Chloe and Steph had learned a lot when they ended up in Mira's domain, where they also met the divine fox. The dog-girl discovered many things about her new magic that she had been gifted, and the pink fox learned more about Fey, as it turned out that she has a significant connection to the overseer of magic. After a lot of chatting and a final hug at the end of the day, the duo returned to the shrine, and everything went back to normal.

“Wow, what a turn of events!” Steph was still in high spirits while leaving the shrine.

“Did that really just happen…?” Chloe was slightly confused. "Did we just visit Mira's place and spend half the day chatting with her…?"

“We sure did! This world is amazing!” She was enjoying every second of her new life.

“That’s definitely true!” The fox nodded a few times. “It’s just… meeting Canir, and now even Mira is not something you usually do… as someone who has lived here for 20 years now, that's crazy!"

“I guess so?” Their standings didn’t have that much of an effect on the dog. “Mira was really nice, though! Even if the circumstances were weird, I'm glad we could meet her! W-Well, some things she said and made you do aside…" Steph touched her cheek during the last part.

“Yes, I also like her a lot, but what do you mean by… a-ah.” It took Chloe a moment to process the last part. “…”

“Should we, uhh… get something to eat again…?” She also seemed a little awkward. "We've spent so much time with Mira that it's getting dark already, and I'm a little hungry again…"

“Yeah… That sounds good. It sure has been a busy day, huh?”

“Very!” Steph smiled at her before grabbing her hand once again. “L-Let’s go!”

“S-Sure!” They, especially Chloe, had gotten used to holding hands before, but after visiting Mira, both had become conscious about it, and the duo had roughly the same level of blush on their cheeks.

----------------

The two walked around for about 20 minutes before they found a restaurant that struck their fancy. Inside, the duo got seated at an available table, and once they ordered something, the two started chatting again.

“Say…” Looking slightly awkward, Steph looked at the pink fox-girl sitting across her at the other side of the table. In fact, after a moment or two, her eyes stopped swimming around, and she locked them with Chloe's. "What are we now…?"

“E-Eh…?” She looked slightly confused and a little bewildered, but she eventually looked her in the eyes, as well, while tilting her head. “Friends…?” Judging by her intonation, she didn't even seem to fully believe that herself.

“Do you kiss all your friends…?” Naturally, the dog-girl believed it even less.

"A-Ah.” She got even more awkward. “Y-You’re the one who started it! Overly excited or not, did you try to k-kiss me, or did you not…?"

“Uhh…” Steph scratched her cheek a few times. “I might have…”

“See?!”

“So?” Slightly enthralled by her somewhat smug smile for a moment, the violet-haired girl tried to be a little more serious again. “What are we?”

“Good friends…?” She tried her luck.

“Really…?” Steph wasn’t happy about that.

“…”

“Are we dating now…?” She simply blurted it out.

“H-HUH?!” Her entire face instantly lit on fire.

“L-Let me rephrase that… Do you want to date me?” Steph paused for a moment to fight off a little of her own embarrassment. “Mira was right. I was happy about getting a kiss from my… crush. I still am! You do think, uhh… favorable of me, as well, right…? Otherwise, you wouldn't have done that, no…?"

“I-I do like you! I like you a whole lot!” Chloe raised her voice. “B-But… we only met each other a few days ago…”

“So?”

“S-So, she says…” The fox-girl wasn’t sure how to reply to that. “D-Don’t you usually get to know the other party better first…? I-I mean, I have no experience, but that’s how it works, is it not…?”

"Who said you can't do that while dating…?"

“B-But what if we get to know each other better and realize we aren’t that good of a match, after all…?”

“What if not?”

“Uhh…” Chloe had nothing to counter after hearing that.

“There’s never a guarantee for anything in life. You could even end in another world by the end of the week, you know?” She had an oddly specific example ready. “We could spend years getting to know each other and then still learn something that could break us apart a day after we started dating."

“Do you have any experience with all that…?”

“None at all!”

“Ehh…?” The fox-girl looked confused. “You sound so… knowledgeable about d-dating, though…”

“I used to be the support-character for my friends… Romance is fun, after all! There were two girls I was interested in before… I think? I was too young to be sure the first time, and the other ended before I had the chance to explore whatever I might have felt because I waited and wanted to get to know her better first…"

“I-I see…” Chloe started to understand her take.

“Well, it turned out the second girl was straight, after all, so… It might not be the best example for my story… Also, it felt more like an admiration, now that I think about it again…”

“I definitely am not straight. I can say that for sure!"

“Happy to hear~.” Steph smiled at her. “Same, by the way. Toys are the closest thing to men I have an interest in. As long as they’re not too life-like, at least. If you get my drift~. The more colorful and fun-shaped, the better!”

“Uhh…”

“W-Wait, did I say that out loud just now?!” The color on her face changed. “P-Please forget about that!”

“Well, you do have a point. They are… I-I mean, forget about what? Did you say something?” Both of them have next to no filter, after all.

“Ahaha… No, I didn’t say anything.”

“G-Good.”

“Anyway, back to the topic!”

“W-Which one…?” Chloe had lost track.

“Do you want to date me?” The dog-girl looked right into her eyes again. "We don't have to do anything that makes either of us uncomfortable immediately, and we can take our time growing ever closer, but I don’t want to risk wasting my chance with you! If I have a chance, that is!”

“W-Why me?"

“Because you’re amazing!” Steph’s reply was instantaneous.

“…” She had hoped for a more detailed response.

“You’re amazingly beautiful, cute, fluffy, and attractive! Your looks are perfect!” She sounded a little excited for a moment. “Now, to more important things! Your personality! You’re super friendly, attentive, and approachable! What I’ve heard from the others, when it involves your character and magic, you’re super playful and easygoing. Forgiving, too… Sorry about having jumped at you the moment we met…”

“Ahaha…”

“You like to cuddle as much as I do, which is most important!” She put some extra emphasis on that. “From your stories, you also seem to love exploring, traveling, and other outdoor activities like camping.”

"I constantly did that for the past almost 20 years and enjoyed every second of it. I’ve spent way more days outside than you can imagine!”

“I love you!”

“?!” The fox-girl hadn’t expected such a direct follow-up. "A-Are you really fine with me…?”

“You’re more than I could’ve ever imagined and dreamed of!”

“I-I see…”

“So? So? So?” With each repeat, Steph leaned a little closer to Chloe over the table. “Do you want to date me? I definitely want to date you!”

“...” The fox-girl was quite overwhelmed. “W-We can still get to know each other better before... before, uhh... other stuff, right...?”

“...” Steph paused for a moment, as well. “W-We can wait however long you can hold back with it.”

“W-Why me?!”

“You’re the one who brought it up just now! I hadn't even thought about that yet... For now, I mainly want to make sure not to lose this amazing girl right in front of me I fell for at first sight and gain the right to brag about it to absolutely everyone we meet!"

"A-Ah.” Chloe’s face actually managed to get even redder. “I-I’m sorry... M-My mind’s a little too horny for its own good from time to time...”

“W-Why are you apologizing...? Also, if anything, that’s another thing I’ll add to your redeeming features! N-Not a now topic, though...”

“...” The fox-girl just got more embarrassed. "A-Are you really fine with someone like me...?”

“YES!” She reacted with a big nod. “I want you! It all depends on your answer now!”

"I-I do like you a lot, and I was m-mesmerized by you the moment we met! Even more so later on. You being a dog is a perfect fit for your personality. A personality I like very much! Quirky, outgoing, and adorable! I can’t wait to go on more adventures with you, either! I feel super comfy around you, too, and cuddling is great, as well! T-That’s definitely a crush, r-right?”

“I like the sound of that!” Steph was getting even more excited. “SO?”

“I-If you’re really okay with me... I, uhh... I’d gladly... y-you know...”

"No, I don't know." The dog-girl smiled at her. "You have to tell me. I want you to tell me.”

“Uuh...” Chloe’s usually quite confident about her social skills, but this situation, combined with Steph’s ultra-direct way of doing things, turned her into a bit of a mess. “I-I feel honored that you want to be my partner, and it makes me really happy because I want the same! It still feels very early, but you’re right! Why should it matter?! I want to date you, too!”

“Ehehe~.” Steph liked her response a lot.

“Ehehe~.” The fox-girl also looked happy.

“...”

“...”

Afterward, as all the tension and excitement calmed down in an instant, the mood got a little awkward as both got rather embarrassed over just how much they had gotten into it. A few moments later, as they were still in the restaurant, the waitress, who had taken their order a long time ago, finally came with their food while apologizing for taking so long. Apparently, it was a busy time, and it had absolutely nothing to do with not having wanted to interrupt the couple until now.