A date that was off from the start

Sunlight cascaded from the heavens, bathing the world in warmth and brilliance.

In the plaza of Tengu City, a young girl sat on a public bench beside a fountain.

A baseball cap shielded her eyes from the sun’s glare. Beneath its shadow, her light chestnut eyes were intently fixed on her phone.

[Have a wonderful date. I’ll be home with dinner ready for you. (^_^)]

A slight twitch appeared at the corner of the girl’s eye, clearly indicating her less-than-pleasant mood.

Dragged from her warm bed early that morning, she had been practically forced into an outfit she detested, even made to wear makeup, only to be dropped off here prematurely to await her date.

Would you be happy if all this happened to you?!!

Yet, she couldn’t simply walk away. After all, this was part of her agreement with Ratatoskr.

“Oh, have you been waiting long?”

Yisha looked up at the newcomer: Shido, a blue-haired young man who was, to put it mildly, as ordinary as could be.

“Not at all. I only arrived three minutes early.”

This was a lie. Yina had left Yisha there half an hour ago, but Yisha didn’t want Shido to perceive any eagerness for the date, even if those around her held high expectations.

[Shido, have you forgotten the first thing to say when greeting a woman who has gone to the trouble of getting dressed up? Do I need to upload more videos online?]

His sister’s voice, clear and sweet like a loli’s, echoed in his ear. Yet, the meaning behind her words prevented Shido from associating them with an angel.

“Uh… you look really beautiful today, Yisha.”

The girl tapped her own head, a gesture mirrored by someone’s sister at the exact same moment.

“Are you implying I wasn’t beautiful before?”

Indeed, this was precisely why Itsuka Kotori, upon hearing those words, had wanted to curse aloud but ultimately settled for tapping her head in frustration.

“No, it’s just… you’re even more beautiful today than usual.”

Yisha pressed a hand to her forehead. She couldn’t shake the feeling that even if she wanted to give him a chance, Shido would somehow manage to botch it.

“What you said is true, but why does it sound so unpleasant to me?”

The previous day, Shido had seen Yisha on the bridge of the Fraxinus. She had been dismantling a pile of mechanical devices for modification, clad in a grey jumpsuit, with oil smudged across her face and hands.

She looked like a grey cat that had rolled in a black mud pit and then climbed out. From that perspective, Yisha today was indeed significantly more beautiful than she had been yesterday.

“Uh…”

Shido realized what Yisha was referring to. Just as he was about to try and salvage the situation, Yisha interrupted him with a raised hand.

“Stop! STOP!! There’s no need to say anything more. Just take me to the date spot. This direct sunlight is getting uncomfortable.”

Emmmmm, it felt like dying before even drawing first blood.

Shido shook his head, casting his recent blunder from his mind.

“Let’s go.”

The girl watched the boy ahead, eager to prove himself and reclaim his lost composure, as she sent a message on her phone.

[I want to go home.]

“Ooh-hoo~ An amusement park? What a great spot.”

Yisha skipped and bounced at the entrance, resembling a naive young maiden.

[Mood clearly rising. Affection levels fluctuating upwards. Looks like we picked the right place.]

Itsuka Kotori’s lips curled into a smile. Yesterday, when Yisha was modifying this very place, she had claimed their capture strategy had certain flaws.

To that, the commander had retorted, ‘Today, you’ll continuously grow more fond of Shido because of us. We’ll see what you have to say then!’

“Yisha, let’s go.”

Shido extended his hand to the girl, but she simply strode past him, not even glancing at his outstretched hand.

A fragrant breeze wafted past. The girl’s exquisite face grew larger in his vision, her soft pink lips nearing his cheek.

A sharp intake of breath~

The surrounding tourists, who had been waiting, all turned their gazes towards them.

They couldn’t be blamed; the girl was simply too outstanding. Even with her hat, her face couldn’t be entirely concealed. Consequently, Shido, who was with her, became the public enemy of all men.

‘Such a beautiful girl should belong to everyone! Damn it!’

‘Get away from her! She’s an angel; your desecration cannot be tolerated!’

‘You punk, just wait until I’ve calmed my girlfriend down, then I’ll solo you! You’re too enviable… no, too detestable! My girlfriend is upset!’

The expressions on the faces of the passersby twisted into various grimaces. To flaunt such a beautiful girl and shower her with public affection? Who could possibly tolerate that!

Shido saw their expressions, but he had no mind to concern himself with any of it.

“Ah, got it. Let’s go.”

The girl’s voice reached him, and in the instant Shido registered his surprise, she had already departed.

“???”

Confused by what had just happened, he noticed a corner of red peeking out from her hand.

Yisha had simply reached for the tickets in Shido’s hand.

Upon realizing this fact, the passersby’s expressions instantly shifted from hatred to sympathy. Clearly, they now understood the true nature of the relationship between the two.

“Uh, Yisha, wait for me!”

The young man snapped back to reality and immediately ran in the direction the girl had gone.

‘Poor guy, that’s not how you pursue a goddess.’

‘Exactly, even a simp needs dignity, or you’ll end up with nothing.’

‘What’s up with you all? Your skills are just lacking! This goddess beside me is my wife!’

Shido heard screams from behind him. Glancing back, he could only see a crowd gathered, as if a brawl had broken out. Unfortunately, he needed to catch up to Yisha, otherwise he would have stopped to watch the spectacle.

Fortunately, Yisha soon paused in front of an attraction, allowing Shido to catch up.

When he reached Yisha, the girl was receiving ten rings from a staff member.

“Hmm?”

It was a ring toss game. If all ten rings landed on the highest prize, one could choose an item from the ultimate prize pool, but all other potential rewards would be forfeited.

‘Isn’t this clearly a scam? Although the ultimate prize is indeed great, the cost to toss the rings is too high, and not everyone can get ten perfect throws.’

“Oh-oh-oh!!!!!”

Cheers erupted from nearby, pulling Shido from his thoughts.

Turning around, he saw Yisha receiving a rather large box from the vendor. Inside was an anime character figurine.

A metaphorical dark line dropped from Shido’s head. If he hadn’t mistaken it, that was an item from the ultimate prize pool.

“Twenty more.”

Yisha pulled out a 10,000 yen bill from her pocket. The game cost 5,000 yen per turn.

Taking the rings from the vendor’s trembling hands, Yisha tossed them one after another, as if a child carelessly throwing things.

Yet, what Shido witnessed was a fluid, seamless motion, with each ring forming an almost unbroken line from where Yisha released it to its destination: the distant cola bottle, hidden behind countless tall roly-poly dolls.

“C-congratulations! You may choose two more prizes from the ultimate pool.”

The vendor, his face long and sorrowful, forced himself to speak as if he wasn’t heartbroken.

“Two more figurines, from the same series as this one.”

“Alright. Please wait a moment.”

The owner was practically in tears. He had been running this stall for so long, yet he had never encountered anyone who could claim three ultimate prizes right off the bat.

It seemed he would be going home at a loss today.

“How many more figurines do you have from this series?”

“Huh? There are three left, w-wha—”

The owner suddenly realized something. Then, two more 10,000 yen bills were placed in his hand, and forty fewer rings lay beside him.

“I…”

The owner desperately wanted to swear, more than he had ever wanted to in his life!