Work Text:
The moderator of the channel slides into the video using an office chair, it’s a young man with more charisma than is needed. He has bright pink hair and a blinding grin, he brings his microphone to his mouth and does the intro for this video:
Hello and welcome back dear audience, today we have a wonderful show for you, featuring phones from several amazing and talented men from across Japan, and we have our main star today, the girl who’ll be looking through these phones is….
(L/N) (Y/N)!
She jumps a little at her name being said so loud, but she just smiles and waves at the camera sheepishly, giving a short bow in her chair immediately after.
-CUT TO AD BREAK-
Alba, a woman in early twenties, carrying a mini purse and with extremely long gel nails, brushes powder across her face, making her cringe a little.
“Oh sorry sweetie, just getting you camera ready darling.” Alba touches a spot on the girl’s nose with her pinkie that’s covered with a bronze highlighter cream.
“It’s all good.” She coughs a little, tasting the makeup powder.
What had her best friend gotten her into. Initially it had just been a silly little audition that her friend suggested she go on. It was just a dating show anyway, what’s the harm in sending in a short video clip of her talking about her dating life and her aspirations.
Little did she know that when she sent the video in, well, her best friend Miyi sent the video in; but little did she know that that video would secure her an entire YouTube video blind dating ten men based on their phones. Two videos technically, but she doubted that they would even get watched.
The premise was simple: inspect, investigate, and decide which phone to eliminate each round until she’s left with three options to choose from. Then at that point she would get to talk to the men face to face and make her final choice about who to go on a date with. The date was fully paid for by the YouTube channel YLLIL, during which the date would be recorded and then posted onto the channel following the blind dating video.
She thought the concept itself was ridiculous. But she’d already driven into the recording studio, Miyi in hand. And she’d gotten covered in makeup by the artists, and she was sitting at a table with ten phones resting against clear acrylic stands. She thought to herself, why not do it for the plot, do it for a funny story to tell at parties later on in life.
The green countdown near the entrance of the studio was blaring, and Alba jetted off the set.
3…2…1… Soon, pink haired boy was getting filmed and running through a quick synopsis for the video. She sat with her hands on her knees, looking at the phones, thinking about which phone would be the first to get eliminated based on her analysis of it.
If you aren’t familiar with our game, then you’re in for a treat! Our main girl here, (Y/N) is a 23 year old looking for love! She grew up with a big family, so she’s looking for someone to match her freak- and by that I mean, settle into a serious long term relationship with marriage as the end goal!
She felt her face heat up, she did not think that her relationship rambles from the video she sent in would be so thoroughly utilized in the main video itself.
She has ten very unique, very special phones to look through for ten minutes, but it’s only the appearance of the phone itself she’ll be allowed to look at. She’ll need to eliminate three phones in this first round. She’ll go deeper into the phone specifics later on. For now, I’ll turn the time over to her…
“Uh, hi! I guess let’s take a look at these phones! I work remotely for both Apple and Samsung as a technician coordinator and user interface designer, so I don’t have a bias toward any one type of phone. I know a lot about phones and think that this first choice will be the hardest- I mean picking three phones to eliminate just based on the appearance, that’s-”
The lady wearing headphones next to the camera starts to glare at her, and she closes her mouth immediately, trying to backtrack.
“I’ll go through the phones now.”
While she’s looking at those phones folks, I’ll give you just a little more insight on our game. You see, the owners of these phones have already met her to some degree. They’ve all seen her social media profiles, and watched her audition video- and all ten men were very interested in going on a date with her. So, no worries about her not making a love connection- all the gentlemen featured thought she was wonderful! And oh, look, it seems like she’s made her first choice!
She holds up a black iPhone X, the front glass is shattered pretty badly. There’s a keychain attached to it of Godzilla. The screen protector is clear, but slightly yellowed at the sides where the volume buttons are.
“This is my first elimination, I saw the shattered glass, and, uh, it just reminded me of an ex-boyfriend I had. He never took care of his things and his phone was always shattered. I’ve had my phone for around five years, and it’s never gotten scratched, so I guess I’m looking for a guy with a little more care for his possessions?”
Now, here’s a funny thing dear audience, each time she eliminates a guy, he’ll come in and collect his phone! Missed love connections galore! Plus, we’ll get to have a little chat with each eliminated guy as they come through the set! Here’s guy number one, the first to be eliminated, Iwaizumi Hajime!
She sees a guy with short, spiky, black hair come into the set. He’s wearing a grey hoodie with a denim jacket overtop, his black jeans are ripped at the knees. She holds her hands flat together in front of her face, bowing a little.
“Sorry,” She hands him back his phone.
“It’s all good, I’ve been told I need to get a new phone anyway, I guess this is the moment when I actually make a plan to go get one.” He reaches his hand out for her to shake and she takes it, feeling calloused but warm hands.
She feels bad rejecting Iwaizumi, who seems like a really sweet guy.
“Well, I’m going to go get a new phone, but I sent you a follow request, so if your date doesn’t work out, I’m always an option.”
She nods quickly, and Iwaizumi gives her a big smile before walking out of the set.
…
ELIMINATION ONE: IWAIZUMI HAJIME
Interviewer LUKA: Well, first to be eliminated, how does it feel?
IWAIZUMI: Not great, I’ll be honest. I thought she’d look beyond the broken glass, but I guess I’ll just need to see if she comes around after her date with the guy she ends up with.
Interviewer LUKA: You’re awfully hopeful!
IWAIZUMI: Yep. That’s all a person can be. Are we done here? I have some errands to run.
Interviewer LUKA: So stoic! I like you, but yes you’re free to go.
…
Ignoring the way her heart is shooting out little pangs of disappointment, she continues scanning the phones.
Her hand hovers over one. She wonders if this arbitrary decision will go as well as the one with Iwaizumi went. She shrugs- it’s all fun and games anyway.
Grabbing the iridescent Galaxy S20 Ultra, she lets the weight of the phone settle into her hand. The white shiny natural phone is in a white rubbery phone case, highlighting a sports team she recognizes as the Schweiden Adlers. A volleyball team.
“This is my second elimination for this round. I picked this one because I don’t think we’d have a lot in common I suppose? I don’t watch much sports, so I worry I wouldn’t be able to enjoy sitting around watching the TV volleyball games. Now, I do love playing volleyball though! Me and my friends have a co-ed league that we go to bi-weekly on Saturdays. I guess my assumption is that he’s just a hardcore fan, when in reality I want someone who wants to play games in person.” She chuckles a little, letting her finger gloss over the cameras on the phone.
Oh, dear. Our wonderful blind dater here, seems to forget the kind of connections we have here at the YLLIL channel. Because the second person she eliminated is none other than Olympic Athlete: Kageyama Tobio!
When she sees National Athlete Kageyama walk onto the set, she slams her head onto the clear plexiglass table with a slight groan. The short haired, tall setter from the National team just chuckles a little watching her realize who he is.
She stands up and gives a deep bow to Kageyama, before rambling a little, “I am so sorry I thought you were just a fan, I had no idea that you’d be the owner of this phone, oh my goodnes my little brother will never let me live this down, I am so sorry, you’re literally a National Hero at this point, we’ve never had a setter like you ever before, and now-”
He takes his phone back, “Do you want some pictures really quick?”
“Hell yes.”
He holds his phone up and takes a selfie from his phone, angling down so she can be seen holding up a peace sign with a big smile plastered on her face in the corner of the photo. She pulls her own phone out, but his face isn’t in the camera range. He crouches down a little and puts a hand on her shoulder, she lets out a short muffled titter of excitement as she takes a photo of them on her phone.
“Is it alright if I post our photo on my socials?” Kageyama bows a little, remembering he’s two years younger than her.
“Yes! Of course! Tag me please!” She jumps a little for joy, and Kageyama has to force his blush down.
…
ELIMINATION TWO: KAGEYAMA TOBIO
Interviewer LUKA: Well, our National Hero huh? Couldn’t get through to our adorable blind dater?
KAGEYAMA: It appears not.
Interviewer LUKA: Why do you think she eliminated you?
KAGEYAMA: It wasn’t her fault entirely, my phone case is one of those basic ones given out by the Adlers promotional representation team.
Interviewer LUKA: Any last words?
KAGEYAMA (looking into the camera): She’s extremely pretty. Please send me her contact information after this.
Interviewer LUKA: Oh wow, he’s blunt. Thank you for your time, we’ll make sure to get you those details later. Thank you for serving our country on our National Volleyball Team!
…
The pit in her stomach reminds her she still has one more choice to make this round, then hopefully her choices will be based more on actually investigating the phone itself. Ideally, she’d eliminate someone who doesn’t look like something out of her fantasies next.
After two rough decisions, it seems our little blind dater is facing a crossroads. Who knows who she’ll choose to eliminate next? We’ll find out after this quick word from our sponsors!
-CUT TO AD BREAK-
Miyi, her best friend is finally allowed onto the set, and she pulls up a chair so the two of them can eat complimentary sandwiches. Miyi, with a mouth full of food, starts giving her input.
“You should eliminate this one next.” Miyi points to a red iPhone 12 mini. “Small phone means small, you know.”
She laughs in Miyi’s face, “You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s complete BS. It’s a cute phone, let it have its moment.”
“You really should eliminate this one though, it gives me the creeps.” Miyi touches the top of the phone, then pretends to get shocked as she retracts her finger and dramatically pouts.
She rolls her eyes, seeing the producers waving their hands. Miyi steals a bite of her sandwich before grabbing it out of her hand and evacuating the set.
Alba comes back and reapplies lip gloss onto her face, “Aren’t you just the cutest thing.” Alba pinches her cheeks a little, before applying more bronze highlighter onto her nose and then a little onto the corners of her eyes.
3…2…1… Pink haired Luka comes back to the screen, smiling brightly.
Hello! A big thank you to Surfshark VPN for being a sponsor in this video! We’re here and back to watch as (Y/N) makes her next big choice. The final phone elimination for round one. The third phone she’s getting rid of before we go to my personal favorite round. The investigative round two where more stories, more fun, and more expose on these phones comes to light.
She considers what Miyi said, eliminating the smaller red phone amongst the line up. She tries and pivots, scanning for another phone to get rid of but honestly, the only one that does irk her is that red iPhone 12 mini. Maybe Miyi had a point. Her other two eliminations had not been even slightly helpful or good for her.
She grabs the red phone and holds it up, “Number three. Final elimination for this round. I eliminated this one because of some wise words from a friend of mine. Miyi, if you’re watching this, you better be right about your small hypothesis.”
It’s all meant in a joking manner, and she sits, waiting for the owner of the red phone to walk onto set.
Our third elimination, we have Matsukawa Issei, a funeral home worker and TikTok viral star. A little insight into why he got famous, it has just a little to do with some accidental- well, accidental flashing at a waterpark. The video has racked up almost 20 million views, and his friends all apologized for recording- but the video will still go down in history.
As soon as Matsukawa Issei walks onto the stage, wearing a black button up that’s unbuttoned from the first three buttons, his gold chain dangling around his neck, she covers her face in embarrassment. So much for small phones meaning not well endowed. Hell, Miyi had been the one to send her that viral video.
“Hi.” To her shock, he grabs her phone from the table, holding it up to her face for facial recognition. She makes a sound of opposition, but he holds up a finger. “One second. There.”
He hands her phone back to her, and in her notes app is a series of numbers. Along with a short message of: Call me.
She looks back to him and smiles. He puts his hand on her head and ruffles her hair affectionately. He takes his phone back and throws a quick middle finger to the camera, which causes the producer behind the screen to slap her forehead.
…
ELIMINATION THREE: MATSUKAWA ISSEI
Interviewer LUKA: How does it feel to have been so close to making it to round two with (Y/N)?
MATSUKAWA: Oh, I’m making it to round two.
Interviewer LUKA: You do know you just got eliminated right?
MATSUKAWA: That’s not the kind of round I’m talking about.
Interviewer LUKA (chuckles awkwardly, trying to make eye contact with the camera man): Ah, well, thank you for your time.
…
An assistant quickly shuffles the rest of the acrylic stands closer together, and tells her to scooch up closer to the table.
Luka rubs in between his eyebrows and sighs a little. Luka comes and sits on the clear table in front of her, “Ready for part two?”
“It’s already been like four hours? How much more do we have to go through?”
“Until we finish the video.” Luka gets handed a cup of coffee, and he downs it. “You’re doing great by the way, lovely personality you’ve put on.”
She shuffles in her seat a little, “This is my personality.”
“You’re so good at selling genuine. I wish I had your talent.” Luka stands back up and pats her on the shoulder, “You have six more eliminations to make, let’s hope you make the best choice for that final date.”
“I sure hope so.”
Dear audience! It’s time for round two! My personal favorite part of this round is getting to go through the phone, getting to go through the nitty gritty of the apps, organization, and other details of the phones of these men. What apps will she like, which apps will be a major deal-breaker for her? Is there any other content or things that’ll make her say no to one of these boys that lined up to meet her? We’ll find out now, here on The Blind Dating Show: Slide to Unlock Love!
The camera zooms in on her face a little, and the producer is making a huge smiling face, telling her to give a grin to the camera. She puts on a happy face and starts going through the phones. Starting off with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, a hefty phone, and one with an orange and black plastic phone case. She opens the phone, only to be met with a minimal layout, very few apps on the homescreen and a clock Widget, featuring times all across the country. It seemed a little too artsy for her initially, but chalks it up to a minimalist style.
The home screen is of a large family, probably his. There’s an older woman and older man holding hands, along with a variety of younger brothers and sisters sitting politely in front of the parents.
“So my first thought is, is he in this photo or not? It’s super cute though, because I think these children are his siblings. Me and him would probably have a lot in common, both coming from families with more than three children.”
She hovers over the YouTube app, “I can go through this right?”
The producer nods off screen. The phones were all linked to the computer so that the audience could also see what she saw on the phones.
She appraises his recommended videos and channels. A collection of videos on firefighting, and to her shock, a variety of Kpop music videos and lore analysis videos. She also saw videos about cars, but the Kpop stuck out to her.
“I uh, I also like Kpop, but I’m not invested, invested into the genre. I’m mostly into the music, but I don’t care for the lore or the plotlines. I’m also not a big car person. I really hate to do this, because it seems like he loves his family so much, but this is my first elimination for this round. Sorry.”
Oh well, that’s our first elimination for round two, he made it this far, but didn’t make it any further. Let’s see how she reacts to Sawamura Daichi! A professional firefighter, with five younger siblings.
A guy with shorter, shaggy brown hair walks onto the set, he’s already bowing and she feels a little bit of guilt seep up. He’s wearing blue jeans and a loose white shirt with a print of a forest on the front.
“Care to explain the Kpop videos?” She strikes up a short conversation.
“My little sister really loves the groups LOONA and ATEEZ, I watch all the videos she sends me which definitely affects the recommendations on YouTube.” He’s scratching the back of his head as he tucks his phone into his back pocket.
“I’m sure she really appreciates your effort in having something in common with her.”
“Yeah, she’s awesome, a super sweet kid. She was the one who told me to come onto this show and do this whole speed dating thing.”
She bites her bottom lip a little, “Let’s be friends okay? Our siblings can go on a playdate sometime?”
“That sounds great, I’ll text you later then?” She nods her head and the two of them quickly follow each other on Instagram.
…
ELIMINATION FOUR: SAWAMURA DAICHI
Interviewer LUKA: You’re the first to go in round two, any thoughts?
DAICHI: She seemed really sweet! A bit of a misunderstanding with the whole YouTube thing. I hope we can become good friends.
Interviewer LUKA: That’s so wholesome of you. Any other comments or concerns?
DAICHI: I definitely should’ve cleared out my YouTube searches before coming onto this show, and (he turns to the camera) you owe me one Diaya.
…
The next phone she looks through is a green Galaxy S23+, the phone case is solely black, with a textured back that has ridges and bumps that settle against her skin nicely. The wallpaper is of an Eiffel Tower, and the homescreen is of an elegant almost golden chocolaterie. Her mouth waters a little, thinking of chocolate.
Opening up the screen time section, she sees that he’s barely on his phone, but when he is, it’s usually the Shonen Jump Magazine online. She appraises his dedication to reading the stories of innovative authors.
He also obsessively follows Ushijima Wakatoshi of the National Team, so she decides to investigate.
She goes to his messages, and sees that his most recent text was to a person of the name Ushiwaka. She speaks out loud, “He can’t possibly, you guys didn’t send any people who are already dating someone right?”
Luka tilts his head over to the camera, “I solemnly swear that all the men are single.”
“Alright, okay. Settles my nerves a little. Oh this is interesting!”
She clicks on a hair styling app, on his profile, there’s a bunch of photos of various models with short buzzed hair. She sticks her tongue out a little past her lips. Usually, she liked guys with longer hair, and it seemed like all these photos had been liked a few months ago. Using her skills of deduction she reasons that he probably has buzzed hair.
“This is my next elimination. He seems to have a good relationship with his friends, and I bet he has a super unique life. I just don’t see myself going to Paris anytime soon for a vacation, and I’m not a buzzed hair type of girl.”
Unfortunately for Tendou Satori, a famous chocolatier whose chocolates sell out in a matter of minutes online- he won’t be spending his days feeding her sweet treats on the coast of France. Our fifth elimination, Mr. Tendou!
Although for him, maybe she could change her mind about the buzzed hair. A tall red-head with that buzzed hairstyle saunters into view, and he waves excitedly at her.
“Sorry.” She hands him his phone with two hands.
“It’s all good, I’m just here for fun! I brought you these, ideally it would’ve been after you agreed to go on a date with me, but this works too.” He hands her a small white box with a gold ribbon wrapped around.
She glances at the bow and then back at Tendou, he smirks and tilts his head for her to go ahead and open the box.
It’s a mixture of white, dark, and milk chocolates. Her eyes widen and tries on, only to let out a hum of contentment. “So good!”
“I’m glad! There’s something under the chocolates too if you reconsider the whole Paris thing.”
She gasps, and then realizes it’s a little golden ticket, good for one free box of 24 specialty chocolates, she just holds it close to her chest and gives Tendou a heartfelt smile.
“Thank you.”
…
ELIMINATION FIVE: TENDOU SATORI
Interviewer LUKA: You made it to the halfway point, not quite in the top half, not quite in the bottom half. How does that make you feel?
TENDOU: To be entirely honest, this was a great experience, I got to talk to so many of the other guys in the green room and I genuinely made more friends. Plus, I’m glad that she had a real reason for not choosing my phone. People can be so judgemental, but she’s entirely honest and really does her best to be fair- even given the highly unbalanced and unfair situations of this show-
Interviewer LUKA: Thank you Tendou! Can’t wait to try some of those chocolates you brought for the staff members later!
…
She yawns a little, and the camera light turns from green to red. She leans back into her chair and stretches.
“Oh, big stretch there cutie.” She immediately retracts at the voice. But then realizes it’s just the hair stylist Terushima.
He starts to touch up her hair, spraying some water and a light moisturizer into her hair. Then he re-does the hairstyle he had given her earlier in the day. Filming had started at 8 in the morning, and now it was around 3 in the afternoon.
He rests his hands on her shoulders after handing her a mirror.
“Ah, woah, you did a great job! Look at that vibrance! My hair looks so healthy!” She turns her head around in the mirror, inspecting the hair-do.
Terushima laughs a little, “It’s easy to do hair on someone who appreciates it like you do. If you ever need someone to do your hair for a date, just call me! Terushima Yuuji at your service ma’am.”
She giggles a little at his antics and humor.
“Seriously, thank you for taking care of my hair, it makes me look much better than I am.”
“Aish, don’t say that, you look beautiful regardless of whatever I do to your hair.” Terushima sighs a little, patting her shoulders before going over to Luka and straightening Luka’s fried pink locks.
MEAN WHILE IN THE GREEN ROOM
Six guys sit in the green room, chatting amongst themselves, the camera crew is there, their faces are blurred and their voices are altered.
A different interviewer, Cofi, sits with them and is asking questions to the guys.
“Well, what expectations do you have for the rest of filming?”
One of the guys raises his hand, and is called on by Cofi.
“I hope that this experience is worth the pain of getting surprised by my friends to be a part of the show.”
Cofi hums, nodding in understanding. Another guy jumps in and makes a comment.
“I think she seems really truly kind, I mean, we’ve gotten to see how she interacts with the staff as well as with the other blind dates. I’ve never seen someone act so kindly to such complete strangers who are all over her, doing hair and makeup.”
Another guy agrees with that statement and the two do a handshake.
Cofi asks one more question, “Is there anything you don’t want her to know about you, from your phone?”
“How much time I spend on my phone.”
Cofi tucks her sandy blonde hair behind her ear and asks him to explain.
“I work with a lot of online people and brands, especially [MUTED BRAND NAME USING A LOUD BLEEP], I don’t want her to think I’m just obsessed with my electronics.”
The guy sitting next to the one that just spoke makes a sarcastic comment, “I just don’t want her to know who I really am.”
Cofi turns slowly to the camera and shrugs.
-CUT TO AD BREAK-
Once Cofi exits the green room where the guys were sitting, she finds Luka and they talk a little. Mostly about what they would do if (Y/N) ends up not picking the guy they had pre-determined. Everything had been calculated for her to pick one specific guy, and so far it had been going just right.
In order to maximize the views, the last man standing would have to be-
The green countdown begins again, and Luka jets to the front of the camera to do his miniature spiel.
Thank you to Raid: Shadow Legends for sponsoring a segment of this video! Audience, we’re back and ready to eliminate more men, because at the end of the day our dear unfortunate (Y/N) can only end up with one of these guys and get the all expenses paid date to none other than a 4-Day Trip to the YLLIL Studio Hotel in Okinawa! Okay, let’s get back and see who she’s going to eliminate next on this episode of The Blind Dating Show: Slide to Unlock Love!
She’s beginning to feel the fatigue really set in, but she’s legally contracted to finish this video, so she picks up one of the phones she was interested in from the very start.
It’s an iPhone 13 Pro Max, in a light blue color. The case is a blend of clear and translucent, with stripes of white. On the stripes of white are various manga panels from one of her favorite manga. The design of the case itself was super unique and there was a small charm attached to the case itself. The charm was a black and white beaded string with a miniature owl at the end.
She wondered if this case truly represented the person who owned the phone.
Going right into opening the phone, she notices the various Manga apps on the homescreen. There’s also a bunch of other literature around. Surprisingly, also a mathematics game on the front.
She clicks on the shopping app to see his most recent purchases, only to get a little horrified. It’s exacto knife after exacto knife. There’s also a collection of other random knives and what she could only consider as mini blades.
The producer asks her what she’s thinking.
“Well, he buys a lot of knives.” She realizes how ridiculous this all is and laughs out loud. “This is crazy, I’m going through complete strangers' phones and I’m expected to eliminate people? What kind of a person am I?”
The producer frowns, then tells the cameras to cut out for a moment.
“You need to finish the video. We’ll edit this part out okay. Take a deep breath. You’re perfectly fine. Remember, all these guys consented to this, they’re totally okay with their phones being put onto the channel.”
She pouts a little, setting the phone down onto the table.
“And if it helps at all, they were the ones who decided to actually film the video. They could’ve been a part of any other video like this, but these guys chose you. Remember that, have some confidence in yourself.”
She straightens her back and nods. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
“I’m eliminating this phone.” The pretty blue and black and white phone with the little owl charm is on the chopping block. “I'm not a big knife collector. And, also, I don’t think I’m exactly as brainy as this guy- he deserves someone who’s more willing to play math games with him.”
If you’ve been around as of late, then you’ve definitely read a manga. And, if you keep up to date, then you’ve definitely read a manga that’s been edited by Akaashi Keiji. The same man who was just voted off the show. And, if I’m being brutally honest to you audience- Akaashi was one of the most eager guys to meet her! He was literally the first one to apply and accept the invitation to be a part of (Y/N)’s episode.
It’s a lankier guy, with black wavy hair that curls around his forehead and around his ears. His black glasses frame his eyes and make him seem even more intelligent than she had anticipated. He’s smiling a little, but seems more sad than anything.
“I’m so sorry.” She averts her eyes from his, and focuses on the little dimple on the apple of his cheek. It’s almost like a little cat whisker, but she just thinks it’s a unique feature that belongs to him alone.
He takes his phone back, then asks for hers.
“I’m good to put my number in here right?”
She nods. When he finishes inputting his number, he slides her phone back to her, keeping his hand on the back of her phone. It’s like he’s holding her hand a little bit, just with the phone in between them.
“I’m Akaashi.”
“I’m (L/N).”
He grins, “I know.”
She rolls her shoulders back a little. And he lifts his hand off of her phone.
“One chance. Just one. I can explain the knives when we’re drinking some tea at this place I like.”
“Okay. That sounds like fun.”
Akaashi takes longer than any of the other guys in walking away. She sighs when he waves and exits the studio.
…
ELIMINATION SIX: AKAASHI KEIJI
Interviewer COFI: You were only four away from getting your chance, what do you think kept your from being able to really shine.
AKAASHI: I think she underestimated just how much I actually find her interesting and intelligent in her own way. There’s not much to a game like this, so she didn’t have much to work off about who I am.
Interviewer COFI: As Luka stated earlier, you were the first one to both apply and accept the offer to be a part of this video. I think everyone, including me, wants to know why?
AKAASHI (looks down to his hands and smiles a little): I’ve actually met her before, it was so random. We met at a bookstore, and she picked the last copy of a book I was trying to get. When I pulled my hand away from the book, she just offered it to me and said that she could wait for another month until the store got the next shipment.
Interviewer COFI: Continue?
AKAASHI: I- uh, I was too much of a coward to ask her for her number then. But we actually spent like thirty minutes talking and I never even asked her for her name. I don’t think she recognized me because that same day I ran into her, my friend had dyed my hair white as a prank and I was wearing my contacts. Since then, I’ve returned to my natural color and gotten a nice pair of glasses.
Interviewer COFI (resting her head on her hand as she imagines a relationship between Akaashi and (Y/N)- which makes her extremely emotional and love struck): Keep going?
AKAASHI: She just, she was just so nice. Not to mention, to be slightly superficial, she just carries such a natural beauty about her. A sort of pretty that can’t even be called pretty.
Interviewer COFI: And-
PRODUCER CONNER CUTS THE FILM.
“Cofi what did I say about the interviews?”
“Don’t fangirl, don’t feed into my delusions of setting her up with anyone in particular, don’t try and sway the viewers, don’t let them talk too long.”
“Your memory is great but your execution needs work Cofi.”
“I’ll do better for the next one.”
…
It’s embarrassing how quickly she eliminates the next guy. She holds the purple Galaxy S22 Ultra in her hand, “This is all in Russian, I have no idea what this guy is up to or what any or his apps mean. Sorry!”
I was holding out for this one everything, but unfortunately Haiba Lev, the half Japanese, half Russian supermodel did not make the cut for her.
“It’s all good, although you don't have to worry about a language barrier.” He tucks his hands into his pockets and she apologizes again.
“Friends?”
“Friends!”
…
ELIMINATION SEVEN: HAIBA LEV
Interviewer COFI: The quickest one to be cut, how does that make you feel?
HAIBA: Sucks.
Interviewer COFI: What do you wish you would’ve done differently?
HAIBA: Used an ab pic as my home screen.
…
She stretches again, staring down the last three phones. The fate of her 4-Day trip to Okinawa with a stranger completely resided on which phone she picked. She looks at her nails and feels a little icky. She had touched too many phones and was feeling gross.
“Can I get some hand sanitizer?” She softly asks a staff member. But the staff just brush her aside, going to fix a wire on Luka’s shirt.
She huffs, walking around the stage. The studio is bustling.
The bathroom was just around the corner, so she excuses herself to go and wash her hands.
Once she finished washing, she still wanted hand sanitizer, so she looked around the drinking fountain and places near the bathroom to see if a station had 99.9% alcohol sanitizer for her to use.
“What are you looking for?”
Her head is under the drinking fountain when she hears the voice, she goes to lift her head. But instead of hitting the sharp edge of the fountain, she lightly hits some fingers.
He had dark curly hair, and he had kindly put his hand on the edge of the fountain so she wouldn’t have bumped her head too harshly.
“Ah, thank you.” She holds her hands clasped near her thighs and bows. “I was looking for a strong alcohol sanitizer. The staff wouldn’t offer me any.”
He huffs through his black mask and rolls his eyes, annoyed with the staff working behind the scenes.
“Here, I have some,” He digs into his black and white jacket, holding the sanitizer upside down for her.
He squishes the bottle and she rubs the sanitizer all over her hands. When she gets enough to lather, he puts some on his own hands. They stand there, sanitizing their hands and getting rid of the germs.
“Thanks, again, for the sanitizer and for, uh, keeping me from getting a bruise.” She giggles a little, noticing two lined up moles on his forehead.
Initially she thought they were piercings, but looking closer at him made her realize it was just two perfect beauty marks that made her tummy flutter just a little bit. Her heart was pounding when she noticed he had two black diamond studs in his earlobes.
Suddenly, Alba screeches a little. And she’s being pulled away from the bathroom hallway and back to the studio. She kept asking what was wrong, and Alba could only say that she needed to reapply some makeup.
So she let Alba apply more power and another layer of lip gloss. It stung a little, due to the plumping agent, but it was nice and oily on her lips- keeping them nice and hydrated.
“Alba, what was that for?”
“Nothing! Filming was getting started and no one could find you!”
She just accepts the answer and nods.
Round three! For this round, we have our remaining three guys lined up behind this grey sheet. And our dear blind dater, she’s sitting on the other side, looking at the phones. This is the all cards on the table round, she can ask questions, and they can give her the answer this time. For this round, she had to eliminate just two men, leaving her to pick her final date. Anticipation is killing us all, so let’s get this started!
She can only chuckle awkwardly, she was blind folded for this section, waiting for the guys to get settled on their side of the concrete curtain. After hearing plenty of shuffling, her blind fold was removed and she sat up straight, looking at the final phones once again.
She hovers around them, but commits to a mint Galaxy ZFlip 6. There’s no case, but it’s an extremely clean phone.
“Okay, owner of the Galaxy ZFlip 6, is mint your favorite color?” She stutters a little, realizing that she’s actually talking to someone this time.
“No. I like black or white better. I got my phone as promotional material.”
“Promotional material?”
“Yeah, for my sports team.”
“Oh, okay.” She hums out. She opens his phone, scrolling through his apps. “What’s a Marco Polo?”
“It’s like an international communications app, I unfortunately keep in touch with a lot of my teammates from high school and everyone went literally all over the freaking globe.”
She liked that he kept in touch with his friends, but she didn’t entirely like his tone. Setting the phone down, she asked a completely different question. The producer’s eyes widened and she covered their mouth to keep from getting a gasp in the audio recording.
“What’s your type of humor?”
“Humor? Probably just sarcasm and snark.”
“Snarkiness? As in just being rude? Like being rude for kicks and giggles?”
“When you put it like that princess it sounds much worse.”
She laughs a little, but sets the phone down for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to eliminate him just off the bat. Skipping around, she grabbed a similar phone to the mint one. A Galaxy ZFold 6, it’s pink but covered in a red case so the pink didn’t show at all.
The home screen was a picture of a gaming setup, an expensive one she could tell.
“Red Galaxy, do you play a lot of video games?”
“It’s my job, I stream and do a lot of video stuff. I’m used to all the camera stuff, despite what my best friend had anticipated.”
She scrolls through his phone again, “What’s the deal with all the sleeping apps?”
“I genuinely have such a bad sleeping schedule from my streaming schedule and video recordings. But I’m working on it, that’s what the apps are for.”
“I like a guy who can see where he needs to grow.”
The guy laughs and it sounds like a dry deep chuckle in his chest. She appreciates the light hearted exchange between them. Was there a real possibility to see a romance though? Could she be with someone who was practically nocturnal? She spent time awake during the day, so would she be happy with a vampire?
“One more question really quick, would you prefer traveling fifty years in the future or fifty years in the past?”
“You’re quirky aren’t you?” He laughs again, “Fifty years in the future, all the innovations and new technology would be great to experience. What about you?”
The producer chimes in, “You can’t answer any questions Miss.”
She frowns then pushes her face into a neutral expression, rushing out her answer before the Producer could chastise her.
“Fifty years in the future. I definitely agree.”
All three guys chuckle, as they see the sour expression the producer makes that she deliberately disobeyed an instruction.
The last phone of the round, a white iPhone 12 Pro Max, in a clear case that had absolutely no yellow on the side buttons and a pristine screen protector.
“Okay, the last iPhone standing, how long have you had this phone case?”
“For as long as I’ve had the phone, so about three, four years?”
“What about the screen protector?”
“I like to get a new one every year for my birthday, just because I touch the screen so often and don’t want to have the germs stay from year to year. Plus, my friends will sometimes scratch the protector when they mess around on my phone.”
The answer delights her more than she anticipates. She holds the phone in her hand. The reason why she held out so long for this phone? It’s practically identical to hers. Down to the perfectly pristine clear case, the color of the phone, the size of it.
His wallpaper even matches hers, it’s just a white wallpaper and homescreen. She liked it because it kept her brain from getting too busy, it looked clean. It looked so much more pristine than a messy collage or loud wallpaper.
“Why the white wallpaper?” She asks.
He answers perfectly, “It’s less busy. It’s clean. I like the minimal look.”
“Do you have three answers for each and all of my questions?”
“Yes. Definitely. Absolutely.”
She opens his phone. His apps are organized into color groups, as in all the red apps in a folder titled ‘RED’, and all the blue apps in a folder titled ‘BLUE’. If she could fall in love with a phone, it would be this one.
She clicked on an app designed for habits. He was meticulous. Each habit he was working on was tracked, and had a specific goal attached to it.
“What’s the untitled goal? It’s in yellow, but you don’t have a name for it. On the habit tracking app, the one with the little bird.”
“That’s private.” He teases a little. Then he continues, “It’s to make sure that I spend time trying to get out of my comfort zone. My cousin told me I needed to try and do one act of kindness a day, that it’ll make me view the world differently.”
“And how do you view the world now?” She rests her elbows on the table, her head turned to the sheet. She can almost imagine him right next to her.
He waits a moment before telling her, “I’m a realist. I see things as they are, what they could be, and how they will never be.”
“Has your kindness tracker done any sort of change for you?”
“I smile more now.”
“What was your act of kindness for today?”
“I shared.”
The smile on her face had enough happiness to overfill a bucket. “What did you share?”
“If you pick me, I’ll tell you.”
She giggles, lightly touching his phone case from where it is leaned against the acrylic stand. She kicks her feet under the table, completely visible to the camera at how she’s turned into a love-struck girl again. “Just tell me!”
The producer steps in, “(Y/N), you have ten more minutes. Ask more questions to the red Galaxy phone guy again please.”
“I’ve made my choice though.” She grabs the white iPhone. The camera light goes from green to red, just as the producer rips the cord out of the camera. She chokes a little at how angry Luka, Cofi, and Alba all look. Terushima had his arms folded and he’s shaking his head at the unfairness of it all.
The producer pulls her aside, stepping off the stage. The three men behind the curtain start asking questions, getting a little irritated at how (Y/N) keeps getting cut off, ignored, or blatantly mistreated.
“Listen, you need to pick the red phone. He’s rich. He’ll treat you well, the content will be great during the trip in Okinawa, you’ll have a great time.”
“I don’t like him like that though? I don’t think.” She muses.
“That doesn’t matter. You’re picking the red phone because I told you so. You’re obligated to follow my instructions.”
Her responding words are strong, and harsh. “I am not obligated to pick who you want me to pick. That was not in the contract at all.”
The producer huffs, rubbing her temple and tapping her foot repeatedly.
Luka’s expression changes. And he gets closer to the duo, “Listen, producer. You had a great idea. But this story is more than just cherry-picking your one correct ending. Let her choose the right guy, let her pick the one who she fell for. It’s that genuineness that’ll bring in the money, not a fake relationship or romance with one of the biggest streamers in the world.”
She feels touched at how Luka’s done a 180 twist in his approach to this video. To this episode of the blind dating show, Luka really fulfilled his role as an unbiased, uninterrupting third party.
The producer throws her hands up in the air. But she plugs in the camera again, the green light reminding everyone that they still have an episode to finish. Under the harsh body language, she can see a smile on the producer’s face.
Okay, here’s the moment of truth everyone. The moment where this 2 hour video special comes to an end. The moment she chooses her date.
“I pick the white iPhone. Sorry to my Galaxy owners, you are both super sweet, and funny, I know you’ll find a lot of success with different women.”
A tall blond comes out of the curtain. Along with a shorter guy whose blond hair has grown out, he had his hair pulled back into a ponytail. The two of them introduce themselves, and she shakes their hands. They express that they are grateful for the experience and for the chance to be a part of the little game show.
Tsukishima Kei of the Sendai Frogs Division II League, and Kodzuken, a famous gamer and streamer known for his philanthropy and investment into volleyball. Both eliminated, both said goodbye to the girl that had managed to attract their attention for longer than a day.
…
ELIMINATION EIGHT: TSUKISHIMA KEI
Interviewer COFI: Well, you made it this far, any regrets?
TSUKISHIMA: No regrets, I had fun, she’s super nice, she said she’ll come to a game of mine in the future. I think I have one more friend to unfortunately add to my collection.
Interviewer COFI (sliding her number on a slip of paper to Tsukishima): Oh well. Thanks for showing for this episode!
(OFF SCREEN- Tsukishima tucks the paper into his pocket and smirks at Cofi)
…
ELIMINATION NINE: KODZUKEN
Interviewer COFI: The last to be eliminated, in tandem with Tsukishima, but how do you feel about this loss?
KODZUKEN: It’s unfortunate, but I’ll be back again, I don’t play games just to lose. I play them until I win. It might not be with her, but it’ll be with someone.
Interviewer COFI: So you'll make an appearance on this channel again then?
KODZUKEN: You can be sure of it. (Faces the camera and does a small salute before jumping off his chair and walking out).
…
Luka has a hand on her shoulder, and he’s smiling at the camera holding the mic close to his mouth.
“After nine eliminations, we’ve finally made it to the end of the game, where she’s picked the last phone as her date. But first, one last word from our sponsors!”
-CUT TO AD BREAK-
She stands up, getting closer to the curtain, she knocks on the fabric causing the cloth to billow out slightly.
“Hello? Mr. White iPhone?”
“Yes?”
She can hear him stand up and get right next to the curtain, and she steps back a little.
“You said if I picked you then I’d get to know what your service was today? Your little act of kindness?”
“I did say that, didn’t I.” He hums for a second, thinking, “I shared some disinfectant.”
She thinks back to the guy who had given her the lavender scented sanitizer, it couldn’t be the same guy. She was overthinking just how many attractive people the YLLIL company could procure for a game like this.
Proposing a question, she asks, “What are you most excited for in Okinawa?”
“Is it too bold to say just getting to know you?”
Chewing on the inside of her mouth, she shakes her head. Realizing he can’t see her she speaks up, “I think that’s a perfect thing to be excited about.”
The green countdown begins again, and she leaves him with one last parting comment, “Don’t be too underwhelmed when you see me, I promise I have a killer personality.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” He chuckled.
Was he referencing her looks or her personality? She just sat back down, and waited for Luka's final spiel.
“Thank you to Netflix for partnering with us and sponsoring a segment of this episode, please go and show support for the next season of their original series Alice in Borderland! Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the magnus opus of this two hour special. (L/N), if you’d please stand up and face the curtain, and our final man standing, if you’d please do the same.”
She shifted, going back to where she had been just a second ago.
Luka pulls the attached black rope at the back of the curtain. She had her eyes shut tightly closed. Maybe it was childish and silly to keep them closed, but it was mostly a manifestation of her anxiety about who she had chosen at the end of the day for this little blind dating game.
He grabs her hand, pressing lavender sanitizer into her palm and wrapping her fingers around it. She opens her eyes when he keeps his hand wrapped around hers. She could smell the floral scent from the moment he took it out of his blazer pocket.
It was her hand sanitizer savior from earlier. The curly haired, beauty marked, hypervigilant, practicing kindness a little everyday, absolute enchanting ideal of a man.
Luka giggles and jumps a little bit before continuing the concluding statement to the episode, “Sakusa Kiyoomi, of the MSBY Black Jackals Division I Volleyball Team and a member of our National Team has been chosen by our adorable tech specialist and UI designer (L/N) (Y/N). Tune in in two weeks to see how their four day date goes!”
“I shared my hand sanitizer, what are you going to share with me?” Sakusa tilts his head down to meet her eyes.
She smirks a little, gnawing slightly on her bottom lip, “We’ll see how the date goes.”