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Last week, Aiura finally used the final coupon that Saiki had given her for their one month dating milestone. It had taken her almost eleven months, but she finally tore off the last little slip of paper and handed it to him. It had been so long since he’d written the vouchers that he couldn’t remember what it was for. One Free Public Display of Affection. By now he’d let her publicly display affection, as long as it wasn’t over the top, but when he wrote the coupons, he wasn’t quite as open as he was now. Still, she used it to hold hands with him while they took a walk in the park. It was nice, if not a little anticlimactic.
But now it was time for their one year dating anniversary. By all means, it was a much bigger deal than one month. Aiura had not been terribly sentimental or demanding back then, in part to save Saiki the trouble. Things were different after a year together. Saiki didn’t hate affection as much. He had become a bit more sappy. He was willing to say things he never would have imagined saying before, including those very dangerous words: I love you. Aiura should know by now that he wasn’t burdened by the idea of a romantic occasion. He was no casanova; he wasn’t totally lovesick like his parents, but a little effort wouldn’t kill him.
Maybe it was kind of basic; maybe it was cliche. But Saiki figured a nice dinner out would be appropriate. He’d do the whole thing. Flowers, a necklace with their initials on it, and a box of her favorite chocolates (and he wouldn’t even eat one for himself first).
The part he hated most was sharing the plans with her. It was totally childish and immature, he knew, that he felt shy about asking her out, even after dating for a year. There was something embarrassing about admitting that he’d gotten a reservation, that he’d been thinking of and planning this night for a few weeks in secret. Part of him worried that it would be a repeat of their one month milestone, when Aiura hadn’t prepared anything because she’d assumed Saiki wasn’t interested in all that sentimental stuff.
But when he called her up on his family’s home phone and asked her to join him for a nice dinner the next evening, she gushed. “I’m, like, so stoked that you remembered! I’m totes looking forward to it and I have a surprise for you too, kay?”
So the date was set. Saiki had to bat his mom away from him as she attempted for the millionth time to adjust his tie and smooth down his fluffy magenta hair. “It’s fine,” he scolded. “Quit making such a fuss.”
Kurumi replied by bursting into tears. “I can’t believe my baby boy is going out on such a fancy date! And he’s not even being forced!” She blubbered and blubbered until Kuniharu swept her into his arms to calm her.
His parents weren’t totally wrong. It was a big deal. That he would ever agree to date Aiura in the first place was shocking enough, but that they’d lasted an entire year was downright miraculous. Saiki was pretty sure that when they started going out, he’d be unlikely to break things off with her. It had taken him long enough to change his mind (and heart) about dating her, so he wasn’t likely to recant his conviction later.
But Aiura, he was almost positive, would end things with him. He was certain that she only liked him because she perceived them to be “soulmates,” a concept that he didn’t find particularly compelling to begin with. She was an incredible fortune teller, for sure, but she was probably not one hundred percent accurate. If any of her predictions would come back false, her prediction that Saiki was her fated mate would probably be the one. Saiki wasn’t even sure how accurate her method of divination was in the first place. Sure, she had seen a vision of a guy with great powers, pink hair, and his initials attending PK Academy. There was only one person who fit that description. But what if her perception had been a little off? What if the hair was really red and not pink. What if instead of great powers, it was great strength or great intelligence? What if instead of PK, it was the school down the street? She’d figure out, after dating Saiki a while, that she was mistaken all along and she’d dump him unceremoniously.
Whether her prediction was right or wrong, it didn’t seem to matter. She liked him. Really liked him. And she wasn’t going anywhere.
Saiki pushed past his overwhelmed parents, grabbed his bouquet, chocolates, and jewelry box, and made his way out the door, making sure his wallet was in his pocket so he didn’t need to do another Straw Millionaire scheme to pay off the restaurant tab.
He teleported from his front lawn to Aiura’s front door to save himself the walk, then knocked. X-ray vision ruined the surprise of what she was wearing: a chiffon, layered, high-low skirt with a silky blouse, all in a deep pink that almost matched his hair. Her hair was stacked up in curls on top of her head, with tendrils falling down and framing her tanned face. All of her many accessories were silver, which was good, since the initial necklace he bought her would fit right in. He took all this extravagance in before she even swung the door open.
“Oh snap!” she said instead of offering a legitimate greeting. “You look seriously hot! Like, you really got all dressed up for little old me?” She stuck her tongue out, teasing him.
“This is why we don’t go out more,” Saiki snarked back, thrusting the bouquet and chocolates toward her.
She giggled with mischief and mock bashfulness as she took them. “These are nice.” A little on the nose, tho. But, like, it is our first anniversary! She was right. The flowers and chocolates were kind of a cliche, but she had her own way of shirking tradition. She gently set the bouquet on her bean bag chair before cracking open the square box of chocolates and popping one in her mouth.
Saiki wrinkled his brow. “Don’t ruin your appetite,” he scolded, jealous as she shoved another chocolate sphere in between her lips.
“Look, here,” she said, extending one toward him. “Coffee cream in this one.”
“How do you know?” he asked. He could see the inside of each chocolate, but the caramels, milk chocolate, and coffee creams all pretty much looked the same, even with x-ray vision.
She tapped her temple. “I’m a psychic, remember?”
Saiki snorted out of his nose, not quite a laugh, as he opened his mouth to accept her offering. Of course, she would use her powers so casually, just to find the best candy in the box for him.
“Alright, one more for me,” she said, eating one more and closing the box. “Let me get these flowers in a vase, kay? Then we’ll go!”
Saiki waited by the door as she filled a vase at her kitchen sink and stuck the whole bouquet, paper and all, into it.
“I’ll fix that later,” she said, slipping into her wedges by the front door, leaning on Saiki’s shoulder for support. “So where are we going?”
Aiura had been on a vegetarian kick lately, which unfortunately narrowed the options of where they could get a fancy dinner. No Wagyu steak, for instance. “Italian,” Saiki answered, slipping his hand into hers.
“Noice,” she chirped as they left the apartment building. I can’t believe he’s being so boyfriendly. He’s better at this stuff than I thought he’d be…
Saiki felt a smug smile forming on his lips. He thought he’d be horrible at all this, too. He had pretty low expectations for himself when he agreed to start dating her, but somehow he managed to figure it out over the last twelve months.
After dinner, after giving her the necklace on the walk home (which she immediately put on, layering it with the three other silver chains she was already wearing), and after after helping her get her bouquet in her vase properly, it seemed like the evening was over.
But didn’t she say something about a surprise? Did she forget about it? Is this just like the one month?
Aiura was standing at her counter adjusting the flowers with a sort of grimace on her face. It seemed like maybe she’d just remembered her promise. Then Saiki heard her thoughts. Just give it to him now. Worst case, he’ll, like, laugh in your face. No biggie. Actually, that would be kinda cray cray. He never laughs. LOL.
Saiki stood by as she adjusted one of the peonies in the arrangement for the sixth time. “Are you going to give me something?” he asked bluntly. It’s not like she didn’t know he could read her mind.
She startled. “Er… Yeah,” she said, reaching into the purple crossbody purse. “Like, it’s not much or anything. I mean, it’s just…” She handed him a single slip of paper, reminiscent of the coupons that he had given her almost a year ago. Instead of being written in black ink, it was written in pink sparkly gel pen.
One Free Kiss
“I mean, you don’t have to use it now or ever, you know. It was just a little idea I had, that’s all. I don’t want you to think I’m, like, rushing you or anything. It’s been a year, though, so, like, I figured, you know, maybe it’s time? But only if you want to…”
“Mikoto,” Saiki said, handing the slip back to her. “I’m cashing it in.”
Aiura blinked twice in shock, staring at the piece of paper like she hadn’t been the one to make it. Then Saiki took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting her gaze away from the shimmering pink ink and to his green-tinted eyes.
Saiki hadn’t given much, if any, thought to his first kiss. He might have been content to go his whole life without experiencing this rite of passage. But seeing that slip of paper with Aiura’s loopy handwriting flipped a switch in his brain. If not now, when? Why not now? So he closed the gap between them, pressing his lips into hers. After a brief moment and a tiny smack of moisture between their mouths, he pulled away. He felt the slight stickiness of the residual gloss on her lips that had somehow survived their Italian dinner.
A smile spread over Aiura’s face. “I also got you a new germanium ring,” she said, changing subjects immediately, as if they hadn’t just exchanged their first kiss. “You know, in case you thought my coupon was a little selfish.” She pulled a box from her purse and handed it to Saiki.
He opened it, and to his surprise, the germanium stone was smaller and more subtle than on his original ring. It was discreet and tasteful. It would stand out less. It was, in a word, perfect.
“Come here,” he said, tugging her to him.
She wrapped her arms around his thin frame and nuzzled into his neck. When she looked up to meet his eyes again, he knew he wouldn’t need any coupon to convince him to kiss her again.