Takeshi was gathering his things in the classroom while Aoi had stepped out into the hallway for a reason she hadn’t explained, and in that two-minute interval, Yuki appeared at the door.

She entered without hurry, stopped in front of his desk, and looked at him.

"Are you free this weekend?"

Takeshi looked at her. He processed the question with the context and decided to refuse.

’I say yes and I’ll just get myself in trouble.’

He opened his mouth, but then the deity intervened.

"Yes, it’ll be a pleasure."

He heard the words come out of his own mouth and could do nothing about it.

A smile drew across Yuki’s face and she nodded once.

"Then I’ll see you at eleven, at the entrance to Central Park."

She turned around and left the classroom before Aoi returned from the hallway.

Takeshi stood there with his backpack in his hand.

’Shit.’

The deity intervened when it suited her to keep the story moving, and apparently a date with Yuki was more interesting to the viewers than a clean rejection.

The chat appeared briefly.

[Already scheduled]

[The god working overtime]

Takeshi zipped up his backpack and left the classroom.

The day of the date dawned with a clear sky and reasonable temperature. Takeshi arrived at the entrance to Central Park at five minutes to eleven and found that Yuki was already there.

She was wearing different clothes that weren’t a uniform for the first time since Takeshi had known her: dark pants, a long-sleeved gray shirt, her hair tied back simply.

When Yuki saw him arrive, she only said,

"Good that you came."

In a tone of relief.

"I wasn’t going to stand you up again."

Takeshi replied, to which Yuki asked,

"When did you stand me up?"

’Shit!’

The chat reacted.

[hahaha]

[he forgot he actually showed up]

[now he’s really in trouble]

Yuki approached Takeshi and asked him in a serious tone.

"You’re not confusing me with someone else, are you?"

Takeshi glanced sideways at her stats.

[Life: 100%]

[Sanity: 20%]

[Trust: 40%]

’I have to think of something right now!’

"Well... what I meant was... I had a dream... where I stood you up, so that’s why I said that..."

Suddenly, Yuki’s serious face flushed red and in her mind those last words turned off all the red lights.

’Takeshi... He dreamed about me!’

Takeshi looked at her stats again.

[Life: 100%]

[Sanity: 40%]

[Trust: 60%]

’Phew... that was close...’

After that they entered the park.

They walked along the main paths. Yuki interacted like a girl her age, which for Takeshi was disconcerting. They both went to a food stand near the central fountain, bought two cups of something that looked like iced coffee but wasn’t coffee, and kept walking.

Takeshi observed her without making it obvious. He checked her stats from time to time.

[Life: 100%]

[Sanity: 50%]

[Trust: 80%]

"Do you always stare at people that much?"

Yuki asked without turning around.

Takeshi processed that.

"You noticed?"

"I’ve had rigorous training since I was a child and part of the training is knowing when someone is watching you."

She paused.

"That’s why I’m the second best of my generation."

"That sounds great, being the second most powerful."

Yuki didn’t respond to that.

They kept walking.

In the middle of the afternoon they sat on a bench near the park’s inner lake, where there weren’t many people.

Up to that point, the date had been exactly what it looked like from the outside: two people walking through a park.

The silence had already grown long.

’I think I’d better say something...’

Suddenly, Yuki spoke.

"Do you know how long I’ve known Aoi?"

"No."

"Ten years..."

She stared at the lake.

"In those ten years I understood something."

Takeshi kept listening.

"No matter how hard I tried, I would never reach her level."

She took a short pause.

"Both in combat and in grades she was always ahead. The instructors mentioned her as a reference and the other students used her as a benchmark."

"And you?"

"I was the one behind."

She said it without any particular emphasis.

"The one who always ended up in second place in the rankings, in the evaluations, and in any direct comparison."

She turned her head slightly toward him.

"Do you know what it feels like to be the eternal second?"

"Not exactly."

"It’s knowing that no matter how much you improve, there’s someone who improved more. No matter what you do well, there’s someone who does it better. Not because they tell you, but because the results are right there."

Takeshi said nothing.

"I don’t hate her."

Yuki continued.

"I hate myself for not reaching the level she has."

She looked back at the lake.

"But when you appeared, my life changed."

Takeshi didn’t know what to say.

"If I stay with you..."

Yuki went on.

"It will be the only time I’ll be first in something."

She said it directly and without changing her tone.

"I don’t want to lose at this too."

The chat appeared floating, but Takeshi didn’t read anything.

He looked at Yuki, who kept her gaze on the lake, her hands on her knees and her posture straight.

’Being the eternal second. Even though I said I didn’t understand her situation, what she said reminded me of my past life.’

It wasn’t a reason that justified anything she had done, but it was a real reason.

Yuki turned her head toward him.

The distance between the two of them on the bench was about thirty centimeters. Takeshi noticed it because suddenly the distance started to shrink.

Yuki’s expression was different from anything Takeshi had known until that moment.

Yuki leaned toward him.

’Wait, is she going to...?!’

The chat exploded.

[here it comes]

[KISS KISS KISS]

[I’m gonna cry]

Takeshi remained motionless as Yuki’s lips approached his until he saw the chat again.

[Oh no]

[Right at the best moment]

[Better start running]

’What are they talking about?’

Takeshi looked around and confirmed what the chat was saying.