Reverse Tarot - kanji-tatsumi

She felt awful. Legitimately just so bad. Nozomi wasn't a frequent drinker, so she was always caught a little off guard with how bad hangovers could be. She was completely flattened in her bed, still wearing the same outfit from the night prior (thank god), and looking bleary-eyed at her phone. The water was welcome, and she was already feeling slightly better, but only just. Whatever Tatsumi was whipping up in the kitchen was smelling good though. Headache aside, she could at least be glad that he was here to ease the pain. @Deleted User

It wasn't the first time Kanji had taken it on himself to look after a hungover friend, but the night before definitely stood out from the rest. Mostly just in the way Nozomi had gotten to be so forward when she was drunk... And it didn't help that Yu was acting the same way, which resulted in a few slurred demands from the idol to go to his senpai's house. Of course, he ignored it, like he did most other things people would say under the influence. Everybody said or did stupid shit when they were drunk, so it didn't mean anything. He just hoped she wasn't beating herself up about it too much; which, knowing her, she probably was, but that was part of what he was there for, right? As for the actual hangover, the suggestion was plain ol' bread, but Kanji decided he could take it just a little further for good measure by just making a whole breakfast. It wasn't anything too complicated, just eggs, bacon, and toast, but it'd do the job. After the cooking was over and done with and he'd gotten a plate ready, Kanji made his way over to the bedroom, stopping in the doorway. "Hey, Nozomi-chan? I uh, went ahead and made ya some breakfast, so come out 'n eat whenever you're ready." Looking at her now, there was obviously a pretty big contrast from how she was last night... well, maybe the difference wasn't as big when he thought about the part where she started crying before finally passing out, but... yeah, that part, he'd keep quiet about. No need to make her feel even more embarrassed.

Nozomi let out a groan in response. It was as positive of a sound as she could make it, all things considered. But now came the herculean task of scraping herself up out of bed. With much effort and exertion, she managed to brace herself up on her arms and slowly rise up to a seated position. From there, she carefully moved to the edge of her bed, placing her feet down and preparing for the worst. With a huff, she stood, feeling her head light up with pain once again. She held it in her hands a moment, waiting for it to die down before shuffling out to the kitchen. Nozomi blinked slowly as she looked over the food. This was definitely more than plain bread. Far be it from her to complain about a home cooked meal though. She assembled a plate, then slowly and deliberately moved over to the loveseat and flopped down onto the cushion. Her fork lazily moved about to transport some of the eggs to her mouth. The second it touched her tongue, an unconscious, "Mmmmm..." left her lips. Under normal circumstances, she'd feel immensely embarrassed, but at this point she was just glad to eat some good food. She was pretty sure those nachos last night were good, but nothing beat home cooking. After eating a bit and regaining a small piece of her humanity, she decided she would address what she perceived to be the elephant in the room. "Hey, Tatsumi-san," she opened up, her voice low and groggy. There was a sort of raw roughness that, with the quality of her voice normally, likely wasn't entirely unpleasant. "I really do want to apologize for last night. I promise I don't usually get like that when I'm drunk."

While he took a seat in one of the nearby chairs, the urge to fist pump was a hard one to suppress as Kanji saw Nozomi's reaction to the food. Not that he wasn't confident in his home cooking abilities, but at the same time, he didn't usually have someone else to be the judge of those abilities. When it came to get-togethers with everyone else, the job of cooking would go to Yu, and it was definitely for the best in Kanji's own opinion. His cooking was decent, sure, but it was still nothing compared to his former senpai's... "Huh? Oh... Nah, don't worry 'bout it," Kanji offered a soft smile alongside his attempt to reassure her. "I've seen way worse. Hell, I've been way worse when I was drunk, too. You don't gotta apologize for anythin'. And uh... you can just call me Kanji, if ya want."

"Just because you've dealt with worse doesn't mean it was fair to you." It was a sentiment from the heart. She really hated inconveniencing people like that, and it was even worse considering what exactly she put him through. He carried her home for god's sake. At least if what she said in the chat was to be believed, and she did read back through all of the embarrassing nonsense she wrote. "I really hope I didn't make you too uncomfortable though Tats-, er, Kanji-san." That felt weird to say out loud. There weren't many people she considered herself on a first name basis with. It was pretty much just the Kitchen. "Hopefully we can just like, forget all that stuff and move on."

Man, he really wasn't any good at this whole "making someone feel less bad" thing, was he...? Maybe he should've just bit the bullet and called Yu or Rise... Yeah, like he didn't have too much pride to do something like that. "I-it's fine, really," His eyes darted from Nozomi to the floor for a split-second. He'd be lying if some of the stuff that the idol had said to him didn't fluster him a little, but still, it really wasn't that big of a deal... right? "Yeah, I wouldn't stress about it too much. Anyway, uh... I hope the food's good."

"Oh, the food's uh, the food's great," she waved something off, she wasn't quite sure what. She just felt the need to do something with her hands. "I um, don't get home cooking very often. It's a nice change of pace." She lazily ate a little more, trying to keep herself focused through the headache. It was kind of working, to an extent at least. Despite her own insistence that they could move on from the night prior however, her clouded brain decided to keep talking about it anyway. "I don't really remember what I said aside from what I put in the chat, but I can't imagine it was the most flattering on my part. I really didn't mean anything by it." Nozomi went to take another bite, but was struck with the sudden realization that the statement may be misconstrued, and so with a slice of bacon mere inches from her mouth, she started to backpedal. "I mean, uh, n-not that like, I didn't mean it you know? You're like, er, very um-... good looking obviously, I just mean to like, not take it all too seriously, you know? I was uh, pretty far gone and that um-, i-it makes you say weird stuff right? Not that flirting's weird, b-but-...." Her statement trailed off when she couldn't think of anything else to say, and so resigned to her fate, she simply took a weary bite out of the bacon before uttering out a quiet, "Sorry...."

"Oh no, no-- yeah, I-I gotcha." The stuttering on Nozomi's end of the conversation seemed to be contagious as Kanji began to stumble over his words, his cheeks taking on an ever-so-slightly pink tint. "Y-yeah, no worries, like... People say stuff like that all the time when they're drunk, yeah? 's no big deal, really." No big deal, and yet he couldn't quite pry his mind off of the fact that she'd said he was good-looking. Getting a compliment like that from her? Talk about an ego boost... Well, assuming she meant it. "Um... So, ya don't have home cookin' a lot, huh?" Kanji decided to change the subject, feeling that to be the best action to take to ease Nozomi's nerves, and to an extent, his own. "If you wanted, I could maybe show ya how to. Uh, cook stuff, I mean." Considering the contents of her fridge that he'd seen the night before, Kanji figured it was a pretty reasonable assumption that the idol wasn't much of a chef. Not that there was anything wrong with that, everyone was different, but he figured if most of what she had was takeout and stuff like that, then it'd be good for her to be able to make something else every once in a while, right?

People may say stuff like that all the time while they're drunk, but that didn't exactly make her feel better about it all. That was just way too far. And it was extremely out of character for her. She was lucky that the tabloids didn't hear about all of that, or she'd be in real deep trouble. Anyway, best to try and not think about all of that. "Oh, god, I couldn't ask you to do that. Come out all this way just to teach me to cook that is. I mean, I'm not really that good, no, but I make do. Narukami and Hanamura tried teaching me one day, but I hardly remember anything if I'm being honest." She kind of felt guilty, having all of her friends offer to try and teach her how to cook. Nozomi knew that it was because they cared, but she didn't want to inconvenience anyone like that. "Please don't misunderstand, I really do appreciate the offer, but to take that long of a train ride that often just to cook a meal? That seems a little unfair to you."

A train ride wasn't something Kanji minded the least bit, let alone something he'd find unfair. After all, he spent a lot of time cooped up in his apartment, preoccupied with project after project; not that he could complain too much, he loved his craft more than almost anything, but he couldn't say no to an excuse to get out of the house more often. "Nah, it really wouldn't be any trouble," He shook his head. "I don't live that far away, and... Well, I figure maybe we should hang out more anyway, so it's a win-win, yeah?" He understood Nozomi was the type of person who never wanted to be a bother, which meant it was a good thing that Kanji wasn't the type to be bothered by much of anything. ...well, except attacks on his hobbies or his appearance or...a few things, really. But he'd gotten much better about that in the last ten years. Totally.

She froze for a moment at that statement. He... wanted to hang out with her? Even after the previous night? She kept moving the food to her mouth as soon as she'd realized she stopped to hopefully seem like it hadn't been that big of a deal. "A couple hours is still a pretty long train ride. I don't want to make you do that more than you have to, not for just a cooking lesson." Maybe for other things though, that would be nice. No, she couldn't get hung up on those thoughts. It would just make things complicated. They were just friends, that was all. No matter what else she wanted. "I'm definitely not opposed to hanging out more though, especially if you're still saying that after last night. Probably won't go out drinking any time soon, but at least there's other stuff to do." The attempt at a joke would hopefully lighten things a little. She didn't want to keep making excuses for why she couldn't do things anymore. Now was the time she should be allowed to live her life.

Nobody had said cooking lessons had to be the only reason for Kanji to visit a friend's house, but with Nozomi's career being what it was, he had to wonder if there was a risk of some paparazzi stalking her and snapping a picture of Kanji entering her apartment... ...which would no doubt result in the public getting the entirely wrong idea, but hey, he was probably just worrying too much. No way anyone could believe that just a regular guy like him could be with an idol, anyhow... "Aw, c'mon, you weren't that bad at all," He let out a light chuckle at her joke. "But yeah, I know what ya mean. Wouldn't mind just goin' out and grabbin' a bite sometime soon. Uh, if you're free, that is. I know idol stuff gets to be pretty busy sometimes..."

'Pretty busy' was putting it lightly. It could be downright impossible to plan things outside of work sometimes. The winter holidays were especially punishing with all of the festivities and themed releases they had to work on. "Yeah, I'd like that. This month is hard, but after New Years my schedule should open up a bit. Hopefully we can plan something around then." Maybe sooner, if she could swing it. Didn't seem likely, though she was the least public of Kanamin Kitchen, so it was still possible at least. "But yeah, a bite to eat, maybe find something in the city to do, it'd be nice." It also sounded like a date. She wouldn't bring it up if he didn't, but this was starting to sound like a bad idea.

The more Kanji thought on it, the more the whole idea started to sound like more of a date; Not that he was about to bring that up to her, of course that'd be a terrible idea... But it wasn't that Kanji minded the idea of a Christmas Eve date, but with Nozomi's career and all that... Ugh, he was getting ahead of himself. Just concentrate on the here and now, dammit. "Yeah, for sure," He nodded in agreement, attempting to dash away intrusive thoughts of what else a simple hangout could be. "Um... that reminds me, Christmas is comin' up too, so--" He paused. Welp, the intrusive thoughts won. Shit. "I-I mean, if you ain't got plans for that, then... it's sooner than New Years, right?" God, now what was he gonna do...?

Nozomi froze again. This time it was much harder to hide, as the gears in her still aching brain were very clearly grinding against each other trying to process exactly what was going on. What... exactly was he asking here? He was asking to hang out on Christmas. Maybe it was because she'd moved out recently? Maybe he thought she wasn't spending the day with family, that was probably it. "I mean, not really. The studio does a little holiday party, but that's like, between Christmas and New Years. I usually just spend Christmas at home. Which this year is here I guess." She gestured around the room briefly, letting her arms drop down to her sides afterwards. "D-Did you... have something in mind?"

Somehow, it felt like Kanji was digging himself a grave the more he ran his mouth, and by now, there really wasn't any other way to dig himself back out of it. Proposing a hangout during Christmas? Hell, during Christmas Eve? What the hell else would that sound like but a date? Oh, to hell with it... Might as well bite the bullet and ask anyway. "Well, I uh..." He cleared his throat, taking a second to let his mind catch up to his mouth. "I was... thinkin' if ya didn't have any other plans, maybe you 'n me could hang out for Christmas Eve? I don't really have any plans for it 'cept to go see my mom the day after, so we could... I dunno, go grab somethin' to eat, check out some of the decorations around the city... Y'know, if ya want." (edited)

She blinked slowly, the gears in her head still struggling to turn. Was that smoke coming out of her ears? Quite possibly. Nozomi ran over all of the details of the proposition in question. He wanted to hang out. Just the two of them. Getting food. On Christmas Eve. She was beginning to draw lines, and once the dots were all connected, she looked up at him, eyes strangely meeting his, and she blurted out the first thought that came to her mind. "You mean like a date?" The instant the words left her lips, her heart stopped beating. She definitely should not have asked that out loud. It was a question she was better off not knowing the answer to. And yet, it was out in the open regardless. This was how she died, through the sheer anxiety of being faced with dating someone like Kanji.

There the implication was, staring Kanji right in the eyes alongside Nozomi. With their eyes meeting, it was damn near impossible for his cheeks not to flush. A date. With Nozomi. He'd just asked Nozomi out. For Christmas Eve. God, he felt like a nervous wreck of a teenager again all of a sudden. "...yeah," He gulped, nodding to her question. "Like a date. If you're... y'know, okay with that." The more he spoke, the more his heartbeat seemed to pick up the pace, while the rest of his body tensed up. When he really thought on it, of course there were a few things pointing to the possibility of Nozomi maybe having some kind of interest in him, even dating back to when they first met, but... the fear still lingered. What if she'd say no anyway? What if he was just imagining shit that whole time?

"Ah," was the initial noise that left her mouth. That was also incredibly stupid of her, she was certain it made her sound disappointed. That of course wasn't the case, it was just overloading her brain at the moment. Between the headache, and the realization that this was the first time she'd ever legitimately had someone ask her out that wasn't just some random fan, and just the suddenness of it all, she felt thoroughly stuck. What was she supposed to say though? Obviously she wanted to spend time with him. Kanji was a nice guy, and definitely her type after all. But then there was the issue of her contract. That damn thing always managed to complicate everything in her life. Still, this was her time now, no more living with regret. She was 25 years old and had never been on even a single date. What could it hurt? "I think... I would absolutely be okay with that." She tried her best to smile, but it only half worked. It was an expression that was very clearly happy with the result, but seemed uncertain how to show it. "We just might have to um, k-keep it quiet. For now at least. With my job and all, I-I just don't want you getting caught up in a scandal like that." As long as he could keep a secret, it should be fine. Kujikawa had dated while under contract before and it turned out fine. Hell, the other Kitchen girls weren't immune either. "Just, promise you can keep it a secret for a little while."

Anxiety started to form a knot in Kanji's chest, growing tighter with each passing second as his eyes were glued to Nozomi's facial expression. Right, of course she'd just be put off by it... What the hell was he thinking? Except... the rejection he anticipated never came. In fact, the knot in his chest seemed to completely undo itself when she smiled at him. Holy shit. Aside from the fact that he found the look on her face to be undeniably cute, she'd actually said yes. The only phrase that could formulate itself in his brain for a good couple seconds was holy shit, as he sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. "Y-yeah, course!" He nodded emphatically, smiling like the big dumb dork he was. "I promise. Last thing I'd want is your career bein' in danger over this either, so... I'll make sure to keep it on the down low, too." No doubt it'd be a pretty damn hard thing to do if they kept this up, but if Kanji was good at anything, it was keeping secrets first and foremost. Hell, he'd gone a good chunk of his life keeping his real self hidden behind the mask of a violent and bullheaded delinquent type... this'd be nothing compared to enduring that. (edited)

She breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that was that then. She was confident she could trust him with all of this. It was still a little nerve-wracking, but this would be good, she was sure of it. God, if her mom knew this was happening, she'd have a complete meltdown. The thought almost made her laugh. "Good. That's good." She didn't have much more on her plate, but she figured she should probably finish it. She was feeling better already, but a little more wouldn't hurt. Besides, it was probably the best breakfast she'd had in years. That, or the hangover was just making it even more delicious. "I appreciate it. And hey, if this means I get to have more of your cooking, I'd be an idiot to complain about having to keep a secret."

"Y-yeah, no problem..." He laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm uh, glad ya think so." If he was going to keep cooking for her, would that mean he wouldn't even have to teach her how? Not that Kanji didn't want to teach her to begin with, but if she really liked his cooking, and he could keep cooking for her, then she'd be happy and— ugh. Slow the hell down, Tatsumi. You JUST asked her out on a date, that's all! Hold your friggin' horses! Yeah, he'd definitely have to keep this a secret for now, or he'd never hear the end of it; not from his mom, and not from the others, especially Rise and Ted... God knows those two in particular would have a field day over it. "Just gimme a call and I'll come by to whip somethin' up for ya again whenever," He offered with a smile, before realizing that he'd probably need to clarify something further. "Uhm... not that I'd come over only to cook, I'm okay with just hangin' out too."

------[[TIME SKIP]]------

Nozomi was no stranger to being nervous. It was a miracle she was an idol to begin with honestly. Every performance, every interview, every role, and even every photoshoot, her anxiety always shot through the roof. It was a wonder how she hadn't grown any gray hairs with how stressed she was all the time. For some reason though, waiting here for her date was spiking it even higher than normal. Her mind was racing at a million thoughts a second, making it difficult to focus on actually keeping an eye out for him. She needed to relax. They were just getting something to eat for now, that was easy. So why did it feel so different this time? He'd literally cooked her breakfast in her apartment a week prior, and still this seemed like the scarier situation. She had to focus on literally anything else, like the cold. That sucked, huh? She was bundled up as much as she could be, a wool hat to cover her head, with about four layers on her body including a thick sweater and winter coat, and insulated leggings, and she was about as warm as she could manage at the moment. At least the snow was pretty. Hopefully Kanji would arrive soon so she could get someplace warm. Not that he was running late, she just decided to show up to the meeting place early, like an idiot.

The whole day leading up to this had been pretty much pure anxiety for Kanji. All that time, worrying about how his hair looked, if his skin was clear enough, if he looked too dorky in glasses, if he needed a haircut or a shave or new clothes... And it took him a little too long for his liking to realize he was just overthinking the shit out of everything. On the train ride over, he'd dedicated most of his attention to taking deep breaths while his foot incessantly tapped against the floor. He had a date. On Christmas Eve. With an idol. With Nozomi Nakahara. Pressure didn't even goddamn begin to describe it. When it came time to step off the train and make his way through the station, he figured he'd mostly gotten his head right; enough that he wouldn't bite his damn tongue on accident when he talked to Nozomi, at least. The snow helped to ease his nerves further when he looked up, finding the winter to be a calming presence in all the hustle and bustle. Sure, it was cold as balls, but Kanji pretty much had the perfect answer to that in the form of a scarf and a beanie he'd knit for himself alongside a thick enough winter coat. Plenty warm, so that he could just enjoy the all the holiday vibes without a worry. Although, not worrying would be a pretty friggin' tall order, considering the way his anxiety started to well up again when he spotted Nozomi at the meeting place. "Hey, Nozomi!" He waved to her as he walked up, wearing a small smile in order to try and keep both of their spirits up. "How's it goin'? You uh, been waitin' long?"

She had been starting to get jittery between the cold and her nerves. It was hard to tell which was more responsible honestly. That was why she was equal parts terrified and relieved when she saw the boy walking over. She put on her best smile, trying not to shiver too much. It would really suck to have her teeth chattering like a cartoon character at a time like this. "Hey, Kanji-kun," she greeted warmly. She refrained from waving back, her hands stuck firmly in her pockets for the time being. "I'm good, just a little cold. Haven't been here too long, don't worry." Sure felt like it with how cold she'd gotten over that time, but in reality it had only been five minutes or so. "Should we head inside then? The snow's nice and all, but I think it'd be nice to ah, to warm up a bit."

In spite of the layers she had on, Nozomi didn't seem to be taking to the cold too well. As much as Kanji had an urge to offer her his jacket, it probably wouldn't have worked... Hell, at that point, she'd probably just have a harder time moving around more than anything. But that didn't mean Kanji couldn't still help her out, somewhat. "Yeah, it's damn cold out, ain't it? Uh, here--" He began to unwrap his scarf from his neck, handing it to the idol after. "You can have this. I don't really need it right now, I'm warm enough as is." The chill on his neck was noticeable after removing the scarf, but nothing he couldn't handle. He at least wasn't about to start shivering... With that, Kanji stepped towards the door leading inside, opening it and standing by to let Nozomi in first. "After you?"

Her lips pursed into a mildly surprised expression when he handed the scarf over. "Um, th-thank you, Kanji-kun." The words were almost stated in disbelief. She braved the chilly air to accept it, hurriedly throwing it around her neck. It wasn't going to help immediately but it was a kind gesture. And speaking of kind, he was even holding the door for her. Talk about classy. She could feel her face heat up, and hear her heart beating in her ears. Kanji was acting like a real gentleman, wasn't he? As if she already wasn't nervous enough, now she had to worry about being completely swept off her feet apparently. She nodded and scurried inside, not wanting to keep him waiting. Getting to the food would be nice, she didn't know how good she'd be at conversation at the moment.

As they entered the diner, he started to wonder if he should've brought gloves as he thought back to the way she'd hurriedly taken her hands out of her pockets to take the scarf. Guess that was a mental note to keep for next time they went out... Assuming there was one. If he was being honest, he hoped there would be. At least inside, they didn't have to worry about the cold. On top of that, having something warm to eat and/or drink wouldn't hurt either. Once the two got to their booth and their menus were handed out, Kanji found himself feeling anxious once again; he really hoped she wasn't getting bored. Not that ordering food at a diner was anything super exciting on its own, but he at least had to figure out a good conversation topic, right...? If only Yu or Yosuke were there to give him a couple pointers... He was never the greatest at kicking off a conversation on dates. "So... anythin' else you wanna do while we're in town?" Figuring out what to do next was as good a place to start as any, right?

It was polite to remove one's coat and hat indoors, this at least she was aware of. That being said, they weren't coming off until she was thoroughly warmed up. It was a shame too, she had on a very nice sweater that she'd have to wait to show off. Once seated, she started glancing over the menu, trying to decide what to get. Thankfully a good deal of items on it seemed plenty warm. Then the question hit her. "Oh, right, we should probably figure that out, huh?" She hadn't really thought about what else they were going to do. She seemed to remember walking around and seeing the lights come up, but she wasn't sure if that in and of itself constituted a date. Plus, they could always just look at stuff on the way to another destination. "Well, what else is here? I think I saw a movie theater, or the arcade, and there's an entire mall down in the station right? Pretty sure I noticed that when I got off the train." In truth, she was just going off of what she immediately remembered from today. She didn't leave home much when it wasn't related to either work or getting food, so keeping track of leisure activities wasn't really on her mind.

The cold outside hadn't affected Kanji quite as much, but even so, he felt it enough that he wasn't ready to take off his coat and hat just yet. Hopefully, the hat in particular hadn't messed up his hair too much, but there wasn't any real sense in worrying about that. Nozomi was probably just as nervous as he was, right? Forget getting caught up in his own shit, the more important thing was to make sure she was comfortable. Duh. Maybe if he hadn't been so busy overthinking, he could've come up with an idea for what they could do beyond getting food hours ago. Although, the options that Nozomi had just laid out weren't bad at all, and it helped to get the gears turning in his head. "Yeah, there's a ton of stuff to choose from, really..." He mused, taking a quick glance at the menu. Think, Kanji, think... What is there in Shibuya that Nozomi would like? Then it hit him. "Oh yeah, there's karaoke too! We could check that out, if ya want." It was the most obvious thing in the world when he thought about it for more than two seconds. She was an idol, she liked music, so of course karaoke would be a good option! ...not that he was all that confident in his own singing skills, but he'd probably be alright at it. Maybe.

Nozomi had been almost certain that she would've been too nervous to laugh at all on this date, too worked up that even comprehending humor would be a tall order. As such, she was completely unprepared for the small chuckle that slipped out at the suggestion. Would he be offended by that? She literally just laughed at his idea. Part of it was likely borne of her nerves, but for some reason she found the idea funny. Couldn't quite place why. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. Hopefully she could recover after that little embarrassment. "I-I mean, if you want to do that, I wouldn't be opposed. Might be nice to flex the pipes a little." Not that she was typically one to show off, but she liked singing, and it was pretty clear that Kanji was trying to keep her in her comfort zone. It was certainly appreciated, but she didn't want him to feel obligated to do that. "This wouldn't happen to just be an excuse to hear me sing, would it?" Hopefully the joke would land well.

The reaction to his suggestion definitely came as a surprise, and at first, he wasn't really sure what to think of it. Was she laughing because she thought it was a dumb idea? Nah, couldn't be it, right? Maybe she just... thought of an unrelated funny joke, or something. He was getting real tired of overthinking everything. Whatever the reason, maybe he could just be glad that Nozomi felt comfortable enough to laugh at all. It was definitely a sound that he could get used to. "Uhh..." At her joke, he couldn't help but nervously chuckle. It wasn't like he only asked because he wanted to hear her sing without having to attend a huge-ass concert, but now that she mentioned it... "...I-I mean, I just figured it'd be somethin' you'd enjoy, but I wouldn't say no to gettin' to hear ya sing, either. I just hope you won't be too disappointed hearin' my singing." ...God, that probably sounded more pathetic than charming, didn't it?

"Believe me, you can't be worse than some of the tryout videos I've been sent." Not that she liked to ridicule people, but some of the things people sent to her were simply not good. She admired the bravery, certainly. It wasn't easy to put yourself out there like that. But at the same time, she wasn't even a talent scout. It wasn't her decision to hire people. "I would enjoy it though. I-I still get pretty nervous performing, but something small like that should be a cakewalk compared to what I usually do." In theory. There was no accounting for what could happen in the moment. And it wasn't often she knew someone in the audience like this. "If you're sure it's what you want to do too, then it sounds great. For now though, I think I'm going to get one of these, 'Frui-Teas', and maybe the 'Nostalgic Steak'." Yes, fill up right before you sing, that was a great idea. At least she wasn't filling up on anything that might make her sick if she got too nervous. That was never fun.

Confidence was in short supply when it came to Kanji's musical talents, but even so, he appreciated Nozomi's attempt to reassure him. If anything, his singing definitely couldn't be any worse than his dancing... It did the job back at the LMB a decade ago, sure, but he couldn't help feeling a tinge of embarrassment whenever he thought back to it. He had taken a few dance classes since then, but he still wasn't feeling so confident that he'd ask Nozomi if they could go to a dance club or some shit instead of karaoke. All in all, was probably better just to give it his all and not overthink it rather than dwell on insecurity, as hard as that could be sometimes. "Yeah, 'course I do. Hell, if I'm lucky, maybe I'll do good enough to impress ya." He reaffirmed his decision to her with a smile, inwardly trying to keep himself confident as he went back to looking through the menu. "Yeah, I'll prolly get the steak too... an' a hot coffee. Might help to warm up a little." Maybe water was a better idea if he was going to be singing later... but they probably had water at the place anyway, so what was the harm in getting something else? (edited)

"Hey, really, don't worry about it. We're supposed to be having fun right? It doesn't matter how good you are, just enjoy it." The phrase 'don't worry' was exceptionally ironic leaving her lips, but the sentiment was genuine. She could imagine the prospect of going singing with an idol would be a nerve-wracking experience, since she knew she'd feel the same in his shoes. She was starting to warm up a bit too, so it was time for the jacket to come off. She kept the scarf and hat on for the moment, but her beige colored cable-knit turtleneck was now on display. Even off-stage it seemed she was able to clean up quite nicely when she opted to wear something a bit more dressy than her standard cyan hoodie.

Just enjoy it. When she said that, Kanji tried his best to commit the phrase to memory. Nozomi was right, it wasn't about whether or not he was good or bad, just if he enjoyed it. Not that he didn't already know that, but it was hard not to lose sight of the fun part when the idea of singing with an idol caused him to put so much pressure on himself. "Yeah, you're right," He let out a small chuckle. "Guess I'm just a lil' nervous. I mean, it's been a while since I've gone on a date or anything like that..." In the middle of trying to distract himself from his anxieties through reading more of the menu, he couldn't help noticing Nozomi removing her jacket. Wow. "That sweater looks really good," He blurted out, practically as soon as the thought formed.

"If it makes you feel more confident, this is um, actually my first date. Ever." There was a tiny nervous chuckle that followed, along with a slight tint forming in her cheeks. It was almost embarrassing to admit. Twenty-five years on this Earth, and not a single date. Though, perhaps one wouldn't be surprised when looking at her history. It wasn't for a few years after joining the Kitchen that she was even able to hold normal conversation with others. Even now, she didn't consider herself competent necessarily, but at least it was possible. If she was already a little red in the cheeks now, the next comment made her absolutely flushed. Nozomi could feel the heat radiating off of her face, and she could only imagine how stupid she looked. She did her best to keep her cool, with little success. "O-Oh, you um, y-you think so? I j-just-, I uh, you know, f-figured I should wear something... um... n-nice? I guess?" Yeah, she needed to stop babbling, now. When was the food getting here again? Did they even order it yet? She was starting to get things mixed up now, and she could really use something to put in her mouth aside from her own foot.

There was a tiny bit of comfort in knowing Nozomi was just as nervous as he was here. At the same time though, knowing that he was her first date ever seemed to increase the pressure not to screw things up. Still, Kanji did his best to push that fear as deep down as he could. There was no way he could screw up, as long as he just enjoyed himself and made sure Nozomi had a good time too. He just had to keep reminding himself of that... "Yeah, I-I think ya look great." He reaffirmed the compliment. It seemed like the flush in her cheeks was suddenly contagious, considering the way Kanji's own started to heat up. Dammit, she was cute, and it took everything in him not to say so out loud-- that was way too forward, even for him, the king of charging into everything head-on. "Welcome! May I take your order?" Until the waitress came over, welcoming them in that professionally cheery voice, Kanji had nearly forgotten what he was going to order entirely. It was... the steak, right...? He took a quick look at the menu again, just to make sure. "I'll have the, uh... Nostalgic Steak, and a hot coffee." (edited)

Oh, thank god, the waitress was here. Hopefully that would be enough to re-center herself and make her a little less awkward. She glanced down at the menu again, eyes moving rapidly over each item. What did she want again? Then she heard Kanji give his order and it all came back to her. "I-I'll also have the steak. And um, a Frui-tea. If that's okay." She put the menu down delicately, trying to not make eye-contact with anyone at the moment. Not that it would've been weird to look at their waitress, but she just needed a second to focus on something. "Coming right up!" the waitress cheerily stated before moving on. Nozomi let go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Why was it always so hard to order food? It was like every time she went to a new place, she was fourteen again. Certainly felt like it, considering who she was sitting across from right now. Who she was still refraining from looking at. God, why was she like this? She should say something right? She should probably say something. "The snow's pretty, huh?" Well, it was definitely something. Wasn't talking about the weather some sort of cliché?

The passing silence after the waitress eft didn't do a whole lot to ease Kanji's nerves; with how Nozomi seemed to be avoiding looking directly at him, it seemed he was finding it about as difficult to look at her in turn. His eyes constantly darted from one thing to the next, from his own hands to the menus on the table to the wall to the entrance to the diner, then back to Nozomi, where he tried his best to keep eye contact. Not too much though, he definitely wasn't looking to make her even more uncomfortable than she already looked. While he scrambled within his head for some kind of conversation topic to cut through the silence, Nozomi seemed to beat him to it. "Y-yeah," He nodded in agreement. "Always is. I, uh... really like the winter, even if it's cold as hell out all the time. 'specially when they put out all the decorations. Gives me good inspiration if I wanna make somethin' Christmas-themed, yeah?" Luckily, he managed to find something easy to branch off of from the weather, although he probably had to be careful... He knew just how much he could ramble on if somebody really got him going on the topic of his creative passions.

She nodded in return. Kanji was right, despite the biting cold she hated, the snow always did manage to look nice. It gave the world an almost otherworldly gentleness as it drifted lazily to the ground. Maybe that'd be a good idea for a song. Focus, she had to reign herself back in. Nozomi couldn't run back to the studio right now, so that little thought would have to be filed away for later. It wasn't quite relevant to bring up in this conversation anyway. "Yeah, I guess from the outside is is pretty nice." That statement sounded a lot more depressing out loud than it did in her head. "I mean, I never really celebrated that much. It was always pretty small for us, so I didn't pay too much attention to all that stuff." And this was making it even more depressing. Anything lighter would be a good idea. "Anyway, has it given you any inspiration this year?"

"Actually, yeah!" The initial answer to Nozomi's question came out just a bit louder than Kanji had intended, partly out of excitement at the conversation steering into something he wouldn't sound like a total bumbling dipshit about. Knowing that, it felt like he could finally leave those stupid nervous thoughts behind. "This year, I was plannin' on knitting some sweaters 'n hats with some animals that live in colder places. Polar bears, penguins, snow leopards, all that good stuff!" Halfway through, he paused, catching himself in the beginning stages of a ramble. Crap. Can't go screamin' my head off at her, she'll just think I'm crazy! Rein it in, dammit! "I, uh…" He cleared his throat, reminding himself to control his damn volume. "I even got some done already, to be honest, and lemme tell ya, they're shapin' up to be pretty damn adorable, if I do say so myself! Heh…" Thankfully, when Kanji anxiously glanced around him, it still seemed like every other stranger in the diner was more preoccupied with their own conversations than anything else going on around them, least of all his brief little outburst. Phew. Logically, he knew people were always more likely to be more absorbed in their own shit than other people's, but every now and then, he still had that lingering fear of judging eyes peering into him, plucking away at every one of his interests with a criticizing sneer and some stupid remark to go with it.

2:42 AM

At the very least, he knew he really didn't have to worry about that when it came to Nozomi; hell, it was part of why it felt so easy for him to get that enthusiastic around her. But even so, Kanji couldn't prevent his grin from converting itself into a smaller, more sheepish smile to accompany the flush in his cheeks returning with a vengeance. "Uh… how 'bout you? Any new song ideas springin' to mind lately?" He'd blurted out the question in an effort to try and take some of the attention off of him. But, then… not a second later, his eyes widened as he realized the issue about asking that kind of question. "Oh, uh, crap… That stuff's supposed to be kept a surprise, huh? Whoops. Uh, you don't… hafta tell me nothin' if you don't wanna."

@Shy, the Galactic Base Baller (sorry for the wait!)

The sudden raise in volume caught her a little off guard, and there was a part of her that was worried that other people would be listening in. But then, why would they? Man, anxiety induced paranoia really wasn't fun. It was so annoying to worry about every little thing like that. Either way, she tried to stay focused on what Kanji was saying instead of whatever was going through her head right now. "Oh yeah, that does sound pretty cute," she admitted with a smile. It was always nice to hear about other people's projects. Not that she understood much outside of music and dancing, but that didn't mean it was less fun to talk about. "Sounds comfy too." But then his question came, and immediately Nozomi shifted into reassurance mode. She brought up both hands, gesturing to ensure he wasn't worried. "O-Oh, don't sweat it, really. I can't really talk about my stuff with Takura, but my personal stuff is fair game. I might have an idea or two for a song, but nothing concrete just yet. Maybe I'll take some time to flesh one of them out when I get a break."