Bab 22: Chapter 21

"I...am Shiori and I was just passing by to enjoy the view hehehe." She starts talking a bit more to put a moment, and then continues.

I look around for a moment.

"You know...I don't see anything that could pique your interest on this rooftop." I wonder what the 3 options Shiori had were.

"This...has you?" She says doubtfully.

'Good move Shiori' I carefully think about how to respond.

"So you came here to see me... but how did you know I was here?" And now Shiori, what are you going to do.

She seems nervous with the question as she mumbles something.

"I just saw you on the roof and wanted to see your beauty up close." I wonder how Ratatoskr's emotion meter works, this is the second time Shiori has complimented me.

Honestly, it's a bit uncomfortable seeing Shiori's fake kindness.

"You don't need the fake compliments, I don't care much about them anyway" I respond calmly in my voice.

"They're not fake...I'm being honest" she continues with this.

"Of course...so now that you've seen, you can go, haven't you ever heard that if you stare too much at the sun, you can end up getting burned?"

"I..."

I look at her and say.

"You're a really bad liar, you know...how could you have seen me coming to the roof from down there?" I want to see how she gets out of this web of lies she's weaving for herself.

"Or maybe you're just stupid to go after something that can kill you...maybe you're a masochist?" I say jokingly as I stand up.

I approach her, grab her hand, and pin her against the wall.

"...Don't you know you should be careful with strangers?" Now I'm just centimeters from her, this scene reminds me of Kotori, where when she questioned me, I did something similar.

"You...are not dangerous" she says with conviction.

"? Girl....do you have any idea what you just said" Didn't Kotori tell her what I did in various cities?

"I'm not dangerous?...if we had to say, I'm probably one of the most dangerous existences in the world, how can you judge that I won't do anything to you" I say looking into her eyes.

"I feel...I feel that you won't hurt me" This would be the instincts of a protagonist? They hit the mark.

"...maybe...so what came here to do" I question her so that she says something minimally interesting.

"I came to see you, that's not a lie" She says with conviction.

"So I'm in front of you, now tell me the reason for coming to see me"

"I..." she was going to speak but stops and whispers something.

"I'm in love with you, please go out with me" I notice her face turning red as she speaks, her gestures with her hand are exaggerated as if trying to explain something.

The realization of what she said hits me.

"..."

Both remain silent, Shiori seems nervous, while I'm thinking about what she said. The urge to laugh is great.

I have no idea what to say to Shiori, I never expected the choice would be a confession, but I decide to play along with her game.

"Are you absolutely sure about this..." She nods affirmatively, embarrassed to respond.

"You're in love with me? When you don't even know me" I can see her slightly nervous as she searches for an answer.

A few moments pass, I see her whisper something while her face turns bright red.

"?"

"It was...love at first sight, the moment I saw you I knew I loved you" She says dying of embarrassment.

"Ha...hahaha" I can't hold back the laughter seeing Shiori send these cliché declarations. Her face turns even redder when I laugh at her response.

"Okay, okay let's say that's it, so you want to go on a date with me?"

She nods, but now she doesn't even have the courage to look me in the eyes.

I hold her chin making her look me in the eyes.

"..."

"...I accept...we'll go on a date then, tonight Shiori, be ready before 6 p.m., I'll come pick you up, we'll go to the Tengu Shopping Mall" I release her and back away, it will be great to use this date to make Shiori a more suitable girl.

I start flying away to go home.

When I get close to the home area, I undo my Astral Dress and go home, when I get there I enter and go to the basement, in the corner there is a door, I enter it and take the elevator down to the lower floor.

I walk down the hall until I reach a room, I open the door and see Mukuro's body in the barrier.

The barrier has now taken on a purple hue, while Mukuro's Sephira is outside her body, it is completely black and emits a purple glow.

"Hello Mukuro...it's not like you'd hear me anyway" I start analyzing her Sephira more closely while making small talk with her body.

After a few hours I decide to stop.

"It was a great conversation Mukuro, but I have a date to get ready for" I say to her body as I leave the room, I noticed that for some reason her Sephira became slightly darker after I said I was going on a date, but I ignore it and go to the elevator.

I go to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready, after I'm ready I look at the time, it's 5 p.m.

"I have 1 hour to spare" I decide to spend the time watching TV, when there are 10 minutes left before the date, I decide to go pick her up.

Shiori's POV Change:

I can't believe this, I'm dying of embarrassment just remembering what I had to say, all because of the strange choices made by the Ratatoskr members.

Seriously, there was even a choice like 'Yes, I'm a masochist who likes danger, so please let's go on a date' I was lucky that he kept talking and didn't let me say that embarrassing phrase.

As he said we had a date at the Shopping Mall tonight, Kotori ended up being responsible for the dress.

Now I'm wearing a simple outfit, a white dress with some dark blue ruffles that match my hair, a small purse with a few things.

In the mirror I see a girl with an outfit that mainly appeals to cuteness, I'm not sure how I feel about the image in the mirror.

"Shido, come to the living room, there's only 3 minutes left until the date" Kotori says through the door.

"I'm going" I respond hesitantly, I'm very nervous about this date.

"Shido...if things get dangerous, we'll get you out of there, understand?" Kotori says in a commanding tone, not allowing me to refute.

"Yes..."

"I wonder how he's going to come pick you up, he didn't even ask where you'd be" Kotori says doubtfully.

"Well, I'm sure that...Kyaaaaa" I feel the floor disappear, I quickly look down and it has a dark hole that I'm going through at the moment.

"SHIDO" Kotori tries to grab me reflexively, but isn't fast enough.

Suddenly the image of the place where we are changes and I'm in the arms of the Shinigami, he didn't even say his name, since our conversation was brief, I didn't have a chance to ask.

"!!!" I notice that I'm being carried like a princess and I get embarrassed.

He looks at my body as if analyzing something.

"You look beautiful, princess" He says with a smile.

"I-I...thank you, you look handsome too" He's wearing an almost casual outfit, but appropriate for a date, with a black shirt and dark jeans.

He puts me down on the ground, I look around and realize we're at the Shopping Mall.

"Amazing" It wasn't like the Fraxinus teleportation, in a way it's more comfortable.

"Shido, now that we're here to help, you can start" I hear Kotori speak through the communicator.

"Shiori, I know you were the one who invited, but I'll take over the date, is that okay?" The Shinigami speaks in a soft voice.

"..."

"Shido, you can accept" Kotori says.

"Yes, it's okay" I confirm.

"What...can I call you" I ask the Shinigami.

"...Kuro, although it's not my name, you can call me that for now" He hesitates to answer, then says.

"Yes, Kuro-san"

"Shall we start with a movie?"

"Yes..." Kotori was going to say something but decides against it, so I confirm.

We went to the cinema and watched a romantic movie, it was a good movie, although I didn't understand the reason for the choice.

"Now let's have dinner, Shiori" He guides me to a restaurant.

While we order, he orders some kind of steak with shrimp that I don't know. There are many dishes, so I'm a little indecisive.

"Do you need help choosing, Shiori?"

"That..."

"Shido, the options" Kotori says. As I wait, she says 'Whatever Kuro-san chooses will be great' with a smile.

"Whatever Kuro-san chooses will be great" I repeat the phrase.

"Then I recommend this dish" He shows me the menu, a dish with a photo of a French pasta with chicken sauce combined with a light salad accompanied by a lamb steak.

I order this dish, and I'm surprised by the taste of the sauce on the soft and delicious pasta while the steak is tender and juicy along with the salad that gives a new touch.

Now I understand how Tohka felt on our date.

He's looking at me while I'm eating.

"?"

"Sorry for staring, it's just that your reaction was so cute" He says with a smile, making my heart race.

"SHIDO, it's for you to conquer him, not the other way around" Kotori's voice brings me back to reality.

"Sorry"

"? What are you apologizing for, Shiori?" Kuro asks.

"Yes? No, it's nothing, I just got lost for a moment" The communicator has some system that prevents it from being heard, but that doesn't stop me from being heard.

"No problem, then let's go for dessert, I'll let Shiori choose" He hands me the menu.

"Shido, wait a moment, we'll check the options" After a few moments, Kotori says.

"Choose the chocolate ice cream with strawberry topping, complemented with brigadeiro" She says, and I show the menu item to him.

After a few moments, the order arrives.

"Why just 1? Don't you want any?" I ask as he hands it to me.

"Sorry...but I'm not a big fan of ice cream, I have some bad memories with it" He apologizes, then I remember what Kotori said about Inverse Spirits, that Spirits have to be exposed to a lot of bad feelings to Inverse.

"Sorry, I...didn't know" I apologize, feeling bad for making him remember bad things.

"No problem, nothing too serious, besides, I think you're too cute, I just want to see your reaction, this is enough for me" His gentle smile as he says this warms my heart, I can't even imagine what he went through that made him kill so many people.

"See Kotori, I'm sure he's good, he just has some issues" I whisper into the communicator. I'm sure that if I show him how good the world can be, I can seal his powers and give him a normal life.

I try the ice cream, the flavor is delicious, I continue eating while he watches me, I get a little embarrassed to be observed, but there's nothing I can do.

After finishing the ice cream, he asks for the bill from the waiter.

"I'll pay, Kuro-san, after all, I was the one who invited you" I try to take the card from the bag that Kotori gave me, if I show it to him, Ratatoskr will pay.

"No need, Shiori, I'll pay, even though you were the one who invited me, I ended up taking charge of the date, so no problem" He takes out his phone and pays. I saw the prices were quite expensive on the menu, as I thought Ratatoskr would pay, I didn't worry, but now that he's paying, I feel I should have chosen something cheaper.

"Don't worry, Shiori, money is not a problem, a date is a time to enjoy, not worry about small details like that" He says as he gets up and extends his hand to me.

I'm embarrassed, but I accept his hand and get up.

I follow him until we stop at a store.

"This is one of the points of our date" I see a plush toy vending machine, there are various types, some are very cute, others more simple.

He goes to the machine and puts in the money.

"Are you going to give me a plush toy?" I ask doubtfully.

"Yes...while I was thinking about our date, I thought of a plush toy that I think you'll like, I looked for it for a while and ended up finding it here, I hope you like it"

For a moment he fiddles with the machine and manages to get a toy.

It's a cute little dragon, it's black with gold details, I hold it in my hands, it's soft and gives me a good feeling.

It also gives me a nostalgia, although I don't recognize what this plush is about, I remember that in the past I used to give plushies to Kotori, so receiving one now gives me that good nostalgic feeling.

Somehow it reminds me of Kuro...and Aurélio, both have black hair and golden eyes.

"Thank you" I say with a smile, it was a great gift.

"No problem, I just thought a beautiful girl like you might like it" He says with a flattering smile.

"Tsk" I hear a tongue clicking on the communicator, along with the sound of a lollipop breaking in the background.

"Shido, although you're the one being conquered, it wasn't bad at all, according to the meter, he liked the date and for most of the time he was satisfied, maybe a few more dates and we can seal him" Kotori warns through the communicator now that the date is over.

"The last point of our date is a walk, Shiori, let's walk and talk a little, you said you fell in love with me, so wouldn't it be better for you to know more?" I nod as I follow him.

"You can start with questions" Kuro says to me.

"You...did you enjoy the date?" I'm strangely very concerned that he didn't enjoy the date, and the reason is more personal than professional.

"Yes, it was great being able to go out with a cute beauty like you" I blush a little at the compliment, but I continue with the questions.

"Shido, ask him if he likes you, we'll see how he reacts to that" This question makes me curious and anxious for some reason, even though I don't know Kuro, I feel he's familiar to me in some way.

"Ku-Kuro-san, do you...like me?" He looks at me for a moment, I feel nervous as I wait for the answer.

"..." He thinks for a moment and answers.

"No, I don't feel anything for you, I don't love you or hate you" For some reason his answer hurts, I feel a pang in my heart while a tear threatens to form in my eyes.

"We just met today, how can I feel something for you?...but maybe in the future" What he said gave me some hope, and I feel strange because I got hopeful about the fact that he might love me in the future.

"I-I see, hahaha" I give a slightly awkward laugh, he doesn't seem bothered.

"Now it's my turn to ask" He says in a strong tone.

"Y-yes, of course" I confirm.

"First question, you said you love me...let's say it's true, how far would you go for me?" How far would I go for him? I'm not sure.

"I...I'm not sure"

"Let me rephrase the question...how far would you go for the person you love the most"

"I would do anything" I respond without hesitation.

"Anything? No matter what it is?"

"Yes, I would do anything, no matter what it is" This is something I've thought a lot about in the last few months with Aurélio, I would do anything for those I love, even if it was bad.

"I see...Shiori, you're quite a unique girl, so if I was the person you love the most...you wouldn't mind what I did to you, even if it's something others might find wrong?"

"? ...Yes..." if he was the person I loved the most, he could do whatever he wanted to me.

"Shido...are you serious?" Kotori asks through the communicator.

"Yes" I have no reason to deny this affirmation.

"Your turn, you can ask a question" he says, encouraging me to continue.

"You..." when I was about to ask, Kotori shouts through the communicator.

"SHIDO, WHAT DID YOU DO? HIS EMOTIONAL LEVELS PLUMMETED INSTANTLY, HE'S EXTREMELY ANGRY" Kotori's voice has a tone of anger, but a slight fear can be detected.

"I didn't do anything, I didn't even get to ask a question" I feel the injustice of the situation, I'm being accused when I haven't even done anything yet.

I look at him closely and he seems the same as before, the same gentle smile.

"Kotori, aren't you wrong? He seems great" I ask doubtfully.

"Of course not, and now his Reiryoku is even leaking out"

"Kuro-san..." when I was going to ask.

"Sorry, Shiori, but can we end the date here? I wanted to take you home, but something that needs my attention has come up" He says calmly, still maintaining a smile, but I look into his eyes closely and finally notice a black glint along with anger.

"It's not your fault, just an unexpected situation, okay? Next time I'll make up for this mistake, but I have to go now" He says, entering a dark hole he created in the air.

"Kotori, what do you think made him angry?"

"...I have no idea, but at least it wasn't at you" Now I decide to wait to be pulled into the Fraxinus while thinking about the date...it was amazing and a great change of pace. I also liked the gift, I think about where to put the plush while I hug it.