A/N: SPOILER ALERT! This chapter references Oreki's background and how he developed his energy conservation motto. If you haven't read it, check it out at Volume 6 of the translated light novels – The Long Holiday.

The Date

Narrator's POV

It wasn't really a date. He just wanted to mess with Fukube.

Saturday came and he was waiting at the train station where he and Chitanda agreed to meet. They were going to visit the grave of Jun Sekitani today. The weather was incredibly hot and on such occasions, Oreki prepared for complete inaction. But he found, much to his confusion, that he didn't quite mind Chitanda's invitation.

Eru Chitanda.

What a strange girl. She was the mystery that Oreki had yet to solve. Why, for instance, could he never say no to her? There was something about her that just floored him. Whatever it was, he was going to get to the bottom of it today. He checked his watch, and somebody lightly tapped his shoulder.

"Hello, Oreki-san," Chitanda greeted with a cheery voice. "Shall we go?" She was wearing a light pink dress and white cardigan. Her hair was tied in a ponytail by a ribbon. The hairpin he gave her rested neatly near her left temple. Her cheeks were tinted with a hint of blush, possibly from walking under the sun.

He liked her best like this.

This way, he could casually look at her.

Her appearance at the doll festival proved too much for his simple heart to handle.

"Mm," he agreed.

Well, thinking back on the pictures Fukube gave him, maybe seeing Chitanda like that once a year wouldn't seem so bad.

They boarded the train and looked for seats. "Over there," Oreki indicated a seat behind Chitanda. "There's one free. Take it."

Chitanda politely agreed and took the seat. Oreki stood in front of her. As the train began to move, he found himself casually looking towards Chitanda. There was no meaning to it, really. He just wondered if Chitanda had ever been confessed to. She seemed like the type to get confessions. She is well-mannered, gentle and smart. She also has amazing cooking skills. But most of all –

She smiled at him when she caught him looking. "What is it Oreki-san?"

"Ahh. Nothing." He quickly looked away.

Most of all, she was, as Satoshi perfectly described her – a stunning, stop-take-a-second-look, absolute beauty.

The train came to a brief halt, and an old lady boarded the train. Chitanda was quick to offer her seat. Now, Chitanda was standing beside him, holding on to a hanging strap. The old lady was smiling at both Eru and him. Houtarou knew what she was going to say even before the old lady opened her mouth.

"Are you two dating?" the kindly old lady asked. "Nice day out for a date."

"No! No ma'am. We are just going to visit my uncle's grave."

"We're friends from school."

"I see," the lady said.

The train continued on its journey and Chitanda swayed left and right unable to steady her footing. After watching her struggle for some time, Oreki grew tired and stepped forward to assist.

He had to. Really.

"Lean on me so you won't fall," he said.

"O-Okay."

Neither of them personally saw it, but if possible, the old lady's smile grew even wider.

Chitanda gently leaned back against Oreki. Her back was now to his chest. Oreki kept his gaze averted and occupied himself with the passing scenery. He remembered that Chitanda had an insane hearing ability, and he hoped that she couldn't hear the loud thumping in his chest, whatever that meant. Luckily for him, Chitanda was more than preoccupied with her own heartbeat. She kept her head down the entire time.

Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the trip.

This was the closest they had ever been.

The old lady alighted one stop before Chitanda and Oreki. Chitanda was able to resume her seat. As soon as she did, Oreki's shoulders relaxed and Chitanda was able to breathe normally.

After some time, they finally reached their destination.

They alighted from the train and found themselves in a vast field of grass with uneven rows of tombs. The wind softly blew the trees and carried the faint murmurs of the visitors who arrived before they did. From a distance, Oreki could see a small booth where flowers and incense sticks were being sold.

"Do we need to buy anything for his grave?" he asked.

"No, I have everything we need in my bag."

They started walking to the direction of the grave of Jun Sekitani. Every now and again they would take a turn and Oreki was thankful that Chitanda knew her way around the graveyard. It wasn't long before they reached his grave.

"Well, we're here," she said.

Chitanda knelt and started cleaning Sekitani's tombstone. There's no question that Sekitani meant so much to Chitanda. That's why she was here. But what about Oreki? What reason did he have to visit his grave? Oreki watched as Chitanda laid flowers and helped her light the incense sticks. Then, Chitanda stood up and bowed her head to pray for her uncle's soul. Oreki did the same.

Chitanda didn't know it, but Jun Sekitani actually forced Oreki to re-evaluate his way of life. As a kid, Oreki realized that he was used as a tool by other people, much like Sekitani, who became a sacrificial lamb against his will. Oreki often wondered what kind of man Sekitani became after his expulsion, and whether he looked back on his life with favor, or if he remained trapped in that incident in high school. If Sekitani were alive today and he knew of Oreki's past, what would he have said to Oreki?

The way he is right now, was Oreki really living, or was he just enduring?

These were thoughts that laid heavy on his heart as he prayed for Jun Sekitani's soul. He still didn't know the answers. But he thinks it's a miracle that he even has questions at all.

"Oreki-san," Chitanda's voice broke him out of his reverie. He turned to look at her.

"Thank you for coming here today with me," she said.

Oreki smiled and slowly shook his head.

"No," he whispered. "Thank you for bringing me here today with you." Oreki placed one hand on the tombstone and continued, "Ten years from now, I wonder how I will view my life today. I'd like to know. Thanks to you I am able to think of it."

If Chitanda was confused by his remark she didn't show it and Oreki was grateful that he didn't have to explain.

He looked back at Chitanda, realizing that she probably had no clue as to how she jump-started his sudden curiosity about his way of life. He stared at her, and for the first time he understood what this strange girl meant to him.

She is the catalyst, the girl, the one who makes it impossible for him to ignore the world around him or himself.

"What a curious thing to say, Oreki-san."

He smiled despite himself.

She's THE girl. He understands that now, and it's okay that she doesn't know it yet. Him realizing is enough.

His eyes lock onto hers and he thinks that her innocence is both disarming and unfair.

"It is rather curious, isn't it? Let's head home, Chitanda-san."

"From now on, you should go on a long holiday. It'll be for the best. Take it nice and easy. It's okay. Even if, while you're resting, you can't change yourself fundamentally… I'm sure someone will end your holiday for you."

- Tomoe Oreki