✿ Cindy’s Point-of-View ✿

The day was Saturday. Last night, I called Prince and said that I got permitted to have a day off for our meeting. That is why later, after lunch, we will meet in front of the mall.

“Is this fine to wear?” I asked myself in a nervous expression and twirled in front of the mirror. I wore a white blouse designed with pink ribbons and a blue skirt with its hem right above my knees. I was also wearing a blue headband, white knee socks, and pink doll shoes. “I don’t like to stand out though.”

I twirled once again to check my outfit in the mirror.

“But I want to wear this outfit even once. Will he find me weird if I showed up like this?” I whispered, not confident. Then, I made a serious face and muttered, “Prince is not like that. That is why I’ll wear this for today.”

With those words, I grabbed my blue shoulder bag and exited the room.

“My, my. My sister is so beautiful today,” Rizelle commented after she saw me dressed-up.

“Really? I don’t know about that,” I responded in a shy tone.

“Be confident. Do you have a date today?” Rizelle asked with a smile.

“Well... more or less... I guess,” I replied with a puzzled expression, also not sure what to call it.

But this is not a date, right? Prince will only go out with me to treat my phobia so…

“I see,” Rizelle whispered, somewhat lost in thoughts. She then smiled and responded, “Take care.”

As a response, I nodded with a smile and went out of the mansion.

♛ Prince’s Point-of-View ♛

“I got here too early,” I muttered to Pixie. She was inside my breast pocket with her upper body out.

Out of thing to do in the house, I arrived in front of the mall, on standby for Cindy to arrive. I was wearing an unbuttoned maroon polo shirt with a white shirt underneath. I partnered those with dark blue jeans and maroon rubber shoes.

“Half an hour before the meeting is early all right,” Pixie said as watched lots of people enter the mall. “So... do you have any goal for today? Something like ‘kissing Cindy before this date ended’?”

“What? Isn’t that moving too fast? We’re not even friends for a week, you know,” I reacted, astounded.

“But didn’t you kiss Arian after two days?”

“We know each other for more than a year already, you know,” I retorted with squinted eyes.

Pixie then smiled and said, “But do that if you see a chance.”

Is that how it works?

“I guess I’ll try,” I whispered, embarrassed a little.

After fifteen minutes, Cindy finally arrived so Pixie hid inside my pocket.

“Prince? Am I late?” Cindy asked with an anxious look.

Despite hearing her question, all I did there was to stand up with my mouth open. She was so beautiful that no words came out from me.

“Hey, Prince. Compliment her,” Pixie advised me with a beam.

Compliment? Seriously? Do I need to say ‘she’s beautiful’ in front of her? I can’t do that!

“Hurry!” Pixie continued and struck her wand to me.

“You’re not wearing your glasses?” Cindy asked out of curiosity.

“W-well, that’s only for fashion, you see. It’s not even a prescription one,” I answered, still nervous.

“I see,” Cindy responded with a smile. “I think you look nicer without one.”

“And she even got ahead of you,” Pixie whispered with a deep sigh.

“But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suit you,” Cindy followed, with anxiousness. Then, she smiled and continued, “I just think it suits you more like that.”

This girl... knows how to combo!

“I-I-I-I-I-I... see,” I replied and couched to regain my composure. “Let’s go inside?”

As her answer, she nodded and both of us entered the mall.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Cindy asked with a smile.

I then stopped my walk and faced her. She also did the same.

“Well, this is the next step that you need to do,” I said and drew out my palm towards her.

She looked at it with a puzzled look and thought of something.

“I see. Here,” she muttered with a smile and placed her hand like a paw on top of mine.

We already did this joke last chapter, you know.

“Not paw. I mean... we should hold hands,” I said with a forced poker face.

“Hold hands?” she repeated, confused.

“Like this...” I said and grabbed Cindy’s hand as gentle as I could.

“Ohhh~” Pixie reacted, somewhat impressed to my idea.

Because of that, Cindy tried to pull away from me, but I didn’t even sway from it because of her weak force for a pull.

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-what are you doing?” Cindy asked in a very flustered look.

“You can now get near me without over-reacting so the next step is physical contact, right?”

“But that’s...” she muttered with her cheeks bright red.

So she’s that against it. I guess I have to use my trump card.

“Look over there?” I said and pointed to the two girls with my free hand. She followed it with her eyes and became surprised.

“That’s...”

“They’re friends, right?” I asked for confirmation.

“I think they are,” Cindy answered as she watched the two girls converse with each other while holding hands. “But is that also common to friends of the opposite sex?”

“Well, I don’t have close friends for reference so I don’t know too,” I replied. “Want to stop then? We don’t have to hold hands if you’re not okay with it.”

After she heard that, she looked at our wrapped hands and made a determined face. She then looked at me and said, “Let’s do it.”

So it somehow worked.

“Then, let’s go,” I followed, and she gave me a smile and a nod. Both of us walked with me as the lead.

We walk around the mall in silence while holding hands. Out of embarrassment, we also avoided our eyes to meet.

Now that I noticed it, her hand is now warm, opposite to the first time I held it back then.

Unintentional, I squeezed her hand because of that thought and it made her shoulders twitched. Because of that, she looked at me with blushed cheeks.

“Sorry... it might take a while before I get used to this,” Cindy said with a nervous smile.

“Well, that goes for me too, to be honest,” I responded with a shy smile.

After that, we went to the arcade. There, we played different games like whack-a-mole, pinball, a fighting game, and a basketball machine.

“We couldn’t beat that high score,” I complained after we gave up on the basketball game.

“It’s too bad, but we’re still short by 10 points,” Cindy followed with a sad smile.

“And we even cooperated and tried it three times. I wonder if that’s done by only one person,” I continued as we strolled around the arcade. But soon after, Cindy stopped in her tracks. When I looked at her, I saw that her eyes were at a crane game with lots of stuffed toys inside.

There it is, the classic machine for lovers. The girl will look at the cute plushie inside and the boy will promise to get that thing no matter what happens. But...

“Cindy?” I called with a serious face. “Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s nothing. What should we play next?” she asked with a smile.

“Let’s try one of the co-op shooting games over there,” I answered and pointed the section opposite the crane game.

“Okay,” she responded, and both of us moved there.

I’m not about to embarrass myself in front of Cindy, thank you. I’m sure that there’s some setting there that would prevent a novice like me from getting it. I’ll only spend so much money that the benefit-cost ratio would be against me. So the right choice is a strategic retreat.

“You could get it in one try though,” Pixie whispered, still inside my breast pocket.

“If it involves using your magic, I will outright refuse that. I’m not that cheap to cheat in a game to get something.”

”You’re like that sometimes,” Pixie said after a sigh and made a smile right after.

“Did you say something?” Cindy asked out of curiosity.

“It’s nothing. Should we try this ‘Hostel of the Dead’?” I asked her after I pointed to the zombie-themed co-op shooting game.

“Sure,” Cindy replied with a smile.

After that, we grabbed our respective guns. And when I inserted two coins, the game started.

“Take this!” I exclaimed and hit two zombies with a double-tap.

“Prince? How should I reload this gun?” Cindy asked, flustered because she was not hitting the zombies anymore on the screen.

“Pull the trigger off-screen,” I said with a serious face. Then, I continued shooting the zombies that tried to get near.

“Okay,” Cindy responded and pointed the gun on the ground. After she pulled the trigger once, she once again pointed to the screen and shot three zombies.

“See?” I said with a smile.

“You’re right,” she replied in excitement.

Then, when we cleared the ordinary zombies, a big one appeared and let out a monstrous growl along with a small zombie in the air.

“Here’s the first boss. Don’t hit the giant because you won’t damage it. Only hit the small monster that flies around,” I explained and hit the said target.

“Got it,” Cindy responded in a serious face and followed my lead.

After around an hour of gameplay, we finally reached the last boss, a human-sized archfiend with bat-like wings.

“Prince, do you know the weakness of this one?” Cindy asked as she tries to shoot the flying enemy.

“I don’t know. This is my first time reaching this far,” I said with furrowed eyebrows. “Let’s hit every part of him until he reacts!”

Then, the chest of the boss opened, and a clear orb appeared. After a few seconds, it generated a laser and hit us. With that attack, the word ‘CONTINUE?’ and a countdown appeared on-screen.

What’s up with that? We have three lives, yet he defeated us in a single shot? But...

“I think I now know his weakness,” Cindy said with a beam on her face.

“What a coincidence. Me too,” I said with a smile and brought out our last two coins.

“Let’s finish this?” Cindy asked with a hint of excitement and nervousness.

“That goes without saying,” I responded and inserted the coins in the machine. Then, the boss once again appeared on-screen. As usual, it was flying around and barraging us with claw marks.

“Wait for it...” I whispered as we continued our shoot-out with the monster. Then, finally, he opened his chest, and the orb appeared.

“There!” Cindy shouted, and both of us aimed at the orb. When we landed successive hits on the target, the boss flinched and the laser didn’t come.

“We’re right!” That’s his weakness!” I exclaimed in excitement.

“We did it!” Cindy reacted with a smile.

“All we have to do is to endure his scratches and damage his orb before our life reached zero!” I said and fired my gun continuously. Then, when Cindy and I got left with only one life each, the last boss opened his chest.

“Now!” I shouted and both of us barraged our gunshots at the orb.

“Just a little more...” Cindy muttered with clenched teeth as the monster’s health bar decreased.

Will we make it in time?

Swayed by the action, Pixie revealed her upper body and shouted, “Gooooooooooooooooo!”

Then, the boss groaned in despair and hit the ground after his defeat. After that, we saw our characters’ arrival at the rooftop with a helicopter on standby. They rode it and the aircraft flew away. With the game finished, the end credits appeared.

“We... did it...” I whispered with an astonished and sweaty face.

Cindy wiped her forehead with a handkerchief and looked at me with a big smile.

“Prince,” Cindy called with a smile. Seeing that, I also smiled, and both of us high-fived each other.

Playing a game and finishing it with someone is fun, after all.

──◈─▣─♕─▣─◈──

“To think we beat that game in one go,” I said with a smile as both of us walk while holding hands.

“It’s because you’re good at it,” Cindy praised me with a smile.

“You’re one to talk. You’re too good for a beginner, you know,” I followed.

“But I got shocked when someone yelled ‘go’ before we defeated that last boss,” Cindy said and made a curious look. “Did you also hear that?”

“Sorry... I got excited from your gameplay,” Pixie apologized while inside my breast pocket.

“M-maybe some spectator around?” I answered and forced a laugh. “Anyway, what do you want to eat?”

“I’m fine with anything,” Cindy answered with a smile.

That’s the hardest answer to consider, you know.

To decide, I looked around and saw a crepe store.

“How about there? Do you like crepes?”

“Yes, I love it,” she responded in a good mood.

“Then crepe it is,” I continued, and both of us went towards the store. I chose the extreme chocolate flavor while Cindy picked the vanilla strawberry flavor. After we paid and received our order, we sat in the nearest empty two chairs with a table.

“Let’s see,” I whispered and tasted my crepe. The rich flavor of the chocolate-filled my mouth from the syrup and the cube of chocolates inside.

“This is very delicious,” I said to Cindy.

“Really? Mine too,” Cindy commented in elation as she ate her crepe.

“Now I’m also curious about that flavor.”

When Cindy heard that, she stared at me, and her cheeks became red.

“Cindy?” I called with a clueless expression.

She became surprised and averted her gaze. She then squirmed and looked back at me.

“Is something wrong?”

“Will you promise that you won’t find me weird if I ask you this question?” she responded in an anxious expression with a blushed face.

Another promise?

“Let’s hear it then,” I followed in a serious look.

“Is it normal for friends of the opposite sex to share their foods? Like if I bite on your crepe and you’ll bite on mine? Is that weird for us?”

“Uhmm... that’s...” I whispered and went red too.

How the heck should I respond to that?

“I think it depends on the two. I mean... if you’re fine with it, we can do that,” I said as I maintained my poker face.

“But... I mean... we’re only friends, right? Is that okay to do?” she continued, confused.

Screw the explanation! Go brave and bold!

With a firm resolve, I drew closer and stole a bite on her crepe.

“Prince?” Cindy reacted with widened eyes.

“It’s delicious too,” I commented as I munched the crepe and took a seat again.

The balance between the sweetness of vanilla and the sourness of strawberry was supreme. The flavor was so tasty and natural that one bite wasn’t enough after I tasted it.

I swallowed the bite and continued, “We have our kind of friendship to consider so it’s up to us. So do what you want and I’ll do the same. Is that okay?”

When Cindy heard that, she looked at me with a slightly astonished face and smiled after.

“Okay,” she answered with a bright smile. With that decided, I drew out my crepe, and she took a small bite from it.

“Delicious~” she commented with contentedness.

“Jeez,” I whispered with a smile as I watched her enjoy the taste of my crepe.

After that, we called it a day and go home. As Pixie and I headed the house, I remembered something.

“Wait. Is an indirect kiss like that counts?”

“Of course not...” she whispered with a sigh.

As I suspected.