Listening to Selphie's advice, Kairi decided to give it a shot. She already agreed to the date, but now she won't approach it as an unwelcome and miserable method of passing time. She owed Riku that much. Despite how charming and gentlemanly he might be, she had no expectations of love. She had priorities, and a boyfriend was the lowest item on that list.
She decided that after school would be best. She called Yuffie to move her shift back by a couple hours and informed Riku of the time. He agreed, promising her that it would be the best "hour" of her life. She told him it was fine if it went on longer than that. As long as she made it to work by 8:30, he could take as long as he wanted.
On the day of the date, she went home at the same time as all the other students to get dressed. Selphie told her that wearing the school uniform would be insulting. It was fine for the compensated date, why was it an issue now?
"Those are two completely things," Selphie had excused.
Kairi decided to follow the order and change her clothes.
She put on a dark blouse and a light sweater she forgot she owned. It wasn't anything special, but when she had days off, she liked to dress comfortably and go out for walks. It was only special in the regard that not many people ever saw her in it.
She stood at the agreed upon meeting place quietly. It was an uncomfortable wait, even more so than the compensated date. This was somebody she knew. She couldn't pretend it never happened if things went wrong. She didn't know what to expect, and she hated not knowing what to expect.
"Kairi!" Riku's voice was so loud and clear, it made her jump. She turned to him and recoiled. He definitely put more thought in his outfit than she did. If she didn't know any better, he just came back from a photo shoot.
"Riku? What are you wearing?"
He looked down and frowned. Was it not good enough? "Just some clothes I had lying around."
She snorted. "If those were lying around, then you must be living in a tuxedo shop." He was dressed sharply in a suave blazer and neat pants. A few heads turned, wondering what this male model was doing in the park.
Riku wanted to reply, but the sight of Kairi in something other than the school uniform was stunning. "You look...amazing."
"You don't have to be nice. I didn't put in half as much effort as you did." She frowned. "I'm totally outclassed—like usual."
"Nonsense. You always look great, but outside the uniform, you look even better."
She rolled her eyes. "Let's get going."
