Disclaimer: Date a Live and its characters belong to Kōshi Tachibana.
Spirits of the Night
"Why did I let you talk me into this?"
It was Halloween eve. Shinji was currently wearing a hand-sewn (read: produced from reiryoku) replica of his wife's Astral Dress. Except, this was a modified version that was suited for the male body. Thank god (spirit?) she didn't tell him to wear a dress.
He wasn't sure he could say no to her.
Mio hummed, currently fixing a few misplaced flowers on his outfit. This was their first Halloween together as a married couple, and they wanted to dress up for the occasion.
That, and Nia begged to see them in matching outfits.
"No need to worry so much, Shin. I'll be wearing my Astral Dress as well. We'll match."
"... It looks better on you than it is on me. I look like The White King on his wedding day."
"You are The White King. And currently married to me."
"... we're going to a Halloween party, not a wedding. We've been to a lot of those already."
"The last one had you in tears."
"I was happy for them! And that has nothing to do with what I just said!"
"Hmm-hmm. It's just fun to see you so flustered."
"Keep that up and I'm taking this off."
"Don't threaten me with a fun time~"
"Alright, lovebirds. Stop flirting. We're leaving in thirty minutes." That was Mana.
"Are you sure you want to dress up like that, Mana?" Shinji inquired, ignoring her comment.
"Like what? You in your Spirit Form? It looks nice. Closer to my wardrobe too. Minus the black and red. You need a better selection of colors, big brother."
"I don't control what Zafkiel makes me look like. It's either that or I'm wearing white and blue."
"So like, right now?"
"Minus the flowers and replace it with a military uniform, yes."
"You both look good in matching outfits. Plus, you two are probably the most famous married couple in the neighborhood right now. Trust me, people will like it."
"She is right, Shin." Mio finished arranging the last flower on his head — the flower crown. "It's tailor-made for your body type. It suits you."
"I guess… Only because these clothes are yours, though." He added.
"Keep that up and you'll see me without them," Mio said with a completely straight face.
"Don't threaten me with a fun time~"
"Guys! We can go now!"
Kurumi's mansion was huge. He knew that, he's worked here before. But no matter how many times he's seen the place, it makes the two-story house he shared with Mio look like a storage shed.
Speak of the devil.
"Glad you two can make it, Shinji, and Mio." Kurumi paused to glare at Mana. "And dear Mana."
"Nice to see you too, nightmare." She glared back.
"Fufu~ You chose to dress up as me. How cute."
"I was dressed up as big brother! You're the one dressing up as me!"
Kurumi was currently wearing a variation of Shinji's Astral Dress. Only that instead of a hoodie, it was a dress, made out of crimson and black frills, giving her the appearance of a Gothic Lolita. Her hair was tied with uneven twin tails that resemble the minute and hour hand of a clock. On her head was a big crimson net bow to hold her hair. She also wore a red and black collar on her neck. A perfect female variation of himself, he'd say.
"Hm, I was wrong…" Kurumi said, leaving Mana gobsmacked for a second. "I wouldn't wear such inelegant clothing for a female on a momentous occasion like this."
"Why you—!"
"Big sis!" A voice called from the back, interrupting Mana's retort. She turned her head to see Yoshino running towards Kurumi in a panic.
Yoshino was wearing a large green raincoat that had a tail with a pink ribbon attached to it, and a pair of rabbit ears on her hood. A perfect imitation, she thought. Minus the lack of a rabbit puppet on her left hand.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Natsumi's lost her broom! She's furious!" Yoshino all but shouted.
"Ah, I might've seen something akin to that." She turned to her guests. "Please give me a moment. Greet the other girls for me!" And with that, Kurumi rushed off along with Yoshino.
"Her costume looked nice," Mana said right when the door to the storage room closed, chuckling when she heard the muffled noises of a distressed Natsumi from beyond it.
"Indeed. Yoshino's costume was perfect. What do you think, Shin?"
"Hm? Oh, I just thought it was weird she wasn't carrying Yoshinon around today."
Mio pondered for a moment. "Hmm. That is strange. I guess Natsumi being in her life has changed her somewhat."
"Not that it was a bad thing, but she was growing overly attached to that puppet, to the point where she'd break down when she couldn't find it," Mana added. "It's nice to see her opening up to other people and not restricting herself to us and Yoshinon. I'm glad she has someone like Natsumi."
Mio nodded, voicing her approval.
"Oh? You got here first, boy?"
"Ah, Ms. Honjo! Nice to see you made it." Shinji said, turning to the white-haired woman who was donning a gorgeous nun outfit.
"I told you to call me Nia." An ominous glare was sent his way.
"Y-Yes… Nia." He still felt very uncomfortable being very familiar with his favorite author, even after she owed him so much.
"W-Wait up! Muku can't catch up!" An out-of-breath Mukuro can be heard from outside the door.
And the huge key that was part of her getup.
"Mukuro! You alright?" Mana rushed to her side, offering a bottle of water which the blonde graciously accepted.
"M-Muku's… fine…" She said after regaining her breath, using that moment to glare at Nia, who only gave a playful smile like a kid who succeeded in a prank.
"Uhm, Mukuro?" Shinji asked, taking a look at her outfit. It was a simple button-up blouse that was colored black and white. Her hair was tied in an adorable bun. The only Halloween-y part of her… costume(?) was the oversized key that she was holding. Oh, that's why she was so tired.
"They didn't approve of Muku's costume. They said it was 'too inappropriate' for the party." Mukuro pouted. "They let Muku keep the key though."
"I told you to wear a nun outfit like me."
"Muku doesn't like the 'sexy nun' outfit." Mukuro deadpanned at Nia. "And it barely qualified for the dress code."
"Huhu, someone's jealous."
"Muku's not jealous!"
Shinji and Mio let out small chuckles at their behavior.
"Shinji! Mio! Guys!" Two voices came from the now-open storage room. This time, they were not distressed but were happily running up to them.
Natsumi was wearing a cute witch outfit. So that's what the broom was for.
"It's been a while," Mio said, accepting the hug from Yoshino. The girl gave a muffled 'yes' from her position.
"Hey, Yoshie, don't stay there for too long. You'll make her husband jealous." Natsumi joked, laughing at his flustered reaction.
"It's alright, Shin. I'll let you do this as long as you want when we get home." Mio said with a completely straight face.
Now Natsumi was on the ground losing her shit and laughing.
"Fufu~ is that everyone?" They heard Kurumi's approach.
"The ones who could make it, I guess," Shinji took his phone out to show a text sent to him a moment ago. "Tohka spent Halloween with her mom."
Kurumi looked around to see the other guests chatting and nodded. "Good. Now then…"
The lights dimmed.
Suddenly, Kurumi was standing in the spotlight, several meters from where she was just a moment ago, gaining everyone's attention. How she seemingly bends the rules of physics when making dramatic entrances will forever baffle him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time we start our celebration! Let us feast to our heart's content!" Her voice boomed from the speakers. The crowd cheered around them.
"Well, she never changes." Shinji smiled and joined the applause.
The night was eventful.
Many people basked in the glory that were Shinji and Mio's costumes. They won the "best costume" competition by a landslide, Kurumi being a place below them by 18 votes less. Somehow, they all reached a mutual agreement to have the couple share first place. They didn't object, only a little embarrassed. They were right, Shinji thought. They loved their outfits.
Yoshino and Natsumi spent most of the evening together. Chatting, eating, participating in a few events, and overall enjoying each other's company.
Nia had a lot of drinks, she was starting to get drunk. Natsumi had to carry her to another room while Yoshino followed closely behind.
Mukuro devoured the dinner table.
Mana was out trying to compete with Kurumi in one of the events. The rivalry never burns out, Shinji guessed.
Kurumi managed to sneak Mio and Shinji into her backyard, giving them the privacy they needed. Tapping a few buttons on her remote, the fairy lights turned on, illuminating the area around them. With a smile, Kurumi walked back into the mansion.
The dance floor was silent, most of the party mellowing out. A moment ago, it was playing various upbeat music. Now, it was playing a slow, romantic piece. People all around danced with their partners, Natsumi and Yoshino included.
Nia was fast asleep in the lounge, Mukuro was helping herself to a few drinks with Mana, and Kurumi found herself asking Sawa for a dance.
Shinji walked up to Mio and offered his hand, his wedding band gleaming in the light.
Their wedding song was playing.
"May I have this dance, Mio?"
Mio took the offered hand, giving him the smile he fell in love with.
"I would be honored, Shin." And with that, he guided her to a comfortable spot.
Shinji starts moving, and Mio follows his movements. Their motions were stiff as if they didn't know what they were doing.
However, Shinji holds Mio by the chin, lifting her face to make eye contact with him. Little by little, they were lost in each other's gaze, their bodies losing themselves to the dance. They were moving in perfect unison.
Shinji places his hands on Mio, one by the waist and the other on her back. Mio responds by wrapping her arms around him in the same way.
Slowly, his hand moved up and cupped her face, while his other hand rested on her back, intending to hold her.
Mio didn't resist, only closed her eyes to prepare herself. Their faces grew closer until they felt their breaths against each other, then finally locked their lips in a chaste kiss.
Mio loved Shinji.
And Shinji certainly returned those feelings.
His first love, his savior, his wife.
Locked in an eternal vow to be with each other.
Under the moonlight were a strange pair, dancing as if there was nothing wrong with the world.
And he wouldn't trade this life for anything.
The night has only just begun.
Well, here's my first one-shot. Too short? This is meant to be a Halloween special.
Oh, and before you ask:
Yes; This takes place in The 30th's universe.
After Book 3; This story was set after the events of Kindness and Eternity, a book that hasn't been released yet.
Yes; This was my first time writing a dance scene.
I meant this to be a snippet of the future. Kind of like the moto manga of Takagi-san. You'll see how the development leads up to this. I haven't revealed everything yet, after all.
Speaking of Book 3, I just revealed the chapter list of The 30th's finale in the Discord server:
discord. gg/xdSX4jfQyF
Happy (early) Halloween, nerds.
