Love is Blind: Jujutsu Kaisen (Modern / No Curse AU)
Day 1: First Impressions in the Pods
“I want a love story that I could tell the world about, just like I’ve done for others.” You could feel the smile on your face grow at the thought of what this experiment could mean for you, but the warmth in your chest reminded you that it was real.
The overhead lights in the confessional were warm on your skin as you answered questions about your goals. You were minutes away from your first pod date and could only imagine what was waiting for you.
“I’ve traveled the world and seen hundreds of true love stories. Every story I’ve written about—every story that has captivated us—has one thing in common: the love doesn’t come directly from attraction. It comes from bonds built over deeper connections. Love at first sight doesn’t last forever. I want something that does. I want to know that the person I leave with loves me for who I am, not for what I look like.” The urge to ramble was creeping up on you, but you couldn’t help the excitement.
“How would you describe yourself to the men in the pods?”
”I’m adventurous. Whether it be in travel or in ideals, I love the ability to do as I please. With my line of work, I like to think I have a deep sense of emotional intelligence, my communication skills are a prized asset, and, above all, I’m curious. About people, about relationships, about dynamics, and about love as a whole.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Plain and simple, love. I’ve seen people fall in love in all situations and locations. I’ve seen love develop in perfect circumstances, I’ve seen it bloom from nothing, but now I want to see if it can come from the best intentions. I am here with an entirely open-mind. Just one goal: find love.”
You take a deep breath as your hand fits around the door knob. You, like the other four girls participating in the experiment, are standing outside the pod doors as you wait for a green light. You stand at the end of the hall, with a tall, thin woman to your right. She looks less than excited to be there, but you can’t tell if that’s true or just… the vibe you’re getting. Regardless, it does nothing to settle your nerves with her looking so effortlessly perfect next to you.
“They can’t see us, you know?” The question leaves her mouth and it takes you a second to realize she’s speaking to you. “You can relax.” The corner of her mouth rises in a smirk before she looks your way.
“Yeah, it crossed my mind after I’d put the dress on that the effort might be a bit wasted.” You joked. Before you could say anything else, the doors to the pods were unlocked and you were granted entry.
Grounding yourself, you push the door open and find yourself alone in a small room. As the door closes behind you, you push yourself to sit on the couch in the middle of the area. You sit with your pen and notebook ready as you hear the door click on the other side of the wall. Your heart is beating so loud that you almost don’t hear the voice greet you.
”Hello?” The voice on the other end is calm and bordering on monotonous.
”Kento.” The response is short and you hesitate to respond momentarily. Long enough that Kento seems to notice. “What do you do for a living, (Y/N)?”
“Oh, I’m a travel blogger. I travel and document love stories. What do you do?”
”That’s… interesting. I’ve never heard of anything like that. I work with stocks. Started a non-profit on the side a year ago.” There was an inquisitive tone in his response, like there was a question he wanted to ask, but you found yourself responding before he could.
”What’s the goal of the nonprofit?” You couldn’t pretend to understand the stock market, but you could appreciate a nonprofit if it benefited the greater good—this could tell you a lot about who Kento was. This felt like the first clue to personality you’d get and you found yourself taking note of it in your journal.
Kento - stockbroker, nonprofit?
“To help support low-income families and struggling single parents. Our most common assistance goes to young single mothers. You work with money long enough, you see the downsides. I wanted to see if there was anything else I could do for them, so that’s where the nonprofit came from.” The monotony left his voice momentarily as his tone bordered on passionate, but you could still hear the walls he kept up. “Tell me more about your job.”
Kento — stockbroker, nonprofit? low-income assistance. Secretly a sweetheart, but I can’t prove it yet.
“Well. I studied journalism in college and got a job for a small magazine out of school. I started traveling after a year or two with that magazine and found a larger audience writing what I wanted to write for my own blog, so I left the magazine and have been working digitally ever since. Started as a travel blog where I gathered stories from places I visited that encapsulated the people and everyday lives of those places, but kept finding myself caught up in the local love stories.”
”How did that start?” He asked. You could hear his pen scratch against his notebook—he was also taking note of you.
”Probably three months into my own blog, I was in France. The most stereotypical place for this, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Did you know that there are designated spots as you tour the Eiffel Tower for couples? A ’place to share a kiss‘ is what the ground said. And, as I was taking pictures for my article, I noticed an older couple waiting for a turn. The way the man looked at his wife stopped me in my tracks, and I wanted to know more. My French is okay—not perfect, but okay. I record all of my conversations for this blog, so I figured I could work with it, and I swallowed my hesitation and asked. We started talking, they let me record the interview, and they told me about how they’d met there years before. His wife was a tourist when they’d met and she’d gotten separated from her tour group at the Tower. He’d stopped to help her, they talked, and found themselves wanting to do it all again. By the end of her trip, he’d kissed her under the Eiffel Tower and they both knew that they’d found their person. Two weeks together, and she was willing to uproot her whole life. They were married six months later. I took a photo of them in that spot, scrapped the article I’d been working on and focused on their story, and it blew up. I knew that’s what I wanted to write about. It changed everything for me, so I’ve been writing about love stories ever since.”
”It would be the City of Love.” He responded. It was quiet for a moment, but you could hear him writing. “Is that what you want?” He asked.
”What?” His voice had sounded so bored that you felt your face warm. How were you supposed to answer that question when you couldn’t even tell what he was asking?
”Is that what you want? A whirlwind romance? Love at first sight?”
“Love at first sight is the last thing that I want. I want someone to fall in love with my brain, not with how I look. That couple fell in love over conversation that stemmed from pure chance. The reason I fell in love with their story wasn’t because they met and fell in love in an instant, but because they fell in love over good intentions and found a connection that grew from a single moment that took over her whole trip. Then, they continued to show that love and kept coming back to what shaped their story.”
Kento was quiet and you felt your leg start bouncing. He’s given you no insight into his own thoughts so far, and it’s terrifying. As you waited for a response, the light in the room flickered. Time was up. You heard his journal close and the cap snap onto his pen. The shuffling on the other side of the wall told you he was getting up.
“(Y/N),” His voice interrupted the silence. “If you’ll see me again, I have a request.”
”Okay,” If? He wants to see you again?
”I enjoyed your story. But, next time, I wanna hear about your favorite love story. The kind that you want.”
”I would like that, Kento.”
”Good. Then, we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
With that, the door opened and closed and you were alone in the pods. You made a note of talking points for your next meeting with Kento, knowing you only had a few more minutes before your next pod date, but found yourself astonished by his reaction. He wanted to speak with you again. You thought he’d been bored. The pods really can be deceiving.
There had been twenty minutes between pod dates. The women were granted the ability to keep their pods while the men bounced around to their next dates, so you spent those twenty minutes thinking about Kento. His voice lacked emotion. You couldn’t read him at all, but he liked you enough to want to see you again. You brainstormed questions you wanted to ask him in an attempt to knock down a wall or two, just to get a sense of the man, but you found yourself drifting back to his request—what kind of love story do you want?
Before you could fall down the rabbit hole, you heard the door on the other side of the wall open. It hadn’t even closed before you’d heard a voice greet you. The complete opposite of your first date, this voice was full of energy and sounded so carefree that you’d found yourself smiling.
“Hi, hello! My name is Satoru Gojo and I’m here to tell you to cancel the rest of your dates because you’re about to fall in love.” The voice was playful and you could already tell that you were in for a treat.
“Okay, Satoru Gojo, it’s nice to meet you. Maybe give me a few minutes to decide whether or not I’m ready to call the rest of them off?”
“Ooh, your voice is pretty. Bet your name is, too.”
“(Y/N). And you, sir, are a flirt.”
“Well, (YN). You might be right. Or, I’m just putting the leg work in now. Gotta set a solid foundation for our relationship and I might as well make sure it’s a fun one. Tell me about yourself.” You could hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke, and it seemed that he was making himself comfortable in the opposite pod as you could swear you could hear feet kicking in the air.
“I am a travel blogger. I write about love stories from around the world. I interview everyday people in all the places I go to, collect stories and publish them.”
“So, you write about love for a living and still choose to come onto reality TV to find your own? No hunky foreign men in a random country hooked you?” There was a teasing edge to his voice, but you could tell it was all good fun. He was fun.
“Maybe hunky foreign men aren’t enough for me, Satoru. Maybe I want something with substance instead of something that just looks pretty. Think you can give it to me?” Your voice showed more confidence than you truly had, but you had to match his energy.
Shockingly, there. was a silence that followed your question.
“I think I can sure try.” When the words finally came, he sounded less sure of himself. You found yourself uncapping the lid of your pen and could hear as he did the same, both of you taking note of one another in your journals.
Satoru Gojo - fun, not shy, possibly scared?
“Tell me about you, Satoru. Why are you here?” You asked. Unlike with Kento, this pod date felt like an even playing field—you could hear emotion in Satoru’s voice, and you were even able to identify a shift in tone. Something tells you that he’s not the type to hide how he feels in any situation.
“Oh. Well, I work in the tech industry, nothing crazy or fun like you, Ms. Love Detective. Just me and a normal 9-5 business day. I’m here for something more. I don’t really date much anymore and figured it was time to try something new.” This response seemed rushed, but it was still more information than you’d actually expected.
Satoru Gojo - fun, not shy, possibly scared? Something more, something new. I like the sound of that.
“You don’t date much anymore? Satoru, you sound like someone who’s never really had to fight for love. I figured it would come easy to you. You’re fun. The kind of personality that attracts attention.”
“Oh, really? Sounds like I could be a real contender here, sweet girl.” The teasing was back, but you didn’t mind as you laughed in response. ”It’s a double edged sword. If I’d attracted the right attention in the past, I wouldn’t be here. In my perfect world, I’d have the kind of love you would’ve written about in your blog already.“
His last sentence was quieter than the rest and it left you pondering. There was a beat of silence before you found yourself responding.
“You know, I think that’s what my perfect world would look like too. I think that’s why I’m here. It’s the opportunity to find my own love story, and I get to do it without the preconceived notions that come with physical attraction.”
“That’s why I’m here. It’s not hard to find someone that finds me attractive. It’s hard to find someone that can look past how I look and fall in love with me. I figured this would help.” His response was so raw that you found yourself quoting it in your journal. He understood. Took the words out of your mouth.
“Is this your way of hinting to me that you’re ridiculously attractive?” You joked, still scratching your pen to paper as you thought about what he’d said. The weight of his words was setting in and you were trying to bring it back before you’d gone too far and ran out of time.
“I was hoping you’d catch that. Guess I can’t help being a little obvious, even if I am TRYING to do better. Maybe I just want to give you a reason to see me again.” You could hear the relief in his voice. Something told you that he struggled with taking himself seriously, and you didn’t want to push him so hard on your first pod date.
“You know, I think I already have a better reason to see you again. Let’s say, this time tomorrow?” A smile was on your face, even though you could see the light flickering to warn you of time running out.
“I think I’d like that, (Y/N). This was fun.” With that, the door opened and closed again and you were, once again, alone in the pods.
You had one more date before the pods broke for lunch and your head was spinning. The pods had given you polar opposites so far: Kento was calm, reserved, and impossible to read, while Satoru was lively, flirty, and fun. One was closed off, and the other wildly open. The kicker? You saw appeal in both dates so far.
Kento listened to you—REALLY listened. And, while he was impossible to read, he wanted to know more. Satoru was vulnerable, but he was also so much fun. The two of you got on well, and you could feel a connection that you didn’t have to wonder about. Either way it went, you wanted more.
You found yourself journaling again to settle your brain before your third date. You felt like the pods had already thrown everything at you, so you were worried about what more they could give you. What you’d seen so far had already left your head spinning.
It wasn’t long before you heard the door click again and the energy shifted.
“Hello?” The voice on the other side of the wall asked. It was a low voice that seemed too cold for the situation. Devoid of all emotion, it seemed.
“Hi! My name is (Y/N). Who’s joining me?l
“Suguru Geto.” The answer was simple. You heard him sit on the opposing couch and scribbled his name down in your journal. He was going to make you work for this conversation.
“Well, Suguru. How has your day gone so far?” You asked, voice gentle and cautious.
“Fine. Yours?” You fought the urge to roll your eyes. Had he already decided to give up? Had he found his number one in the first two dates and was now closed off? These dates are no longer than 30 minutes, surely, but it seemed like he was already checked out.
“It’s been good. I’m guessing your dates have been good?”
“What makes you say that?” He asked. His voice lacked any emotion.
“Nothing special.” Nothing special? So he’s not actually here for love, surely. Not with this attitude.
You sigh quietly before remembering that every sound seems to echo between the two rooms. It’s something you’d noticed from the first two dates—every sound either side made was amplified. The acoustics of the rooms ensured that neither side would miss a thing. He definitely just heard you.
“Anything you’re looking for specifically, Suguru?” You asked. You were dedicated to coming into this experiment with an open mind, which meant giving this frustration the full chance, even if he wasn’t going to make it easy. Even Kento’s monotony was easier than this. He at least wanted to talk.
“Here for the experience, I guess. No expectations.”
“No expectations is great, but what do you WANT?” You asked. You could also say you were here with no expectations—you can’t expect that, without a shadow of a doubt, one of five men will fall head over heels for you through conversation, propose to and marry you within the next month. There are too many variables, too much to consider, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s what you want.
“Don’t know. Wouldn’t hurt to find someone. Wouldn’t mind it, if someone decided they wanted me.”
There it was. Though the tone of his voice didn’t change, you could hear something deep in his words. The same ache you felt the past few years as you found love stories for the people, but never one for yourself. A sense of melancholy. A desire for something that feels just out of reach. A fear of not being able to reach it. You found yourself making a note of it.
Suguru Geto - quiet, reserved. What does he want?
“Well, Suguru, I think you’ve got a shot at finding that, if you’ll let someone.” He remained quiet while he pondered your words and you wondered if you’d overstepped, but then you heard the scratch of a pen to paper. That was unexpected. What you would give to know what he was writing.
“You know, I spend my time around the public, but it’s never really been for me. Much more of a behind-the-scenes guy, I think.” He said, his voice seeming much softer this time around.
“What do you do with the public?” You asked.
“Own a store. Retail, but a lot of the graphic designs are mine. Not really sure how I got here, but it’s what I do.”
“The art. I get to print my own work. And people pay for it. People walk around town wearing my art on clothes that I screenprint it on myself. They come in and buy my original prints. I like that, I guess.”
“That’s a crazy thing to think about. Your art has its place.”
“That’s all I want out of it. My impact. A legacy.”
“Have you thought about moving past just selling your work retail? Maybe outside of just your storefront.”
“Yeah, never saw the opening for it. Maybe after all of this.”
“That’s a good goal to have, Suguru.”
“What’s your impact?” He asked. For once, he actually sounded curious. “I share art. What do you share?”
“I share stories, I guess. Love stories. It’s my job.”
“So you write romance novels?” He asked, his voice blunt.
“No,” You responded—that was always a common misconception: that the love stories you shared with the world were fictional. “I travel to hear love stories from around the world, and I share them with my readers.”
“So… Why would you want to collect love stories instead of living one?” The question caught you off guard. It was the same question you heard at home—why were you so caught up in the love stories of others that you couldn’t find one of your own?
“Maybe I’m just trying to figure out how to find my own. You know, when you don’t know how to do something on your own, seek a guide?”
“I wish I could say yes, but I don’t think it’s possible to recreate a love. Even one that touches you the way that some of the stories I’ve found have impacted me. But, I’ll figure it out.”
“Maybe the world’s just been waiting for the right time to give you something original. Something real that’s yours.”
“You, right now, are worlds away from the you that walked into the room.”
“My bad,” You couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think we’ll know if it’s real when we’re in here?” You wanted to pick this version of Suguru’s brain. Where he seemed cold at first, layers were now chipping away to show you a depth you hadn’t expected.
“I think that we’ll feel it before we fully grasp it. Understanding it will be entirely different. Who knows.”
“Is that something you want?”
“It’s something I’m not gonna push.” He responded. He took a moment, long enough for you to collect your thoughts, before continuing. “If something real comes to me, I’ll run with it. I don’t think forcing anything to fill that role will do any of us any good. I’m just gonna go with whatever comes up.”
“That sounds nice, actually.” You found a smile on your face, and you couldn’t actually explain what had caused it.
At that moment, the lights started flickering. The end of another date.
“Who knows. Maybe we’ll find something real, (Y/N).” He spoke. You heard him move around the room before his doorknob shifted and you were alone again.
“You! With the dress!” A voice called out to you as you entered the women’s lounge for the first time. The woman from before called out to you. “How do you look disheveled? You literally talked to a wall for three dates.”
She stood against the counter of the lounge, making what seemed to be a charcuterie board. For someone that seemed so effortless, her lunch spread seemed to take plenty of time and effort.
“Look. Those three dates were so much more confusing than I expected them to be.” The conflict was obvious in your voice.
You found your way across the counter from her as she finished placing crackers on the board. Your stomach was in knots over your thoughts of how the rest of this experiment was going to go, but watching her place food was making you hungry. Maybe you could scrounge up a sandwich from the pantry ingredients.
Before you could start digging, the woman handed you a plate and pushed the board between the two of you. You could see the other three women from where you were, but the idea of further socializing right now, before your brain had settled at all, sounded like a nightmare. This was as much as you had in you. You took the plate and stared at her, as if waiting for instructions.
“Shoko Ieri. Doctor. Not the most social, and you seem to be the least overwhelming. Consider me your new best friend.” She shrugged and started pulling food from the board she just carefully put together. “I’m not eating all of this on my own. Help.”
With that, you found yourself pulling food from the board as well.
“(Y/N). Travel blogger. Also not capable of socializing with everyone after all of this, so that sounds like a plan to me.”
With that, the two of you ate in silence at the counter. You could hear the other three women talking over their own lunches about the men they’d dated so far. Two of them had dated Satoru, and one of them had dated Kento, but none of them were talking about Suguru. Your guess was that he’d given whomever his other two dates were the same rough, quiet, “you’re gonna have to work for this” attitude he’d given you at first and they weren’t impressed. Regardless, you sat quietly with Shoko as you gathered your thoughts and prepared for the final two dates. There would be time to discuss the dates after.
There had been a miscommunication with the second group of dates for the day, meaning all of the women were late to their fourth pod date. By the time you pushed the door closed, your date was already waiting on you.
“You’re late.” The voice on the other side of the wall spoke. His voice toed a line between flat and teasing.
“Yeah… Would it help if I told you that all of the women were late for this date?” You asked.
“Maybe,” He spoke. He sounded… solid? Literally, as if he was unshakable. “Don’t do it again.”
You still couldn’t tell if he was joking. There was a sense of authority in his voice that seemed to border on sinful.
“Heard. You sound authoritative. What do you do? Cop? Security?” You could hear a dry laugh on the other side of the wall.
“Ahhh, so you’re either standing in silence or dealing with drunk people I’m guessing.”
“Sounds kind of lonely. Only seeing people when they’re probably at their lowest.”
“Maybe I enjoy the role of standing on the outside. People talk too much. I only have to deal with them when they get too crazy.” Now you were the one laughing.
“Do I get your name, or is this my punishment for being late? I’m (Y/N).”
“Toji Fushiguro. Don’t worry, (Y/N),” He let out a small laugh, teasing almost. “I’m sure I’ll find a better punishment than holding out on my name”
There was a brief moment of silence before you laughed yourself and opened your journal, taking note of your initial thoughts on him.
Toji Fushiguro - bouncer, “not lonely” and owes me a punishment?
“If you think people talk too much, you must hate this. Why are you here? You don’t really seem like the pod type?”
“Careful, Doll. You’ll hurt my feelings.” This time, you knew he was teasing you. You could practically hear the smirk.
“Hmm. Answer my question and maybe I can validate some feelings.” You teased back and heard him laugh.
“I’m not. The pod type, I mean. Signed up on a dare. A friend of mine said I couldn’t make it a day here. Said I’m too quick to judge based on how someone looks.”
“Would you be judging me right now if you could see through this wall?”
“Don’t know, Doll. Who’s to say. I don’t know what you look like.” He seemed to be quick on the pet names for someone also so quick to judge.
“Hmm. Wanna guess? You hear my voice. What do you think I look like?” You asked. He took a second, and you could imagine him closing his eyes and focusing as he laid back on the couch.”
“Sharp eyes—the kind that are vigilant and see things. I’d bet your posture is perfect because of the way you sound like you carry yourself. My guess is that you look tired. Not in a bad way, not in a weak way, but in a ‘I’ve seen some shit and done some things’ kind of way. How am I doing.”
You thought about his words and how, while he didn’t focus on specific physical attributes like you’d expected, he seemed pretty spot on.
“I’d say that’s scarily accurate.”
“Thought so. Try me.” He sounded proud, and you couldn’t blame him. You’d given him that question as a test and he’d surpassed your expectations.
“Okay. You sound authoritative and unshakable. You’re a bouncer, so my guess is that’s pretty on the money. You work out, but part of me thinks it’s more because you like looking the part than because you really want to. And, I hear walls. Scars, even, whether physical or otherwise, they’re there. You’re going to be a hard one to figure out, Toji.”
“You’re not wrong, either.” His voice was quiet now, and there was an ache in your chest.
“You know, I asked you to guess what I looked like because we, as people, want to picture the perfect person or the least perfect in our eyes. I was expecting you to list off eye and hair colors, skin tone and body types, but what you gave was… so much more than I could’ve expected.”
“I can’t picture what you look like. I had this idea in my head with the first three, but I can’t even try to guess with you.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing.” You took note of this conversation in your journal and a silence took over. You gave him space for a minute, but found yourself not ready to end the conversation.
“What now, Toji?” You asked. You could feel, through the wall, his desire to say something, but you knew he probably wouldn’t. You couldn’t break down all of his walls in one day, but you could start with one.
“I guess… Now you either get scared and leave, or you stay. Your choice.” You pondered his words for a moment before thinking of how to respond.
“I’ve been in worse places with prettier walls.” And Toji laughed, but you were honest.
“This place not up to your standards, Doll?”
“This place is fine. That analogy isn’t about the pod. I’m thinking you’re honest, Toji.”
The lights flickered, but the energy between the two of you was charged.
“You ever meet someone and think, ‘Shit. This could be something.”
“Yeah,” You felt the meaning behind his words. He was thinking about you. “Once. And then I ran, and now I’m here to find it again.”
“Maybe I’m glad you ran last time. You gonna run this time, though?” He asked, and there was a deeper emotion in his voice this time—as if he was figuring out whether to put another wall up or not.
“Ask me again tomorrow, Toji.”
“I will, Doll.” And, with that, you heard Toji get up and head to the door. You knew he hesitated to leave, but a word didn’t leave his mouth. Then you were alone, making note in your journal of your fourth pod date that had rattled you to your bones.
The opposing pod’s door quickly opened and closed before you heard what sounded like long legs making their way to the couch. You heard your date settle, open his journal, and prepare his pen in a quick and orderly manner.
“Hi.” The voice spoke tentatively.
“Hi, mystery final date.” At this point, you were ready to embrace whatever the pods were going to throw at you with open arms.
“Hiromi Higuruma. You sound calm.” You could hear him sigh, but you weren’t going to take it to heart. You were all tired from the day in the pods.
“(Y/N). I could say the same about you. With how all-over-the place the pods have been today, nothing can rattle me.”
“I’m a defense attorney. I have to be calm.”
“That’s a lot of pressure. You must be pretty settled, Hiromi. I couldn’t imagine how hard that career can get.” You spoke without thinking, but truly. That was a lot of stress. Your post deadlines stress you out. You couldn’t imagine being the make-it-or-break-it for someone else’s life.
“I chose it. The stress hasn’t killed me yet. Probably cutting my life shorter the longer I do it, but I like it. Keeps me busy.”
“How busy?” You asked. Busy made relationships hard.
“Busy busy for now. That’ll change when I find someone to settle down with.”
“Ahh, placeholder busy. What does settling down look like for you? Is that what you’re here for?”
“It is. I don’t have a set idea in my head. Just, love. I figure, find my partner and everything will fall into place. There’s nothing I wouldn’t change to make sure the perfect woman and I find our peace.”
“That’s sweet, Hiromi. I like that, a lot.” That was probably the sweetest thing any of the men had said all day, and it sounded written in stone for him. He was sure of what he wanted.
“I’m a travel journalist. I publish love stories from around the world that encapsulate everyday lives there.”
“You write about real couples?”
“Yeah. Most of the time, they’re sweet success stories—whether it be the kind of love that came from nowhere, the kind that bloomed from the most unexpected place, the love that took decades to become love, or even the one-that-got-away love. I like to focus on happy love, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Sometimes they don’t make it, but that’s also love in its own way. Loving and knowing someone so well that you know when it won’t work”
“Closure is its own kind of love. Choosing to stop hurting someone with your love, because you’ve loved them.”
“That’s a new perspective. Not one people normally see or appreciate.”
“I’ve hit the age where I’m learning that love needs a new perspective. Classic love isn’t always attainable. That’s why I’m here. Everyone sees the outer shell and hesitates to build a deeper connection. I wanted a blank slate that gave me the chance to allow people to get a better perspective on who I am. It’s easy to see busy and tired. It’s easy to be intimidated or to intimidate. I want something new.” There was a conviction in his voice that you were sure sold many closing arguments for him, and you were right there with the jury on this one.
“You have the most insightful responses, Hiromi. That was bold for someone who walked in and just said ‘Hi.” a few minutes ago.”
“Sorry. I came into this experiment saying that I wasn’t going to hold myself back. I don’t want to leave with any ‘what-ifs.’ I’m not usually like this, but you feel… calm. It’s been a crazy day, but I don’t feel the normal hesitations with you at all right now.”
“I feel like, if I had been out on a tour, you’d be someone I would’ve sat next to in a cafe or on a train. Like, we’d be having a random conversation mid-travel with no goal or motive, just… peace. Enjoying the company and filling the time.”
“And then what?” He was hung onto your every word, and you couldn’t blame him. The scene painted before you both was serene. In another life, you’d be two strangers in the right place, at the right time, for each other. Could you be that in this life, too?
“And then we‘d either part ways, or write a new story together.” The lights began to flicker and you knew that your final date was almost over.
“Maybe we see how that story goes, Hiromi. For now, I think I’m supposed to say goodnight.” You heard him close his pen and get up from the couch.
“Goodnight, (Y/N). Maybe we can add to the story tomorrow. I look forward to seeing where it goes.” And, with that, he was out the door and you were alone again. You gathered your thoughts and put pen to paper.
“So, anyone got a top contender so far?” All five women were back in the lounge, all meeting and conversing for the first time. The woman asking was Yuki Tsukumo, who you quickly found to be the loudest and boldest of the bunch.
No one responded. You looked to your right at Shoko who simply shrugged and shoved another bite of pasta into her mouth. As a bonding experience, all five of you worked together on dinner for the night. This is what the next two weeks would look like for you. Shared meals with gossip, whether you want to hear. about the others building connections with the same men you’re building connections with or not. However, everyone seemed too busy sassing each other out for the moment.
“Oh, come on! Someone’s gotta have something fun to say.”
“It was the first day. We barely got to say hello.” Spoke Mei Mei. So far, she’d seemed very calculated and put together to you. Anything she said would be intentional.
“Maybe we focus on getting to know each other today. We can talk about the men tomorrow.” Spoke Utahime. She was a softer personality than the other two—much more your speed. “It’s hard to talk love with people you don’t know.”
“I like that idea.” You added your two cents. You were more nervous with Yuki staring down at you than you had been in the pods for most of the day.
With that, you found yourself playing games with the girls as dinner ended and you could tell that, while there were going to be conflicts, you were sitting in a room of all very different people and the endless opportunities excited you. If you didn’t find love, you knew you could still form bonds.
“What are your first impressions of (Y/N)?”
The confessional lights felt exhausting after the day you all had had, but it was a requirement for everyone to end day 1 with sharing their first impressions. Even the men, who found their way into the booth one at a time.
“I’ve never considered a love story to be something you could live, but I’m considering that the first page of mine has just been written.” Spoke Kento.
“It’s been a long time since I felt like anyone had seen me for me, but it feel like she did. I can’t tell if I love it or if it terrifies me.” Satoru responded, the conversation from his second date still ringing in his ears.
”She’s so real that it scares me.” Geto was quick and to the point.
”She read me like a book without even laying eyes on me. I was here for a dare, but she makes me want to stay.” Toji was rattled by you, but he wouldn’t be the one to tell you that.
”She was a breath of fresh air. She’s honest, and she listened to everything I wanted to say. I’ve never had a woman treat me the way that she did.” Hiromi was ready for whatever came next, but he hoped it had to do with you.
When you’d found your way to the confessional, you couldn’t even decipher your own thoughts. A top contender? Impossible to determine. You were struck by the utter chaos that was handed to you in the form of five men you hadn’t even seen. You were excited about what connections you could build. You had no idea who you’d fall in love with, who—-if any of them—could fall in love with you, and you were terrified of the heartbreak that could come. Yet, when you were asked about your reflection of the day, you could say it with certainty:
”I had this thought in my mind of coming here and finding a love story that I could write about, but I’m more sure that I’m going to live it now. I don’t know the details or how it will work out, but I can feel it. I’m going to fall in love. I just hope that the man I fall in love with will love me back.”
