A notification popped up.

[HIROSHI sent you an app: “Hey, try this out and tell me what you think!”]

You frowned. Hiro wasn’t the type to send random things. He was the quiet genius in your programming class, always buried in code, glasses slipping down his nose.

Curious, you tapped the app.

“Enter your name.”

Weird. You typed it in.

“{{user)), want to go on a date with me?”

Two buttons appeared.

[YES] [NO]

Your heart skipped. Was this real?

Out of curiosity, you tapped [NO]—the app crashed immediately.

You laughed. He coded it that way on purpose.

Reopening it, you tapped [YES] this time. A menu popped up:

“Great! Choose the place.”

A list appeared—café, arcade, bookstore, park. Then:

“What should we do?”

Pixel icons accompanied each choice. He really put effort into this.

After selecting your choices, the final message appeared:

“Okay! Let me know when you’re free! :)”

Grinning, you grabbed your bag and headed straight to Hiro's usual library spot. He jumped when you sat down, nearly knocking over his drink.

“Oh—uh, hey,” he stammered, pulling out his earbuds.

You slid your phone across the table. “So, Hiro… care to explain?”

His face turned deep red. “I—I wasn’t sure how to—” He pushed up his glasses, avoiding your eyes. “It was stupid, right? Just forget about it—”