Chapter 11: Fem-Kazuma (4: Good Guy)

The city, once cloaked in an eerie silence, began to stir to life as citizens emerged from their shelters, cautiously stepping into the newfound day. The air was filled with a sense of relief and curiosity, as people started to fill the surroundings one by one, their footsteps echoing through the streets like a collective heartbeat returning to a long-dormant body. Sunlight spilled over the cityscape, casting a warm glow on the buildings that stood tall and resilient against the backdrop of the sky. "Aside from the supernatural stuff, this is just like the world I used to live in," Aqua remarked, her gaze sweeping back and forth across the lively city structures. She walked side by side with a certain blue-haired boy—Shido Itsuka. Shido turned his gaze down toward the girl, curious about her odd words. "The world you used to live in?" "Long story and I want to leave it behind—By the way," Aqua continued, her gaze fixed on Shido, "who are you?" Caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation, Shido stammered for a moment. "Well..." "I'm just curious, so if you don't want to tell me, you're free. Ah, what about explaining to me what kind of world this is? Like, what did you mean by 'spirits,' for example?" He didn't have any reason to refuse or hesitate to answer such questions, so he answered. "Well, it's a bit complicated," he began, "but here, a 'spirit' is a powerful being with extraordinary abilities, usually tied to the phenomena that caused the spacequakes. They're not necessarily malevolent, but they can unintentionally bring chaos." Aqua raised an eyebrow, absorbing the information. "So, I'm a 'spirit' in this world?" Shido nodded, "Yeah, it seems that way. And that's why I wanted to talk to you. We can't let things go out of control." "Right, right," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "But what about this 'Date' you mentioned earlier? Is it your way of dealing with spirits?" Shido scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, not exactly. It's just, uh, part of a process to seal the powers of spirits." Aqua gave him a blank stare. "Seal their powers by going on a date? What kind of cheap plot is this?" Shido chuckled nervously, feeling a bit flustered by Aqua's straightforward reaction. "It's not as strange as it sounds. You see when a spirit's powers are sealed through a kiss, they become more stable and less likely to cause spacequakes." Aqua's eyes widened, and she blinked in disbelief. "A kiss? Seriously? What's your method?" "Well, yes," Shido admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a unique situation—" "You motherfucker lucky Bastard" "Huh?" Dumbfounded by the girl's words, Shidou unintentionally let out a strange voice. "And here I was, fighting for my life on the other side with that useless goddess... Life is not fair," she sighed, lowering her head to the concrete ground. (It seems I caught him off guard, and he came up with this stupid story to hide his secrets...taking supernatural beings on a date and kissing them to save the world? What kind of fool does he think I am to believe something like that...) Coming to that conclusion, she decided to shift her focus to a more crucial matter—how to make the most of this situation—Date. He's not a regular citizen, probably belonging to some unique secret organization, which means he has some influence and a certain amount of money—that's what she built her thoughts on. (No way I'm going back to that world with this useless goddess, even if I find my way back. I thought it'd be fun, like in the manga and anime I watched, but it turned out to be a massive pain in the ass. Modern time wins over those lame magic tricks any day, no doubt) Her gaze lifted, instantly drawn to a quaint open coffee shop nestled between the towering buildings. "Hey, let's take a seat there," she suggested. Glancing to where she was pointing, Shido gave a nonchalant shrug and said, "Sure, why not?" Part 2: The minutes ticked away, and an awkward silence settled between them. Shido found himself fidgeting with his coffee cup, casting occasional glances towards Aqua. The peculiar thing about the situation was that the entire time, her gaze was fixed on him, piercing a hole in his forehead. Her hands were clasped in front of her mouth, lost in deep thought, seemingly unaware of where her eyes were landing. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "So, uh, Aqua, do you have any preferences? I mean, for the date. Like, something specific you'd like to do or a place you'd like to go?" Aqua blinked, as if awakening from a trance, and her gaze finally shifted from Shido's forehead to his eyes. "Huh? Oh, right, the date. I wasn't thinking about it. Just pick whatever you like, I guess." "But I thought you wanted to be the one to choose where to go..." There was no response from her; she once again returned to her mind, deep in thought. As the silence stretched on, he sighed, reaching for his earpiece, "Kotori..." Kotori's voice crackled through the earpiece, "What? Is my beloved Onii-san having trouble?" He swore he heard a "Pff" from the other side. It was obvious she was holding back laughter. "You're enjoying your time, it seems." "No~~ Why would I?" Kotori's attempt to feign innocence only made it more suspicious. Shido couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Cut the act, Kotori. Any suggestions for what to do before Aqua and I turn this into a staring contest?" "Just act as you always do, Shido. Unusually, this spirit is so stable unlike the others in their first meeting" "Uh-huh... Is that right?" "...Mm-hmm. All of which is to say, be yourself, Onii-san. The more relaxed you are, the more comfortable she'll feel," Kotori advised. Shido glanced at Aqua, who still seemed lost in her thoughts, "Wait. Hang on." He pressed a hand to his forehead. "...Something wrong?" "...Well...Never mind..." He gave up on whatever he wanted to say. "I'll try my luck." "Just be yourself, Onii-san. The more relaxed you are, the better. And if you mess up, well, it's just the end of the world, no big deal." "You don't help here, you know that, right?" "Good luck, Onii-sama~" Kotori grinned mischievously, leaving Shido to navigate his own choices alone As Shido's gaze dropped to his coffee cup, a lingering thought occupied his mind, "What was in Aqua's mind all this time to make such a serious expression?" Meanwhile, inside the goddess's mind, a different train of thought was running, "Money... I need money." A self-satisfied grin played on her lips as she considered her options. "I could just take advantage of this date and make him buy some stuff that I would need," she mused, a mischievous glint in her celestial eyes. "Asking for cash directly would be risky, at least not until he simp for this body. I mean, as a fellow man, that's the lowest of the lowest way to gain money, but what can I do? It's not like I have many options here... I feel like I wouldn't feel that bad if I scammed him in any other way rather than this..." Aqua scratched her head, pondering her strategy. "Let's see... I would need some food, and clothes?... surprisingly, I don't feel any cold in that outfit. Is it because she is not a human? Anyway, let's see... a place to stay— I can just spend the night under a bridge, I'm used to sleeping anywhere but..." She landed her eyes down, and in the process, they fell on the two mountains in her chest, "If I was in my original body, I wouldn't think much about it, but in a woman's body...wait, she's a goddess. Her body should have some supernatural powers—" Her mind paused as she remembered the frog incident and how easily she was bullied by him/her... "Maybe I should reconsider the bridge option..." Back to Shido, he decided to wait patiently until Aqua finished whatever she was lost in thought about. He observed her contemplative expression, not quite aware of the celestial schemes brewing within her mind. He stirred his coffee absentmindedly, lost in thought. Puzzled about whether he could resolve the case with Aqua before dinner time, He stirred his coffee absentmindedly, lost in thought. Puzzled about whether he could resolve the case with Aqua before dinner time, surprisingly, throughout the whole week when Shirou took care of the house meals, he became kind of obsessed with her cooking. He already missed breakfast and lunch, so missing dinner too would be the K.O. for him. As Shido continued to stir his coffee absentmindedly, his grip on the spoon loosened, and it slipped from his fingers, making a clattering sound as it hit the ground. "Oh..." Shido muttered, realizing he had dropped the spoon. He bent down to retrieve it, and then... Without his control, it was just an involuntary movement, his eyes went toward where Aqua was sitting. He froze, in body and mind. The woman was spreading her legs, and in the middle, there was nothing... she wasn't wearing any panties. Time seemed to come to a standstill as Shido's eyes widened in shock. Involuntarily, he swiftly raised his head, not aware of the taple above him. "OUCH!" The table jolted, and a loud clatter echoed through the room. Shido winced, both from the pain in his head and the awkwardness of the situation. Aqua, now fully aware of the commotion, looked at him with a mix of confusion and concern. "Dude, you're alright?" she asked, her celestial brows furrowed. "I-I'm fine," he stammered, still avoiding eye contact. "Just... the table, you know, it surprised me." "Well, good... But I am not...." "Huh?" Shido turned his gaze toward Aqua, finally meeting her eyes, only to realize that, in his flinch, he had accidentally knocked her coffee mug, and a dark liquid was now spreading across the table and dripping onto Aqua's lap. "Oh, no," he muttered, panic setting in, "are you okay? The coffee was still hot..." Aqua, surprisingly calm, looked down at the coffee-stained mess on her lap. She moved her finger down toward her lap, then up, and as if it were a magnet directed to iron, the coffee followed behind her finger. Then, with a swift motion, she pointed her finger to the empty mug. The spilled coffee, as if acknowledging her command, swirled back into the mug, leaving the table and Aqua's lap miraculously dry. "Oh....You..." Shido was about to praise her but stopped momentarily. Aqua was in a state of shock more than he was. (My body moved on its own...that was cool. I forgot Aqua was the goddess of water and everything that is a liquid matter.) Aqua grinned, finally coming to an agreement with herself on what to do next. "Hey, I know where to go." She stood, taking the lead, but for some reason, Shido didn't follow behind her. Turning to see the reason, the boy's face was red. "Something wrong?" "Ah, N-Nothing, let's go..." It seemed he didn't recover from what he saw under the table. Aqua tilted her head and sighed, "Your typical rom-com protagonist, Huh..." Part 3: "so why are we here again?" "I need a phone," Aqua declared with a nonchalant tone, scanning the array of smartphones on display. They were inside a mall, specifically in the technological district, inside one of the many shops there. Aqua ended up dragging him there without a word. The last thing he found himself doing was helping a spirit find a phone for herself. "so what kind of phone you're searching for?" "just a normal one, with internet capabilities, a good camera, and a long-life battery," Aqua replied, still eyeing the phones. "...You want a phone with a good battery, and yet you're glancing at the iPhone section?" "Ah, I was just curious about the latest release versions they have..." (I can't see the difference between the 13 and the 14 apart from the 100$ price difference) Aqua eventually moved her glance away to more affordable brands, or just the ones she was more familiar with, as she wasn't the one to pay for what she would buy. "By the way, what brand do you have?" "Samsung, I have the A30s." "Never heard of it, but I know the series. The RAM and storage? And is the camera any good?" "4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The camera's decent, not groundbreaking, but it takes a good shot. I'm no photography expert, though. Oh, and for the battery, it's 4,000mAh." "Oh, that's pretty good. I think I will take one like yours. Though in my original world, I used to have an S4... I ended up breaking it in the end, though..." Aqua shared a hint of nostalgia in her voice. Shido raised an eyebrow. "An S4? How did you do it? I thought the S4 was as solid as the Nokia 3310." Aqua came to a little halt from her search, crossing her arms as if she were a little annoyed. "First, don't even compare the durability of the S4 to the Nokia 3310. You just disrespect the legendary title of the Nokia 3310 like that. Second, I don't have any idea. The phone endured so many, and I mean so many hits, whether it was from dropping it to the ground or being accidentally launched across the room during one of my... misadventures. There was even that time I accidentally dropped it while climbing the ladder. It fell, and when I reached it, there wasn't even one scratch on it. The phone was completely working, but one night..." Aqua sighed, the reminiscence lingering in her eyes, "I was just about to go to bed, getting under the blanket, and as i did I accidentally knocked it off. It didn't even fall a considerable distance, just a soft thud as it landed on the floor, And just like that, the screen went blank. No cracks, no external damage, just a blank screen. It was like the phone decided it had had enough of my chaotic life and decided to retire peacefully." "Did you manage to fix it?" "Nah, it was so expensive. It seems not just the screen got damaged, but the motherboard itself. I had to pay like 50% of the price of the whole phone to repair it. It was better for me to add a bit more money and just buy a new one. It's a shame; we have been through a lot together... A minute of silence for the legend" Shido nodded solemnly, joining Aqua in her moment of reflection. "A minute of silence for the legend indeed. May it rest in peace." As they stood there, paying their respects to the fallen S4, passersby gave them curious looks. "By the way, I was curious about something," Aqua broke the silence as the minute went by, glancing at Shido. "Do you perhaps know a game named Grand Theft Auto or GTA for short?" He blinked, surprised by her question. "Do you think I live in a cave or something? Who doesn't know that game series?" "Good, good," she played with her finger, nervously preparing for her next question. "Please, please tell me it's out... the 6..." He fixed his eyes on her, momentarily frozen as if he was processing her question. Slowly, his gaze lowered, and his brow furrowed in sadness. "No..." Aqua got the sign. Shido approached her, placing a consoling hand on her back. "I'm sorry... we're still waiting..." "I see..." A tear escaped her right eye slowly, and her gaze descended in defeat. Aqua sighed, wiping away the lingering tear. "...Whatever, dude. Let's just get done with this. I'm hungry." "Ah... sure..." (WAH, her mood is unpredictable.) Meanwhile, from far away up in the sky, inside a certain airship, "What in the world wrong with those two..." said a certain redheaded little sister. Part 4: Perched high above the bustling city, greeted by a softly lit foyer adorned with tasteful modern art, setting the tone for the luxurious experience awaiting them. Shido's eyes were flitting back and forth, alternating between absorbing the opulent surroundings and gauging the reactions of those sharing this extravagant space. Unlike the expensive-looking clothes of the people around them, he wasn't wearing anything special, just a comfortable button-down shirt and casual slacks. He felt out of place. "Ah, did you choose anything yet?" "No." "Ah, okay...." Unlike him, who was looking embroiled in the grandeur of the place, Aqua seemed rather nonchalant, her eyes scanning the menu between her hands. It had been already half an hour, and she hadn't picked anything yet. He wasn't the type of guy to love being in such luxurious-looking places; rather, he preferred the simple, so he felt unease here. Aqua shrugged, her gaze finally settling on the menu. "I don't know. Everything here seems too... complicated, there's no picture of the dishes, so I don't know what to choose. Look at that," she leaned forward, giving Shido a chance to see one of the many dishes' names on the menu. "What is that, 'Quiche Lorraine'? What's a quiche? Is it some kind of fish? And look at this one," She pointed at another dish, "Bouillabaisse de Poissons du Jour? I don't even know what language that is. How am I supposed to order if I can't pronounce the dishes?" "It's French, and just sit down; you're bringing unwanted attention," He sighed, "Besides, weren't you the one who chose to come here? Why are you complaining now?" "I thought I would find the best meals in the most expensive-looking place. I spent a whole week living on one damn bread. I was starving. I didn't know I would have to decipher a foreign language to eat,". "Akh............" He gave out a heavy breath as he scratched his hair, "Just order anything..." "Anything...Hmm...That's a good idea..." "Wait....Don't tell me you're thinking of what I'm thinking..." "I will just order the most expensive one...Heheheheh" "Y-You don't even know what it is! What if it's something you hate?" "If so, I will just order another option, where's the problem?" "Ah...." Shido's face turned pale. He didn't know how to respond, and for some reason, the image of him punching her in the face emerged in his mind. Shaking his head, he gave up on the current reality and mumbled a name in defeat through his earpiece. "Kotori..." "It's really rare for you to rely on the company resources...anyways, we will take care of the bill. Don't worry." "Yeah... thanks." "What can I get for you today, sir, Mess?" Shido watched as the waiter, with short blond hair, impeccably dressed, stood attentively beside their table, pen and notepad in hand. Shido cleared his throat, his eyes pleading for understanding. "Just a cup of water, I am still thinking..." "Take your time sir. And for the lady?" Aqua beamed. "Give me your most expensive dish" "The most expensive?" "Yes." The waiter raised an eyebrow but maintained his professional demeanor. He stole a glance at Shido's face and then back to Aqua. "Pardon my rudeness, Mess, but may I suggest our special dishes for today? They are known for their exquisite flavors and presentation." Aqua leaned in, intrigued. "Special dishes?" "Indeed, Miss. As you desire something befitting your high status. 'Mystical Mischief Medley' special is not unique but rich in flavors. I'm confident you'll find them to your liking," the waiter explained with a slight bow. Aqua's eyes sparkled with interest. "Weird name but well...Alright then, anything except stale bread should be good." The waiter nodded respectfully. "Certainly, Miss. Your order will be ready in 10 minutes." He bowed and prepared to leave, and as he did he subtly winked at Shido with a knowing smile. "Huh?" Shido murmured, a furrow forming on his brow. "Something wrong?" Aqua asked, glancing at Shido with a quizzical expression. "Ah, nothing," Shido replied, trying to shake off the strange feeling. He couldn't quite grasp the significance of the waiter's wink but decided to let it go for the moment. Reached for the menu, he carefully perused the options, determined to order something within his budget. "That waiter is quite the chivalrous one," a voice crackled through his earpiece. It was Kotori. "Hmm, what do you mean, Kotori?" Shido inquired, intrigued by the comment. "The prices in the menu are arranged in ascending order. Take a look at the first page," Kotori explained. Shido flipped to the first page of the menu, scanning the prices with newfound awareness. As he moved his gaze from the extravagant options to the more affordable ones, he noticed the "Mystical Mischief Medley" nestled inconspicuously among them. "Wait, isn't that..." "Yeah...doing something like that, I am sure it would cost him his job..." Kotori's voice trailed off Shido's eyes turned to where the waiter had left, "...What a good guy."