Chapter 95 Date With Akane
Tonight\'s date was meticulously planned—he\'d even rearranged his schedule, declining Asuka\'s booty call, postponing his date with Chiyo, and even his new target, Ayaka.
Yet now, Akane was nowhere to be found.
"Is she caught by her brother?" he muttered, a flicker of anxiety crossing his face.
He didn\'t know if Daiki was protective, but the oldest Yamada was indeed a really protective one.
Even so, Haruto had considered showing up at Daiki\'s house with a bucket of roses in hand, just to cause a stir.
But that was risky. If they found out about their relationship, it might be the last time he\'d ever get to see Akane.
\'For now, dating in secret is enough,\'
he decided, though the nagging silence from his phone continued to bother him.
"Hm… Is the date canceled?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, glancing at the road ahead.
After a moment, he shook his head. The system has given him the quest to their first date after more than a week of regular chatting with her.
He knew Akane, she would tell him if the date was canceled.
"Let\'s check her house first," he said to himself, stepping on the gas.
Haruto parked beside the tall gate of Akane\'s family\'s traditional Japanese house, the structure imposing even under the evening sky.
He got out of the car, running a hand through his hair as he surveyed the gate.
"System, activate Navigating the Sweetheart," he murmured, issuing the command.
[\'Navigating The Sweetheart\' skill activated.]
[All targets and potential targets within a 500-meter radius will appear on the map. While all target locations that aren\'t in 500 radius will be displayed on their information]
A digital map appeared in his vision, complete with chibi icons representing nearby targets. Sure enough, Akane\'s icon was visible within the house.
"Found you," Haruto muttered with a small smirk, but before he could do anything, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He quickly answered. "Akane! Where are you?"
Her voice was cheerful, but oddly close. "Haruto, I\'m here!"
He frowned, glancing around. "I can\'t see you. Where exactly is \'here\'?"
"Above you!"
His head shot up, and there she was, perched on top of the gate like some mischievous cat, waving down at him.
"Catch me!" she shouted with a wide grin, and before Haruto could protest, she leapt.
"Akane!"
Haruto yelled, scrambling to shove his phone into his pocket.
His arms shot out just in time to catch her mid-air, his hands instinctively gripping her slim waist as she laughed, carefree. He let out a shaky sigh, still processing what had just happened.
"Don\'t ever do that again," he scolded, setting her down carefully on the ground. "That was dangerous!"
Akane pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "You\'re no fun, Haruto. Just like your dry texts."
"Hey! You\'re the one who keeps messaging me," he countered, ruffling her hair playfully.
She giggled, batting his hand away.
"I feel bad for you, that\'s all. No woman would put up with your texting skills, so I figured I\'d help."
Haruto chuckled, the tension melting away. "Wrong. Plenty of women text me all the time." He flicked her on the forehead lightly, smirking.
"But I did turn them all down for you, so you\'re pretty lucky."
Her cheeks flushed as she crossed her arms. "Playboy," she muttered, pretending to sulk as she stomped toward his car.
Haruto laughed even harder, shaking his head as he followed. "I\'m not kidding. And the fact that I chose you isn\'t a joke either," he teased, opening the car door for her.
Akane\'s blush deepened, and she quickly slipped into the car, slamming the door in his face before he could say another word.
"That\'s such a lame pickup line!" she shouted through the window, her voice muffled but clearly flustered.
Haruto just smirked, shaking his head in amusement as he climbed into the driver\'s seat. Tonight was already off to an interesting start.
In the car, Akane animatedly recounted how her oldest brother had forbidden her from going out at night, which she dismissed with a roll of her eyes.
She gave him dismissive nicknames like "boring" and "Rigidman," explaining that his strictness was the reason she had to climb over the gate.
"But Akane, I already told you—the Dog Cage is illegal. Aren\'t you scared?"
Haruto teased, pulling the car to a stop in front of an abandoned warehouse teeming with activity. The muffled roar of a crowd was audible even from inside the car.
"Scared?" Akane smirked, clenching her fist and mimicking a punch in the air. "Of course not! This just makes it more exciting. You better perform well—I\'m betting on you!"
Haruto chuckled as they both got out of the car. "Don\'t worry, I never disappoint."
He had meticulously planned this night, ensuring the Yamada brothers wouldn\'t be anywhere near the Dog Cage.
As they stepped into it, Akane\'s eyes widened in awe. The sheer energy of the place was electric. The ring in the center drew all eyes as fighters clashed, the crowd\'s roars echoing off the walls.
Her mouth hung open in amazement, taking in the dimly lit chaos and the sheer number of people packed into the warehouse.
"Come on, Akane, we\'re heading to the VIP section," Haruto said, taking her hand to guide her through the throng.
"Eh? Can\'t I just watch from here?" she asked, looking back at the crowd with a hint of disappointment.
"No way," he said firmly. "It\'s too crowded, and you don\'t know how scummy some of these people can be."
Realizing the truth in his words, she nodded reluctantly and followed him up a narrow staircase.
They entered the VIP section, a private black-box room with an unobstructed view of the ring below.
Tonight, the VIP area was packed. Haruto quickly noticed familiar faces: Senior Kikuchi and Nakamura, Arataki\'s sister Erika, and even Enji\'s younger sister, Ichigo.
"Oh wow, tonight really is crowded," Haruto commented, leading Akane into the room.
"You said you were bringing your date," Enji teased with a grin. "We didn\'t want to feel left out, so we brought company too."
"Right? You\'ve been hoarding all the women," Arataki jokes, getting up to approach Haruto.
"Erika swears she saw you with two stunning girls at the mall the other day. But I guess tonight\'s someone new, huh?"
The sarcasm in his tone made Haruto frown slightly in confusion. Arataki\'s expression shifted subtly as he gestured for a private conversation outside the room.
"Akane, make yourself comfortable or introduce yourself. I\'ll be right back," Haruto said, patting her shoulder before stepping out with Arataki.
Once alone, Arataki leaned in with a serious expression. "That girl… isn\'t she Yamada\'s sister?" Continue reading stories on empire