There's a tense moment of silence as [Name] glances back and forth between her companion and the direction their waitress had just left in. With their orders already taken, an opportunity for conversation should have been initiated, but neither teen was seizing the chance. In a nervous habit, she starts nibbling on her bottom lip, wracking her brain for any topic that would be of interest.

"So," she starts eventually, noticing how the boy across from her flinches ever so slightly. "Basketball?"

In her mind, [Name] is chastising herself for the lame start of a conversation. Of course her date would want to talk about basketball—he was Kasamatsu Yukio, after all—but she didn't know the first thing about the sport save for the few things her friends back at Seirin had told her. Needless to say, she'd already dived headfirst into a topic she had no experience in.

"Y-Yeah," Kasamatsu answers back.

He's cursing at himself inwardly for the short response, unable to find the words to express himself. Even if he could, he doesn't really know what [Name] means. Did she want to know why he played basketball? Or maybe she wanted to talk about his last game? It was possible she was leaving it open for his interpretation so he could take the conversation in whatever direction he chose, but that plan would only work if he could get the jumbled vocabulary in his mind to make coherent phrases longer than a syllable. This date was a bad idea.

When Kasamatsu fails to elaborate further on his answer another silence starts to linger in the air. [Name] finds herself glancing around the cafe, looking for another source of inspiration for their conversation. When none presents itself, she goes back to the previous topic, albeit hesitantly.

"I don't know much about it myself. Maybe you could teach me a few things?" She leaves the question hanging in the air, hoping her voice didn't sound overly hopeful.

There's another beat before Kasamatsu answers with a quick, "S-Sure."

[Name] feels her heart sink when, once again, Kasamatsu ends his answer short. She hadn't expected him to be so closed off and, for a brief second, she wonders if it's something about her that's putting him off.

"I'm sorry this is really awkward," she apologizes suddenly, catching Kasamatsu slightly off guard. [Name] couldn't remember the last time a first date had gone this badly; maybe it was a bad omen? "If you want, we can call this date off. I wouldn't mind—"

"N-No!"

The quick outburst startles [Name] and she reels back in her seat for a second, staring at Kasamatsu with wide, curious eyes. Despite the fact that he's turning his head in every direction other than hers, she can still see the red flush that's begun to creep its way onto his face. It tints his ears ever so slightly before he finally opens his mouth to speak once more.

"Stay," he murmurs, proud of himself for not stuttering for once. "I…" Once again and far too soon, he's at a loss for words. Just how hard could it be to explain that he really wanted this date to work out? "I want to know… you?"

Even though he's ended it like a question, the fact that he'd said something more than one word at a time has brought an accomplished smile to [Name]'s face. Still, she knows it must have taken a lot of courage for him to do so and it's more than likely that he'll return to his one syllable answers once again. It takes her a moment, but a plan comes to her mind that may take use of his short replies. This date might just be a good idea after all.

"I want to get to know you too," she confesses. The words cause a tinge of pink to dash onto her cheeks and she tries to shake it off before continuing. "Why don't we play twenty questions?"

"H-Huh?"

There's confusion laced in Kasamatsu's voice, something [Name] was betting would happen.

"We'll ask each other a series of yes or no questions," she elaborates, making a two with one hand and a zero with the other. "Things like 'do you like the school you're in' or 'do you like eating seafood' and stuff, okay?" When Kasamatsu hesitantly nods, [Name] smiles. "Great. Uh, I'll start."

She takes her time to think of a good first question, her thinking process showing on her face as she glances around the room. Every so often, [Name] would lock eyes with Kasamatsu, though he never held the gaze for long. Finally, after a dragged out minute, [Name] snaps her fingers together in a gesture that says she's finally thought of one.

"Do you play any instruments?"

The questions was simple enough and Kasamatsu easily finds himself nodding as he mutters out a quick, "Yeah."

And for a second, [Name] forgets the rules to the game. "That's so cool! What kind of instrument do you play? Do you know how to play any modern songs, or just classical stuff? Can you play something for me one day? I'd really like to hear it. Oh, have you ever—"

There's a certain panic in Kasamatsu's eyes as the onslaught of questions assault him. Noticing the overwhelmed expression, [Name] brings her inquiries to a screeching halt. She smiles sheepishly at him as a form of apology before gesturing for him to take his turn. Unfortunately, it only lands the two of them right back at square one.

"D-Do… Do you, uh…"

[Name] doesn't even bother to count the minutes it takes for Kasamatsu to finally finish his question.

{EXTRA}

"Okay," [Name] says, her voice holding a tone of finality. "This is the twentieth question I have for you."

She pauses for dramatic effect, making Kasamatsu feel rather nervous. What if she asked something that would inevitably embarrass him? He didn't want to have to lie.

"Will you," she starts off slowly. "Teach me how to shoot a basket?"

His answer his immediate. "Yes."