Amu felt a huge weight on her shoulders as soon as she reached her office desk. Multiple papers were left lying around on her table, with sticky notes of things she needed to do. After working at the jimusho for Hey! Say! Jump, she had realised how much she hated her job in journalism. She originally pursued this career to write informative news and specifically avoided writing tabloid articles that are either false or could ruin someone’s career.

Out of frustration, she looked at her computer screen and clicked at her already-drafted resignation letter. For a brief moment, she had wished that the clock would go faster for her to spend some time with the person she likes – Daiki Arioka. Having her date with the said man is the only thing keeping her sane today.

“You’re finally here”, her manager, a lady called Kojima gave her an uninterested look and without any guilt of making her come to work on a Saturday morning, “Listen, I have a new project for you. I want you to write an article about Hey! Say! Jump”. Amu’s heartrate increased after hearing this. Out of all groups in the J-industry, why Hey! Say! Jump?

“Eh?”

“Just write anything juicy! The more scandalous, the better!”, Kojima grinned which did not fail to send chills on Amu’s spine.

The girl looked at the papers handed to her and frowned at the content, “I’m sorry, but I cannot write this. Just give me something that would benefit the public. I don’t want to write any false rumours”

Hearing this, Kojima raised one of her brows before banging one hand on Amu’s desk, “You’re in my company, so do what I tell you”. She eyed the poor girl up and down before clicking her tongue in annoyance. By this time, she was already thinking of ways to make Amu’s life miserable.

“I want it written by Monday”, she proclaimed before leaving Amu defeated.

--

Ryosuke rolled his head from side to side to alleviate the loud ringing sound which is currently disturbing his slumber. He tried to drown this by placing a pillow over his head, hoping the annoying ring of his doorbell will suddenly vanish. However, the more he ignored it, the more persistent the sound became. He grunted and finally admitted defeat before glancing at his bedroom clock. It’s only six minutes past seven!

He forced himself up and went towards his entrance door.

“Hey!”, Ryosuke saw his best friend portraying a guilty smile.

“No”, he slammed the door to his face, making Daiki pound continuously without minding the next-door neighbours.

“Whatever it is, it’s too early for a Saturday morning! Give me peace and quiet on my day off!”, Ryosuke begged but the boy did not accept defeat.

“Oh, come on! Tonight is my date with Amu and I have no idea where to take her! You have to help me!!”, he pleaded and soon heard the door pop open. He grinned at a half-amused Ryosuke and invited himself in.

“One of these days, I’m gonna have to move and I won’t tell you my address”, Ryosuke said sarcastically before pouring himself a nice cup of coffee to deal with whatever non-sense Daiki is about to throw at him.

“Dude, I’m serious! I spent the whole night thinking, but I can’t think of any place we could go to without risking being seen by reporters”, he slumped down at the other end of Ryosuke’s sofa before resting his head on the backrest, “She said she has some work to do in the morning so I won’t even have a whole day with her. That’s why I need a killer first date!”.

Ryosuke rolled his eyes, “Why don’t you keep it simple? Bring her to a movie or something. It’ll be dark so it’ll be easy to hide your face”

Daiki paused for 2 seconds but hissed at the idea. He wanted this first date to be something Amu will remember, “Isn’t today your date with Rio-chan? Why aren’t you panicking?”

“Unlike you, I know where to take my girl”, Ryosuke replied proudly, “Besides, Rio is a glutton. She’ll be happy as long as I buy her food”.

Daiki pouted at this. Being with the least experience in romance, he’s stuck on finding ways to make this date memorable. However, he felt his face light up when Ryosuke suggested something brilliant.

“Why don’t you just bring the date to her place? You just have to make sure she’s out of the apartment while you prepare. I could ask Rio to help”, the younger boy casually took a sip of his coffee and could hear the cogs working inside Daiki’s brain.

“That’s a good idea! She said she’ll be running some chores this morning, so I’ll have time to prepare a meal. I could cook for her and--”

“No”, as soon as Ryosuke heard the word ‘cook’ out of his best friend’s mouth, he immediately thought that this was a BAD idea, “Do you really want to burn her apartment on the first date?”.

“Hey! I could cook! I want to make this date special!”, Daiki defended, “Just give me the simplest recipe you have, and I will follow it to the letter”. Ryosuke looked at him peculiarly and hesitated for a while. He’d seen Daiki cook before and allowing him in the kitchen is a recipe for disaster. Yet, the boy’s desperate plead made the younger one agree.

As soon as Daiki saw his friend nod, he excitedly jumped out of his seat and pushed Ryosuke towards his bathroom to get ready, “We need to go and pick up some things and you’re coming with me”, he ordered.

Ryosuke only took 40 minutes to get ready and somehow found himself being dragged by his friend, first to the supermarket, second to the department store, third to craft store, and finally, to Amu and Rio’s apartment.

“How did you even get her address?”, Ryosuke curiously asked while carrying a bag full of groceries on both arms. Just an hour ago, it has been decided that he will be Daiki’s official butler for the day – all for his and Amu’s first date.

“I got it from Yuto. He asked Rio-chan a few days ago”, Daiki said before pressing the doorbell. He did not realise how hard he hit a nerve when Ryosuke frowned at what he said.

Ryosuke did not have a chance to question this when they heard footsteps approaching the other side of the door. “Hai—eh?”, the two boys saw a very confused Yamada Rio answering their call. Seeing the two boys, Rio immediately slammed the door at Daiki’s face. To her defence, she was not ready to see Ryosuke this early. Lucky that she already took a shower, ready to buy some groceries.

“Why does everyone keep doing that to me?!”, Daiki shook his head and remembered how Ryosuke did the exact same thing to him this morning, “Rio-chan, it’s me! Open up, please”. The two boys waited a few more seconds before hearing the door creak. Ryosuke took this opportunity to barge inside, catching Rio off guard.

“Is Amu home?”

“No. She said she’ll be out but will be back around 5 before you pick her up for your date. Why are you so early, Dai-chan?”, Rio asked and immediately noticed the massive bags the two boys are carrying. Rio fiddled with her hoodie and wished that she had worn something decent in front of Ryosuke. All she’s wearing is a hoodie and her favourite faded jeans – like what normal people wear to the supermarket. Little did she know, Ryosuke was already enjoying the sight of how her hair was tied into a bun.

Ryosuke shook this thought off and casually explained their sudden visit, “This lover-boy over here wants to surprise Amu-chan”, Ryosuke explained before dumping all Daiki’s ingredients on the floor, “He’s going to cook for her”

“Cook? Is that a good idea?”, from all the magazines and shows Rio watched of Daiki, she knew that there is one thing he is incapable of doing: cooking.

“You worry too much! I’ll be fine. I want to make something special for Amu-chan. Just leave your apartment with me”, Daiki’s confidence was soaring, but he could tell that his friends are currently worried about his safety with knives and fire.

“Wait, don’t you need some help?”, Rio asked but Daiki just turned to Ryosuke.

“Did you forget about our own date today?” Ryosuke replied. Rio gulped when the boy cornered her and looked at her like a hawk, “or were you expecting your precious Yuto-kun to take you on a date instead?”

“Eh?”

“You’re coming with me”, the poor girl felt Ryosuke pulling her hoodie and almost dragging her out of the apartment.

“Have fun!”, Daiki waved his goodbye and soon, Ryosuke and Rio were gone.

--

The boy started taking all the groceries out of their respective bags and laid them neatly on the kitchen counter. He then went into the girls’ living room and imagined the setting on how to make the place romantic. With Ryosuke’s help, they were able to get fairy lights, flowers and some candles to help with the mood, “Wish me luck”, he whispered to himself, praying up to the heavens that Amu would like his surprise.

Soon, he rolled up his sleeve and started his magic.

--

It was already 4pm when Amu finished all the towering paperwork lingering on her desk. However, doing scout work never really bothered her, it took her mind off the disturbing article her boss wanted her to write. She did not have any courage to even start a sentence about Hey! Say! Jump. She managed to write a long paragraph about the group but was instantly rejected by her manager after realising that it was a ‘positive’ review.

“I told you, I want a scandal. People likes juicy stories! No one would read this”, her words ringed inside her head like a broken recorder. With not much strength to carry on, she pushed herself outside her office and headed home.

--

Amu reached her apartment and was successful in shaking her horrific day at work off her head. A smile was plastered on her face with the thought of Daiki picking her up for their date in less than an hour. She cluelessly twisted the door open and immediately noticed a pair of shoes neatly pushed aside near the entrance door.

“Does Rio-chan have a visitor?”, she wondered and led herself towards their small living room.

In an instant, her jaw fell after her eyes landed on the scenery in front. The curtains were closed and the whole room was dark, but it only enhanced the beauty of the well-decorated room. Fairy lights dangled from every corner alongside the sweet smell of freshly cut roses. Candles were scattered around, making the room look somewhere in a movie.

Amu noticed the small table on the side where a candle lit dinner was prepared. The table was covered with velvet and the flowers in the middle just made it more romantic. What else? Daiki positioned a cosy blanket in the middle of the living room facing the TV, with freshly cooked popcorn ready on the side.

“Amu-chan”, Amu was still on a daze when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her, “I could’ve done more but I ran out of time. I didn’t know you’ll come home this early”, Daiki scratched the back of his head.

“You did this all by yourself?”

“Pretty much. I did not want to risk you being spotted by reporters outside, so I just brought the date here. Sorry it’s a bit lame I jus—“, his sentence was cut short when he felt Amu coming in for an embrace.

“I love it. Thank you”, she buried her face on her chest and was able to smell Daiki’s intoxicating perfume. She felt like she had the worst day, but with Daiki’s presence, she felt she could take on anything.

The boy smiled back at her before cupping her face, “Wait until you taste my cooking, you might change your mind”, he nervously chuckled.

“I’m looking forward to it… but first, we have to change your clothes. I think you have half of your ingredients on it”, Amu