Chapter Text
You sat on the hilltop waiting. It's been about an hour and a half since your date was supposed to have arrived. The other park goers paid no attention to the girl sitting alone on a picnic blanket as they walked by, enjoying the warm sunny day with their own partners or friends. Letting out an annoyed sigh, you stood up and ran a hand through your short hair and looked around one final time. "Why did I expect anything else?" You whispered silently and headed back to your apartment.
If you hadn't had time to think at the park, the walk sure gave you plenty of time to do so. About two months ago, your childhood best friend insisted you should sign up for online dating, convincing you it was a good way to get out of your lonely home and to stop being such a shy introvert. You never expected to actually get a date though, and you got your hopes up. The man was sweet. He paid you complements, made you laugh, and was trying to over come his shyness. You both spent countless nights just talking together and sharing stories. He never told you about his past or too much about himself, even though you kept asking, saying it was unfair that most of the conversations were about you. No one has given you romantic attention before and it felt exciting. One day, about 3 days ago, he said he wanted to meet you in person. Feeling the time was about right, you agreed. And that's how you ended up where you are now.
The weather mocked you. It was so warm and there was no cloud in sight. The breeze was cool and gentle, exactly what a perfect day was like. Even the flora and fauna around you seemed to contradict your sour mood by blooming beautiful shades of green, pink, and yellow. Light chatter filled the air. There was laughter and joy all around you and it made you feel sick. Why did you have to be the only one who was upset. You kept your head low and your arms wrapped around yourself that you didn't notice the other person until it was too late. You collided with a man in a blue hoodie who was carrying several bags of food. "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" You dropped to the ground to help the man pick up the groceries. He chuckled and crouched down to gather most of the slightly damaged food. "No worries my Karamatsu girl. If fate had it that a beautiful woman such as yourself were to come crashing into my arms, then it must be." He said in a deep voice that somehow didn't quite fit. It sounded a little forced. You looked up apologetically at him and quickly took note of the grin he wore, as if he really didn't mind. "Still, I should have been watching where I was going and your groceries are ruined because of me." You held a few bags in your hand. "The least I can do to make it up is help you walk these home." You smiled. The man was shocked. He searched for his word before placing his grin back on and and closed his eyes dramatically. "Very well, then. Come along my karamatsu girl, and we shall walk home together."
The walk was pleasant. The man, who you learned is named Karamatsu, was very dramatic, pausing at various moments without warning, called you his 'Karamatsu girl', and compared you to beautiful things like flowers, stars, and angels. You also had learned that he had a handfull of identical brothers who more or less paid no attention to him. Not that he noticed apparently. "Once when they were all sick, I climbed to the top of a mountain to collect only the freshest and purest of water. Nothing less for my deserving brothers, but unfortunately, on my quest, I ended up getting sick once more." You let out a soft giggle at the story. "Well, at least they have a cool brother trying to look out for them, and that's what counts." You smiled. Just as he did earlier, he seemed shocked. Had he never received a complement before? Or had he not thought of himself like that? You quickly tried to come up with something to change the topic just incase, until he broke into a cheery laughter. "Uh..." "Thank you. You are too kind." He smiled and wiped the corners of his eyes.
The walk soon came to an end. You apologized once more about the groceries and Karamatsu told you it was fine. You two bid farewells and walked opposite ways as unlikely strangers, never to see each other again. But why couldn't you remove him from your mind?