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Chapter 3: Getting To Know Each Other

"I'm glad that Mikan agreed to take a bath with me," Lala said in an exaggerated happy voice before her face turned into a full-blown pout. "Ritoooo, why won't you take a bath with me? It'll be fun!"

Rito just looked away and mumbled, "That'd be too much stimulation for me." Turning to Lala, he said, "I know that you're fine being naked in front of others because your maids have been with you whenever you've bathed, but that's a certain level of intimacy for Earthlings that… I'm not quite ready for that yet."

Lala gave a curious look at that information and said, "Ok then. Then I'll make sure we progress to that point one day!"

Looking away from Lala's bright genuine demeanor, Rito said, "I'm sure you will." Turning back to her, Rito asked, "By the way, have you adjusted to living here? I know it can't compare to what you had in space or Deviluke, but it's just what we have."

Lala thought about it while she spoke. "It's a mix of being nice and lonely. I'm free from the constant protection and badgering of papa, but I miss being with more people. But I don't miss being at Deviluke when I'm with you."

Rito was surprised at the surprise praise and mumbled, "What an unfair critical hit…"

"Ah, I forgot to ask!" Lala perked up from her revelation. "Can I use your closet as my room?"

"Hmm? Sure." Rito was confused by the odd question. "But isn't it too small to be a proper room?"

Lala stuck out her tongue with a joking smile. "Just leave that to me! Don't come in until I tell you to."

The two were in Rito's room and Rito had been planning to get her to sleep in her own room. 'Is she going to be working all night?' Rito thought. "Ah, Lala." Rito addressed.

"Yes, Rito?"

"Don't stay up too late working on your space. We have our date tomorrow. You don't want to be too tired to enjoy it."

Turning back, Lala said, "I'll make sure to sleep some. Good night Rito."

"Good night Lala." Rito thought for a second before questioning himself, 'What's going to happen to the clothes inside the closet?'

(-)

"Uwa, why do I have to wear clothes separate from Peke?"

"You're the one who told me that Peke doesn't work when tired. I'd rather not see my fiancé become nude in front of everyone because I didn't have the foresight to make you put in normal clothes."

Lala pouted. "But Peke's clothes are soooo much more comfortable! Also, this bra is too tight!"

'I guess mom's bra size wasn't big enough for Lala…Lala's form always does surprise me.' Rito thought with a blush. "Well, we'll get you some bras during our date. This trip is for your clothes anyway." Thinking for a quick second, Rito said, "Hmm, maybe ask Peke if he can transform into a bra for you? Just make sure that he can hold his form!"

"Okaaaaaay" Lala said, slurring her words as she walked over to Peke who was apparently in Lala's room in progress.

Mikan, who walked into the room, commented, "So, you're going on a date with Lala? How romantic, I'm a little jealous."

Rito was willing to play the older brother teasing game. "Oh? In that case, after I go on this date with Lala, I could go on one with you."

With blushing cheeks, Mikan looked away and said, "Don't be an idiot. You have to stay loyal to Lala, y'know."

Rito laughed her off. "Hehe, yeah I know. Lala is definitely my priority but," Rito lingered in his words as he looked at Mikan. "I won't neglect you in favor of Lala. In my eyes, you two are equal… or maybe you're a little more important to me," Rito said with a wink, also poking Mikan's nose.

"U-uh," Mikan stuttered from Rito's teasing. "A-anyway, enjoy your date. Make Lala happy, ok?"

"You know I will," Rito said, earnestly.

"Right," Mikan said, looking away.

"Ritoooo! We can go now! Peke has enough stamina to be my bra, so everything is comfortable!"

Lightly blushing, Rito grinned and said, "Alright, let's go!"

(-)

The two began their date walking together in the streets of Sainan Town, both dressed for the event. Rito had on a dark blue men's blazer with a white undershirt while Lala had on a purple shirt with a violet skirt. The two looked like a couple which embarrassed Rito to some extent.

'This is my first date, so I know I'm inexperienced, playing everything cool, but it's… different being out in public with someone you're in a romantic relationship with. It's a euphoric feeling that is great to feel but intoxicating. I hope I can keep a rational head while taking Lala around.'

While Rito was deep in thought, Lala was mesmerized by the busy streets of Sainan Town. To Lala, it seemed like everyone had something to do. "Look, Look Rito! There's a stand with some cool stuff available!"

"Hmm, there looks to be some party masks available. Would you like to pick one out?"

"Sure! This one looks cute," she said, pointing at one of them.

"A demon fox mask looks cute, huh. You sure have your own standards for cute things."

"I guess so. I think you're cute after all, Rito!" Lala said, teasing him.

Rito coughed and picked up the mask and talked to the man selling the item, avoiding the embarrassing comment. Once he bought it, he put it on the side of Lala's head. "Looks good on you," Rito managed to say without blushing.

"Thanks! How are you going to pay for everything though? Is it ok to be spending money on stuff like this?"

"Yeah, it's totally fine. Mikan gave me an advance on the allowance that my family sets aside for the house and its needs. We shouldn't have any issues with this much of a purchase."

"Wow, I'm glad I'm not too much of a burden."

A hand went to Lala's head, ruffling her hair. "You're not. Things might become crazy because of this situation but it's our choice, right?"

"Right!" Lala gave a wide smile at Rito's encouragement.

"Anyway, we can't spend all our time talking. We have clothes to buy!" After that declaration, Rito took Lala's hand and led her around.

Little did Rito know that he had a few people watching his date with Lala go down.

From a ways away a voice could be heard muttering, "Kukuku. And you thought I wouldn't find out that you were going on a date with the beautiful exchange girl that you just happened to be close with? How naïve Rito!" The plotting boy who looked strange to nearby onlookers was watching the couple go about their date.

But it wasn't only Saruyama who was watching the two

On the other side of the street sat two girls who were also intent on watching Rito and Lala. "Yuuki sure is a player, huh, Mio? Going off with Lala on a date when there are others that might want to engage in similar activities with him."

"I concur, Risa. The site of those two does make one jealous, although I don't find myself personally feeling such things. What about you?"

"Of course, I'm jealo- I mean, I don't care about it or anything. It's not like I want to go on a date with him or anything."

In a near monotonous tone, Mio said, "There's no need to embellish the Tsundere behavior Risa. I know you're just putting that on."

"Sorry," Risa said, sticking her tongue out at Mio. "I just wanted to say it to see how it would feel." Risa turned to the targets of her stalki- investigating and said, "C'mon! We can't let them get away."

"This'll be some good teasing material against Yuuki. Maybe we'll get him to blush from this since he doesn't even blink at the groping anymore."

(-)

"So, what exactly do you have planned, Rito?" The two had walked around, enjoying each other's presence even through the mundane walk around Sainan.

"I was thinking that we could catch some lunch and then get you some clothes. I have a restaurant already picked out if that's alright?" Rito asked.

"Hmm? Sure! I don't know any places around here to eat at, so I'm curious what you'll introduce me to." Lala said, earnestly.

"Oh, it's just a little place I think you'll find interesting. Who knows? You might see one of our classmates there."

"Ooh, now you're making me really want to know where we're going!"

Rito laughed at Lala's apparent enthusiasm and pointed to the building in front of him.

"Café Hasurin…" Lala read off the store's name. "I wonder what sort of place this is."

"You've made some great progress on your Japanese. You came to Earth somehow speaking Japanese, but even if your written Kanji and Katakana isn't up to par, you're learning fast."

"Eheh," Lala stuck out her tongue. "I'm a genius after all. I can do this much!"

Meanwhile, one of the two girls watching from afar freaked out. "Why did they go there of all places?" Mio complained. "If I go in, my coworkers are going to give me dirty looks because days like these are usually pretty busy."

"It'll be alright, Mio," Risa reassured. "You're with me, so if they say anything to you, I'll just shut them up for you." Risa led Mio across the street as they walked right into the restaurant.

"It's not what they say that'll hurt. It'll be the looks. I work at a maid café. Not exactly a place filled with the kindest people, despite what people think," Mio muttered.

The other person tailing the couple took one look at where they entered and said, "Welp, I'm game to look at hotties for an hour while those two do whatever!" And with that comment, Saruyama went right inside Case Hasurin.

While those three had their own plans to keep watch of Rito and Lala, someone from far away, in a spaceship outside of the Earth's atmosphere could be seen doing the same thing. "Lala-sama and Rito-dono went into a restaurant hand in hand! They're so close to one another despite only knowing each other for such a small amount of time. This can only be the work of true love!" Zastin was very supportive of Rito and Lala's engagement.

'Lala-sama has grown up so much since her young toddler days. I'm very happy that she's found something to be excited about. It seemed like she wasn't going to marry at all given that every suitor Lord Deviluke tried to set up with Lala was laid to waste by her inventions.' Zastin thought.

"Good luck Rito-dono!" Zastin sent all his good wishes to the one who could take good care of his charge.

Letting out a short sneeze, Rito muttered, "Someone must be talking about me…"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Lala asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Rito. "I can't wait until our food arrives. I hope you enjoy the maids serving you. It must be normal for you to be served by them, right?"

"Well, yeah. Our maids helped me with everything barring making inventions. Their presence is strangely… calming since I missed them in a weird way while I was taking a bath."

"You know, I always have to remind myself that you are a princess despite how you act."

Lala was confused. "What do you mean?"

Rito nodded in affirmation of his thoughts. "Well, you're just not spoiled. You haven't complained one bit about your change in living and you have an enthusiasm for everything new. I mean, I guess I've never met a real princess before, so my only knowledge is off of anime, but still," Rito said looking at Lala with a smile, "You're just a really good person, Lala."

Lala's face broke out in a blush as she tried to play it off. "Ritoooo. I appreciate it, but you shouldn't compliment me for doing the bare minimum. I'd like to think I'm above that-"

"You're wrong."

"Eh?"

"It's not the bare minimum. You've made friends with Mikan, who was a bit apprehensive of you, you've easily made friends with my school friends, and you've brought a spark to my life, a spark that tells me that you're going to make life interesting."

Lala was speechless at Rito's thoughtful talk.

"C'mon, don't leave me hanging Lala. I'm dying here," Rito joked to set the mood back to the lighthearted vibe.

"Well, what am I supposed to say after that?" asked Lala in her usual bubbly tone. "I really like you Rito, so everything related to you is a joy to me. That's all."

"A-ah," Rito's face slowly turned red. "That's not fair Lala…"

"You weren't fair first, silly!" The two's banter went back and forth that they didn't notice their food had arrived until both of their stomachs started growling.

The two's conversation could be heard in parts from the two groups who were watching from afar, particularly details like Lala being a princess were missed.

'Damn it Rito. It's hard to be jealous of you when you say things like that. As your friend, I want to be happy for your love!' thought Saruyama in a far away booth. 'Now if only I could find a girl as well!'

The other group were having their own reactions to Lala and Rito's conversations.

"Wow! You would think those two have known each other their whole life with how passionate their feelings are." Mio said.

"Yeah… Poor Haruna. It's obvious that she's into him but I don't know how, with Lala being here, Haruna's love could succeed." Commented Risa.

'I'm not really worried about her so much as I'm worried about you,' thought Mio. The two had their own food to snack on while they watched. 'They didn't salt my fries properly on purpose…"

(-)

The couple had paid for their meal and were finally ready to begin their clothes shopping. Rito could only react by gulping as he anticipated shopping with Lala who didn't have much sense of modesty for not only dresses and casual wear, but also underwear.

"Hey, Rito! Are you even paying attention? We're here!" Lala exclaimed.

Rito looked up to see that, yes, they were indeed in front of the clothes store. "Woah, was lost in thought Lala. Thanks for the heads up." In his head, Rito thought, 'Well, it won't be any less embarrassing than our earlier conversation.'

While the two got settled into looking for the section of the store to pick out clothes, up in space, Zastin was figuring some things out for his own integrity.

'It pains me as Lala's caretaker to not be responsible for their expenses. I wouldn't want to be a burden on Rito-dono and Miss Mikan,' thought Zastin.

'Maybe I can pick up a job on Earth somewhere…'

Back on Earth, Lala went through a variety of outfits, showing off to Rito and asking for his opinion on them.

"What about this one Rito?" Lala asked, pulling away the dressing room's curtains.

Rito was eying the outfit. It wasn't anything special. It was a sleeveless white tank top with some patterns on it with some shorts. 'The clothes themselves aren't all that great, but paired with Lala's figure…'

Turning his head away, Rito said, "Looks good on you."

Lala laughed at Rito's shyness in all this. 'He's cute when he's embarrassed,' Lala mused. 'Alright! Let's pick out an outfit that'll make his face really red!'

"What about this one, Rito?"

Rito got an eyeful of leg as Lala twirled her pink shirt. She had on a black top paired with it and the colors looked great with Lala's beautiful hair. With a blush darker than the first, Rito said, "Looks good."

"Great, I'll get another one, then!" 'He said less words than last time. That means he'll be speechless in no time!' With renewed vigor, Lala hastened putting on another outfit.

"How's this?"

Rito braced himself as he looked on. He was expecting something more revealing than the last outfit, but it turned out to be more conservative It was a striped purple to black sweater with long sleeves. The neck region of the sweater was wider than normal, so it showed the black undershirt Lala was also wearing. Lala wore black leggings with blue jean shorts to complete the look.

It was the least revealing outfit, but Rito found himself speechless. A tame, yet growing blush came over him.

"Hehe, gotcha this time with this one, huh." Lala giggled at her success. She's glad that Rito looked her way since Lala, herself, has been looking Rito's way.

"Y-yeah, I guess you did," Rito stuttered out. Calming himself, Rito said, "You're picking out your own underwear. You only get to tease me so much per day."

"Awww, I was looking forward to redder Rito!" pouted Lala. But Rito was not budging.

Otherwise, he didn't know if his face would be able to go back to a normal temperature.

(-)

The onlookers weren't far off in all this. Saruyama was strolling alone around the store with a swagger to him. 'I'm totally going to tease Rito about this later," Saruyama mused.

Mio and Risa were trying out outfits of their own. Risa even bought a maid outfit for Mio, despite her grievances about it being too much like her workplace outfit. Risa didn't even bat an eye at the bunny suit that Mio bought Risa in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Lala and Rito were finally done with their shopping. Lala had all the clothing that she would need currently. 'We're going to be paying another trip here, come Winter, aren't we,' thought Rito.

Lala let out an exaggerated sigh as she complained, "Riiiiitoooo. How am I supposed to know I picked out the cutest bra and panties if I didn't get your opinion on them."

"Anything will look cute on you Lala. Don't worry," Rito said, congratulating himself for the smooth reply.

"But there were panties with cute animals on them! Don't you think that those are cuter than the norm?"

Rito didn't respond but he was thinking about it. 'Bear…'

"Ah, there's Haruna," Lala commented.

"Hmm? Sairenji-chan is here," Rito confirmed. Calling over to the bluenette, Rito said, "How's it going Sairenji-chan!"

"Eh? Yuuki-kun? What're you and Lala-san doing here?" Haruna just so happened to be out shopping for a secret reason.

"We were shopping for cute outfits!" Lala exclaimed.

"Lala didn't arrive in Japan with a lot of clothes, so this trip was a way to remedy that," Rito explained.

"Ah, that makes sense. I was doing some shopping of my own," Haruna admitted. 'The way they're together… I don't want to think about it.' "See you two at school," Haruna said.

With some parting words to "Sairenji-chan" from Rito and "Haruna" from Lala, the two exited the store and continued their date with Rito holding the bags of clothing for Lala.

One might ask what the two groups of onlookers were doing in all of this, but the truth of the matter is that they found out about each other.

"Damn it, we're going to lose them," said Risa. "I can't believe you're following them, Saruyama-kun."

"You can't believe I'm following them?" Saruyama asked in indignation. "As if I would pass up the opportunity to get teasing material against Rito."

"Ah, you too then," Mio said.

"Hmm, what do you mean, Sawada-chan?"

With a brief reaction at Saruyama calling her that, Mio explained, "That's why I and Risa are following them." 'There are other reasons, but it's best that Saruyama-kun doesn't know that.'

(-)

With the onlookers (except for Zastin) occupied, Rito and Lala walked hand in hand home.

"Hey Rito?"

"Yeah?"

"Haruna's nice, right?" Lala asked.

"Yes?" Rito answered more as a question since he was confused by the subject matter.

"Well, did you ever have a crush on Haruna? You are friends with her." Lala reasoned.

Rito thought through his words as she said, "Yes, once upon a time, I was interested in her."

"Eh?" Lala wondered, "What happened then?"

"I confessed," Rito muttered.

"YOU CONFESSED?" Lala questioned loudly. "Then what happened when we got engaged."

Rito now understood. "Ah, don't worry about it. I got rejected. It seems she wasn't interested in me. We were still in junior high, so you don't have to worry about it. I did manage to become closer friends with her because of my confession, but it seemed she just wasn't interested in me." Rito laughed it off.

"I wonder if that's really how it is," muttered the perceptive Lala who saw how Haruna reacted to Rito.

Rito looked ahead at a stand he recognized. "Hey, Lala. Want some Takoyaki?"

"Taiyaki? What's that."

"It's a pastry with a sweet filling. I'm sure you'll love the shape it's in."

"Oh? Let's go buy some then!" Lala exclaimed.

The two walked up to the taiyaki stand hand in hand. "What can I get ya youngsters," the old man vendor said.

"Two red bean paste Taiyaki please!" Rito ordered.

"Alrighty, that'll be 150 yen."

"150? But sir, that's only the cost of one."

"I'll let this one be on the house for the cute lady." The vendor winked at his compliment.

"Thanks, old man!" Lala said, happy to get free food and a compliment.

"Hahaha, I hope you youngsters have a good date," the old man said, amused by Lala's bluntness.

"Thank you, sir. We appreciate it." Rito said as he handed the fish shaped pastry to Lala.

The two walked away as Lala took her bite and immediately after, she let out a satisfied "mmmeemmm!"

"Is it good?" Rito asked the obvious question.

"Hehe, what do you think? It's delicious!"

"I'm glad you liked it," Rito said as he took a bite out of his own piece. "Tasty!"

The two walked hand in hand all the way home.