Ikebukuro Otome 109: Ch. 5 Ramuda’s Single Blanket Strategy
You nearly threw your phone like it was an active time bomb as Ramuda’s annoying, preppy ringtone rang from the speakers. After fumbling with the device in your hands for about a minute, you managed to pick up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Yahoo! Y/n-chan~ hihi! You said to call?”
“Yeah… hi.”
“Hmm? Is everything ok? You sound… hmmm anxious?”
“I’m fine, I think?” You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I think I just agreed to go on a date with Ichiro on Friday?”
“You WHAT?!?!” Ramuda’s screech pierced your ears. “He asked you out already?! I’m gonna have to lecture that kid…”
“Well, I mean technically it was me who asked…”
“HUH?!?”
“I mean I didn’t directly ask to go on a date, I just invited him over to come watch a few movies and he’s bringing dinner.” You shrugged, laying down on the sofa and draping your legs over the side.
“Y/n oh my god!!! That is such a date! Eeeek! This is so exciting!! What are you gonna wear? What’s he bringing for dinner?” Questions continued to roll off Ramuda’s tongue. “I’m sure he thinks it’s a date… hmmm but he can be a bit oblivious at times…”
You chuckled, “That’s actually what I was calling to ask you about. Well, besides kinda freaking out. I have no idea what to do or anything… you know it’s been years since I’ve done this.”
“Hmmmm, true, true,” you could hear Ramuda hum in thought. “Ok! Well, he’s already seen you in sweats when you moved in, so the fashion department isn’t something we’re worried about… hmmm…. Oh! Make sure your place is nice and clean and cute! Decorations as well! Make sure you have drinks! Oh but Ichiro is underage… drop the drinks! Make sure you have lots of blankets, wait no only one so you eventually have to share! Ehehe~”
“Ok, ok, I think I got it now Ramuda,” you couldn’t help but smile at the stupid thought of it all.
“Mmhm! Mmhm!” He sang, “Oh! Hold on y/n, I’m getting another call! Gasp! It’s Ichiro! I wonder what he could possibly be calling me about?”
“Ramuda” you hissed, “do not.”
“Ehehe~ well! I’ll let you go so you can start planning for your little date tomorrow~”
“Ramu—“
The call dropped, causing you to let out an exasperated groan. That man better keep his mouth shut.
——
The living room had been tidied restlessly, your hands nervously fixing a lopsided pillow on the couch or straightening the books on the coffee table. You had roughly ten minutes before Ichiro was to come over, and you were losing your mind.
It shouldn’t be this big of a deal, if a deal at all. He was just a friend coming over to hang out and watch a few movies, nothing more and nothing less. At least that’s what you thought before Ramuda called you the day before and rambled on and on about how much Ichiro seemed to like you, how he fondly spoke about you in his texts, and how he totally saw romance blooming. Typically when your best friend did this, you’d just roll your eyes and ignore it, but this time you didn’t necessarily want to. The designer told you not to worry about it and to just go with the flow, to let things happen as they happen. Was he stupid? He knew you could never just let things happen! Especially when it came to things like… this.
You had barely finished rearranging your bookcase when your doorbell buzzed. Well, here goes nothing! You slipped on a pair of slippers as you shuffled to the front door, smiling as you cracked it open, peeking your head through.
“What’s the password?” You teased.
“Oh man… hmmm,” Ichiro took a step back and posed like he was thinking before lifting up a bag, “How about pasta?”
The door swung open, “Pasta? Come on in, I’m starving!” You bounced on your heels.
You led Ichiro into your apartment, nervously toying with the ends of your hoodie strings. You hadn’t dressed up in any way, and you were glad he hadn’t either. The more casual this felt, the less butterflies filled your stomach.
He snickered at your eagerness to open the door and followed you inside, keeping a respectful distance behind you and taking time to observe the decor around the apartment.
“Wow, y/n, you did a really good job decorating the place! Unpacking everything so quickly too, I’m impressed,” Ichiro sung praises as he set the paper bags of food on the counter.
“Oh! Thanks, I don’t have much,” you blushed and chuckled nervously, “but I think it’s enough to make me feel at home, you know?”
Ichiro nodded, “I see what you mean. Sometimes having too much stuff makes a place feel crowded and cramped. I think you found the perfect balance.”
“Well, I am a designer at heart~ don’t forget that,” you smirked, helping him unpack the dinner bags. “Woah, this looks amazing, Ichiro! Where did you get it from?”
“I made it myself,” he admitted shyly, offering to take the containers from your hands to place in the fridge.
“Seriously?!” you exclaimed, “Man, what can’t you do?”
“You’d be surprised.” Ichiro chuckled, “I just know how to make a few things because of my brothers, nothing crazy.”
“Ichiro, this is like, fancy stuff! Are there mussels in here?!”
“Hmm?” He looked up after closing the fridge, “oh, yeah! Pescatore is my youngest brother’s favourite. He did really well on his final exams so I made it to celebrate. I hope you don’t mind that I brought the extra…”
“No, no! Of course not! This is wonderful, really! I’m just very impressed!”
“Oh! Hahah, thanks!” Ichiro bashfully scratched the back of his neck. “I guess I don’t think much about cooking, I’ve been doing it for my bros for a while so it’s almost natural.”
“You really take good care of them, huh?” You smiled, resting your elbows on the counter.
“It’s nothing impressive, really. I’m just doing what my old man couldn’t…” he paused, “a-anyway! What did you have planned for our marathon tonight?”
Upon seeing Ichiro’s expression as he opened up, your heart fluttered. He was already trusting you enough to say such personal things, even if it was just a small sentence.
“Hmmm… I was thinking we could start off with the classic ‘54, then we can always skip around to the more modern Hollywood films?”
“Hey, you’re the master here,” Ichiro grinned and placed a hand on your shoulder, “I’m but a simple student.”
You blushed and rolled your eyes. “Go ahead and have a seat on the couch, I’ll grab drinks and put some popcorn on.”
——
Admitting that Ramuda was right was always something that begrudged you. But… the single blanket strategy was impeccable. Ichiro was the first to take it and drape it across his shoulders, but halfway through the second movie, he offered to share. Your heart raced as you shuffled next to him, his arm resting respectfully behind you. By the end of the night, you had fallen asleep on his shoulder with his arm around you. You had awoken up when you felt something rest against the top of your head. It had startled you at first, but then you sighed in relief after noticing it was only Ichiro’s head. Wait. What?!
Your mind was racing and your heart was pounding. Yes this was the plan in the back of your mind but you didn’t really think it would play out! It was just a fantasy! Oh man what were you going to do? You didn’t want to wake him up and embarrass him, but you also knew that if you stayed here like this… Luckily, a phone ping saved you. Well, saving was a stretch. Ichiro had awoken when his phone went off, to which he naturally moved away, unaware that you were awake. He himself was still half asleep and was unaware of his position. He looked at his phone, typed a reply, then got comfortable and draped his arm back over your shoulders. There was a beat of silence before his arm moved away and he jolted up, causing you to wake from your doze. You sat up next to him, hiding a yawn behind your hand.
“Oh my god I’m so sorry,” Ichiro stammered, the tips of his ears flaming red. “I-I didn’t realise I had fallen asleep! Or that you had fallen asleep!”
“I-It’s ok!” You blushed, feeling just as flustered, “I didn’t notice… or mind that much.”
“Ah… ok…” he fidgeted with the rings on his fingers. “Uhm… it’s getting kinda late, and I think it’s fair to say we’re both pretty tired?”
“Mmmhm, yeah,” you nodded, holding back a yawn.
“I should probably head home. It was a text from my brothers that woke me up, I hadn’t realised how late it’d gotten!” Ichiro said sheepishly.
“Time flies, huh?” you stretched your arms above your head. “Man, it is late. Sorry about that! I’ll walk you to the door.”
“That would be lovely,” he smiled, folding the blanket over the back of the couch.
You followed him to the door, leaning against the wall as you watched him pull on his jacket and shoes. It really was a super fun night, despite the embarrassing sleeping incident (which you really didn’t mind). Ichiro patted his pockets to make sure he had all his belongings before turning to face you.
“Thanks for stopping by, Ichiro. I had a really good time! Ya make good company,” you smiled. “And! Thank you for dinner as well. You’ll have to show me how it’s done next time. Uhm! If you’d want to have a next time…” you looked shyly to the floor.
Ichiro’s chuckle made you look up. “I’d love for there to be a next time, y/n.”
“Ok! I’ll text you then!” your cheeks blushed as you looked at him. “Text me when you get home too, okay?”
“I will,” He smiled softly, hand resting on the doorknob.
“G’night, Ichiro.”
“Goodnight, y/n.”
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