It was early afternoon and crowds of people were gathering at the nearby shrine for the festival that was on today. Yuuto was making his way through the crowds to try to find his next date for the day, Manako. He was surprised to hear that she wanted them to go to the festival, despite how uncomfortable the monoeye was with large crowds, such as the one that was forming right now.
"Seriously, I know she's on the short side, but how hard is it to find a purple-haired monoeye?" The blonde internally complained to himself as he looked for his co-worker.
He was about to call her through his earpiece to enquire on her whereabouts when he suddenly felt someone tug on the back of his shirt. He turned around to find a woman with short purple hair styled in a bob-cut, wearing a sky blue long-sleeved cotton blouse with a white button-up shirt underneath, a black skirt that reached just past her knees, long black stockings, and a pair of white trainers. The woman was also wearing a white Inari mask over her face, though Yuuto knew instantly that it was Manako trying to hide her eye from public view.
"H-Hello Kazama-san. I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding me…" The girl said in a meek tone, now feeling slightly relieved that she now found her date.
"Hey Manako." The blonde replied, giving her a warm smile. "What's up with the Inari mask?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her.
Manako broke eye contact with him and started fidgeting at her skirt as the human could easily imagine the massive blush currently forming on her cheeks. "Y-Y-You know how I feel about people staring at me. I don't want them freaking out over seeing my eye."
Yuuto knew that she had a massive complex over her eye, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, to see her force herself to hide away from the world despite how cute she looked. He was determined to make the best of this date with her and take the chance to help build up her confidence. With that in mind he suddenly took her mask off while she was fretting to herself and placed the strap around his head, placing the mask itself on the side of his head. Manako's eye widened in surprise as she looked up at him with a startled look on her face, the blonde returning a cheesy grin in return.
"Kazama-san! What are you doing?!" She exclaimed with panic in her voice, the only thing hiding her face from prying eyes within the grasp of her date.
"What? Doesn't it look good on me?" He teased as he struck a pose for her.
Manako got up on her tippy toes and tried to reach for her mask while Yuuto leaned back to keep it just out of her reach. "Give it back! This isn't funny!" She shouted as she desperately continued to try and get her mask back.
"Chill out Manako, I think it's a waste to hide that pretty face of yours." He replied as he continued to dodge her attempts at grabbing a hold of the Inari mask.
Manako froze at that statement, surprised by what her date had just said. "Y-Y-You think I'm pretty?" She stuttered out as her face went a brighter shade of red.
"Of course, I do." He replied, giving the monoeye a warm smile again.
Manako panicked again and turned away from him, hiding her face in her hands as best she could. The blonde swore he could hear her muttering to herself in disbelief, and it worried him that she had such a low opinion of herself. Without thinking he placed a hand on top of her head and started rubbing it gently. The monoeye flinched at the sudden sensation and moved her hands to her cheeks as she looked back to see Yuuto smiling at her.
"K-Kazama-san?"
"You should really have more confidence in yourself Manako." He started as he continued to rub the top of her head. "I know you don't like crowds and that you're a little self-conscious about your eye, but there's no need for you to hide away from the world. I can understand why people would freak out seeing you for the first time, but they'll soon get used to it. I did, didn't I?"
Manako turned around to face him again as she removed her hands from her face, revealing a bright red blush on her cheeks. "B-But it's different with us. We work together for a start…"
"Yeah, and that didn't happen overnight last time I checked."
She couldn't deny that her human co-worker had a point. If she was ever going to get over her complex and boost her self-esteem, she'd have to be brave and allow people to get accustomed to her, however long that would take. With that, a determined look appeared on her face as she locked her eye with his.
"Alright. I do want to get better around people, and that's kind of the reason why the girls suggested we'd come to the festival with you today." Manako said to him with a hint of confidence in her voice.
Yuuto chuckled to himself at her statement. "Thought this might've been their idea." He said before taking the mask off himself and put the strap back around her head, placing the mask on the side of her face this time. "Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time, so don't fret." He then held out a hand towards her. "Just stay close to me, okay?"
The monoeye hesitated at first, but she soon took a hold of his hand and wrapped her other arm around his, holding it close to her. Her face was almost as red as a tomato as she stood right next to him, anxious about being so close to a man.
Yuuto looked down at her, giving his date a warm smile. "Alright, let's go." With that the pair started ascending the stairs towards the shrine and the festival proper.
As they walked through the archway, they saw the grounds of the shrine filled with many different stalls, comprising mainly of souvenir stalls, food stands, and even a fair number of game stalls. One of the first stalls the stopped by was one that was selling a variety of masks which varied in design. Yuuto noticed a red Super Sentai mask amongst them, and he just had to have it. He quickly talked to the stall owner and purchased the mask from him, immediately putting the mask on the side of his head with a cheesy grin on his face.
"What's that mask supposed to be?" Manako questioned as he returned to her side.
"It's from Super Sentai." He answered as they started walking around again. "Loved watching those shows as a kid, though I will admit it's kind of cheesy nowadays."
"But you still bought it despite that?"
"You have your own mask, and I didn't want to feel left out."
A massive blush appeared on the monoeye's face again at that statement and she hung her head low in an attempt to hide her face from her date. "Y-Y-You didn't have to do that for my sake Kazama-san…"
"Please, call me Yuuto."
Manako looked up at him again with a quizzical look on her face. "A-A-Are you sure?"
"Why not?" He replied as he smiled at her. "It's been nearly three months since we've started working together, so I think it's about time we stopped being so formal with each other."
She stayed silent for a moment. She wasn't sure if she could do it, considering she called him Kazama-san for so long already, but he did have a point. They had known each other for a while now and there was the fact that she called all the other MON operatives by first name, though that was due to the fact that the other girls have never mentioned their surnames, apart from Kasumi that is.
After a moment, she looked him in the eye and gave him a look of determination. "Y-Y-Yuu… Y-Y-Y-Y-Yuu…" She stammered as she struggled to spit his name out, she was that embarrassed about calling a guy by his first name.
"It's okay Manako." The blonde interrupted. "Just take your time, no one's rushing you." He said in a soothing tone to put her at ease.
Manako nodded at him and took a deep breath. "Y-Y-Yuut-t-t-t-to…" She finally uttered from her lips as he cheeks went bright red again.
Yuuto gave her a wide grin as he gave her head a quick pat. "Nice one. You'll get it in no time." He said as he chuckled to himself.
The monoeye hung her head again to hide her face behind her bangs as she felt the corners of her lips pull into an embarrassed smile, happy at the encouragement she received from Yuuto so far. The pair continued to walk around the festival until the voice of a man shouted to them.
"Hey! You there! The little miss wearing the blue blouse!"
Manako and Yuuto looked towards where the voice was coming from and they saw a man wearing a mask with a dopey cock-eyed face on it. He was holding a corked air rifle in one hand as he directed their attention towards his shooting gallery with the other.
"Why dont'cha try your hand at this here shooting gallery of mine?!'' The masked man shouted enthusiastically. "Five bullets for only 500 yen!"
Yuuto chuckled to himself at the stall owner's overconfidence. "I'm sorry, but you just picked the wrong person to challenge to a shooting contest." He said with a smirk on his face.
As he said that Manako confidently walked up to the stall, paid the man 500 yen, and loaded one of her five cork bullets into the end of the air rifle.
"Well, someone's confident, aren't they?!" The stall owner said with bravado as he gave the monoeye a quick look over. "Hey, doesn't she look familiar?" He thought to himself before recognising her purple bob-cut hair and the Inari mask she wore on the side of her head. "Wait! It can't be-!"
Before he could finish his line of thought, Manako hit the sign with 'five extra shots' written on it, knocking it over effortlessly. She then proceeded to hit and knock down several plushies with her other shots, much to the masked man's dismay.
"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" He shouted in a panic. "IF YOU TAKE ALL THE PRIZES, I'LL BE RUINED!"
She suddenly stopped as her eye widened in surprise, now looking at the stall owner with an apologetic look on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed as she bowed at him. "I just got into the zone and I couldn't stop myself!"
"It's alright! You can take any two prizes of your choice for you and your boyfriend!" He pleaded to her. "I'll even give you your money back!"
Manako's face went bright red at his assumption. "B-B-Boyfriend?! N-N-N-No! Yuuto and I are just friends!" She answered in a panicked tone.
"Yeah, we're just hanging out." The blonde added from behind her.
"Sure, whatever! Just pick whatever two prizes you want!"
Manako scanned the shelves and spotted a cute little teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck. "Can I have the teddy bear please?"
"Here you go!" The man replied as he rushed towards it before hastily giving it to her.
"Th-Thank you." She answered nervously before turning her attention towards her date. "Which one do you want Yuuto?" She asked him, seemingly not bothered about calling him by his first name anymore.
Yuuto scanned the shelves himself and something immediately caught his eye. He saw a small chibi grim reaper with a small scythe attached to one of its hands, wearing a hood over its cute skull face. He just had to get it for Lala while he was here.
"I'll take the little grim reaper plushie off your hands." He said to the stall owner with a snarky grin on his face.
"Sure! It's all yours!" The masked man replied as he hastily handed over the plushie to the blonde.
The pair gave their thanks to the stall owner and continued with their trek through the festival. Yuuto held the reaper plushie to his side while Manako held her new teddy bear to her chest with both hands as an adorable smile crossed her lips.
"Damn, you showed that guy who's boss." He said to the monoeye as he smirked down at her.
Manako's face instantly went a light shade of red at the statement. "I-I-I didn't mean to go overboard like that. I just got caught up in the moment, that's all…" She replied nervously as she clutched to her teddy bear tighter.
"Well, it's nice to see you have confidence in something at least." He added, now flashing her a grin. "If you can apply that to everything else, then you're as good a gold."
She finally locked eyes with him as a smile crept onto her lips again. "Thank you Yuuto, it means a lot to hear that from you."
"No problem. Now, let's make the most of our time here."
Even as they continued to walk, Manako didn't look away from her date for even a second. She couldn't help but admire Yuuto for what he's done for her so far today, and she couldn't help but feel just a little bit braver with him around. They may only have a short time together, but the monoeye was determined to make the most of this date.
The pair spent the rest of their date going from stall to stall, either to get something to snack on or play some of the games that were available, all of which Manako won with ease. They even went to the shrine itself and made an offering. As they rang the bell and prayed, she couldn't help but glance up at Yuuto to see a smile on his face, glad to see he was enjoying himself to. As she stood there and prayed, she wished she could be even just half as brave as he was and hoped that someday she could lead a normal life without fear of being judged just for being different. Before their date came to an end they sat on a nearby bench as they snacked on some Takoyaki they had just bought.
"Mmm, these are really delicious." Manako said out loud as she enjoyed her snack.
"Yeah, no kidding. Can't remember the last time I had Takoyaki this good." The blonde replied before biting down on another octopus ball.
It didn't take them long to finish their snack but they continued to relax on the bench, just to take a moment enjoy the atmosphere around them. Suddenly, Manako started to feel a bit tired and rested her head against Yuuto's shoulder. The blonde was somewhat surprised by the bold move on her part, but he decided not to make a big deal of it.
"You okay down there Manako?" He asked as he gave her a warm smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry Yuuto. I just feel a little tired, that's all." She replied as she looked up at him, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red.
"It's alright, we've had a pretty busy date after all."
Manako couldn't help but smile back at him before she closed her eye and enjoyed the feeling of being next to him. "Thank you for everything today, I really enjoyed myself."
"No worries, I enjoyed myself too." He answered, now giving her a cheesy grin. "We should do this again sometime with everyone else."
"Agreed, maybe then I won't be so nervous all the time."
Just as they were starting to enjoy the calm atmosphere, Zombina started yelling down their earpieces. "TIME'S UP!" She shouted as loud as she could, which startled the pair enough to cause them to jump back from each other. "Beesh, get your ass over to the arcade by the cinema! You're gonna enjoy what I've got planned for us next!" The zombie continued in a boisterous tone.
"Hold up a sec Zee." Yuuto replied through his earpiece. "I can't just leave Manako in the middle of a festival by herself."
"That's why we're here Romeo."
The pair heard Doppel from behind them and turned around to see her with Tio and Lala right behind her, the former currently eating away at her cotton candy, and the later wearing a plastic skull mask on the side of her face, looking down at her boyfriend with loving eyes.
"Oh, hey girls. Guess you three have been enjoying the festival too?"
"Mhmm~" The ogress replied before swallowing her mouth-full of cotton candy. "It was kind of hard to keep an eye on you two without getting caught up ourselves~"
"It has been an enlightening experience me Love, Mortals certainly have a talent when it comes tae celebration." Lala added as her cheeks went red.
Yuuto and Manako got out of their seats as the human of the group smiled back at the trio of liminals. "Good to hear." He said to them before he made his way to stand in front of his girlfriend as he took his mask off his head. "Babe, I wanted to give you this." He added as he held out the grim reaper plushie in front of her.
The dullahan stared in awe of the little chibi reaper before she took it from him and gave Yuuto a bright smile as she held the plushie to her chest. "I will treasure it forever me Love."
The blonde smiled back at her before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips, which caught Lala off guard for a moment. He then handed over his Super Sentai mask to her before running of towards the arcade Zombina was waiting at.
"I'll see you girls later! Enjoy yourselves!"
Once he was out of sight, Doppel and Tio immediately turned their attention towards their monoeye co-worker.
"Great work Mana-chan~" The busty blonde chirped as she wrapped her friend into a loving hug. "I'm glad you're starting to come out of your shell~"
"W-W-Well, it's hard not to with Yuuto around…" Manako replied as her cheeks went red again.
"Yuuto huh?" The doppelganger teased as she narrowed her eyes at the monoeye. "I bet you're totally crushing on him now."
"N-N-N-No!" She exclaimed as she flailed her arms in a panic. "I-I assure you that it's p-p-p-purely plutonic between us!"
"Do nay fret, ye have made yer intentions clear." Lala spoke up as she entered her reaper persona with her new plushie and Yuuto's mask still held in her arms. "Though I fear the last obstacle that awaits me Love will be his hardest yet."
She had no idea what Zombina had planned, but she could tell that she still had feelings for her boyfriend. She knew that Yuuto would never betray her, but she also knew that the zombie wouldn't make it easy for him. All Lala could do now was believe in him to overcome this next hurdle.
"Beesh, stop making a girl wait and go for it already." The red-head said to her date impatiently.
"Just cool it for a sec Zee, I'm almost there." The blonde replied, trying his best to concentrate.
"Oh, c'mon already, it's right there!"
"Be patient, I haven't done this in a while…" He said as his cheeks went red.
"Geez, how much prep does a guy need anyway?" She started to complain, the object of her desires only mere inches away from her.
"Do you want it or not?" He asked as he started to get annoyed with her.
"…I've been waiting forever for this you know…"
"I know you have, it's written all over your face." He responded before taking a deep breath. "Okay, here goes…" There was no turning back now.
Zombina merely smirked back at him, now giddy with anticipation. She was about to get what she waited so long for, one of her desires about to be fulfilled.
…
The mechanical claw slowly lowered itself towards the plushie that Zombina was fixated on, that being of a chibi Levi from Attack on Titan. As it reached the plushie, the claw closed itself around its head and slowly started to lift it up.
"Nice one Beesh, you got it!" The zombie shouted in excitement.
"It's not over yet, we still need to pull it out." Yuuto explained to her.
As the claw slowly carried the Levi plushie towards the opening of the crane game, it slipped slightly, which caused Zombina to gasp with worry. "C'mon Levi, you can make it!" She yelled in hope that it would listen.
Yuuto just merely glanced back at her giving her a look on annoyance.
The claw stopped and it was holding the plushie just above the opening in the crane game. The seconds seemed to last for hours as the claw slowly loosened its grip on the chibi Levi. The plushie then started falling towards the hole, ready to be free from its prison.
"It's coming Beesh! It's coming!" The red-head shouted excitedly again.
"…Do you have to say that out loud?" The blonde asked as he gave her a questioning look.
Finally, as if answering Zombina's prayers, the Levi plushie landed in the prize compartment, ready to be collected. The zombie was filled with so much joy that she couldn't help but tackle Yuuto against the crane game and hold him in a crushing hug.
"You're the best Beesh! I couldn't have done this without you!" She shouted as she held him tighter.
"Sure…no problem…" He replied between ragged breaths as he was struggling to breathe. "Just let me go now…will you?"
She didn't think twice as she let go of him and rushed towards the Levi plushie waiting for her. She pulled him out and held it to her chest in between her generous cleavage.
"You're mine now little guy, little Eren is just waiting for you to come home with us." She said to the plushie as her cheeks went red, accompanied by a perverse grin forming on her lips.
*Sigh* "I should've known that's why you wanted him so bad…" Yuuto added in a despairing tone.
From around the corner from where they were standing, two young teenage boys stared at the pair as their cheeks went bright red from their exchange. They couldn't help but chuckle to themselves at what the MON operatives were saying to each other.
"Damn, it sounded like they were having sex." The one boy said out loud.
"I know right? I thought we hit the jackpot." The other boy replied.
Zombina overheard the pair and looked back at them with a harsh look on her face. "Get out of here you pervs and try and get laid yourselves!" She shouted as loud as she could, causing the two teenagers to run off in a panic.
The blonde's cheeks went red at their assessment, thinking over what he and his fellow squad captain were saying to one another while trying to get the Levi plushie. "To be fair, we could've chosen our words a little better…" He said to the zombie in an embarrassed tone.
Zombina glanced back at him before she let out one of her gut-wrenching laughs, which could be heard from outside the arcade they were in. "Maybe, but you know you love it!" She exclaimed as she continued to laugh to herself.
"C'mon, we've got a movie to see, haven't we?" Yuuto said to her as the pair started making their way towards the cinema. "What zombie flick are we watching this time?"
"Oh, it ain't a zombie movie we're gonna watch. We're gonna see 'IT'."
Yuuto instantly froze in place as soon as she said that as his face slowly went pale. "IT?"
"Yeah, you know, the one with the killer clow- "
"SORRY! I JUST REMEMBERED THAT HIKARI NEEDS MY HELP WITH SOMETHING, SUPER URGENT! I SHOULD REALLY BE ON MY-!" He yelled in a panicked tone as he tried to leave, but Zombina grabbed a hold of his wrist before he could attempt to escape.
"Hold it! You're not going anywhere Beesh!" She shouted in an annoyed tone. "What's your problem?!"
"I'm afraid of clowns…" Yuuto muttered so only the zombie could hear him.
Zombina's eyes widened at his confession, but she couldn't help but smirk to herself as she tried to stifle her snickering. "Sorry Beesh, but I didn't quite hear that." She said to him in a teasing tone.
"I SAID I'M AFRAID OF CLOWNS, ALRIGHT?!" He shouted out loud, causing everyone in the vicinity to look his way. As soon as he said that the colour returned to his face as his cheeks went red with embarrassment.
By this point Zombina had let go of him and was now laughing out loud to herself as she clutched her chibi Levi to her chest with one arm and the other wrapped around her waist to stop her stitches from coming apart. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Clowns, really?!" She yelled as she continued to uncontrollably laugh to herself again. "Beesh, you're killing me here!"
"It's not funny Zee!" He shouted back at her with an annoyed look on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I stubbled upon the original IT movie when I was a kid, and it fucking traumatised me!"
The zombie was now literally rolling on the floor laughing she found it that funny. "I can't believe it! A badass like you, afraid of clowns of all things! This is just too rich! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Yuuto just broke eye contact with her as he was now pouting to himself.
Eventually Zombina calmed herself down as she got back onto her feet, sticking her plushie into one of the pockets of her bomber jacket. "I'm sorry Beesh, but that was just too good." She apologised to him while still trying to stifle her laughter.
The blonde still didn't look at her as he puffed up his cheeks more.
Her toothy grin was soon replaced with a warm smile as she wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on her shoulder as she tried to comfort him. Yuuto looked back at her to see her pleading eyes and he couldn't help but chuckle at her. Guess even zombies have a cute side.
"I'm really sorry Beesh, but I really wanna see this movie. C'mon, please?"
Nothing weakened the blonde more than a girl giving him puppy dog eyes, and Zombina quickly picked up on this in the time they've known each other. The zombie never considered herself cutesy in any way, especially compared to her ogress squad mate, but she knew she was attractive enough to pull it off, and it would work on Yuuto every time.
After a moment or two of the red-head pleading to him, Yuuto eventually relented and let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine. But you're footing the bill for the therapy I'll be needing afterwards." He replied with a barely visible smirk forming on his lips.
"Awesome! You're the best, Beesh!" She yelled excitedly as she grabbed a hold of his hand and started dragging him towards the cinema again. "This is gonna be great!"
"Yeah, great for you at least…" The human thought to himself, dreading the hell he was about to put himself through, just so he could keep Zombina happy.
A couple hours passed and the movie had come to an end. As people started pouring out of the cinema, Zombina had a massive grin on her face, thoroughly enjoying what she just watched. "Man, that was great! The guy they got to play Pennywise was brilliant!" She exclaimed excitedly before turning her attention back to her date. "Hey Beesh, what did you make of 'IT'?" She asked the blonde, snickering to herself at the pun she made.
Yuuto was as white as a sheet, the life seemingly drained from him after the experience. "Yeah… terrifying as hell… just like any good horror flick…" He replied without any hint of emotion in his tone of voice. "…Make that two 'IT' movies that've traumatised me now…"
"Oh, c'mon Beesh, it wasn't that bad!" The zombie exclaimed as she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and pulled him close.
"Yeah, easy for you to say…" He replied while giving her a look of annoyance.
Zombina smirked back at him as she moved her hand to pat his back comfortingly. "I'm really sorry for putting you through that, but I really appreciate that you watched it with me anyway." She said as her cheeks went red.
The colour finally returned to Yuuto's face as he smirked back at her. "It's no trouble, just don't make me go through any clown-based activities next time."
The red-head couldn't help but let out a gut-wrenching laugh at his request, holding her sides as not to let her stitches come loose. She soon calmed down as she looked back at him with a warm smile on her face. "Hey Beesh. I know our time is nearly up, but can we go to the park? There's something I wanna talk to you about."
The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her, surprised by the sudden request. "Okay, sure. What's on your mind?"
Her smile disappeared as it was replaced with a look of worry. "I'd rather not say with so many people around, I just want it to be between the two of us…" She replied in an embarrassed tone as her cheeks went a brighter shade of red. "I'll tell you when we get there." She added as she gripped her hand tight around his.
Yuuto couldn't help but worry over the zombie's sudden shift in behaviour, but if she wanted some privacy, so be it. He gently tightened his grip on her hand as he gave her a reassuring smile, nodding to her as he did so. Zombina looked back at him and returned a warm smile, happy that he was agreeing to her request. The pair soon slowly started making their way to their next destination.
They soon arrived at the nearby park and were walking by a set of benches by the edge of an observation area that overlooked the city below. Zombina gently pulled Yuuto towards one of the benches and they took a seat next to each other as they admired the beautiful sunset in front of them, their hands still held tight together. They sat in silence for a while as a look of worry crossed both their faces. They hadn't said a word to each other on the way here and the blonde was starting to get concerned about what his fellow squad captain wanted to talk to him about.
"Zee," He finally spoke up, grabbing the zombie's attention. "what is this all about?"
Zombina stayed silent for a moment, contemplating what she was going to say to him. She had feelings for him for some time now, and she knew she'd have to voice them sooner or later, even if he already had a girlfriend. She soon plucked up all her courage, knowing she had to tell him how she really felt.
"Beesh, I know it's been kinda obvious, but you know I've like you for a while now, right?" She said to him as her cheeks went red.
Yuuto let out a sigh, knowing exactly where this was going. "Yeah, I know, but you know why I can't be with you." He replied in a sombre tone.
The zombie then wrapped her free arm around his so she was hugging it to her chest as she rested the side of her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, but that's the problem." She responded as tears started welling up in her eyes and her voice grew shaky. "I know you've rejected me already and you've got Headless now, but I just can't stop thinking about you that way. Apart from Loverboy, you're the only guy that's ever seen me as more than just some dead girl. You always seem to know how to make me feel better, and you always make the time to have a laugh with me, even with you dating Headless. I really like that about you Yuuto, hell, I love you for it!" She continued as the tears started rolling down her cheek.
"Okay, I can be a nice guy, but there are plenty of people like that."
"Not enough that wouldn't freak out from seeing me!" The zombie shouted as frustration took over her. "Even with appearances aside, I'm a loud, obnoxious woman who's only good at shooting shit up! No one would wanna be with someone like-!"
"Zombina!" The blonde yelled to stop her from berating herself.
Her heterochromatic eyes shot wide open as she looked up at him in surprise as he pulled his arm from her grasp and placed both his hands on her shoulders. He was giving her a look on annoyance at having her thinking so little of herself, but he took a deep breath to calm himself down and was now giving her a look of reassurance.
"You might not think it, but you've got a lot more going for you than you realise." Yuuto started as he gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. "Okay, maybe you're a little crass at times, but that just adds to your charm. You're pretty smart when you want to be and you're always a blast to be around. Okay, you're a zombie, so what? You're a lot livelier than most living people I've met so far, and a hell of lot more honest too. Anyone who can't see past you being dead is a fucking idiot that doesn't deserve you. Be proud of who and what you are, you've made plenty enough friends despite your state of being and that shouldn't stop you from finding love too. Trust me, you'll find someone, you just need to start thinking better of yourself and make the effort, I know you can do it."
His little speech came to an end as he gave her a warm smile, and the zombie couldn't help but smile back at him, even as tears still trickled down her cheeks. She was so moved by his comforting words that she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him in a crushing hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Dammit Beesh, you really are the best bud an undead girl could ask for…" Zombina said as she tightened her grip around him.
"Well, I do try." He replied as he returned the hug, happy that she was feeling a little bit better.
The pair stayed like that for a few moments, but they eventually separated from each other, happy that they at least cleared the air a bit. Zombina raised her sleeve and wiped at her tear-stained cheeks while Yuuto watched on with a hint of concern as she recomposed herself.
"You going to be okay?"
"I'll have to be." The zombie replied as she looked back at him. "But really, thanks a bunch. I don't know what I'd do without you around."
"Probably shooting up some bad guys while shouting something grossly inappropriate." The blonde replied as he smirked back at her. "But then again you do that on a regular basis anyway."
She started laughing to herself at his comment as she held her sides tightly. "Yeah, that sounds about right!" She said boisterously.
"Now there's the Zee I know." Yuuto added, now giving her a warm smile.
Just then the alarm on Zombina's phone started going off and she quickly pulled it out of her pocket to silence it. "Well, times up Beesh." She said as she stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "That's all the dates you promised out of the way."
"Not quite, I still owe Lala one too." He responded as he did the same. "Plus, I still need to fill in reports for all of them for Smith to read over. Hopefully she'll be satisfied then."
"Yeah, Headless will be happy to have you all to herself now." She said as she patted the human on the back. "Still, I'm sure all the girls, myself included, appreciate you spending time with us."
As they were talking, the human and zombie pair noticed a figure standing behind one of the nearby trees. They looked to find Lala peeking out around the corner with her new reaper plushie held close to her chest with a nervous look on her face. Yuuto and Zombina couldn't help but smirk at the adorable sight.
"You go on ahead, don't wanna keep a girl waiting after all." The red-head said with a toothy grin.
The blonde nodded to her and took out the earpiece he was wearing before giving it back to her. "Will do. I'll catch you later Zee." He replied as he waved a hand at her before making his leave.
"Take it easy Beesh! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Zombina teased as she waved back at him.
She watched as Yuuto and Lala met up and held each other in a loving embrace. The dullahan soon wrapped her arms around his as the couple started walking off together. Zombina let out a sigh, jealous of the relationship the pair had, but she knew she had to move on with her un-life.
"Seriously, those two are lucky to have each other…" She muttered to herself with a sense of melancholy.
"Bina-chan!"
Zombina turned around to see Tio running towards her with Doppel and Manako close behind. Before the zombie could respond, the ogress pulled her into a hug, trapping her in her cleavage.
"I'm sorry you got turned down, but I'm always here for you~!" Tio exclaimed as she tightened her grip on her squad captain.
"Tio, you'll crush her if you keep that up." The monoeye of the group interjected in a worried tone, fearing for the zombie's wellbeing.
"Wouldn't be the first time it's happened." Doppel added with a smirk on her face.
The ogress' eyes shot wide open as she realised what she was doing and immediately let go of Zombina. "Oh, I'm sorry Bina-chan! Are you okay?!"
The red-head took several deep breaths once she was free from her fleshy prison before looking back up at the busty blonde with a toothy grin. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm pretty used to your hugs by now."
"I know, but what about you and Sweetie though?" She asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, you both just had a big heart to heart. Are things going to be awkward between you two now?" Manako added with a hint of trepidation.
Zombina just chuckled to herself for a moment over their assumptions. "Don't worry, Beesh and I are good." She replied in an upbeat tone, which helped reassure her squad mates. "We had a blast today anyway, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, Sweetie was just the sweetest today~" The ogress chirped joyfully as she recalled what happened on her date with the human.
"Maybe, but the guy's too nice for his own good sometimes," Doppel said with a mischievous grin on her face. "My prank would've flopped if Romeo didn't help out."
"Yuuto was the perfect gentleman on our date, he went so far out of his way to make me feel comfortable…" Manako added as her cheeks went red.
"Damn Manako, you two are on a first name basis now~?" The doppelganger teased with a suggestive smirk on her lips.
"I-I-It's nothing like that, I swear!" The monoeye exclaimed in self-defence.
Zombina smirked at her squad mates, happy that they all enjoyed themselves today. "Whatever. Anyway, we've still got some time left." She started as everyone now focused on her. "So, let's go do some Karaoke!" She exclaimed as she pumped a fist into the air.
"Ooh, that sounds fun~!" Tio squealed as she grabbed everyone and held them under her arms before rushing off towards the nearest Karaoke bar. "I hope it's still open~!"
"Calm down Tio, don't go so fast!" Manako pleaded to her in a panicked tone.
"Don't bother, this is Tio we're talking about." Doppel said to the monoeye matter-of-factly, just going with the flow seeing they had no other choice.
"Go Tio go!" Zombina shouted before laughing to herself once more.
It had indeed been a hectic day for everyone, but it wasn't one that they'd soon forget. All four girls had enjoyed their time with Yuuto today and were happy that they were all still good friends despite what happened. Even for the zombie, the future was starting to look bright.
Well, that's all the dates done and dusted, apart from Lala's that is, but that'll be later down the line. As for what will happen next chapter, you'll have to wait and see.
As always, follow and favourite if you've enjoyed the story so far, and feel free to leave a review or any suggestions if you so desire. Thank you for reading this and I'll see you next time!