Chapter 50: Date?

"You came just at the right time. I was telling Jake some stories about you." Haru smiled. "Hey, what kind of stories?" Reina crossed her arms and kicked him in the shin from under the table.

"Oh, Yuki is working the counter. Jake, Do you want another drink?" Haru stood up. Jake looked back at Haru his eyes wide silently begging him to stay. "Uh, Uh..."

"I will take that as a yes." He picked up Jakes's cup and the try Reina had used earlier to carry their drinks to them. "Oh, Haru. Get me a drink too." Reina shouted a little too loud. She got a few angry looks from the other customers.

"Fine, Just stop shouting." Haru walked up to the counter and handed the cups and tray to Yuki. "Hey, When you go back tell her to keep her damn mouth shut," Yuki said with a smile as they greeted each other. "Do I say it's from you or just scream it in her face?" Haru laughed.

"I will let you choose." Yuki began to clean the cups Haru had just handed to him. "What can I get for you?" Yuki looked over to Haru from the sink. "I will have the usual, Jake wants a flat white? I think, Oh with extra milk, And your sister wants that god awful tea. Oh, I will take three of those doughnuts too." Haru listed off everything that he was supposed to get. He glanced back over at Jake and Reina.

Jake was still sat awkwardly. Even from this distance, Haru could tell that he wasn't talking much. He smiled as he turned back to face Yuki. "What's that smile for? You are not planning to hook my sister up with that brat you dragged in, are you? You know for a fact she would break him." Yuki asked as he looked at Jake for a second.

"Nah, I have some hope for him, In a few years I think he will most likely be the strongest mage Japan has seen." Haru looked down in a brief moment of reminiscence. "You think? What about that one guy they called the great mage or something?"

"The great mage? His magic was one of the weakest. It was only after a life and death situation that he became strong. Jake on the other hand. His Mana is pure and he has way more stored up in his body than what the great mage started out with. Give him a few years and he will break any previous records. But then again there is someone stronger than him." Haru smiled.

"This guy really has that much potential? I don't see it. Anyway who is this even stronger person?" Yuki leaned over the counter. "Ah, Just another old classmate. She apparently already joined the army. It won't be long until the world hears her name too." Haru thought back to the first time he had met Mia. She looked so defenceless. She was the type of person to put her all into training. If Jake had progressed this far with his attitude just what would her current strength be like?

"You know, Every time you tell me stories about the old war you make it sound like you experienced it first hand." Yuki finished pouring the drinks. "I do? Yeah, that's probably because my parents tell me what it was like back then at any chance they get to." They both laughed.

"My grandpa was the same. He would tell Reina and I stories every night before we went to bed. He even passed down his notes on magic development and technology after he died. That was when our dad made us start training. It's useless now though. We can't even legally use magic here." Yuki said looking down at the doughnuts. "These ones? You need to stop eating these. We will run out soon." Yuki laughed.

"Don't make them so tasty then." Haru took the tray and walked back to the table. All the talk of magic really brought him back to his past. He didn't regret the decision he made but he kind of missed his magic. He felt like his connection to it was completely gone.

It was just the thoughts of an old man. He was now on the path of cultivation. He would have to reach the very heights of this before he decides if it was worth it. There would still be a very long way to go and It would be hard. But Haru was dead set on the hopes of seeing a world he never knew existed until three years ago.

He put the tray down on the table and then sat down in the same seat as before. "Haru, Why didn't you tell me you had a little sister?" Reina said as soon as he picked up his drink from the table. "Well, I didn't know until yesterday." He took a sip. It was scolding hot but it didn't seem to bother him as he gulped down a mouthful.

"That isn't an excuse! You should have told me as soon as you found out!" Reina shouted in a hushed tone. "Oh, yeah I almost forgot. Keep your damn mouth shut." Haru said to her. She took a second to process.

"What!? What did I do!" Reina said confused. "Haru, Don't you think that was a bit?..." Jake began to say. Reina kicked him again from under the table. "Hey, Don't kill the messenger. I'm just passing on some advice I heard from someone." he laughed as Reina looked over to Yuki who was staring at her.

"That bastard. He told you to say it didn't he?" She slouched over and rested her head on her hand and picked up the tea that Haru had just brought for her. Yuki smiled a menacing grin as she put the cup to her lips.

She almost threw up as she coughed up the liquid she had just swallowed. She began to stand up as her face turned red with anger. Haru and Jake were both confused as to where she was going. "Hey, what's up are you okay?" Jake asked. She looked back at him for a second and then toward the counter. Yuki was stood smiling with a salt shaker in his hand.

"He just put salt in my tea!" She shouted as she ran over to the kitchen and began to chase Yuki around. She began to throw pots and pans at him. He dodged them all but the sounds became so loud that all of the customers left in frustration. Haru sat back and laughed.

"Is this normal?" Jake asked. He was a little concerned. "Normal? This happens at least five times a day. So... What do you think of Reina." Haru leaned in next to him and whispered. Jake was caught off guard. His cheeks slowly turned red.

"What do I think? Well, Uh, She seems like a nice girl... Ah, Fine. She's cute. When I saw her I thought it was love at first sight. I thought she was way out of my league. But when you left us alone to talk she seemed so sweet. I felt really comfortable talking to her. It was like we have known each other for years." He said embarrassed.

Haru laughed. "I thought you would like her. I was being serious when I said she liked European boys. If you think you can but up with her horrible temper then why don't you take a shot?" Haru asked him. Jake thought for a moment.

"You think she likes me? I don't know. I feel like it is a bit too soon. We hardly know each other. What If I get turned down?" Jake began to make up excuses for himself.

"Jake, listen to me. You are here for a week. Have a bit of fun. What is the worst that can happen? Just ask her out on a date or something? At most, she will say no. What is there to lose?" Haru could see Jake's intentions. He liked Reina. But he just lacked the confidence in himself to do anything about it. He saw himself in Jake. His eyes became weary as he thought it over in his head for a few moments.

He looked back to Haru with a resolve "You're right, Eighteen years old and I haven't even been on a date before. If I run away at the first chance I get then what does that say about me?" He looked around for a moment spotting Reina still chasing Yuki around the kitchen. He stood up and looked down at Haru.

"I'm going for it." He said and then walked over to the counter. "Good luck my friend," Haru said quietly as a smile formed across his lips. He sat quietly in the corner and watch on as Jake interrupted the brother and sister who were now wrestling on the floor.

He stood for a minute before Yuki spotted him. "Oh, Reina you little friends here. Why don't you leave me alone and talk to him?" Yuki managed to wiggle his way out and run away.

"This isn't the end you hear me!?" She shouted as he made his way upstairs in defeat. She turned to look at Jake who was stood on the other side of the counter.

"What's up?" She said casually smiling the same smile that Jake had been entranced by. He took a moment to gather his courage as it felt like a pit appeared in his stomach. Okay, I can do this. He thought to himself before speaking up. "This might sound weird but do you have a day off work some time this week?" He asked her kind of awkwardly.

Reina put a finger to her chin and thought about her schedule. "This week huh? I am free on Sunday. Why?" She was kind of confused. Jake looked even more embarrassed, it looked like he was about to shout out his feelings. But he managed to calm himself before speaking.

"I was wondering If you would like to go on a date with me?" He said immediately feeling a sense of Dread. He was sure that it was already over for him. Why did I let Haru talk me into this? He thought to himself as he looked back at Reina.

She was shocked. Her face was now as red as his. Her mouth was hanging open slightly. "A date?" She said to herself quietly. She stood there for a few seconds before she nodded her head. "Yes!"