I really like to share my life with others, which opens the door to finding people with similar interests.
But of course, I do this politely, if the person wants to talk, I listen attentively, making respectful little comments, and if they asked me to reduce the conversation and take it slow, I would do so.
Soon the waitress arrives with the food. His plate has some kind of pasta with a lasagna on the side, garnished with spicy chicken thighs and a shrimp sauce with certain parts of lobster on top of the lasagna.
We both start eating our respective dishes in an awkward silence, until he decides to start a conversation, breaking the silence.
"So, how are your grades in school?" He asks a neutral subject. We’re all adults, but we barely know each other, so certain conversations can be difficult, and in the previous date, the conversations on favorable topics ended.
"Well...a little above 50, but it’s improving with the help of my friends, so the next overall grade will be higher. And you?"
"It’s currently at 73," he says with a victorious little smile. It’s really a very good grade, but it’s still low compared to those above with grades between 80 and 95, and there’s Setsuna with 100, which puts those people on the same level as the seniors.
"That’s good," I say, and the conversation ends here. It’s difficult to talk when we barely know each other, so we just finish the meal in silence. The taste of the food was good, but I didn’t really like the sauce they used, it was a bit bitter and bland.
After finishing the meal, we order dessert, a three-layer strawberry cake with some fancy topping. The appearance is very nice and it looks like something I’d enjoy.
’Looks delicious.’ The previous dish I ate was good, but it wasn’t quite what I expected, so I take a small bite of the cake and try it, and as I imagined, it’s very good.
"I heard from some friends that you’re friends with that genius girl. We could introduce our friends to each other one of these days, couldn’t we?" He says, trying to start a conversation again.
"Yes, that’s actually a good idea," I say, a bit more excited about the topic. Making more friends always seems great, lately I’ve been talking to a lot of people and my contacts already have at least 6 numbers, not counting Setsuna.
"Hayato is also interested in meeting your friend," he mentions casually, as if it’s not important.
"Hayato? Are you talking about Hayato Arata?" I ask, surprised, and he nods. This guy is the president’s son, and honestly, there are rumors and a lot of bad talk about this guy, who is very arrogant.
He has black hair and green eyes, as well as a strong physique, but his arrogance is so great that practically everyone knows him for it.
Not to mention the problems he has caused, but has not suffered any punishment, showing that he is a problematic person in every possible way.
"I don’t think... it’s a good idea," This reminds me of when I saw Setsuna threaten Hinata. I’m not sure why Setsuna did what she did in that slightly cruel way, but I know Setsuna doesn’t like arrogant people or those who hide bad things and use their authority to step on others.
Hayato is literally the kind of person who would cause problems, and Setsuna is not the type of person who lets problems slide. I fear that if they meet, Setsuna may suffer some retaliation for doing something that displeases the president’s son.
"Hahaha, what could go wrong?" Itsuki laughs as if it’s nothing, while I just remain silent, the atmosphere becoming even more unpleasant, not because of him, but because the idea that was good now seems bad.
We finish the dessert in silence as it starts raining outside. It seems I won’t be able to go home for a while if I don’t want to get caught in the heavy rain.
’Looks like I’ll have to wait.’ Our date was meant to be this dinner to learn more about each other. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it wasn’t really bad either.
"Itsuki, do you have a way to get home in the rain?" I ask with doubt, wondering if he’ll also have problems with the rain like I do.
"Yes, I’m driving. Do you need a ride home?" He asks kindly, putting a small smile on my face.
"No, I was just checking," I prefer not to show my home yet. The world has proven to be more dangerous than I’d like to admit. I need to get to know Itsuki’s character better before I can talk about something so personal.
"I have an umbrella in the car. I’ll go get it for you if you need it," He says kindly, while asking the waitress for the check and paying it. I end up accepting the umbrella.
Soon I’m standing in front of the establishment’s door as he runs in the rain and returns a few minutes later with an umbrella.
"Here you go, Ayane. You don’t need to return it. It’s not too late, but get home safely," He says with a smile as he starts walking in the rain to his car, which is a bit far away.
’At least he’s kind.’ This act shows a small, pleasant kindness, but I don’t feel good about keeping something that’s not mine, so I’ll return it to him tomorrow.
For now, I decide to just go home slowly, trying not to compare the fun date with friends yesterday with Setsuna to this slightly strange date today.