Crazy trouble with love part 9
Five and Zahra
Series: Glitch Techs
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Five hummed to himself, easily filling out orders at the food truck for the early birds. He was masterfully tossing condiments in the air and catching them with expert ease, putting the right amount on the food as usual before ringing the bell with a smile.
"Order ten's ready, abuelito!"
"Thanks, Five," called the older man as he grabbed the meals, handing them to the waiting customers before getting to work on the next one. The buff grandfather looked at the clock on the wall and turned to his grandson, "Hey Five, why don't you leave this to me? You might be late."
"Ah relax, it's only-WOAH!" he let out, quickly taking off the hairnet when he spotted the clock. "Sorry, abuelito, I'll make it up to you later!"
"Bring back a cute girl and we're even!" the man joked, which the universe balanced when his wife elbowed him.
"Don't listen to him," Five' grandmother grinned at him. "Take care and have fun, cariño."
"I will, abuelita," Five grinned after taking off his apron and grabbing a backpack with his helmet on. Being capable of helping and preventing any harm from coming to them made the job a lot more than just a good paycheck, "See you tonight!"
Once the boy was gone, the two grandparents turned to one another with the woman frowning, "You know Hector is a good boy, but don't tease him that way."
"Come on, querida, that boy's blinder than a bat," the man defended himself. "I mean, that girl just comes and orders meals to watch him cook."
"Trust me, he's not as bad as you before we dated," the woman quipped with a smirk, getting her husband to snicker at the truthful remark.
"Ah, but in my defense, I never thought I'd steal the heart of such a beautiful woman," he held her hand and kissed her knuckles, getting his wife to giggle.
"Stop it, you," she blushed slightly but welcomed the gesture.
"Please, do stop it," none other than Mitch said with a growl, the arrogant Glitch Tech arriving with a frown. "I've come to place my order and this is making me lose my appetite."
Five' grandparents frowned at the young man's words, but a quick glance at one another was all they needed to get his order ready… with a little extra.
"We'll get your order ready in no time," spoke the grandmother with a discrete nod to her husband as Mitch rolled his eyes.
"Well, hurry up, I've got more important things to do right now."
'Which are gonna be put on hold, flacuchento,' thought the older woman while cutting back to Five, he was pedaling as fast as his legs could take him.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man! I can't show up late again, Phil already warned Miko and I about last time!" he reached into his pocket, trying his best not to swerve into oncoming traffic as he nearly dropped the phone and speed dialed his friend's number, holding it near his phone.
At the Hinobi store, Miko was banging her head at the break room with her wireless headphones on. However, just as she was in the middle of an air guitar solo, she jumped when getting a call from her best friend and the embodiment of the self-control she lacked. Startled at first, she nearly dropped her phone when quickly pulling it out to see who'd call her. Due to her new job, few people could activate the alarm when calling her. Seeing that it wasn't Phil's name which popped on the screen, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Five, my man, what's taking you so long?" she greeted her lanky friend. "Don't tell me you're about to be the irresponsible one this time."
Her little quip actually made the boy chortle and lose some tension, "Oh, ha-ha. I'll keep it in mind when you ask for the same favor." Five sped up as he neared a hill. "Anyway, I need a hand, yes. See if you can give me a hand to keep Phil in a good enough mood to not get mad."
"Ask me to stop greedy, amoral companies from shoving loot-boxes into games," Miko shot back with a grunt. "Ugh, you'll owe me for this, Five. The guy's not in a good mood today."
"You're the best, Miko!" he smiled and sped up.
"Oh, just tell me something I don't know," the short girl smirked and hung up.
"So…" the Eurasian girl turned to see none other than Zahra enter the room, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "Anything I can help Five, I mean, you with?"
Miko observed as the Muslim girl tried to be composed with an admittedly sad success, "You know, the usual." The Eurasian gamer was a tad oblivious. "Five's got something he needs a helping hand with."
"He sure is quite a handy guy, heheheeee…" Zahra mentally kicked her own ass as she tried to form a proper sentence. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she raised a hand, "I need a minute."
"Sure, just…" Miko briefly stopped herself when the other female gamer ran around the corner to not be seen by anyone, "...take your time."
Behind a locker and out of sight, Zahra smacked her own forehead, "Come on, girl, what is your major malfunction?! You're talking to Miko, not Five! Try not to be too invasive but ask anything that may help you get to know the guy! It's not like you've tried to do so directly… but you did… And stop talking to yourself!"
"Need a hand?"
"Ah!"
Zahra was a woman of focus, commitment, sheer will, but she was still a teenager who could let out a girly scream when found out by a sassily smirking Miko, whose grin widened into a massive one, followed by a squeal, "Oh, you're just soooooo precious!"
"Miko, I-" Zahra struggled for words.
"Tell me everything!" the shorter girl's eyes sparkled as she grabbed the hijab-wearing glitch tech's hands. "When did you start crushing on him?! Do you need a wing-woman?! Can you name your first daughter after me?!"
Pausing the girl by freeing her hands from the excited Eurasian's grip, Zahra let it all out with equal amounts of frustration and fear, "I… I don't know where to start! He's cool, smart, and a bit of a dork, but always well-meaning! And then it just happened because of all the good… He even learns from his mistakes and admits to making them! Then… I… I… sorry, my brain's going into overload with all the questions…"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Miko asked curiously.
"Because, well, you two are always together…" Zahra rubbed her hands nervously. "And I thought you were like, you know…"
"Together-together?" Miko asked, blinking in surprise. "Whoa, girl, I do like Five, but as a brother from another mother that actually helps around. And I think he sees me the same way. We enjoy having fun, but there's no need for us to be that close."
"Are you sure?" Zahra was more than a little surprised.
"I've got my tastes," Miko dismissively waved. And then her eyes widened in horror, "Oh no, we still have to help your future husband."
"M-Miko!" seeing Zahra stammer like a typical dating sim shy girl would've been forever burnt in the Eurasian gamer's brain, but there were bigger problems.
"Come on, use this as an opportunity to talk to the guy after we save his bacon!" Miko hurried her, grabbing the Muslim girl's hand to find Phil.
With said man, he looked like he was sucking on a lemon while BITT was in the process of informing him of some mundane stuff he's had to deal with for years.
"And that is why we feel the need to reorganize the store so it feels more linear and easy to navigate, end email." smiled the hovering robot while Phil turned to him with a blank stare.
"Next time you have to read me emails from up top, put it on mute."
"I am afraid I cannot. That part of my system has been disabled." the AI remarked with his usual smile, making Phil groan and facepalm.
"Retirement can't come any earlier, can it? Wonder if I should consider booze." he muttered before Miko and a dragged Zahra suddenly appeared in his line of sight, Miko not panting unlike her friend. "What is it, Miko?"
"Oh, nothing much, boss," the shorter girl grinned innocently, her hands clasped. "Well, other than donuts at the store being half off."
"You think I'll leave my post due to cheap donuts?" the man sourly asked, and immediately got up with a sour look on his face. "Correct. Watch the shop for me. BITT, fetch my wallet."
Once the manager and robot were out the door, Zahra fretted, "Miko, what exactly is your plan here?"
"I was hoping you'd have one now," the girl confessed nervously. "See, I just jump into things, let Five improvise or stop me before I do something too silly, and then we fix stuff."
Rubbing her face with a hand, Zahra walked to Phil's desk, "Dumb luck doesn't begin to describe this. Fortunately for you, I happen to know his password."
"You do? What is it?" the Eurasian girl asked with bright eyes.
"The list of his favorite donuts from 1995 to 1999," Zahra dully replied as she typed away to find the right program. With a few clicks of her fingers on the keyboard, she smirked when pressing Enter, "And… Five's got a pardon from the manager. If Phil wants to argue and change this, he'd have to explain that he left his post to get donuts."
"Oh, you'll have real smart kids in the future!" Miko giggled, hands balled into fists. "Again, any chance one of them can be named after me?"
Zahra blushed hearing that and shook her head. "Miko! You're jumping a little bit ahead there. I-I-I mean, there's no REAL chance we'd get together and stick around long enough for that to happen."
"Aw, are you for real, girl? Pretty sure as soon as you and Five start going steady, he won't wanna get away." Miko chuckled right as said boy stumbled through the doors, adjusting his nametag.
"Sorry Phil! I know I'm late, but… wait, where's Phil?" he asked looking around with Miko beaming and Zahra standing up straight with wide eyes.
"Five! Hi!" she let out while trying to smile naturally with Miko walking up and draping her arm over Five's shoulders. "No need to worry, he's off on a donut run, you're in the clear."
"Oh thank goodness." he sighed in relief.
"Thank Zahra, that is!" the Eurasian girl giggled, pushing the shy Muslim forward. "She lent me a hand. If not for her giving me a hand, Phil would have no way to annoy you."
"How'd you do that?" Five asked, more than surprised.
"Oh, I just pay attention," Zahra attempted to be aloof. "And he's got a picture of himself with his favorite donuts on his wallet. I caught a glimpse of how he circled some and deduced that it was a code for something quite a while ago."
"Wow, you'd give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money," the Mexican boy complimented her, getting a blush from the usually stoic girl and making their short friend giggle almost fiendishly.
"So, about that thank you…" Miko's smirk said it all, worrying Zahra and getting a sigh from the boy she knew as a brother.
"Yeah, yeah, pizza's on me," the lanky boy replied, ruffling his hair.
"Nope, you owe that to her," Miko patted Zahra's back, which felt a jolt of electricity from the nervousness.
Pulling the short, booty-thick girl off to the side, the older girl whispered, "What're you doing?"
"Come on, I'm giving you a chance!" Miko exclaimed. "Like, just take it already!"
"But what if he's not into me and-"
"Come ooon, if you keep worrying about that stuff, you'll get wrinkles!" she grabbed Zahra by the shoulders and gave her a shake. "This is your shot at staking your claim, so you go back out there, take it, and land yourself that boy!"
Zahra blushed hearing that, stopping Miko before she poked her fingers together. Taking a quick glance back at Five, who was dusting off his vest, the taller girl gulped and looked back at Miko with a smile. She tried to sound tough, but the nervousness was present.
"I…I'll give it a shot."
"Thatta girl!" Miko moved behind Zahra and pushed the girl over to Five before stopping. "So, Five, you were saying?"
"Oh, Zahra," he looked at the girl with a smile, causing her to feel butterflies as he rubbed the back of his neck. "If you want, you wanna maybe grab some pizza after work?"
"Ah, I'd l-" Zahra's reply was cut off as Phil stomped into the store, a twitch in his eye.
"Nerds…" Miko grumbled. "Should've seen this coming."
"So…" Phil was mad as he tried to focus.
Zahra blinked, "Are you alright? Did they run out of donuts already?"
Rubbing his face, the manager tried to gather his thoughts, "No, BITT is already putting them in my car. We have a bigger problem."
"Big how?" Five asked, never seeing his boss this distraught.
"Mitch is sick and there was something I needed him to investigate," Phil pinched the bridge of his nose. "Something about his extra spicy order burning his stomach."
"Sounds like my abuelita's secret chipotle and ghost pepper sauce," Five muttered to himself.
"Yeah, well, he's not getting out of the bathroom for a while, and this is an issue I needed him and only him," Phil rubbed his bearded chin in thought. "I don't know what to do."
"Duh, you've got us," Miko stated, a little angry that her plans to hook up her friends failed due to the manager.
"Trust me, I'm not saying you can't do what the guy can and outdo him, I've seen you do the latter," Phil nodded. "Unfortunately, well, this is something his ego would've worked on."
"Care to explain how his hot air filled skull would've been of use?" Zahra asked.
"Just follow me," the manager groaned as he walked by, BITT right behind him.
"I suggest the jam-filled cocoa and peanut donuts for the stress, sir," the AI helpfully told Phil.
Once the group got to the secret lobby with the other Glitch Techs, Phil made a beeline to the main computer with the suggested donut in hand and a coffee mug on the other, "So, this glitch is from a dating sim called-"
"Wait, a dating simulator?!" Miko exclaimed in shock. "Like, those boring, text-filled games for people to try to charm 2D characters?"
"Having trouble with reading?" Phil rhetorically asked. "Take it with whoever likes the stuff and remember you're paid to deal with all kinds of glitches."
"Well obviously, but those? Ugh, those are so lame." she groaned, throwing her head back. "If I wanted to read all day, I'd worry about homework. Sure some of the designs are hot, but I'd rather be blowing up hordes of monsters with big, impractical weapons instead of going out for tea with a cat girl."
"People find those life simulators relaxing," Five said. "I mean, I like my farming sims to be simple but fulfilling with quirky characters to befriend."
"...Five, be real with me." Miko had her head tilted with an unreadable expression. "Are you one of those guys who has more fun with a virtual girl than a real one?"
"What!?" his eyes widened, Zahra discreetly perking up as he held his hands up. "Woah, woah, woah! What are you implying?"
"Like, do you want a girl you just please with easy answers?" Miko retorted.
"No, I just like those games to relax," Five replied. "Besides, I'd rather spend time with you and the others. Especially since it's now easier to hang around the rest."
Zahra felt her cheeks heat up a bit, but was a little disappointed she didn't hear him name her, so she tried, "It's been fun to be around you as well, Five."
Said boy smiled and was about to reply… but Phil cut in, "As much as it's lovely to see you bond, you've got a job to do." He grew more and more irritated. "This glitch is particularly sentient. It will try to find a partner to date. And I mean force people through the quirky dialogues just to find an ideal boyfriend or girlfriend to keep forever trapped in the game."
"Did someone read Stephen King's Misery when creating that game?" Five asked in shock.
"That's the reason I wanted Mitch to go alone," Phil confessed with a shrug. "With his personality, there'd be no way he'd be trapped for long."
"Pfft, good call…" Miko snickered, covering her mouth with a hand.
"Which means I'm gonna need someone else to jump in and take his spot." he looked around at the surrounding employees. "So, any takers?"
"Of freaking course I want in," Miko grinned sarcastically. "Any chance to talk without blasting enemies sounds oh so fun…"
"Good," Phil didn't care about the sass, a volunteer was a willing employee. "Five, Zahra, go with her and make sure she doesn't skip on this."
"Wait, what?!" the Eurasian girl exclaimed. "I was just joking!"
"And consent is something you ought to be careful of, especially since you signed a contract," Phil turned and grabbed another donut. "Oh, and this is for hacking into my computer… So, take it or feel free to have a lengthier talk about what you did."
The three teens gulped as he looked at them with a serious glare.
"Uh, we'll get right on it." spoke up Five backing up.
"Yeah, no problem." Zahra gave a thumbs up before Miko groaned and followed them with her back slouched over.
"This day is gonna suuuuck." she groaned.
"BITT will send you the coordinates on where it was last seen!" Phil called out before biting into his donut and hummed with a smile. "Donuts top booze every time."
The three teens got in one of the vans, Five and Miko up front with Zahra in back as he drove, heading out of the instant portal that landed them outside and on a random street, making a smooth landing.
"Well, this will be a first." Zahra spoke up, trying to start a conversation, trying to ignore how she was so close to Five as she held onto the seats while standing up. "The three of us, on a job, with no one else."
"And dealing with a dating sim glitch." grumbled Miko with her head pressed against the window with Five keeping it steady.
"Come on Miko, it won't be so bad." he smiled while taking a left turn. "Maybe it'll be a nice change of pace."
"You're just saying that because you wanna see smokin' hot ladies in schoolgirl outfits."
"N-No! No! I-I just think that with all the stuff we've been through, a glitch like this would be more easy and less stressful. Besides, some sims have great events going on, which means extra exp."
"Extra points don't make it better to just sit through so many words," Miko grumbled with her face on the dashboard. "There's a reason I don't read manuals."
"Well they're not so bad." Zahra remarked with a smile. "I actually got into games through a dating sim."
"No way, really?" Five turned with interest, barely avoiding a van coming the other way. "I had no idea."
"Well yeah, I mean, it's not really something to brag about." she smiled while glancing away, rubbing the back of her head nervously at the sudden attention. "Usually-"
"Five! Truck!"
Swerving around the incoming vehicle a split second after Miko's shout, the lanky Mexican had seen his life flashing before his eyes during the screeching of the wheels and the trucker's scream of, "¡Pon los ojos en el camino y no en tu novia, baboso!"
"¡Mil perdones!" Five screamed back with a worried expression.
"Alright, nearly getting a heart attack here…" Zahra gasped with a hand on her chest, and hearing her caused Five to blush. "Sorry, I shouldn't have been talking to you so much."
"Nah, it's fine, I should focus on the road like the guy said," the tallest of the trio replied with a sheepish grin and his blush increasing.
"Dude, why's your face so red?" Miko asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing, just…" the boy chuckled nervously to try to calm himself. "Well, the guy said a few things I don't think you'd like hearing."
"Really?" Miko asked. "Because I've been around you enough to get a few words, and I don't think baboso is that bad of an insult."
"It refers to a drooling idiot, but, ah, just forget it," Five insisted and Miko relented.
Zahra tried to help by changing the subject, "So, this glitch will try to date us. Do you have any plans for that, Five?"
Focusing on the road more, the boy tried to think of a few scenarios, "It'll be my first time with this type of glitch, but we should be fine if we stick together. Just as long as we can keep it from attempting to flirt with us. Maybe two of us could try to blend in by acting as a couple."
"For real?" Miko asked, looking at Five and then Zahra. Noticing the Muslim girl's face reaching new shades of red, an impish smile spread on the shortest of the team's face, "Well, I guess you two can play that role."
"Are you sure?" Five asked.
"Puh-lease, I'm like perfect for taking this on the solo path," Miko beamed. "I'll just make noise, and with how much I hate long talky-talky moments in games, finding the glitch will be easier. If you and Zahra watch from the sides, I'll have a clear shot at it."
Growing a bit bolder, and inwardly thanking Miko, Zahra agreed, "Sure, sounds fun. Besides, we could get to know each other more! Ahahahaha…"
Her nervous laugh had Miko rub her face, but it fortunately went unsuspected in Five's eyes, "If you're sure about that." The boy blushed slightly, "I mean, you're a pretty cool girl, Zahra. Going out with a dork like me… Seems a bit far-fetched."
"Hey, you're not that bad," Zahra stated, then rubbed her hands with a shy smile. "Besides, I'm not that cool."
Off to the side, Miko had to look away to not let them see her smile or hear her giggling.
It took a few more minutes while the computer onboard led them to the coordinates Phil gave them. Once they reached the outskirts of the city, the radar started letting off a beeping sound, Five turning and going down a dirt path with tall trees covering the area. The sound grew louder and louder as he drove into the rural side.
"Alright, we should be right on top of it." spoke Five as each of them made sure their gauntlets were all charged up, looking around the area. "See anything?"
"Nope."
"Me neither."
"Well, it won't try to hide, if I was a glitch like that, I would-" Five was cut off as they came upon a clearing. He hit the brakes to slow down the van as the group looked ahead and took in the sight of what looked like a fancy looking prep school directly in the center, Japanese style, with various heart shaped imprints all around the walls surrounding it. Rising from the center looked like a large tower with numerous vines coiled against it, with a large gate in the center of the walls, "-be in the clear."
"I think I feel the mushiness suffocating me already," remarked Miko, sticking her tongue out as they left the van. "Why do they need so many hearts?"
"You know, it's the whole finding love part of the games," Zahra pointed out as she got out of the van with Five close behind. Putting a hand on her hip, she narrowed her eyes, "This seems a tad excessive, though. Maybe it's an indie game."
"And you'd be right," Five stated. "Seems to be from a small studio who won a writing tournament. The game's name is, heh, Doki-Doki Oddity. Cute name."
"The only oddity is what's the point?" Miko grumbled. "You pay money to read and reread a story. At least with a regular action or even rhythm games, you get to do stuff."
"Oh well, you get to do your thing," Zahra reminded the girl as the group changed into their other uniforms in case combat was inescapable.
"Be careful, this could be like Castlestein," Five pointed out, keeping his gauntlet up and his eyes on the school. "Zahra, since Miko's going in on her own, we should flank the sides."
"Right," the Muslim girl said, a bit too quickly for her liking.
"Let's break some hearts!" Miko roared overly dramatic, as usual, as she charged with a grin at the Japanese school and opened the door with a kick. Once she jumped in, she readied her arm cannon to start blasting, "Alright, you guys and gals, who gets to say hi to my buster-"
"Hiya, cutie," Miko's mind glitched when she was greeted by one of the characters.
"Ah, bah…" the Eurasian girl drooled slightly.
She lowered her arm as she stared at a dark green skinned woman about two heads taller than the plump-reared girl, oozing sex appeal and turning Miko's brain to mush. The fact she had a tight leather corset that made her chest look ready to pop right out with long legs decked out in red shiny high heeled platform boots. On her back a pair of purple leathery wings sprouted freely and emphasized a slightly muscular but athletic and feminine build. With pointed ears, white hair done in a spiky top-knot ponytail, two sharp tusks jutting out from her lower lip with black lipstick, the tiny black miniskirt showing thick thighs second only to the short glitch tech's and a set of breasts threatening to pop out of her short-sleeved red blouse, the gamer girl didn't think.
"I see you're new here," the girl greeted her with a cutesie smile, a hand on her hip and her waist to the side to show off her body. "Name's Mirara, a succubus-orc born girl. Any chance you'd like to apply to the gaming club?"
"Oh, yeah, anything you say," Miko nodded, dumbfounded.
Stretching her hand for Miko to take, the game character guided her into the school, "Let's have a lot of fun playing games if you're in."
"S-Sure!" Miko stammered, her face sweating and heating up from the touch.
Zahra watched everything with a gaping maw, "Miko's-"
"Gay enough to fall for that," Five groaned, rubbing his face.
"Did you know?" the Muslim girl asked in disbelief.
"We tend to talk about what girls in games we like…" he admitted. "And I discovered it when she made it obvious that her first childhood crush was Samus Aran…"
"Should I ask yours?" Zahra replied out of instinct, then blushed. "Wait, sorry, I didn't mean to be mean. You know what I mean, I- ah!"
Chuckling, Five waved off dismissively, "Don't worry, and… well…" he smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Mine was Princess Zelda when I was like seven, I think. I had a thing for how cute she was as a kid in Ocarina of Time."
"My first game crush was Link from that same game…" Zahra admitted, blushing as she did so. "There, now we're even."
"Heh, thanks for that," the lanky boy thanked her before the two ventured into the glitch.
Both of them kept their gauntlets out at the ready, seeing the front yard as open and barren, minus the flower gardens as they got closer to the main door to the area. Five stepped up and gave it a push, seeing it open up easily before nodding to Zahra as they carefully went inside. As soon as they did, the door closed behind them, making them turn and see it vanish in a flurry of data making them sigh.
"Looks like we won't be leaving the same way we got in." Zahra commented.
"Not to worry, it's not the first glitch of this kind I've dealt with," Five encouraged her. "We just have to find the source and-"
"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" sang a voice which caused the two to yelp in shock.
Looking at the source, they saw a ridiculously cutesy cherub. Oddly adorable with its head being that of a cartoonish goat with cream fur, red horns and heart-shaped eyes. The strange combination of angel and goat wore a black vest with a matching tie and a white shirt. The lack of pants didn't have anything that needed censoring, thankfully, but the angel's wings on his back and the bow and arrow with a heart motif indicated who he was.
Zahra was about to blast it, but her gauntlet disappeared, leaving her and soon Five in their standard Hinobi uniforms, "Oh great… One of these glitches."
"Don't worry, everyone, this is a school for love," the goat cherub giggled as he floated, his easily marketable 2-feet-tall form needing him to fly to be at eye level with them to give the two a big grin, thus getting a groan from the Muslim girl. "This academy is a place for people of all walks of life to find love and a future. Usually hybrids like me are shunned, but with proper time and effort to get to know each other, we should be able to find love… Um… Usually Mirara is here to help with the introduction, but since she's busy, why don't I give you a tour?"
"Five, I vote we make lamb chops," Zahra told the boy.
"As tempting as it is," even Five didn't like the mascot's diabetes-inducing attitude, but he had to use his head. "We could use a guide. Just… try to tolerate him. I know tutorial characters aren't everyone's favorite."
"Yeah, just one thing…" the goat angel suddenly morphed into a 7-feet-tall muscular goat man with red horns and black fur, his friendly demeanor broken as he glared with yellow, glowing eyes at the two, "...IN THIS REALM, LOVE IS THE ANSWER! SO FIND IT OR PERISH!" Both teens nodded quickly, which turned the goat back to normal as it giggled, "Goodie. Now, over here."
Both of them shared a look before following the goat as he fluttered down the hall, having numerous ornate and fancy looking doors on both sides with random pieces of artwork of various styles, all focused on romance of some kind. There were even pink torches lit up as well.
"Here at Doki-Doki Oddity, we find it best to help everyone find love no matter what." the demon-angel smiled. "No matter who or what you are, everyone deserves to experience it. Which is why we have tons and tons and TONS of people here just waiting to find that special someone." he giggled while twirling in the air. "Isn't that lovely?"
"I think I just threw up a little." Zahra whispered to Five before the goat turned to them.
"Even new faces have a chance, like you two~" he sang, getting up in their faces with a wink. The two teens felt a shiver down their spines as they entered a circular area with even more doors stacked ontop of each other going upwards, looking like they never ended, "Which is why you two will get to meet several other faces and see if you can find your soulmate."
"Uh, and how many are we talking exactly?" asked Zahra.
"No need to spoil the surprise~" the mascot giggled before floating upwards to vanish in a pink cloud of hearts, leaving the two alone.
"Hey Five? Just how many characters do you meet in total?"
"Uh, not many, but their stories are pretty elaborate." he rubbed the back of his head. "The game is known for having branching paths for each romantic option, each one being very elaborate."
Her eyes widened, looking around the doors once with a gulp. "So…you're saying we-"
"Might be stuck here for a while? Yeah, pretty much." Five told her with a blank look on his face. A few seconds later, a lightbulb appeared over his head, "Wait, I've got it! We should go on a double date!"
"We, what?!" Zahra asked, her tone not the usual flat, dismissive one she used when replying to what may as well be one of the most harebrained ideas to ever exist.
"Listen, to get to the true ending, and thus finding our glitch, it's required to date all characters before the player chooses their partner. Miko's already got dibs on Mirara, so, if we go together and tackle two at a time, it should at least shorten this by half."
"You say at least," Zahra dreaded the reason already.
"Unfortunately, that's one of the game's mechanics," Five admitted. "Like a two-player mode, but the developers went utterly in-depth with it, and I mean brick-chewing levels of psychotic perfectionism with the details."
"Perfect…" Zahra groaned, rubbing her face.
"I mean, it's not so bad," Five told her with a light blush. "At least I've got you watching my back."
"Oh," Zahra hadn't thought about it that way. While part of her did like the idea, sharing her time with Five along with some videogame characters wasn't atop her list, but she had to be realistic, "Well, if it'll get us somewhere. Let's date some weirdos."
"That's the dating sim spirit," Five winked with a finger-gun gesture, then turned . 'I really need to stop acting like such a dork with someone as cool as her.'
Zahra didn't mind it, though, 'He's such a dork… a cute dork…'
"So…you wanna pick which door or should I?" he asked, snapping her out of it.
"Y-You go ahead, I trust you if you know this game better than me." she replied, trying not to sound too nervous or shy as he stepped forward and glanced across the doors in front of them.
"Hmmm, let's….try….this one." he pointed to one on their left.
Five led the way as they walked up to it. Once he turned the knob and pushed inward, both of them saw the inside was a relatively empty room, minus two doors on the opposite side with a circular table in the dead center. Everything was so cutesy, it nearly made Zahra gag at just how saccharine the decorations were. Someone was truly going with a motif.
"Do we just sit or what?" Zahra asked.
"Please do!" the cherub-imp goat beamed as he appeared right before them, which brought a yelp out of the Muslim girl. Said shock turned into anger before his sunny disposition. "Our students can't wait to meet you in this wonderful land of love!"
"Five, is there any way to hurt this lambchop?" Zahra asked.
"Unfortunately no, so try to grit your teeth," he told her apologetically.
"Anyway, for our first companions in love…" the mascot looked around, then frowned. "Odd… I usually have Mirara explain this bit. Where could she be?"
Loud moaning echoed from somewhere, causing the two teens to stiffen, "Was that…"
Zahra's question was answered by an equally red-faced Five, "Seems like Miko completed that character route already…"
"Wait, do we-"
"No!" Five exclaimed. "¡Gracias a Dios que no!"
"Alright…" the girl fanned herself, the scenarios and ideas were too much for her.
The cherub-imp growled, "Oh that Mirara, so forward with gamers. Well, I'll let you two meet your partners as I deal with her."
Once the goat left, the two sat down… and the doors opened. Out from the first one stepped a tall figure, with a blue and white striped uniform and long gangly arms with red gloves on the end, matching red shoes, with a body that looked like it belonged on an accordion, orange hair in an afro, a red nose, wide smile that showed off their pearly white teeth, and wide eyes. Overall, something that looked like the love child between a clown and an online horror icon.
The second came in on all fours, with copper colored ratty fur, a tail that twitched and hissed, showing it was actually a green snake. The lower body was that of a lion's with a pair of red flapping wings on its back, sharp claws, and no regular lion head. Instead, the body of a woman was on top of the point where a lion's neck should be, akin to a centaur. Said woman possessed sharp eagle talons instead of feet, a green track jacket with the top half unzipped to reveal a white t-shirt hugging a big bosom, and a young woman's head with a black bob cut and curly goat horns on both sides of the head. A classic example of an old fashion mythical creature with a little bit of the new trend for monster girl lovers.
Five and Zahra stayed quiet as the two odd beings came to the table, the clown sitting down while the chimera laid down on their legs and stared at them, causing quite the awkward silence.
"Gyahaha! Nice to meetchu!" the clown exclaimed. Happily waving, he introduced himself, "The name's Clappy! I love hearing people scream and cheer at horror and good jokes! Gyaha!"
The young chimera-centaur nodded, "And I am Dorothea. My hobbies are jousting and running, but I do enjoy nice jobs. Other than that, well, I'd like to get to know you more."
"Uh, nice to meet you. I'm Five, and this is Zahra." Five let out, trying to put up a friendly smile while Zahra gave a small nod. "I'm a fan of video games and I enjoy cooking Mexican and Asian fusion cuisine."
"I, um," Zahra struggled for words, unnerved by the overly friendly clown and buxom centaur. "I'm Zahra and…the two of us work at the same store and…I like video games too."
She tried to get anything out, albeit with an awkward smile of her own while trying NOT to shudder at the smile Clappy was giving off. "Gyahahaha! You two must spend lots of time together." guessed the clown with a chuckle. "What do you do?"
"Uh…video game testing!" Five spoke up quickly. "You know, testing new products, new games, make sure they're good enough to sell." he fibbed, not needing to let it slip or else they'd be in trouble. "So, what about you?"
"I love playing scary pranks on people," the clown answered, then held his gut. "It's so much fun to scare them and then laugh together! Nothing mean, though!"
"Well, not my cup of tea, to be honest," Zahra told the clown with a grimace. "Sorry, I just don't like being scared at all."
"Aw…" the clown whined.
"For my part, I've been feeling that I could do more not on my own," the chimera-centaur girl started with a melancholic look. "I guess I'd like a sparring partner, any kind of person who could give me a challenge in jousting."
"Ah, well, we're more about playing games, though," Five stated. "Like, the best I could do would be to give you tips on one if you want to check moves."
"You're eager to help, I see," Dorothea replied with a small smile, getting him to blush.
"Oh, I try," the lanky teen chortled while Zahra narrowed her eyes.
"I'd say you try a bit too hard, though," Zahra said. "I mean, I tend to focus on support, but you're trying as hard as you can to keep track of everyone."
"To be honest, someone has to," Five remarked calmly.
"Better lean on others for a bit, though," the Muslim girl nodded. "Trust me, you are a good if not a better leader than Mitch. Just try to not get too into every minuscule detail and let me help for a change."
"Frankly, I'd… have loved to get to have your input more when we fought those creeps the time Mitch got sick," Five admitted as Clappy and Dorothea looked at each other and then at the two.
"I think that's all the time we've got," the chimera-centaur said.
"Yeah, speed-dating lives to its name!" Clappy cheered.
Five and Zahra turned as the two went back through the doors they came through, closing and vanishing right behind them.
"Wow, that was fast." muttered Five.
"Fine by me. The last thing we need is spending an hour with every single one, otherwise I'd go bonkers." remarked Zahra.
And right then, the angel-goat himself popped up in a cloud with a smile, "I'll bet you had some fun, didn't ya?"
Zahra gripped her fist and had to keep from slugging the thing as Five spoke up, "Well they sure were colorful, but I don't think they were for us."
"That's alright! There's still tons more choices out there just waiting for love!" he giggled cutely. "On to the next ones!"
"Uh, quick question. Do we get breaks?" Five asked since Zahra looked like she wanted to smack the goat.
"Breaks? No, silly! Finding love takes no breaks, so you shouldn't either." the devil-angel mascot chuckled again before vanishing in a cloud right as Zahra reached out and clenched her hands on the spot he was just at.
"First chance I get, I'm gonna strangle that thing."
"Don't, we could glitch the game further," Five told her with a worried expression. "I didn't expect you to hate a character like that so openly."
"It's just…" Zahra rubbed the bridge of her nose. "The way it preaches about love and finding it like it solves all of life's problems… Doesn't that get on your nerves?"
"Could be worse, don't tempt fate by asking how, but it could be worse," Five told her with a shrug as a new set of doors opened.
"You really have a high tolerance for shenanigans," the Muslim girl pointed out.
"At this point, I believe I'm Miko's impulse control center," he quipped, getting a laugh out of the girl. Grinning when seeing her having fun, he added, "Just so you know, she even makes that joke every now and then. So, maybe it's my thing. Like how yours is to get things done directly."
Feeling her ears get a little red, Zahra bashfully looked away with a sincere smile, "You make me sound cooler than I am. I'm supposed to be two years older than you, dude. By this point, you should be the one getting encouraged."
"Well, I don't think I'd handle it because I do think you're cool," he confirmed, the two looking to the side to not let the other see a matching blush. 'Oh no, did that sound cheesy or weird? I mean, I was just being honest, so it should be fine… right?'
Zahra wasn't doing any better, 'Damn it Five! If you keep praising me like that I might pass out! Or die from embarrassment because I can't be upfront and honest.'
With that, the next two oddly shaped beings entered and sat down, the Glitch Techs themselves taking their own seats, and it repeated itself. Both sides talked about themselves, some having unique traits, others being bland as a crab paste sandwich. And every single time, it ended with Five and Zahra themselves rejecting each candidate. During the dating, the two started to open up as it was a mechanic of the game, but also because of the other's company.
Several dates later…
"...yeah, that happened…" Five finished when the last pair - a spider-woman with six arms who worked as a seamstress and a rap enthusiast ghost dressed in 1880 Victorian clothing - exited the room back where they came from. "He's been talking to me lately, but…"
"Dude, you didn't have to tell them that," Zahra told him. "Your dad being in jail is… I mean, I know he did wrong, but it feels wrong… Like, ugh, he's a good man and that is… Why can't I put it into proper words?"
"That's pretty much how I see it, but at least I'm talking to him," Five grinned at her. "Thanks for at least trying, but mostly for listening."
"It's not like I can just ignore that when this stupid glitch's forcing you to spill beans for the sake of getting somewhere," Zahra snapped at the host mascot, who appeared right in front of them. "Hey, don't you know when something is too personal for a guy to just blurt it out?"
"Oh, but love is all about sharing details openly and-ack!" and Zahra finally managed to grab it by the throat.
"After all you've had us do, this actually tears it," she told the mascot through gritted teeth. "Either let us get to the ending, or you're ending in a grill with lots of sauce."
"Right, just a-a q-quick rundown…" the goat poofed out of her hands.
Needless to say, Five was stunned, "I don't think that was wise."
"Sorry, that winged lambchop has annoyed me for too long and forcing that out of you…" Zahra clenched and unclenched her hands as if strangling the air. And with a deep breath, she calmed down, "You and I may not talk much, but… you're a good guy. This game forcing that kind of thing out of you…"
"Hey, I'm still glad you listened," the Mexican boy beamed at her.
"Stop being so cute," she chuckled… and that brief laugh made her feel a little bolder. "You really are more amazing than you think you are, Five."
"Well, it's been nice to spend time with you like this, even if it's this weird," he retorted with a small grin, rubbing the back of his head.
"Do you, uh…" Zahra looked at her feet, clasping her hands and rolling her thumbs out of obvious nervousness, "...want to go out? Like, you know, a date…"
"Oh…" Five was stunned yet again… and then a large grin spread on his face. "Sure! I'd love to! Yeah! I… I don't know what else to say yes with!"
Burying her face in her hands with a smile, Zahra giggled, "This hasn't been a regular day, so how about we don't worry about the weird, finish this, and then try to have something nice?"
"Certainly an odd way to ask someone out, but… I think you made awkward cool," Five told her with a sincere grin, ruffling his hair out of embarrassment.
"Yeah, baby! Yours truly called it!"
Letting out startled yelps, the new couple turned in shock to see a disheveled Miko cradled in Mirara's arms. The shortest glitch tech had a lopsided smile, red marks on her neck from about a dozen hickeys, and her hair was a mess. She was easily carried by the succubus-orc girl whose outfit was just as messily put on as the Eurasian girl's. Both were floating thanks to the winged girl's wings, had a thin layer of sweat on their bodies, and breathed slightly raggedly. Even blind people could tell what they had been up to.
"Miko…?" Zahra asked in surprise, an eyebrow arched.
"What?" the girl smiled widely, hugging the succubus-orc's neck. "A girl can change her mind about a game if there's good in it. Said good's currently giving me a ride."
"You know it, babe," Mirara smirked, nuzzling the shorter girl.
Placing a hand to his face, Five spoke up, "Miko, while I'm glad you found… well, someone, Zahra and I are almost done with the game. We should see the glitch soon."
"Ah, you mean Belial?" Mirara asked.
"Is that like a secret character?" Zahra asked.
"No, silly, it's the mascot who the game developers got rid of after seeing how annoying he was," Mirara boldly told them with a grin. "He was supposed to be the guide, but he was deleted later. It seems his code's still around in the background, though."
"Um, Mirara, baby-girl, could you have told me this sooner before you made me unable to walk?" Miko asked her virtual girlfriend with a concerned expression.
"But you kicked my butt so hard in fighting games, I had to get some revenge," Mirara told her new lover with a cute smile.
"Oh well, all's forgiven!" Miko beamed as she gave the succubus-orc a skimo kiss.
"Wait, no it isn't!" Zahra snapped in shocked realization. "You mean we've been with the glitch this whole time?!"
"Rayos…" Five mildly cursed in Spanish as he snapped his fingers. "I remembered seeing him in a few promotional pieces, but I didn't imagine-"
"That I'd be the final boss?" everyone turned to the devil-angel goat as he appeared in another cloud. His sweet smile let them know he was done playing around, as malice was palpable from it, "I was the final confrontation to test love. And since you all seem to have found it… Well… LET'S SEE HOW STRONG YOUR LOVE REALLY IS!"
Five and Zahra got ready for a fight, using their gauntlets to summon their gear as Belial took his demonic form. However, the goat grew larger than the time he grew mad before. Growing up to be about 20-feet-tall and with his arms ripping off his shirt's sleeves with their red-furred muscle. The hybrid smirked at the two, hissing with a forked tongue as his glowing eyes showed no mercy in his soul. Mirara flew back, holding Miko protectively close to her since the thick-butted girl would feel as if her legs were jelly for a few more minutes.
"Do you have any Mexican recipes for goats?" Zahra asked Five with a smirk.
He returned the expression as they got ready with the Muslim girl summoning a massive broadsword and the Mexican boy aiming his gauntlet, "How's cabrito asado sound?"
"Sounds scrumptious." she grinned before they rushed at the glitch, which let out a roar and swiped at them, making the two split and move on the sides while Miko got her gauntlet out.
"Mirara! Can you get me close from the air? I'm gonna give this overgrown goat one hell of a ram." grinned the Eurasian.
"Wow, and here I thought you did that for me." she teased before flapping her wings and heading into the air.
"Let's save the flirting for later, or at least until after the lovebirds take him out. I'm just gonna make him really annoyed." Miko smirked and soon enough she and Mirara were flying around the goat mascot with the plump-reared girl giving her friends covering fire. "Hey Five, congrats on the date!"
"Uh, thanks!" Five replied, leaping over a claw swipe before firing at the offending arm. "Did you already know Zahra would-"
"Dude, I tried to help you two hook up!" Miko beamed as she and Five concentrated their fire on Belial's face, blinding the devil-angel for Zahra to get close. "Just remember who helped you the moment you name your babies!"
"Babies?!" Five blushed, leaving himself open for a hoof which would've stomped him had it not been blocked by Zahra.
"On her defense, I blurted it out and she agreed to help," the Muslim girl grunted before shoving aside the goat's leg, following with an upwards jump to slash its stomach.
"Agh, such strong love!" Belial roared as he stumbled back, then hissed with a malicious grin. "It is time to see if it's everlasting or not! EAT HELLFIRE AND HEAVEN LIGHT, CUTIES!"
Slamming down his hand, Belial summoned fire pillars which Mirara flew around in circles to dodge while Five and Zahra had to jump over and away from the shockwave. His punch left a large crater on the floor, and none of the glitch techs wanted to try their luck tanking such a hit.
"Don't go calling us cuties looking like that! It's worse than when you were a pipsqueak!" yelled Zahra running at one of the legs and swiped, landing a slash up, which caused Belial to roar out.
"LOVE RAINSTORM!" he raised his claw to the air and launched out a storm of heart tipped arrows that rained down around him.
"Zahra!" Five rushed over and brought a shield out over the two as it held against the numerous arrows.
"Hey ram head!" called Miko, making Belial turn before getting a blast to the eye. "Keep your eyes on the prize!"
"Gah!" he shook his head and tried swiping at her, but Mirara flew them back, nearly getting hit. "Your love is good, but not good enough!" he opened one eye, the pupil turning pink. "LOVE WINK!"
Belial's wink sent out a pink shockwave that knocked the two back, crashing against the wall with a boom, "Miko!" Five and Zahra cried out in worry as Belial turned back to them with a fanged grin.
"PASSION BEAM!" he held his claws up to his chest, forming a heart with the fingers before the opening glowing pink and let out a huge beam that dug into the floor and went right towards Five.
"Oh no you don't!" Zahra snapped, blocking the beam with her sword and getting slightly pushed back, her feet dragging on the floor while she snarled at the monster. "There's no way I'm losing my boyfriend to some stupid cupid wannabe with such stupid anime attack names!"
"Boyfriend?" Five asked in shock… and immediately shook his head. "Head in the game, Hector. Concéntrate, por el amor de Dios."
"Please, tell me you've got a plan!" Zahra asked with clenched teeth, and then Five looked at the glitch's knees, buckling slightly from the force of his own attack.
"Can you keep him busy?" he asked his new girlfriend. "If so, I'll let you hit him high as I go low."
Grinning, the Muslim girl nodded, "Ruin his day."
Running around Zahra while she kept the beam at bay, the lanky boy went through the menu on his gauntlet and found a familiar, mechanical face, "Let's get him, Alpha!"
Summoning the large robot he befriended not too long ago, Five smirked as he got on his buddy's back. Belial could barely give a surprised "huh?!" the moment the smaller yet heavy bot tackled him by putting its entire weight on its right shoulder, right against the goat's knee. With a strike like that, the demon-angel flipped in the air like a pancake, which was all Zahra needed.
"Get back to the void, you plushy reject!" the girl snarled as she jumped high and slashed Belial's face, splitting his head in two!
"Ah!" the goat shrieked, holding the two halves of its head and attempting to push them together. "You… Your love's strong, but I… I, Belial, the Ultimate-"
"Just get in the gauntlet," Five deadpanned as he fired his gauntlet, effectively sealing the glitch.
"No witty line?" Miko asked, bruised but still safe in Mirara's arms. "Lame."
"Hey, I thought you were a decal on the wall a second ago!" he exclaimed.
"Pfft, like you'd get rid of me that easily," the Eurasian girl beamed and then turned to Zahra when she approached them. "So… new boyfriend? Lucky you, Five."
At that, the Muslim girl blushed, but she still managed to glare, "So, new girlfriend?"
"I believe so," Mirara smirked, then poked Miko on the nose. "Don't forget to call me when you feel lonely, cutie."
"Oh, I won't, baby-girl," the short girl purred as she leaned up for a kiss, causing the other two teens to blush.
"Hopeless, isn't she?" Zahra asked Five.
"Well, she is our Miko, and I don't mind…" he turned to the older girl and stretched his hand to her. "So, uh, hand-holding? Or…"
"S-Sure…" the hijab-wearing girl blushed even harder as she intertwined her fingers with the Mexican boy, the two discovering new shades of red. "What now…?"
"Go on a date already, you two," Miko told them with a sassy smirk.
"Enjoy your time together as well," Mirara added before nodding at Miko. "If you wouldn't mind sealing me in your gauntlet."
"Mommy, you won't be in there for long," Miko retorted.
"Let's get out before they keep flirting," Zahra pleaded.
"Yeah, and…" Five felt a bit bold. "Maybe we can try our own flirting to get back at Miko."
"Hah! Like you could make me feel embarrassed!" the Eurasian girl exclaimed.
Back at the Hinobi store with Mirara downloaded to Miko's gauntlet, the trio informed the manager about what happened with the bearded donut lover enjoying another bite of sugary goodness.
"So…" Phil started as he read on his tablet what went down. "Nothing too out of the ordinary, I guess. Other than, and you'll endure this pun, the power of love winning in the end."
"Oh…" all three teens looked at their feet.
Waving them off, Phil stated, "Listen, relationships are NOT frowned upon here if you can all be professional. Yes, Miko, that'll go double for you considering your new pet."
"I'd call her the mistress, though," Miko mumbled to herself, poking her fingers shyly.
"As for you two," Phil told Zahra and Five, grinning slightly. "I don't mind it since you made me a couple hundred dollars richer. Courtesy of Mitch losing a bet."
"Come on, was I that obvious?!" Zahra exclaimed in shock.
"Nah, the bet was that Five would get a girl before him," Phil stated. "Yours truly knew it'd be a matter of waiting considering Mitch's attitude. Good thing pride blinds idiots to the truth."
"Sounds to me like the cherry on top," Miko giggled.
"Anyhoo, congrats or whatever," Phil waved them off and took a sip of his coffee mug. "Take care and all that jazz, but keep up the good work. I may pair you all together more often if you are this good at glitch hunting together."
"Thanks," Zahra shyly nodded.
With that said and done, Five turned to Zahra as they downloaded the glitch and checked on their EXP, "If you want that date, and after that first one we technically had… Do you want to come to my grandpa's food truck? Trust me when I say my special will rock your socks off."
Snorting at the confidence, Zahra nodded, "Sure, but don't get a head too big, pretty boy."
"It's an official date now, then," Five smiled, causing his new girlfriend to nod and accept the butterflies in her stomach without the need to blush.
Quite an unusual way to break the ice, but the two were thankful of the little if odd pushes.