Saturday had finally arrived.
I jumped out of bed when the alarm went off, with an energy I didn't remember ever having. Well, technically I was now a combination of two people, so I guess double the energy was normal.
"What do I wear? What do I wear?" I muttered in front of the closet, rummaging through my clothes as if my life depended on it.
It wasn't a romantic date. It was an outing to get to know the city. But my subconscious (or Asher's subconscious, or both of theirs) seemed not to have gotten the message.
In the end, I went with the safe option: black jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a gray jacket. Nothing too elaborate, but decent enough not to look like a vagrant.
I headed downstairs briskly, and my mother was already in the kitchen, her "I know something you don't know" smile perfectly plastered on her face.
"A date?" she asked, innocently.
"A walk," I corrected, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.
"Mm-hm. With a girl?"
"With a classmate."
"Mm-hm. Pretty?"
"Mom..."
"I'm just asking." Her smile widened. "Have fun, sweetie. And don't stay out too late."
I left the house before she could make any more embarrassing comments, but her laughter followed me out into the street.
---
I arrived at the station fifteen minutes early. I'm not one to be late, especially not when someone is waiting. I leaned against a wall and took out my phone to kill time.
"Cranel-san?"
I looked up.
Murayama stood before me, with a shy smile and a look completely different from the school uniform. A navy blue plaid skirt, long-sleeved white blouse, denim jacket, and her signature pigtails immaculate.
"Murayama-san. Good morning."
"Good morning." She moved a little closer. "Have you been waiting long?"
"I just got here a few minutes ago."
"Good. I was worried I might be late."
"You're punctual. That's already a point in your favor."
She laughed, a little nervously.
"Well... so, where should we start? I don't know what you already know about Kuoh."
"Let's just say the only thing I know is the route from my house to school and back. You're my only hope."
"Wow, no pressure." She smiled, relaxing. "Well, here we go!"
---
The next few hours were a whirlwind.
Murayama turned out to be an excellent tour guide, albeit a bit chaotic. She dragged me first to the shopping mall, where she pointed out the best stores and, more importantly, the ones to avoid.
"This one here," she said, pointing to an electronics store, "has inflated prices. Tourists always fall for it. But at the end of the street there's another one that's much better."
"Noted."
Then we went to the main park, a huge place with a pond and lots of green spaces. She told me that in spring the cherry blossoms were incredible and that people came from other cities just to see them.
"Do you come?" I asked.
"Every year. With my family. Well, before with my family. Now also with my friends from the club."
"Sounds nice."
"It is." She smiled. "You should come when the season arrives. I promise you won't regret it."
"Deal."
---
At lunchtime, she took me to a small restaurant hidden on a side street. From the outside it didn't look like much, but the smell coming from inside was incredible.
"Is this safe?" I asked jokingly.
"The best in Kuoh," she assured me proudly. "My family has been coming here since I was little. The owner is a friend of my grandfather's."
We went in, and the place was exactly what I expected: small, cozy, with a few wooden tables and a counter where an elderly man cooked with a permanent smile.
"Murayama-chan!" he exclaimed when he saw us. "Long time no see. And is this your boyfriend?"
"NO!" Murayama turned red instantly. "He's a friend from school! Just a friend!"
The old man laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh too.
"Nice to meet you," I said, extending my hand. "Asher Cranel. New to Kuoh."
"Ah, a foreigner! And you speak perfect Japanese." He shook my hand firmly. "Sit down, sit down. Today you'll eat the best of the house, courtesy of the house."
"Grandpa Tanaki, you don't have to!" Murayama protested.
"Of course I do. Any friend of Murayama-chan is welcome here."
We ate like kings.
---
After eating, we took a walk through the shopping streets. Murayama would randomly point things out, telling anecdotes from her childhood on every corner.
"Over there," she said, pointing to a candy store, "my older brother once locked me in that store's bathroom for an hour. He was grounded for a month."
"And what did you do?"
"I bought candy with the allowance he lost. It was a good week."
I laughed.
"You're crueler than you look."
"Surviving an older brother teaches you things."
We kept walking, passing by a pet store where we stopped to look at the puppies in the window.
"Do you like animals?" she asked.
"Cats. I've always wanted to have a cat."
"Really? You seem more like a dog person."
"A dog person? Is that a thing?"
"Sure. You look like a dog. Friendly, calm, but with character." She looked at me thoughtfully. "Yeah, definitely a dog."
"I don't know if I should feel flattered or offended."
"Both."
We laughed, and for a moment everything was light, easy.
---
When the sun began to set, we sat on a bench near the park pond. The water reflected the orange tones of the sky, and some ducks swam lazily near the shore.
"It's been a good day," Murayama said, stretching her arms.
"Thanks to you. The best tour guide in Kuoh."
"Hah, you see. If you need another tour, you know who to call."
"I'll keep it in mind."
There was a brief silence, but not an awkward one. The good kind.
"Cranel-san," she said suddenly.
"Yes?"
"I'm glad you accepted my apology. You could have ignored me, or taken advantage of it to play the victim. But you didn't. That... that's cool."
I smiled.
"You genuinely apologized. That's also cool."
She looked at me, and for a moment her eyes seemed to want to say something more. But then she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand, and the moment broke.
"Sorry," she laughed. "Walking all day is more tiring than it seems."
"My everything hurts too. But it was worth it."
We got up from the bench and started walking back towards the station. The walk felt short, too short.
"Well," she said when we arrived. "I guess this is where the tour ends."
"It's been a pleasure, Miss Guide."
"The pleasure was mine, Mister Tourist."
Another silence. Then she smiled and turned away.
"Oh!" she suddenly turned back. "If you need more tours, let me know! And I don't just mean Kuoh! We could... I don't know, go to some other nearby city or something."
"Is that an invitation?"
"It's a tour guide offer!" she blushed. "Nothing more!"
"Sure, sure." I smiled. "I'll keep it in mind."
She said goodbye with a huge smile and disappeared into the crowd at the station. I stayed there for a moment, with a silly grin on my face.
"Well," I murmured, putting my hands in my pockets. "It's been a good day."
I started walking home, whistling a tune.
And then, as I passed by a dark alley, I felt that tingle at the back of my neck, along with the sensation of a dark presence staring intently at me with hunger.
Looks like I've had enough peace, I thought, as I decided to turn around and enter the dark alley. Surprisingly, there wasn't a soul for dozens of meters around who would know what was about to happen.