For both good and bad, the polls are closed for the pairings and ships for Matt and Raph in Chapter 10. We'd like to thank all those people who gave their suggestions, and we'd also like to inform you all that we also held these polls in our school amongst our friends. So, the final result ended with Raph and Matt having quite a number of votes for particular pairings both at our school and here in the reviews.
So, without further ado, we give you Chapter 10.
Chapter 10a: A Cold Fever
Earth: March 1, 2014 ; 2:27 PM ; Tockvell Mall ; Department Store
How am I supposed to pick?
This is the primary and foremost thought that was held on Raph's and Matt's mental pedestals. Their minds tossed and turned like a laundry machine with the spin rotating at three times the speed, weighing over all of the thoughts, the options, and the ways everything could go wrong.
After all, the girls could always go off on their own and take it the wrong way. And a misunderstanding as powerful as that would...well, they preferred not to think about such a messy outcome.
Raph paced absentmindedly across the floor of the mall the way most did when they would be locked deep in thought over something, or in a similar fashion to a person speaking over the phone. Matt, on the other hand, was sitting on a bench nearby and leaning forward in a position quite reminiscent of the famous Thinker.
"Who do I...Ugh, this is harder than I thought..." Raph muttered to himself, spinning on his heel as he made yet another turn and began walking back the way he came while dodging any and all passerby who happened to be walking close to him.
"I can't...ugh...I can't decide..." Matt just mumbled to no one in particular.
Both were brain dead.
As the two of them remained locked in their stupor, the other two guides had taken the liberty of accompanying the girls shopping by themselves in a ploy to buy the two time. But the clock was ticking, and Matt and Raph were very conscious of that. Overly conscious.
But even with the strange pressure mounting their chests, they made their decisions. With a feeling like a great burden being taken off their shoulders, and another being strapped to their chests, they made their choices. They glanced at each other and nodded. Matt bounced to his feet, and the two walked towards the escalator and to the location of the shop where Grape said they would probably spend the most time.
As they reached the top of the moving staircase and exited the steps, they cast their gaze about the wide room and spotted the two guides to their right. Kyle was sitting down on a nearby bench looking like he wanted to kill himself if boredom didn't do the job first. Grape was just leaning against one of the large, round concrete pillars with his earphones plugged in. As the two uneasy boys approached their friends, Kyle suddenly glanced upwards and saw them. He grinned and stood up from the bench.
"So, did you figure out who you're bringing?" He asked, a very subtle and low-key hint of teasing hidden within the folds of his tone. It went by unheeded, and whether or not the two boys cared was the question.
Grape tore his eyes away from the clothing store in front of him and locked his eyes onto Matt and Raph. He pushed himself off of the pillar and walked over to them, a smile and a raised eyebrow ready.
"I have mine." Raph nodded firmly, and Kyle just grinned and nodded in return.
"I think so..." Matt trailed off uneasily, and Grape's eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms.
"Do you need some more time to think, Matt? I can buy it if you need it." He offered, and Matt just shook his head in reply.
"Well...no, I still haven't decided." Matt sighed.
Raph just gave him a look. "I have mine. You may wanna hurry up soon."
"I GOT IT! Don't pressure me, man!" Matt nearly exploded, and Grape just held up a hand in between the two friends.
"Chill, man. No one's pressuring you." Kyle said, placing a hand on Matt's shoulder. Matt just sighed and peeled Kyle's hand off of his shoulder.
"We can help you, if you'd like." Grape offered, and Matt just sighed and nodded.
"So, what kind of person do you have in mind?" Raph began with that question, but Matt just stared at him funnily.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, clueless.
"He meant to ask what type of person you were thinking about bringing." Grape said helpfully, but Matt just sagged his shoulders in defeat.
"I have no idea, man." He took a seat on the bench where Kyle had been sitting previously. The three of them took their own standing positions next to him. Raph stood to the right of his friend, and Kyle stood next to Raph. Grape leaned on the armrest to Matt's left.
"I guess Matt just needs someone who's pretty much just like him. If we're talking personality and common interests." Kyle said.
"Well...if you think about it, the only other person with a personality similar to Matt's..." Grape muttered, looking at Raph. Raph met his gaze, and suddenly the light of inspiration struck Raph as well. Grape nodded, a smile slowly beginning to spread on his face.
"...with common interests and a personality close to Matt's is..." He glanced at Kyle, and Kyle mouth spread into a wide smile.
"Blanc." The three of them said the name at the same time, and Matt just looked at the three in complete and utter disbelief.
"Wait, wait, wait! Blanc!?" Matt replied, shaking his hands in a gesture of refusal. Grape just shushed Matt, and glanced back at the department store. Grape sighed in relief when he saw the girls still entranced with the numerous selections of clothing, and he turned back to his friend's predicament.
Raph just raised an eyebrow and scratched the top of his head. "Is there something wrong?"
Matt shook his head, though it was a very forced gesture. "No, not at all. She's fine, and her personality's pretty cool and all...but, I'm kinda...afraid..."
Kyle just looked at him with an expression of complete mutual understanding. "Of her?"
"No, of messing up." Matt quickly replied, and Kyle just sighed and slumped in place.
Grape just waved his hand and adjusted his position on the armrest. "You'll be fine. All you need to do is stay calm and act normal. Nonchalant, you know. Like it's not that big of a deal, but also like it's some kind of big deal. It's not like she's not a human. Wait, hang on. Let me retract that previous statement and say that she is not human. But that's no problem. As long as you don't do anything excessively stupid, she won't kill you. She's not a dog that bites hands and feet at first sight, buddy."
Raph just shrugged and looked at Matt straight dead in the eye. "Point is, you need to stay calm. Do that, and you can explain."
Matt just looked at the three and hesitantly nodded. "Well, okay..."
"Before I forget to ask, who are you bringing, Raph?" Kyle asked suddenly, turning to Raph.
"I was thinking of Nepgear." Raph replied.
"Oh, Nepgear, huh? Interesting choice." Grape remarked, and Raph looked at him.
"We get along pretty well, and I think she's the only one level headed enough to understand that I'm not trying to date her. Besides, I think it's easier on my part to ask without causing any misunderstandings if I ask her."
Grape just looked back at Raph and nodded. "Well, fair enough. Nepgear is quite normal and level-headed compared to the rest of the girls in the group. While that normality betrays her in certain aspects, it's a good quality in this case. I see no reason not to, anyway. She's a nice and pretty girl with her own set of adorable and quirky qualities. Go and reach for the stars, my friend!"
Earth: March 1, 2014 ; 3:41 PM ; Tockvell Mall ; Center Square Ground Floor
It had taken a number of hours for the CPUs to finally settle on shopping, and now they wanted to split up and explore the malls in their own way. To ensure that no trouble would occur within mall grounds, the guys had chosen to leave in groups of four. And of course, in line with the arranged plan, the guides had set it up so that the two of their number could ask their chosen 'dates' out.
To the Game Store, apparently named Digital Boom, went Kyle, Vert and Noire. And to the nearby arcade on the same floor, christened Volt Stop, went Grape, Uni, Rom and Ram. The book store, also on the same floor, called Fully Stocked was Blanc's and Matt's destination. Raph and Nepgear were the only ones with no specifics, instead aiming to just adventure around the entire mall.
Neptune raised a fist high in the air, easily attracting the attention of the other passerby. "Okay, groupies! We meet back at the front entrance with the awesome sliding doors when we're done! After that, we leave! Is that clear, everyone?!"
"Neptune, you're making too much of a racket." Noire complained, grabbing the ditz by her earlobe and yanking it hard. "Sounds like a plan, then. Let's go." She immediately began walking forward, painfully dragging the Planeptune CPU behind her as if she were a moving, flailing, screaming sack of rice.
As the others just chuckled while the pair left them behind, Grape suddenly got tugged forward.
Ram just laughed and pulled him harder. "Come on, let's go! Let's go, go go!" With that, she began dragging him with strength that clearly didn't belong to a normal girl her age. Strangers from all around stared at the duo making a ruckus through the crowd as they made a straight shot for the escalators.
"Hey! Wait for us, you two!" With that cry, Uni immediately began sprinting through the crowd. Rom clung onto Uni's dress for what looked like dear life and let herself get dragged along in a manner reminiscent of a wake board.
"Looks like we'll be seeing each other later, then." Blanc said in conclusion, and she turned around to head for the elevator. "Matt, let's go."
"R-right!" Caught off guard by the sudden, swift movement, Matt spun a full circle in confusion before regaining his bearings. With that, he frantically ran after her.
"Alright, looks like everyone's going off already. Should we get going too?" Negear asked, smiling, and Raph nodded.
"Yeah, let's head out." With that, the two walked off towards the other escalator on the far side of the mall.
And so the Kyle/Neptune/Vert group was left standing there.
"Uh...wanna get going?" Kyle asked, and Vert chuckled and nodded.
"We should probably maximize the time we have, so let's go." With that, they walked towards the escalator nearest to them.
Earth: March 1, 2014 ; 4:12 PM ; Tockvell Mall ; "Fully Stocked" Bookstore
"Hmm...this one looks interesting...but it's quite heavy..." Blanc muttered to herself as she carefully hefted a book as thick as a small child. Matt said nothing as he stood beside her, looking over some other books nearby.
The two were in the front of Fully Stocked, the largest bookstore in the entire mall. The storefront alone was worth one whole wall of the entire floor, extremely massive in size and volume alone. Lines of shelves were paved with nothing but books of endless sizes and varieties. An entire wall of comic books was set over to one side, close to the section dedicated to teen books. If one looked closely, they would see an enormous collection of romance novels on display.
As the two paced through the aisles of bookshelves, Matt felt the silence become more and more heavy and difficult to break. His sweat was chilly and cold against his skin, freezing him in the mall's air conditioning. His heartbeat was at an all-time high, punching inside his chest so hard he'd swear it'd leave a bruise on his chest.
This wasn't healthy. Youthful, but not good for the heart.
Matt stole a glance at Blanc, eying her from the corner of his peripheral vision as he pretended to rummage through books. Just looking at her, dressed in her new casual clothes as she flipped through pages of a small book at supersonic speed, made him feel even more nervous. As if his lips were stitched shut and his lungs being squeezed by chains.
The temptation to give up was very powerful.
I've gotta try! I'm already here! This is my chance!
Matt took a breath and moistened his dry lips, and he noticed just then how dry his throat felt. Even if he had just eaten a big lunch with massive drinks not too long ago.
"Hey...uh, Blanc? You...uh...find anything you l-like?" Matt internally cursed for stuttering, trying not to let his rage and uneasiness show on his face.
Blanc looked up at him from her book and smiled softly, and held up some small books. "I found a few interesting books I might like to read. I should probably pick out one or two, though, since I don't want to cause you trouble by making you pay too much for me."
"No, it's alright." Matt replied reflexively, his natural self coming out in the form of his consideration and kindness, and he just gestured to all the books she was holding. "I'll handle it, so just pick out what you want. I have a lot of cash, anyway." While he was still nervous, he began to feel a little more relaxed thanks to the opportunity to fill the space between them with conversation.
Blanc just smiled and looked back to the bookshelf. "It's okay. Two books are enough for me already."
"I can finish books pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure you do that, too." Matt pointed out, and Blanc shrugged.
"Okay, that's true. But seriously, you don't have to." Blanc said gratefully, nodding her head a bit as she faced towards Matt. She then turned around and then began perusing through more of the aisles.
As she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Matt crashed onto the shelf nearby and leaned on it for support.
Okay, I'm getting somewhere.
After recovering, Matt found Blanc browsing the the selection of Japanese manga. He marveled at the books surrounding them, despite unable to understand some of the Japanese ones. He felt gratitude course through his system as he picked up another book, this one a Japanese Light Novel translated in English courtesy of some local translator.
"Here you are. Did you find anything you want?" Matt asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice, and Blanc swiveled on her chair to look at him.
"Yeah, I think I've decided." Blanc replied decisively, and Matt nodded rigidly.
"Okay, then let's pay for them. We can use the remaining time to check out other places, if you want." Matt offered, and Blanc agreed with a single nod.
As they headed out of the store, Blanc hugging the books to herself, Matt just stretched and yawned as the two walked.
Matt groaned and rotated his shoulders. He then turned to Blanc. "We have some time left. Do you want to go somewhere?"
"I'm already satisfied with these books. I'll leave this part to you. Do you want to go anywhere, Matt?"
Immediately, once the question was asked, thoughts burst like water from a dam in Matt's mind. His trains of thought all met in the transit station simultaneously and deposited all of their passengers.
Where do we go now? What do I do now? She's already happy with the books? God, I don't really know what to do!
Those seconds of internal struggle felt like thirty minutes of hard, deep thinking had taken place in that moment.
But that compressed time allowed a single idea to slip through the cracks.
"There's a nice frozen yogurt place on the first basement floor. Wanna grab some?" Matt offered, and Blanc nodded eagerly.
"That sounds pretty good." Blanc agreed, and the two took steps onto the escalator. They reached the floor above ground floor, where the stall was.
As the pair descended down the moving staircase, Matt cast his gaze to the right of the escalator to get his mind off of the current situation. As his gaze swept from the right to the left, he caught a brief glimpse of Blanc quickly looking from to the right to the left.
Wait...did she just look away from me when I looked at her? Matt thought, and all new kinds of worry began to make him palpitate.
Blanc just looked away from him, gazing at one of the shops to avoid his eyes.
He's acting strange. Is something wrong? Blanc wondered curiously, a tinge of worry dyeing the color of her thoughts.
The two got off the escalator and walked for a while, and were stunned by the fact that the stall was void of a long line. They looked at each other for a brief moment before walking behind the line.
The menu was a mouth watering selection with the option to select up to six different toppings depending on the buyer's frozen yogurt cup size.
"I don't know what to get, though. Pick something out for me."
Blanc's words sent Matt's worries through the roof.
He knew nothing of what she liked in food, and nothing about what she liked in general except video games, books and her friends.
"Well...I have no idea too, so..." Matt trailed off and began examining the menu of toppings. Blanc went over to the menu and began looking through it as well.
"I'll just head over with the marshmallows and- they have cheesecake?!" Blanc suddenly exclaimed, startling Matt.
"Okay, then that's yours." Matt ended, and they ordered their yogurts.
As they sat down, Blanc just pulled out one of her new books and began flipping through it. Matt, with no idea how to kick off another conversation and too flustered and nervous to do so anyway, remained silent.
Matt was too locked in thought to notice that Blanc was eying him over the edges of her book, which she had used not to read but to hide her face as she gazed at him.
Something's up. He's not acting normal.
And whatever this is about, this probably involves me somehow.
Earth: March 1, 2014 ; 4:38 PM ; Tockvell Mall ; "Volt Stop" Arcade
"Whoo! Tickets, tickets, tickets! Gonna get me a plushie! And not one from the crane machine!" Neptune sang merrily as she skipped over to the counter. The man at the counter took a step back as she unloaded the entire pile of tickets she was holding in her arms onto the countertop.
If one didn't know better, you'd think she was the supplier for the tickets in the arcade. The pile was very literally a mountain, far taller than Neptune herself. The man over the counter took one good look at the mountain before sighing and asking her to get whatever she wanted.
"I want that! Ooh, that one too! Oh, and-"
"Hey, Neptune! Wait for us!" The cashier's eyes widened when he looked to where the voice was coming from, only to see two little girls hefting a pile of tickets far too similar to the size that Neptune had just plopped down.
Did we ever get this many tickets for the arcade? Was the only thought the man had before putting a small "sold out" sign on the counter.
"Help yourself." The man muttered as he opened the door to the area behind the counter, but watched in shock as Neptune, Rom and Ram vaulted over the counter and helped themselves to their bounty.
"Sorry about that. They love games, food, games, and food." The cashier turned around to see Grape. He just chuckled and handed the cashier some money. "Here, something for your trouble." The man thanked him and left.
"Grape~" Neptune yodeled, and Grape turned to see her now carrying a mountain of dolls and assorted prizes that kept her face obscured from view. In fact, her whole body save for her legs and the hands hanging on to her winnings. "Want one? I've got a Chaos Emerald's worth over here!"
"Sure." Grape laughed and took a small toy ring from the pile.
"Whoa, you make weird choices, man. I would've gone for the Eren Jeager doll if I were you, man." Neptune commented.
"How can you tell what he got when you can't even see anything in front of you?" Noire commented, walking towards them with an expression that was a mix of concern and I don't want to be near you, for fear of people thinking that I'm weird too look.
"Whoa, Noire. Look at that. The writer actually made your expression really long." Noire just pulled Neptune's earlobe and dragged her out of the arcade.
"They never get tired of that old routine." Vert sighed, walking out beside Kyle and Uni. They caught up to Grape, who was walking a fair distance behind the bickering CPUs up front.
Rom and Ram quickly walked up to Grape, their massive piles of prizes in hand. Grape just smiled and held his hands out.
"Here. I'll carry it 'til we get to the car. Tell Neppy that I can get hers too."
"Whoa, thanks!" Ram said, dumping the pile into his arms and dashing off to Neptune without a moment's hesitation.
"Thanks, Grape. You seem like a big brother right now." Rom muttered as she carefully placed her pile into Grape's arms.
It was slowly becoming a question of physics about how Grape was able to walk and carry them all without either him or the toys falling.
"Thanks, Rom. It means a lot to me. Now, make sure your sister doesn't start trying to steal Neptune's toys or they'll argue again." Rom just nodded obediently and ran towards her sister, who looked like she was itching to just snatch Neptune's toys as she conversed with Noire.
"It's a little strange how we came together, and the others are still out and about somewhere around here." Vert spoke up, and Uni nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. How come the others aren't back?" Uni's question began to make Grape and Kyle conscious.
Knowing the way this was probably going, the guys were still trying to ask.
We have to keep stalling them, or-
"Let's go look for them. They can't be hard to find. And we have Grape, who knows this mall inside out. We can find them." Both of their thoughts were interrupted by the very words they were hoping not to hear.
"Hang on a second." Grape suddenly called out loudly enough for even Neptune to notice. As the group fell silent and looked at Grape, he just sighed and looked at Kyle.
"We can't do this much longer. We need their cooperation."
"Yeah, I agree." Kyle nodded, and Vert stepped forward, her eyes narrowed.
"What are you two talking about?" Grape took a deep breath before responding to Vert's words.
"What?! Formal Night?!" Uni exclaimed, and Grape immediately gestured for her to remain quiet. She hushed herself, and Grape nodded.
"That's the event you guys mentioned before. Something similar to Prom." Vert said to confirm, and Grape nodded to comply.
"They're planning to ask Blanc and Nepgear as their dates. But like I just said, they are trying their best to invite them as friends. And trying their hardest not to create a misunderstanding. Kind of like a show of appreciation for what you guys have been doing for Raph's house, and to showcase a little of our culture around here. After all, you're not locals."
Neptune just dumped her pile of belongings into the already full arms of Grape who was carrying Rom's and Ram's share. "And what do you think we wait for?! Father Time waits for no man, and I'm pretty sure women are counted there too! Let's go and check on 'em!"
Kyle just waved his hand in a gesture of no and said, "No, they might see us. We won't help by letting them see us."
"Aren't you curious, though? Like, about how it's going?" Neptune fought back with some incredible psychological warfare, and Grape could see Kyle wavering.
"Well..." Kyle trailed off, and Noire stepped in.
"You know, I am a little curious about what they're doing. I mean, it's not like I care about how it's going or about any one of them in particular. I just want to know how it's working out as their friend. You know, like how friends-"
"Yeah, yeah, we all get it, Lonely Heart. Now, come on, or we'll miss them." Neptune cut her off and yanked Noire by the earlobe in a perfect reversal of position.
"Well...we can't really let you go..." Grape trailed off, and Neptune just looked at him in surprise.
"Without going with you, that is!" Kyle finished, and everyone cheered.
"So, this is Fully Stocked? Did they run out of ideas, or do their staff get underpaid?" Neptune commented, and Noire yanked her by the earlobe yet again. Neptune just squealed in response, and the rest just chuckled.
"Oh, there they are!" Uni scream-whispered, and the rest of them trained their eyes on the front of the store.
And fast-forward to the scene in front of Blue Beri, the frozen yogurt stand, with the group hiding out nearby.
"Damn. Matt's dying, man." Kyle commented in a hushed voice, and the rest of the group nodded painfully.
"I think even Blanc's noticed it." Uni added, her worried expression apparent.
"They look...kinda awkward." Rom said quietly, and Ram nodded in agreement a second time.
"I can tell by the very air that surrounds them. The very oxygen screams A-W-K-A-R-D." Neptune commented, and Noire released her earlobe.
"Is it that hard to notice?" Noire said worriedly.
Grape just sighed and leaned on the pillar. "Come on, Matt. You got this."
Earth: March 1, 2014 ; 4:57 PM ; Tockvell Mall ; "Blue Beri" Ice cream Shop
What do I do?!
Matt was troubled. Worried. Concerned. Any other word that fit the bill.
Blanc was silently enjoying her frozen yogurt spoonful by tiny spoonful, reading her book at the same time. With no words spoken, Matt just let himself get lost in thought.
"Matt, are you alright? You've been acting strange since the bookstore." Blanc's sudden dart to the bullseye of the problem sent him into an internal state of panic, and he suddenly jolted as if he were electrified as he looked straight into Blanc's piercing gaze. She was looking at him with an analytic stare as if she were trying to read his soul like the book laid out onto the table whose pages were flipping softly in the breeze of the light air-conditioning.
I have to do it now!
"I..." Matt's mouth hung open as he tried to maintain a calm voice whilst he tried to let his trapped voice out of the cage that was his constricting throat.
"Look, Matt. If there's something you want or need to say, all you have to do is say it. You can tell me." Blanc said, smiling reassuringly and placed her hands on the tabletop.
"I..." Matt steeled himself and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and looking away briefly before opening them and staring her right in her eyes. "Would you come to the Formal Night with me as my guest?"
"Okay." With that, Blanc nodded, casually shrugging off the intense and heavy atmosphere that seemed to permeate the conversation in Matt's eyes, and went back to flipping through the pages at her regular inhuman speed.
...I heard that right, didn't I? That thought pulsed through Matt's head as he tried to make sense of what just happened.
"Wait, really?" He asked, and Blanc peered up at him from the book in her hands.
"Well, yeah. It sounds like it could be fun." Blanc said casually, shrugging, and returned her gaze to the book.
"And, well, you understand that I'm not trying to ask you out?" Matt said, and Blanc looked up at him again. This time, with an expression of minor confusion.
"Well, is that what this is about? You said I would be your guest, and not your date. Are you saying that you wanted to ask me out as your date?" Blanc's words sent Matt's sweat glands into overdrive for a single second, and he just sighed and shook his head.
"No, no, no. That's fine. I mean...wow, really? You know...just like that?" Matt wondered, his expression a mix of confusion, relief, happiness and disappointment.
"I don't know, Matt. Is there something you want me to say?" Blanc offered, and Matt just shook his head.
"No, not at all. I'm just glad you said yes." Matt finished, and Blanc nodded approvingly and returned to her book.
"You're more dramatic than I expected, Matt. Too dramatic." Blanc remarked, and Matt just reached out for his frozen yogurt that was already beginning to melt.
"I don't want to hear that from you." He said jokingly, grabbing the spoon and taking a massive spoonful of yogurt and toppings and sending it into his mouth.
The two just sat in contented silence, enjoying their frozen yogurt as the time passed.
"Well, that worked out pretty well. Gotta give Matt some props, man." Neptune remarked quietly as they detached themselves from their hiding places and walked as quickly as they could in the opposite direction.
"I didn't expect that, actually." Kyle commented, scratching the top of his head.
"Well done, Matt. I knew he could do it." Vert applauded silently, her voice congratulatory.
The group walked in silence for the next solid minute, walking towards an unknown destination. Finally, Grape spoke up and said what everyone else wanted someone else to say.
"Wanna go check on Raph and Nepgear?" He offered, his voice giddy like a child's.
Neptune just performed a back flip as she walked and pointed towards the nearby escalator in a motion for everyone to follow, and then she sprinted towards it while screaming, "Heck yeah! All hands, on deck! FOR NARNIA!"