───● Dating a Tsundere Office Worker ●○●
When Seira-san first told me where she wanted to go for our date, I was a little surprised.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it actually fit her perfectly in a way.
After about an hour and a half on the train, I arrived at the station where we’d agreed to meet.
Just past the ticket gates, the area was bustling with people who were likely heading to the exact same destination as us.
Groups of friends, families, and couples were everywhere.
Lately, whenever I saw one guy hanging out with multiple girls, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was actually dating all of them.
Weaving through the crowd, I walked a short distance until a tall, stunning woman caught my eye.
“M-Morning, Masato,” Seira-san greeted me, her voice laced with nervous tension.
“Good morning, Seira-san,” I replied.
Mochizuki Seira-san looked visibly nervous, offering her greeting while anxiously looking left and right.
“S-Say… does this look weird on me?” she asked anxiously.
“Huh? What do you mean…?” I blinked, caught off guard.
I didn’t get what she meant by “weird” at first, but as I watched Seira-san obsessively checking her outfit, it finally clicked.
It was true—her outfit today did look… a bit younger than usual.
Her long black hair was tied back in her usual ponytail, but today she had bound it with a large, fluffy scrunchie instead of her ordinary tie.
As she fidgeted nervously, smoothing down her slightly short skirt, she gave off an impression that was far more “cute” than her usual sleek, sophisticated beauty.
I scanned Seira-san from head to toe before offering my honest thoughts.
“It’s not weird at all. You look really cute, Seira-san.”
“C-Cute…?” she stammered.
A bright red hue flooded her cheeks as she pressed her hand tightly against her lips.
“W-Well, whatever! L-Let’s just get going already!” she huffed, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Right! Lead the way!” I chuckled.
As we turned to walk, a slender hand reached out toward me.
“We’re going as a couple today… so this is fine, right?” she murmured, looking up at me softly.
“…Yeah. Absolutely.”
Taking her hand in mine, we began to walk side by side.
Our destination was only a short walk from the station.
Yet that brief distance felt surprisingly long, as neither of us could quite find the words to speak.
I couldn’t even poke fun at Seira-san’s nervousness—I was just as heart-pounding nervously tense myself.
We scanned the e-tickets we had bought in advance on our smartphones and stepped inside. Immediately, cheerful chatter and joyful laughter echoed all around us.
“Woah…!” Seira-san gasped.
Walking beside me, her eyes glittered with pure delight.
A warm feeling bloomed in my chest watching her, and I turned my gaze back ahead.
A theme park where visitors could fully immerse themselves in the world of a game studio—that was the spot Seira-san had requested for our date.
“Look, Masato! That’s an Item Block!” she squealed, pointing excitedly.
“You’re right! That’s awesome,” I agreed.
Looking around, iconic items and landmarks from famous video games were scattered everywhere across the park grounds.
Having loved games for as long as I could remember, I couldn’t help getting swept up in the excitement myself.
“Wait, hold on! Is that a Sniper T mascot over there?!” she gasped. “Do you mind if I snap a picture?”
“Of course not! Go right ahead,” I smiled.
Seira-san quickly pulled out her smartphone and snapped several photos of the mascot.
Once she finished, she looked all around to soak in the view once more before clutching her phone happily against her chest.
“I’ve wanted to come here for so long…” she murmured softly.
“I can tell,” I replied with a warm chuckle.
Looking at her glowing, ecstatic expression, it was abundantly clear just how much she had longed to visit this place.
“Ah, look over there, Seira-san! Isn’t that the church from your favorite game?” I pointed out.
“Y-Yeah, it is!” she gasped, her eyes widening.
Down the path stood a building designed after the church from a game I played as well. A crowd had gathered out front, lined up to take souvenir photos.
“M-Masato… do you mind if we take a photo together?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course! I’d love to,” I answered right away.
There was zero reason to say no to a simple request like that. So, Seira-san and I got in line together to wait for our turn.
When our turn came up, we handed her smartphone over to a staff member who was taking photos for guests.
“Sir, could you lean in a little closer to your girlfriend?” the staff member suggested brightly.
“G-Girlfriend…?!” Seira-san squeaked, turning bright pink.
The staff member’s casual remark sent her into a complete flurry of embarrassment.
“C-Come on, Masato! Get closer to me already!” she insisted with a flustered wave of her hand.
Seeing her gesture so bashfully brought an involuntary grin to my face.
Combined with her youthful outfit today, she really did seem extraordinarily cute.
After taking the picture, Seira-san took her phone back. She carefully checked the photo, her face breaking into a radiant smile, before declaring, “Alright!” and snatching hold of my hand.
“Come on! I’ve already mapped out our route, so let’s head to the next spot, Masato!” she urged.
“Whoa, Seira-san, you’re moving way too fast?!” I yelped as she tugged me along.
Pulled by the hand, I trotted briskly behind her.
I had been so nervous at the start, but seeing Seira-san having so much fun filled me with a cozy sense of happiness. Before I even realized it, all my tension had completely melted away.
This theme park offered a countless variety of ways to enjoy oneself.
You could immerse yourself in thrilling attractions based on game franchises, enjoy themed collaboration menus at the cafes, or even drop by interactive zones to try out hands-on gameplay demos.
In short, it stood out for offering far more diverse entertainment than a typical amusement park.
“This place is absolute perfection…” Seira-san sighed blissfully.
“I’m just glad to see you having such a great time,” I smiled.
After hitting three different attractions and demo booths, we were taking a short breather at a cafe inside the park.
Watching Seira-san sip her collaboration coffee drink with a bright smile, my mind involuntarily flashed back to the very first day we met.
“Pardon me, My Lady.”
She was the very first customer assigned to me at Festa.
I was already a nervous wreck to begin with, but realizing the customer I was serving was such a gorgeous woman made my heart race even faster.
Yet when I took my seat beside her back then, her expression had been noticeably somber and downcast.
I tried my absolute best to spark a conversation so she could enjoy her time there. I wasn’t sure if my words really reached her, but watching her slowly open up to me had been so rewarding.
Come to think of it, the very first topic we bonded over back then was video games, too.
Back then, I never could have dreamed that the two of us would one day go on out-of-town dates together like this. And there was no doubt in my mind that I was deeply happy with where we were now.
Lost in those nostalgic thoughts, my eyes locked with Seira-san’s across the table.
“You know, Masato… I’m truly happy that I got to come here with you today,” she said gently.
Keeping that soft, tender expression, Seira-san continued speaking.
“Back when I was a student… a girl in my friend group used to come here all the time. With her boyfriend.”
She was opening up about her student days—a topic she had previously told me held very few fond memories for her.
“I used to see her posts on social media all the time… and honestly, I was so jealous. I mean, she wasn’t even into video games at all. She didn’t care about the place itself—she just chose it as a date spot because she wanted to go somewhere with her boyfriend.”
Though she was sharing this with a light chuckle now, I couldn’t help but feel how painful it must have been for her back then.
“I genuinely wanted to visit this park so badly. But… I didn’t have any friends who would accompany me to a ‘childish’ place like this. And more than anything, I wanted to come here with a boyfriend of my own. But forget asking someone—I couldn’t even get a boyfriend in the first place… So eventually, I just gave up on it.”
Reaching across the table, Seira-san gently rested her hand over mine.
“That’s why I’m so glad I could finally come here with you today, Masato. It sounds embarrassing, but… it really was a dream of mine.”
“…If that’s the case, then I’m really glad we came. I’m having an absolute blast too!” I beamed.
I meant every word from the bottom of my heart.
Watching the tension dissolve into a genuine, radiant smile on Seira-san’s face brought back the exact same warm feeling I had when I first served her.
“Now, if I post a photo on social media subtly hinting that I’m here with you…” she mused, a shady smirk creeping onto her face.
“Ahaha…” I gave a dry, awkward laugh.
As she snapped a picture cleverly angled to obscure my face, a menacing dark aura seemed to waft up from her back.
Well… I suppose this mischievous side was very much part of Seira-san’s charm, too.
“…On second thought, never mind,” she declared, suddenly stopping.
“Huh? Are you sure?” I blinked in surprise.
The dark aura instantly vanished as Seira-san casually tossed her phone onto the table.
“Using you as a status symbol feels tacky. Besides, no matter what anyone else thinks, I’m having the time of my life right now with you. That’s more than enough—I don’t need to show off to anyone.”
“…You’re right,” I smiled softly.
I couldn’t say for sure, but perhaps her mindset had matured like this since the day we first met.
“Alright, shall we get going? There are still tons of places I want to check out!” she announced, dusting off her hands and standing up.
“Yes, ma’am! At your service!” I saluted playfully.
“Pfft! What’s with that reaction?” she giggled.
A soft, gentle smile illuminated her face.
Thinking back, she really had changed so much over the past year.
I’d be really happy if I played even a small part in helping her change like that…
For the rest of the day, we continued to enjoy everything the theme park had to offer.
“Whew! We played our hearts out! That was so much fun~!” Seira-san cheered as we finally exited.
“I had a great time too! Sorry I dragged you down in a few places, though,” I apologized, rubbing the back of my neck.
As sharp as ever, Seira-san was exceptionally skilled at video games, meaning I spent most of the interactive challenge games holding her back.
“None of that matters at all! As long as you had fun, Masato, it’s a total win in my book. Right?” she winked.
“Thank you, Seira-san,” I smiled warmly.
Stepping outside the theme park, I checked the time to find that night had already fallen. Time had flown by so fast… It felt like a mere moment, hardly believable that we had been playing since morning.
Streetlights lined the darkened boulevard, illuminating our path. As we walked down the road back toward the station, Seira-san quietly murmured:
“Well then… shall we head over?”
“…Are you really sure about this?” I asked softly.
“Yes. Of course,” she replied without hesitation.
Truth be told, the place we were heading next was somewhere Seira-san had suggested beforehand.
Still, choosing to go there tonight had come as quite a surprise to me.
“For the grand finale… it has to be that place,” she said quietly.
As she turned to face me with those words, a soft smile graced her features…
Was it just my imagination, or did she look a little lonely…?